"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

“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” (Romans 5:3–5 NLT)

 

Benjamin Disraeli, a former prime minister of Great Britain, once said, “Youth is a blunder; Manhood a struggle, Old Age a regret.” Maybe that seems like a dim view of existence, but there are a lot of people who would agree with his assessment.

In a fallen world, there is no vacation from human suffering and tragedy. Many deep-thinking people have tried to sort out this reality, understand it, and explain it. C. S. Lewis called it “the problem of pain.”

What we need to understand in considering this problem is that there is a God who, even in the worst tragedy, can bring good out of bad. As believers, we acknowledge that life can be bad. We acknowledge that bad things can happen. We acknowledge that tragedies can come into our lives. But we also acknowledge that God is sovereign, which means He’s in control. And we acknowledge that ultimately God can cause all things to work together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (see Romans 8:28).

Some people cling to the mistaken notion that because they’re Christians, they won’t suffer. They may not state it outright, but they believe that bad things won’t happen to them. However, Jesus dispelled that notion when He said, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 NLT).

As we consider the cost of following Christ, we must acknowledge that suffering is part of it. Despite Jesus’ warning, many believers have a hard time putting the words trials, problems, and God loves me into one sentence because they just don’t seem to go together. But let’s look at God’s endgame. Is it to make us happy in the temporal or make us holy in the eternal? Is it to keep us always earthbound or to prepare us for Heaven? The answer in both cases is the second option.

The apostle Paul explained it this way:

 

“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love” (Romans 5:3–5 NLT).

 

God allows suffering to occur. And while no suffering is good, He can bring good from suffering.

 

Reflection question: When have you seen God bring good from a situation that was anything but good?

Harvest Crusade tickets are fully claimed—but it’s not too late to participate and witness what God does on July 11. Invite your loved ones to watch online with you and make sure you join the waitlist in case more tickets become available.

—

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;We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.&nbsp;And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.&nbsp;And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.&rdquo; (Romans 5:3&ndash;5 NLT)
&nbsp;
Benjamin Disraeli, a former prime minister of Great Britain, once said, &ldquo;Youth is a blunder; Manhood a struggle, Old Age a regret.&rdquo; Maybe that seems like a dim view of existence, but there are a lot of people who would agree with his assessment.
In a fallen world, there is no vacation from human suffering and tragedy. Many deep-thinking people have tried to sort out this reality, understand it, and explain it. C. S. Lewis called it &ldquo;the problem of pain.&rdquo;
What we need to understand in considering this problem is that there is a God who, even in the worst tragedy, can bring good out of bad. As believers, we acknowledge that life can be bad. We acknowledge that bad things can happen. We acknowledge that tragedies can come into our lives. But we also acknowledge that God is sovereign, which means He&rsquo;s in control. And we acknowledge that ultimately God can cause all things to work together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (see Romans 8:28).
Some people cling to the mistaken notion that because they&rsquo;re Christians, they won&rsquo;t suffer. They may not state it outright, but they believe that bad things won&rsquo;t happen to them. However, Jesus dispelled that notion when He said, &ldquo;I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world&rdquo; (John 16:33 NLT).
As we consider the cost of following Christ, we must acknowledge that suffering is part of it. Despite Jesus&rsquo; warning, many believers have a hard time putting the words trials, problems, and God loves me into one sentence because they just don&rsquo;t seem to go together. But let&rsquo;s look at God&rsquo;s endgame. Is it to make us happy in the temporal or make us holy in the eternal? Is it to keep us always earthbound or to prepare us for Heaven? The answer in both cases is the second option.
The apostle Paul explained it this way:
&nbsp;
&ldquo;We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.&nbsp;And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.&nbsp;And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love&rdquo; (Romans 5:3&ndash;5 NLT).
&nbsp;
God allows suffering to occur. And while no suffering is good, He can bring good from suffering.
&nbsp;
Reflection question: When have you seen God bring good from a situation that was anything but good?
Harvest Crusade tickets are fully claimed&mdash;but it&rsquo;s not too late to participate and witness what God does on July 11. Invite your loved ones to watch online with you and make sure you <a href="https://harvest.org/harvest-crusade-2026/?utm_source=DD&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=SoCal2026#ds-anchor">join the waitlist</a> in case more tickets become available.
&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>

No suffering is good, but God can bring good from suffering.

The Problem of Pain | Romans 5:3–5 

“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.” (1 Peter 5:8–9 NLT)

 

In our next set of devotions, we’re going to look at considering the cost of following Jesus. The first cost we’ll consider is the spiritual enemy we gain when we start to live for Christ.

