All posts by broboinhawaii

Bible believing christian worshiping God in Hawaii and Pennsylvania
Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – How Your Outlook Shapes Every Day of Your Life

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Be happy [in your faith] and rejoice and be glad-hearted continually (always).

1 Thessalonians 5:16 (AMPC)

There once was a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and noticed she had only three hairs on her head. “Well,” she said, “I think I’ll braid my hair today.” So, she did, and she had a great day. The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror, and saw she had only two hairs on her head. “Hmmm,” she said, “I think I’ll part my hair down the middle today.” So, she did, and she had a grand day. The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror, and noticed that she had only one hair on her head. “Well,” she said, “today I’m going to wear my hair in a ponytail.” So, she did, and she had a fun, fun day. The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror, and noticed that there wasn’t a single hair on her head. “Yay!” she exclaimed. “I don’t have to fix my hair today!”

This little story shows us a woman who was determined to have a positive, joy-filled outlook on life. Wouldn’t our lives be so much better if we followed her example?

Prayer of the Day: Lord, please help me choose a joyful, positive outlook no matter what happens each day. Show me how to find reasons to celebrate, even when life gets hard or frustrating, amen.

 

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Your Test Is Part of Your Call 

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Play

God sees the needs of tomorrow and, accordingly, creates the training of today.

He did so with Agnes. As a young girl she was on fire for her faith.  She left her home, her family, and country and became a missionary. She gave God everything, and God gave her a test: loneliness. She felt as if God had left her. On and off for fifty years, she battled a secret pain. Only late in life did she come to see her suffering as a way to understand the hungry, the naked, the homeless, the crippled, the blind, the lepers, all the people who feel unwanted. It was only then that Agnes—Mother Teresa—saw her test as part of her call.

Your test is a part of your call as well.

 

 

 

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Today in the Word

Today in the Word – Moody Bible Institute – The Word Made Flesh

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Read John 1:1–14

Classic literature is full of beautiful declarations of love. Romeo from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet declares, “My bounty is as boundless as the sea.” In Jane Austin’s Persuasion, Captain Wentworth writes to Anne Elliot, “You pierce my soul…I have loved none but you.” In Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations, Pip says to Estella: “You are part of my existence, part of myself. You have been in every line I have ever read.”

But these words pale in comparison to the ultimate, loving communication found in John chapter 1. John begins the same way Genesis 1 opens: “In the beginning.” We see the connection between the coming of the Christ and creation. Both document the clear and effective way God has revealed Himself to us. While His spoken word created life in Genesis, Jesus—the embodied Word—is the source of new and eternal life (John 3:3, 16; 6:27).

The Word was with God and (at the same time) was God (vv. 1, 2). In these verses, John demonstrates that Jesus is both relationally connected to and substantively separate from His Father. The term for “Word” (logos) is layered with meaning. It combines the Greek philosophical principles of reason and order with the Jewish idea of God’s wisdom being revealed. Jesus embodies all of this—as shown in the creation process (v. 3). The Word formed the world, giving it structure and meaning. In verse 4, John shifts from creation to revelation. Light is a metaphor for truth, enabling people to see and comprehend. The Word illuminated a dark and sinful world. In the climax of God’s communication, the “Word became flesh” (v. 14). Taking on human form, Jesus communed with man. The verb “dwell” also echoes the Old Testament tabernacle, where God was present among His people.

Go Deeper

How does the beginning of John’s gospel mirror the creation account in Genesis? What are all the ways God has chosen to communicate to us?

Pray with Us

Oh, how sweet it is to know You and be loved by You, Lord! You dwell among us and reveal Yourself to us. We are so grateful for the light of Your presence.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.John 1:1

 

 

 

https://www.moodybible.org/

News and Info

The Bullet Dodged

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What would America have looked like if Kamala Harris had won the 2024 election?

The legacy media spends its days weaving wild tales of the evils of Donald Trump. The President has his flaws, as do we all, but he’s not nearly the demon that the Left portrays him as. As we approach the midterms, the Democrats seem more intent on running against Trump, who’s not even on the ballot, than running on their policies. Then again, looking at their policies, it’s easy to understand why they have chosen this tactic.

This seems like a good time to pause and reflect about what America would have looked like if Kamala Harris had won the 2024 election. Doing so gives us insights into the candidates running for office now, pushing some of her policies that cost her the race.

