LedgeRock Church

06/18/2026

Verse
1 John 5:11-12 KJV

God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life

Devotion

There are some things in life you can do without. You can survive without smartphones, shopping malls, or football games. You can even get by without life insurance, 401(k) plans, or home equity. But you cannot do without the Son of God.

God has given us eternal life. What a mercy! What a revelation! Everything in our experience screams to us that our life is temporary. Pets rotate through our life; family members die; we get older. Nothing lives forever. But God has given us eternal life!

How can mere mortals live forever? Certainly not in their own strength or by their own ingenuity. No, God has given us eternal life, but this life is in his Son Jesus Christ. Only the source of life Himself can carry us through death and bring us into an everlasting and delightful life on the other side.

The one who has the Son of God has life... right now. Eternal life begins the moment Jesus Christ takes up residence in your heart. If you have Jesus Christ then you are already enjoying the eternal life, the abundant life right now. But the one who does not have the Son has no such promise, no such current and joyful reality.

The good news of the gospel, then, is only to those who have Jesus Christ. Do you have the Son? Do you have eternal life?

David Jeremiah

06/18/2026

Wiser Than Before
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” -John 16:33 NIV

I’m so excited for you to begin this study! Let’s face it, life is often messy. It’s common to hear people say things like, “My life is a mess,” or “This situation is a mess.” What they mean is that life has become difficult, painful or confusing. And in the middle of a mess, it can often feel like God is a million miles away.

I don’t know the exact circumstances you may be dealing with right now, but I want to assure you that God loves you, He is fighting for you, and He will never leave or forsake you—never (see Romans 8:31-39; Hebrews 13:6). The truth is, we will all face trouble and pain in life, but if we handle it the way God wants us to, we can be blessed even in the midst of it. We serve a big God who is greater than any mess!

I think it’s interesting that God never promises us a trouble-free existence. Jesus says, In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world (John 16:33 NKJV). Life does not always go as we would like. We all go through seasons that are peaceful and pleasant. But we also need to be prepared and strong spiritually for the times when it gets messy.

The Bible is filled with instructions on how to handle ourselves when difficulties come our way, and I’ll cover some of them in this study. However, I want to begin with these three:Remain patient, continue to trust God when you don’t understand what is going on, and stay positive (see Romans 12:12; Proverbs 3:5). No matter what unpleasant circumstances we may face, if we do these three things, we can enjoy lifewhile He works on our problems.

I’m sure you’ve noticed that it’s easy to behave one way when we like our circumstances and another when we find them challenging. However, it’s possible to be stable in every situation, and our ability to do so is based on our thinking and believing. If we think positively and expect something good to come from our trouble…if we trust God and remind ourselves that He is good, we can make it through difficulties more easily than if we are negative and don’t trust Him.

It’s also important to know that change is a process. I’ve been in a serious relationship with God for more than 45 years. Like everyone, I began as a baby Christian, behaving like a baby and reacting emotionally every time life became difficult or situations didn’t go my way. However, over the years, I have learned how to behave, and God’s Word and His Spirit have changed me. I can testify that the things that once upset me greatly do not disturb me at all now. Why? Because I know how they will end if I do what God asks me to do—to remain patient, stay positive and trust Him. In the end, I know I will be strengthened by my troubles as time goes by.

Now, I am far from perfect. Just a few days ago, a situation threatened to ruin my plans for the day, and I became impatient and frustrated. My family started preaching my sermons back to me, which only added to my frustration! The good news is that within 10 minutes, I felt peaceful and the day turned out as I had planned after all. There are times I don’t behave properly, and I am still growing. But thankfully I have improved a lot, and I am determined not to let the enemy steal the joy of my progress by causing me to focus on my remaining weaknesses.

Remember, God doesn’t change us all at once—we grow little by little as we study His Word and spend time with Him. If you have not handled your problems well in the past, then with God’s help, you can begin to handle them better, starting now. You can begin with even just one thought that says, God, I trust You. I believe You’re going to do something great in the midst of what I’m going through.

As you do, you will become more and more stable…and come out better than you were when your difficulty began.

Adapted from the book Blessed in the Mess by Joyce Meyer. Copyright 2023 by Joyce Meyer. Published by Hachette Book Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
Prayer: “God, thank You for being with me always. Even if I haven’t always reacted well to trouble in the past, help me to learn how to do better in the future. You are the only one who can show me how to make the best out of a bad situation. Help me to be stronger than before and to keep the enemy from stealing my joy. Help me to keep my eyes on You, knowing that You can take negative circumstances and work them out for my good. Even if I don’t see a way through my problems right now, I have faith that You will guide me all the way. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

Joyce Meyer

06/18/2026

True Happiness
It is not wrong for men to possess riches. But the Bible warns that money cannot buy happiness! Money cannot buy true pleasure. Money cannot buy peace of heart. And money certainly cannot buy entrance into the Kingdom of God. Often money is a hindrance to these things. Money takes our minds off God. Riches, when used selfishly rather than for the glory of God, tend to corrupt in our hands. Money cannot be a substitute for God. If God has given you more wealth than your neighbors, dedicate it to Christ. Realize that you are only a steward of that which God has given you and some day you will have to give an account of every penny you have spent. The Internal Revenue Service wants a record of how you spend your money, but that is nothing compared to the books God is keeping.

