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Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Genesis 6:5

Recommended Reading: Genesis 6:1-8

Sometimes you can’t turn the screen off fast enough. You thought it was a safe show; you were scanning social media; you were listening to a book on audio. Suddenly you were subjected to unwanted sexuality, profanity, or violence.

Because of the sinful nature within us, our imaginations run toward evil as in the days of Noah. We must guard against external temptations, but the bigger problem is our own heart and mind. In the battle for our souls, the war with the flesh is prominent. It takes a deliberate effort to be filled with the Spirit of God and with the Word of God.

Romans 8:13 says, “For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” Through Christ, you can be victorious if you never give up. Fill your mind with Scripture and ask Him to fill your soul with His Spirit of victory.

Only the Spirit…can give us the desire, determination, and discipline to reject evil.
John Stott

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So the leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves; and they said, “The Lord is righteous.”
2 Chronicles 12:6

Recommended Reading: 2 Chronicles 12:1-12

During the 2026 World Cup, international fans began sharing on social media about their time in the United States. Soon social media feeds were flooded with people from all over the world telling others what they loved about the U.S. and what they found different from their own countries. For several weeks in the summer, the way to go “viral” and become famous was through sharing this type of content. And many fans shared as a way to become “famous” and gain followers.

Since the rise of the entertainment business, people have craved fame in a new way. It affects each one of us in some little way. But the Lord’s way is humility. He was pleased when the Israelites humbled themselves and sought Him when invaded by Egypt. He is pleased when we humble ourselves too.

Humility is a decision to listen, not dominate. To give credit rather than take it. To find a way to serve others. If you practice humility intentionally and humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, He will lift you up, and your relationships will be better for it. Faith is better than fame, just as humility is better than pride.

Humbly but confidently give yourself up to God to do all His will.
Andrew Murray

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Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
Isaiah 43:19

Recommended Reading: Isaiah 43:16-19

Without the Lord, our lives are scattered events leading to the grave. Not for the followers of Jesus! He plans our days, orders our steps, and arranges the seasons of our lives. We discern His hand on the years gone by and trust His hand for what is yet to come.

Changes can still upset us, especially if unplanned or unanticipated. We lose jobs, encounter accidents, and face problems. But the Christian understands that God is still in control and that our future is under His management. We look ahead knowing He is doing a new thing, leading us in a new way. He will make a road in the wilderness and streams in the desert.

The apostle Paul said, “One thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).

Make up your mind to face the future like that!

Let us never despair while we have Christ as our leader!
George Whitefield

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Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
1 Peter 5:6-8

Recommended Reading: 1 Peter 5:5-11

You probably don’t think of yourself as proud. Oh, you might say you’re a proud parent or grandparent or that you are proud of some achievement. We’re often proud of our communities or teams. But that ugly pride we dislike in others? We seldom recognize it in ourselves.

That’s why Peter told us to be sober and vigilant and to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God. In spiritual warfare we often think of external threats like temptation. But pride is an internal enemy. It has a way of turning our eyes sideways to compare ourselves with others, rather than upward. But our calling isn’t to compare ourselves with others. It’s to be faithful to the Lord. Draw near to Him today, and He will fill you with the grace you need to walk humbly with Him.

Whoever is truly humbled will not be easily angry, will not be positive and rash… And under all trials and afflictions, he will look to the hand of the Lord.
John Newton

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For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Hebrews 4:15

Recommended Reading: Matthew 4:1-11

The New Testament clearly teaches that Jesus was “in all points, tempted as we are, yet without sin.” “In all points” means Jesus was tempted with every temptation we are. He was tempted in the wilderness of Judea by the devil, but He resisted each of the three temptations by quoting Scripture, “It is written…. It is written again…. For it is written” (Matthew 4:1-11). And He suffered when He was tempted, just as we suffer (Hebrews 2:18). Because He is able to identify with our sufferings, He is able to help all who are tempted. And His temptations had the same purpose as do ours: “Yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered” (Hebrews 5:8).

God wants us to learn obedience and to gain maturity. And although we know from James 1:13 that He doesn’t tempt us to sin, He does use temptations to help us learn and grow. Not so we will sin but so we will depend on Him and His provision for resisting temptation.

