“I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.” (Ephesians 1:18 NLT)

People come up to me and ask, “Greg, what’s the one thing you can say to a nonbeliever that will cause them to accept Christ?” Like I know the hidden secret. Like I’m going to say, “Since you asked, I’m going to show you the ultimate evangelism hack. Here’s what you do.”

Sorry to disappoint you, but there’s no such thing as the ultimate evangelism hack. When I share my faith, I do the same thing that most of you probably do. I just tell my story. I tell people about Jesus, and I pray that the Lord will open their eyes.

You may witness to one person and find that it’s like talking to a brick wall. Nothing. No response at all. And then when you witness in the same way to another person, boom! They get it. They’re responsive to your message. So always pray for the Lord to open a person’s eyes.

I remember when my eyes were opened. I was seventeen years old, and I was listening to Lonnie Frisbee. He made one statement that resonated powerfully with me. He said, “Jesus said you’re for Me or you’re against Me.” And suddenly, I got it. I don’t know why I got it at that moment. I don’t know what it was about that statement. But when I heard it, it was like a light switched on inside me.

Up until that moment, I had been looking cynically and critically at the Christian faith. And then I realized it was all true. It was all real.

I should point out that it’s possible to have your eyes open and still not be a Christian. I’ve met people who say, “I agree that Jesus is the Son of God. I believe that He lived a sinless life. I believe that He died on the cross for my sin. I believe that He rose again from the dead. I believe that He’s coming back again. I believe that the Bible is the Word of God. But that’s it. I believe it, but I’m not going to act on it.”

So having your eyes opened doesn’t necessarily guarantee anything. But it’s a necessary first step. And only God can open a person’s eyes. Paul prayed in Ephesians 1:18 for God to open the eyes of nonbelievers. And when you’re sharing your faith, the first thing you should do is pray, “Lord, open this person’s eyes because there’s nothing I can say or do that will make this person believe.”

There are a lot of people in your orbit who fit Paul’s description in Ephesians 4:18: “Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him” (NLT). Will you be bold and caring enough to reach out to them? To show them the light of the gospel? And to ask God to open their eyes to His truth?

Reflection Question: How can you help facilitate an eye-opening moment in the life of someone you know?

Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

—

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

Become a Harvest Partner

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord.” (Ephesians 2:20–21 NLT)

We’ve reached a point in the church where people are starting to divide over really small things—second-tier and even third-tier issues. And then subdivisions occur. Groups get smaller and smaller as their conditions for acceptance get narrower and narrower. Before long, you find yourself saying, “It’s down to the four of us, and I’m not sure about you other three.”

It’s not hard to find things that divide us. They’re low-hanging fruit. When we mistake our personal preferences and opinions for absolute truth, we can justify separating ourselves from just about anyone.

It takes a little more effort to find things that unite us. Or to recognize that the things that divide us don’t have to divide us. Instead of automatically separating people into categories of “us” and “them,” we can agree to disagree. We can leave judgment to the Lord.

That’s the direction God would have us go. Remember, we’re the body of Christ. We’re meant to work together, with each part playing an important role. You can’t divide a body or separate its parts without doing serious damage to the whole.

That’s why the apostle Paul issued this warning to the believers in Rome: “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” (Romans 16:17 NLT). It’s not just the teachings that are dangerous; it’s the divisions they cause.

It’s also why Paul wrote to the believers in Corinth, “I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose” (1 Corinthians 1:10 NLT).

Divisions in the church aren’t just an in-house matter. The implications and damage extend far beyond the church walls. You see, people are watching us. People outside the church. Unbelievers for whom the message of Christ seems almost too good to be true. Changed hearts? Transformed lives? They want to see proof. They want to see us walk the walk.

As far as many unbelievers are concerned, Christians are hypocrites until proven otherwise. When they see division in our ranks or hear us attacking one another or questioning the legitimacy of one another’s faith, it only confirms their cynical suspicions. They feel free to ignore our message and dismiss the Good News of Christ.

Paul said, “Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace” (Ephesians 4:3 NLT). Make every effort. That doesn’t leave room for half-hearted attempts. God wants us to prioritize unity.

