Max Lucado Daily: DECEIVE NO MORE - September 7, 2026
1 Kings 18:40 (NIV) reads, “Elijah commanded them, ‘Seize the prophets of Baal. Don’t let anyone get away!’ They seized them, and Elijah had them…slaughtered there.”
This moment does not sit well in our modern, westernized mindset. Elijah, a man of God, brandishing a sword and executing several hundred men? Except for the fact that these weren’t just men; they were disciples of the devil. They were demonic in their devotion to the cause of hell, all in the name of God.
In the final days, as recorded in Revelation 20:3 (NKJV), God will “cast him [Satan] into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him so that he should deceive the nations no more.”
Unbreakable Courage
Proverbs 4
Your Life Is at Stake
1–2 4 Listen, friends, to some fatherly advice;
sit up and take notice so you’ll know how to live.
I’m giving you good counsel;
don’t let it go in one ear and out the other.
3–9 When I was a boy at my father’s knee,
the pride and joy of my mother,
He would sit me down and drill me:
“Take this to heart. Do what I tell you—live!
Sell everything and buy Wisdom! Forage for Understanding!
Don’t forget one word! Don’t deviate an inch!
Never walk away from Wisdom—she guards your life;
love her—she keeps her eye on you.
Above all and before all, do this: Get Wisdom!
Write this at the top of your list: Get Understanding!
Throw your arms around her—believe me, you won’t regret it;
never let her go—she’ll make your life glorious.
She’ll garland your life with grace,
she’ll festoon your days with beauty.”
10–15 Dear friend, take my advice;
it will add years to your life.
I’m writing out clear directions to Wisdom Way,
I’m drawing a map to Righteous Road.
I don’t want you ending up in blind alleys,
or wasting time making wrong turns.
Hold tight to good advice; don’t relax your grip.
Guard it well—your life is at stake!
Don’t take Wicked Bypass;
don’t so much as set foot on that road.
Stay clear of it; give it a wide berth.
Make a detour and be on your way.
16–17 Evil people are restless
unless they’re making trouble;
They can’t get a good night’s sleep
unless they’ve made life miserable for somebody.
Perversity is their food and drink,
violence their drug of choice.
18–19 The ways of right-living people glow with light;
the longer they live, the brighter they shine.
But the road of wrongdoing gets darker and darker—
travelers can’t see a thing; they fall flat on their faces.
Learn It by Heart
20–22 Dear friend, listen well to my words;
tune your ears to my voice.
Keep my message in plain view at all times.
Concentrate! Learn it by heart!
Those who discover these words live, really live;
body and soul, they’re bursting with health.
23–27 Keep vigilant watch over your heart;
that’s where life starts.
Don’t talk out of both sides of your mouth;
avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip.
Keep your eyes straight ahead;
ignore all sideshow distractions.
Watch your step,
and the road will stretch out smooth before you.
Look neither right nor left;
leave evil in the dust.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Monday, September 07, 2026
by Dave Branon
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE
Psalm 32:6-8
These things add up. Every one of us needs to pray;
when all hell breaks loose and the dam bursts
we’ll be on high ground, untouched.
7 God’s my island hideaway,
keeps danger far from the shore,
throws garlands of hosannas around my neck.
8 Let me give you some good advice;
I’m looking you in the eye
and giving it to you straight:
Today's Insights
Psalm 32 is one of seven penitential psalms (Psalms 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143), where the petitioner confesses his sins and turns to God for forgiveness. David penned Psalm 51 after repenting from his sins of adultery and murder (see 2 Samuel 11-12), and many scholars believe this was also the context for the writing of Psalm 32. The psalmist speaks of his heavy burden of guilt (vv. 3-4) and the joy of receiving God’s forgiveness (vv. 1-2). David notes the importance of confession of sin (v. 5) rather than stubbornly resisting like “the horse or the mule” (v. 9). God will deal graciously with the contrite and repentant, for “the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him” (v. 10). He’s promised us His watchful guidance and loving care: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you” (v. 8).
For further study, listen to the Evening Meditations Podcast: The Lord Sees You
God’s Loving Eye
I will instruct you and teach you in the ?way you should go; I will counsel you ?with my loving eye on you. Psalm 32:8
My wife, Sue, and I had just finished walking five miles across the Mackinac Bridge, which links Michigan’s two peninsulas. This annual Labor Day event in the United States is a tradition in our state dating back to 1958. We grabbed a seat on a park bench to rest. A man sat down next to us to catch his breath as well. Soon his wife and adult daughter joined him, and we learned that their family—also believers in Jesus—had suffered through the death of a teenage girl just as we did many years ago.
Together we were able to share how God has sustained us and given us strength and faith through the years. It was amazing to think that among the 33,000 walkers that day, we found a family that understood our hearts.
Two families with similar stories ending up together in a sea of people. It sounds a little like something that can happen only because of what God told King David in Psalm 32. After David expressed his appreciation to God for protection and deliverance, he got this encouraging word from Him: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye” (v. 8 nkjv).
God watches over His children, and He brings them together because they need each other. It’s another indication that “the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him” (v. 10).
