"Meanwhile, Peter continued knocking. When they finally opened the door and saw him, they were amazed." Acts 12:16

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"Meanwhile, Peter continued knocking. When they finally opened the door and saw him, they were amazed." Acts 12:16
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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

ACTS 12:16: Meanwhile, Peter continued knocking. When they finally opened the door and saw him, they were amazed.

Meanwhile . . . | Acts 12:16

“But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” (2 Corinthians 11:14 NLT)

 

When I was a kid, I collected snakes. I’m not sure why, but I used to be fascinated by them. I had all kinds. I would read books about snakes. I would go out looking for snakes and bring them home. I was bitten many times. I discovered that you never really know what a snake is thinking. Snakes aren’t expressive creatures; they’re cold-blooded reptiles.

Snakes are nothing like dogs. You know where you are with a dog at any given moment. When a dog looks at you with his tongue hanging out and his tail wagging, you know he’s friendly. But if a dog bares his teeth and the hair on his back starts to stand up, then you know he isn’t happy. You always know where you stand with a dog.

But you never know with a snake. A snake maintains the same expression all the time. A snake will suddenly bite you, and you won’t even see it coming.

In Genesis 3:1, we’re told, “The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made” (NLT). He was shrewd because he didn’t make his intentions obvious. His approach concealed his true purpose. He didn’t show up and say, “Hi, I’m the devil. Maybe you’ve heard of me. I hate God, I hate you, and I want to destroy you. I was wondering if you wanted to hang out. I have some ideas.”

The Bible tells us that the devil was a serpent, but it doesn’t say that he slithered. He slithered after he was cursed (see Genesis 3:14). We don’t know what he looked like before the curse, but there seems to be something fascinating, interesting, and appealing about him. Perhaps he was attractive, and that made his temptation attractive.

The apostle Paul wrote, “But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14 NLT). What could be less threatening than an angel of light?

Pop culture plays into the devil’s hands by depicting him as a red, cloven-footed, pitchfork-wielding monster. If that were the case, he would be an obvious threat. He wouldn’t be able to get close to us because our first instinct would be to run from him. We would have no trouble following James’ instruction, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7 NLT).

The devil is able to get close to us because he is shrewd. He can hide his true nature. He can disguise his purposes and strategies. He can convince us to lower our guard and ignore our conscience. In short, he makes himself as irresistible as possible.

The devil may be wicked, but he isn’t stupid. He approaches us with a practiced subtlety. To resist him, we must stay close to God and His Word. He is helpless against them.

 

Reflection question: What subtle means might the devil use to tempt you? 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 I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.&rdquo; (2 Corinthians 11:14 NLT)
&nbsp;
When I was a kid, I collected snakes. I&rsquo;m not sure why, but I used to be fascinated by them. I had all kinds. I would read books about snakes. I would go out looking for snakes and bring them home. I was bitten many times. I discovered that you never really know what a snake is thinking. Snakes aren&rsquo;t expressive creatures; they&rsquo;re cold-blooded reptiles.
Snakes are nothing like dogs. You know where you are with a dog at any given moment. When a dog looks at you with his tongue hanging out and his tail wagging, you know he&rsquo;s friendly. But if a dog bares his teeth and the hair on his back starts to stand up, then you know he isn&rsquo;t happy. You always know where you stand with a dog.
But you never know with a snake. A snake maintains the same expression all the time. A snake will suddenly bite you, and you won&rsquo;t even see it coming.
In Genesis 3:1, we&rsquo;re told, &ldquo;The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made&rdquo; (NLT). He was shrewd because he didn&rsquo;t make his intentions obvious. His approach concealed his true purpose. He didn&rsquo;t show up and say, &ldquo;Hi, I&rsquo;m the devil. Maybe you&rsquo;ve heard of me. I hate God, I hate you, and I want to destroy you. I was wondering if you wanted to hang out. I have some ideas.&rdquo;
The Bible tells us that the devil was a serpent, but it doesn&rsquo;t say that he slithered. He slithered after he was cursed (see Genesis 3:14). We don&rsquo;t know what he looked like before the curse, but there seems to be something fascinating, interesting, and appealing about him. Perhaps he was attractive, and that made his temptation attractive.
The apostle Paul wrote, &ldquo;But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light&rdquo; (2 Corinthians 11:14 NLT). What could be less threatening than an angel of light?
Pop culture plays into the devil&rsquo;s hands by depicting him as a red, cloven-footed, pitchfork-wielding monster. If that were the case, he would be an obvious threat. He wouldn&rsquo;t be able to get close to us because our first instinct would be to run from him. We would have no trouble following James&rsquo; instruction, &ldquo;Resist the devil, and he will flee from you&rdquo; (James 4:7 NLT).
The devil is able to get close to us because he is shrewd. He can hide his true nature. He can disguise his purposes and strategies. He can convince us to lower our guard and ignore our conscience. In short, he makes himself as irresistible as possible.
The devil may be wicked, but he isn&rsquo;t stupid. He approaches us with a practiced subtlety. To resist him, we must stay close to God and His Word. He is helpless against them.
&nbsp;
Reflection question: What subtle means might the devil use to tempt you?&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>

