Better News Podcast

Christians are all a part of the body of Christ. They're all children of God and all part of the same family. That's why, as you'll get to see today with Pastor Ricky, fellowship with Unity in Christ. God wants all believers to live in unity with Christ and with each other. He loves to see the gathering of His people as they encourage each other in love and fellowship. God made all of us with the need for fellowship with other believers. Today Pastor Ricky is going to show us how important it is to know other believers in our walk with God. You're not meant to go through this life alone. You're a part of the body of Christ with others and everyone has a role to play for Christ. "Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

Christians are all a part of the body of Christ. They're all children of God and all part of the same family. That's why, as you'll get to see today with Pastor Ricky, fellowship with other believers is so important. Everyone's made with the need for fellowship and friendship, whether you know it or not. God calls Christians to live in harmony with each other and to make it evident to anyone that's not a believer yet, how much love flows from your heart towards other believers. God calls us to live in harmony with one another. "Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

We've probably all heard that story about the ugly duckling, that poor little bird that couldn't walk like a duck, swim like a duck or quack like a duck. He knew that he was different from the other ducks but what he didn't know was that he wasn't a duck at all. He was a swan. In today's message, Pastor Ricky reminds you that you'll never find true identity in anything from this world. You might try to walk, quack, and swim like a duck but no matter where you think you fit in, the only place that you can be truly fulfilled is in Christ. "Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

The world is not right. We have divisions of ethnicity, race, class, economic status, and all kinds of other things. This isn't the way that it's supposed to be. We're not supposed to be at odds with each other over who's better and who's not. We were never meant to live that way. In today's message, Pastor Ricky teaches how we got this way and where restoration can be found. The problem isn't new. It's actually been around since the very first humans, Adam and Eve, but how can things be put back right? "Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

Have you ever heard of FOMO? It's an acronym that stands for Fear Of Missing Out. How many of us have this fear of missing out so much that it causes us to be control freaks? We go around in life taking control of everything because we're afraid of what we might miss out on. Well in today's message, Pastor Ricky teaches that you need to let go of that fear and trust that God has the perfect place for you in His plan. It might not be what you've expected but do you really want to miss out on what God has for your life? "Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

It's very true that for most, if not all of us, in our own minds we're the center of the universe. We're constantly hearing and seeing messages like ‘Live your best life' and ‘Be all that you can be'. The world really encourages us to view ourselves as the main character in life. In today's message, Pastor Ricky gives you a shift in thinking from the book of Ephesians, chapter two. Instead of you being the main character, you'll see how the universe truly does revolve around God. The story is really about Him. "Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

Doesn't that truth leave you profoundly in awe of God? There is nothing at all that we've done or can do to earn the love of God. Actually, we've earned His wrath and judgment, but He still loves us. Today in his message, Pastor Ricky will unwrap that great mystery, why would God still love us? The Bible says that you were God's enemy. You had turned your back on Him and yet God chose to come and enter human existence and die on a cross for you because of His great love for you. What an incredible mystery. "Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

Do you ever find yourself questioning if people really are that bad? There's got to be some people who are good enough, right? The gap between us and God isn't really that wide. Well in today's message, Pastor Ricky is going to dispel that notion. The Bible says that there's none good enough on their own, but that truth should bring you more hope. It's by God's grace alone that you're saved. There's nothing that you can do to earn God's favor. You don't have to strive for perfection. God has filled that gap. "Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

Have you ever imagined people coming to be led into the gates of heaven? You probably have that picture of Saint Peter like an eternal bouncer checking the list to see if people should be let in or not. Have you ever thought that that picture was kind of harsh and unmerciful to those that are turned away? Well in his message today, Pastor Ricky offers up a different way to look at that scene. You were running towards hell, but God graciously invited you to come with Him. With arms wide open, God chose you to be with Him. "Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

Do you sometimes think of God's grace as meeting you halfway and saving you? It's easy to think that you aren't really all that bad or deserving of death. Maybe you were just struggling to tread water a little and God pulled you up and saved you. Well in today's message, Pastor Ricky reminds us of the incredibly powerful truth that we did nothing to deserve God's salvation. You had nothing to do with your own salvation. You were completely destitute and dead in your sins. It's God that brought you from death to life. "Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

