“Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. They will say, ‘What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.’” (2 Peter 3:3–4 NLT)

No mini-set of devotions about facing the future would be complete without a discussion of the Lord’s return. Nothing looms larger in the future of believers than Jesus’ coming.

It also looms large for many unbelievers, although for different reasons. In the contentious arena of social media, many opponents of Christianity point to Christ’s return, or the lack of one so far, to suggest that the Bible can’t be trusted. They conclude that if He hasn’t come back in over two thousand years, He’s not going to.

In doing so, they completely miss the mercy and patience that lie at the heart of His delay. The apostle Peter wrote, “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent” (2 Peter 3:9 NLT).

But you don’t have to deny or even question the truth of Christ’s return to miss the point of it. Many believers acknowledge that Christ will come back someday but refuse to allow His impending return to influence their daily actions and decisions.

So, instead of preparing for His return and making sure their lives align with His will, they choose to do things that are wrong. They know what the Bible says but choose to ignore it. They play around with sin. They try to have their cake and eat it, too, by living as they please in the present, reasoning that they can repent in the future.

But that’s a dangerous game. Not only are they missing the immediate blessings of obedience and discipleship, but they also have no way of knowing when Christ will return.

What we do know is this: The Lord’s coming draws closer every day. 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). It’s time for us to wake up.

One thing that always amazes me when I get up really early in the morning is that it’s pitch-dark outside. Sometimes I have to double-check the clock. I think to myself, “It can’t be 5:30; it’s got to be 1:30. It’s so dark.” But sure enough, every morning the sun slowly begins to rise. What was only darkness a few moments earlier begins to lighten up. And the next thing you know, the sun is out and everything’s lit up.

This is how our world is right now. It’s dark. And it’s been dark for a long time. We start to think that it will always be this way. But it won’t. The darkness will not last forever. Christ is going to come back again. Be ready for His return.

Reflection question: What impact does the realization that Christ will return have on your daily actions and decisions? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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“Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12 NLT)

When you’ve had an encounter with death—a near-death experience of your own or the sudden passing of a loved one—it inevitably leads to a few essential questions: “What is life all about, anyway? Why am I alive, and what am I really living for?”

In other words, what gets you out of bed in the morning? What gets your blood pumping? Is it an alarm clock or a calling that gets you up each day? Every one of us needs some motivating passion, some ideal, something that gives our lives purpose and drives us on.

Unfortunately, many people don’t know what they’re living for. They’re merely marking time instead of making the most of their lives. Their favorite day of the week is “someday”: “Someday my ship will come in. Someday my prince (or princess) will come. Someday it’s all going to get better. Someday my life will change.”

But while they’re simply enduring the present and waiting for something better to happen, there’s something they don’t plan on: death. They don’t expect it to rear its head until they or their loved ones are quite old. They file it under “Worries to Think About in Fifty or Sixty Years.” And for some of them, that may be the case. But eventually death knocks at every door. The Bible says that each of us has an appointment with death: “People are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27 NIV).

So, as we wrap up this week of talking about facing the future, I want to point out that our appointment with death may come much sooner than we expect. Statisticians tell us that 2 people die every second, 120 die every minute, and 7,000 people die every hour. This means that every day, on average, 174,000 people enter eternity.

The New Testament author James wrote, “How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone” (James 4:14 NLT).

I say this not to alarm you but to motivate you. The psalmist wrote, “Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom” (Psalm 90:12 NLT). As we grow in wisdom, we recognize that every day is a chance to serve the Lord. To make a difference for His eternal kingdom. To seize the opportunities He sets before us. To stretch and grow beyond our comfort zone. To discover what we’re capable of. To embrace and enjoy every blessing.

Here is the bottom line: Live every day as though you may never have another one. Live in such a way that you’re ready to step into God’s presence at any moment.

Reflection question: What would it look like for you to live every day as though you may never have another one? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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The audio production of the podcast "Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions" 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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“Therefore, rejoice, O heavens! And you who live in the heavens, rejoice! But terror will come on the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down to you in great anger, knowing that he has little time.” (Revelation 12:12 NLT)

Imagine a life with no opposition—where everyone wants what’s best for you, where people celebrate your strengths instead of looking for your weaknesses, where no one feels threatened by your success, where no one takes an instant disliking to you based on what you look like, where you come from, or who you associate with, where no one wants to bring you down.

For Christians, an opposition-free life awaits us just beyond this one. In the meantime, however, we must prepare ourselves for relentless opposition. The moment we accept Christ into our lives, we receive a Savior and Lord. But we also receive an enemy—the devil—who will stop at nothing to keep us from growing and thriving in our relationship with Christ.

In this week’s devotions, we’re going to get to know this enemy so that we can better resist him. And the first thing we need to understand about him is that he’s doomed. His war against God and His people was lost forever when Jesus offered Himself as a perfect sacrifice and then rose from the dead. Satan’s fate is sealed. He will spend eternity in the lake of fire. He has a season of freedom before his judgment, but his time is limited.