Anyone who has ever experienced the Christian life knows it is the greatest life there is. God takes a life that was empty, aimless, and headed to a certain judgment, and He turns it around and transforms it. He removes all our sin. That’s more than enough right there, but then He puts the righteousness of Jesus Christ into our spiritual bank account. That’s called justification. He removes the guilt that haunted us, fills the emptiness inside us, and takes up residence in our hearts. This all comes as a result of the gospel being believed and followed. That’s the good news.

The bad news is that there are some new problems that come along with all of that. You get rid of an old set of problems and inherit new ones. As the great Bible commentator Ray Stedman once remarked, “A Christian is one who is: Completely fearless, Continually cheerful, and Constantly in trouble.”

Once you become a Christian, you gain a very aggressive adversary who has set his crosshairs on you. That adversary is the devil, Satan, and he wants to undermine you. He wants to bring you down. The Bible warns that “everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12 NLT). To “suffer persecution” means to be hunted, to be harassed.

We need to be aware of this so that we’re not surprised when attacks come. The Christian life isn’t a playground; it’s a battleground. I think a lot of people believe in a watered-down gospel, and thus they have a watered-down faith that isn’t really faith at all. They’ve heard so many sermonettes that they’ve turned into Christianettes. They’re not prepared for spiritual battle.

We must not make that mistake. We need to understand who we’re up against. 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).

There’s no need to panic. But we must come to terms with the reality that if we live a godly life, persecution will follow. We need to prepare ourselves for the inevitable attacks. We need to strengthen our areas of vulnerability. We need to stay close to the Lord through prayer and Bible study.

Our enemy is formidable, but he can be resisted. God has equipped us with everything we need to stand strong against the devil.

 

Reflection question: What are the best strategies for standing strong against our spiritual enemy?

 

Harvest Crusade tickets are fully claimed—but it’s not too late to participate and witness what God does on July 11. Invite your loved ones to watch online with you and make sure you join the waitlist in case more tickets become available.

—

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.&nbsp;Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers&nbsp;all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.&rdquo; (1 Peter 5:8&ndash;9 NLT)
&nbsp;
In our next set of devotions, we&rsquo;re going to look at considering the cost of following Jesus. The first cost we&rsquo;ll consider is the spiritual enemy we gain when we start to live for Christ.
Anyone who has ever experienced the Christian life knows it is the greatest life there is. God takes a life that was empty, aimless, and headed to a certain judgment, and He turns it around and transforms it. He removes all our sin. That&rsquo;s more than enough right there, but then He puts the righteousness of Jesus Christ into our spiritual bank account. That&rsquo;s called justification. He removes the guilt that haunted us, fills the emptiness inside us, and takes up residence in our hearts. This all comes as a result of the gospel being believed and followed. That&rsquo;s the good news.
The bad news is that there are some new problems that come along with all of that. You get rid of an old set of problems and inherit new ones. As the great Bible commentator Ray Stedman once remarked, &ldquo;A Christian is one who is: Completely fearless, Continually cheerful, and Constantly in trouble.&rdquo;
Once you become a Christian, you gain a very aggressive adversary who has set his crosshairs on you. That adversary is the devil, Satan, and he wants to undermine you. He wants to bring you down. The Bible warns that &ldquo;everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution&rdquo; (2 Timothy 3:12 NLT). To &ldquo;suffer persecution&rdquo; means to be hunted, to be harassed.
We need to be aware of this so that we&rsquo;re not surprised when attacks come. The Christian life isn&rsquo;t a playground; it&rsquo;s a battleground. I think a lot of people believe in a watered-down gospel, and thus they have a watered-down faith that isn&rsquo;t really faith at all. They&rsquo;ve heard so many sermonettes that they&rsquo;ve turned into Christianettes. They&rsquo;re not prepared for spiritual battle.
We must not make that mistake. We need to understand who we&rsquo;re up against. 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).
There&rsquo;s no need to panic. But we must come to terms with the reality that if we live a godly life, persecution will follow. We need to prepare ourselves for the inevitable attacks. We need to strengthen our areas of vulnerability. We need to stay close to the Lord through prayer and Bible study.
Our enemy is formidable, but he can be resisted. God has equipped us with everything we need to stand strong against the devil.
&nbsp;
Reflection question: What are the best strategies for standing strong against our spiritual enemy?
&nbsp;
Harvest Crusade tickets are fully claimed&mdash;but it&rsquo;s not too late to participate and witness what God does on July 11. Invite your loved ones to watch online with you and make sure you <a href="https://harvest.org/harvest-crusade-2026/?utm_source=DD&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=SoCal2026#ds-anchor">join the waitlist</a> in case more tickets become available.
&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 you receive Christ as Savior and Lord, you gain an enemy who wants to stop you from growing in your faith.