Since she couldn’t name any Biden policy she would change, we can assume that America’s borders would have remained wide open. The scenes and images coming out of Spain would have continued along the Rio Grande. Convoys of aliens seeking “asylum” would have likely increased, with hopes of being given full amnesty and the temptation of free food, shelter, and phones once they got to America.

Iran would have continued to enrich uranium and by now would have had an atomic bomb. Would they have been able to resist the temptation to use it on Israel? Would Israel have felt compelled to unleash its nuclear weapons in a preemptive strike? Without Operation Midnight Hammer, the tensions in the Middle East may have been amplified with nuclear strikes.

Venezuela would still be run by Maduro. Drug boats would have freely traveled to the U.S. unimpeded. Tens of thousands of Americans would die of drug overdoses as Kamala maintained the Biden Administration’s hands-off approach with Venezuela.

Global warming would still be a hot topic as the Inflation Reduction Act continued to make Americans’ lives harder in pursuit of bogus science. Your 401 would be worth much less. If you think costs now are bad, continuing the Biden policies would have made things far worse at the grocery store.

Rental prices would continue to rise nationwide because there would be a shortage of low-cost housing due to the massive influx of illegals.

D.C. would still be crime-ridden because National Guard troops were not deployed there. Homelessness in the nation’s capital would remain high as well.  People coming to celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday would be easy pickings.

Let’s talk about the 250th celebration. We all saw the debauchery that Biden and Harris allowed at the Easter Egg roll. Picture that event on steroids. Rather than celebrating America’s greatness, it would have been a depressing series of events talking about how America is a failed experiment. The celebration would be an opportunity for every fringe group to come out of the woodwork and spew their hate.

Censorship would be in full swing. Remember, Harris was a proponent for silencing what she determined to be “disinformation.” Much like what we see in Britain right now, Americans would have been arrested for their memes or for expressing themselves. Identifying as a conservative would have been grounds enough to put you on a government watch list.

The federal government would have remained bloated. There would not have been a DOGE effort that trimmed countless jobs and saved taxpayers’ money. USAID would still be a money laundering operation for the Democratic Party.

Our foods would still be filled with toxic dyes and chemicals. Statues of St. Fauci would appear. Our gun rights would have been illegally curtailed with bans on high-capacity magazines and “assault-style” weapons. The push for a federal abortion law would have been a high priority. Social Security and Medicare would have been expanded to address the influx of illegals.

We’d still be sending free weapons and billions in financial aid to Ukraine. Putin would have remained emboldened in the war. With weak American leadership continuing, he probably would have unleashed chemical weapons against the Ukrainians by now.

There are a few positives if she had won. The box wine industry would be all that was prospering under a Harris Administration. Likewise, we would have dramatically fewer presidential assassination attempts knowing that Tim Walz was the vice president.

When people attempt to tell you how bad things are with Trump, remind them of what the nation and world would look like if the Queen of Cackles had won.

 

 

Blaine L. Pardoe | August 13, 2026

Source: The Bullet Dodged – American Thinker

Turning Point

Turning Point; David Jeremiah – Train Up a Child

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NEW!Listen Now

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6

Recommended Reading: Deuteronomy 6:4-9

Tradition from the biblical world records a practice of mothers with their newborn infants. To stimulate the nursing reflex, a mother would rub the juice from a crushed date on the lips and palate of the infant to stimulate the sucking reflex. That idea is consistent with the meaning of the Hebrew word for “train up” (or “start”) in Proverbs 22:6. The word for “train up” is also translated as “dedicate”—as in dedicating a house or a temple (Deuteronomy 20:5; Ezra 6:16; 1 Kings 8:63).

Initiate, start, dedicate, train up—all are in the semantic range of meaning when it comes to raising a child so he will not leave the moral and spiritual “way” when he is old. The book of Proverbs suggests two primary means for raising a child in “the way”: instruction and correction (discipline). Instruction identifies the way and starts him on it; correction puts him back on the way should he stray from it.

If you are a parent or grandparent, keep these two priorities in clear focus for the children in your family.

Children need to be trained, not just in the facts of life, but in the ways of life.
Anonymous

 

 

 

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread – Jesus’ Witness

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You will be [Jesus’] witness to all people of what you have seen and heard. Acts 22:15

Today’s Scripture

Acts 22:12-16

Listen to Today’s Devotion

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Today’s Devotion

I’ve heard it said, “We can’t make our children believe. We can only give our children reason to believe what we believe.” That’s a wise observation—but how do we do it?

