A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Proverbs 15:1 (NIV)
Have you noticed that human beings tend to mimic other people’s emotions, especially if we’re sitting or standing right across from them? We do that because of mirror neurons in our brains that allow us to sympathize and to mirror what other people feel.
For instance, if somebody gets angry with you, you get angry back. If somebody is really miserable and you hang around that person long enough, you get miserable too.
In the same way, when someone raises their voice against you, you usually raise your voice back. Then they raise their voice higher. Then you raise your voice higher. Then pretty soon things have escalated, and your emotions are out of control. But the Bible offers a different way to respond: “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1 NIV).
Let me give you a little tip that will save you a lot of heartache and conflict in your marriage, in your parenting, in your friendships, and at work: When another person raises their voice, lower yours. When you do that, you’re demonstrating strength under control.
Another word for strength under control is gentleness. Gentleness defuses conflict. It de-escalates anger. A gentle person does not overreact and is not driven by emotions. A gentle person demonstrates strength under control.
The Greek word in the Bible for “gentleness” is the word prautes. Some older English translations of the Bible translate prautes as “meek.” The word “meek” isn’t used much anymore because meek has become a synonym for weak. But gentleness—or prautes—is anything but weak.
In fact, the word prautes was used to refer to a wild stallion that had been tamed. Think about that image. If you go out in the hills and find a wild stallion, it’s unbridled and even dangerous, with a strength that could kill you pretty quickly. But if you tame that stallion, it’s still just as strong, but the strength is brought under control. The strength is bottled up for the master’s use.
When you learn true gentleness as a man or woman of God, you don’t become weak. You just bring your strength under God’s control and use it for his purposes.
Talk It Over
What is your normal reaction to raised voices, such as when your kids are misbehaving or you’re having a disagreement with your spouse or close friend?
Why do you think responding in gentleness rather than anger is so disarming? Why does it get people’s attention?
Look for ways to practice gentleness this week. How do people react when you respond to them with gentleness? You may even want to record your efforts and their effects and share them with your small group.
- by Pastor Rick
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Prayer:
Father,
We come before You with gratitude for all that You are, for all that You have given us, for Your mercy and grace towards us, for Your presence and faithfulness. You created us to reflect Your image, and in doing so, to bring You glory. We confess to You that we fail to do this. Every day, we fall short. Please forgive us. Thank You for Your unfailing patience with us. Thank You for correcting our stubborn and rebellious hearts. You tell us to learn from You for You are gentle and humble in heart. (Matthew 11:29)You modeled gentleness and humility while You lived here on earth. You have dealt gently with us in our sin and rebellion. Help us to learn from You and follow Your example. So many people need a kind word, an act of compassion, a quiet voice of reason, a softly spoken encouragement, a tender touch. Help us, Jesus, to be the peacemakers. Help us to be mild-mannered. Help us to be careful with our responses and interactions with others. Help us to be those who bring calm to the storms raging in this world.
In Galatians 5, You tell us that gentleness is a fruit produced by the Spirit at work in our hearts. Father, we ask that Your Spirit would develop and grow gentleness within us. We know that we cannot bear fruit if we are not connected to You, so we cling to You, Jesus. We look to You. By following closely, we seek to emulate You. Show us when harshness and bitterness enter into our thoughts and help us to turn from our wicked ways. Soften our hearts. Soften us so that we may reflect Your gentleness and, in doing so, bring You glory. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen
Wednesday, June 10, 2026
Tuesday, June 9, 2026
Promise for Today - Change Bitter to Better
We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.
Romans 8:28 (NIV)
We rarely change when we see the light. We change when we feel the heat. Proverbs 20:30 says, “Sometimes it takes a painful experience to make us change our ways” (GNT). Grief, loss, and pain are inevitable parts of life. But did you know that God uses these things to help you grow? He does it in three ways.
First, God uses pain to get your attention. C. S. Lewis wrote, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain.” Pain is God’s megaphone.
