Birhen.com

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 Thoughts on Today's Verse... In our battle against evil, we utilize the spiritual weapons of God, which enable us to discern the truth, protect ourselves, and deliver us into the freedom that victory brings ( Ephesians 6:10-19 ). The devil's frequent tools are deception, distortion, and death. God's grace enables us to see through these deceptions and break their deceptive grip on the minds of men and women, freeing them from fear and temptation. God's power broke the barrier of death and gave us victory in Jesus Christ. And what is our task in this victory march? To obey our LORD and help others to ...

You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. — Psalm 32:7 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Out of the attacks of evil one come the victories of God and the victory chants of God's people. Let us make God our refuge, our hiding place, and our source of security. The LORD Almighty is our hope in times of trouble. He protects us from trials, troubles, temptations, and gives us songs of glorious deliverance! My Prayer... Father, thank you for the confidence we can have in your power and might to deliver us from every attack of the evil one. You are worthy of all glory, honor, power, and praise. In the name of your Son and our LORD Jesus Christ, we thank you for deliverance and praise you because of your might and our deliverance. Amen. The Thoughts and Prayer on Today's Verse are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to [email protected] . © 1998-2025, Heartlight, Inc. Verseoftheday.com is part of the...

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. — Ephesians 6:12 Thoughts on Today's Verse... The battle we face is not a physical one. It is not one against other people, even if they hold us as enemies. Our battle is part of our war with powers that we cannot easily see, yet which are powerful and pervasive. We must not dismiss this spiritual battle as an imaginary, irrelevant, or outdated. Just as clearly as Satan was crouching at Cain's door, desiring to have him, so he crouches at our door as well ( Genesis 4:7 ). Just as the evil one tempted Jesus in the wilderness ( Luke 4:1-13 ), he will use his demonic forces of evil to do all he can to defeat, destroy, or corrupt us personally. We must take this war seriously and recognize the power of our evil foe. However, we must not fear this battle or the evil one behind it. We s...

Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. — Ephesians 6:11 Thoughts on Today's Verse... We often focus only on the things we like, are good at doing, or are interested in accomplishing. God wants us to use every piece of his spiritual armor for every situation where it is needed. He wants us to be disciplined and grow in areas of our spiritual weakness, as well as in those we do not find particularly exciting or interesting. Our evil opponent is crafty and will attack us in the areas of our weaknesses and vulnerabilities, the areas we neglect to bring under the Lordship of Christ. So let's not just commit to being diligent in the areas of our interests and strengths, but especially hone in those areas where we are not strong and don't usually pay attention. Let's put on the FULL armor of God and take our stand against the evil one and his schemes. My Prayer... Father, strengthen me in the areas where I am most vulnerab...

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. — Ephesians 6:10 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Some of our strength in fighting evil comes from the spiritual experiences in our past, the encouragement of other believers, and our knowledge of the truth from Scripture. Ultimately, however, our power comes from God's mighty power, the Holy Spirit. Paul uses his letter to the Ephesians to remind Christians that the power of the Holy Spirit, which raised Jesus from the dead, is at work in us now ( Ephesians 1:17-20 , 3:14-16 ). Through the Spirit's power at work in us, God can do much more than we can ask or imagine ( Ephesians 3:20-21 ). As we put on our spiritual armor and dedicate ourselves to spiritual discipline, God blesses us with his power and his might to live holy lives of courage and grace. God enables us to "be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power" ! My Prayer... O LORD God Almighty, my Abba Father and loving Shepherd, strengthen me with your m...

Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. — Ephesians 5:15-16 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Even though we are God's holy children, we also need to be aware of the time it is in our world. The evil one still exercises his control over the hearts of many people. Temptations abound. Evil people seek to distort the truth and malign the way of God. Our Father in heaven wants us to "make most of every opportunity" - literally, "redeem the time" - making the most of every opportunity we have to touch the lives of others with God's grace, resist worldly temptations, and overcome the opposition of the evil one by the power of the Holy Spirit ( Ephesians 1:17-20 , 3:14-16 ). My Prayer... Give me wisdom, O LORD, to discern the best ways to use my time and my influence to honor you and bless others. Please open my eyes to see the temptations the evil one puts in my path. Please ...

