Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions

“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:3–5 NIV)

The sword of the Spirit tha...

“Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6:17 NLT)

The pieces of the armor of God that the apostle Paul lists in Ephesians 6 are almost all defensive in nature. They are designed to protect. Only one—the sword of the Spirit, the word of God—is intended as a weapon. Unfortunately, many believers never use it as one. They have the rest of ...

“Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6:17 NLT)

There are a lot of motorcyclists today who don’t like helmet laws. Rather than donning a helmet, they prefer to feel the wind in their hair and the sun on their face. It feels like freedom. That is, when things are going well. But the moment they lose control, and their bike goes airborne, is ...

“In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:16 NLT)

Keep in mind that as the apostle Paul was writing his letter to the Christians at Ephesus, he was chained to a Roman guard. He had plenty of time to observe Roman armor, including the shield. The Roman shield was made of wood—rectangular in shape and about four feet high and two feet wide.

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“For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.” (Ephesians 6:15 NLT)

The shoes that Paul described as part of the armor of God in Ephesians 6 do more than give believers the stability to maintain solid spiritual footing. They also provide mobility. These aren’t uncomfortable dress shoes that you walk carefully in so that you can keep them clean and unscuffed. ...

“For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.” (Ephesians 6:15 NLT)

No matter how solid the breastplate of a Roman soldier was, and no matter how tightly he cinched his belt, those pieces of armor would be of little use if he slipped and fell in the heat of battle. So, in the apostle Paul’s list of the pieces that make up the armor of God, he says, “For...

“Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.” (Ephesians 6:14 NLT)

The second item on the apostle Paul’s list of the armor of God is the body armor—or breastplate—of righteousness. On a Roman soldier, the breastplate protected the vital organs. Because of the nature of close combat, the area covered by the breastplate was the area most likely ...

“Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.” (Ephesians 6:14 NLT)

In his description of the armor of God in Ephesians 6, the apostle Paul doesn’t start with high-profile objects like the sword or the shield. Instead, he begins his list by instructing believers to put on “the belt of truth” (NLT).

To understand the importance of this piece of ...

“Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.” (Ephesians 6:13 NLT)

When the apostle Paul wrote his letter to the Ephesians, he was under house arrest, which meant that he was chained to a Roman guard. So, when we come to Paul’s description of the armor of God in chapter 6, it’s wo...

“Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes.” (2 Corinthians 2:11 NLT)

Last month, we focused on the topic of revival, beginning or re-energizing a personal relationship with Christ. But we need to be aware that revival never goes unopposed. If the devil sees the embers of a spiritual awakening or renewal, he will do everything he can to douse them. So, in the next few weeks, we’r...

“‘Paul and Silas have caused trouble all over the world,’ they shouted, ‘and now they are here disturbing our city, too.’” (Acts 17:6 NLT)

The Christian life is more than just saying a prayer, walking down an aisle, and receiving “fire insurance,” as it were. The Christian life is meant to be dynamic. It’s meant to be exciting. It’s meant to have a radical effect on...

“As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him, and everything Samuel said proved to be reliable.” (1 Samuel 3:19 NLT)

In certain jobs, workers designate their hours of availability. That is, the times they can be scheduled to work. Employers consult these hours of availability to draw up weekly shifts and to determine whom to call to cover shifts for workers who are sick or on vacation or to lend support during times...

“The Lord told Gideon, ‘With these 300 men I will rescue you and give you victory over the Midianites. Send all the others home.’” (Judges 7:7 NLT)

Gideon was the person God chose to lead the Israelites against the Midianites. Gideon had a fairly large army of 32,000 soldiers. But it paled in comparison to the forces of the Midianites and their allies, who were so numerous that Judges 7:12 describes t...

“How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your word.” (Psalm 119:9 NLT)

Nothing scares the devil more than a passion for Christ. So if you’ve recently made the decision to receive Christ as Savior and Lord, or if you’ve recently experienced a personal revival in your relationship with Him, you can expect to be targeted by your spiritual enemy.

The devil will do everything in his power to stop Chri...

“Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.” (Romans 13:14 NLT)

I like comfortable clothes. Most of the time you’ll find me wearing jeans because they’re comfortable. I don’t like starched shirts. When I send my shirts to the cleaners, I specify “no starch.” Unfortunately, for one of...

“The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’

“The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’&rdquo...

“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” (Romans 5:8 NLT)

When you tell other people about what God has done for you, you’re sharing your testimony. Every Christian has a testimony. Some Christians have dramatic testimonies that involve being delivered from a life of drug addiction or crime or other sordid deeds. I like to hear how people came to Ch...

“Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.” (Acts 3:19 NLT)

Spiritually speaking, there’s a vast difference between the words remorse and repentance. And it’s important that we understand this difference. People are sorry when their sin catches up with them. They feel remorse when they begin to reap what they sow. But remorse doesn’t necessarily mean that some...

“The power of the Lord was with them, and a large number of these Gentiles believed and turned to the Lord.” (Acts 11:21 NLT)

Christians often underestimate the raw, even explosive power that is inherent in the gospel message. The apostle Paul said, “For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile&rdqu...