Second, God brings good out of bad. One of the most famous verses in the Bible is Romans 8:28: “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him” (NIV).
When you experience a loss, it’s an opportunity to grow in character. You can’t control the pain you go through, but you can decide whether it’s going to make you bitter or better. You decide whether it’s going to be a steppingstone or a stumbling block. Remember, even in your pain, God is working for your good.
Third, God prepares you for eternity. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, “These little troubles are getting us ready for an eternal glory that will make all our troubles seem like nothing. Things that are seen don’t last forever, but things that are not seen are eternal. This is why we keep our minds on the things that cannot be seen” (CEV).
You’re not taking your car to heaven; you’re not taking your jewelry or your clothes to heaven; you’re not taking your career to heaven. But you are taking your character. You are taking you.
God is more interested in your character development than in your comfort. Why? Because when you get to heaven, you’ll have plenty of time to be comfortable. But life on earth is the get-ready stage; it’s the learning phase or the warm-up act. God uses your troubles here on earth to get you ready for eternal glory. That’s a comfort.
When you’re in pain, you need to ask, “What is God doing?” Is he trying to get your attention? Is he trying to bring good out of bad? Is he preparing your character for heaven?
You can trust him through it all.
Talk It Over
What does it mean that God is working for your good? Does it mean that God only lets good things happen to believers?
Why is it often easier to focus on today’s realities than on the promise of heaven?
How can you prepare yourself now so that you are ready to hear from God when you are in a time of pain?
Romans 8:28 (NIV)
We rarely change when we see the light. We change when we feel the heat. Proverbs 20:30 says, “Sometimes it takes a painful experience to make us change our ways” (GNT). Grief, loss, and pain are inevitable parts of life. But did you know that God uses these things to help you grow? He does it in three ways.
First, God uses pain to get your attention. C. S. Lewis wrote, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain.” Pain is God’s megaphone.
Second, God brings good out of bad. One of the most famous verses in the Bible is Romans 8:28: “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him” (NIV).
When you experience a loss, it’s an opportunity to grow in character. You can’t control the pain you go through, but you can decide whether it’s going to make you bitter or better. You decide whether it’s going to be a steppingstone or a stumbling block. Remember, even in your pain, God is working for your good.
Third, God prepares you for eternity. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, “These little troubles are getting us ready for an eternal glory that will make all our troubles seem like nothing. Things that are seen don’t last forever, but things that are not seen are eternal. This is why we keep our minds on the things that cannot be seen” (CEV).
You’re not taking your car to heaven; you’re not taking your jewelry or your clothes to heaven; you’re not taking your career to heaven. But you are taking your character. You are taking you.
God is more interested in your character development than in your comfort. Why? Because when you get to heaven, you’ll have plenty of time to be comfortable. But life on earth is the get-ready stage; it’s the learning phase or the warm-up act. God uses your troubles here on earth to get you ready for eternal glory. That’s a comfort.
When you’re in pain, you need to ask, “What is God doing?” Is he trying to get your attention? Is he trying to bring good out of bad? Is he preparing your character for heaven?
You can trust him through it all.
Talk It Over
What does it mean that God is working for your good? Does it mean that God only lets good things happen to believers?
Why is it often easier to focus on today’s realities than on the promise of heaven?
How can you prepare yourself now so that you are ready to hear from God when you are in a time of pain?
- by Pastor Rick
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Prayer:
Father,
In this valley of hurt, our hearts feel heavy and our spirits weary. The noise of the pain sometimes drowns out Your gentle voice, but we know You are near, even when we cannot feel You.
Quiet our thoughts, Lord, and open the ears of our souls to hear Your whisper. Let Your words be like healing rain, washing over wounds and restoring hope. Guide us with Your truth, keep us ever mindful of Your unfailing love, and help us to trust that even in this darkness, You are leading us toward light.
We wait for You, Lord. Speak, and we will listen. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.
