"Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, 'I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.' And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone." (Psalm 32:5 NLT)

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"Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, 'I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.' And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone." (Psalm 32:5 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. 

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 <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.

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

Daily Devotions From Greg Laurie

"Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, 'I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.' And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone." (Psalm 32:5 NLT)

The Only Way to Deal With Sin | Psalm 32:5

“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf.” (Micah 5:2 NLT)

The Bible speaks of the future with absolute certainty. That is because God is eternal. He can see the future as accurately as we can see the past. It is all a continuum to God. It is all the same to Him. So when the Bible says a certain thing is going to happen, it is not like God is going out on a limb. It is not like a tabloid prediction. It is basically a revealing of history ahead of time by the God who sees the future as clearly as He sees the past.

Earlier this month, we looked at the life of David, “a man after God’s own heart,” who was chosen to play a key role in the ancestry of Jesus. You may remember that God sent the prophet Samuel to a small town in the land of Judah, about five miles southwest of Jerusalem, to anoint David as the king of Israel.

You probably remember the name of the town, too. (If not, you read it in the verse above.) If this devotion had dropped three months ago, on December 25, you probably would have been hearing its name quite a bit. “Now the Lord said to Samuel, ‘You have mourned long enough for Saul. I have rejected him as king of Israel, so fill your flask with olive oil and go to Bethlehem. Find a man named Jesse who lives there, for I have selected one of his sons to be my king’” (1 Samuel 16:1 NLT).

The town shows up again in the passage from Micah 5 above. This is a prophecy, written seven hundred years before Christ came to earth, that the Messiah—“ruler of Israel”—would be born in Bethlehem. The phrase “whose origins are in the distant past” refers to One who is eternal. Jesus is the only eternal ruler of Israel.

God gave Micah this prophecy. So why, seven hundred years later, did He choose earthly parents for His Son who were from Nazareth? The answer is that geography isn’t an obstacle for Him. In fact, nothing is an obstacle for Him. A greedy Roman ruler who wants to conduct a census so that he can better control tax revenue? God can work with that. An order for all Jewish people to return to the cities of their ancestors to register for the census? He can work with that, too. A small town so ill-equipped to handle the crowds that descended on it that a heavily pregnant woman was forced to give birth in a shelter for animals? He can work with that, too.

It’s not like God was at the mercy of those circumstances. He was orchestrating them, bringing them together in a perfect way.

That’s how Mary and Joseph came to be in a stable in Bethlehem when the time came for her to give birth. That’s how Jesus came to be born in Bethlehem. That’s how a prophecy made more than seven hundred years earlier came to be fulfilled.

God used unlikely sources and extraordinary circumstances to fulfill His prophecy. Jesus’ virgin birth serves as yet another reminder that nothing is beyond the Lord’s control and that all things work together according to His will. We can trust Him to do what is best, in every circumstance.

Reflection question: How has God used extraordinary circumstances to accomplish something amazing in your life?

Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

—

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

Become a Harvest Partner

&ldquo;But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf.&rdquo; (Micah 5:2 NLT)
The Bible speaks of the future with absolute certainty. That is because God is eternal. He can see the future as accurately as we can see the past. It is all a continuum to God. It is all the same to Him. So when the Bible says a certain thing is going to happen, it is not like God is going out on a limb. It is not like a tabloid prediction. It is basically a revealing of history ahead of time by the God who sees the future as clearly as He sees the past.
Earlier this month, we looked at the life of David, &ldquo;a man after God&rsquo;s own heart,&rdquo; who was chosen to play a key role in the ancestry of Jesus. You may remember that God sent the prophet Samuel to a small town in the land of Judah, about five miles southwest of Jerusalem, to anoint David as the king of Israel.
You probably remember the name of the town, too. (If not, you read it in the verse above.) If this devotion had dropped three months ago, on December 25, you probably would have been hearing its name quite a bit. &ldquo;Now the Lord said to Samuel, &lsquo;You have mourned long enough for Saul. I have rejected him as king of Israel, so fill your flask with olive oil and go to Bethlehem. Find a man named Jesse who lives there, for I have selected one of his sons to be my king&rsquo;&rdquo; (1 Samuel 16:1 NLT).
The town shows up again in the passage from Micah 5 above. This is a prophecy, written seven hundred years before Christ came to earth, that the Messiah&mdash;&ldquo;ruler of Israel&rdquo;&mdash;would be born in Bethlehem. The phrase &ldquo;whose origins are in the distant past&rdquo; refers to One who is eternal. Jesus is the only eternal ruler of Israel.
God gave Micah this prophecy. So why, seven hundred years later, did He choose earthly parents for His Son who were from Nazareth? The answer is that geography isn&rsquo;t an obstacle for Him. In fact, nothing is an obstacle for Him. A greedy Roman ruler who wants to conduct a census so that he can better control tax revenue? God can work with that. An order for all Jewish people to return to the cities of their ancestors to register for the census? He can work with that, too. A small town so ill-equipped to handle the crowds that descended on it that a heavily pregnant woman was forced to give birth in a shelter for animals? He can work with that, too.
It&rsquo;s not like God was at the mercy of those circumstances. He was orchestrating them, bringing them together in a perfect way.
That&rsquo;s how Mary and Joseph came to be in a stable in Bethlehem when the time came for her to give birth. That&rsquo;s how Jesus came to be born in Bethlehem. That&rsquo;s how a prophecy made more than seven hundred years earlier came to be fulfilled.
God used unlikely sources and extraordinary circumstances to fulfill His prophecy. Jesus&rsquo; virgin birth serves as yet another reminder that nothing is beyond the Lord&rsquo;s control and that all things work together according to His will. We can trust Him to do what is best, in every circumstance.
Reflection question: How has God used extraordinary circumstances to accomplish something amazing in your life?
<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;
<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>

Nothing can keep God from fulfilling His promises.

The City of David | Micah 5:2

“All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).” (Isaiah 7:14 NLT)

Isaiah 7 tells the story of Ahaz, the king of Judah. In the cycle of good kings and bad kings who ruled over Israel and Judah, Ahaz definitely fell into the second category. He led the people of Judah into idol worship.

Ahaz became alarmed when he learned that his neighboring monarchs, King Rezin of Syria and King Pekin of Israel, had joined forces to launch an attack against Jerusalem, the capital of Judah.

The Lord sent His prophet Isaiah to reassure Ahaz. Isaiah told the king that the invasion would not happen. Neither Syria nor Israel was powerful enough to attack Judah. God invited Ahaz to ask Him for a sign of confirmation, something miraculous that would prove God could be trusted. Ahaz declined the offer, much to Isaiah’s annoyance. God gave him a sign to look for anyway.

Through Isaiah, God told Ahaz that a virgin would conceive and give birth to a child. Before that child was old enough to know the difference between right and wrong, Ahaz’s enemies, Rezin and Pekin, would be gone, and their lands would be deserted.

Prophecies sometimes have a two-part fulfillment: a short-term partial fulfillment and a long-term ultimate fulfillment. Many scholars believe that God fulfilled His prophecy in the short term, within a few years. The first four verses of Isaiah 8 suggest that Isaiah’s wife was the virgin, and his son was the child in the prophecy.

God also fulfilled His prophecy in the long term, seven hundred years later. Matthew 1:18 says, “This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit” (NLT).

That came as an understandable surprise to her fiancé Joseph, who looked for a way to break their engagement quietly so that Mary wouldn’t be embarrassed. “As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. ‘Joseph, son of David,’ the angel said, ‘do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins’” (verses 20–21 NLT).

So that no one would miss the connection between Isaiah’s prophecy and Jesus’ fulfillment (it had been seven hundred years, after all), Matthew writes, “All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: ‘Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means “God is with us”’” (verses 22–23 NLT).

The Bible has dared to predict the future not once, not twice, but hundreds of times. It is worth noting that one-fourth of the Bible is prophecy. Approximately one-half of these prophecies have already come to take place. Therefore, if one-half have happened as God said they would, I have no reason to doubt that the remaining ones will happen exactly as God has said. When God tells you about what the future holds, you can take it to the bank. It is going to happen.

Reflection question: What does the prophecy and fulfillment of the virgin birth reveal about God?

Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

—

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

Become a Harvest Partner

&ldquo;All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means &lsquo;God is with us&rsquo;).&rdquo; (Isaiah 7:14 NLT)
Isaiah 7 tells the story of Ahaz, the king of Judah. In the cycle of good kings and bad kings who ruled over Israel and Judah, Ahaz definitely fell into the second category. He led the people of Judah into idol worship.
Ahaz became alarmed when he learned that his neighboring monarchs, King Rezin of Syria and King Pekin of Israel, had joined forces to launch an attack against Jerusalem, the capital of Judah.
The Lord sent His prophet Isaiah to reassure Ahaz. Isaiah told the king that the invasion would not happen. Neither Syria nor Israel was powerful enough to attack Judah. God invited Ahaz to ask Him for a sign of confirmation, something miraculous that would prove God could be trusted. Ahaz declined the offer, much to Isaiah&rsquo;s annoyance. God gave him a sign to look for anyway.
Through Isaiah, God told Ahaz that a virgin would conceive and give birth to a child. Before that child was old enough to know the difference between right and wrong, Ahaz&rsquo;s enemies, Rezin and Pekin, would be gone, and their lands would be deserted.
Prophecies sometimes have a two-part fulfillment: a short-term partial fulfillment and a long-term ultimate fulfillment. Many scholars believe that God fulfilled His prophecy in the short term, within a few years. The first four verses of Isaiah 8 suggest that Isaiah&rsquo;s wife was the virgin, and his son was the child in the prophecy.
God also fulfilled His prophecy in the long term, seven hundred years later. Matthew 1:18 says, &ldquo;This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit&rdquo; (NLT).
That came as an understandable surprise to her fianc&eacute; Joseph, who looked for a way to break their engagement quietly so that Mary wouldn&rsquo;t be embarrassed. &ldquo;As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. &lsquo;Joseph, son of David,&rsquo; the angel said, &lsquo;do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins&rsquo;&rdquo; (verses 20&ndash;21 NLT).
So that no one would miss the connection between Isaiah&rsquo;s prophecy and Jesus&rsquo; fulfillment (it had been seven hundred years, after all), Matthew writes, &ldquo;All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord&rsquo;s message through his prophet: &lsquo;Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means &ldquo;God is with us&rdquo;&rsquo;&rdquo; (verses 22&ndash;23 NLT).
The Bible has dared to predict the future not once, not twice, but hundreds of times. It is worth noting that one-fourth of the Bible is prophecy. Approximately one-half of these prophecies have already come to take place. Therefore, if one-half have happened as God said they would, I have no reason to doubt that the remaining ones will happen exactly as God has said. When God tells you about what the future holds, you can take it to the bank. It is going to happen.
Reflection question: What does the prophecy and fulfillment of the virgin birth reveal about God?
<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;
<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>

God can be trusted to fulfill His promises in His time.

Born of a Virgin | Isaiah 7:14

“Now listen and understand! Seven sets of seven plus sixty-two sets of seven will pass from the time the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem until a ruler—the Anointed One—comes. Jerusalem will be rebuilt with streets and strong defenses, despite the perilous times.” (Daniel 9:25 NLT)

Daniel 9 begins with Daniel praying. This wasn’t unusual. Daniel prayed a lot. In Daniel 9, however, his prayer is especially urgent. Daniel had been in captivity in Babylon for about sixty-six years. Based on his understanding of the prophecies of Jeremiah, the captivity would end in less than four years. Daniel prayed for God to show mercy on His people, who were scattered throughout the land, and to restore the city of Jerusalem.

Suddenly the angel Gabriel appeared to provide an answer (of sorts) to Daniel’s prayer. Gabriel revealed to Daniel a complex prophecy involving seventy sets of seven. There’s a lot of math involved, not to mention a conversion from the ancient calendar to the modern one, but here’s the basic gist of the prophecy.

God’s people are given a timeframe of “seventy sets of seven.” Sixty-nine of those sets of seven will take place between the time the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem and the time a ruler—the Anointed One—enters the city. The final set of seven will take place when another ruler makes a treaty but then breaks it by defiling the temple.

Each set of seven represents seventy years, for a total of 490 years. The prophecy then divides that period into three smaller ones—one of forty-nine years, one of 434 years, and one of seven years.

This breakdown gives us a kind of clock for when the Messiah will return and what will be happening in the world when He does. But the timeline isn’t consecutive. It didn’t predict that Jesus would return in 490 years. There’s a break in it that makes it impossible to pin down. There are, however, some parts that lend themselves to specific interpretations.

The first set of seven likely began on March 4, 444 BC. That’s the day Artaxerxes, the king of Persia, gave Nehemiah permission to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem (see Nehemiah 2:1–8). The construction process took 49 years. About 483 years later (in converted time), Jesus—the Messiah, the Anointed One—made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Within a week, He was crucified, fulfilling the prophecy of Daniel 9:26.