Of all people to take parenting advice from, the apostle Paul is seldom the first choice. It’s likely that he had no children. Parents often prefer to hear from someone who’s been there, done that, someone who knows about sleepless infants, the storms of puberty, and how it feels to pray for a prodigal. Yet Paul (or Saul) has something to teach us here.

Saul had been on his way to persecute Christians when Christ intervened. This man fell to the ground, blinded (Acts 9:1-9). Soon he was visited by Ananias, who restored his sight and explained his mission: “The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. You will be his witness to all people of what you have seen and heard” (22:14-15). Saul, later called Paul, did witness, and God gave him a quiverful of spiritual offspring. His “parenting approach” was to share what he’d seen, and to pray.

Whether parenting our own children or interacting with others, we can’t make them believe. Rather, we witness with our words and lives as to what we’ve seen and heard. And we pray. Our God, who sent Paul to the gentiles, sends us with the same instruction: Witness so they may believe. Then entrust them to our Father, who loves them.

Reflect & Pray

What children are in your sphere of influence? How might you share your faith with them?

Heavenly Father, may our children believe in You.

Today’s Insights

Why do we believe the apostle Paul had no children? We can infer this from what the Bible tells us about him. By his own admission, it seems he didn’t have a wife (1 Corinthians 9:5). And prior to his conversion to Christ, he’d been a law-abiding Pharisee “zealous for God” (Acts 22:3). It’s highly unlikely that such a law-keeper would have children outside of marriage. It’s possible that Paul may have been married and then widowed, but there’s no indication of this in Scripture. In addition, he strongly implies that he has the gift of singleness (1 Corinthians 7:7). Twice he refers to “my true son” in the faith (1 Timothy 1:2; Titus 1:4). But “son” refers to spiritual children he introduced to Jesus and then discipled, not to physical progeny. Today, we can ask God to help us share our faith with the children and others that God places in our path.

 

 

 

http://www.odb.org

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – Trump, Xi, and Two Empty Chairs: Remembering the Persecuted

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Toward the end of their summit in Beijing this past May, President Donald Trump and Chairman Xi Jinping fielded questions on matters ranging from trade to tech to Taiwan while seated in plush chairs on a gold-and-white embroidered carpet.

At the same time, hundreds of Christians in the United States focused their attention not on the two world leaders in those chairs, but on two other individuals not present: Pastor Ezra Jin, founder of the large underground Zion Church in China, and Ilham Tohti, a prominent Uyghur economist and professor.

Both men have faced the consequences of standing for their distinct faiths under the grip of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Pastor Jin, a Christian, was detained in October 2025 as part of a nationwide crackdown on unregistered “house churches.” Ilham Tohti, a Uyghur Muslim, has been serving a life imprisonment since 2014 after peacefully advocating for his community.

Tohti’s case is emblematic of the growing repression toward ethnic minorities in China. Specifically, Uyghurs, a Turkic people in western China and predominantly Muslim, are an ethnoreligious group that the first Trump administration identified as suffering a genocide.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Trump, Xi, and Two Empty Chairs: Remembering the Persecuted →

Greg Laurie

Harvest Ministries; Greg Laurie – A Loyal Love

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 Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. 

—Psalm 51:10

Scripture:

Psalm 51:10 

Love is not always a pretty or pleasant thing, especially in its earliest form. No matter how long you’ve been married, you probably still remember the first stirrings of love and passion that you felt for your spouse-to-be. You remember the feelings of butterflies in your stomach that sometimes felt like fighter jets. You remember the loss of appetite. You remember the nervousness and the overwhelming desire to make the best impression possible.

For better or worse, those feelings don’t last—at least, not in the intensity of their original form. Passion’s fire cools to smoldering embers that can still be ignited, but they don’t burn as intensely or as continuously as they once did.

If given the chance, the wild, unpredictable stirrings of first love can settle into something more substantial, more profound, and more permanent. The problem is that many people don’t understand that. They allow their feelings to dictate their actions. They convince themselves that when the emotional excitement isn’t there on a daily basis, they’ve fallen out of love, and the relationship isn’t working out. “We have irreconcilable differences,” they conclude, “so let’s just end things now.” Then they move on to another relationship because they don’t have a clue as to what real love is.

