Monthly Archives: October 2026

Turning Point

Turning Point; David Jeremiah – The Best Water

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Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
2 Corinthians 4:16, NIV

Recommended Reading: 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Last year in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, the 35th Annual International Water Tasting Convention took place. Judges, who tasted eighty waters from four continents, gave the Gold Medal to water from the Goura Spring in Greece. This is some of the purest water on earth.1

The Lord Jesus is the water of life that satisfies our thirsty souls. He renews us day by day. As Christians, we have learned that only Jesus quenches our inner thirst. He satisfies our deepest longings better than the purest, sweetest water on earth. All our springs are in Him.

Give thanks that the Lord renews your soul day by day. Enjoy your time of Bible study and prayer because that is where your soul drinks in the refreshing water of life.

Soul-restoration is peculiarly the work of God. He alone knows that wonderful instrument, and He only can keep it in tune. The inward man is renewed day by day!
Joseph Parker

  1. Ashley Epperson, “The Best Spring Waters in the World: Highlights from the 2025 Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting,” Salacious Drinks, February 24, 2025.

 

 

 

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread – Gentle Answers with God’s Help

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A gentle answer turns away wrath. Proverbs 15:1

Today’s Scripture

Proverbs 15:1-6

Listen to Today’s Devotion

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Today’s Devotion

“Close it up. I’ve seen enough.” Those were the words of an older, experienced beekeeper to me one afternoon when I was learning how to tend a hive. My movements had been quick and forceful, causing vibrations that alarmed the bees and resulted in a growing swarm around my head. Even though I was trying to care for them, I was only making them angry. My friend proceeded to show me the importance of moving “softly,” using gentle motions that were less likely to disturb the bees. Today (years later), when I go into a hive, my motions are so much smoother that my wife tells me it almost looks like I’m dancing.

Sometimes difficult conversations are like dancing with bees. When others are upset and emotions are tense, reacting angrily only makes matters worse. As King Solomon observed, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1). Responding kindly and peacefully to those who are irritated or unreasonable may take time to learn. But because gentleness is a fruit of the Holy Spirit at work within us (see Galatians 5:22-23), with God’s help we can make progress in it.

These days I’m learning to pray for wisdom and gentleness whenever I go into a hive or a difficult conversation. When we walk with God into tense moments, our “help in trouble” is never far away (Psalm 46:1).

Reflect & Pray

How can God help you react gently to someone who’s angry? What will you say to someone who needs a gentle response from you today?

Dear Jesus, please help me to gently share Your love in the ways I respond to others today.

Today’s Insights

Wisdom is one of the great themes of the Bible. In fact, in Old Testament wisdom literature, poetry is designed to show the difference between wisdom and folly. This is often done through the poetic device of parallelism. In antithetical parallelism, a verse will contain two lines that contrast with one another, as seen in Proverbs 15:1: “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” This device is found throughout Proverbs and Ecclesiastes and makes a vivid case for living a life of wisdom in a world wracked by foolishness. The book of Proverbs offers practical advice for how to use our words wisely. We can ask God for wisdom when we don’t know how to respond in difficult situations. In the New Testament, James tells us, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” (1:5).

For further study, read: Guided by the Spirit

 

 

http://www.odb.org

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – Tim Tebow steps back from Life Surge as controversy grows

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A hard lesson on the danger of unwise associations

Life Surge, a traveling conference series focused on faith-centered financial stewardship, is under fire following allegations of running a scam-like operation and pressuring Christians into extreme debt. Its alleged predatory practices were outlined by investigative reporter Kiera Butler in her recent appearance on the “Pablo Torre Finds Out” podcast.

Butler detailed the history of Life Surge and spoke with both people who have been harmed and with concerned employees. At the center of Butler and Torre’s interest in this case is Life Surge’s association with ESPN personality and former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow, who they deem “one of the most trusted voices in America.”

Pablo Torre’s platform was amplified after his recent investigation into the Los Angeles Clippers salary cap scandal led the NBA to issue the largest team punishment in its history this Summer. Torre’s award-winning work certainly brought extra eyes and ears to his channel for this Life Surge debacle.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Tim Tebow steps back from Life Surge as controversy grows →

Greg Laurie

Harvest Ministries; Greg Laurie – Relentless Opposition

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 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 

—1 Peter 5:8

Scripture:

1 Peter 5:8 

The Bible doesn’t tell us how long Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden before temptation reared its head. The devil certainly had heard God’s warning to Adam: “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden—except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die” (Genesis 2:16–17 NLT). In narrative of Genesis, the tempter appears almost immediately with his wily pitch.

His immediate appearance reminds me of Jesus’ parable of the Sower in Matthew 13. As the farmer scatters seed, some of it falls on the footpath. Birds quickly swoop in and devour it before it has a chance to grow.

If you’ve ever dropped a French fry outside a McDonald’s in a heavily birded area, you can probably picture the scene. Birds suddenly seem to appear out of nowhere. If you live near a beach, you know there are seagulls that will swoop in and fly off with your lunch, your small dog, or your children.

Jesus said, “The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts” (Matthew 13:19 NLT). This is one of the many reasons we need to pray for people who have just come to Christ. The devil will be at their door with temptation, doubt, and an onslaught of other things.

Remember that wherever God is blessing, the devil will be opposing—immediately. He isn’t going to wait a year. He isn’t going to wait a month. He may not even wait an hour.

You can be walking out of church when temptation suddenly strikes. You think, “What’s going on? Why here? Why now?” The fact is that Satan wants to undermine what just happened in your life. He opposes immediately. He always will.

The apostle Peter wrote, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8 NLT).