Unity among believers isn’t just a matter of getting along with everyone or playing nicely with others; it’s also one of the most powerful testimonies available for showing the life-changing power of Jesus Christ.

Reflection Question: How can you cross the lines of division that separate you from someone in your church?

Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

—

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

Become a Harvest Partner

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“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.” (Ephesians 2:8–9 NLT)

There will be good people in Hell. When I say, “good people,” I mean people who trusted in their own human efforts, people who trusted in their own personal reality, and people who trusted in the religious things they did.

Jesus issued a very clear warning in Matthew 7:22: “On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name’” (NLT).

If we updated the passage, the people might say, “Lord, Lord, we were baptized in Your name and received communion in Your name.” But the answer still would be the same.

“But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws’” (verse 23 NLT). These are good people Jesus is talking to. These people paid their taxes. These people recycled and put the right trash in the right can. These people drove Priuses and ate kale and didn’t damage the environment. They’re good people.

They’re just not nearly good enough. That’s why the apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:8–9, “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).

Jesus never said that if you live a good life, you’ll go to Heaven. But here’s what Jesus did say: “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28 NLT). He doesn’t want us to work ourselves to exhaustion, trying to be good enough to earn salvation. He wants to give us rest and assurance. He wants us to accept the gift of eternal life He offers.

For people with a mature faith, this is a simple review. A chance to celebrate God’s mercy—that is, His kindness and compassion—and His grace—that is, His undeserved favor. But it’s also a reminder that there are people—people you know—who believe that their good works are good enough for God. People who believe that because their good outweighs their bad, they will be welcomed into Heaven. People who believe that growing up in a Christian home and attending church make them Christians.

People who will be stunned to hear Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:23.

People who need a mature believer to help them understand what it means to make a personal commitment to Christ: to confess that they’re not good enough to earn salvation, to turn away from their sin, and to accept Him as Savior and Lord.

You can be that mature believer. You can share the gospel truth. You can help them see the futility of trying to earn salvation through good works. You can point them to Jesus’ sacrifice—the gift of God that makes salvation possible. The question is, will you?

Reflection Question: How can you share God’s truth with someone who believes they’re a good person?

Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

—

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

Become a Harvest Partner

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit.” (Ephesians 5:17–18 NLT)

When you think of being filled with the Holy Spirit, you may relate it to an emotional experience or a feeling of euphoria. Something dramatic and memorable. But the word filled can be translated as “controlled by.” Think of what happens when the wind fills the sails of a boat and guides it along. That’s the gist of what the apostle Paul is saying in Ephesians 5. God wants you to let His Spirit fill you, power you, and control your life.

Another interesting thing about the word filled is that, in the original Greek language, the verb tense that Paul uses suggests something that is done continually. So you can translate verse 18 as, “Be constantly filled with the Spirit.” This is not a one-time event. Instead, it’s something that takes place over and over again. Just as you repeatedly fill the gas tank in your car to keep it running, God wants to refill you with His Spirit. It’s a powerful thing to say each day, “Lord, fill me with your Spirit. Lord, fill me once again.” Every time you say it, and mean it, you mature a little more in your faith.

One more thing about this phrase from Ephesians 5:18 is that it’s a command, not a suggestion. The passage isn’t saying, “If it works with your schedule, and if you don’t mind, would you please consider maybe letting the Holy Spirit fill and control you?” Rather, God orders you to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

You may ask, “Doesn’t everyone who trusts Christ have the Holy Spirit inside them?” The answer is yes. Paul says in Romans 8:9, “But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all)” (NLT).

But there are things you can do that interfere with the Holy Spirit’s work in your life. A boat sail that’s turned the wrong way won’t be filled with wind. In the same way, when you’re turned away from God—when you pursue your own agenda instead of His, when you give in to temptation instead of resisting it—you’re not being filled with the Holy Spirit.

That’s why Paul warns, “Do not stifle the Holy Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 5:19 NLT) and “Do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live” (Ephesians 4:30 NLT).

When you’re filled with the Holy Spirit, people will notice. They’ll see evidence of it in your life. Galatians 5:22–23 says, “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (nlt).

