Daily Archives: August 7, 2026

Turning Point

Turning Point; David Jeremiah – Consequences

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A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly and suffers the consequences.
Proverbs 22:3, NLT

Recommended Reading: Proverbs 27:12-17

The high school student was an actor, and the blood was fake. But the emergency teams were real, and the trauma felt real too. Students listened as the intensive care doctors, nurses, and organ donor specialists tried to deal with the consequences of one fictional student’s risky behavior. The coordinator said, “We don’t want to stop young people from enjoying their independence, but we also want to give them a different perspective on the real-world consequences that can follow a rash decision.”1

Proverbs 22:3 also warns us of real-world consequences for risky behavior, and the message is so important the verse is repeated word for word in Proverbs 27:12.

When we sin, there is a spiritual price tag. God forgives, but He doesn’t take away the consequences. That’s why we have to think ahead, foresee danger, and take precautions. One of the precautions is to fill your heart with verses from God’s Word so that you can make good decisions on a daily basis.

As we search the Scriptures, we must allow them to search us, to sit in judgment upon our character and conduct.
Jerry Bridges

  1. “A Lesson in Consequences of Risky Behavior,” Coast Community News, March 31, 2026.

 

 

 

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread – God Is Greater

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Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8

Today’s Scripture

1 Peter 5:6-11

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Today’s Devotion

Before he became famous, the Mongolian warlord Genghis Khan (ca. ad 1162-1227) killed his own half brother to advance his position in the family. As he solidified his power, he began to build an empire more expansive than Alexander the Great’s, stretching from Asia’s Pacific coast to Eastern Europe. Ruthless in his tactics, the khan and his army left a trail of death and destruction everywhere they advanced. His devastating military forays are unparalleled in recorded history.

Today we face a vicious foe even more intimidating than a marauding army—an enemy who wants to conquer and devastate our souls. The apostle Peter cautioned, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). This enemy is cunning and dangerous like a great warrior and is much more than we can handle on our own. But we have great reason for hope. The apostle John wrote, “The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). This “one who is in you” is the Holy Spirit Himself. We need not fear the enemy of our souls.

As we rely on the Holy Spirit, we gain confidence that our lives are guarded from the one who’s trying to conquer our souls. Our God is greater. We can trust Him to be with us in everything.

Reflect & Pray

When have you sensed the enemy’s opposition? How did you respond?

Loving God, thank You that You’re greater than my enemy and have already defeated him. Please help me rely on Your Spirit.

Today’s Insights

What does the New Testament tell us about our “enemy the devil” (1 Peter 5:8)? First, it gives him a variety of names: “Satan,” which means “accuser” or “adversary” (Revelation 12:9-10); “Beelzebul, the prince of demons” (Matthew 12:24); “the god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4:4); “the ruler of the kingdom of the air” (Ephesians 2:2); “the evil one” (2 Thessalonians 3:3); “the great dragon” (Revelation 12:9); and the “ancient serpent” (20:2; see 2 Corinthians 11:3).

Second, Satan’s mission is “to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). The devil is opposed to God and seeks to drive a wedge between Him and humans. Satan hopes to tear down our confidence and trust in God and deter us from our mission of spreading the gospel. James says, “Submit yourselves . . . to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). The Holy Spirit will help us resist the devil and stand strong in Christ.

Learn more about spiritual warfare.

 

 

 

http://www.odb.org

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – Are people getting dumber? Are smartphones to blame?

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I hope you’re not reading this article on your smartphone. New research shows conclusively that IQ scores have been declining in recent years. Social scientists focused on nearly four hundred thousand people aged eighteen to ninety who completed questions from an open-source intelligence test. Across the thirteen-year study period, they found that cognitive scores declined over time.

This decline began well before AI was commonly available and prior to the pandemic. But it aligns with the time smartphone use began to rise.

One analyst thinks the switch from reading in print to consuming content on smartphones has led to the degradation of intellect. “Print requires us to make a logical case for a subject,” he noted. “You can’t just assert things in the way you can on TikTok or on YouTube.”

