"And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." Philippians 4:8 

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"And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." Philippians 4:8 
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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

PHILIPPIANS 4:8: And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

Fix Your Thoughts | Philippians 4:8

“But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.” (1 John 4:4 NLT)

 

The apparent dead-end at the Red Sea must have seemed especially cruel to the people of Israel. Moses had led them out of slavery in Egypt, according to God’s instructions. They had tasted freedom, and they were on their way to the land God had promised their ancestors.

But for a moment it looked as though they would get no further than the water’s edge. The Red Sea blocked their forward progress, and the pursuing Egyptian army blocked any hope of retreat. Fighting their way out was out of the question. Pharaoh’s army was the mightiest military on the face of the earth. Imagine the terror and devastation the Israelites must have experienced when they saw that mighty force—with its chariots, horses, shields, swords, and spears—bearing down on them in the distance.

The Israelites thought they were dead. “But Moses told the people, ‘Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm’” (Exodus 14:13–14 NLT). Just stay calm. That’s a mighty tall order to cram into three small words.

But the wisdom served the people of Israel well. God parted the waters of the Red Sea so that they could walk across on dry land. And when Pharaoh and his army tried to pursue, God closed the waters and drowned them.

Just stay calm.

Those words will also serve us well as disciples of Christ. Like the people of Israel, we are being pursued by our enemy after being set free. When the devil senses that he has us in a vulnerable position, he will come at us with everything he has, including temptations and deception. And they can be intimidating. We may start to question whether we can withstand his barrage.

Spoiler alert: We can.

The apostle John wrote, “But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world” (1 John 4:4 NLT).

If you are a believer, the Spirit of God lives in you. You belong to the Lord. Yes, the devil can tempt you. He can hassle you. But he cannot overcome you, because you are under God’s protection.

In Ephesians 6, the apostle Paul talks about the believer’s spiritual armor: the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the sword of the Spirit, and so forth. But before he describes the armor, he writes, “A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power” (Ephesians 6:10 NLT). In other words, just stay calm.

Stand still and watch the Lord rescue you.

 

Reflection question: How can you stay calm when troubles come? 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;But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.&rdquo; (1 John 4:4 NLT)
&nbsp;
The apparent dead-end at the Red Sea must have seemed especially cruel to the people of Israel. Moses had led them out of slavery in Egypt, according to God&rsquo;s instructions. They had tasted freedom, and they were on their way to the land God had promised their ancestors.
But for a moment it looked as though they would get no further than the water&rsquo;s edge. The Red Sea blocked their forward progress, and the pursuing Egyptian army blocked any hope of retreat. Fighting their way out was out of the question. Pharaoh&rsquo;s army was the mightiest military on the face of the earth. Imagine the terror and devastation the Israelites must have experienced when they saw that mighty force&mdash;with its chariots, horses, shields, swords, and spears&mdash;bearing down on them in the distance.
The Israelites thought they were dead. &ldquo;But Moses told the people, &lsquo;Don&rsquo;t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm&rsquo;&rdquo; (Exodus 14:13&ndash;14 NLT). Just stay calm. That&rsquo;s a mighty tall order to cram into three small words.
But the wisdom served the people of Israel well. God parted the waters of the Red Sea so that they could walk across on dry land. And when Pharaoh and his army tried to pursue, God closed the waters and drowned them.
Just stay calm.
Those words will also serve us well as disciples of Christ. Like the people of Israel, we are being pursued by our enemy after being set free. When the devil senses that he has us in a vulnerable position, he will come at us with everything he has, including temptations and deception. And they can be intimidating. We may start to question whether we can withstand his barrage.
Spoiler alert: We can.
The apostle John wrote, &ldquo;But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world&rdquo; (1 John 4:4 NLT).
If you are a believer, the Spirit of God lives in you. You belong to the Lord. Yes, the devil can tempt you. He can hassle you. But he cannot overcome you, because you are under God&rsquo;s protection.
In Ephesians 6, the apostle Paul talks about the believer&rsquo;s spiritual armor: the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the sword of the Spirit, and so forth. But before he describes the armor, he writes, &ldquo;A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power&rdquo; (Ephesians 6:10 NLT). In other words, just stay calm.
Stand still and watch the Lord rescue you.
&nbsp;
Reflection question: How can you stay calm when troubles come?&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>

Believers can stay calm in the midst of trials because God will protect us.

The Victory Is Won | 1 John 4:4

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6–7 NLT)

 

Some people can sleep through anything. I’m not one of them. If I hear one little noise, I’m awake. If a bird chirps, I’m awake. I’m a light sleeper.