Those qualities have the potential to change lives—not just yours, but other people’s as well. If you will be filled with the Holy Spirit, God will use you to accomplish amazing things.

Reflection Question: What are the daily benefits of being filled with the Holy Spirit?

Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

—

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

Become a Harvest Partner

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding.” (Philippians 1:9 NLT)

I eat dinner at five o’clock. But I get hungry around three o’clock. So I start counting off the time until I eat. I look forward to my meal. Sometimes I get tempted to eat something to hold me over. You know, when five o’clock seems like it will never get here, and there’s a Taco Bell nearby. I start thinking about a burrito supreme—or maybe just a taco to hold me over.

The problem is that it spoils my appetite. When I fill up on something that’s not good for me, it makes me lose my appetite for things that are good for me.

The same thing can happen to us spiritually. There are things we do, places we go, and people we hang out with that dull us spiritually. They make us lose our appetite for the things of God. They stunt our growth. When we indulge ourselves with them, the result is that we want to do less, and not more, spiritually.

On the flip side, there are other people who inspire us spiritually by their example and by the godliness of their character. They don’t hold themselves up as role models and ask, “Why aren’t you more like me?” They simply live their faith in a way that’s not just inspiring, but also motivating. Being with them stimulates our hunger for Jesus.

And that’s a good thing, because it comes down to this: As Christians, there’s always more for us to know about being disciples. There’s always more for us to learn about sharing our faith and encouraging others. There’s always more to discover in God’s Word.

The apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 1:9, “I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding” (nlt). His point is that you’re never done as a Christian. No matter how much you love, you can love more. No matter how much you pray, you can pray more. No matter how much you obey, you can obey more.

Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matthew 5:6 NIV). I don’t know about you, but I think all Christians should look at themselves and say, “I’m not content with where I’m at spiritually. There’s more to change in my life. I need to become more like Jesus.”

The moment you fold your arms and say, “I’m content with where I am,” you set yourself up for a fall. When Jesus said, “Unless you . . . become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 18:3 NLT), He wasn’t talking about being childish. He was talking about being childlike—always growing, always learning, and sometimes relearning things that we forget.

Stay hungry for God’s truth. Thirst after righteousness. Refuse to rest on your spiritual laurels. As long as you have breath, continue to grow in your relationship with Christ. Look for ways to be a more effective prayer warrior and evangelist. If you do, God promises that you will be filled—and fulfilled.

Reflection Question: How can you “stay hungry” in your Christian faith?

Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

—

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

Become a Harvest Partner

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.” (Ephesians 1:5–6 NLT)

Some people come from homes in which their fathers never expressed love or showed any affection toward them. Therefore, they take that concept of their earthly fathers and place it on their heavenly Father. They spend the rest of their lives trying to earn the approval of God, who has already given His approval to them.

There are a lot of people who think they should keep the Ten Commandments because they are under the impression that God will punish them if they don’t. In a sense, they’re like Sisyphus, the character from Greek mythology who spent eternity pushing a boulder up a hill, only for it to roll back down again when he neared the top, forcing him to start over—again and again and again. These people work hard to earn God’s approval and be worthy of His love. But every time they slip up or do something to displease Him, they feel like they have to start over.

Their faulty understanding of God and His mercy keeps them from maturing in their Christian faith. The fact is that God loves us and accepts us as we are. We don’t have to do anything to earn His approval. We don’t have to do anything to merit His love. In spite of our shortcomings and in spite of our sins, God loves us.

He showed us how much He loves us by sending His Son to die in our place so that we might have eternal life. Romans 5:8 puts it this way: “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners” (NLT).

Understanding how much God loves us is what inspires us to love Him and others. As 1 John 4:19 says, “We love each other because he loved us first” (NLT). Instead of wanting to keep God’s commandments to earn His love, we should want to keep them because of His love for us. We should want to keep His commandments because we know they are right. It all comes down to our motives.

We can’t do anything to earn God’s love or affection. His standards are too high. Because He is just, He demands perfect righteousness. And perfect righteousness is found only in Christ. That’s why Paul said in Ephesians 2:8–10: “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. 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” (NLT).

We don’t live in a Christlike way so that God will love us; we live in a Christlike way because God loves us and because we want to honor our heavenly Father.

