Daily Archives: August 6, 2026

Turning Point

Turning Point; David Jeremiah – God’s Law Is King

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Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His. And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings.
Daniel 2:20-21

Recommended Reading: Daniel 6:1-10

In seventeenth-century England the Protestant Reformation was in turmoil, and a civil war had erupted. The English king sought to impose his “divine right” to rule over the Protestant churches. A Scottish Presbyterian pastor Samuel Rutherford published a book in 1644, titled Lex, Rex (“The Law Is King”), to point out that the king is not above divine law. His theme was the same as that of the apostles who told the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem, “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).

While the Bible is clear that secular rulers are to be obeyed, it is also clear that we are “to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). For example, Daniel was thrown into the lions’ den for refusing to obey the king’s law prohibiting prayer to God (Daniel 6). And Daniel’s three friends were subjected to a fiery furnace because they refused to worship the king’s golden image (Daniel 3).

If you are ever subjected to an ordinance that violates God’s law, seek the Lord for discernment. Remember that God establishes rulers for His purposes.

God is a totalitarian ruler who demands full allegiance from his subjects.
R. B. Kuiper

 

 

 

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread – Part of God’s Story

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Has not the Lord gone ahead of you? Judges 4:14

Today’s Scripture

Judges 4:4-9, 14

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Today’s Devotion

Archaeologist Jodi Magness and her team have been excavating a synagogue in the ancient village of Huqoq in Lower Galilee, where they’ve found an incredible collection of mosaics, paintings, and carvings. Particularly rare, however, is a mosaic telling the biblical story of Deborah and her role in Israel’s battle against the Canaanites; there’s no other known ancient depiction of this heroine.

During twenty years of oppression by Canaan, Deborah, a prophetess, “was leading Israel” (Judges 4:4). At God’s prompting, Deborah urged Israel’s general Barak to mount an attack on the Canaanite forces and their commander, Sisera. Barak heeded God’s instructions to “take . . . ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead them up to Mount Tabor” (v. 6), and Deborah lured the enemy’s army to the area. The Canaanite troops indeed fell in the battle, and though Sisera initially fled on foot, he too ultimately met his demise. “On that day God subdued . . . Canaan before the Israelites” (v. 23) through the courageous obedience of Deborah and Barak.

The Bible preserves for us a literary mosaic of historical events in the life of God’s people—collectively and individually. We can take courage from these examples to heed God’s instructions even in the face of hardship and struggle. We can trust Him to equip us with the strength to do so.

Reflect & Pray

When has God asked you to do something difficult? How did He equip and sustain you in that situation?

Heavenly Father, please give me the courage to heed Your instructions.

Today’s Insights

The book of Judges bridges the times between Joshua and the beginning of the monarchy under Saul (see 1 Samuel 9). It’s characterized by what some scholars call the “cycle of apostasy.” Each cycle begins when Israel falls away from God. Then He sends a neighboring nation to discipline them, followed by God’s provision of a judge to deliver them from that nation, and then a season of spiritual revival. Twelve different judges, from Othniel to Samson, are God’s instruments of rescue. Deborah is the fourth of those judges (Judges 4), whose season of leadership over Israel lasted about forty years, second only to Ehud, who judged for eighty years. Through the leadership and example of the judges, the people returned to God, and He enabled them to trust Him and obey His law afresh. Their example can remind us today that He’ll give us the strength to trust and obey Him no matter the circumstance.

 

 

http://www.odb.org

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – Iran agrees to deal with Oman to reopen Strait of Hormuz

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Iran says an agreement with Oman on a route for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is “in the final stages.” Oil prices held steady this morning, however, as investors remained cautious over the outcome of the talks. The agreement would allow Iran to control ships entering the Persian Gulf through the strait, though such control is yet to be defined.

This deal could ease pressure on the global economy and perhaps help bring an end to the war. “A lot of progress has been made,” President Trump said recently. However, the current agreement represents just one factor with regard to one of the most complicated and conflicted waterways in the world. (For the website article I wrote yesterday explaining the history of the Strait of Hormuz, its global significance, attempts to close and reopen it, and biblical principles for negotiations, please go here.)

