“Then he told John’s disciples, ‘Go back to John and tell him what you have seen and heard—the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.’ And he added, ‘God blesses those who do not fall away because of me.’” (Luke 7:22–23 NLT)

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John the Baptist was a forerunner of Jesus. He prepared people for Jesus’ arrival. He also confronted Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee, for his immorality. That landed John in prison, where he began to struggle with his faith. Specifically, John began to doubt who Jesus was. Like many people of that time, John probably thought Jesus, the Messiah, was going to overthrow the Roman government and establish His kingdom immediately. When no such thing happened, John’s doubt got the better of him. He sent a message to Jesus, asking, “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?” (Luke 7:20 NLT). John’s faith didn’t falter because God had failed him. He doubted because he failed to understand God’s purpose and plan.

Many believers today struggle for the same reason. Our faith falters not because God has been inconsistent or unfaithful, or because God has broken His promises. We experience lapses of faith because we have a false perception of what God is supposed to accomplish. Our expectations of Him are built on misconceptions and misguided thinking. We offer our prayers to Him and expect Him to answer with exact precision. And when God doesn’t come through like we asked Him to, we—like John—may start to doubt who God is.

This is especially true if you’re experiencing—or want to experience—a rejuvenation in your relationship with Christ. If the devil starts to see spiritual embers catching fire in your life, he will do his best to extinguish them. One of his most effective strategies is to throw the cold water of doubt on them.

John the Baptist made a spiritual mistake by not fully recognizing or understanding God’s will. But even in the depths of his doubt, he did something very, very wise: He looked to Jesus for an answer. He didn’t try to sugarcoat his struggle. He asked Jesus point-blank, “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?” (Luke 7:20 NLT).

Look closely at Jesus’ reply in Luke 7:22–23 above. He wasn’t offended by John’s question. He didn’t condemn John for his lapse in faith. And He didn’t say, “Just believe—or else!” Instead, He pointed to verifiable evidence: “The blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life” (Luke 7:22 NLT). Jesus didn’t give John a reprimand for his doubt; He gave him the hope and assurance he needed.

If you struggle with a lapse of faith as John the Baptist did, don’t despair. Rethink your expectations. Take your doubts straight to Jesus. Ask Him to help you understand His purpose and His plan. When you open your heart to His truth, you’ll find that it far exceeds your greatest hopes and dreams.

Reflection question: In what areas and in what situations are you most vulnerable to spiritual doubts? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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“Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.” (Romans 5:1–2 NLT)

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When we come to Christ, He not only forgives us of our sin, but He also justifies us. The apostle Paul explained justification in his letter to the Romans: “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us” (Romans 5:1 NLT).

Salvation has to do with what takes place in believers’ hearts, but justification has to do with our standing before God. In salvation, God gives us new life, but justification goes beyond that. When God justifies us, He declares us righteous in His sight. “Just-as-if-I’d never sinned” is one way the word justified has been explained. God not only forgives us, but He sees us as if we had never sinned. He removes our sin, and in its position, He places the perfect righteousness of Christ.

That’s a difficult concept for a lot of people to grasp. Our human instinct is to remember those who wronged us. We elevate holding grudges to an art form. We like to throw around phrases like, “Revenge is a dish best served cold.”

The Bible makes it clear, though, that God has a different way of looking at things. As far as He’s concerned, Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross—the blood He shed there—covers our sins. The apostle John put it this way: “But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7 NLT). The author of Hebrews wrote, “For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22 NLT). And the apostle Paul wrote, “Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them” (Romans 4:7–8 NIV).

When God looks at believers, He doesn’t see people who have failed Him time and time again. Instead, He sees His Son. And He made His feelings about His Son quite clear in Matthew 3:17: “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased” (NIV).

Sometimes we allow our sins to linger in our consciousness long after they’ve been forgiven. They live rent-free in our heads, messing with our self-esteem. In extreme cases, they can play havoc with our spiritual and emotional health. That’s why it’s important to see ourselves as God sees us.

Imagine that your checking account is overdrawn, and you owe your bank thousands of dollars. Not knowing what else to do, you go to the ATM, enter your PIN, and discover that you have a balance of five million dollars. Best of all, it’s a legitimate transaction! You did nothing to earn it, but the windfall is yours.

God has done something much more meaningful for those who believe in Christ. He has given us righteousness. He has made us justified.

Reflection question: How would you explain justification to someone who’s struggling with guilt? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" 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."

