26 November 2025

---

BELIEVE HIS PROPHETS
Daily Bible Reading

---

Judges 13 – A Child of Promise
The Birth of Samson – How God Plants Hope in Hopeless Times

---

Read online here

══════════════════════════

Introduction

Judges 13 opens in a dark time.
Israel is living under the rule of the Philistines.
There is oppression, spiritual weakness, and deep hopelessness.

And right there, God begins to move—
not through a king,
not through an army,
but through a family no one was paying attention to:

An infertile couple.

Where human possibility ends, God’s beginnings often break forth.

══════════════════════════

Commentary

Israel had once again fallen into the old pattern that shaped their history:
unbelief, turning away from God, and oppression by their enemies.
Forty years under the Philistines—a heavy cloud of helplessness lay over the people.

In these difficult days lived Manoah and his wife in the town of Zorah.
Their life was quiet, simple… and overshadowed by one deep pain:
they had no children.

In their culture, infertility meant not only longing but shame—
a life that felt like a closed future.

And right here, something extraordinary happens.

One day, the angel of the Lord appears to Manoah’s wife.
Not in a temple.
Not to a prophet.
But to a woman who likely felt small, overlooked, and insignificant.

His words fall like sunlight into a locked heart:

“You will conceive and bear a son.”

But this child would not be an ordinary child.
He would be a Nazirite, consecrated to God from the womb—
set apart for divine purpose.
No razor was to touch his head.
He would begin to deliver Israel from the Philistines.

The woman runs to Manoah and tells him everything.
Overwhelmed, Manoah prays:

“Lord, let the man of God come again, so we may learn what to do with the child.”

God listens.
The angel appears again—first to the woman, then to Manoah.
Manoah asks:
“What shall the boy’s rule of life and mission be?”

The answer is striking:

The angel does not repeat the child’s mission.
He repeats the parents’ responsibility:
purity, obedience, preparation.

Samson’s calling begins with his parents’ surrender.

Manoah wants to prepare a meal for the messenger, not knowing he is speaking with the angel of the Lord.
The angel refuses to eat and directs him instead to offer a burnt offering to God.

Then Manoah asks:
“What is your name?”

The angel replies:

“Why do you ask my name? It is wonderful.”

Manoah offers the goat and grain offering.

And then the miraculous happens:

As the flame rises from the rock altar,
the angel of the Lord ascends in the fire.

Manoah and his wife fall on their faces.
Manoah fears death, convinced they have seen God.
But his wife answers with calm, Spirit-given wisdom:

“If the Lord desired to kill us, He would not have accepted our offering.”

The story ends with a simple yet powerful conclusion:

The woman gave birth to a son and named him Samson.
The boy grew, and the Lord blessed him.
And the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him.

Out of darkness rises hope.
Out of an infertile woman comes a deliverer.
With Samson, God’s quiet but unstoppable rescue begins.

══════════════════════════

Summary

• Israel suffers under the Philistines for 40 years.

• An infertile couple receives a divine visitation.

• The angel announces Samson’s birth—a child consecrated to God.

• Manoah seeks guidance; God answers.

• A miraculous sign follows as the angel ascends in the flame.

• Samson is born, blessed, and stirred by the Spirit.

God begins salvation long before anyone sees change.

══════════════════════════

Message for us Today

1. God often begins where we come to an end.

Whatever feels barren or hopeless in your life can become the soil for new beginnings.

2. God works in quiet places.

No stage, no spotlight—just an unknown couple.
God delights in small beginnings.

3. Calling begins with surrender.

Samson’s mission started with the obedience of his parents.
Holiness begins in the heart.

4. God’s plans exceed human understanding.

Manoah wanted details.
God said, “My name is wonderful.”
We don’t need full clarity to fully trust.

5. God sees your today and your tomorrow.

Samson’s task was known before his birth.
Your life also fits into a divine story—and God sees more than you do.

══════════════════════════

Thought Prompt

Which “barren place” in your life might be the very place where God is planting the first seeds of new hope?

Perhaps where you expect the least,
the angel of the Lord is already whispering.

Stay open.
Stay obedient.
Stay ready.