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will. — Ephesians 1:4-5 Thoughts on Today's Verse... God wanted us to be His children. That was his plan for us even before the world began. While we cannot be holy and blameless on our own strength alone, God paid the huge price of our adoption into his family through the sacrifice of his Son, our older brother, Jesus. Because of our faith in Jesus and God's grace, the Father cleansed us from our sins and brought us into His family as his sons and daughters. God's motive in doing this? His desire and delight in loving us as his children. Our response? Seek to live holy lives that honor our Father by living his values in our broken world. My Prayer... Loving Father and Holy God, my words cannot adequately express all of my appreciation for your love and grace. I am honored...

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. — Acts 1:8 Thoughts on Today's Verse... God has a plan to reach the world with his grace. We start where we are and reach out to those around us. We then share the story of Jesus with those in our region. Then we reach out and take the gospel all over the world. As we offer ourselves to be used, we also trust that the Holy Spirit's power and presence will go with us. I liken this to skipping rocks on a still pond. Every time the rock touches the water and skips forward, it sends out ripples that ultimately reach every corner of the pond. We see this happen in the book of Acts as the early church lived out Jesus' mission strategy again and again. Go here where you are now. Go near to the surrounding regions. Go far, to the uttermost parts of the world. Now it is our turn to live out this mission, trusting the Spi...

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. — 2 Timothy 1:7 Thoughts on Today's Verse... When we became Christians, Jesus poured the gift of the Holy Spirit into us ( Acts 2:38 ). The Spirit now lives in us, making our bodies into a holy temple where God lives and we worship him in the ways we use our bodies ( 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ). The Spirit also blesses us in many ways. Romans 8:1-39 details many of these ways. We can be courageous even in the face of attack, criticism, ridicule, and persecution because of the Spirit's presence in us ( Acts 4:23-31 ). The Spirit is at work in us to produce love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control ( Galatians 5:22-23 ) as the Spirit transforms us to become more like Jesus ( 2 Corinthians 3:18 ). The Spirit pours love into our hearts, enabling us to love in supernatural ways ( Romans 5:5 ). The Spirit's presence is our heavenly power source help...

May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. — 1 Thessalonians 3:12 Thoughts on Today's Verse... "I'm not sure I can love that person any longer! My supply of love feels used up, my capacity for compassion seems to be exhausted!" Yes, there are times when we feel as if others have exhausted our ability to love, either because their need is so great or because they are unwilling to love us in return. How can we continue to love them? We need a community of love, the fellowship of other believers who will support and love us during our times of spiritual depletion. We need brothers and sisters in Christ who will pray for God to increase our capacity to love and forgive. We need to trust that in response to all of our prayers, God will pour more love into our hearts through his ever-flowing stream of grace, the Holy Spirit bubbling up within us ( Romans 5:5 ; John 7:37-39 ). When our ability to love fe...

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. — 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 Thoughts on Today's Verse... The Father of compassion comforts us because we are heartbroken The Father of compassion comforts us because we need a blessing. The Father of compassion comforts us because God loves us. The Father of compassion comforts us so we can comfort others. While each of the above statements is true, the last one is the most crucial. We cannot fully realize true comfort until we receive it and then share it with someone else. Sharing the comfort we have received is that final step in the healing process of grief, disappointment, hurt, and loss. Until we share the comfort we have received, until we pass it on to others, our understanding of God's comfort is incomplete, shallow, selfish, and li...

The LORD redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him. — Psalm 34:22 Thoughts on Today's Verse... God not only buys out our bondage and debt to sin, but he also assures us that he will provide refuge for those who trust in him. Our future is tied to God and not to our ability to provide and protect what we need. He is our refuge and strength, our ever-present help in times of trouble ( Psalm 46:1, 11 ). My Prayer... O LORD, God of heaven and earth, I place my life and my future in your hands. Please use me to bless others and help them find refuge in your gracious love. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen. The Thoughts and Prayer on Today's Verse are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to [email protected] . © 1998-2025, Heartlight, Inc. Verseoftheday.com is part of the Heartlight Network and is maintained by Infinite Publishing . | Privacy Policy All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BI...

Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned. — Psalm 34:21 Thoughts on Today's Verse... God has promised a closing time for everyone who has ever lived. It will be a reckoning where human power and influence cannot blot out the truth and where each person who has ever lived will have to face what they have done, whether good or evil. Evil will overtake those who have been partnered with evil. Their hatred and wickedness will come back upon them. God will not allow righteousness, truth, and justice to be short-circuited, perverted, or forgotten! "Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned." My Prayer... Father, thank you for making me clean and whole by the purifying work of your Holy Spirit. Please train me to live righteously. Help me develop a revulsion for what is sinful and evil. Use me, please, to help others caught in the evil one's work to escape and find deliverance in the LORD Jesus. In the name of my Sav...

A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all; he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken. — Psalm 34:19-20 Thoughts on Today's Verse... We know that the righteous can have troubles, but how do we understand that God delivers us from them all? How do we know that he protects all our bones, especially in light of recent tragedies and the persecution of believers in many places in the world? Paul demonstrates the answer: he was confident that whatever happened to him would turn out for his deliverance. He would either be delivered THROUGH his death to be with God or delivered from FROM death through his release from prison to continue ministry ( Philippians 1:19-23 ). Our deliverance, because of Jesus, is secure. We are conquerors in Christ. He's coming back for us. If we die now, we go to be with Christ. So, nothing Satan can do to us will steal us away from God's love, not even suffering and death ( Romans 8:32-39 ). My Praye...

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. — Psalm 34:18 Thoughts on Today's Verse... The LORD is near ( Philippians 4:5 ). How do we know? He promised his people this long ago and kept his promise. He drew near to us in the manger with Jesus. He walked among us in ministry as Jesus touched, healed, blessed, raised, mended, and loved. He suffered with us, and for us, in Jesus' Passion. Many of us have experienced his nearness in tragedy, trial, heartbreak, and brokenness as he drew near to us to save us. Others of us have experienced his presence as we sought to share the message of Jesus, as he gave us words through the Holy Spirit and strength and courage to stand up to those who opposed us. The bigger questions are these: Will our hearts be open to him and his presence? Will we seek him and ask him to draw near? Will we obey him and invite him into live in our daily lives? We must not let troubles and heartache lead us to pull away from...

The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. — Psalm 34:17 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Deliverance! The great theme of deliverance runs throughout the Bible. This theme is built on the LORD being the God of deliverance, the Covenant God who keeps his promises, and the faithful Sovereign Creator who shares his grace, mercy, and justice. May knowing God as our Great Deliverer stir us to righteous living and a boldness to cry out honestly to God in all of our troubles. One way we can rely on our LORD for his deliverance is by reading through the Psalms regularly, letting these inspired words from so long ago offer us a rich guide to call to God while seeking his deliverance through the varied tapestry of life's events. As we cry out to God, we can ask honest questions as we share the wounds that life has brought upon us. As we do, we can know God's attentive presence is real as we open our hearts to him and long to receive his deli...

The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. — Psalm 34:16 Thoughts on Today's Verse... God hates violence and demands that we not admire those who are violent or share in their violent lifestyles ( Proverbs 3:31 ). God abhors those who do evil. God not only opposes them when they are alive, but he also mitigates their influence and poisons any memory of them after they are gone. God helps us see "those who do evil" for who and what they really are and what they have done. Far from being viewed as heroes, their legacy of hate and wickedness is spurned, shunned, disdained, and forgotten. God will "cut off the memory of them from the earth." My Prayer... In our own time, dear Father, help us see the wickedness done by "those who do evil" for who they are. O LORD, please render their threats impotent and ensure that any remembrance of them is a foul stench in the nostrils of those who come after them. ...

