“So Elijah did as the Lord told him and camped beside Kerith Brook, east of the Jordan. The ravens brought him bread and meat each morning and evening, and he drank from the brook. But after a while the brook dried up, for there was no rainfall anywhere in the land.” (1 Kings 17:5–7 NLT)

Elijah proclaimed to King Ahab that a drought would strike the land and would continue for years until he, Elijah, called an end to it—at the Lord’s direction, of course. After Elijah made his proclamation, the Lord gave him these instructions: “Go to the east and hide by Kerith Brook, near where it enters the Jordan River. Drink from the brook and eat what the ravens bring you, for I have commanded them to bring you food” (1 Kings 17:3–4 NLT).

That was quite a turnaround. One day Elijah was boldly issuing a proclamation to a king; the next day he was hiding out by a brook. Elijah “did as the Lord told him” (verse 5 NLT), but he must have been a little bewildered.

Elijah made do for a while. “The ravens brought him bread and meat each morning and evening, and he drank from the brook. But after a while the brook dried up, for there was no rainfall anywhere in the land” (verses 6–7 NLT).

The brook dried up. Those are ominous words for someone whose survival seemed to depend on the brook. Elijah is certainly not the only Bible character to face such a defining—and potentially defeating—moment. Abraham and Sarah’s “brook dried up” when they found themselves childless in old age. Joseph’s “brook dried up” when he was sold into slavery by his brothers. Moses’ “brook dried up” when he killed an Egyptian official and became a fugitive. The apostle Peter’s “brook dried up” when he denied knowing Jesus three times. The disciples’ “brook dried up” when Jesus cried out, “It is finished,” and gave up His life on the cross.

Maybe you’ve had a brook dry up in your life as well. Maybe one day your partner said, “I’m leaving. I don’t want to be with you anymore.” And just like that, your relationship was over.

Maybe you got a call from the place you’ve worked for twenty years: “Sorry, we’re downsizing.” And just like that, you’re unemployed. Your brook dried up.

But what seems like the end of the world may, in fact, be a new beginning. When God closes one door, He opens another. Elijah was about to discover this fact.

God was getting him ready, step by step, challenge by challenge. Big things were coming. The next phase was about to start. It’s the same with you. If you’ve been told to head for the hills and be fed by birds, so to speak, if your brook has dried up, if a door has closed in your life, don’t think God is done with you. Just trust Him. He may be getting you ready for phase two. He may be whipping you into shape for something beyond your wildest dreams.

As the apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 2:9, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him” (NLT).

Reflection question: How can you keep a proper perspective when a door closes in your life? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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“Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and married one of his daughters. He brought her to live in the City of David until he could finish building his palace and the Temple of the Lord and the wall around the city.” (1 Kings 3:1 NLT)

Solomon’s fall and disillusionment began with a series of compromises, one of which involved marrying the daughter of Pharaoh. Solomon did this because he wanted to establish a political alliance with Egypt. It was a strategic move. For all practical purposes, Solomon “yoked” himself unequally with a nonbeliever—something God had forbidden.

God had told the Jewish people not to intermarry with other nations. This was not a racial issue; it was a spiritual issue. God didn’t want the Israelites aligning themselves with people who worshipped false gods. He knew how powerful the temptation of idolatry was. He knew that the Israelites’ hearts would turn away from Him if they established relationships with nonbelievers.

God’s warning should resonate with His people today as well. We have an enemy who will use anything—including other people—to disrupt our relationship with God. And when those other unbelieving people inspire a romantic attraction in us, their negative impact is magnified.

That’s how the devil took down Samson, perhaps the strongest man who ever lived. Samson had a natural attraction to Philistine women, even though they were not only idol worshippers but also enemies of Israel. The devil fanned the flames of attraction until Samson turned his back on his spiritual responsibilities to pursue ill-considered relationships.

The race that is set before us as God’s people is difficult. A wise strategy is to run it with a partner who loves the Lord as much as you do.

If you are a single person, you should pray for and wait on the godly man or woman that the Lord will bring into your life. You can be sure He would not want you romantically involved with a person who does not believe. The struggles, temptations, and negative influences are simply too great to be ignored.

The Bible tells us, “Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever?” (2 Corinthians 6:14–15 NLT).

In the race of life, you want to run with someone who is going in the same direction that you are. And if you are Christians, both you and your mate will be running toward the Lord and His plan and purpose for your lives.

Solomon did not live by that principle. He teamed up with people who did not share his faith or his God. Be wiser than the wisest man who ever lived. Don’t become a partner with an unbeliever.

Reflection question: How can you determine whether someone is going in the same direction as you, spiritually speaking? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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The audio production of the podcast "Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.” (Romans 5:6 NLT)

In the 1800s in London, a little boy wanted to hear the great American evangelist D. L. Moody, who had come to town to preach. This little street urchin made his way across the entire city of London, risking his very life, with no food or proper shoes. After a long journey, he finally came to the great church where Moody was scheduled to speak.

As he made his way up to the door, an old usher scowled at him and asked, “What are you doing, young man?”

The boy said, “I am going to go hear the great evangelist D. L. Moody.”

“Not looking like that! You are filthy. Go away!”

The little boy was crushed. He was sitting on the steps, crying, when a black carriage pulled up in front of the church. Out of it stepped a large man. He saw the sad little boy on the steps and asked, “Young man, what is wrong?”

The boy answered, “I came here to hear the great preacher D. L. Moody, but they won’t let me in the church.”

“Is that so?” the big man said. “You just put your hand in my hand, and I will see what I can do to help you.”

The little boy put his dirty little hand into the man’s big, clean hand. The man led him right down the middle aisle, past the usher who wouldn’t let him in, to the front row. The big guy sat him in a front-row seat. Then the man stepped up to the pulpit. That man was, of course, D. L. Moody. That young boy couldn’t get in on his own, but when he held Moody’s hand, he walked through the front door.

So it is with us, because of Jesus. We are filthy in sin. In Psalm 51:5, David wrote, “For I was born a sinner—yes, from the moment my mother conceived me” (NLT). Isaiah 53:6 says, “All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all” (NLT). The apostle Paul wrote, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard” (Romans 3:23 NLT). Because of our sinfulness, we have no hope of entering Heaven on our own.

Our only hope is Jesus, who takes our dirty hand in His clean one and leads us to a front-row seat in God’s presence. As Paul puts it in the next two verses of Romans 3: “Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood” (verses 24–25 NLT).

The frustrating reality for many people trying to establish themselves today is also the glorious reality of salvation: It all depends on who you know.

Reflection question: How can you lead someone into Jesus’ presence? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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The audio production of the podcast "Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

Become a Harvest Partner

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.