The Daily Word: Wednesday, June 30^th, 2021
2 Kings 17:1-18:12
Acts 20:1-38
Psalm 148:1-14
Proverbs 18:6-7
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. Yes, you yourselves know that these hands have provided for my necessities, and for those who were with me. – Acts 20:33-34

Paul saw miracles everywhere he went! Souls were saved. Bodies were healed! The dead were raised. And the verses above contain an absolute key to Paul’s ministry. He did not covet anyone’s silver, gold or apparel. He didn’t want their stuff! He didn’t want material things. He wasn’t traveling from church to church to make money! He worked to provide for himself, so that everything he did for the church was free. Because at the end of the day, all he wanted was to glorify God, even if it cost him everything!

Paul chose the things of the Spirit instead of the things of this world. He wanted Jesus and couldn’t have cared less about money! And because he didn’t run after the things of this world, God worked miracles through him that the world had never seen!

Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them. – Acts 19:11-12

Prayer:

Father, I want the things of the Spirit and not the things of this world! The things of this world are fading away; but the things of the Spirit will last forever. Help me to pursue what will last for eternity, and to forsake everything else, in Jesus’ name!

© Michael D. White, 2021. All rights reserved.

The Daily Word: Tuesday, June 29^th, 2021
2 Kings 15:1-16:20
Acts 19:13-41
Psalm 147:1-20
Proverbs 18:4-5
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.” – Acts 19:13

The Apostle Paul was casting out demons in the name of Jesus everywhere he went. So “some of the itinerant…exorcists” (v 13) and “seven sons of…a Jewish chief priest” (v 14) tried it on for size. After all, how hard could it possibly be to declare the name of Jesus over someone and see a demon flee? But their experiment backfired. Not only was the man not delivered; but “the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded” (v 16).

What was their big mistake? Why did it work for Paul and not for them? Because they “took it upon themselves.” Paul did it for God! He did it because the Holy Spirit led him to do it. But the professional exorcists did it for them. They did it because they wanted to, not because God told them to!

Power comes where obedience is exercised. But power does not flow where God has not told you to go! Don’t try to cast out demons unless the Lord is with you. Ask for the anointing and the instructions, and then and only then set out in full faith and confidence that God will back you up everywhere you go!

Prayer:

Lord, I only want to do what You ask me to do! Keep me humble and obedient. Help me to rely on Your instructions and Your name! I only want to do exactly what You tell me to do: nothing more, and nothing less, in Jesus’ mighty name.

© Michael D. White, 2021. All rights reserved.

The Daily Word: Monday, June 28^th, 2021
2 Kings 13:1-14:29
Acts 18:23-19:12
Psalm 146:1-10
Proverbs 18:2-3
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
While I live I will praise the Lord; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. – Ps. 146:2

Today you have a unique opportunity. One that you will never get again for all eternity. You get to choose to praise God through your present circumstance. There will never be another today! And while I know your life is not perfect, I also know that you have much to praise Him for! So, will you praise Him while you have your being? Will you praise Him while there is still breath in your lungs?

When you get to Heaven, worship will no longer be optional. You will bow at the feet of Jesus, and every tongue will confess that He is Lord (Phil 2:11). A glorious reward is reserved for those who make the choice to worship Jesus now, while there is still an option. Those who “sing praises to [their] God while [they] have [their] being” will reap the fruit of that decision for all eternity!

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. – Ps. 150:6

Prayer:

Father, thank You for reminding me to praise You. I will give You my praise in every circumstance. Whether things are going poorly or going better than they ever have before, I will praise You! You are worthy of all the glory, all the honor, and all the praise, in Jesus’ name.

© Michael D. White, 2021. All rights reserved.

The Daily Word: Sunday, June 27^th, 2021
2 Kings 10:32-12:21
Acts 18:1-22
Psalm 145:1-21
Proverbs 18:1
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
Then Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord, the king, and the people, that they should be the Lord’s people, and also between the king and the people. And all the people of the land went to the temple of Baal, and tore it down… – 2 Kings 11:17-18a

The people made a serious commitment, and they followed it up with serious action. They would be the Lord’s people! They would serve Him with their lives. And that commitment necessitated the tearing down of the temple of Baal – a temple that had been constructed so people could worship something that was not God.

When you commit your life to the Lord, other temples will have to come down. Where have you built idols in your life? Do you worship money? Do you worship science and technology? Do you worship your career, or a loved one who seems to be the “only one” who can make you happy?

A new commitment means new action. Giving God first place means everything else has to come down! Tear down the idols in your life, and watch how the Lord moves.