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“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” (Psalm 23:5 NIV)

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From the day that we commit our lives to Jesus Christ, everything changes for us. Gone is that ever-present guilt that used to nag us day and night. There is no longer an empty hole deep inside of our soul. In the place of those things, God gives us what the apostle Paul referred to as His “peace, which exceeds anything we can understand” (Philippians 4:7 NLT). God places a new joy in our hearts and gives us the hope of Heaven when we die.

But when we commit our lives to Christ, we also gain enemies. That’s what David was talking about when he wrote, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies” (Psalm 23:5 NIV). These enemies want to weaken our commitment to Christ and throw up obstacles to our spiritual growth.

The three primary enemies Christians face are the world, the flesh, and the devil. The world is the external enemy. It entices us with temptations, diversions, and false teachings. It points us down paths where God doesn’t want us to go. The flesh is the internal enemy. It plays on our weaknesses, vulnerabilities, and appetites. It tries to convince us that satisfying our own needs and wants should be our highest priority. The devil, who works in and through the world and the flesh, is the infernal enemy.

The apostle Peter warned, “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). Jesus said the devil “was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44 NLT).

This unholy trinity of the world, the flesh, and the devil creates a powerful opposition, especially for new believers. The best strategy to combat it is to nurture an intimate relationship with the Lord, whom David describes as a shepherd in Psalm 23, as we sit at His table. We do that by studying God’s Word, where we find His promises, His wisdom, His will for our lives, and His guidance. And we do it by talking and listening to Him in prayer, keeping the lines of communication open at all times.

When we sit at the table of the Lord, we’re satisfied because we know that everything we need is there. We don’t hunger for anything else. I’m not saying that we’ll become temptation-proof. What I am saying is that we won’t be as drawn to temptation as we once were. We’ll see the diversions of the world, the appetites of the flesh, and the schemes of the devil for what they really are: dead ends, worthless enticements, and cheap imitations of the truth.

The Lord has set a table before us. We have no reason to fear our enemies.

Reflection question: What would sitting at the Lord’s table look like in your life? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" 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."

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“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2:10 NLT)

Have you ever had one of those seemingly perfect moments in life when everything just came together? That stunning sunset. Or that beautiful star-filled night. That special moment with someone you love, when you thought to yourself, I always want it to be this way. Of course, it isn’t always that way. Those seemingly perfect moments pass just as quickly as they occur, leaving you wanting more.

Along those same lines, maybe you believed that when you reached certain goals in your life, you’d be happy. Maybe when you were single you thought, If only I had a boyfriend or a girlfriend, I’d be happy. So you got yourself a boyfriend or a girlfriend. And then you thought, If only we were engaged, I’d be happy. So you got engaged. And then you thought, If only we were married, I’d be happy. So you got married. And then you thought, If only we had kids, I’d be happy. So you had kids. While there can be happiness in every phase of life, no matter what our circumstances are, fulfillment—genuine, lasting fulfillment—always seems to be a little beyond our reach.

Why is that? Because from the day each of us was born, we’ve been on a quest. We were created in the image of God, so we’re aware that there’s more to life than mere existence. There’s purpose. There’s meaning. But they’re not always apparent, so we search for them in moments big and small.

The apostle Paul gives us valuable insight into these ideas of purpose, meaning, and fulfillment in Ephesians 2:10. “We are God’s masterpiece” (NLT). We have a very high ceiling—the potential to accomplish some amazing things and experience soul-deep fulfillment.

Finding our meaning and purpose begins with the decision to accept Jesus as Savior and Lord. When we do that, God creates “us anew in Christ Jesus” (NLT). He unlocks our potential to “do the good things he planned for us long ago” (NLT). He unleashes us to be change agents in a world desperate for them.

Some people try to find purpose in doing good deeds to earn God’s favor. But that’s a dead end. In the two verses that precede Ephesians 2:10, Paul says, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it” (NLT). It’s only when we acknowledge that we can never do enough to earn God’s favor that we start to find purpose.

The Holy Spirit is our guide. He opens our eyes to the opportunities we have to do good things in gratitude for the matchless gift of salvation that God has given us.

The more closely we align our daily lives with what God created us to be, the more we’ll experience the sense of adventure, purpose, fulfillment, and joy that comes from our walk with Christ.

Reflection Question: What gives you a sense of purpose and meaning? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" 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."

