Pastor Greg Laurie Daily Devotionals - Family Life Services Arkansas City Kansas

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[av_heading tag='h3' padding='10' heading='Pastor Greg Laurie' color='' style='blockquote modern-quote modern-centered' custom_font='' size='' subheading_active='' subheading_size='15' custom_class='' admin_preview_bg='' av-desktop-hide='' av-medium-hide='' av-small-hide='' av-mini-hide='' av-medium-font-size-title='' av-small-font-size-title='' av-mini-font-size-title='' av-medium-font-size='' av-small-font-size='' av-mini-font-size=''][/av_heading]

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[av_heading heading='Forward Motion' tag='h3' style='blockquote modern-quote' size='' subheading_active='' subheading_size='15' padding='10' color='' custom_font='' av-medium-font-size-title='' av-small-font-size-title='' av-mini-font-size-title='' av-medium-font-size='' av-small-font-size='' av-mini-font-size='' admin_preview_bg=''][/av_heading]

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“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.”

—Romans 8:5

Every now and then I meet one of those biological freaks of nature who don’t gain weight, even though they eat anything they want to. For the rest of us, that isn’t the case.

Then there are people who are in great shape for a reason. They get up in the morning and exercise. They also think about the things they eat, like my friend Skip Heitzig.

Awhile back we went out for lunch at a meatball place. I ordered a hoagie-type sandwich with spicy meatballs, sauce, and melted provolone cheese (because that’s how it’s done at a meatball place). Meanwhile, Skip ordered chicken meatballs.

I thought, “What? Chicken? You don’t make meatballs out of chicken.” And then he ordered—I almost can’t say it—a kale salad.

However, Skip is a very thin guy, and I am not. So maybe there’s something to his lunch choices.

Now, let’s compare that to the spiritual life. Someone gets up in the morning and reads their Bible. They pray. And during their commute, they listen to Christian radio, worship music, or some podcasts that encourage them spiritually.

Even on their lunch break, they take some time to open up God’s Word again. They’re involved in church and attend every weekend. But they also participate in a small group or a midweek Bible study. As a result, they’re doing well spiritually.

That isn’t legalism or righteousness from works. Rather, it’s working righteousness. There is our part as well as God’s part, and we need to recognize that.

When you get up in the morning, you make the choice whether you will walk in the Spirit or walk in the flesh. And the best way to avoid going backward spiritually is to go forward in the Spirit. God wants His spirit to permeate every area of your life.

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[av_heading heading='Condemned No Longer' tag='h3' style='blockquote modern-quote' size='' subheading_active='' subheading_size='15' padding='10' color='' custom_font='' av-medium-font-size-title='' av-small-font-size-title='' av-mini-font-size-title='' av-medium-font-size='' av-small-font-size='' av-mini-font-size='' admin_preview_bg=''][/av_heading]

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“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”

—Romans 8:1

When you become a Christian, God does not see you in your sin. He sees you in His Son. God sees you for who you are in Christ, not who you were in sin.

The apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 8, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (verse 1 NKJV).

Maybe you’re thinking, “I’ve messed up.” But God doesn’t see His children that way. Rather, He says, “This is my child now. This is the one I have forgiven. This is the one I’m not condemning any longer.”

God always sees us for what we can become. For example, Jesus gave Peter his name. He was Simon when Jesus walked up to him and said, “‘You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas’ (which is translated, A Stone)” (John 1:42 NKJV).

If there was anything that Simon was not, it was a rock. Simon was hotheaded, vacillating, and argumentative. But Jesus was saying, “From now on, you’re a rock.”

I wonder whether the other disciples were laughing. Rock? Does Jesus actually know Simon?

Oh yes, He knew him. But Jesus wasn’t calling him what he was; He was explaining what he would become.

I also think of Gideon, who was hiding from the Midianites when an angel of the Lord appeared to him. The angel said, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!” (Judges 6:12 NKJV). That’s hardly a mighty man of valor.

But God does not see us in our failure; He sees what we can become. We see the past, but God sees the future. We see a mess, but God sees a message. God can change everything in our story—if we will let Him.

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[av_heading heading='Leaning on a Spider’s Web' tag='h3' style='blockquote modern-quote' size='' subheading_active='' subheading_size='15' padding='10' color='' custom_font='' av-medium-font-size-title='' av-small-font-size-title='' av-mini-font-size-title='' av-medium-font-size='' av-small-font-size='' av-mini-font-size='' admin_preview_bg=''][/av_heading]

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“The same happens to all who forget God. The hopes of the godless evaporate. Their confidence hangs by a thread. They are leaning on a spider’s web.”