God begins rescue stories with people who believe
that He is at work even in the unseen.

~~~~~ ~~~~~

23 – 26 November 2025

---

BELIEVE HIS PROPHETS
Weekly Reading – Spirit of Prophecy

---

Ellen White | Patriarchs and Prophets – Chapter 43
The Death of Moses | Justice, grace, and hope beyond the grave

---

Read online here

---

BLOG 4 – The Death That Was Not the End

Moses’ Final Breath – and the Victory Over Death
The battle for a man beloved by Heaven

---

Introduction

At first glance, the death of Moses seems like a quiet ending.
Yet behind the scenes, a heavenly conflict ignites—
and Moses becomes the first witness of Christ’s resurrection authority.

══════════════════════════

Commentary

Moses lies down like a weary traveler.
Death does not come as an enemy, but like a door that closes gently.
God Himself buries him—hidden from every human eye, guarded by angels.

But the silence of the grave does not last long.

Christ comes.

The Prince of Life steps to the place He Himself has watched over.
Satan appears as well—full of suspicion and pride.
He demands what he believes is rightfully his:

“Moses sinned! Death belongs to me!”

A moment of immense tension:
Heaven against hell, life against death.

But Christ does not argue.
He gives only one answer:

“The Lord rebuke you.”

And then something happens that the world has never seen:

A human being rises again.
Not on the last day,
not before all people—
but now, now through Christ Himself.

Moses steps out of the grave—transformed, radiant, free.
Death loses its claim.

He ascends with Christ,
not into a land of dust and stone,
but into the heavenly homeland.

Centuries later he will appear again—
not as a dead man,
but as a living one—
on the Mount of Transfiguration, standing beside Elijah, speaking with Jesus.

What he once longed for but could not enter,
is finally given to him:
the true, eternal Canaan.

══════════════════════════

Summary

Moses dies—yet God buries him personally.
Christ resurrects him, breaks Satan’s claim,
and brings him home to eternity.
Moses’ death becomes a triumph of life.

══════════════════════════

Message for Today

What looks like a “no” from God is often only the curtain before something far greater.
Moses did not receive the earthly land—
but the eternal one that will never perish.

══════════════════════════

Reflection Question

Which “lost Canaan” in your life
might turn out to be the better thing
that God is preparing for you?

══════════════════════════

LuxVerbi | The light of the Word. The clarity of faith.

Source: https://fulfilleddesire.net/26-11-2025-%e2%9a%96%ef%b8%8f-judges-chapter-13-a-child-of-promise-%f0%9f%93%9c-believe-his-prophets/

November 26, 2025

---

Joseph – Faith That Carries You Through
Devotions from the Life of a Dreamer with Character

---

29. God Turns Evil Into Good
How God can make even the worst part of His good plan

---

Daily Bible Verse

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good.”
Genesis 50:20

────────────────────────────────

Introduction

There are things in life we would never have chosen.
Losses that take our breath away.
Decisions made by others that wound us.
Pain we did not deserve.

We see what people do—
and we ask:
“Why does God allow this?”

Joseph had many reasons to ask exactly that.
His brothers didn’t act out of a misunderstanding—they wanted to get rid of him.
And yet, years later, Joseph looks back and does not say:

“I broke because of you.”

But instead:

“You intended evil — but God made it good.”

That one phrase — but God — changes the entire story.
It is the turning point of every darkest chapter.

────────────────────────────────

Devotion

Joseph was still a young man when his entire life changed in a single day. His father had sent him to his brothers, as he had done many times before. For Joseph it was an ordinary task. Nothing suggested that he would see his home for the last time that day.

But his brothers were filled with jealousy and anger. They had never understood his dreams and believed Joseph wanted to rise above them. When they saw him from afar, they decided to act. At first they planned to kill him. Eventually, they chose to sell him to traders. For them the matter was settled. For Joseph, a completely new chapter began.

He was taken to Egypt and sold there as a slave. Even though he was completely innocent, he had to find his way in a foreign land. He was brought into the house of Potiphar, a respected official. There he worked faithfully and reliably, and everything he did succeeded. But even that positive development did not last long. Potiphar’s wife accused him of something he had not done. Joseph could not defend himself. He was arrested and thrown into prison.