Reflection Question: How, if at all, does your relationship with your human father affect your relationship with your heavenly Father?

Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

—

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

Become a Harvest Partner

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith.” (Philippians 3:7–9 NLT)

In testimonies, Christians often talk about what they gave up to follow Jesus Christ. But what do we really give up? Some people give up addiction to drugs or alcohol. For most people, they give up a sense of guilt, emptiness, loneliness, and the ever-present fear of death. So it would be pretty easy for them to agree with the apostle Paul’s words in Philippians 3.

Paul is saying, “The things I have given up are nothing compared to what God has given to me.” This teaching of Paul’s is a very important principle to learn as we become more mature in our faith. We find happiness in God.

The Bible says, “Blessed are those whose ways are blameless” (Psalm 119:1 NIV). The word blessed that is used here and throughout the psalms can be translated as “happy.” A more literal rendering of the word blessed—and I really like this one—would be “happy, happy.” So if someone had asked the psalmist, “How are you feeling today?” he might have replied, “Happy, happy.” But in this psalm and in other places in Scripture, we find that happiness is connected to holiness (or being “blameless”). We also find that happiness is not something that we should seek outright. Happiness should be the result of seeking holiness. Despite what our Declaration of Independence says, the pursuit of happiness in and of itself is generally a futile search.

The apostle Peter wrote, “So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now, you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, ‘You must be holy because I am holy’” (1 Peter 1:14–16 NLT).

God didn’t create us to be happy in the shallow sense of the word. He created us to be holy, to live as Christ lived, to prioritize the commands of Scripture, and to share our faith with others. And He stands ready to help us whenever that pursuit seems too difficult. When we pursue holiness, we experience a soul-deep sense of satisfaction, joy, hope, purpose, and fulfillment. We discover true happiness.

If you desire happiness, then seek the holiness of God. Only then will you be “happy, happy.”

Reflection Question: What does pursuing holiness look like in your life?

Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

—

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

Become a Harvest Partner

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” (Ephesians 3:20 NLT)

When my oldest son was a little boy, I would take him to Toys R Us. We would look around. I would tell him to pick out something for himself. He would look at the Star Wars figures. I would look at the X-Wing Fighter with the remote control, thinking that I would like to get it for him. The truth is that I wanted to play with it, too. He would pick out his little figure. Then I would say, “I was thinking of getting you something better than that.” He always went along with my idea.

After a while, he started to learn something about Dad, which was that Dad liked to get presents for his kids. He came to realize that it was better to say, “I don’t know what to get, Dad. You choose it for me.” He came to realize that my choices were often better than what he chose for himself.

Paul sends a similar message about our heavenly Father in Ephesians 3:20. The difference is that God’s generosity is perfect because God is perfect. He isn’t limited by resources. He isn’t swayed by moods, feelings, or impulses. He doesn’t have to guess at what might be meaningful or right for us. He designed us. He knows our code. He knows us better than we know ourselves.

Sometimes that can be hard for us to accept. We don’t always recognize God’s perfect generosity because we allow misconceptions to warp our view of who He is and what He does. We fall for the lie that He’s a cosmic killjoy, always on the lookout for things that bring us joy so that He can put an end to them.

And we compound the problem by being dazzled by temporary thrills—opportunities that have surface appeal but no real depth. Things that have no lasting value, that bring no sense of meaning, purpose, or fulfillment. Or, like my son, we’re content to settle for something small, something that pales in comparison to what we might have.

Our enemy knows our tendencies and weaknesses and does everything in his power to exploit them. Look at his temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. He appealed to Jesus’ immediate physical needs. He offered fame and power. He wanted Jesus to settle for something less than the grand, glorious plan of God to redeem the world. And he does the same to us. He emphasizes flash over substance. He urges us to choose immediate gratification over long-term fulfillment.

One of the many reasons God’s Word encourages us to become mature in our faith is so that we will recognize His generosity and respond with a spirit of gratitude. A mature faith understands that even though we have done nothing to earn God’s favor, He wants only what is ultimately best for us.

Reflection Question: When have you experienced God’s generosity in your life?

Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

—

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

Become a Harvest Partner

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.