Daily Archives: August 17, 2026

Turning Point

Turning Point; David Jeremiah – A True Friend

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A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Proverbs 18:24

Recommended Reading: 1 Samuel 18:1-3; 1 Samuel 20:1-4

The saying “blood is thicker than water” originated as a way to prioritize the bonds of kinship over friendship. But Solomon, evidenced by Proverbs 18:24, might have begged to differ. And he might have been drawing on the experience of his own father, David.

David was the youngest of eight brothers and was anointed by Samuel to succeed Saul as king of Israel (1 Samuel 16). But when David arrived at the camp of Israel’s army, his brothers treated him with disdain and ridicule (1 Samuel 17). Ironically, it was Saul’s own son Jonathan who became David’s best friend, protecting him from the attacks of Saul (1 Samuel 18). When Saul devised a plan to kill David, it was Jonathan who saved him. Jonathan’s words to David exemplify the words of a true friend: “Whatever you yourself desire, I will do it for you” (1 Samuel 20:4). David never heard similar words of loyalty from his own brothers. This experience may have inspired Solomon to write that there “is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

Solomon also suggested that to have such a friend, one must be such a friend.

Friendship doubles our joy and divides our grief.
Unknown

 

 

 

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread – Plague of Lies

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Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices. Colossians 3:9

Today’s Scripture

Colossians 3:9-15

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Today’s Devotion

“What a cruel act to be untruthful,” Daniel Ladinsky once wrote in a poem that contrasts relationships built on trust with those damaged by lies. Inspired by German theologian and monk Meister Eckhart, he described truthful, loving words as “wonderful spices mixed into the days.” But lies are like earthquakes in the mind and poison to the soul: “Havoc is created in the mind that can no longer trust someone once loved . . . . a plague is spread by one who cannot tell the truth.”

The imagery of a plague spread by falsehoods might seem stark. But to take speech seriously resonates with how our words and their impact are described throughout Scripture. When Paul explains to new believers the difference between life before and after their union with Jesus, words take center stage. “Do not lie to each other,” the apostle emphasizes, “since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self” (Colossians 3:9-10).

There are many reasons to be tempted to lie or distort the truth. Sometimes we might think it’s the best way to protect ourselves or others. But through Christ’s love, through His Spirit at work in our hearts, we learn a different way—one transformed by “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (3:12). And we learn how forgiveness and love can create the kind of trust and peace that brings rest to our souls (v. 15).

Reflect & Pray

How have you seen damage caused by a lie? How does forgiveness and love help you live with honesty?

Loving Savior, please help me bless others with words that can be trusted.

Today’s Insights

Paul instructed believers in Jesus to live a faithful and fruitful “life worthy of the Lord and [to] please him in every way” (Colossians 1:10). Using a metaphor of replacing old clothes with new, he commands us to “put to death” our worldly, sinful habits (3:5-9) and adorn Christlike virtues (vv. 10-15). Paul singled out the importance of not engaging in harmful speech—“slander,” “filthy language,” and “lie[s]” (vv. 8-9). Truthfulness is essential for believers, for Christ is “the truth” (John 14:6). Elaborating in another letter, the apostle tells us to “stop telling lies [and] tell our neighbors the truth . . . . Let everything [we] say be good and helpful, so that [our] words will be an encouragement to those who hear them” (Ephesians 4:25, 29 nlt). When we “[speak] the truth in love” (v. 15), we bless others. And we’ll “[grow] in every way more and more like Christ” (v. 15 nlt).

How do I forgive someone who has hurt me?

 

 

 

http://www.odb.org

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – AOC for president? Body cameras on ICE agents?

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Three stories from the weekend caught my eye:

  • According to The Hill, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez now leads the field for the Democratic presidential nomination on the two best-known betting markets.
  • According to MS NOW, an outlet known for its liberal leanings, “military families are outraged” by conditions on the USS Abraham Lincoln. According to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, such reports are “completely misrepresented.”
  • Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director David Venturella said agents will be equipped with body cameras by the end of the month. Some say they are needed to hold ICE agents accountable; others say they will protect agents from false accusations by critics.

How did these stories make you feel?

If you’re on one side and vehemently think the other side is wrong, that makes you typical in a time when, as John Mac Ghlionn writes in The Hill, “Americans now hate each other more than ever.” The reasons point to a fact about our faith that is relevant to our souls and to the future of our nation.

Continue reading Denison Forum – AOC for president? Body cameras on ICE agents? →

Greg Laurie

Harvest Ministries; Greg Laurie – Sheltered in His Wings

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 He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. 

—Psalm 91:4–5

Scripture:

I read a story about a farmer who watched in dismay as his farm burned to the ground. After the fire, he walked around the charred rubble of his farm and found the body of a hen that had been burned in the fire. Frustrated, the farmer gave the hen a kick with his boot, and it turned over dead. But underneath was a little chick, who was still alive. When the fire ignited, the mother hen scurried over to her chick and wrapped her wings around him to protect him. She lost her life in the process, but her chick lived.

The psalmist uses similar imagery to describe the safety and refuge that God’s people find in the Lord: “He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day” (Psalm 91:4–5 NLT). The picture of a mother bird hovering around her young may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you consider your relationship with the Lord. But it’s a valid description—and a comforting one. God’s people can take refuge in the Almighty. He will put His wings around us. He will protect us.

That means we can have courage, even when the world around us seems hostile and frightening. That courage comes not because of who we are, but because God is with us. His truth is our shield. He is always present to guide and protect us.

Psalm 91:5 says, “Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day” (NLT). God will be with us day and night, come hell or high water, through thick and thin.

