Overcoming the War Within You | Galatians 5:17
The Daily Devotional by Vince Miller
Release Date: 04/24/2024
When Conflict Spins Out of Control | Judges 15:6-8
The Daily Devotional by Vince Miller
Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Read more about and partner with us as we teach every verse of the Bible on video. Our text today is “Then the Philistines said, ‘Who has done this?’ And they said, ‘Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he has taken his wife and given her to his companion.’ And the Philistines came up and burned her and her father with fire. And Samson said to them, ‘If this is what you do, I swear I will be avenged on you, and after that I will quit.’ And he struck them...
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The Illusion of Getting Even | Judges 15:3-5
The Daily Devotional by Vince Miller
Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Today’s shout-out goes to Steve Winton from Lakeland, FL. Your commitment through helps deliver God’s Word daily with clarity and conviction. This one’s for you. Our text today is “And Samson said to them, ‘This time I shall be innocent in regard to the Philistines, when I do them harm.’ So Samson went and caught 300 foxes and took torches. And he turned them tail to tail and put a torch between each pair of tails. And when he had set fire to the...
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When People Betray You | Judges 15:1-2
The Daily Devotional by Vince Miller
Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Today’s shout-out goes to Charles Olaughlin from Shelbina, MO. Your commitment through helps deliver God’s Word daily with clarity and conviction. This one’s for you. Our text today is “After some days, at the time of wheat harvest, Samson went to visit his wife with a young goat. And he said, ‘I will go in to my wife in the chamber.’ But her father would not allow him to go in. And her father said, ‘I really thought that you utterly hated her, so I...
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Don’t Confuse God’s Power with His Approval | Judges 14:19-20
The Daily Devotional by Vince Miller
Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Today’s shout-out goes to George Truesdale from Cocoa Beach, FL. Your commitment through helps deliver God’s Word daily with clarity and conviction. This one’s for you. Our text today is And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon and struck down thirty men of the town and took their spoil and gave the garments to those who had told the riddle. In hot anger he went back to his father’s house. And Samson’s wife was given to his...
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The Trap of People-Pleasing | Judges 14:15-18
The Daily Devotional by Vince Miller
Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Today’s shout-out goes to Ronald Stephans. Your commitment through helps deliver God’s Word daily with clarity and conviction. This one’s for you. Our text today is “On the fourth day they said to Samson’s wife, ‘Entice your husband to tell us what the riddle is, lest we burn you and your father’s house with fire. Have you invited us here to impoverish us?’ And Samson’s wife wept over him and said, ‘You only hate me; you do not love me. You have put a...
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Don’t Gamble With God’s Blessings | Judges 14:10-14
The Daily Devotional by Vince Miller
Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. And today’s a special one—it’s Thanksgiving Day. Today’s shout-out goes to Marcus Sanfilippo from Flagler Beach, FL. Your commitment through helps deliver God’s Word daily with clarity and conviction. This one’s for you. Our text today is “His father went down to the woman, and Samson prepared a feast there, for so the young men used to do. As soon as the people saw him, they brought thirty companions to be with him. And Samson said to them, ‘Let me...
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When Everyone Does What’s Right in Their Own Eyes | Faith + State | Judges 14
The Daily Devotional by Vince Miller
In this week’s Faith + State conversation, Vince Miller and Minnesota House Rep. Elliott Engen walk through Judges 14, the beginning of Samson’s story — a man who lives by one destructive creed: “It is right in my eyes.” From forbidden relationships to rage-fueled decisions, Samson becomes a mirror for the crisis in our culture today. Elliott shares a shocking real-life story from Hamline University — including a crowd cheering the murder of a political figure — revealing how far we’ve drifted from basic morality. Vince connects the dots from Samson’s implosion to the...
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Finding Honey in Hardship | Judges 14:7-9
The Daily Devotional by Vince Miller
Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Today’s shout-out goes to Tom Reid from Elma, NY. Your commitment through helps deliver God’s Word daily with clarity and conviction. This one’s for you. Our text today is Then he went down and talked with the woman, and she was right in Samson’s eyes. After some days he returned to take her. And he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion, and behold, there was a swarm of bees in the body of the lion, and honey. He scraped it out into his hands and went...
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Inside Congress: Ethics, Power, and the Cost of Telling the Truth
The Daily Devotional by Vince Miller
When corruption becomes normal, truth becomes dangerous. In this episode of Faith + State, Vince and Elliott dig into the growing ethical crisis in American politics — from insider trading in Congress to corporate loopholes to the political machine that punishes anyone who dares to speak honestly. We trace this all the way back to 1 Kings 22, where Micaiah told the truth to a corrupt system that only wanted “yes men.” The same pattern shows up in modern government, corporate culture, and even our personal lives. If you've ever wondered why calling out wrongdoing gets you attacked… this...
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Minnesota’s Fraud Epidemic: What No One Wants to Say | Faith + State
The Daily Devotional by Vince Miller
Fraud in Minnesota isn’t slowing down — it’s exploding. Billions lost. Zero accountability. Elected officials looking the other way because the system benefits them. In this raw and honest episode, Vince Miller (pastor) and Rep. Elliott Engen (politician) sit down to talk about the fraud crisis no one else seems willing to address. From Feeding Our Future to autism program scams to DEI-shielded corruption, this conversation pulls the curtain back on what’s happening behind the scenes. Vince connects today’s corruption to the biblical story of Ahab, Jezebel, and Naboth from 1 Kings 21...
info_outlineDo you sense the war that's raging within you?
Our call out today goes to all the men from Texas I spent time with this weekend at Rough Creek Lodge & Resort. I love you guys. Thanks for hosting me at this incredible location.
For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. — Galatians 5:17
This verse describes one of the harsh realities that often rudely awakens many new believers. We learn that Jesus's free gift of eternal life doesn't free us from our temporal struggles. Within us continues to rage an ongoing war.
The war within is a specific battle, one of the desires. One is a longing to fulfill our human desires, and the other is the longing of the Spirit and his desires. It's important to clarify that this is not a war between our flesh and our spirit. Rather, this is a war between our flesh and His Spirit, which by nature infers victory is within our reach.
You see, at the moment of our salvation, our eternal address was changed, but we were also given a divine gift, the Holy Spirit, who now resides within us. The Holy Spirit is the person of God who possesses the power of God. He equips us to combat the desires of our flesh as we await our ultimate salvation. Without the Holy Spirit, we would lead a life of daily defeat. But with the Spirit, we can engage in a daily battle. By learning to walk by the Spirit (as Paul mentioned in the previous verse), we can discover a path that leads to satisfaction in God, not in the flesh. This means that we can experience day-to-day victory when we obey the Spirit's will and desires.
So today, if you feel like a war is raging inside you. You are right. There is one. It's a battle between your fleshly desires and God's will for you. To overcome this, you are going to have to do some things differently, which Paul is going to make clear in the coming verses.
But for now, do this. Start by recognizing your will and the Spirit's will. Differentiating and discerning between these two wills is the first step to waging and winning the war within.
#WarWithin
#SpiritualBattle
#FleshvsSpirit
ASK THIS:
- How can you actively discern between your own desires and the prompting of the Holy Spirit in your daily decisions and actions?
- What practical steps can you take today to align your will with God's will, thus gaining victory in the ongoing battle within your soul?
DO THIS: Start discerning the Spirit's will.
PRAY THIS: Father, grant me the wisdom and strength to discern and overcome the desires of my flesh, as I surrender to the leading of Your Holy Spirit within me. Guide me in walking faithfully on the path of victory over the internal battles that wage within my soul.
PLAY THIS: Whatever Your Plan Is.