The devil is able to get close to us because he is subtle and shrewd.

Subtly Sinister | 2 Corinthians 11:14 

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Reflection question: How can you keep the devil from snatching away a nugget of wisdom from God’s Word in your life? Discuss 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;Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.&rdquo; (1 Peter 5:8 NLT)
&nbsp;
The Bible doesn&rsquo;t tell us how long Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden before temptation reared its head. The devil certainly had heard God&rsquo;s warning to Adam: &ldquo;You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden&mdash;except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die&rdquo; (Genesis 2:16&ndash;17 NLT). In narrative of Genesis, the tempter appears almost immediately with his wily pitch.
His immediate appearance reminds me of Jesus&rsquo; parable of the Sower in Matthew 13. As the farmer scatters seed, some of it falls on the footpath. Birds quickly swoop in and devour it before it has a chance to grow.
If you&rsquo;ve ever dropped a French fry outside a McDonald&rsquo;s in a heavily birded area, you can probably picture the scene. Birds suddenly seem to appear out of nowhere. If you live near a beach, you know there are seagulls that will swoop in and fly off with your lunch, your small dog, or your children.
Jesus said, &ldquo;The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don&rsquo;t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts&rdquo; (Matthew 13:19 NLT). This is one of the many reasons we need to pray for people who have just come to Christ. The devil will be at their door with temptation, doubt, and an onslaught of other things.
Remember that wherever God is blessing, the devil will be opposing&mdash;immediately. He isn&rsquo;t going to wait a year. He isn&rsquo;t going to wait a month. He may not even wait an hour.
You can be walking out of church when temptation suddenly strikes. You think, &ldquo;What&rsquo;s going on? Why here? Why now?&rdquo; The fact is that Satan wants to undermine what just happened in your life. He opposes immediately. He always will.
The apostle Peter wrote, &ldquo;Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour&rdquo; (1 Peter 5:8 NLT).
The devil knows all too well the power of God&rsquo;s Word. According to Matthew 4:1&ndash;11, after Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit led Him to the wilderness, where He fasted for forty days. The devil appeared to Him there in His weakened state. Three times the devil tempted Jesus to deviate from God&rsquo;s plan. Three times Jesus responded by quoting Scripture. Finally, Jesus commanded the devil to leave, and the devil went away.
The devil knows what will happen if the seeds of Scripture start to take root in a believer&rsquo;s life. He knows that a heart in which the words of the Bible are hidden is hard to access. He knows that a life guided by the Word of God is hard to disrupt.
&nbsp;
Reflection question: How can you keep the devil from snatching away a nugget of wisdom from God&rsquo;s Word 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>

The devil wants to keep God’s Word from taking root in your life.

Relentless Opposition | 1 Peter 5:8 

“So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” (Hebrews 4:16 NLT)

 

One of the most jaw-dropping passages in all of Scripture is found in Hebrews 4:16: “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most” (NLT).

If you’ve spent any time in the book of Revelation, you know that God’s throne is a place of holiness and magnificence. The idea of being able to approach it boldly is hard for a lot of less-than-perfect people to wrap their heads around.