Quiet our thoughts, Lord, and open the ears of our souls to hear Your whisper. Let Your words be like healing rain, washing over wounds and restoring hope. Guide us with Your truth, keep us ever mindful of Your unfailing love, and help us to trust that even in this darkness, You are leading us toward light.
We wait for You, Lord. Speak, and we will listen. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.
Monday, June 8, 2026
Promise for Today - Blessing the Broken
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted, and he saves those whose spirits have been crushed.
Psalm 34:18 (NCV)
You don’t just "get over" a loss. You can’t go under it; you can’t go around it. You’ve got to go through the grief. And if you’re scared to express emotion and refuse to go through it, you just get stuck.
You get unstuck by letting God help you. Here are six ways God blesses a broken heart.
1. God draws you close to himself.
Psalm 34:18 says, “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted, and he saves those whose spirits have been crushed” (NCV). When you grieve, God is not a million miles away, even though it may feel like it. In fact, he’s never been any closer.
2. God grieves with you.
The Bible tells us that Jesus was “a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief” (Isaiah 53:3 NLT). When you come to Jesus with your grief, he knows what you’re talking about, and he understands your pain. God is not apathetic. He is sympathetic, and he grieves with you.
3. God gives you a church family for support.
We’re meant to grieve and heal in community. We’re better together! The Bible says, “In Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. . . . Be devoted to one another in love. . . . Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn” (Romans 12:5, 10, 15 NIV).
4. God uses grief to help you grow.
God uses grief and pain to help you become more like Christ, and he does it in three ways:
God uses pain to get your attention (Romans 5:3-5), he brings good out of bad (Romans 8:28), and he prepares you for eternity (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).
5. God gives you the hope of heaven.
Your life on earth is short, but if you trust Jesus Christ for your salvation, then you have the hope of spending eternity in heaven with God. That hope will sustain you through your time of loss. The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 4:13, “We don’t want you to be ignorant about those who have died. We don’t want you to grieve like other people who have no hope” (GW).
6. God uses your pain to help others.
This is called redemptive pain, and it is the highest and best use of the pain you go through. God does not want you to waste a hurt. “[God] comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us” (2 Corinthians 1:4 NLT).
You don’t just "get over" a loss. You can’t go under it; you can’t go around it. You’ve got to go through the grief. And if you’re scared to express emotion and refuse to go through it, you just get stuck.
You get unstuck by letting God help you. Here are six ways God blesses a broken heart.
1. God draws you close to himself.
Psalm 34:18 says, “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted, and he saves those whose spirits have been crushed” (NCV). When you grieve, God is not a million miles away, even though it may feel like it. In fact, he’s never been any closer.
2. God grieves with you.
The Bible tells us that Jesus was “a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief” (Isaiah 53:3 NLT). When you come to Jesus with your grief, he knows what you’re talking about, and he understands your pain. God is not apathetic. He is sympathetic, and he grieves with you.
3. God gives you a church family for support.
We’re meant to grieve and heal in community. We’re better together! The Bible says, “In Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. . . . Be devoted to one another in love. . . . Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn” (Romans 12:5, 10, 15 NIV).
4. God uses grief to help you grow.
God uses grief and pain to help you become more like Christ, and he does it in three ways:
God uses pain to get your attention (Romans 5:3-5), he brings good out of bad (Romans 8:28), and he prepares you for eternity (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).
5. God gives you the hope of heaven.
Your life on earth is short, but if you trust Jesus Christ for your salvation, then you have the hope of spending eternity in heaven with God. That hope will sustain you through your time of loss. The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 4:13, “We don’t want you to be ignorant about those who have died. We don’t want you to grieve like other people who have no hope” (GW).
6. God uses your pain to help others.
This is called redemptive pain, and it is the highest and best use of the pain you go through. God does not want you to waste a hurt. “[God] comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us” (2 Corinthians 1:4 NLT).
Talk It Over
Why do you think God has allowed you to experience grief and loss?
How does God want you to minister to others who grieve without hope?