—Job 8:13–14

Hopelessness has become something of a national epidemic. As columnist Karol Markowicz wrote, “The economy is booming. Crime has fallen dramatically all over the country. We’re richer and safer than ever. Yet we’re in the middle of this terrible malaise.”

The Book of Job puts it this way: “The hopes of the godless evaporate. Their confidence hangs by a thread. They are leaning on a spider’s web.” (Job 8:13–14 NLT).

Have you ever leaned on a spider’s web? That is what it’s like to lean on this world. If you put your hope in the world, then your hope is misplaced. It won’t help you. It won’t solve your problems.

I believe there are three basic reasons people find themselves depressed: (1) they are depressed about their past, (2) they are depressed about their future, or (3) they are depressed about their present.

The good news is that Romans 8 gives us promises about our past, present, and future. Romans 8:1, for example, tells us there is no condemnation for our past. If you’re a Christian, then you’re a child of God. You’ve asked God to forgive you of your sin, He has forgiven you, and there’s no condemnation for you.

And Romans 8:38 tells us that as Christians, there is no separation from God in the future. So we don’t have to be afraid of our future. Then Romans 8:28 assures us that whatever we’re going through as children of God ultimately will work together for good.

Maybe you find yourself feeling anxious about your future. Or maybe you have a whopper of a problem that you’re dealing with at the moment. Then again, maybe you’ve done something that you wish you hadn’t done, and the ramifications are still part of your life today.

There’s still hope. Hope has a name, and it’s Jesus.

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[av_heading heading='The Rewards of Humility' tag='h3' style='blockquote modern-quote' size='' subheading_active='' subheading_size='15' padding='10' color='' custom_font='' av-medium-font-size-title='' av-small-font-size-title='' av-mini-font-size-title='' av-medium-font-size='' av-small-font-size='' av-mini-font-size='' admin_preview_bg=''][/av_heading]

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“I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

—Luke 18:14

The great evangelist Dwight L. Moody said, “I have had more trouble with D. L. Moody than with any other man who has crossed my path. If I can keep him right, I don’t have any trouble with other people.”

We love to blame things on other people when, in reality, the problem lies with us. We can point fingers and complain about this person doing that thing and that person doing another thing. But the truth is that our own hearts aren’t right.

It’s no different than Adam and Eve shifting blame in the Garden of Eden. Adam said, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.” Then Eve said, “The serpent deceived me. . . . That’s why I ate it” (Genesis 3:12–13 NLT).

All too often we blame other people or our circumstances rather than admit that we’re responsible for what we do.

Jesus told a parable about two men who went into the temple to pray. One was a sinner, and the other was a Pharisee. The sinner would not even lift his eyes to Heaven. Instead, he said, “O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner” (Luke 18:13 NLT). This guy was bad, and he knew it.

Meanwhile, the Bible says, “The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican” (verse 11 KJV).

Jesus said, “I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (verse 14 NLT).

The one who admitted his sin, the one who owned it, is the one who went home justified before God.

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[av_heading heading='What Being Carnal Means' tag='h3' style='blockquote modern-quote' size='' subheading_active='' subheading_size='15' padding='10' color='' custom_font='' av-medium-font-size-title='' av-small-font-size-title='' av-mini-font-size-title='' av-medium-font-size='' av-small-font-size='' av-mini-font-size='' admin_preview_bg=''][/av_heading]

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“For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”

—Romans 8:6

When you come to Christ, there’s an initial surprise. There are a lot of things you didn’t know. You realize you’re not supposed to do certain things anymore, while you’re supposed do other things instead.

It’s an entirely new way of thinking and living. Everything changes.

You also discover that you’re in a battle, because the Christian life is not a playground; it’s a battleground. Conversion makes your heart a battlefield.

But then there are those who have known the Lord for a while and have stayed the same way. The Bible describes this kind of Christian as carnal. The term originates from the Greek word sarkikos, which means “fleshly.”

To be carnal is to live in a state of arrested spiritual development. The apostle Paul used this word when he wrote to the believers in Corinth, saying, “For you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?” (1 Corinthians 3:3 NKJV).

The good news is that we don’t have to be carnal if we don’t want to. If this is a description of you, if you feel a little like a spiritual baby and realize that you should know more and be doing more, you don’t have to stay that way.