The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry... — Psalm 34:15 Thoughts on Today's Verse... We are righteous because of God's mercy and grace ( Ephesians 2:1-10 ). These were given to us in Jesus! We received them because of our faith in him. We are remembered because of God's faithfulness. We are heard because of God's lovingkindness. We are blessed because God is good. Let's choose to live in righteous ways, seeking to live up to who Christ has declared us to be ( Colossians 1:22 ). As we do, let's know that God, our loving Father, keeps us in his sight and watches over us with loving care. My Prayer... Thank you, Father, for seeing our needs, hearing our cries, answering our prayers, and coming down to save, comfort, and bless us with your grace. In Jesus' name, we thank you. Amen. The Thoughts and Prayer on Today's Verse are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to [email protected] . © 19...

Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. — Psalm 34:14 Thoughts on Today's Verse... It is not enough to turn from evil. We can clean the putrid things out of our lives and hearts, but if we do not actively pursue what is good, then a worse evil can rush into the void, and our second condition becomes worse than the first ( Matthew 12:43-45 ). So, let's be people who turn from evil, become eager to do what is good, and with a passion choose to "wage peace." My Prayer... O Father, please let me be an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, use me to share your love and grace. Where there is injury, sin, and brokenness, please use me to bring healing, forgiveness, and comfort. Please, Abba Father, use me to do your good work in my broken world as I seek to live at peace with all people. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen. The Thoughts and Prayer on Today's Verse are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to [email protected]...

Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies. — Psalm 34:12-13 Thoughts on Today's Verse... God reminds us that our words and the way we use our speech significantly impact the quality of life we will enjoy. Nothing cuts short a vibrant life like evil speech and the lies we tell. These deadly evils unleash deception and destruction that we cannot control. This unleashed poisonous power not only harms those about whom and to whom we speak, but evil words and lies eventually boomerang, coming back to bring their deadly payload into our own lives. Let's be people who speak what is right, good, wholesome, holy, true, and a blessing ( Ephesians 4:20-5:12 ). My Prayer... Holy and Righteous God, my Father, purify my heart. Please cleanse my words of all deceit, slander, vulgarity, wickedness, untruth, exaggeration, mean-spiritedness, distortion, guile, and words that wound. May the words of my mouth and the in...

Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD. — Psalm 34:11 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Is there any greater definition of what a parent's role is than this? Let's make sure that in the swirling demands and involvements of our lives we do not forget the MAIN thing that God has given us as parents, teachers, and friends to do in the lives of children we love. My Prayer... O Master, LORD God my Savior and Sustainer, my Abba Father, please keep my heart set on your priorities with the children in my life. In Jesus' name, I beg for this grace to be true. Amen. The Thoughts and Prayer on Today's Verse are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to [email protected] . © 1998-2025, Heartlight, Inc. Verseoftheday.com is part of the Heartlight Network and is maintained by Infinite Publishing . | Privacy Policy All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1...

The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing. — Psalm 34:10 Thoughts on Today's Verse... While even the most fierce hunters of the animal world cannot ensure their security and nourishment, those of us whose hunger is for God will find ourselves nourished, blessed, and sustained, both now and forevermore. Video Commentary... ToGather Worship Guide | More ToGather Videos My Prayer... Thank you, Father, for the promise that you will never leave me or forsake me, even though friends and partners may betray and leave me behind. I confess that it is sometimes hard to fully comprehend, much less believe, that you are always faithful. Confusing and hurtful times come, and I waver in my confidence in your grace. Please forgive me and renew my hope. I do believe, dear Father, that you love me like no one else can or will. I do believe, Almighty God, that you care about my wounds and worries. I recommit my heart this day to trust in your daily care, ...

Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD. — Psalm 34:11 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Is there any greater definition of what a parent's role is than this? Let's make sure that in the swirling demands and involvements of our lives we do not forget the MAIN thing that God has given us as parents, teachers, and friends to do in the lives of children we love. My Prayer... O Master, LORD God my Savior and Sustainer, my Abba Father, please keep my heart set on your priorities with the children in my life. In Jesus' name, I beg for this grace to be true. Amen. The Thoughts and Prayer on Today's Verse are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to [email protected] . © 1998-2025, Heartlight, Inc. Verseoftheday.com is part of the Heartlight Network and is maintained by Infinite Publishing . | Privacy Policy All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1...