Tag: Prophets

October 24, 2025

October 24th, 2025

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Lamentations 3

Highlight Verses:

“Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.”
‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭3‬:‭21‬-‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I have fond memories of the hymn based on these verses.

Verse 22 was the theme throughout the summer that I ran sound at Mount Hermon Christian Conference Center back in the ‘80s.

I heard that hymn so many times that it is ingrained into the fabric of my mind.

That’s a good thing.

But then, most of us sing this hymn with no thought to the context.

The author proclaims a long list of complaints about the exile of Israel to Babylon.

It was a hopeless time for Israel.

In the middle of the long list of bad news sits this little treasure chest of encouragement.

Israel needed it desperately.

Sometimes we do too.

While most of us haven’t been exiled, we all still have difficult days, weeks, months.

In our best days and our worst, God is our hope.

In the midst of our worst trials, He is faithful.

On the darkest mornings, His mercies still arrive anew.

What is your favorite hymn or song to remind you of God’s faithfulness?
How have you seen God’s faithfulness show up in dark times?
October 23, 2025

October 23rd, 2025

Thursday – Letters

Reading – 1 Thessalonians 3-5

Highlight Verses:

“Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. Do not scoff at prophecies, but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. Stay away from every kind of evil.”
‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5‬:‭19‬-‭22‬ ‭NLT‬‬

For a change, I highlighted four verses.

Together, they make one unified thought.

How is it that people stifle the Holy Spirit?

Four ways are listed right there:
• Making fun of prophecies.
• Accepting or rejecting prophetic ideas without testing them against the Bible.
• Letting go of the good.
• Welcoming evil.

To keep from stifling the Holy Spirit:
• Respect prophetic attempts.
• Test those prophecies to make sure they are Biblical.
• Learn from those prophecies that agree with the Bible.
• Reject evil.

I once was given a prophecy that, in essence, was rooted in evil.

I didn’t know what to do with it, so I sought advice from a trusted wise friend.

He simply asked me if the message agreed with the principles of the Bible.

I checked. The so-called prophecy was rooted in fear and gossip, not Biblical wisdom.

I embraced the good that I learned from testing that prophecy against the Bible. I released the fear and gossipy nature of it and stuck to Biblical principles.

I also accepted the fact that I am as imperfect as those people who brought the “prophecy” to me in error.

I honestly don’t remember if I brought my concerns to my prophetic friends.

But I learned the importance in checking everything by the principles of the Bible, whether I am receiving or giving advice or guidance.

With this scripture and my experience in mind, I urge you to check prophecies with the Bible. If they are Biblical, do not hesitate to accept or give them depending on whether you are on the receiving or giving side.

No matter how good or bad they are, learn from them in accordance with what the Bible has to say.

Have you been on the receiving end of an inaccurate prophecy? How did you deal with it?
If you have been used in prophecy, how did you check to be sure it was correct?
October 17, 2025

October 17th, 2025

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Lamentations 2

Highlight Verse:

“All the strength of Israel vanishes beneath his fierce anger. The Lord has withdrawn his protection as the enemy attacks. He consumes the whole land of Israel like a raging fire.”
‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭2‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Most of this chapter is Jeremiah lamenting what God does to Jerusalem and Judea.

Jeremiah seems to be adding up the bad things God has done against Israel, like God was personally responsible for it.

What did God really do there?

He withdrew his hand of protection from the land.

And then Jeremiah writes about the terrible things God did.

Keep in mind that Jeremiah was a prophet.

As such, he could speak with the mouth of God. That is, God is speaking these things to and through him.

It is God’s broken heart that carries the pain of seeing Israel destroyed to the point of taking the blame upon Himself like a Father who failed to protect His children.

Only He didn’t fail. It was a painful part of His plan. Very painful, but it was still part of His plan of redemption.

As such, we get a glimpse of the heart of God, who was willing to go through the pain of being seen as hurting His children.

Lamentations are not just Jeremiah lamenting the fall of Jerusalem, it is God’s lament for Jerusalem’s fall.

Have you gone through times when it feels like God is attacking you?
Were you able to see the bigger picture of God’s hand on the plan for your life afterward?
October 10, 2025

October 10th, 2025

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Lamentations 1

Highlight Verse:

““Lord, see my anguish! My heart is broken and my soul despairs, for I have rebelled against you. In the streets the sword kills, and at home there is only death.”
‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭1‬:‭20‬ ‭NLT‬‬

While the book of Lamentations is not specifically a book of prophecies, The Prophet Jeremiah is the most likely author.