Every believer will have moments of carnality. Even Paul described this kind of spiritual struggle in his life: “I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. . . . Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 7:21, 24–25 NLT).

We’ll have moments of compromise, no doubt. But we don’t want to be carnal Christians.

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[av_heading heading='In Sin’s Grip No Longer' tag='h3' style='blockquote modern-quote' size='' subheading_active='' subheading_size='15' padding='10' color='' custom_font='' av-medium-font-size-title='' av-small-font-size-title='' av-mini-font-size-title='' av-medium-font-size='' av-small-font-size='' av-mini-font-size='' admin_preview_bg=''][/av_heading]

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“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

—2 Corinthians 5:17

I heard about an old farmer, his wife, and their son who had never been to the big city. So they got into their old pickup truck, drove to the city, and found a place to park. The farmer’s wife decided to wait in the truck while her husband and son walked to a gleaming skyscraper to take a closer look.

As they entered the massive lobby, they watched as a set of mysterious doors opened and an elderly woman stepped inside. Then the doors closed. After a few moments passed, the doors opened again, and a beautiful young woman walked out.

The old farmer turned to his son and said, “Quick! Go get Mama!”

Wouldn’t it be great if we could walk into church as one person and leave as another? The Bible tells us that when we become Christians, we turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God (see Acts 26:18). But that is not an instantaneous process.

Conversion happens in a moment, but the Christian life is one of growth and consistency. Salvation, or regeneration, is coming to Christ. Sanctification is growing in Christ. And that takes a lifetime.

The way you do that, according to Jesus, is to abide in Him and have His Word abiding in you (see John 15:4–7). It’s consistently walking with Jesus Christ each and every day.

We all struggle with certain sins. But the Bible tells us, “We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin” (Romans 6:6 NLT). Sin no longer holds us in its grip. We can overcome it.

Jesus has broken the power of sin that used to control your life. You’re a new person in Christ.

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[av_heading heading='Infants in Christ' tag='h3' style='blockquote modern-quote' size='' subheading_active='' subheading_size='15' padding='10' color='' custom_font='' av-medium-font-size-title='' av-small-font-size-title='' av-mini-font-size-title='' av-medium-font-size='' av-small-font-size='' av-mini-font-size='' admin_preview_bg=''][/av_heading]

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“Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ.”

—1 Corinthians 3:1

Babies are so cute, and I think newborns are really amazing. But you have to feed them and care for them. You need to watch them carefully and change their diapers. And when they get a little older and start toddling around, you need to keep an eye on them so they won’t get into trouble.

When they can finally start eating solid food, you have to cut it up for them. Then you make airplane noises with it to entertain them and convince them to take a bite.

You have to care for children, watch over them, and keep your eye on them. And that’s okay, because they need you to help them grow up.

In the same way, when we first come to Christ, we need lots of care. We need the milk of God’s Word. We need everything we hear from the Bible to be cut up into small bites in a way we can digest. We need people to explain things to us and watch over us.

But if you’ve known the Lord for a long period of time and haven’t matured, if you haven’t developed basic disciplines as a Christian and need everything spoon-fed to you, then we have a problem.

The apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Corinth about this. He said, “Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:1 NLT).

When I was in school, I goofed off a lot. And on more than one occasion, I heard a teacher say, “Greg Laurie, will you just grow up?” I think some of us need to hear that today. It’s time to grow up.

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[av_heading heading='Seize the Day . . . and the Moment' tag='h3' style='blockquote modern-quote' size='' subheading_active='' subheading_size='15' padding='10' color='' custom_font='' av-medium-font-size-title='' av-small-font-size-title='' av-mini-font-size-title='' av-medium-font-size='' av-small-font-size='' av-mini-font-size='' admin_preview_bg=''][/av_heading]

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Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.

—Psalm 90:12

To illustrate the importance of numbering our days, Dr. Leslie Weatherhead once calculated the average length of life with the hours of one day. He concluded that if your age is 20, the time is 11:34 a.m. If you’re 30, the time is 1:51 p.m. At age 40, the time is 4:08 p.m. By the time you reach 50, it’s 6:25 p.m. If you’re 60, the time is 8:42 p.m. And if you’re 70, it’s 11:00 p.m.

That puts it into perspective for us. In reality, we may not have as much time as we think. Psalm 90:12 reminds us, “Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom” (NLT). The Living Bible says it this way: “Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are; help us to spend them as we should.”