Reflect & Pray
When have you experienced something that reminded you that God has His loving eye on you? What does His unfailing love mean to you?
Dear God, thank You that You’re real and that You’re always watching over me.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, September 07, 2026
Springs of Irrepressible Life
The water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life. — John 4:14
In John 4:14, our Lord doesn’t speak of a trickle of water but of a mighty spring, swelling its banks. Be filled with this water, and the sweetness of a vital relationship to Jesus will flow out of you as lavishly as it is imparted. If you find that your life isn’t flowing out as it should, search for the reason. It’s certain you are to blame, because you have not kept right with the source. Does Jesus say that when you keep right with him, you will be personally blessed? No. He says that out of you will flow rivers of living water—irrepressible life.
Jesus wants us to be channels through which he can flow. He wants to use us to bring his rivers of living water in blessing to everyone we meet. Some of us are like the Dead Sea—always taking in and never giving out. If we stay rightly related to our Lord, then as surely as we receive from him, he will pour out through us. When he is not pouring out, it means something is wrong in our relationship with him.
Has something come between you and Jesus Christ? Has something hindered your belief in him? If not, then Jesus says out of you will flow rivers of living water. These waters are neither an experience nor a blessing passed on; they are a continually flowing river. Guard well your belief in Jesus Christ and your relationship to him, and there will be no dryness and no deadness, only a steady flow for other lives.
Do you find it extravagant to say that mighty rivers will flow out of you—an individual believer of no particular significance? Have you looked for the rivers in your life and failed to see them? In the history of God’s work, it has nearly always started from those who, though they were obscure, unknown, and ignored, were steadfastly true to Jesus Christ.
Proverbs 1-2; 1 Corinthians 16
WISDOM FROM OSWALD
We are in danger of being stern where God is tender, and of being tender where God is stern.
The Love of God—The Message of Invincible Consolation, 673 L
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, September 07, 2026
Getting Things Ready for God to Come - #10346
Scripture: Acts 2:1-2
God blessed the Hutchcraft home with three very unique children. Anybody who knows them, nod your head now. Good…okay. I realize that’s three more than a number of families, some of whom would love to just have one child. We’ve had some friends tell us, “Ron, we’ve been trying to have children for three years,” or five years, or ten years. And today doctors do all they can to increase those possibilities. They’ll suggest times of the month when the baby would be most likely conceived; sometimes they’ll give you fertility drugs. And many a childless couple does all that they can to conceive a new life, and the way that they do that is just to create the conditions, to the best of their ability, in which the miracle could happen. Even though they can’t make it happen, they do their best to prepare for a life to begin.
I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “Getting Things Ready for God to Come.”
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Acts 2:1-2, and it records for us the most dramatic visit - Holy Spirit visit - in history. “When the day of Pentecost came,” it says, “they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.” And you know from there it became even more exciting as the Holy Spirit changed the city of Jerusalem and launched a movement that has reached you and me today.
Maybe today you have a longing deep inside to have a special, personal touch from the Holy Spirit. You know you need one; maybe a touch of what they call revival. You don’t even know what the word means, but you’d love to experience some. You know you need a reviving work for the Holy Spirit, something new and fresh and more powerful than you’ve had before. Maybe it’s a supernatural provision for a God-sized need right now. It’s a healing touch, or a restoring touch.
Well, if you need a little personal Pentecost right now, you’re in the same situation in a way as the couple who wants a child. You can’t make the miracle happen; that’s up to God. But you can create the conditions that the Holy Spirit can respond to, and that’s exactly what these people did when this great Spirit visit happened at Pentecost.
In Acts 1:12 it says, “They returned to Jerusalem from a hill called The Mount of Olives and waited there.” And that’s exactly what Jesus had commanded them to do - to wait in Jerusalem. Verse 14: “They all joined together constantly in prayer.” See, the way you create the conditions for the baby to come, for the baby of revival to come, of healing, of God’s restoring touch, is first to obey: to do what the Lord told you to do, to wait patiently, to be in the place God has placed you. Be sure you are where He wants you to be.
Second step, you’ve got to pray. You obey and then you pray. And you notice it says, “They prayed constantly.” That means through the day, dialoging with God, and often saying to Him as you ride, as you walk, and as you’re in the middle of your responsibilities, “Lord, please give me that special touch.” Cry out to Him often, pray constantly for it. “Seek the Lord continually,” David said.
And thirdly it says, “They stayed together.” You obey, you pray, and you stay together. And you eliminate any walls between you and any other believers. Usually these kinds of Spirit-touches come from praying together. God comes to places where His kids are all together, persistently asking Him to come. It’s not a microwave revival. It’s from people who will wait, who will pray, who will stick together, who will pursue Him together passionately. Who will pay the price.
Pentecost doesn’t begin at a public meeting; it doesn’t begin at a planning meeting. It usually begins in a prayer meeting. So if you’re hungry for a new spiritual life to be conceived, create the conditions in which it happens and expect God to respond with the visit you sought.
Only you can create the conditions. Only God can send the revival.
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