You probably don't equate yourself with God, but do you sometimes forget just how different He is? In your mind, do you try to attach human qualities to God that don't really belong? He's infinitely different from us. In his message today, Pastor Ricky will impress on you just how completely distinct God is from us. His ways are higher and His knowledge is so much deeper. You can't even begin to grasp the mysteries of His love or justice and grace. It's important to remember that God is God, and we are not. "Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

As Christians, how often do we truly bless others? It's one thing to say bless you to a panhandler on the street, or to someone who has just sneezed, but it's an entirely different thing to say in the name of the Lord. In today's message, Pastor Ricky wants you to know that you need to be proactive in blessing others just as Paul did almost everywhere he went. You need to see every moment as an opportunity to bless the Lord. The more you sing His praises and raise up blessings in His name, the more fruit you'll bear. "Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

In your faith journey, do you ever take time to simply rejoice in the Lord? Do you take time out of your day to praise His name, or do you just save it for when you attend church? Today Pastor Ricky explains that you need to make a joyful noise unto the Lord in everything you do. The more you rejoice in His good tidings, the more of a witness you can be to the rest of the world. It's important to be serious about who you are in Christ but you also need time to let your hair down and simply rejoice in the Lord's greatness. "Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

As a Christian, when you're going about your daily routine, do you ever lose sight of the Lord? Do you ever turn on the autopilot and focus only on getting the things done that you don't want to be doing? Today Pastor Ricky wants you to know that you need to treat every moment as an opportunity to serve the Lord. There's always going to be those parts of life that are mundane and seemingly not a mission field but those are the exact moments where God wants to use you. Let Him do mighty things through you. "Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

In your walk with Christ, have you ever gotten so caught up in your own story that you forget what God's done in your life? Ever get so focused on what's going right, or what's going wrong, that you forget about God's promises? Well in today's message, Pastor Ricky wants you to know that you must never forget about the free gift that God has given to you, His grace. You don't deserve it but He offered it to you for free so that you might be saved. Live your life as a sacrifice to Jesus just as He did for you. "Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

Sometimes a life of faith can feel like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. Maybe you've been there, trying to live your life and fit in while also not straying too far from your faith in the process. You want to be seen a certain way by your peers and your friends and you think that your faith is just a little too far outside the lines of the picture in your mind. Today Pastor Ricky says that he knows how that feels and that you need to be careful. Your faith in God isn't something that can be customized to the ways of this world. "Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

Have you ever visited a church or any other event that just seemed to have it all together? From the moment you walked through the door, everything seemed to be in its place and the atmosphere, from the people to the paint, was inviting and sending all of the right signals. Well, today Pastor Ricky says it's not about the paint color or the worship style but the heart of the people that creates the atmosphere. A heart for Jesus creates an environment that stands out in this world in the best way. "Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

The Lord's Prayer teaches us so much about the character of God and the hope of redemption that we have in Christ. When we accept the gift of salvation not only is our past sin forgiven but we're also given a hope for a life free from sin. As Pastor Ricky reminds us in today's message, as long as we live in the flesh, we're subject to the temptations of this world. But when we allow God to lead us, He'll not lead us into temptation but further into righteousness and freedom. "Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

When we pray the words ‘deliver us from evil' we may picture God as an armored tank protecting us from the external forces of evil that surround us. While God certainly does offer that kind of protection, there is another danger lurking that we often overlook. As Pastor Ricky warns in today's message, all of us are born with sinful desires, like ticking time bombs in our hearts. We need to be alert and aware of these desires and be ready to run to Christ as soon as they rear their head. "Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

Have you been hurt by someone? Maybe they harmed you or someone you love in a way that just seems unforgivable. As Pastor Ricky continues to lead us through the Lord's Prayer, we're challenged to do the impossible. It won't be easy, it won't feel as good as revenge does in the moment, and it'll take a lot of prayer and the Holy Spirit's helping hand but forgiveness is vital for all followers of Christ. We've been given an immeasurable grace and we need to extend that same grace to our debtors."Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