Bible commentator John Phillips wrote, “Satan is now like a caged lion, enraged beyond words by the limitations now placed upon his freedom. He picks himself up from the dust of the earth, shakes his fist at the sky, and glares around, choking with fury for ways to vent his hatred and spite upon humankind.”

The devil does not want people to know that he is doomed. Revelation 12:12 says, “Therefore, rejoice, O heavens! And you who live in the heavens, rejoice! But terror will come on the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down to you in great anger, knowing that he has little time” (NLT). The phrase translated as great anger refers to a violent outburst of rage. It depicts a turbulent emotional fury rather than rational anger.

The devil directs his fury at God’s people. He is helpless to dislodge believers from God’s hand. He cannot alter the amazing eternity that awaits us. But he can and does wreak as much havoc as possible in our lives here on earth. The devil’s time is short, so he’s determined to make the most of it.

He will tempt us with things that put distance between us and God. He will send us down wrong paths. He will try to rob us of our joy. But we have the advantage because we know how his story ends. We know his doom is certain. And we are protected and strengthened by the One who will put the devil in his place.

Reflection question: Why is it dangerous to underestimate the devil, even though his ultimate defeat is certain? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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The audio production of the podcast "Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions" 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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“This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 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 13:11–12 NLT)

This month, we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of our nation. And this month’s devotions will tie into that celebration. They will also tie into our nation’s greatest need at the quarter-millennium mark in our history: the need for revival.

Let me start with a few questions. Think of the last time you got a phone call in the middle of the night. Did the person begin the conversation with the question, “Did I wake you?” If so, did you have the urge to say, “No, I was already awake”?

Sometimes when I watch television with my wife, she will pick a show that I don’t find very interesting, like some British baking show. And before long, I’ll fall asleep. And when I open my eyes, I’ll find my wife staring at me. “You were sleeping,” she’ll say. And my first instinct is to say, “No, I wasn’t,” even though I woke myself up with my own snoring.

What is it about human nature that causes us to deny that we’re sleeping? Maybe we see tiredness as a weakness. Maybe we’re reluctant to admit that we’re not bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, and fully alert every second of the day.

It’s one thing to be physically asleep and not own up to it. It’s quite another thing to be spiritually asleep and deny it—and not just for an individual believer. A nation can be spiritually asleep, and I think that’s the condition the United States finds itself in right now.

This week we will celebrate the grace that God has shed on our country. We will recount the many blessings He has bestowed on us over the past 250 years. Our celebrations will be marked by loud music and fireworks. Yet even then, we will go on spiritually sleeping.

So as the Fourth of July approaches this year, I will be praying for a revival for our nation. And revival begins with a spiritual awakening—a profound awareness of our distance from God and our need to close that distance.

I will be praying for a sense of spiritual urgency among God’s people. The apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Rome, “This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 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 13:11–12 NLT).

It’s time to sound the alarm. The time for revival has come.

Reflection question: How can you be a “spiritual alarm clock” to the people God has placed around you?

Experience the Harvest Crusade on July 11 when you watch online!

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The audio production of the podcast "Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions" 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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“Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; Cause Your face to shine, And we shall be saved!” (Psalm 80:19 NKJV)

Before we get too deep in our discussion of revival in our country, we should probably define the term. What is revival exactly? Too often believers mystify the word without understanding its true meaning. Revival is simply another word for “refreshment” or “restoration.”

A psalmist wrote, “Won’t you revive us again, so your people can rejoice in you?” (Psalm 85:6 NLT). Another psalm says, “Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; Cause Your face to shine, And we shall be saved!” (Psalm 80:19 NKJV). Revival carries with it the idea of returning something to its original condition.

Think of someone who buys a beat-up old car from a junkyard. They do bodywork on it. They repaint it. They drop a new engine in it. They put new tires on it. And when you see it cruising down the road, you can hardly believe it’s the same car. That’s called a restoration.

Think of a plant that’s beginning to wither. You give it some water and take it out into the sunshine, and it comes back to life again. Think of the fatigue you experience when you work out in the hot sun all day. Then think of the feeling you experience when you come inside an air-conditioned house and drink some cool water. Revival is the spiritual equivalent of that kind of restoration and refreshment.

A spiritual revival is when God’s people come back to life again because they’ve been refreshed. They’ve been refilled. They’ve been restored to their original condition.

The United States experienced a remarkable revival a few decades before the Declaration of Independence was signed. The impact of that revival reverberated powerfully in the founding of our nation. Being restored to that original condition could look like many different things in our country. Noah Webster, often referred as the Father of American Scholarship and Education, offered a starting point when he said, “The moral principles and precepts contained in the Scriptures ought to form the basis of all our civil constitutions and laws. . . . All the miseries and evils which men suffer from vice, crime, ambition, injustice, oppression, slavery and war, proceed from their despising or neglecting the precepts contained in the Bible.”