Many people like to speculate on the final part of the prophecy, the final set of seven. They trade theories about the ruler who will emerge—the Antichrist—and how his evil reign will play out.

But let’s not lose sight of the fact that Daniel was given a vision of Jesus—the Anointed One—and His saving work five hundred years before He was born. God’s timetable is perfect, from the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls to the coming of the Messiah to the final judgment and end of evil. We can trust Him to accomplish His will, in His way, in His time.

And let’s not lose sight of our own responsibility. There are things we must be alert to as we live in the last days. As the apostle Paul wrote, “The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living” (Romans 13:12 NLT).

Your relationship with Jesus Christ needs constant maintenance and cultivation. The day that you stop growing spiritually is the day you will start to become weak and vulnerable to the devil’s attacks. The best way to not go backward is to keep moving forward.

Reflection question: When have you seen God’s perfect timetable in your own life?

Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

—

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

Become a Harvest Partner

&ldquo;Now listen and understand! Seven sets of seven plus sixty-two sets of seven will pass from the time the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem until a ruler&mdash;the Anointed One&mdash;comes. Jerusalem will be rebuilt with streets and strong defenses, despite the perilous times.&rdquo; (Daniel 9:25 NLT)
Daniel 9 begins with Daniel praying. This wasn&rsquo;t unusual. Daniel prayed a lot. In Daniel 9, however, his prayer is especially urgent. Daniel had been in captivity in Babylon for about sixty-six years. Based on his understanding of the prophecies of Jeremiah, the captivity would end in less than four years. Daniel prayed for God to show mercy on His people, who were scattered throughout the land, and to restore the city of Jerusalem.
Suddenly the angel Gabriel appeared to provide an answer (of sorts) to Daniel&rsquo;s prayer. Gabriel revealed to Daniel a complex prophecy involving seventy sets of seven. There&rsquo;s a lot of math involved, not to mention a conversion from the ancient calendar to the modern one, but here&rsquo;s the basic gist of the prophecy.
God&rsquo;s people are given a timeframe of &ldquo;seventy sets of seven.&rdquo; Sixty-nine of those sets of seven will take place between the time the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem and the time a ruler&mdash;the Anointed One&mdash;enters the city. The final set of seven will take place when another ruler makes a treaty but then breaks it by defiling the temple.
Each set of seven represents seventy years, for a total of 490 years. The prophecy then divides that period into three smaller ones&mdash;one of forty-nine years, one of 434 years, and one of seven years.
This breakdown gives us a kind of clock for when the Messiah will return and what will be happening in the world when He does. But the timeline isn&rsquo;t consecutive. It didn&rsquo;t predict that Jesus would return in 490 years. There&rsquo;s a break in it that makes it impossible to pin down. There are, however, some parts that lend themselves to specific interpretations.
The first set of seven likely began on March 4, 444 BC. That&rsquo;s the day Artaxerxes, the king of Persia, gave Nehemiah permission to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem (see Nehemiah 2:1&ndash;8). The construction process took 49 years. About 483 years later (in converted time), Jesus&mdash;the Messiah, the Anointed One&mdash;made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Within a week, He was crucified, fulfilling the prophecy of Daniel 9:26.
Many people like to speculate on the final part of the prophecy, the final set of seven. They trade theories about the ruler who will emerge&mdash;the Antichrist&mdash;and how his evil reign will play out.
But let&rsquo;s not lose sight of the fact that Daniel was given a vision of Jesus&mdash;the Anointed One&mdash;and His saving work five hundred years before He was born. God&rsquo;s timetable is perfect, from the rebuilding of Jerusalem&rsquo;s walls to the coming of the Messiah to the final judgment and end of evil. We can trust Him to accomplish His will, in His way, in His time.
And let&rsquo;s not lose sight of our own responsibility. There are things we must be alert to as we live in the last days. As the apostle Paul wrote, &ldquo;The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living&rdquo; (Romans 13:12 NLT).
Your relationship with Jesus Christ needs constant maintenance and cultivation. The day that you stop growing spiritually is the day you will start to become weak and vulnerable to the devil&rsquo;s attacks. The best way to not go backward is to keep moving forward.
Reflection question: When have you seen God&rsquo;s perfect timetable in your own life?
<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;
<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>

Everything happens according to God’s timetable.

The Only Way to Deal With Sin | Psalm 32:5

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