Our enemy, the devil, is aware of that. He uses our struggles with “imposter syndrome” to his advantage. He tries to put distance between us and our heavenly Father by making us feel unworthy to approach Him. He wants to rob us of the boldness that the author of Hebrews talked about. Those who already struggle with feelings of unworthiness are easy marks for him.

So, how do we overcome the devil and his tactics? In the book of Revelation, we are introduced to a group of believers who are able to do just that: “And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die” (Revelation 12:11 NLT).

They have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb. The next time the devil tempts you to think that you’re not worthy to approach God, here’s what I advise: Agree with him wholeheartedly. Say, “You’re right. I’m not worthy to approach God. I never was worthy to approach God. I never will be worthy to approach God. My access to God’s presence is not based on my worthiness; it is based on what Christ did for me on the cross. He is worthy—and because of Him I am accepted and can come boldly to God.”

Sometimes we get into the mentality as Christians that if we are doing well spiritually, then we can approach God in prayer. If, say, we get up in the morning, read four chapters from the Bible, give thanks for our meals, and share our faith with someone, then we think we can approach God. But if the next day we sleep in and don’t read the Bible, if we forget to say grace over our meals and don’t share our faith, then we think we’re not worthy to approach Him.

But that’s not the case. Those things are certainly important. But your access to God is based on Christ, not on your spiritual performance. If you’ve done well, then great. Approach God. But if you’ve sinned, then approach God and say, “Lord, I have sinned. This is why I need the blood of the Lamb.”

The devil will always try to keep you away from the cross. But the Holy Spirit will always bring you to it.

 

Reflection question: What might make you feel unworthy to approach God? 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 let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.&rdquo; (Hebrews 4:16 NLT)
&nbsp;
One of the most jaw-dropping passages in all of Scripture is found in Hebrews 4:16: &ldquo;So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most&rdquo; (NLT).
If you&rsquo;ve spent any time in the book of Revelation, you know that God&rsquo;s throne is a place of holiness and magnificence. The idea of being able to approach it boldly is hard for a lot of less-than-perfect people to wrap their heads around.
Our enemy, the devil, is aware of that. He uses our struggles with &ldquo;imposter syndrome&rdquo; to his advantage. He tries to put distance between us and our heavenly Father by making us feel unworthy to approach Him. He wants to rob us of the boldness that the author of Hebrews talked about. Those who already struggle with feelings of unworthiness are easy marks for him.
So, how do we overcome the devil and his tactics? In the book of Revelation, we are introduced to a group of believers who are able to do just that: &ldquo;And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die&rdquo; (Revelation 12:11 NLT).
They have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb. The next time the devil tempts you to think that you&rsquo;re not worthy to approach God, here&rsquo;s what I advise: Agree with him wholeheartedly. Say, &ldquo;You&rsquo;re right. I&rsquo;m not worthy to approach God. I never was worthy to approach God. I never will be worthy to approach God. My access to God&rsquo;s presence is not based on my worthiness; it is based on what Christ did for me on the cross. He is worthy&mdash;and because of Him I am accepted and can come boldly to God.&rdquo;
Sometimes we get into the mentality as Christians that if we are doing well spiritually, then we can approach God in prayer. If, say, we get up in the morning, read four chapters from the Bible, give thanks for our meals, and share our faith with someone, then we think we can approach God. But if the next day we sleep in and don&rsquo;t read the Bible, if we forget to say grace over our meals and don&rsquo;t share our faith, then we think we&rsquo;re not worthy to approach Him.
But that&rsquo;s not the case. Those things are certainly important. But your access to God is based on Christ, not on your spiritual performance. If you&rsquo;ve done well, then great. Approach God. But if you&rsquo;ve sinned, then approach God and say, &ldquo;Lord, I have sinned. This is why I need the blood of the Lamb.&rdquo;
The devil will always try to keep you away from the cross. But the Holy Spirit will always bring you to it.
&nbsp;
Reflection question: What might make you feel unworthy to approach God?&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 approach God boldly not because of what we’ve done, but because of what Christ did.

Meanwhile . . . | Acts 12:16

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