Apparently, Jesus was a heavy sleeper. Luke’s Gospel tells us that as the disciples battled a violent storm on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus was sound asleep. Water made its way into the boat as it pitched back and forth. Sinking seemed like a very real possibility. The terrified disciples woke up Jesus, crying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” (Luke 8:24 NLT).

On the one hand, they panicked. And they can be faulted for that. On the other hand, they channeled their anxiety in the right direction. They cried out to the Lord. In a sense, they prayed.

When we are in trouble, we need to follow their example. We need to pray. We need to give our worries to the Lord and trust Him. We need to place our faith in Him.

Faith and worry cannot coexist. One chases out the other. Do you know people who don’t get along? Maybe you want to invite one of them to your house, but you’re hesitant to invite the other because there’s always conflict between the two of them. Faith and worry have the same type of relationship. Where there is worry, there is no place for faith. Faith is driven out by worry, and worry is driven out by faith.

The apostle Paul wrote, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6–7 NLT).

The New Testament in the modern English PHILLIPS Bible puts it this way: “Don’t worry over anything whatever; tell God every detail of your needs in earnest and thankful prayer, and the peace of God which transcends human understanding, will keep constant guard over your hearts and minds as they rest in Christ Jesus.”

It has been said that if your knees start shaking, you should kneel on them. In other words, when things get scary, pray. Cry out to God.

Prayer is essential to discipleship. The sooner new believers learn to give their fears, doubts, concerns, and problems to God as those issues arise, the quicker they will grow in their faith.

The disciples in the boat that day were left in awe by Jesus’ ability to answer their prayers. Their faith was bolstered beyond measure. The same thing happens when Jesus’ followers pray today.

 

Reflection question: How can you prioritize prayer in your life? 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;Don&rsquo;t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God&rsquo;s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.&rdquo; (Philippians 4:6&ndash;7 NLT)
&nbsp;
Some people can sleep through anything. I&rsquo;m not one of them. If I hear one little noise, I&rsquo;m awake. If a bird chirps, I&rsquo;m awake. I&rsquo;m a light sleeper.
Apparently, Jesus was a heavy sleeper. Luke&rsquo;s Gospel tells us that as the disciples battled a violent storm on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus was sound asleep. Water made its way into the boat as it pitched back and forth. Sinking seemed like a very real possibility. The terrified disciples woke up Jesus, crying, &ldquo;Master, Master, we&rsquo;re going to drown!&rdquo; (Luke 8:24 NLT).
On the one hand, they panicked. And they can be faulted for that. On the other hand, they channeled their anxiety in the right direction. They cried out to the Lord. In a sense, they prayed.
When we are in trouble, we need to follow their example. We need to pray. We need to give our worries to the Lord and trust Him. We need to place our faith in Him.
Faith and worry cannot coexist. One chases out the other. Do you know people who don&rsquo;t get along? Maybe you want to invite one of them to your house, but you&rsquo;re hesitant to invite the other because there&rsquo;s always conflict between the two of them. Faith and worry have the same type of relationship. Where there is worry, there is no place for faith. Faith is driven out by worry, and worry is driven out by faith.
The apostle Paul wrote, &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God&rsquo;s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus&rdquo; (Philippians 4:6&ndash;7 NLT).
The New Testament in the modern English PHILLIPS Bible puts it this way: &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t worry over anything whatever; tell God every detail of your needs in earnest and thankful prayer, and the peace of God which transcends human understanding, will keep constant guard over your hearts and minds as they rest in Christ Jesus.&rdquo;
It has been said that if your knees start shaking, you should kneel on them. In other words, when things get scary, pray. Cry out to God.
Prayer is essential to discipleship. The sooner new believers learn to give their fears, doubts, concerns, and problems to God as those issues arise, the quicker they will grow in their faith.
The disciples in the boat that day were left in awe by Jesus&rsquo; ability to answer their prayers. Their faith was bolstered beyond measure. The same thing happens when Jesus&rsquo; followers pray today.
&nbsp;
Reflection question: How can you prioritize prayer in your life?&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>

When things get scary, pray; when things are going well, pray.

Faith vs. Worry | Philippians 4:6–7

“So the people of Israel walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on each side!” (Exodus 14:22 NLT)

 

There’s a reason that Exodus 14:22 ends with an exclamation point. “So the people of Israel walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on each side!” (NLT). Imagine how thrilling it must have been for the Israelites to walk through the middle of the Red Sea on dry ground as they followed God’s leading. Maybe they saw fish swimming by in the walls of water on either side of them, like something out of the best aquarium ever.

The people of Israel walked for hours. The journey across the basin of the Red Sea took all night. But the Lord was with them every step of the way. No one who crossed the sea that day could have anticipated just how long their eventual journey would take—or where it would lead them.