Prayer:

Lord, I know there are some things in my life that need to come down. Help me to deconstruct them! Help me to get rid of every idol so it’s no longer a distraction in my life. I am so grateful that You tear down every idol, and then rebuild my life in a way that worships and honors You, in Jesus’ name!

© Michael D. White, 2021. All rights reserved.

The Daily Word: Saturday, June 26^th, 2021
2 Kings 9:14-10:31
Acts 17:1-34
Psalm 144:1-15
Proverbs 17:27-28
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
But when Ahaziah king of Judah saw this, he fled by the road to Beth Haggan. So Jehu pursued him, and said, “Shoot him also in the chariot.” And they shot him at the Ascent of Gur, which is by Ibleam. Then he fled to Megiddo, and died there. – 2 Kings 9:27

Ahaziah was just visiting a friend. Ahaziah, the king of Judah, had gone into battle against Syria with Joram, the king of Israel. Joram was wounded! So Ahaziah “went down to see Joram…in Jezreel, because he was sick” (2 Kings 8:29). But as Joram recovered, Jehu arrived to seize the throne of Israel. Jehu killed Joram! And then he turned on Ahaziah and killed him too.

Ahaziah should not have associated with Joram. Ahaziah was the king over Judah: a people who sought after God! And Joram was the king over Israel: a nation who had lost sight of God completely. If Ahaziah had been seeking the Lord instead of pursuing unhealthy alliances, he would not have died such a horrible death. But because he associated with people God told him to avoid, he met his Maker before his time.

The company you keep matters! Don’t give your time to people who will push you further from God. Instead, spend time with people who will draw you closer to Jesus.

Prayer:

Lord, surround me with people who love You! Help me not to waste my time with people who don’t want to glorify You. I want to worship You with my life! And I ask that You would surround me with other people – friends and family – who want to worship You just as much.

© Michael D. White, 2021. All rights reserved.

The Daily Word: Friday, June 25^th, 2021
2 Kings 8:1-9:13
Acts 16:16-40
Psalm 143:1-12
Proverbs 17:26
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
So the woman arose and did according to the saying of the man of God, and she went with her household and dwelt in the land of the Philistines seven years. – 2 Kings 8:2

God is speaking. He is speaking all the time! He speaks to you through His Word (if you read it). He speaks to you in times of prayer (if you listen). He is always speaking! But when you hear His voice, will you do what He says?

Elisha warned the Shunammite woman that a seven-year famine was coming. So without hesitation she got up and “did according to the saying of the man of God” (v 2). She and her household left their land, their house, and everything they had ever known, and went and lived with the Philistines – the enemies of Israel! But they were glad they did. Because as the famine dragged on, they were safe and protected.

God will tell you what’s coming so you can avoid disaster and prosper in His will for your life! But when He speaks, will you do what He says?

For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. – Jas. 2:26

Prayer:

Lord, make me a doer of Your Word! I don’t want to just hear what You have to say and then stop there. I want to do what You tell me to do! Give me a heart of radical and immediate obedience, in Jesus’ name.

© Michael D. White, 2021. All rights reserved.

The Daily Word: Thursday, June 24^th, 2021
2 Kings 6:1-7:20
Acts 15:36-16:15
Psalm 142:1-7
Proverbs 17:24-25
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
But as one was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, “Alas, master! For it was borrowed.” – 2 Kings 6:5

The prophets were cutting down trees to build a new house. But as they swung their axes, an ax head fell into the water. The man who lost the ax was devastated because it was borrowed! He would now be indebted to the man who had lent him the ax.

So God worked a miracle. Elisha “cut off a stick, threw it in [the river], and he made the iron float” (2 Kings 6:6). But what seems like a random miracle is not random at all. God wants you out of debt! God wanted this young prophet to be out of debt so badly that he made iron float. And God wants the same for you! Scripture commands us to, “Owe no one anything except to love one another” (Rom. 13:8). And if you are indebted to anyone else – financially or otherwise – God wants you free! He will supernaturally supply everything you need so that you can live your life free from owing any man anything at all.

God despises debt. In fact, God wants you out of debt so much that He sent Jesus to pay every debt you could ever owe on the Cross! You owe everything to God! And that means you should owe nothing to man.

You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. – Deut. 28:12

Prayer:

Father, thank You for paying my sin debt on the Cross! I now ask that You would redeem me from every debt I owe to another man. Help me to pay back the money I owe! Help me to bless and release anyone who owes me anything. I will be bound to You and You alone, in Jesus’ name!

© Michael D. White, 2021. All rights reserved.