Temptation always promises more than it produces.
John Blanchard

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No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
1 Corinthians 10:13

Recommended Reading: 1 Corinthians 10:6-13

We read the story of the Hebrew slaves coming out of Egypt as history. But the apostle Paul told the Corinthians that within the story there is found an example—an example for us about the dangers of yielding to temptation (1 Corinthians 10:6-11).

The Israelites had the opportunity to avoid sin in the wilderness, but they failed to take advantage of it. Paul warned the Corinthians to be careful: If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall (verse 12). We, like the Israelites in the wilderness, will be tempted to sin. Also like the Israelites, God will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able to endure but will provide a way of escape. It is up to us to take the way of escape that He provides.

Do not be surprised when you face temptation; every person is tempted. Look immediately for the way of escape God has provided.

Wherever temptation is, there is God also.
Hannah Whitall Smith

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Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.
Psalm 43:5

Recommended Reading: Psalm 47:6-9

If you have ever been disappointed in a friend or family member, you have probably found it a challenge to pray for them. But it is hard to stay angry with another person when we are praying for them. The same could be said about our relationship with God. If we find ourselves disappointed in our circumstances, the surest remedy is to praise God.

Psalms 42–43 were likely originally one psalm later divided into two for purposes of liturgical worship in the temple. They recount a period of disappointment by the psalmist who thought God had forgotten him and was not going to rescue him from his oppressors. But both psalms end the same way: “Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him” (Psalm 42:11; 43:5). The psalmist didn’t let his disappointment keep him from praising God and hoping in Him.

Being disappointed with our circumstances ultimately means being disappointed with God. The most direct way to counter those feelings is to praise Him for His goodness and His love.

Praise is the best of all sacrifices and the true evidence of godliness. 
John Calvin

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O my God, my soul is cast down within me; therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan, and from the heights of Hermon, from the Hill Mizar.
Psalm 42:6

Recommended Reading: 1 Samuel 30:6

Think of all the ways we keep track of the past: photo albums, folders of papers related to important events, personal diaries or journals, keepsakes and mementos from years gone by, and more. When we are discouraged about our present circumstances, looking back over the past can encourage us.

That same practice can help us spiritually when we experience discouragement. By remembering and reviewing how God has sustained us in the past, we find hope in our present circumstances. The writer of Psalm 42 used his memories of God’s faithfulness in the past to sustain him at a time when his soul was “cast down.” The longer we walk with God, the more memories we will have about His faithfulness in the past—and, therefore, the more reasons we will have to trust Him in the present and in the future.

When you find your soul cast down within you, take time to remember how God has sustained you in the past. Let God’s faithfulness in the past give you hope for the future.

How worthy it is to remember former benefits when we come to beg for new!
Stephen Charnock

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To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.
Ecclesiastes 3:1

Recommended Reading: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

As Anne gazed at the glory of autumn in Anne of Green Gables, she couldn’t contain her delight. “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers,” she said.

When God created the world, He built seasons into the rotation. We experience them differently depending on where we live, but most of us recognize summer and winter, springtime and harvest (see Genesis 8:22).

In the Lord’s brilliant design, the shifting of the seasons also represents the cycle of our lives. What season of life are you in? If you look closely, you’ll find it’s beautiful. God does all things well. When He leads us through the seasons, two things happen. We grow in our maturity, and He grows more precious to us every day.

Look around you today and find some beautiful spot to rest your eyes—and praise the Lord. Look within you today, and find some sweet blessing to rest your heart—and praise the Lord.

It would be terrible if we just skipped from September to November…. The world looks like something God had just imagined for his own pleasure, doesn’t it?
Anne of Green Gables

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The hidden person of the heart.
1 Peter 3:4

Recommended Reading: 1 Peter 3:1-7

Research shows that Americans are spending vast amounts of money on personal wellness. As much as $2 trillion. This money is spent on maintaining our physical activities, good nutrition, weight loss products, personal care, beauty, spas, and wellness tourism. It amounts to $6,000 per American each year. China, Germany, and Japan are close behind.¹

But what about spiritual wellness?

We are in a battle for our souls. Satan wants to devour us and to hinder our work for the Kingdom. While we need to care for our bodies, we particularly need to be attentive to the condition of our souls. The Bible says that physical exercise is useful, but it’s far more important to exercise our souls in godliness (1 Timothy 4:8). Looking nice outwardly is important, but what really matters is “the hidden person of the heart…the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit” (1 Peter 3:4).

Make sure you can say, “It is well, it is well with my soul.” Pay attention today to the hidden person of your heart.