Their experience serves as an excellent illustration of the Christian life. It, too, is just a walk with the Lord. And discipleship is what happens along the way when we prioritize that walk.

Often the beginning of the Christian journey is filled with excitement and wonder, as the realization of what God has done for us sinks in. But as was the case with the Israelites during their forty-year journey through the wilderness, the excitement and wonder begin to wane over time. We start to take things for granted. We become apathetic.

That’s what happened with people who came to see Jesus during His earthly ministry. After the initial excitement and newness wore off, people began to drift away. They rejected Jesus and His teachings for a variety of reasons (see Matthew 8:34; Mark 6:3; Luke 4:28–29). They became apathetic toward their walk with Him and began to search elsewhere for something new, something different.

If you struggle with apathy in your walk with Christ, then you need to prioritize, what I call, your “R.P.G.S.”: (1) Read the Bible every day. You never outgrow it and never get beyond it. God’s Word never becomes irrelevant. (2) Pray about things. Bring things up before the Lord. You need to have a prayer life. (3) Go to church. You need to be a regular part of the church. (4) Share your faith with others.

Many believers stop doing these things and then wonder why spiritual apathy is seeping into their lives. It’s because they’re not doing the basics. If you decide not to eat anymore, here’s what will happen: You’ll get lightheaded. You’ll feel almost sick. And if it goes on for a while, you’ll start to die. You can’t live that way. You must eat to survive. In the same way, if you neglect spiritual disciplines, it won’t be long until you start to wither.

Friedrich Nietzsche said, “The essential thing ‘in heaven and in earth’ is that there should be long obediencein the same direction.”

As Christians, our lives are a walk of faith. We need to keep walking that walk.

 

Reflection question: How can you avoid apathy in your walk with the Lord? 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;So the people of Israel walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on each side!&rdquo; (Exodus 14:22 NLT)
&nbsp;
There&rsquo;s a reason that Exodus 14:22 ends with an exclamation point. &ldquo;So the people of Israel walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on each side!&rdquo; (NLT). Imagine how thrilling it must have been for the Israelites to walk through the middle of the Red Sea on dry ground as they followed God&rsquo;s leading. Maybe they saw fish swimming by in the walls of water on either side of them, like something out of the best aquarium ever.
The people of Israel walked for hours. The journey across the basin of the Red Sea took all night. But the Lord was with them every step of the way. No one who crossed the sea that day could have anticipated just how long their eventual journey would take&mdash;or where it would lead them.
Their experience serves as an excellent illustration of the Christian life. It, too, is just a walk with the Lord. And discipleship is what happens along the way when we prioritize that walk.
Often the beginning of the Christian journey is filled with excitement and wonder, as the realization of what God has done for us sinks in. But as was the case with the Israelites during their forty-year journey through the wilderness, the excitement and wonder begin to wane over time. We start to take things for granted. We become apathetic.
That&rsquo;s what happened with people who came to see Jesus during His earthly ministry. After the initial excitement and newness wore off, people began to drift away. They rejected Jesus and His teachings for a variety of reasons (see Matthew 8:34; Mark 6:3; Luke 4:28&ndash;29). They became apathetic toward their walk with Him and began to search elsewhere for something new, something different.
If you struggle with apathy in your walk with Christ, then you need to prioritize, what I call, your &ldquo;R.P.G.S.&rdquo;: (1) Read the Bible every day. You never outgrow it and never get beyond it. God&rsquo;s Word never becomes irrelevant. (2) Pray about things. Bring things up before the Lord. You need to have a prayer life. (3) Go to church. You need to be a regular part of the church. (4) Share your faith with others.
Many believers stop doing these things and then wonder why spiritual apathy is seeping into their lives. It&rsquo;s because they&rsquo;re not doing the basics. If you decide not to eat anymore, here&rsquo;s what will happen: You&rsquo;ll get lightheaded. You&rsquo;ll feel almost sick. And if it goes on for a while, you&rsquo;ll start to die. You can&rsquo;t live that way. You must eat to survive. In the same way, if you neglect spiritual disciplines, it won&rsquo;t be long until you start to wither.
Friedrich Nietzsche said, &ldquo;The essential thing &lsquo;in heaven and in earth&rsquo; is&nbsp;that there should be long obedience in the same direction.&rdquo;
As Christians, our lives are a walk of faith. We need to keep walking that walk.
&nbsp;
Reflection question: How can you avoid apathy in your walk with the Lord?&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>

Spiritual disciplines keep believers growing in the Christian faith.

Fix Your Thoughts | Philippians 4:8

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