Daily Prayer
Father, I would be a faithful steward of all You have given to me. Make me constantly aware of Your leading so I may wisely spend any money with which I have been entrusted.

Billy Graham

06/18/2026

“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did. Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining. Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them. I am writing to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name. I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, dear children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one. Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us. But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also. As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is what he promised us—eternal life. I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him. And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭29‬ ‭NIV‬‬

My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins,

06/17/2026

Verse
2 Samuel 22:3 KJV

My salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my savior...

Devotion

David had sought refuge in the mountains countless times while being hunted by King Saul. He knew both the discomfort of being exposed and vulnerable, and the peace of being safely tucked away in a strong fortress. Now David, as an old man, writes a hymn of praise to God, after being delivered once again, and calls God his salvation, his tower, his refuge.

Do you have a refuge? Perhaps not from a ravaging army, but from a smarting conscience? Do you have a safe place to run when you realize that there are sins in your past that cannot be undone, mistakes that cannot be corrected, wrongs that cannot be righted?

When your sins come rushing in on you, when you come to realize how far short you have fallen of the perfect and good standard of God, then your first tendency may be to save yourself -- but you cannot be a refuge for yourself. You need Someone else to shelter you from the just wrath of God. You need the perfect goodness of Jesus to be your refuge, your high tower of defense.

When you feel exposed and helpless before the all-seeing gaze of God, realizing that you are a sinner and that your only hope is a savior to intercede for you, know that Jesus Christ is a strong tower, a refuge into which you can run and find safety. This refuge will last, the tower will hold, this savior will save.

David Jeremiah

06/17/2026

An Angry World
The world, in the last few years, has reverted to a sort of barbarism. As practical Christianity has declined, rudeness and violence have increased. Neighbors quarrel with neighbors. Fighting is a major problem in our schools and the “gang wars” of the teenagers have come to present a serious menace in our cities. Fathers and mothers wrangle and bicker. Homes are disintegrating. High government officials in Washington engage in name-calling and in heated disputes not at all in keeping with the dignity of their office. Why and how has all this savagery crept into our social life? It is because we have forgotten Jesus’ words, “Happy are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth.” I have seen tough, rough, hardened men open their hearts by faith, receive Christ as Savior, and become gentle, patient, merciful gentlemen.

Daily Prayer
Fill me with Your mercy and love, Lord. In an angry world let me be used to bring peace where there is strife.

Billy Graham

06/17/2026

““I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other. “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’ “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.”
‭‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭1‬-‭27‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are

06/16/2026

Our Greatest Need
You can put a public school and university in the middle of every block of every city in America—but you will never keep America from rotting morally by mere intellectual education. Education cannot be properly called education which neglects the most important parts of man’s nature. Partial education throughout the world is far worse than none at all if we educate the mind but not the soul. To think of civilizing men without converting them to Christ is about as wise as to think about transforming wolves into lambs merely by washing them and putting on them a fleece of wool. “Happy are the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy.” The mercy the world needs is the grace, love, and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is His transforming and regenerating power that the world needs more than anything else.

Daily Prayer
Merciful Lord, may my life be filled with Your outflowing love for others.

Billy Graham

06/16/2026

Strength to Face Fear
We live in times when the earth is filled with great fear, but God’s children need not be afraid. He is the strength we need to confront fear, move past it, and do all that God wants us to do.

If anything in your life is causing you to fear right now, remember that God loves you very much and that His perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18).

God doesn’t simply give us strength; He is our strength! We don’t need to fear other people or what they might say about us or do to us. Since God is on our side, we can confidently trust that He will always deal with our enemies as we put our trust in Him.

Refuse to live your life in fear. Fear is from Satan, and it is intended to prevent you from making progress of any kind. However, the gift of God is faith, and with it, we can overcome all fear.

Pray: “Father, thank You for loving me and for being my strength. I pray that You would give me a revelation of Your love right now so that I can go about my day in perfect peace without any fear. Because You are with me, I don’t ever have to worry—and I want to know that in my innermost being. I pray that I will always choose faith over fear because I really do trust You! In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Adapted from the book Strength for Each Day by Joyce Meyer. Copyright 2021 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved

06/15/2026

Verse
Romans 3:23 KJV

All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God

Devotion

In one short statement Paul sums up both the gravity and the scope of the human condition.

What is the great damage that sin inflicts? Worst of all, sin causes us to fall short -- not just of parental expectations or personal potential -- but of the glory, or praise, of God. God will not praise anything that is flawed, that is evil, that is contrary to the perfection and goodness of his nature. And so God will never be satisfied with the sin-stained actions of sinful people. In other words, it is impossible for us to please God on our own.

How widespread is this problem? It is absolute; it is universal. "All have sinned" and so all have fallen short of the good standard of the righteous God. There are not exceptions to this pitiful human plight. Every human is in need of alien, other-worldly righteousness in order to please God.

The only solution to this universal and dire condition of humanity, Paul tells us, is "the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe" (3:22). Only the perfect righteousness of God can earn the praise of God; but that righteousness is by faith of Jesus Christ, to all who believe.

Are you still hoping to please God with your own goodness, which falls infinitely short of God's good standard? Or are you trusting in the righteousness of God by faith of Jesus Christ?

David Jeremiah