Prison could have been the place where Joseph broke inside. But it was precisely there that God began to shape his character. Joseph took responsibility. He cared for other prisoners. He held on to his integrity—not because he hoped it would free him, but because it aligned with his convictions. Even when Pharaoh’s cupbearer promised to mention him and then completely forgot, Joseph remained patient.

Years passed. Then Pharaoh had a dream no one could interpret. Suddenly the cupbearer remembered Joseph. Joseph was brought out. He stood before the most powerful man in the land and explained the dream—calmly, clearly, and with wisdom. Pharaoh was so impressed that he made Joseph the second most powerful man in Egypt.

In this position Joseph led the land through a severe famine. Not only the Egyptians were saved, but also people from surrounding regions. Among them were Joseph’s brothers. They came to Egypt to buy grain, unaware that the man before them was their own brother.

Joseph recognized them immediately. With their appearance, all the past returned: the betrayal, the pit, the sale into slavery. But instead of letting these memories define him, Joseph saw something else. He saw how every step—even the painful ones—had brought him to exactly where he now stood. He saw that God had used it all so that lives could be saved.

When he revealed his identity to his brothers, they were terrified. They expected revenge. But Joseph said something that revealed how deeply his perspective had changed:

“You intended to do me harm. But God made it good.”

He did not mean that what happened was right. But he recognized that God is able to bring good even out of evil intentions. His brothers had sold him—but God had used that very act to place him in a position from which he could save their family.

In the end, Joseph did not place the focus on his brothers, but on God.
Not their actions defined his life, but God’s intervention.
Not human guilt wrote the story—but God’s plan.

This understanding gave Joseph the freedom to make peace instead of seeking revenge. It gave him the courage to look forward. And it gave him the confidence that his life was not directed by people, but by God, who knows and guides every chapter.

────────────────────────────────

Thoughts for Your Heart

• People have power, but God has the final word.
• No chapter of your story is lost when God is writing with you.
• God does not transform every evil immediately—but He never loses control.
• Your past does not define you—God’s plan does.

────────────────────────────────

What We Can Learn from Joseph

• You can name what was done to you honestly—without staying stuck in it.
• You can forgive because God’s sovereignty is greater than human injustice.
• God uses even dark paths to bring you to places you were meant to be.
• What is planned against you, God can turn into something that brings life to others.

────────────────────────────────

Practical Steps

1. Write down what you perceive as “evil” in your life—raw and honest.

2. Bring it before God and say: “Lord, I know what people did. Show me what You can do.”

3. Ask God for His perspective, not just answers.

4. Practice saying: “God is greater than what was done to me.”

5. Ask God: “How can my story serve others?”

────────────────────────────────

Questions for Reflection

• Which events in my life have I evaluated only from a human perspective?
• Where do I still feel “victimized” by others?
• Where do I need the words “but God” in my story today?
• Who could be blessed by my experience?

────────────────────────────────

Prayer

Lord,
you know the paths that have wounded me.
You know the people who have hurt me,
the decisions that affected me,
and the chapters I would have never chosen.

I bring You my pain,
my questions,
my uncertainty.

Teach me to see, like Joseph,
that You are greater than what people plan.
Show me where You were at work even in the darkness.
Take bitterness from my heart
and give me Your peace.

Give me the courage to say:
“People meant evil — but God turned it into good.”
And use my story
to bring hope to others.

Amen.

────────────────────────────────

Key Thought of the Day

Evil has power — but God has the final word.

────────────────────────────────

Blessing to Close

The Lord who led Joseph through betrayal, loss, and imprisonment
bless you with the same hope.

May He give you eyes to recognize His hand
even when the path is dark.

May He strengthen your heart
so you can say: “But God…”

And may He turn your wounds into springs of life—
for you and for many.

Amen.

────────────────────────────────

LumenCorde | Daily light for a living soul.

Source: https://fulfilleddesire.net/26-11-2025-%f0%9f%8c%bejoseph-faith-that-carries-you-through-29-god-turns-evil-into-good-%e2%9a%93-heart-anchor-youth-devotional/