The Islamic Republic of Iran poses an ongoing threat to the Middle East and to Americans as well, but it is only one such threat in the news. For example, a new study warns that a major California earthquake could hit sooner rather than later, causing hundreds of deaths and billions of dollars in damage. And, according to the Washington Post, a biological attack “could trigger a global pandemic, mass death, widespread insurrection, and ultimately societal breakdown.”

If you’d like your bad news to be a little less catastrophic, consider the toxic caterpillars currently spreading across Europe. As the New Yorker reports, oak processionary caterpillars are covered in “wiry white hairs that look like the whiskers on a witch’s warts.” When threatened, they emit not only these visible hairs but also eight hundred thousand microscopic hairs. Contact with them causes severe rashes, itching, and stinging.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Iran agrees to deal with Oman to reopen Strait of Hormuz →

Greg Laurie

Harvest Ministries; Greg Laurie – The Laws of the Lord

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 Reverence for the LORD is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the LORD are true; each one is fair. They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb. They are a warning to your servant, a great reward for those who obey them. 

—Psalm 19:9–11

Scripture:

Psalm 19:9–11 

Solomon “had it all”—or so it seemed. When he succeeded his father David as king of Israel, the Lord appeared to him in a dream and offered to give him anything he asked for. Solomon asked for wisdom, an understanding heart, so that he could govern God’s people well. The Lord was so pleased by Solomon’s request that He gave the young monarch not just an abundance of wisdom but also fame and fortune beyond measure.

And all was well, until Solomon began to ignore his God-given wisdom and rebel against the truth he had learned from the Lord. Solomon shifted his focus from governing God’s people well to sampling just about everything the world had to offer. With virtually unlimited resources at his disposal, he went on a sinful binge.

Afterward, he said that it was all vanity, like chasing after the wind. The book of Ecclesiastes records his analysis for us: “That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty” (Ecclesiastes 12:13 NLT). In other words, “Don’t fight against the laws of God. They were given to us for a reason.”

God, in His commandments, has given us the blueprint for a fulfilled life, a blueprint for happiness, if you will. As Psalm 1 says, “Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do” (verses 1–3 NLT).

In contrast, the psalm continues, “But not the wicked! They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind” (verse 4 NLT).

In Psalm 19, you’ll find these words: “Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the Lord are true; each one is fair. They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb. They are a warning to your servant, a great reward for those who obey them” (verses 9–11 NLT). Those words should have been familiar to Solomon. They were written by his father David.

And their truth remains unchanged. You can either find meaning, joy, and fulfillment by avoiding the things that will drag you down and embracing the truth and commandments of God—or you can chase after the wind, as Solomon once tried to do. The choice is yours. Choose wisely.

 

Reflection question: Why does the freedom of God’s commandments often seem like a restriction? Discuss this with believers like you on Harvest Discipleship!

 

 

 

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Days of Praise

Days of Praise – Treasures of the Snow

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by Henry M. Morris, Ph.D.

“Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail?” (Job 38:22)

It is interesting that this book, the oldest in the Bible, contains more references to snow, ice, and frost than any other book of the Bible. This is despite the fact that Job’s homeland was in what is now essentially a desert region. Possibly the effects of the post-Flood Ice Age were still strong in Job’s day.

In any case, the beautiful phrase “treasures of the snow” is both appropriate and prophetic. Its crystal structure, though mostly in the form of delicate six-pointed “stars,” is endlessly varied and always intricately symmetrical and incredibly beautiful.

The snow is a treasure in other ways as well. The winter’s snowpack in the mountains is often called white gold because of its indispensable water storage capacity, released in the melting season each spring to provide life to teeming cities and irrigation in the desert for needed food supplies. The snow also aids in maintaining the planet’s chemical cycles by returning various elements in the nuclei of its flakes back from the ocean to the lands from which they were leached and transported by rivers to the oceans. When the snowpack becomes a glacier, it can greatly assist in the breakup of rocks to form fertile soils.