Most of us have opened a bill and found ourselves in a mild state of shock over the debt it contains. Medical bills, tax bills, loans, whatever it was, it may have felt insurmountable in that moment. Imagine if a benefactor walked up to us, took that bill, tore it up, and declared that they would take care of it. As Pastor Ricky reminds us in today's message, that is exactly what Christ has done for us. He took our debt of sin, a debt we could never pay, and He paid it with His own life on the cross."Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

We tend to take great pride in our self-reliance. Whether it's a physical need or desire, or a spiritual one, we prefer not to ask for help until it's absolutely necessary. While this may seem like an admirable characteristic, it doesn't fit well in the life of a believer. As Pastor Ricky examines the Lord's Prayer in today's message, we're reminded of God's great providence and our dependence on Him. We may manage to get by on our own for a little while but before long our strength will run out."Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

Our culture strongly encourages hoarding. Whether it's food, money, or possessions, we never want to be without. Some have such a fear of not having that they even buy things that they have no intention of using simply because it's a good deal. In today's message, Pastor Ricky compares that mindset to our approach to prayer. We can't hoard God's blessings and guidance. As Jesus taught us to pray, we need to depend on God for our daily sustenance, both spiritual and physical."Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

We only get one chance to live a life that glorifies God. Bringing Him glory is at the backbone of living within His will. As we walk in the flesh, in this temporary existence, we have free will. We have the choice to live for self or to live for Him. As Pastor Ricky leads us through our study of the Lord's Prayer, he challenges us to surrender ourselves fully to the will of God. Will we use our time on this earth to make a name for ourselves and accrue earthly treasures or will we live for Him?"Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

When we pray, “Thy will be done”, do we really know what we're asking? The answer is not as simple as it may seem. As Pastor Ricky continues to explore the Lord's Prayer, he asks the question, “What is God's will?” We often think of His will as a secret map directing us on every life decision that can only be deciphered through years of study and prayer. Often times His will is much more straightforward than that. He doesn't withhold it from us but instead offers to lead us as a Good Shepherd."Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

Whose kingdom are you advancing in your life? Are you praying for the Kingdom of God to come while making decisions and living a life focused chiefly on bringing about your own kingdom? It's a common error for many believers. In today's message, Pastor Ricky emphasizes the importance of praying for God's Kingdom. Even if we find ourselves stuck living for ourselves, praying this way from the heart will lead us toward a life that reflects the desire for that Kingdom over our own. "Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

When we imagine the rewards of heaven, we may have a tendency to picture the mega-mansions that will be given to Christianity's great icons, famous authors, and leaders who are nearly as well known as the apostles themselves. But in today's message, Pastor Ricky draws our attention to an act just as important as preaching the gospel in front of packed stadiums. Prayer warriors are the unsung heroes of our faith. Their great work is almost never seen by others but its influence cannot be ignored."Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

When we die to ourselves and allow Christ to make us new in Him, we become citizens of a great kingdom. We can't realize it fully in the flesh but our actions will start to reflect the love that abounds in that kingdom. It knows no physical limitations or boundaries. From the land of the free, to lands oppressed by dictators. this kingdom reaches in and exists in the heart of believers. In today's message, Pastor Ricky urges us to actively involve and align ourselves with this beautiful kingdom. "Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

In our dreams as children, most of us never imagined our lives working 9 to 5 at a monotonous job. We dreamed of great fantastical lies. We wanted to be heroic soldiers, princes, princesses, or superheroes. Yet at some point, most of us decided to grow up and accept reality. As Pastor Ricky warns in today's message, many of us do the same thing in our lives as believers. We forgo the greatness God desires for His Kingdom replacing them with plans that we deem more realistic. "Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

So often our prayers are centered around asking God to accomplish our will. We may tack a “Thy will be done” on to our prayer but is that what we really want? As we continue to study the Lord's Prayer, Pastor Ricky reminds us that this prayer should reflect a state of our heart. When we hallow God's name, we put Him in a place above all else. That means His will begins to take precedence to ours, even if it means temporary hardship or discomfort it, becomes our foremost desire."Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