Like with his prophecies, there is much to be learned from Lamentations.

Today’s highlight verse gives a good example of crying out to God in the midst of a bad situation.

The author pours his broken heart out to God in a repentant attitude.

It’s not “How could you do this to me?” But “Lord, I blew it, please help me!”

As a dad, I can understand the sadness God must have felt in seeing his children in anguish.

But I know there must be a glimmer of hope and even delight as God sees His children repenting.

The joy of restoration is just around the corner.

That’s something to celebrate!

What negative thing in your life can you thank God for in the midst of hard times?
Have tough times ever brought you to a place of repentance and restoration?
October 8, 2025

October 8th, 2025

Wednesday – History

Reading – 2 Samuel 11-12

Highlight Verse:

“Then David confessed to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan replied, “Yes, but the Lord has forgiven you, and you won’t die for this sin.”
‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭12‬:‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This is one of the most painful passages in the Bible.

Here was the greatest king of Israel. One who led his people in righteousness and worship.

And he failed.

Big time.

In multiple ways.

God was gracious enough to send Nathan to call him out in a way that he would understand.

And he repented.

Big time.

And God forgave him.

Big time.

David had his problems.

We all do.

But God saw his heart and gave him the chance to repent and be restored.

He had a tough road to travel with multiple trials, but he repented, was restored, and came back to lead his people in righteousness again.

There are many people in the world today who have fallen into serious sin like David. Like with David, God gives each a chance to repent.

Some do.

If we let them, some of these people can still have a great positive impact on the world.

I’m sure, for me, it would depend on the individual case.

In David’s case, he cried out for a restored, clean heart. He got it.

Here’s where I’d like to hear your honest opinion.

Can you trust someone whom God has restored to impact your life?
How can you tell if they have the heart of God?
Where do you draw the line of trust with those who have failed morally?
October 3, 2025

October 3rd, 2025

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Jeremiah 51-52

Highlight Verse:

“In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of King Jehoiachin of Judah, Evil-merodach ascended to the Babylonian throne. He was kind to Jehoiachin and released him from prison on March 31 of that year.”
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭52‬:‭31‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The NLT gives this passage the heading of “Hope for Israel’s royal line.”

In reality, it was hope for the entire world.

Matthew 1:12 lists this moment in the lineage of Jesus.

Through his favor to Jehoiachin, the ironically named Evil-merodach paved the way for evil to be defeated by Jesus.

Even though most never saw it, God was at work in the midst of a horrible situation for Israel.

In many ways our situation is similar. Ungodly governments rule many countries.

Despite that, God is still at work bringing his salvation to people in ways they wouldn’t expect?

Where have you seen God at work in unexpected ways in dark situations?
How can we help in those situations?
September 26, 2025

September 26th, 2025

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Jeremiah 48-50

Highlight Verse:

““In those coming days,” says the Lord, “the people of Israel will return home together with the people of Judah. They will come weeping and seeking the Lord their God.”
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭50‬:‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

My daughter’s high school just had their “Homecoming” game and dance.

I put the homecoming in quotes because the previous week was a home game, so it wasn’t technically a “homecoming.”

When I lived in the south, they wouldn’t have dreamed of labeling a game “homecoming” if it was just a random game. It was a die-hard tradition of fall to celebrate the first home football game after the first away game or series of games.

Another tradition in the south was homecoming weekends at church.

They invited everyone who had every attended an older church to a weekend of celebration.

The hope (at least in the more passionate churches) was that the weekend would turn into a revival drawing back people who had walked away from Jesus.

You could say that tradition goes all the way back to today’s verse, when the people of Israel returned to God.

It took 70 years for the people of Israel to return to God. But they came back.

It wasn’t too late for them.

It isn’t too late for you and me.

We can turn a homecoming into a revival.

Do you feel at home with Jesus?
What does coming home to Jesus look like to you?
Are you ready for a revival?
September 19, 2025

September 19th, 2025

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Jeremiah 45-47

Highlight Verse:

“Do not be afraid, Jacob, my servant, for I am with you,” says the Lord. “I will completely destroy the nations to which I have exiled you, but I will not completely destroy you. I will discipline you, but with justice; I cannot let you go unpunished.””
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭46‬:‭28‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jeremiah is known for making people afraid.