What is the deepest pain you have experienced? In what ways can you use that pain to help others?
Why do you think God has allowed you to experience grief and loss?
How does God want you to minister to others who grieve without hope?
What is the deepest pain you have experienced? In what ways can you use that pain to help others?
- by Pastor Rick
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Prayer:
Father,
We ask You for a fresh vision of what breakthrough will look like in our lives. Help us to pursue healing while we wait for Your miracle. Show us how to rest right in the middle of the storm. Help us to enjoy the feast You prepare for us, right in the middle of the battlefield. We want our whole life to testify that there’s a God in heaven who knows our names and who will get us safely home. Fill us afresh with the wonder of Your love and power. We are determined to win this battle by Your Grace. Help us to discern when to rest, when to feast, and how to actively engage our faith as we wait for You to break through. May our lives display Your power and Truth. Do the impossible in and through us, in Jesus' Name we pray. Amen
Sunday, June 7, 2026
Promise for Today - Doesn't Work Perfectly
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens ...a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.
Talk It Over
What loss have you failed to grieve? How has it affected you physically, emotionally, and spiritually?
Do you think grief is the same for everyone? Why or why not?
In what specific ways can you support someone in your life who is grieving right now?
Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4 (NIV)
As you learn to rise above life’s inevitable losses, you need to understand a couple of truths that will give you better perspective.
As you learn to rise above life’s inevitable losses, you need to understand a couple of truths that will give you better perspective.
Life is tough. The world is broken, and nothing works perfectly. Your body doesn’t work perfectly, the weather doesn’t work perfectly, the economy doesn’t work perfectly, and no relationship works perfectly. Life is full of losses.
First, God doesn’t expect you to be happy all the time.
First, God doesn’t expect you to be happy all the time.
There is this myth that Christians should be always smiling, always happy, always cheerful. But the Bible says, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens ...a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4 NIV).
Sometimes the only appropriate, logical response to life is grief. The Bible says you should grieve over your losses, including your disappointments, your sin, the suffering in the world, and your friends who are spiritually lost. God doesn’t expect you to be happy all the time. In fact, he wants you to be intentional in your grief.
Second, grief is essential to your health.
If you never grieve over anything, it means one of three things: You’re out of touch with reality, you’re out of touch with your own emotions, or you don’t love. When you love and you see sad things, grief is a natural response.
Grief is a healthy and helpful emotion. And it’s God’s gift that helps you get through the transitions of life.
Maybe you were hurt many years ago growing up. Maybe your parents divorced. Maybe you were abused. Maybe you were hurt by something somebody said about you. As a child, you didn’t know how to grieve in a healthy way, so you just pushed it down deep inside you.
You need to grieve that hurt. Why? Because if you don’t grieve, you get stuck emotionally, and you spend the rest of your life reacting to something that happened a long time ago and taking it out on the people around you. It’s unhealthy!
David talked about this in Psalm 32:3: “When I kept things to myself, I felt weak deep inside me. I moaned all day long” (NCV).
The bad things that happen to you are not your choice. But grief is a choice! You’ve got to let yourself mourn losses so that you can move forward to emotional and spiritual health.
Sometimes the only appropriate, logical response to life is grief. The Bible says you should grieve over your losses, including your disappointments, your sin, the suffering in the world, and your friends who are spiritually lost. God doesn’t expect you to be happy all the time. In fact, he wants you to be intentional in your grief.
Second, grief is essential to your health.
If you never grieve over anything, it means one of three things: You’re out of touch with reality, you’re out of touch with your own emotions, or you don’t love. When you love and you see sad things, grief is a natural response.
Grief is a healthy and helpful emotion. And it’s God’s gift that helps you get through the transitions of life.
Maybe you were hurt many years ago growing up. Maybe your parents divorced. Maybe you were abused. Maybe you were hurt by something somebody said about you. As a child, you didn’t know how to grieve in a healthy way, so you just pushed it down deep inside you.