When we recite the Lord's Prayer it's easy just to ramble off the words with little thought of what we're saying. Certain phrases may stand out but ‘hallowed be your name' isn't usually one of them. As Pastor Ricky explains, this phrase is much more meaningful than it's usually given credit for. It represents setting God above all else that battles for our heart's affection. Today's message will continue to reveal the heart of what Jesus intended when He taught His disciples this way of praying."Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

There are many misconceptions and false doctrines regarding prayer. The Prosperity Gospel teaches that if we have enough faith and ask God for material wealth and blessings, we're guaranteed to receive them. Then there are those that believe that prayer has little, to no effect, in this world and things will just happen as they're supposed to happen. As Pastor Ricky continues his in-depth study of the Lord's Prayer we can gather a lot of insight into God's intentions for the gift of prayer."Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

Does prayer really work? It's a question many Christians don't want to ask. At its core, we want to say that we believe it does, but our lives often paint a different picture. Most of us spend very little time in prayer and it's often only a last resort. There are many different reasons but as Pastor Ricky suggests in today's message, our limited use of prayer most likely reflects a lack of faith in its effectiveness. If we really believe that prayer could influence outcomes, we would probably make it a much higher priority. "Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

Every loving parent knows that feeling of having their child come to them scared or in need. All we want to do is help them feel safe and provided for. Most of us would quickly drop whatever we're doing and take the time to comfort them and address their needs. As Pastor Ricky explains in today's message, our parental love reflects the way God views His children. He loves us with a deep sacrificial love and when we pray He delights in listening to the cries of our heart. "Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

The gods that men create and imagine typically have power and authority in a form that men wish they possessed. These fake gods often sit on a pedestal, above their worshippers. They rarely, if ever, come down to the level of their subjects. Yet, as Pastor Ricky points out, the God of Israel loves to be amongst His subjects. He loves us so much that He endured the agonizing pain of the Cross, equating Himself with the lowest level of humanity. This type of love simply doesn't exist in the gods of man."Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

We were designed to have an intimate connection with God. Adam and Eve walked with Him in the Garden and talked to Him every day. The consequence of their sin was a break in that relationship. All of mankind displays an innate longing to return to that intimacy. As Pastor Ricky explains in today's message, it's exhibited in various forms but our quest to understand our world and the universe around us can always be traced back to that intimacy that was lost in the Garden."Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

One word that aptly describes our culture today would be, distracted. How many of us have spent more time watching shows or browsing social network feeds than we did reading the Bible and praying this week? As Pastor Ricky warns in today's message, these distractions while not bad in and of themselves, are designed to be addicting. If our time with God is taking second place to the diversions of life, the intimacy He desires to have with us is guaranteed to suffer. "Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

The family tree from David to Jesus is not a list of heroes. It is a list of liars, failures, outcasts, and broken people. The kind of names you would rather not find on the first page of the New Testament. Yet there they are because this is not the House of David, it is the House of God, and God has never built His family the way anyone expected. Not by blood, not by status, not by merit, only by the steadfast love He has chosen to set on His people."Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

David is on the throne, and he turns his attention to building God a house. It seems like a good idea. God's response is unexpected. He doesn't want David to build him a house; he wants to build David one. 2 Samuel 7 is one of the most sweeping promises in all of scripture, a covenant that reaches far beyond David and far beyond anything a dynasty built on human strength could sustain. What God promises in that moment reaches further than any king could have imagined, and it is still being fulfilled today."Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

Saul went looking for a word from God and refused the only word God had already given him. So many times we do the same thing. We are desperate for guidance, for comfort, for something solid to hold on to, and we reach for everything except the one place where it can actually be found. 1 Samuel gives us two men in crisis, making 2 completely different choices. One calls on the dead, the other strengthens himself in the Lord. The distance between those two moments is the distance between despair and hope."Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

Saul is facing the greatest military threat of his reign, and for the first time, he has no one to call. Samuel is dead. David is gone. The Lord has gone silent. So Saul disguises himself, slips out in the dead of night, and seeks out a medium to summon the dead. It is one of the most desperate moments in all of 1 Samuel. Most of us have never consulted a medium, but the impulse underneath it, the desperate reach for a presence, a word, anything solid to hold on to, is one every one of us knows."Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