Life is filled with opportunities. Now, what we do with them is the big question. Do we let them slip by, saying, “Maybe next time. There is always another day”? Or, do we seize them?

We all know to seize the day, from the Latin term carpe diem. But do we seize the moment? Do we seize the opportunity? We shouldn’t put it off too long, because life is marching by.

Ephesians 5:15–16 says, “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days” (NLT).

And Ecclesiastes 11 tells us, “Plant your seed in the morning and keep busy all afternoon, for you don’t know if profit will come from one activity or another—or maybe both” (verse 6 NLT).

What opportunities do you need to seize today? Take advantage of them while they’re still available. Take advantages of the opportunities that God puts in your life.

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[av_heading heading='What God Chooses to Forget' tag='h3' style='blockquote modern-quote' size='' subheading_active='' subheading_size='15' padding='10' color='' custom_font='' av-medium-font-size-title='' av-small-font-size-title='' av-mini-font-size-title='' av-medium-font-size='' av-small-font-size='' av-mini-font-size='' admin_preview_bg=''][/av_heading]

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“No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

—Jeremiah 31:34

Awhile back, I read that scientists are testing a “trauma pill” that potentially could help erase sad and traumatic memories. One article said, “Suppose you could erase bad memories from your mind. . . . That is science fiction. But real-world scientists are working on the next best thing.”

What about our sins? Actually, there’s a better solution than a trauma pill. As the hymn writer Robert Lowry said, “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”

Jesus can cleanse your mind, your conscience, and your heart. He will do that for you.

And not only will God forgive your sins, but He will forget your sins. He says, “For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more” (Jeremiah 31:34 NKJV).

Therefore, we should not choose to remember what God has chosen to forget.

Maybe you’ve done some things you’re really ashamed of, things that no one knows about. But God knows and you know. Maybe you’ve thought, “I don’t know how to fix this. I don’t know how to turn my life around. I’m in trouble.”

The good news is that you say, “Lord, I am turning to You. I can’t help myself. I can’t fix myself. I can’t save myself. I’ve tried to find life apart from You, and it has been an empty search. I give my life to You. I want Your plan more than I want my own.”

If you will do that, if you will turn from your sin and give your life to Christ, He will forgive you. He can turn your life around, even if you have messed up, He can take those things and work them together for good. Our God has a big eraser. Let Him use it in your life.

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[av_heading heading='Why Happiness Escapes Us' tag='h3' style='blockquote modern-quote' size='' subheading_active='' subheading_size='15' padding='10' color='' custom_font='' av-medium-font-size-title='' av-small-font-size-title='' av-mini-font-size-title='' av-medium-font-size='' av-small-font-size='' av-mini-font-size='' admin_preview_bg=''][/av_heading]

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“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”

—Matthew 5:6

Researchers have consistently ranked Scandinavians as the happiest people on Earth. But even if you aren’t Scandinavian, you can still find happiness.

According to the Bible, if you know God and discover His plan for your life, you will find the happiness you’re searching for. It doesn’t come from seeking to be happy in and of itself. It comes from knowing and seeking the God who created you and discovering His plan and purpose for your life.

C. S. Lewis said this about happiness: “God designed the human machine to run on Himself. He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food for our spirits were designed to feed on. . . . God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.”
The Bible says that if you hunger and thirst after righteousness, then you will be happy. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” The word blessed also can be translated “happy.”

This world will promise us happiness, but it simply won’t deliver. That’s because this fleeting happiness that we experience ebbs and flows. It comes and goes, depending on what our life is like.

If things are going reasonably well, then we are fairly happy. But the moment things get difficult, we are no longer happy. And that is not real happiness.

Writing in a Time magazine article, Gregg Easterbrook said, “Love, friendship, family, respect, a place in the community, the belief that your life has purpose—those are the essentials of human fulfillment, and they cannot be purchased with cash.”

Happiness is never something we should seek directly, according to the Scriptures. It is always the result of seeking something else. If you seek holiness, then you will find happiness as a result.

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To save one life and change another through the Gospel of Jesus Christ

“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.”

—Romans 8:5

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”

—Romans 8:1

“The same happens to all who forget God. The hopes of the godless evaporate. Their confidence hangs by a thread. They are leaning on a spider’s web.”

—Job 8:13–14

“I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

—Luke 18:14

“For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”

—Romans 8:6

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

—2 Corinthians 5:17

“Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ.”

—1 Corinthians 3:1

“No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

—Jeremiah 31:34

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”

—Matthew 5:6

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