You need to grieve that hurt. Why? Because if you don’t grieve, you get stuck emotionally, and you spend the rest of your life reacting to something that happened a long time ago and taking it out on the people around you. It’s unhealthy!
David talked about this in Psalm 32:3: “When I kept things to myself, I felt weak deep inside me. I moaned all day long” (NCV).
The bad things that happen to you are not your choice. But grief is a choice! You’ve got to let yourself mourn losses so that you can move forward to emotional and spiritual health.
Talk It Over
What loss have you failed to grieve? How has it affected you physically, emotionally, and spiritually?
Do you think grief is the same for everyone? Why or why not?
In what specific ways can you support someone in your life who is grieving right now?
- by Pastor Rick
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Prayer:
Father,
You see the ache in our hearts and the weight we carry. Help us to not hide from our sorrow, but to walk through it with honesty and courage. Teach us to release our tears without shame, to remember without being crushed, and to honor what we’ve lost while still choosing life. Hold us steady when the waves of grief rise high, and remind us that healing is not forgetting, but learning to carry the love in a new way. Guide our steps toward peace, and surround us with people who will pray with us through the tough times. Keep us ever mindful that, with You, we are never alone. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.
Saturday, June 6, 2026
Promise for Today - Secure Supply
My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
Talk It Over
What have you been waiting for God to do in your life? How have you responded to the season of waiting?
Think of a time when you had to trust God’s timing. How did he work in your life during that time?
It’s easy to hurry—but God’s blessing often comes through waiting. How can you slow yourself down so that you learn patience and trust?
Philippians 4:19 (ESV)
Putting your trust in your bank account, your job, or your investments is a recipe for heartache. Why? Because you can lose all of those things. Where do you find your security?
You need to find security in something that cannot be taken from you: God! If you want God’s blessing on your life, you need to learn to trust in God’s wealth and not your own.
Here’s what the Bible says about God’s wealth: “My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19 ESV).
Your job may be where you get your income, but it shouldn’t be your security. Your job is a channel, but God is your source. If you understand this, you’ll have so much less stress in your life. Let me say it again: Your job is a channel, but God is the source of your supply.
If you turned on the faucet in your kitchen and no water came out, what would you do? Would you say, “Oh, the world has run out of water! There’s no water coming out of the faucet, so there must not be any left in the whole world”?
Of course not. You’d know the problem is not with the source. There’s plenty of water in the world. The problem is the channel; it’s gotten blocked one way or another.
It’s the same way in your life. If one channel gets blocked in your life and the “faucet” stops working, it doesn’t mean the whole supply has dried up. God can easily turn on another faucet.
God is not limited by your ability and capacity. You may be limited by your own capacity in the work you do. But your job is not what ultimately supplies your needs. Your job is just a channel for God to supply your needs.
If you think that your job is what keeps you financially secure, then you’re going to feel insecure your entire life. You need to understand that God is the source of your supply. You can depend on him to know exactly what you need and how to give it to you.
Jobs may come and go. Bank accounts rise and fall. Economies go up and down. Stock markets can go bull or bear. It doesn’t matter!
No matter what happens, you can trust in God’s wealth for your security.
Putting your trust in your bank account, your job, or your investments is a recipe for heartache. Why? Because you can lose all of those things. Where do you find your security?
You need to find security in something that cannot be taken from you: God! If you want God’s blessing on your life, you need to learn to trust in God’s wealth and not your own.
Here’s what the Bible says about God’s wealth: “My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19 ESV).
Your job may be where you get your income, but it shouldn’t be your security. Your job is a channel, but God is your source. If you understand this, you’ll have so much less stress in your life. Let me say it again: Your job is a channel, but God is the source of your supply.
If you turned on the faucet in your kitchen and no water came out, what would you do? Would you say, “Oh, the world has run out of water! There’s no water coming out of the faucet, so there must not be any left in the whole world”?