Christ bounds and terminates the vast desires of the soul.
John Flavel

1. “New Research Shows the US Wellness Economy—Valued at $2 Trillion—Now Represents One-Third of Entire Global Wellness Economy,” Global Wellness Institute, March 4, 2025.

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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.

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A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.
Proverbs 16:9

Recommended Reading: James 4:13-17

It is true that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. But it is also true that straight lines rarely exist in real life. More often than not, the plans we make involve many twists and turns that we had not planned on encountering. One measure of our trust in God is seen in how we navigate the unexpected changes in our plans.

Jonah had a plan—rather than obey God and head east to Nineveh, his plan was to go west to Tarshish (modern Spain) in order to avoid meeting his enemies face-to-face. But God’s original plan did not change. Instead, God changed Jonah’s plan by casting him into the sea and having him swallowed by a great fish. When faced with the likelihood of dying as fish food, Jonah repented of his disobedience and decided to submit to God’s original plan. Even then, Jonah’s story does not end well. He was not happy with God’s mercy toward Nineveh, and Scripture leaves him in a state of self-pity.

A valuable lesson from Jonah’s life is that God’s plans will not be foiled by human failure or intervention. If God changes your plans, seek His will and follow His lead.

God has no problems, only plans.
Corrie ten Boom

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

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Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?
Jonah 4:9

Recommended Reading: 2 Corinthians 3:12-18

The book of Jonah is a remarkable testimony of a man who learned valuable lessons in unusual ways. The fact that he wrote his story indicates he came to understand what God was teaching him. God wanted to pass the lessons on to us. One of the greatest lessons has to do with God’s compassion even when we’re in rebellion against Him or when we are feeling resentful toward Him. Just as we help our own children when their emotions spiral one way or the other, so the Lord helps us.

No matter where we are in life, God is always with us—when we are obeying Him, when we are running from Him, when we are struggling to view others as He views them, and even when we are sulking about something as ordinary as a wilting plant.

Lift up your heart and rejoice today that you have a God who understands your moods and who intends to transform you into the image of His Son from one degree of glory to another as you gaze on Him and contemplate His beauty (2 Corinthians 3:18).

When our trials come…it is our joy and comfort to lift our faces heavenward and to go on, standing on the promises of God.
W. A. Criswell

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

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But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry.
Jonah 4:1

Recommended Reading: Jonah 4

When Christian author Jennifer Rothschild was a teenager, the doctor told her she was going blind. Returning home with her parents, everyone was silent in the car. Jennifer recalls, “When we got home, I went straight to our old upright piano…. I started to play a song I had never played before. I could no longer see to read music. I played the song by ear. Yes, that was a gift from God, that ability to play by ear. But the greater gift to me was what I played…. I played ‘It Is Well with My Soul.’ I think God, even then, was reminding me what He had already embedded in my spirit—that while it was not well with my circumstances, it was probably not ever going to be well with my circumstances, but because of Jesus, He really had already made it well with my soul.”¹

Jonah became very upset with the way he perceived God was treating him, but he was wrong. The Lord was blessing him, molding him, and using him in ways we are still talking about today. Even when you feel upset with the events of life, you can trust the Lord.

So I chose, even then, to believe He was good and to trust Him.
Jennifer Rothschild

1. Jennifer Rothschild, “Is God Just, Not Fair?” C. S. Lewis Institute, May 15, 2025.

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Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.
1 Thessalonians 4:17-18

Recommended Reading: John 14:1-4

We often experience the sorrow of separation—a child leaving for college, friends or family moving to another city, children getting married and leaving home. In each of these cases our sorrow is tempered by the fact that we know we will likely be reunited with them.

At Thessalonica some of the Christians were concerned about fellow believers who had died prior to the return of Christ. Paul wrote to them to assure them that they would be reunited with their deceased loved ones. At what we refer to as the Rapture of the Church, Christ will raise deceased believers from the grave, followed by those who are alive. “And thus we shall always be with the Lord”—deceased and living believers reunited in heaven.

Take comfort in Paul’s words if you long to be reunited with deceased friends or family who died in Christ. A great reunion is coming which will last for eternity.

The church is the only society in the world that never loses any of its members, even by death.
John Blanchard

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

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So [Jonah] prayed to the Lord, and said, “Ah, Lord, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm. Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live!”
Jonah 4:2-3

Recommended Reading: Philippians 2:3-5

The Assyrians were powerful and brutal. Jonah disobeyed God’s command to go and preach to them because he was afraid of what they might do to him. When he eventually went and the Assyrians repented, Jonah was not happy because they were spared judgment.