Take special note of the psalmist’s use of the word arrow. The apostle Paul also uses it in Ephesians 6:16, where he warns us of “the fiery arrows of the devil” (NLT). In biblical times, arrows played a significant role in battle. Soldiers often would light their arrows and barrage their opponents with them. They would fire hundreds, even thousands, of flaming arrows. If you wanted to live, you had to protect yourself from those fiery missiles.

Spiritually speaking, the devil fires flaming arrows at us as well. Some might be flaming arrows of fear. Others might be flaming arrows of impure thoughts or flaming arrows of hatred. Whatever the case, God promises to protect us from all of them. We will still suffer difficulties in life, of course. But God promises that He will be with us no matter what we go through.

He will shield us, so we have no reason to fear.

 

Reflection question: What kind of arrows does the devil fire at you? Discuss this with believers like you on Harvest Discipleship!

 

 

 

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Days of Praise

Days of Praise – Long Enough

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by Henry M. Morris, Ph.D.

“And the LORD spake unto me, saying, Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward.” (Deuteronomy 2:2–3)

This was the second time God rebuked Israel for staying too long in one place. Here they were camped adjacent to the region controlled by the descendants of Esau and thus kinsmen of the Israelites, but God told them to go on north toward Canaan.

Long before, they had wanted to stay too long at Mount Sinai (same as Horeb) where God had given the law to Moses. Finally, “the LORD our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount . . . . Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers” (Deuteronomy 1:6, 8).

It is possible for a Christian to become too satisfied with his level of attainment when the Lord may well have something more for him to do. Possibly, like Israel at Sinai, we may be content to stay in a situation where we have seen God work in the past. Or, like Israel at Edom’s Mount Seir, we want to stay in what we think may be friendly surroundings rather than venture into overtly enemy territory. Perhaps we have stayed long enough at a certain stage in our Christian growth or service, and God wants us to go further.

Paul wanted to continue preaching near his home in Asia, but God said for him to go on into Europe (Acts 16:6–10). Peter asked Jesus what John was going to do, but Jesus said, “What is that to thee? follow thou me” (John 21:22).

God may, indeed, want us to continue all of our lives right where He has placed us now, as far as location and position are concerned, but He also wants us to go on further with Him. The last words written by Peter are profoundly important. “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). HMM

 

 

 

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

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Living in the Power of God’s Truth

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Rather, let our lives lovingly express truth [in all things, speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly].

Ephesians 4:15 (AMPC)

There is nothing more powerful than complete truth or “living truly.” The truth of God’s Word, the truth of who God says you are, the truth of healing and freedom, the truth of forgiveness and redemption—these are life-changing, revolutionary truths!

Just look at what the Word of God says about truth and how that truth can affect your life:

  • And you will know the truth [regarding salvation], and the truth will set you free [from the penalty of sin] (John 8:32 AMP).
  • Jesus said to him, “I am the [only] Way [to God] and the [real] Truth and the [real] Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6 AMP).
  • The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth (without guile) (Psalm 145:18 AMP).

In your quiet time with God, as you study His Word, build your life on the truths you find there. In Ephesians 4:15, Paul encourages us that we can live in the power of God’s truth—we can be “living truly.” What a great way to live!

Prayer of the Day: Father, please help me to consistently build my life on the truth of Your Word. Teach me to live honestly, walk freely, and trust who You say I am. I love You, amen.

 

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Spiritual Remembrance 

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Play

Zarephath was a Gentile city occupied by Baal worshippers. The chief of the city had a daughter named Jezebel, Elijah’s archenemy. Elijah arrives with nothing. His purse and tummy are empty. Elijah spots a woman. Emaciated. Destitute. I envision Elijah stepping in her direction, and beneath his beard a smile is taking shape as he reviews God’s blessings. Protection in the court of Ahab, provision in the paucity of Kerith, and a shield of safety during the trek to Zarephath.

In your case would the God who gave you grace last week not give you grace again? Unbreakable courage requires good recall. Spiritual amnesia makes spiritual wimps. Spiritual remembrance makes spiritual giants.

 

 

 

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Today in the Word

Today in the Word – Moody Bible Institute – Fruit of the Heart

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Read Matthew 12:33–37

Lindsay Engers is an organic fruit grower who has adopted innovative practices of working with nature to build soil health. He applies volcanic rock dust to each tree annually and spreads diluted seaweed extract to the leaves several times a year. His diligent care results in a vibrant and resilient orchard.

In Matthew 12, Jesus connects our inner life with our outward communication, using the metaphor of trees and fruit. Earlier in the same chapter, Jesus had restored the sight and speech of a demon-possessed man (vv. 22–29). While the crowds were amazed, the Pharisees attributed Jesus’ power to Beelzebul, ruler of demons. Jesus responded by drawing a clear distinction—either people were for or against Him (v. 30). The evidence of a person’s heart posture was their words. He explained, “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit” (v. 33). In other words, the Pharisees’ strong verbal opposition to Jesus’ ministry revealed that their hearts were against Him. Our words expose the character of our inner life.

Jesus sharply describes the Pharisees as a “brood of vipers” and calls them “evil” (v. 34). The religious leaders’ words against Jesus were not isolated mistakes or incidental remarks. They revealed a deeper resistance to truth. In verse 35, the words “good things” remind us of a storeroom where valuables are collected. Our hearts are shaped by what they amass, and our communication reveals what we have already cultivated. Following Christ means more than just managing our speech or adjusting our vocabulary. It requires tending the soil of our heart and feeding it healthy fertilizer. Only then will the fruit of truth and grace overflow into our communication.

Go Deeper

What do your words reveal about the condition of your heart? What are you filling your heart and mind with each day?

Pray with Us

We are sorry, Lord, for when our words reflect that our hearts and minds are not fixed on You. Transform us from the inside out. We surrender ourselves to You.

For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.Matthew 12:34

 

 

 

https://www.moodybible.org/