He adds, “Print privileges a whole way of thinking and a whole way of processing the world that is logical, that is more rational, that is more dense information, that is more intellectually challenging.”

“We are God’s fellow workers”

Apart from reading content in print, I’m not sure what we can do about this trend. In fact, much of the day’s news, however we consume it, can make us feel impotent.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Are people getting dumber? Are smartphones to blame? →

Greg Laurie

Harvest Ministries; Greg Laurie – Just One Thing

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 The one thing I ask of the LORD—the thing I seek most—is to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, delighting in the LORD’s perfections and meditating in his Temple. 

—Psalm 27:4

Scripture:

Psalm 27:4 

It’s been said that the greatest danger in life is to permit the urgent things to crowd out the important things. You see, the rabbit holes in life can cause us to lose sight of the one thing that matters: Jesus Christ.

It’s interesting to follow the phrase one thing through the pages of Scripture. Each time a biblical author uses this phrase, we find insights into the importance of making time for the Lord. For example, remember when Martha became agitated at her sister, Mary, for sitting at Jesus’ feet while Martha did all the work? How did Jesus reply? He said, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41–42 NLT, emphasis mine). Jesus was essentially saying, “Listen, Martha, I appreciate your desire to work. But there is a time to work and there is a time to sit at My feet. Mary has figured out that one thing is needful.”

Are Martha’s actions a good description of your life right now? Are you so busy with work and life’s nonessentials that you’ve forgotten the one thing? Unless we have a sense of priority, we can find ourselves distracted and quickly forget our purpose: to dwell with the Lord.

We must make the time to sit at the Lord’s feet. If we don’t make time for God’s Word, prayer, and church in our daily lives, we will fall apart spiritually. One thing is needful; pray for the strength and diligence to make time for it.

David had a real insight into who God is and set his heart to follow Him. In Psalm 57:7, he wrote, “My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is steadfast and confident!” (AMPC). David’s heart was totally focused on who God was. He was locked into what was right.

Paul made a similar statement in the book of Philippians: “I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us” (3:13–14 NLT).

Everybody is living for something. The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing—that is, to live by a clear set of priorities. What’s the one thing for you? What’s your clear focus in life?

God may not give you everything you hope for in life. Then again, He may give you more. You just leave that up to Him and put Him first.

 

Reflection question: How can you prioritize the things of God in your life?Discuss this with believers like you on Harvest Discipleship!

 

 

 

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Days of Praise

Days of Praise – He Knows Our Hearts

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by Henry M. Morris, Ph.D.

“Then hear thou from heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and render unto every man according unto all his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou only knowest the hearts of the children of men).” (2 Chronicles 6:30)

Eight times in Solomon’s prayer at the dedication of the temple, he beseeches God to “hear from heaven” (vv. 21, 23, 25, 27, 30, 33, 35, 39) when His people confess their sins and pray for deliverance. It is marvelous that God, whose “dwelling place” is in heaven (vv. 21, 30, 33, 39), can actually hear the prayers of people here on Earth, but we remember that He is omnipresent.

Even more marvelous, if possible, is the fact that He can hear prayers uttered only in our hearts. But He is also omniscient, so of course He knows the very thoughts of our hearts.

Then, as we read of Jesus’ wrath at the desecration of the temple by those who would commercialize their religion there, it was said that He “needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man” (John 2:25). This is direct confirmation that Jesus is God, for only God knows the thoughts of our hearts.

It is a wonderful day when we realize that God knows our hearts. It can be frightening, of course, if our hearts are not right with God, but it can also be a great comfort and exhilaration—it all depends on the thoughts and motivations of our hearts. As David wrote long ago, “Thou understandest my thought afar off” (Psalm 139:2).

We need, therefore, to guard our thought life just as much as our social life, “for he knoweth the secrets of the heart” (Psalm 44:21). May God help us to be “casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). It is a good thing if our thoughts please Him. HMM

 

 

 

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

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – How to Release Your Cares and Trust God

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Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed.