Jonah fell into the trap of being more concerned about himself than about others. His very words—“It is better for me”—indicate that his priority was on his own desires rather than the well-being of others—even others who had been his enemies in the past. Instead of rejoicing at the Assyrians’ repentance, Jonah was mad at God for having mercy on them.

The apostle Paul wrote that we should look not only to our own interests but also to the interests of others (Philippians 2:3-5)—the very attitude that Jesus Himself demonstrated.

Forgiveness saves the expense of anger, the cost of hatred, and the waste of spirit. 
Hannah More

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

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Yet the house of Israel says, “The way of the Lord is not fair.” O house of Israel, is it not My ways which are fair, and your ways which are not fair?
Ezekiel 18:29

Recommended Reading: Ezekiel 18:25-32

Many people say that if there is a God, He is not fair. Even in times of great trauma and loss, Christians understand that life doesn’t seem fair. This is especially true in a culture that says everyone should be treated the same.

What do we do, then, when we encounter more difficulty than others, when we face our own unique troubles, and when we’re tempted to feel disappointed in God? Ezekiel told the people of his day to trust in the wisdom and ways of the Lord. He said, “Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit” (Ezekiel 18:31).

When Abraham could not fully understand what the Lord was doing, he simply said, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:25) That is a good sentence to remember, for we can rest assured and give thanks today that the Judge of all of the earth will always do what is right.

[The Christian] believes [God] to be too wise to err and too good to be unkind. 
Charles Spurgeon

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Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.
Jonah 3:10

Recommended Reading: James 1:16-18

Does God change His mind? Some passages of the Bible studied alone and out of context could lead to that conclusion. But Numbers 23:19 says, “God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind” (NIV). God always knows what He is going to do, His logic is consistent, and His character is unchanging. Malachi 3:6 says, “I the Lord do not change” (NIV). And James 1:17 says that with God there is “no variation or shadow of turning.”

The Bible, however, sometimes speaks of God in human terms, using phrases we can understand. For example, Jonah 3:10 says that God “relented.” God accommodates Himself to us. He helps us understand how His fixed character relates to our fluid human situations.

Studying the nature and the ways of God strengthens us. We can never fully understand Him, for His infinite nature boggles our minds. But the more we get to know Him, the better we can worship Him.

A true fear of God is a beautiful thing, for it is worship, it is love, it is veneration.
A. W. Tozer

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And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
1 Corinthians 2:1-2

Recommended Reading: 1 Corinthians 2:1-10

When Jonah preached to the Ninevites, he simply delivered the short message God gave him. The same was true when Paul entered the city of Corinth. He didn’t have an elaborate presentation, nor was he a spectacular orator. He simply preached the message of the Cross.

Sometimes in our church programming we try too hard to be innovative. There’s nothing wrong with creativity or with doing things with excellence, but we must always remember the power resides in the Gospel itself. The same can be true for us as individuals. Perhaps you’re afraid your personality is inadequate for winning others to Christ, or maybe you worry about having the biblical knowledge necessary to share your faith.

Leave those concerns with God. Just a simple word, a quoted verse, a proffered prayer, or a moment of testimony can have a remarkable, long-term effect. When it comes to witnessing, remember, little is much when God is in it.

Jesus can use anyone who wants to be used.
Robert E. Coleman

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Yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands.
Jonah 3:8

Recommended Reading: Proverbs 12:10-16

Early Methodist preachers noticed something unexpected when revival swept through parts of England. Men who had once cursed their horses, beaten their dogs, and treated animals harshly began showing gentleness even toward creatures under their care. John Wesley taught that the grace of Christ softens the entire heart. Conversion changed not only how people worshiped God and treated neighbors—it even changed how they treated animals.

When God changes our heart, it affects every relationship we have. When revival came to the city of Nineveh under the preaching of Jonah, people turned away from their evil ways and from feelings of violence. The streets became safer, and the homes became sweeter.

Have you experienced the Lord’s work in your life? Has it affected your interactions with others? It should, and as you walk with Christ, your love, joy, peace, and patience will grow.

True love is an act of the will—a conscious decision to do what is best for the other person instead of ourselves.
Billy Graham

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