The same thing can happen in our relationship with the Lord. The excitement of first coming to faith—of having our sins forgiven, of being aware of God’s boundless love and mercy, of knowing where we will go when we die—can be overwhelming, in the best possible sense. The feelings can be intense. Over time, however, those feelings subside. And when they do, we may start to question our relationship with the Lord.

Instead of drifting apart from Him, we need to double down on our commitment. We need to deepen our relationship with God instead of being guided by our feelings. We need to set a workable pace for our walk with the Lord, to be content to grow gradually every day instead of expecting mountaintop experience after mountaintop experience.

The psalmist wrote, “Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10 NLT). Loyalty is the key—being true to the Lord regardless of your feelings.

Certainly, there will be times of revival when the embers of your love for God are reignited, and the passion burns intensely again. And we should embrace those moments for the gifts they are. But we must never lose sight of the fact that ours is more than just a journey of feeling; it’s also a journey of faith. So, we must continue to deepen our love for God through daily prayer, Bible study, and other habits that help us draw near to Him. We must remember that we are in it for the long haul. We are running a marathon, not a sprint. And we want to finish the race well.

 

Reflection question: How can you build a relationship with the Lord based on loyalty instead of emotions? Discuss this with believers like you on Harvest Discipleship!

 

 

 

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Days of Praise

Days of Praise – The Righteous Judge

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by Henry M. Morris, Ph.D.

“The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.” (Psalm 145:17)

When Abraham was interceding with God to spare Sodom if even 10 righteous people were there, he asked, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:25). The Hebrew word (mishpat) refers to a formal judgment about right and wrong and is more commonly translated “judgment.”

Indeed, the divine Judge will do right and give right judgments in all things, for He “is righteous in all his ways” and “canst not look on iniquity” (Habakkuk 1:13).

Ever since Adam disobeyed the Word of God, however, all his descendants have been unrighteous in their ways. God’s righteous judgment has been that “there is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10).

Thus, the truly righteous Judge would not only have to consign Sodom to destructive “brimstone and fire from the LORD” (Genesis 19:24) but every one of us as well “into the lake of fire” forever (Revelation 20:15).

But God, being not only the righteous Judge but also “a faithful Creator” (1 Peter 4:19), had a plan whereby He could “declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past” and both “be just, and the justifier” of those who had been lost sinners (Romans 3:25–26). “God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh” (8:3). Those who believe on the Son of God as their substitute and Savior are now “justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (3:24).

So, Christ has been “made unto us . . . righteousness” (1 Corinthians 1:30). Furthermore, our loving Savior has now Himself become our righteous Judge, for the Father “hath committed all judgment unto the Son” (John 5:22). HMM

 

 

 

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

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Works That Don’t Work

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My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the Fountain of living waters, and they have hewn for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns which cannot hold water.

Jeremiah 2:13 (AMPC)

The Word teaches that God’s people dug wells for themselves that couldn’t hold water. I know what it is like to work hard with no results. I spent many years of my life digging empty wells like these, and I can tell you, it really wears you out.

You may be digging an empty well right now. You may be working on something or somebody. You may have your own little project going. You may be following your own plan, trying to make things happen in your own strength and ability. If so, it is not going to work if you have left God out of your plan. Many times, we make a plan and then pray for it to work. God wants us to pray first and ask Him for His plan. After we have His plan, then He wants us to trust Him to bring it to pass, as we follow His direction and work in partnership with Him.

Our activity birthed out of the flesh actually prevents God from showing Himself strong in our lives. The Bible describes that kind of activity as works of the flesh (Gal.5:19–21 KJV). I call them “works that don’t work.” That is not the way to live the higher life that God prepared for us.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, I don’t want to dig empty wells in my own strength. Please help me seek Your plan first, and give me the trust to follow Your direction instead of my own, amen.

 

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – The Enemy of the Saint 

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Play

The prophet Elijah was headline news in the nation. He was also a sitting duck for a big head. So, in a preemptive measure, God led him to a creek where Elijah would be utterly dependent upon a brook for water and some birds for food.

The enemy of the saint is pride. We must fight it like the foe it is. Take note of your “hat size.” Are you getting a big head? Then volunteer for menial tasks—wash dishes, sweep floors.

You are loved but not indispensable. You are God’s child but not God’s golden child. You have a place in God’s plan, but you are not essential to God’s plan. The smaller we are, the more room there is for God.