Gaining an Enemy | 1 Peter 5:8–9

“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.” (Matthew 7:13–14 NLT)

 

In our us-versus-them culture, the concept of Hell is reserved almost exclusively for “them.” Many people who believe in Hell believe in it for other people, especially for those who do awful things. They believe Hell is for people who commit horrible crimes without getting caught or punished in this lifetime. People can point to Hell and say, “Well, they’ll get theirs eventually.” They take a comfort of sorts that there will be a final judgment and that evil will be punished forever.

However, the people who view Hell in these terms don’t like the prospect of facing judgment themselves. It’s okay for “them” but not for “us.” But the reality is that it won’t be just the master evildoers who are sentenced to Hell. It will be everyone who chooses to go there. And make no mistake, it is a choice. People who end up in Hell do so because they made a strategic decision to be there. Hell is not what God wants. He’s gone to unimaginable lengths to make sure that no one goes there. Yet people still choose to go. Hell is a prison in which the doors are locked from the inside.

Well-meaning believers and nonbelievers alike tend to emphasize God’s love and mercy above all His other perfections. As a result, they conclude that Heaven is the default destination of every person. But such is not the case. Jesus said in His Sermon on the Mount, “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it” (Matthew 7:13–14 NLT).

We go to Heaven because we make a choice to do so by putting our faith in Christ—and Christ alone. There is no other way to get to Heaven. No one is uniquely qualified to meet God’s righteous demands apart from Christ. No prophet, no guru, no religious system is going to do it. Jesus was fully God, and He was fully man. Thus He, and He alone, was able to stand in the gap for us and pay the price for our sins.

That’s why the Bible asks, “So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself and then delivered to us by those who heard him speak? And God confirmed the message by giving signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose” (Hebrews 2:3–4 NLT). If you blow off God’s offer, that’s your choice. But you’re going to face the consequences.

What will you choose?

 

Reflection question: How would you explain the concept of Hell to an unbeliever?

Harvest Crusade tickets are fully claimed—but it’s not too late to participate and witness what God does on July 11. Invite your loved ones to watch online with you and make sure you join the waitlist in case more tickets become available.

—

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;You can enter God&rsquo;s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way.&nbsp;But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.&rdquo; (Matthew 7:13&ndash;14 NLT)
&nbsp;
In our us-versus-them culture, the concept of Hell is reserved almost exclusively for &ldquo;them.&rdquo; Many people who believe in Hell believe in it for other people, especially for those who do awful things. They believe Hell is for people who commit horrible crimes without getting caught or punished in this lifetime. People can point to Hell and say, &ldquo;Well, they&rsquo;ll get theirs eventually.&rdquo; They take a comfort of sorts that there will be a final judgment and that evil will be punished forever.
However, the people who view Hell in these terms don&rsquo;t like the prospect of facing judgment themselves. It&rsquo;s okay for &ldquo;them&rdquo; but not for &ldquo;us.&rdquo; But the reality is that it won&rsquo;t be just the master evildoers who are sentenced to Hell. It will be everyone who chooses to go there. And make no mistake, it is a choice. People who end up in Hell do so because they made a strategic decision to be there. Hell is not what God wants. He&rsquo;s gone to unimaginable lengths to make sure that no one goes there. Yet people still choose to go. Hell is a prison in which the doors are locked from the inside.
Well-meaning believers and nonbelievers alike tend to emphasize God&rsquo;s love and mercy above all His other perfections. As a result, they conclude that Heaven is the default destination of every person. But such is not the case. Jesus said in His Sermon on the Mount, &ldquo;You can enter God&rsquo;s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way.&nbsp;But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it&rdquo; (Matthew 7:13&ndash;14 NLT).
We go to Heaven because we make a choice to do so by putting our faith in Christ&mdash;and Christ alone. There is no other way to get to Heaven. No one is uniquely qualified to meet God&rsquo;s righteous demands apart from Christ. No prophet, no guru, no religious system is going to do it. Jesus was fully God, and He was fully man. Thus He, and He alone, was able to stand in the gap for us and pay the price for our sins.
That&rsquo;s why the Bible asks, &ldquo;So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself and then delivered to us by those who heard him speak?&nbsp;And God confirmed the message by giving signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose&rdquo; (Hebrews 2:3&ndash;4 NLT). If you blow off God&rsquo;s offer, that&rsquo;s your choice. But you&rsquo;re going to face the consequences.
What will you choose?
&nbsp;
Reflection question: How would you explain the concept of Hell to an unbeliever?
Harvest Crusade tickets are fully claimed&mdash;but it&rsquo;s not too late to participate and witness what God does on July 11. Invite your loved ones to watch online with you and make sure you <a href="https://harvest.org/harvest-crusade-2026/?utm_source=DD&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=SoCal2026#ds-anchor">join the waitlist</a> in case more tickets become available.
&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>

Every person chooses their eternal destination.

Meanwhile . . . | Acts 12:16

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