Of course not. You’d know the problem is not with the source. There’s plenty of water in the world. The problem is the channel; it’s gotten blocked one way or another.
It’s the same way in your life. If one channel gets blocked in your life and the “faucet” stops working, it doesn’t mean the whole supply has dried up. God can easily turn on another faucet.
God is not limited by your ability and capacity. You may be limited by your own capacity in the work you do. But your job is not what ultimately supplies your needs. Your job is just a channel for God to supply your needs.
If you think that your job is what keeps you financially secure, then you’re going to feel insecure your entire life. You need to understand that God is the source of your supply. You can depend on him to know exactly what you need and how to give it to you.
Jobs may come and go. Bank accounts rise and fall. Economies go up and down. Stock markets can go bull or bear. It doesn’t matter!
No matter what happens, you can trust in God’s wealth for your security.
Talk It Over
What have you been waiting for God to do in your life? How have you responded to the season of waiting?
Think of a time when you had to trust God’s timing. How did he work in your life during that time?
It’s easy to hurry—but God’s blessing often comes through waiting. How can you slow yourself down so that you learn patience and trust?
- by Pastor Rick
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Prayer:
Father,
Strengthen us to endure this season with faith and joy, trusting that You are working all things for our good, even when we cannot see the outcome. Strengthen our hearts to remain steadfast and hopeful. Let us find courage in Your promises and joy in Your presence while we wait for Your guidance and blessings. As we face uncertainty by the world's standards, fill our hearts with peace as we stand on the rock-solid foundation of Your Word. Keep us ever mindful that You are always with us, guiding our steps and providing for our needs, and we are so grateful. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen
Strengthen us to endure this season with faith and joy, trusting that You are working all things for our good, even when we cannot see the outcome. Strengthen our hearts to remain steadfast and hopeful. Let us find courage in Your promises and joy in Your presence while we wait for Your guidance and blessings. As we face uncertainty by the world's standards, fill our hearts with peace as we stand on the rock-solid foundation of Your Word. Keep us ever mindful that You are always with us, guiding our steps and providing for our needs, and we are so grateful. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen
Friday, June 5, 2026
Promise for Today - God's Plan of Defense
I depend on God alone; I put my hope in him. He alone protects and saves me; he is my defender, and I shall never be defeated. My salvation and honor depend on God; he is my strong protector; he is my shelter.
Talk It Over
What practical things can you do in a tense moment to keep from speaking or acting in retaliation?
Why does God want you to remain silent when you are under attack? Why doesn’t he want you to try to prove that you’re right?
How does someone’s attack on your character say more about that person than it does about you?
Psalm 62:5-7 (GNT)
You’ll always have people in your life who misunderstand you and don’t like you. Others will criticize you, judge you, attack you, and spread rumors about you. In all of these circumstances, your natural tendency will be to fight back. When you’re misunderstood, you’ll want to defend yourself. When you’re attacked, you’ll be tempted to launch your own attack. When people criticize you, you’ll want to criticize them. When people insult you, you’ll want to hurl back your own insults.
Don’t do it! Instead, let God be your defender. Every time you are attacked, criticized, ridiculed, or misunderstood, you have two choices: You can defend yourself, or you can let God defend you. Which will it be? Who do you think can do a better job defending you? You or God? Of course, God can.
Pay attention to this: You’re most like Christ when you say nothing in the face of attacks, lies, and unfair criticism. You’re most like Jesus when you remain silent and leave it in God’s hands. The Bible says, “When [Jesus] was insulted, he did not answer back with an insult; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but placed his hopes in God, the righteous Judge” (1 Peter 2:23 GNT). In the face of his unjust conviction and persecution, Jesus did not fight back. When it mattered most, he trusted God to defend him and bring ultimate justice.
King David was criticized and attacked his entire life. In fact, people repeatedly wanted to kill him because they were jealous of him. But David said this: “I depend on God alone; I put my hope in him. He alone protects and saves me; he is my defender, and I shall never be defeated. My salvation and honor depend on God; he is my strong protector; he is my shelter” (Psalm 62:5-7 GNT).