 

 

 

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Today in the Word

Today in the Word – Moody Bible Institute – Good News

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Read Mark 1:1–8

When you have good news to share, how do you communicate it? Do you phone a friend, send a group text to family, or post on social media? When Jesus’ disciple Mark had the best news to share, he wrote the Gospel of Mark. Although he originally wrote to the church during his lifetime, his account has been received by every subsequent generation of the faithful.

Mark begins with this direct proclamation: “The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God” (v. 1). His purpose is evident. Everything that follows is “good news”—a message to be proclaimed, received, and applied.

Notice that Mark immediately anchors his good news in the Old Testament (vv. 2–3), demonstrating that God’s communication with His people through the centuries is continuous, coherent, and cohesive. The prophecies of Isaiah and Malachi foretold another messenger—a whole “strategic communication plan.” God would send John the Baptist to get people’s attention and ready their hearts. The setting for John’s communication was the wilderness— an undistracted place where God had already met His people many times (Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy).

John’s message was concise and confrontational. He preached repentance and baptism for the forgiveness of sins (v. 4). People came from all over Judea to hear and confess (v. 5). John was not just sharing information; this message was transformational. When people responded, they would never be the same. John had dedicated his whole life to communicating this good news. Even his clothing and food choices spoke to his focus and humility. He did not draw attention to himself but pointed his audience toward the One yet to come and the salvation He would bring.

Go Deeper

Describe all the ways in which John communicated the good news. How does your life communicate this message?

Pray with Us

Jesus, we do not want to keep the good news of the gospel to ourselves. Give us wisdom and confidence to share it with those who need it. In You, we have everlasting life!

I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way—a voice of one calling in the wilderness.Mark 1:2–3

 

 

 

https://www.moodybible.org/

Turning Point

Turning Point; David Jeremiah – A Source of Life

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Drink water from your own cistern, and running water from your own well…. Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice with the wife of your youth.
Proverbs 5:15, 18

Recommended Reading: Song of Solomon 4:15

When Sennacherib, king of Assyria, threatened to invade Judah, King Hezekiah blocked off all the springs around Jerusalem so the Assyrian army could not access water. Most famously, he blocked a spring in Gihon outside the city walls and dug a tunnel from the spring to a pool in the city to supply water for Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 32:1-4, 30). Known today as Hezekiah’s tunnel, tourists to Jerusalem can walk through the entire length of the 1,749-foot-long tunnel.

That historical event shows how valuable water was in the arid Middle East. Wells, cisterns, and springs were protected at all costs. Solomon used wells and cisterns to illustrate the importance of a man protecting his wife (Proverbs 5:15-20). Not only should he refresh himself from his own “well” (wife), but he should also protect his wife so that strangers will never seek refreshment from her (verse 17). A good marriage is a life-sustaining source and force.

May your marriage be nurtured and protected and be a source of life and refreshment.

There is no estate to which Satan is more opposed than marriage.
Martin Luther

 

 

 

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread – Precious Parting Words

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Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:19

Today’s Scripture

Matthew 28:16-20

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Today’s Devotion

My friend José was in hospice care. He’d been alert and talkative during my prior visit but a week later was now frail and speechless. I sat with José and his family anyway, hoping my presence would mean something to them. At the end of what would be my final visit, I was the last one in the room with him. I finally stood and slowly headed to the door but stopped and turned around one last time to say, “Love you,” not expecting a response. There I saw José moving his lips. He was mouthing the words “love you” in return.

A person’s parting words can leave a lasting impression. As Jesus was getting ready to return to His Father in heaven after His sacrificial death and resurrection, He assured His disciples that all authority on heaven and earth belonged to Him (Matthew 28:18). And He left them with this lasting charge or Great Commission, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (vv. 19-20). Christ also assured His followers that He would always be with them (v. 20).

Jesus’ parting words are for us today too. May we embrace His call to tell others about Him so they can experience His love and forgiveness, live for Him, and enjoy eternal life with Him in heaven. His message is too good not to share with people of all nations.

Reflect & Pray

How do Jesus’ parting words touch you? Who can you share Him with today?

Dear Jesus, please help me to share Your good news with others.