The Daily Word: Wednesday, June 23^rd, 2021
2 Kings 4:18-5:27
Acts 15:1-35
Psalm 141:1-10
Proverbs 17:23
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
When he had taken him and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died. And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, shut the door upon him, and went out. – 2 Kings 4:20-21

The Shunammite woman didn’t ask for a son; but God gave her one. God’s representative, the prophet Elisha, had made her a promise:

Then he said, “About this time next year you shall embrace a son.” – 2 Kings 4:16

So she conceived, and had a son (v 17). The child grew (v 18); but one day he fell ill and died. So what did the mother do? She took her child – her gift from God – and went up to Elisha’s room. She “laid him on the bed of the man of God, shut the door upon him, and went out.”

Think about her stance. This woman knew that she had no power to fix her problem on her own. So she put the pressure all on God. God had given her son life! And He was the only one who could bring him back. So she shut the door and trusted that God would fix what was broken.

And sure enough, He did:

[Elisha] returned and walked back and forth in the house, and again went up and stretched himself out on him; then the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. And he called Gehazi and said, “Call this Shunammite woman.” So he called her. And when she came in to him, he said, “Pick up your son.” So she went in, fell at his feet, and bowed to the ground; then she picked up her son and went out. – 2 Kings 4:35-37

What needs fixing in your life? What is broken? You know as well as I do that you couldn’t even fix it if you tried! So lay it at God’s feet. Let Him fix it. Put a healthy and holy expectation on God to change what you can’t! And God will bring everything dead back to life.

…for the battle is not yours, but God’s. – 2 Chron. 20:15

Prayer:

Father, help me never to be so foolish as to think that my destiny is in my own hands. I know that You are the One who has blessed me, and You are the only One who can fix what is broken! You are the Author and Finisher of my faith. Right now I lay everything at Your feet, and I trust You to bring it all back to life, in Jesus’ name.

© Michael D. White, 2021. All rights reserved.

The Daily Word: Tuesday, June 22^nd, 2021
2 Kings 3:1-4:17
Acts 14:8-28
Psalm 140:1-13
Proverbs 17:22
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
And in Lystra a certain man without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple from his mother’s womb, who had never walked. This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed… – Acts 14:8-9

There was something special about this man. He was sitting and listening to Paul speak. He was a “cripple from his mother’s womb, who had never walked” (v 8).  There were lots of people in the crowd! And many of them must have needed healing. But there was something special about this man. He had faith to be healed, and Paul saw it all over him.

Faith is the “substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). Faith is what brings the things of heaven to earth: what brings the things that are in the unseen realm into the seen realm so you can witness God’s faithfulness with your own eyes! And how did this man get “faith to be healed?” He heard the word of God.

Do you want faith for the miraculous, both in your life, and in the lives of others? Get the word of God in you. “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). Paul was boldly preaching the word of God! And this man was eating it up. The word built his faith; and faith brought his healing.

You don’t actually need a miracle. You just need the word! Because wherever the word is preached, miracles follow.

This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, said with a loud voice, “Stand up straight on your feet!” And he leaped and walked. – Acts 14:9-10

Prayer:

God, thank You for Your word! Thank You that when I am full of Your word, I am full of faith. Please fill me with faith to believe for the absolutely impossible. If I can believe it, You will do it, in Jesus’ name!

© Michael D. White, 2021. All rights reserved.

The Daily Word: Monday, June 21^st, 2021
2 Kings 1:1-2:25
Acts 13:42-14:7
Psalm 139:1-24
Proverbs 17:19-21
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
So Ahaziah died according to the word of the Lord which Elijah had spoken. Because he had no son, Jehoram became king in his place, in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah. – 2 Kings 1:17

Had Ahaziah repented, his life would have been spared! How do I know this? Because that is exactly what Hezekiah did when he found out he was supposed to die:

Then he turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the Lord, saying, “Remember now, O Lord, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what was good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. – 2 Kings 20:2-3

And when Hezekiah repented, God extended his life by “fifteen years” (v 6). The difference between Ahaziah and Hezekiah? Hezekiah sought the Lord; Ahaziah did not. Hezekiah humbled himself! Ahaziah did not.

Do not sit back and blindly accept whatever life throws your way as an unfortunate inevitability. Throw yourself at the feet of Jesus! Fall on your knees and ask God for help! He will bring you out and make you better than ever before. He will extend your life, in Jesus’ name!

Prayer:

Father, thank You that I have a say in my destiny! I pray that I would never be too proud to ask for help. I pray that I would never be so silly that I accept what the enemy wants for me as my destiny! I want all that You have for me in this life: nothing less and nothing more, in Jesus’ name.

© Michael D. White, 2021. All rights reserved.