Proverbs 16:3 (AMPC)

If we want to be in intimate relationship with God and live lives that are truly committed to Him, we have to take everything about ourselves and say to Him: “God, I give this to You. I give You this problem. I give You this situation. I give You this relationship. I completely release it and let it go. It is too much for me. I am going to stop worrying and trying to figure everything out—and I am going to let You take care of it. God, I also give myself to You because I can’t do anything about myself, either. I give it all to you.” I give you my strengths and weaknesses. I want to change, but You have to change me. It was a great day for me when I finally learned that it was God’s job to change me and my job to believe!

Psalm 37:5 says, Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass (NKJV). What does it mean to commit our ways to God? It means to “roll” them off of ourselves and onto Him. When we roll our problems and human reasonings on God, which means to trust them completely to Him, then He changes our thoughts and makes them agree with His will. In other words, His thoughts become our thoughts so that we want what He wants.

When that happens, our plans will succeed because they are in complete agreement with God’s plans. Release yourself and all your cares today and relax so you can hear God speak to you.

Prayer of the Day: Father God, I release my worries, my problems, and myself entirely into Your hands. In the name of Jesus, I ask You to change my thoughts so they align with Yours in order that I can trust You completely, amen.

 

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Divine Boot Camp 

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God told Elijah to “hide in the Kerith Ravine…I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there” (1 Kings 17:2-4 NIV).

Why would God do this? To protect Elijah from Ahab and Jezebel for one thing. The crown had posted an APB. Search parties were dispatched. What better place for Elijah to hide than in the rugged landscape of his homeland?

And God sent Elijah to Kerith to prepare him for the future. Remember, the world had gone crazy. Abhorrent behavior—child sacrifice, worship of idols, temple prostitution—had been normalized. God needed a steadfast prophet to stand against such a tide.

To prepare Elijah for his assignment, God led him into the wilderness. It was there the prophet learned to radically trust God. Call it divine boot camp. Be patient. God is working on you.

 

 

 

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Today in the Word

Today in the Word – Moody Bible Institute – A Gentle Whisper

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Read 1 Kings 19:1–18

In my speech course, students employ a variety of methods to begin their speeches. They’ve used stories, statistics, pictures, videos, even music. One student slammed his fist on the podium, causing us to jump. In another memorable speech, the speaker took the stage and just stood in silence. This was even more effective at arresting our attention.

In 1 Kings, God communicated with His prophet Elijah in a similarly subdued way. Elijah had just experienced dramatic victory on Mount Carmel (18:20–46). The prophets of Baal had cried out to their god, begging for a flaming response and received none (18:26). Then Elijah prayed to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel—who answered with fire (18:38). The people fell on their faces in praise: “The LORD—he is God!” (18:39). When Elijah returned to Jezreel (18:46), he may have expected a spiritual revival. However, when Queen Jezebel heard about the Mount Carmel showdown, she immediately sent a messenger with a death threat (19:2). Elijah fled for his life. Alone in the wilderness, he collapsed under a tree and prayed, “I have had enough, LORD…Take my life” (v. 4b). The Lord sent an angelic companion with bread, water, and rest (vv. 5–6). God had heard Elijah’s cries, but He communicated—first of all— through His care.

The angel stayed with Elijah for forty days, until the Lord asked: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (v. 9b). He didn’t silence Elijah’s sorrow. Instead, He drew it out with questions, allowing him to answer (v. 10). God came to Elijah in an unexpected form. He was not in the wind, earthquake, or fire. Instead, He spoke in the “gentle whisper” (v. 12). His most compelling communication is not always dramatic. To hear Him sometimes requires attentiveness and calm.

Go Deeper

How do you listen for God’s voice? What has He used to get your attention?

Pray with Us

Our gentle Lord, You give us unconditional love and care. When we are discouraged, You are our source of strength. Please remind us to seek You with humility in the stillness.

Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.1 Kings 19:11

 

 

 

https://www.moodybible.org/