If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. (Psalm 139:8 NLT)

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If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. (Psalm 139:8 NLT)
—
<a href="https://link.chtbl.com/A1PWfZ8W">Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast</a>
<a href="https://harvest.org/harvest-partner/">Become a Harvest Partner</a>

If you want to be successful in the Christian life, you must have a mind full of God’s Word. Refresh your mind with it daily, right here. Each day, you'll receive a verse and commentary from Pastor Greg Laurie, who offers biblical insight through humor, personal stories, and cultural commentary. Start listening and hear what God has to say to you. 

*The audio production of this podcast utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

If you want to be successful in the Christian life, you must have a mind full of God&rsquo;s Word. Refresh your mind with it daily, right here. Each day, you'll receive a verse and commentary from&nbsp;<a href="https://harvest.org/about-greg-laurie/">Pastor Greg Laurie</a>, who offers biblical insight through humor, personal stories, and cultural commentary. Start listening and hear what God has to say to you.&nbsp;
*The audio production of this podcast utilizes Generative AI technology.&nbsp;This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known." All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

Greg Laurie provides commentary on the day's Bible verse.

Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions

If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. (Psalm 139:8 NLT)

Even There | Psalm 139:8

“My heart is confident in you, O God; my heart is confident. No wonder I can sing your praises!” (Psalm 57:7 NLT)

 

He came from the humblest of beginnings and rose to become the greatest king in Israel’s history. In battle, he was fearless. As a ruler, he was without peer. God once referred to him as a man after His own heart. I’m speaking, of course, of David: shepherd, psalmist, musician, protector, warrior, giant-killer, and monarch.

David’s story is one of the most familiar in all of Scripture, and for good reason. David is someone most people can relate to. He was an underdog, someone who was overlooked by others. He was bullied and found himself in situations that were beyond his control. He tried to do what was right but wasn’t above making some really bad decisions.

Yet God used him to accomplish some incredible things. And as we look at David’s story, we can get some clues as to the type of people God uses.

First, God uses ordinary people. The Lord prefers to work in and through ordinary people to do extraordinary things. That way, the people who witness those extraordinary things won’t be confused about who accomplished them. God wants to make sure that people give credit to Him rather than to human beings.

The apostle Paul suffered from an affliction that he called “a thorn in my flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7 NLT). Three times he asked God to take it away. “Each time [God] said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now [Paul was] glad to boast about [his] weaknesses, so that the power of Christ [could] work through [him]” (verse 9 NLT). Paul’s affliction made him ordinary, which allowed the extraordinary work of God to be magnified through him.

Just as surely as God used Paul’s ordinary affliction and plucked David, an ordinary shepherd boy, from obscurity, He is looking for people today through whom He can show His strength.

Second, God uses spiritually focused people. David wrote, “My heart is confident in you, O God; my heart is confident. No wonder I can sing your praises!” (Psalm 57:7 NLT). His confidence came from keeping his eyes on God rather than on his circumstances, and he experienced the blessings that come from that kind of faith.  God may not give you everything you hope for in life, or He may give you far more than you ever imagined. Either way, your responsibility is to trust Him, leave the results in His hands, and put Him first. That’s exactly what David did.

Third, God uses people who are content in Him. As a young boy, David’s primary responsibility was to ensure the safety of sheep. David figured that if watching sheep was what God wanted him to do, then he would do the best job he could. Did he dream of one day doing great things for God? We can’t know for sure, but we do know that David was content in whatever God called him to do.

Like David, we are all ordinary people. There’s no shame in that. As long as we’re willing to be faithful in what God has set before us and willing to be content in whatever God asks from us, God will use us.

And sometimes He’ll do it in extraordinary ways.

 

Reflection question: How can you make yourself available for God to use? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

—

The audio production of the podcast "Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

 

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

Become a Harvest Partner

&ldquo;My heart is confident in you, O God; my heart is confident. No wonder I can sing your praises!&rdquo; (Psalm 57:7 NLT)
&nbsp;
He came from the humblest of beginnings and rose to become the greatest king in Israel&rsquo;s history. In battle, he was fearless. As a ruler, he was without peer. God once referred to him as a man after His own heart. I&rsquo;m speaking, of course, of David: shepherd, psalmist, musician, protector, warrior, giant-killer, and monarch.
David&rsquo;s story is one of the most familiar in all of Scripture, and for good reason. David is someone most people can relate to. He was an underdog, someone who was overlooked by others. He was bullied and found himself in situations that were beyond his control. He tried to do what was right but wasn&rsquo;t above making some really bad decisions.
Yet God used him to accomplish some incredible things. And as we look at David&rsquo;s story, we can get some clues as to the type of people God uses.
First, God uses ordinary people. The Lord prefers to work in and through ordinary people to do extraordinary things. That way, the people who witness those extraordinary things won&rsquo;t be confused about who accomplished them. God wants to make sure that people give credit to Him rather than to human beings.
The apostle Paul suffered from an affliction that he called &ldquo;a thorn in my flesh&rdquo; (2 Corinthians 12:7 NLT). Three times he asked God to take it away. &ldquo;Each time [God] said, &lsquo;My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.&rsquo; So now [Paul was] glad to boast about [his] weaknesses, so that the power of Christ [could] work through [him]&rdquo; (verse 9 NLT). Paul&rsquo;s affliction made him ordinary, which allowed the extraordinary work of God to be magnified through him.
Just as surely as God used Paul&rsquo;s ordinary affliction and plucked David, an ordinary shepherd boy, from obscurity, He is looking for people today through whom He can show His strength.
Second, God uses spiritually focused people. David wrote, &ldquo;My heart is confident in you, O God; my heart is confident. No wonder I can sing your praises!&rdquo; (Psalm 57:7 NLT). His confidence came from keeping his eyes on God rather than on his circumstances, and he experienced the blessings that come from that kind of faith. &nbsp;God may not give you everything you hope for in life, or He may give you far more than you ever imagined. Either way, your responsibility is to trust Him, leave the results in His hands, and put Him first. That&rsquo;s exactly what David did.
Third, God uses people who are content in Him. As a young boy, David&rsquo;s primary responsibility was to ensure the safety of sheep. David figured that if watching sheep was what God wanted him to do, then he would do the best job he could. Did he dream of one day doing great things for God? We can&rsquo;t know for sure, but we do know that David was content in whatever God called him to do.
Like David, we are all ordinary people. There&rsquo;s no shame in that. As long as we&rsquo;re willing to be faithful in what God has set before us and willing to be content in whatever God asks from us, God will use us.
And sometimes He&rsquo;ll do it in extraordinary ways.
&nbsp;
Reflection question: How can you make yourself available for God to use?&nbsp;<a href="https://disciple.harvest.org/spaces/17592429/feed?utm_source=DD&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=HarvestDiscipleship">Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!</a>
&mdash;
The audio production of the podcast "Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions" utilizes Generative AI technology.&nbsp;This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."
&nbsp;
All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.
<a href="https://go.pddr.app/glpodcast">Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast</a>
<a href="https://harvest.org/harvest-partner/?utm_source=DD&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=HarvestPartners">Become a Harvest Partner</a>