People will be jealous of your success, and some will even want to attack you. But like David, you need to let God be your protector, your Savior, your defender, your victor, and your shelter.
Let God handle it. Let him be your defense.
You’ll always have people in your life who misunderstand you and don’t like you. Others will criticize you, judge you, attack you, and spread rumors about you. In all of these circumstances, your natural tendency will be to fight back. When you’re misunderstood, you’ll want to defend yourself. When you’re attacked, you’ll be tempted to launch your own attack. When people criticize you, you’ll want to criticize them. When people insult you, you’ll want to hurl back your own insults.
Don’t do it! Instead, let God be your defender. Every time you are attacked, criticized, ridiculed, or misunderstood, you have two choices: You can defend yourself, or you can let God defend you. Which will it be? Who do you think can do a better job defending you? You or God? Of course, God can.
Pay attention to this: You’re most like Christ when you say nothing in the face of attacks, lies, and unfair criticism. You’re most like Jesus when you remain silent and leave it in God’s hands. The Bible says, “When [Jesus] was insulted, he did not answer back with an insult; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but placed his hopes in God, the righteous Judge” (1 Peter 2:23 GNT). In the face of his unjust conviction and persecution, Jesus did not fight back. When it mattered most, he trusted God to defend him and bring ultimate justice.
King David was criticized and attacked his entire life. In fact, people repeatedly wanted to kill him because they were jealous of him. But David said this: “I depend on God alone; I put my hope in him. He alone protects and saves me; he is my defender, and I shall never be defeated. My salvation and honor depend on God; he is my strong protector; he is my shelter” (Psalm 62:5-7 GNT).
People will be jealous of your success, and some will even want to attack you. But like David, you need to let God be your protector, your Savior, your defender, your victor, and your shelter.
Let God handle it. Let him be your defense.
Talk It Over
What practical things can you do in a tense moment to keep from speaking or acting in retaliation?
Why does God want you to remain silent when you are under attack? Why doesn’t he want you to try to prove that you’re right?
How does someone’s attack on your character say more about that person than it does about you?
- by Pastor Rick
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Prayer:
Father,
You are our refuge and our shield, our strong tower in times of trouble. Stand before us, Lord, as our defender against every seen and unseen danger. Surround us with Your mighty presence, and let no weapon formed against us prosper. When fear tries to creep in, fill our hearts with Your peace that surpasses all understanding. Fight for us, Lord, and let Your justice prevail. We trust in Your unfailing love and rest in the safety of Your hands. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.
Thursday, June 4, 2026
Promise for Today - Making the Choice to Wait
I trust the LORD God to save me, and I will wait for him to answer my prayer.
Talk It Over
What have you been waiting for God to do in your life? How have you responded to the season of waiting?
Think of a time when you had to trust God’s timing. How did he work in your life during that time?
It’s easy to hurry—but God’s blessing often comes through waiting. How can you slow yourself down so that you learn patience and trust?
Micah 7:7 (CEV)
The Bible is clear that you’ll go through different seasons in life. One season God talks about over and over is the season of waiting. But you can trust that while you’re waiting, God is working. A season of waiting doesn’t mean that God has stopped working. In fact, he’s taking you through that season because he’s using the time to work in your circumstances for your good.
The truth is, you’re going to spend much of your life waiting. And so, if you don’t figure out how to trust God while you’re waiting, you’ll spend a lot of your life not trusting God.
God is never in a hurry; he’s eternal! And as he’s working, he wants you to learn how to trust him.
You might be asking, “When, Lord? When is it going to happen?” And God’s saying something like, “You can trust me with this.”
It’s human nature to say, “Don’t wait! Get things as quickly as you can.” But that goes against God’s blessing in your life—because God’s blessing often comes through times of waiting. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, “[God] has set the right time for everything” (GNT).