In the Scriptures, its pure white color is often used to symbolize the cleansing of a sinful heart that trusts the Lord. “Wash me,” said David, “and I shall be whiter than snow” (Psalm 51:7). “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow,” the Lord promises those who come to Him for salvation (Isaiah 1:18).

As the snow comes down from heaven, so comes the Word of God to ask the soul as in today’s text: “Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow?” HMM

 

 

 

https://www.icr.org/articles/type/6

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – God’s Grace Is the Foundation of Answered Prayer

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Two men went up into the temple [enclosure] to pray, the one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee took his stand ostentatiously and began to pray thus before and with himself: God, I thank You that I am not like the rest of men—extortioners (robbers), swindlers [unrighteous in heart and life], adulterers—or even like this tax collector here. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I gain. But the tax collector, [merely] standing at a distance, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but kept striking his breast, saying, O God, be favorable (be gracious, be merciful) to me, the especially wicked sinner that I am!

Luke 18:10-13 (AMPC)

God doesn’t answer our prayers because we are good, but because He is good. Be like the tax collector mentioned in today’s scripture and ask God to have mercy on you because of your sin. Be thankful for all the grace God gives you, and don’t keep a record of your good works. Remember every good thing anyone does for you but quickly forget the good you do for others.

Don’t compare yourself with other people, especially not in a way that makes you feel you are better than they are. Paul teaches that we are not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought to, but to think according to the degree of faith that is given to us (Romans 12:3). If we are good at anything, it is because God has given us a gift. We should be humbly grateful, not proud, which always causes us to think more highly of ourselves than we should.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, thank You for answering my prayers, not because of my goodness, but because of Your goodness and mercy. Keep me humble, grateful, and mindful of Your grace in everything I do, amen.

 

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Spiritual Muscle 

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Spiritual muscle is developed not by sitting but by acting. Not by listening but by doing.

“But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror.  You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like” (James 1:22-24 NLT).

You turn away, pause, and wonder, Did I comb my hair? Such a question would betray one truth, and that is lack of attention. James indicts us for doing the same. We go to church. We hear a message, enjoy a few songs, but are we changed? Do we worry less and pray more? Are we less concerned about our will and more concerned about God’s? Let’s not be lookers. Let’s be doers.

 

 

 

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Today in the Word

Today in the Word – Moody Bible Institute – God Communicates His Law

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Read Exodus 20:1–22

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City hosted an exhibit titled Divine Egypt, featuring almost 250 works of art that depict the ancient Egyptian gods. Over Egypt’s long history, their list of gods grew to more than 1,500. But, at the time of the Exodus, some of the most revered were Hapi and Isis, the Nile gods; Heqet, the frog-headed goddess of fertility; Hathor, the cow goddess; and Ra, the god of the sun.

When Israel’s God inflicted the ten plagues on Egypt, He targeted some of their deities, emphasizing His authority over them (Exod. 12:12). The Nile River turned to blood (Hapi and Isis). An infestation of frogs covered the land (Heqet). A disease killed their livestock (Hathor). Darkness fell on the nation (Ra). Israel’s God was communicating that He was superior to all.

After the Lord brought the Israelites from Egypt, guiding them by a cloud and fire (Exod. 13) …after He had parted the sea and saved them from the pursuing Egyptians (Exod. 14) …after He had provided water and manna, which they did not find satisfactory (Exod. 15–16) …God proved to Israel that He was the most powerful God in yet another way.

He was also distinct in communication. While the Egyptians strained to hear from their gods through dreams and magic, Israel’s God clearly communicated. Exodus 20 is—among other things—a beautiful example of His purposeful revelation. The chapter opens with this striking declaration: “God spoke all these words” (v. 1). Before the Lord issued any commands, He reminded Israel of their communion. “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt” (v. 2). He is relational and redemptive, and the revelation that follows (the Ten Commandments) flowed out of His covenantal commitment.

Go Deeper

How did God clearly demonstrate His superiority to their idols? How is God’s communication different from those false gods?

Pray with Us

Father God, thank You for speaking to us with clarity. You are the one true God! We worship You for Your power, Your intentionality, and Your redemptive plan.

You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven.Exodus 20:22

 

 

 

https://www.moodybible.org/