Foolishness has a way of multiplying. Nabal spoke without wisdom, David reacted without restraint, and now 400 armed men are marching toward a disaster that didn't have to happen. But a different voice steps into the middle of it, composed, clear, and grounded in the reality of God in a way that neither Nabal nor David had managed to be. The contrast between these two voices runs straight through this passage and straight through our own lives. The question is, which one are we actually listening to? "Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

Nabal is wealthy, self-important, and surrounded by people who depend on him. When David's men arrived with a respectful request, he dismisses them with contempt. In response, David straps on his sword, and 400 armed men begin marching toward a household that has no idea what it has just started. Most of us have said something we shouldn't have and felt the consequences close in before we could take it back. This passage is about the voices that lead us there and what it costs when we listen to the wrong one."Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

Saul's jealousy had already cost him his relationship with David, his own son Jonathan, and the trust of a nation, but it doesn't stop there. 1 Samuel shows us jealousy in its final stages—irrational, isolating, and utterly consuming. Then it gives us Jonathan, a man who had every reason to be jealous, who stood to lose the throne itself and whose contentment, in the face of all of it, is one of the most striking portraits in all of Scripture. The contrast between these two men is not just instructive; it is an invitation. "Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

Saul has just won, David slew Goliath, the Philistines have scattered, and Israel is celebrating, but as the army marches home, the women pour into the streets with a song that puts David's name above Saul's, and something breaks. Most of us have been there, not on the battlefield but in a boardroom, a family gathering, a holiday dinner, a social media scroll. Jealousy doesn't need much to take root, and 1 Samuel shows us exactly where it leads when no one pulls it out."Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

The good news of 1 Samuel 17 is not that you can be David, it is that you don't have to be. Jesus is the true and better David, the one who faced the world, the flesh, and the devil single-handedly and triumphed. But this passage doesn't stop there; it turns around and calls each of us to something. Not to be the hero of the story but to follow the one who is, with courage, with a plan, and with eyes fixed on the Lord."Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

David and Goliath is one of the most familiar stories in all of scripture and one of the most misapplied. The giant is not your difficult boss, your failing marriage, or the championship game standing between you and glory. Goliath represents something far bigger and far more personal than any of that. This passage is about the world, the flesh, and the devil, and the war every human being is already in, whether they know it or not. The question is not whether the fight is real; the question is who is fighting you."Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

Jonathan and his armor bearer stand at the bottom of the ravine, facing a Philistine garrison at the top. The enemy has invited them up as sport, as entertainment, expecting an easy victory. Jonathan's response is not what anyone expected. Where Saul saw nothing but an impossible situation, Jonathan sees something else entirely. What happens next is one of the most stunning reversals in all of 1 Samuel, and the picture of what becomes possible when we stop looking at the obstacle and start looking at the Lord."Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

Saul has been called a fool not because he did something obviously reckless but because, in a moment of fear and pressure, he acted as though God were not there. It is the diagnosis the Psalms give to the fool: in his heart there is no God. It is also, if we are honest, a condition closer to home than we would like to admit. The good news is that 1 Samuel doesn't leave us with Saul. It gives us Jonathan and a completely different way of seeing."Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

Saul is surrounded. A shrinking army behind him, a massive Philistine force bearing down, and one clear instruction from Samuel: wait. But he doesn't wait. What follows is one of the most revealing moments in 1 Samuel, where a king's anxiety strips away everything and exposes what is actually governing his heart. Most of us know what that pressure feels like. Where we look in those moments determines where we end up, and most of us are looking in the wrong direction far more often than we realize."Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

Israel keeps looking for a third option—God's way, mostly, with a little room left over for their own—but Samuel won't give it to them. There are only two paths, and the difference between them is not a matter of degree but of direction. The good news is that God doesn't deliver this message as a verdict, but as an invitation. His ways are not a burden imposed on His people; they are the path He has always been calling them toward."Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.