Are you in a time of waiting? Maybe it’s for school to end. Maybe it's for healing. Maybe it’s for the “right person” to come into your life. Maybe it’s for a marriage to happen, a baby to come, or a new job opportunity to arrive. And you’re frustrated with how slowly things are happening. We’ve all been there.
There’s a promise in the Bible that not only tells you God is working but also how God is working. You need to believe it while you’re waiting: “I am the LORD, and when it is time, I will make these things happen quickly” (Isaiah 60:22 NCV).
That’s how God worked when he sent Jesus into this world. The world waited thousands of years for him to come the first time. And then he came at just the right moment.
We’ve been waiting 2,000 years now for Jesus to come again. When will that happen? At just the right time—God’s time. That’s when he’s going to return.
You can apply this same truth to your time of waiting. Remember that a delay is not a denial. When you think God is saying, “No,” he may just be saying, “Not yet. Will you keep trusting me through this?”
Micah 7:7 says, “I trust the LORD God to save me, and I will wait for him to answer my prayer” (CEV).
That is the kind of faith God blesses.
The Bible is clear that you’ll go through different seasons in life. One season God talks about over and over is the season of waiting. But you can trust that while you’re waiting, God is working. A season of waiting doesn’t mean that God has stopped working. In fact, he’s taking you through that season because he’s using the time to work in your circumstances for your good.
The truth is, you’re going to spend much of your life waiting. And so, if you don’t figure out how to trust God while you’re waiting, you’ll spend a lot of your life not trusting God.
God is never in a hurry; he’s eternal! And as he’s working, he wants you to learn how to trust him.
You might be asking, “When, Lord? When is it going to happen?” And God’s saying something like, “You can trust me with this.”
It’s human nature to say, “Don’t wait! Get things as quickly as you can.” But that goes against God’s blessing in your life—because God’s blessing often comes through times of waiting. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, “[God] has set the right time for everything” (GNT).
Are you in a time of waiting? Maybe it’s for school to end. Maybe it's for healing. Maybe it’s for the “right person” to come into your life. Maybe it’s for a marriage to happen, a baby to come, or a new job opportunity to arrive. And you’re frustrated with how slowly things are happening. We’ve all been there.
There’s a promise in the Bible that not only tells you God is working but also how God is working. You need to believe it while you’re waiting: “I am the LORD, and when it is time, I will make these things happen quickly” (Isaiah 60:22 NCV).
That’s how God worked when he sent Jesus into this world. The world waited thousands of years for him to come the first time. And then he came at just the right moment.
We’ve been waiting 2,000 years now for Jesus to come again. When will that happen? At just the right time—God’s time. That’s when he’s going to return.
You can apply this same truth to your time of waiting. Remember that a delay is not a denial. When you think God is saying, “No,” he may just be saying, “Not yet. Will you keep trusting me through this?”
Micah 7:7 says, “I trust the LORD God to save me, and I will wait for him to answer my prayer” (CEV).
That is the kind of faith God blesses.
Talk It Over
What have you been waiting for God to do in your life? How have you responded to the season of waiting?
Think of a time when you had to trust God’s timing. How did he work in your life during that time?
It’s easy to hurry—but God’s blessing often comes through waiting. How can you slow yourself down so that you learn patience and trust?
- by Pastor Rick
**************************************
Prayer:
Father,
In this hurry-up, instant-fix, same-day online order season of the world we live in, we often lose sight of and patience with a season of waiting. Forgive us for every time we gloss over, 'They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength". Forgive us for every time we equate waiting with being punished or ignored by You. Forgive us for believing that lie of the enemy of our souls to try to make us doubt You and weaken our faith and trust in You. Father, we declare the Truth of Your Word over the facts of our lives. From Psalm 62, Let all that we are wait quietly before You, God, for our hope is in You. You alone are our rock and our salvation, our fortress where we will not be shaken. Our victory and honor come from You alone. You are our refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach us. Father, we choose to trust You at all times. Help us to stand strong upon Your Word. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen
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