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“And now I make one more appeal, my dear brothers and sisters. Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things contrary to what you have been taught. Stay away from them. Such people are not serving Christ our Lord; they are serving their own personal interests. By smooth talk and glowing words they deceive innocent people.” (Romans 16:17–18 NLT)

For years now, we’ve been living in an era focused on sensationalism. I’ve never seen a culture and society so obsessed with gossip, innuendo, and rumors. Just look to social media, and you’ll find all kinds of posts that probe into the personal lives of others.

This mentality has saturated the news media, too, where reporters hunt for any juicy piece of gossip they can find. And if someone is charged with a crime today, we often try them in the media before they can enter a court of law where evidence is presented and where they face their accusers.

That same skeptical, rush-to-judgment tendency works its way into our personal interactions, too. How many people are struggling with feelings of bitterness or sadness because they’ve been dealt an unjust reputation? How many people feel misunderstood and helpless to do anything about it because others have chosen to believe the worst about them? How many people have had to learn to live with being known for something they didn’t do?

Proverbs 6:16–19 tells us that two of the things the Lord hates are “a false witness who pours out lies” and “a person who sows discord in a family” (NLT). People who gossip, spread rumors and innuendo, and slander others fall into these categories. That is, the categories of things the Lord hates. The apostle Paul warned about such people in the passage from Romans 16 above. It comes down to this: The Lord has a better plan for His people.

Jesus said, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31 NLT). He wasn’t talking about having a general loving attitude toward others. He was talking about performing tangible acts of love for the people around us. Showing care, concern, and generosity to others in ways that make a difference in their lives.

One of the ways we can do that is by refusing to believe the worst about others. The apostle Paul wrote, “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:7 ESV). That certainly includes believing the best about other people.

One of the most meaningful gifts we can offer another person is the benefit of the doubt. That’s not to say we should be naïve or overlook the obvious. But when we lead with a spirit of kindness and optimism, we open the door to deeper, more meaningful interactions.

And consider this: Your willingness to believe the best about someone may inspire that person to live up to your expectations. That’s why the writer of Hebrews said, “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works” (Hebrews 10:24 NLT).

Reflection Question: What would believing the best about someone look like in your life? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" 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.

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“Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.” (Galatians 6:1 NLT)

After observing the behavior of some believers, you’d think that they have a verse in their Bibles that says, “Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, go and tell as many people as possible. And then set about trying to drive that person away from the faith.” But that’s not what Scripture tells us to do.

Jesus addressed the topic in Matthew 18:15–20. If a fellow believer appears to have fallen into sin, our first responsibility is to approach the person in a spirit of love and say, “I heard that you __________. Is that true?” If the person confesses and repents, the matter is settled.

Unfortunately, that’s not what usually happens. Instead of confronting the person directly, people whisper behind the person’s back. They spread rumors. And many times, they end up slandering an innocent person. If you’ve ever had that happen to you, you know how painful and destructive it can be. But that’s not the end of the damage.

The apostle Paul warned in Galatians 5:9 that a little yeast spreads through a whole batch of dough. In the context of a person suspected of falling into sin, the point is that the fallout from mishandling the situation doesn’t stay isolated between the two people involved. Instead, it works its way through the entire body of believers as people take sides.

So dealing in gossip and slander isn’t just cruel, it’s also self-defeating. In 1 Corinthians 12:12, the apostle Paul wrote, “The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ” (NLT). And in verse 26, he reminded believers what this means: “If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad” (NLT).

We have a vested interest in the spiritual and emotional well-being of our fellow believers. If one person is damaged by innuendo, gossip, or slander, everyone suffers.

If you’re faced with confronting someone suspected of falling into sin, there are a few things to keep in mind. The spirit in which you approach the person is key. In Galatians 6:1, Paul emphasizes the importance of gentleness and humility. “Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself” (NLT).

And instead of getting caught up in sordid details, keep your eye on what’s really happening. Remember that the devil wants to turn believers against each other. He’ll attack us from the outside, but many times, when that doesn’t work, he’ll try to infiltrate our ranks and divide us.

Jesus said, “Love one another” (John 13:34 NIV). With that love comes responsibility. And sometimes that means stepping out of your comfort zone. But if you love someone enough to seek the truth and confront, when necessary, you will strengthen not only the bond between the two of you, but also the entire body of Christ.

Reflection Question: What are some important dos and don’ts for helping someone who has stumbled spiritually? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" 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.

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Support the show: https://harvest.org/support

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.