For the church, which is the spiritual center of our nation, being restored to the original condition would resemble the description of Paul and Silas found in Acts 17:6: “These who have turned the world upside down” (NKJV). The church is meant to impact the world, not be impacted by it. It’s meant to disrupt the status quo and not to settle for it. The church is meant to shine a light on the darkness of this world and not to ignore it or make excuses for it.

Revival encourages us to embrace the full extent of our God-given potential. It compels us to do the hard work to become the best possible versions of ourselves—as individuals, as a church, and as a nation.

Reflection question: What would a spiritual refreshing or restoration look like in your life?

Experience the Harvest Crusade on July 11 when you watch online!

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The audio production of the podcast "Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions" 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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“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13 NLT)

Hope is a precious commodity in today’s world. Our 24-hour news cycle feeds us story after story of events and tragedies that are far beyond our control. Many people spend hours online “doomscrolling,” obsessively searching for content that reinforces their negativity or triggers their anxiety.

As a nation, we’ve certainly faced our share of dark times before. For many, there was little hope to be found during the years of the Civil War or in the struggle for civil rights. But our current culture feels different. The algorithms that drive social media seem to reinforce a sense of hopelessness. And the occasional piece of content that momentarily offers hope often turns out to be AI-generated.

So when people encounter genuine hope, the results are often profound. That’s why the apostle Paul wrote, “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13 NLT).

Believers understand that with God, there is no such thing as hopelessness. Andrew Jackson understood that. In a letter to his wife he wrote, “I trust that the god of Isaac and of Jacob will protect you, and give you health in my absence, in him alone we ought to trust, he alone can preserve, and guide us through this troublesome world, and I am sure he will hear your prayers. We are told that the prayers of the righteous prevaileth much, and I add mine for your health and preservation untill we again meet.”

The overflowing hope that Paul spoke of springs from a spiritual passion. That’s why revival is essential to the lifeblood of believers and to the lifeblood of our nation. For believers, revival involves recapturing the first bloom of a love relationship with Jesus Christ. Sometimes when we’ve been walking with the Lord for a while, our spiritual passion begins to fade. Our zeal begins to erode. We lose some of our initial excitement about our relationship with Him. Revival is how we get it back.

When we as Christians restore the passion and fervor to our relationship with Christ, good things happen—in and around us. That renewed passion and fervor feeds on itself. Hope fills and then overflows our lives and then splashes all over the people around us. That’s how revival spreads.

I was speaking once with Chuck Smith, who is regarded as the father of the last great spiritual awakening in our country—an event known as the Jesus Movement. I asked him, “Chuck, do you think we’ll ever see another Jesus Movement?”

His answer was this: “I don’t know, Greg. I don’t know if we’re desperate enough.”

It’s time for God’s people to rediscover our passion, our hope, and our desperation.

Reflection question: What would renewed spiritual passion, hope, and desperation look like in your life?

Experience the Harvest Crusade on July 11 when you watch online!

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The audio production of the podcast "Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions" 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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“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8 NLT)

Years ago, I was staying at a friend’s cabin in Virginia. He informed me that the cabin was heated by a fireplace and a stove. That meant I had to build a fire in each one using kindling and wood, and then keep the fires stoked. I asked him where I could buy kindling.

In the very nicest way possible, he asked, “What’s wrong with you? You don’t buy kindling. You just pick it up off the ground.” (I should point out that I’m from California and he’s from North Carolina.)

After he showed me how to find kindling, he explained that I would need to empty the ashes from the stove and fireplace using a metal bucket that he kept on a concrete surface. When the embers cooled, I would need to throw them out so I could reuse the bucket. I told him I understood.

Hours later, after he was gone, I got up in the middle of the night to put more wood on the fire. I needed to clean out some of the ashes, but the bucket was full. I assumed that the embers had cooled because they’d been sitting in the bucket for a long time.

So, I went outside where it was very dark and very cold and threw the ashes off the porch into the yard. But along with the ashes came some still-burning embers. And each one started a small fire when it hit the grass and leaves. I almost had a heart attack. I ran out into the yard and started picking up the embers and throwing them up onto the gravel driveway. Then I found a bucket—an extremely small bucket—and started filling it with water to put out the little fires. I was terrified that I’d started a wildfire that was going to burn down the entire area. Thankfully, that didn’t happen. But that’s the nature of fire. A single spark can ignite something massive.

It’s only fitting that on this momentous day we point out that this is the nature of revolution as well. The “shot heard ’round the world” that began the Battles of Lexington and Concord started a revolution that changed the world as we know it.

And it’s also the nature of revival. As Jesus’ words in Acts 1:8 make clear, spiritual revival starts local and spreads, like a fire. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (NLT).

So, start local. Feed the flames of revival in yourself. Ask God to intervene in your life in a powerful way. Ask Him to reboot your spiritual system, to refresh and reenergize you. And then let that spiritual fire spread to those around you. You’ll be amazed at what God can do with a single spark.

Reflection question: In what area of your spiritual life do you most need a spark?

Experience the Harvest Crusade on July 11 when you watch online!

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

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.