Today’s Insights

Matthew 28:16-20, which includes the Great Commission to “go and make disciples of all nations,” is one of several texts with similar wording. Mark 16:15 says to “go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” Luke 24:47 states that “repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” In John 20:21, Jesus said, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And Acts 1:8 says, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

As soon as the Holy Spirit was sent on the Day of Pentecost (see Luke 24:49; Acts 2), these early believers in Christ immediately began obeying the Great Commission. Today, we’re invited to continue the mission of telling the good news to everyone everywhere.

 

 

 

http://www.odb.org

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – “AI’s Scariest Week Yet” and three practical responses

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AI pioneer Demis Hassabis believes artificial intelligence will be “the most important invention that humanity will ever make.” Whether its importance will ultimately be positive, negative, or both is, of course, still to be determined.

For example, in an article titled “AI’s Scariest Week Yet,” the Wall Street Journal reports:

In tests, AI models have been foiling attempts at constraining them and behaving in unforeseen ways. In the past month, OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta Platforms all reported serious breaches: their AI models escaped contained environments, got onto the internet, and hacked other companies. Anthropic’s Mythos practiced deception, while OpenAI models swapped tips on a secret message board for future exploits.

This sounds bad, doesn’t it? But what does any of it actually mean? And why does it matter so urgently to all of us?

Continue reading Denison Forum – “AI’s Scariest Week Yet” and three practical responses →

Greg Laurie

Harvest Ministries; Greg Laurie – Days of Doubt, Discouragement, and Despair

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 Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God! 

—Psalm 42:11

Scripture:

Psalm 42:11 

It’s not unusual for sincere believers to have days of doubt, discouragement, and despair. Even the heroes of the faith struggled in these areas. Moses was handpicked by God to lead the Israelites out of slavery and to deliver the Ten Commandments. Yet, on at least one occasion, he was so overwhelmed by the consistent complaining of the Israelites that he said to the Lord, “I can’t carry all these people by myself! The load is far too heavy! If this is how you intend to treat me, just go ahead and kill me. Do me a favor and spare me this misery!” (Numbers 11:14–15 NLT).

Elijah, after his contest with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, heard that Queen Jezebel had put a contract out on his life. He was so overwhelmed by his circumstances, so discouraged, so uncertain, and so filled with doubt that he said to God, “I have had enough, Lord. . . . Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died” (1 Kings 19:4 NLT).

The prophet Jeremiah struggled as well. He was ridiculed and harassed for communicating the Word of God. Because he was tired of the pressure he was facing, it made him want to stop communicating God’s Word altogether. He said, “When I speak, the words burst out. ‘Violence and destruction!’ I shout. So these messages from the Lord have made me a household joke” (Jeremiah 20:8 NLT).

Even the apostle Paul had moments when he was discouraged. He wrote to the church at Corinth, “We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it” (2 Corinthians 1:8 NLT).

So, if we ever feel overwhelmed, the first thing we need to understand is that we’re in good company. Wrestling with doubt or uncertainty or being perplexed as to why God didn’t work in a certain way doesn’t set us apart from other believers.

The second thing we need to understand is that fear and faith are separated by a very thin line, one that often gets blurred during our walk with Christ. One moment we say, “Everything will be fine—no problem.” Then the next moment we can look at the same circumstances and find ourselves in absolute despair.

So, what’s the answer? We must recognize that we’re human, just like the great people of Scripture. We must cast our burdens on God and pray for the strength to place our problems in their proper perspective. The psalmist had that perspective when he wrote, “Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God!” (Psalm 42:11 NLT).

We can’t see the big picture of God’s work in this world. And our limited perspective is bound to cause some heightened emotions. That’s why we must place our trust in the One who can see everything and is working it all for good.

 

Reflection question: How can you keep a proper perspective when you struggle with doubt, discouragement, or despair? Discuss this with believers like you on Harvest Discipleship!

 

 

 

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Days of Praise

Days of Praise – God Our Savior

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by John D. Morris, Ph.D.

“But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared.” (Titus 3:4)

Six times in the pastoral epistles Paul refers to God (evidently meaning the Father) as our Savior (1 Timothy 1:1; 2:3; 4:10; Titus 1:3; 2:10; 3:4). Usually, however, he and the other New Testament writers identify Jesus Christ as our Savior. “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18, for example). In the same fashion, Paul relates that his commission to preach the gospel came from “God our Saviour” (Titus 1:3), while elsewhere he says his commission came “by the revelation of Jesus Christ” (Galatians 1:12).