The devil knows all too well the power of God’s Word. According to Matthew 4:1–11, after Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit led Him to the wilderness, where He fasted for forty days. The devil appeared to Him there in His weakened state. Three times the devil tempted Jesus to deviate from God’s plan. Three times Jesus responded by quoting Scripture. Finally, Jesus commanded the devil to leave, and the devil went away.

The devil knows what will happen if the seeds of Scripture start to take root in a believer’s life. He knows that a heart in which the words of the Bible are hidden is hard to access. He knows that a life guided by the Word of God is hard to disrupt.

Reflection question: How can you keep the devil from snatching away a nugget of wisdom from God’s Word in your life? Discuss this with believers like you on Harvest Discipleship!

 

 

 

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Days of Praise

Days of Praise – Unshakable Things

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by Henry M. Morris, Ph.D.

“And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.” (Hebrews 12:27)

In this present evil world, there are many pressures that would tend to shake our faith and tempt us to compromise. Paul exhorts persecuted believers “that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled” by such things but rather “stand fast” in the truths God has taught them (2 Thessalonians 2:2, 15).

The “hope set before us . . . we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast” (Hebrews 6:18–19). The “word” to which our text refers is from Haggai 2:6–7: “For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; and I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come,” who will establish “a kingdom which cannot be moved” (Hebrews 12:28).

Note God’s amazing promise: “The heavens shall vanish away like smoke, . . . but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished” (Isaiah 51:6). Similarly, Jesus said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away” (Matthew 24:35). “The world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever” (1 John 2:17).

The earth may crumble, and even our bodies may return to dust, but God’s Word endures, and so do His righteousness, His kingdom, and His great salvation! If our hope is in Him and His Word alone, and if we are seeking to do His gracious will, then our faith and our destiny can never be shaken. “For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain” (Isaiah 66:22). HMM

 

 

 

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

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Get Out of the Pit

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I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.

Psalm 40:1-2 (NIV)

Anytime I read about a pit in Scripture, I think of the depths of depression. Throughout the psalms that David wrote, he referred to emotional lows as being in a pit. When he found himself in such circumstances, he always cried out to the Lord to rescue him and set his feet on solid, level ground. The Lord was faithful to help him.

Like David, nobody wants to be in the pit of depression. It is an emotionally difficult place that feels hopeless. When we are deeply depressed, we feel bad enough as it is. Then the devil brings thoughts of every negative thing imaginable to make the misery worse. He reminds us of our disappointments and tries to make us believe that nothing good will ever happen to us. His goal is to keep us so miserable and hopeless that we will not be able to cause him any problems or fulfill God’s purpose for our lives.

According to Romans 14:17 (NIV), God wants us to experience righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, so we know He does not want us stuck in depression. As today’s scripture says, the pit of depression is a slimy place, and slimy places are difficult to climb out of without help.

The Holy Spirit is our Helper (John 14:26 AMP). When we cry out to God, He pulls our emotions out of the pit, sets us on a rock, and gives us a firm place to stand so we can be emotionally stable.

Prayer of the Day: Holy Spirit, when I feel like I’m in a pit, help me. Set my feet on a rock and give me a firm place to stand.

 

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Not Yet Answered Prayer

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The Gospel of John tells the story about a man from Capernaum who approached Jesus in Cana. “Come heal my son?” the man asked. Jesus said the boy would be healed, and the man set out for Capernaum.

Do you find yourself somewhere between Cana and Capernaum? Like the official, you begged Jesus for help. And like the official you didn’t receive the answer in the way you wanted. This is the issue of the not yet answered prayer, or the not answered in the way I asked prayer.

How should we react? I’m sorry that the job did not materialize or the cancer chose to metastasize. Life has its share of dark, dank moments. Read the Bible from the table of contents in the front to the maps in the back, and you will not find any promise of a pain-free life on this side of heaven. But you will find this assurance, “Never will I leave you. Never will I forsake you.” You are never alone.

 

 

 

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Today in the Word

Today in the Word – Moody Bible Institute – The Creation Mandate

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Read Genesis 1:24–31

A seventeenth-century German prince created a garden in which he collected all the shrubs and flowering plants known at that time from throughout the world. Then he commissioned a lavish illustrated book of them, titled Hortus Eystettensis (Garden of Eichstätt), using elaborate copper engravings. Published in 1613, it “was and is the greatest botanical picture book ever created.” The prince may not have known it, but his garden and picture book were merely tributes to God who had created all those plants and so much more. In this month’s study, we will consider literal and figurative images of agriculture in the Bible, including farming, seeds, cultivation, crops, and harvests.

Human beings, created in the image of God, were given authoritative stewardship by and under Him over the created world, including the plant and animal kingdoms (vv. 26–27). As David wrote: “You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet” (Ps. 8:6). This is called the “creation mandate,” which is summarized as a command: “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it” (v. 28). Many commentators see this mandate as including the work and responsibility of cultivating creation until the whole earth became like the Garden of Eden—a mandate that we’re to finish during the Millennial Kingdom. The idea is that God created Eden as a model, and to “subdue” or “rule” meant to work on making the rest of the earth like this paradise. In imitation of God Himself, human beings were to care for that over which they ruled. God indicated that seed-bearing plants and trees would be sources of food for both humans and animals (vv. 29–30). Finally, “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good” (v. 31).

Go Deeper

How does the Christian concept of “creation care” contrast with modern secular environmentalism? What is our part to play in the biblical “creation mandate”?

Pray with Us

Father, as we begin our study of farming and seeds, give us open hearts to understand Your truth. Help us be good stewards of all that You give us.

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.Genesis 1:31

 

 

 

https://www.moodybible.org/