It’s refreshing to hear him say to not be afraid.

Here’s the question I have to ask of the Bible for this verse, “Is the punishment spoken of here covered by the sacrifice of Jesus?”

I would say yes with a caveat.

The eternal circumstances of sin are covered by Jesus’ sacrifice for those who accept it.

That doesn’t mean that believers will not have to deal with the earthly consequences of their actions.

For example, if you break the law, you have to pay the penalties. Likewise, if you don’t control your spending, you could be in trouble with your creditors.

But fear not, God will bring you through.

Along the way, you may learn a little discipline to avoid the same problems.

What have you learned through God’s discipline?
How has God helped you through those times?
September 12, 2025

September 12th, 2025

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Jeremiah 42-44

Highlight Verse:

“Pray that the Lord your God will show us what to do and where to go.””
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭42‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The remnant of people in Judah sought God’s guidance through the most reliable man of God in the land at that time – Jeremiah.

They vowed they would listen and do whatever God told them to do –

Until God’s plans differed from their own.

God’s instructions brought to them through Jeremiah told them to stay in the land when they were sure the right thing was to flee to Egypt.

Their solution, accuse Jeremiah of lying and doing their own thing.

When seeking God’s will for your life today’s reading has a couple of suggestions that might prove helpful.
• Seek a reliable source of God’s opinion – people who know the Bible well and the Bible itself are a good place to start.
• When the Bible disagrees with your opinion – change your opinion.

As much as I’d like to say that I always make good decisions, I can point to a few I made without consulting God’s Word. They didn’t work out so well.

What decisions have you made after thoroughly seeking God’s will? How did they turn out?
How did things turn out when you didn’t consult God first?
August 29, 2025

August 29th, 2025
Friday – Prophets

Reading – Jeremiah 37-39

Highlight Verse:

““But I am afraid to surrender,” the king said, “for the Babylonians may hand me over to the Judeans who have defected to them. And who knows what they will do to me!””
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭38‬:‭19‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The person who inspires the strongest emotional response from me in today’s reading is… Zedekiah.

I didn’t say positive emotions.

It seems like everything he did was out of fear.
- He put Jeremiah in prison because he is afraid of his advisors.
- He rescued Jeremiah because he was afraid of Jeremiah’s friends.
- He called for Jeremiah’s advice because he was afraid of God.
- He ignored the advice because he was afraid of the King of Babylon and his countrymen.
And he paid the price in a most gruesome way.

At least he got one thing right. He consulted God through Jeremiah.

But he was too afraid to obey what God said through Jeremiah.

To be sure, walking the path God has for us is not for the faint hearted.

Like Zedekiah, we need to consult God. Today we have the Bible to consult and wise people to advise us.

Unlike Zedekiah, we need to act on what God says.

Zedekiah could have spared himself so much pain and suffering if only he had been bold enough to act on what God said.

We could not only save ourselves pain and suffering but we could spread the joy of God’s love if we just do what He says.

Have you ever suffered for not following God’s Word?
How has God blessed you when you have followed His Word?

Tag: Prophets

But then, most of us sing this hymn with no thought to the context.

Israel needed it desperately.

Sometimes we do too.

On the darkest mornings, His mercies still arrive anew.

No matter how good or bad they are, learn from them in accordance with what the Bible has to say.

Most of this chapter is Jeremiah lamenting what God does to Jerusalem and Judea.

What did God really do there?

As such, we get a glimpse of the heart of God, who was willing to go through the pain of being seen as hurting His children.

Today’s highlight verse gives a good example of crying out to God in the midst of a bad situation.

But I know there must be a glimmer of hope and even delight as God sees His children repenting.

That’s something to celebrate!

And he failed.

And he repented.

In David’s case, he cried out for a restored, clean heart. He got it.

In reality, it was hope for the entire world.

Despite that, God is still at work bringing his salvation to people in ways they wouldn’t expect?

Another tradition in the south was homecoming weekends at church.

It wasn’t too late for them.

We can turn a homecoming into a revival.

It’s refreshing to hear him say to not be afraid.

That doesn’t mean that believers will not have to deal with the earthly consequences of their actions.

Along the way, you may learn a little discipline to avoid the same problems.

Until God’s plans differed from their own.

Their solution, accuse Jeremiah of lying and doing their own thing.

It seems like everything he did was out of fear.

And he paid the price in a most gruesome way.

Unlike Zedekiah, we need to act on what God says.