Is this a contradiction? No! In fact, references to God as our Savior should not surprise us, for they are found in numerous places in the Old Testament (see Psalm 106:21). Furthermore, our understanding of the Trinity insists that all three persons of the Godhead are one in God. Of course, Christ made many references to the fact that He was not acting on His own but came to do “the will of him that sent me” (John 6:38). Paul himself appeared to be comfortable with this seeming overlap, for in one sentence he wrote, “God our Saviour . . . grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour” (Titus 1:3–4). Such usages further confirm that Jesus is God.

While Christ was the primary instrument of salvation as the perfect sacrifice for sin, God the Father is the source of all human salvation, and the application of the title Savior to Him is proper. Indeed, we derive great comfort as we see the role of all three persons of the Godhead involved in our salvation.

“Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10). JDM

 

 

 

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

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – God Leads Us by Peace

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Now may the Lord of peace Himself grant you His peace (the peace of His kingdom) at all times and in all ways [under all circumstances and conditions, whatever comes]. The Lord [be] with you all.

2 Thessalonians 3:16 (AMPC)

People often do things they don’t have peace about, and then they wonder why they have big messes in their lives. If we follow God’s Word and are thankful for His direction and leading, we will enjoy blessed and peaceful lives. The Bible warns us that we will live in turmoil if we follow our own will and walk in our own ways (Deuteronomy 28:15–33).

I hear people say things like this too often:

  • “I know I shouldn’t do this, but . . .”
  • “I know I shouldn’t buy this, but . . .”
  • “I probably shouldn’t say this, but . . .”

These words reflect an uncomfortable feeling deep inside, a “knowing” that the action they are taking is not right or good for them, but they won’t surrender their wills to God’s leading. Thankfully, when we feel this lack of peace, we can decide to release our plans and submit to God’s good plan for our lives.

Prayer of the Day: I thank You, Father, that You lead me in peace. Help me be sensitive to the leading of Your Spirit as You set the course for my life. Thank You for the peace that comes with knowing You are in control and You have a good plan for me.

 

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Absorb Spiritual Power 

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Play

A person with no input from God has the vibrancy of Shafter Lake. It languishes a few miles west of my West Texas hometown. Envision a brackish mud puddle the size of a football field. Unlike true lakes, Shafter has no pure source. No river fills to flows through it. Gas, oil, and saltwater puddle and fume. Not a pleasant sight. The lake without an entrance or exit stinks.

So does the life with no divine source. Hence the invitation of Jesus. “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.  Rivers of living water will brim and spill out of the depths of anyone who believes in me this way” (John 7:37-38 MSG).

Like a plant absorbs light from the sun, the believer absorbs spiritual power from the divine.

 

 

 

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Today in the Word

Today in the Word – Moody Bible Institute – A Two-Way Street

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Read Jeremiah 29:10–20

When our kids were young, we taught them about good conversations. “When I ask a question, you answer— with more than one word. Then, you ask me a question, and I’ll respond. It’s a two-way street.”

Few biblical passages describe the two-way communication that God desires to have with His people more passionately than Jeremiah 29. This chapter is a letter from the prophet Jeremiah to the elders of the Jewish exiles in Babylon. False prophets had infiltrated the community and were communicating empty promises of quick rescue. Jeremiah wrote to provide clear instruction and an invitation to communion.

Jeremiah quotes the Lord, who begins with an honest description of Judah’s seventy-year exile. He does not sugarcoat their suffering but quickly adds assurance of His personal connection and promised deliverance. “I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place” (v. 10). God declared His sovereign care for His people: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future’” (v. 11).

Then God describes how their communication should unfold. Judah would cry out to the Lord. They would pray for deliverance. God would listen and respond (vv. 12–14). In verses 15–19, God reveals that He knew their hearts. They had been captivated by the false prophets in Babylon, who promised a swift end to their captivity. But Jeremiah contradicted these lies. God also had other plans for those who had not gone into exile. They, too, would suffer famine and plagues because they had not listened to the repeated words of the Lord. The passage finishes with this final, core admonition: “Hear the word of the LORD” (v. 20).

Go Deeper

How is our communication with God like a two-way street? How does staying in communication with God guard against false teaching?

Pray with Us

Thank you, Father, that You want us to communicate with You. When we cry out to You, You hear us, and You care. We bring You our joys, sorrows, and uncertainties.

Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.Jeremiah 29:12

 

 

 

https://www.moodybible.org/