God uses ordinary people in extraordinary ways.

The Kind of Person God Uses | Psalm 57:7

“Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10 NLT)

 

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 Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

—

The audio production of the podcast "Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

 

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

Become a Harvest Partner

&ldquo;Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.&rdquo; (Psalm 51:10 NLT)
&nbsp;
Love is not always a pretty or pleasant thing, especially in its earliest form. No matter how long you&rsquo;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&rsquo;t last&mdash;at least, not in the intensity of their original form. Passion&rsquo;s fire cools to smoldering embers that can still be ignited, but they don&rsquo;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&rsquo;t understand that. They allow their feelings to dictate their actions. They convince themselves that when the emotional excitement isn&rsquo;t there on a daily basis, they&rsquo;ve fallen out of love, and the relationship isn&rsquo;t working out. &ldquo;We have irreconcilable differences,&rdquo; they conclude, &ldquo;so let&rsquo;s just end things now.&rdquo; Then they move on to another relationship because they don&rsquo;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&mdash;of having our sins forgiven, of being aware of God&rsquo;s boundless love and mercy, of knowing where we will go when we die&mdash;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, &ldquo;Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me&rdquo; (Psalm 51:10 NLT). Loyalty is the key&mdash;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&rsquo;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.
&nbsp;
Reflection question: How can you build a relationship with the Lord based on loyalty instead of emotions?&nbsp;<a href="https://disciple.harvest.org/spaces/17592429/feed?utm_source=DD&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=HarvestDiscipleship">Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!</a>
&mdash;
The audio production of the podcast "Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions" utilizes Generative AI technology.&nbsp;This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."
&nbsp;
All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.
<a href="https://go.pddr.app/glpodcast">Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast</a>
<a href="https://harvest.org/harvest-partner/?utm_source=DD&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=HarvestPartners">Become a Harvest Partner</a>

A strong relationship with the Lord is built on loyalty and not emotions.

A Loyal Love | Psalm 51:10 

“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)

 

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 Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

—

The audio production of the podcast "Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

 

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

Become a Harvest Partner

&ldquo;Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again&mdash;my Savior and my God!&rdquo; (Psalm 42:11 NLT)
&nbsp;
It&rsquo;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, &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t carry all these people by myself! The load is far too heavy!&nbsp;If this is how you intend to treat me, just go ahead and kill me. Do me a favor and spare me this misery!&rdquo; (Numbers 11:14&ndash;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, &ldquo;I have had enough, Lord. . . . Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died&rdquo; (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&rsquo;s Word altogether. He said, &ldquo;When I speak, the words burst out. &lsquo;Violence and destruction!&rsquo; I shout. So these messages from the Lord have made me a household joke&rdquo; (Jeremiah 20:8 NLT).
Even the apostle Paul had moments when he was discouraged. He wrote to the church at Corinth, &ldquo;We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it&rdquo; (2 Corinthians 1:8 NLT).
So, if we ever feel overwhelmed, the first thing we need to understand is that we&rsquo;re in good company. Wrestling with doubt or uncertainty or being perplexed as to why God didn&rsquo;t work in a certain way doesn&rsquo;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, &ldquo;Everything will be fine&mdash;no problem.&rdquo; Then the next moment we can look at the same circumstances and find ourselves in absolute despair.
So, what&rsquo;s the answer? We must recognize that we&rsquo;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, &ldquo;Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again&mdash;my Savior and my God!&rdquo; (Psalm 42:11 NLT).
We can&rsquo;t see the big picture of God&rsquo;s work in this world. And our limited perspective is bound to cause some heightened emotions. That&rsquo;s why we must place our trust in the One who can see everything and is working it all for good.
&nbsp;
Reflection question: How can you keep a proper perspective when you struggle with doubt, discouragement, or despair?&nbsp;<a href="https://disciple.harvest.org/spaces/17592429/feed?utm_source=DD&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=HarvestDiscipleship">Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!</a>
&mdash;
The audio production of the podcast "Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions" utilizes Generative AI technology.&nbsp;This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."
&nbsp;
All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.
<a href="https://go.pddr.app/glpodcast">Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast</a>
<a href="https://harvest.org/harvest-partner/?utm_source=DD&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=HarvestPartners">Become a Harvest Partner</a>

Give your doubt and despair to God; He will see you through your struggle.

Even There | Psalm 139:8

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