Better News Podcast

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.

Samuel stands before Israel at a defining moment as they prepare to install a king, and he delivers one final charge. He walks them through their history—failure by failure, rescue by rescue—revealing the pattern they keep repeating. We do the same thing: tweaking the surface, rearranging the furniture, hoping something will change without ever touching what's underneath. Samuel's question goes straight to the root: are we willing to change where it actually counts, or only where it's comfortable?"Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

Saul was crowned king of Israel and went home—no charge to the nation, no march to the palace, no address to the people, just home. The avoidance is quiet but consistent, and it is costing him everything: his family is standing and the trust of a nation that needs a king. Then the Spirit of God interrupts the pattern. What follows is a reminder that it is never too late to step into what God has called you to do, and that He always goes before us when we do."Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

Most of us would never say we are running from God, but Saul, chosen by God, confirmed with miracles, and given a clear charge, still hid when it was time to be crowned. When the nation assembled to make him king, they couldn't even find him; he was hiding in the luggage. Running from God rarely looks like running. It looks like going quiet, staying busy, and hoping the moment passes. This message names that pattern with uncommon honesty and points us toward the grace that meets us right there."Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

The Philistines captured the ark of God and placed it beside their idol as a trophy of war, certain they had absorbed the God of Israel into their world. But in the morning, their idol was found facedown on the ground. What unfolds from there is one of the most clarifying portraits of God in all of 1 Samuel—a God who cannot be contained, does not lose, and whose people ultimately have nothing to fear."Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

Israel has just lost the battle, and the elders respond with a plan: bring the ark of the covenant to the front lines—surely God is on their side. It seems like a reasonable assumption, but it is about to be turned completely upside down. This passage exposes the difference between carrying the ark and actually knowing the God it represents, and it has something deeply uncomfortable to say about how we think about God, faith, and whose side He is actually on."Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

Eli warned his sons, but softly. He rebuked them, but kept eating the meat they stole from the altar. He loved them, but he loved them more than he feared God. It's a pattern more common than we want to admit, and it's costing the house of Eli everything. 1 Samuel shows us where that road leads and then mercifully points us toward a high priest whose love never compromises and whose arms are open to all who have fallen."Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

Nobody wants to be labeled a fall risk. We see the warning signs in others and quietly assume we're doing fine. But Eli's sons were priests at the Tabernacle—clothed in sacred duty, close to the altar, surrounded by the things of God—and yet they were corrupt to the core. This passage doesn't let us watch from a safe distance. It turns the camera around. And the fall of the house of Eli turns out to be uncomfortably close to home."Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

Hannah has prayed and promised to give back the very son she is asking for. It looks like the strangest kind of faith, but she is doing something most of us spend our whole lives resisting, aligning her deepest longing with God's purposes rather than asking God to bless her own. What she does next will show us what it looks like when we finally stop striving and surrender to something better than our own best plan. Hannah's prayer is both a challenge and an invitation."Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

1 Samuel opens not with a king or a conquest, but with a barren woman named Hannah—overlooked, provoked, and out of options. Most of us know what it feels like to be there: too many problems, too many buttons to push, and no idea which one actually matters. Her story is where our new series, You Need a King, begins. As we journey through First Samuel together, we'll discover that what every human heart is really searching for is not a better plan, but a better King."Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

As Pastor Ricky continues his teaching series on how Jesus is greater, he'll be exhorting us to rid ourselves of any known sin that has taken over our lives. When we choose to sin we're believing that what sin has to offer is far greater than what Jesus has to offer. Don't buy into the lie that sin can satisfy. The Bible says that sin is pleasurable for a season, of course, sin is fun, otherwise nobody would be doing it but the fun and pleasure only last for a season. Jesus satisfies the soul in the long run."Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

Today Pastor Ricky will be explaining how Jesus turns our so-called gains in the world into losses and turns the losses we experience into gains. Jesus asked the question, “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world but to lose his soul?” When we come to Jesus as our Lord and Savior He puts everything into proper perspective. We realize the things that used to make us feel good don't really satisfy the longing of our souls."Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

In today's message, Pastor Ricky compares a cultural idea of karma vs. Jesus' sacrificial love. The cultural idea of karma insists that we should receive treatment from others based on how good or bad we are, but truly understanding the depth of our human sinfulness would mean that we would not earn anything good. However, Jesus sacrificially took upon Himself the punishment for which you and I were destined. Therefore, you and I receive God's love and life, instead of what we deserve.

Have you ever thought about karma? In our culture today, karma can often be seen as the question of, do nice things and get nice things back or do bad and get bad in return. In today's message, Pastor Ricky discusses this cultural notion of karma which reveals the God-given ability to desire fairness and justice. If we always receive what we deserve, our sin would earn us punishment and death. But Jesus is greater than our sin and He frees us from the wrath of God, giving us grace and mercy."Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

In today's message Pastor Ricky paints an extraordinary picture of the incredible scope of this universe and knowing that this universe is so complex and vast, Paul's description of Jesus as being over all of creation is awe-inspiring. If Jesus then can rule over all of creation, He can certainly care for our lives. Isn't it amazing that the God who created all that is with his immense power, directs his attention and love towards us through His Son?"Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

The name and person of Jesus can be polarizing in our world today. For Christians, Jesus is the center of their faith for He is God and Savior but for others in our world, Jesus and His teaching is opposed. In today's message, Pastor Ricky says it's actually a good thing that Jesus is polarizing because He's radical and it may be worse to be comfortable and complacent with Jesus. As God, Jesus is greater than the mountains and galaxies and He can radically transform your life. "Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

Today Pastor Ricky will be warning us against building up our own cities here on earth rather than putting our trust and faith in our eternal city with the Lord. What is in your life that you hold precious that cannot be shaken? The only thing in your life that cannot be moved is your eternal destination with the Lord. Be careful to not build up your own empire here on earth rather than focusing on building up the kingdom of God. Keep an eternal perspective. The kingdom of God cannot be shaken. "Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

If you place your hope in the temporal things of earth, you will become greatly disappointed and depressed. As a Christian, you have a heavenly city and eternal home with the Lord. You don't need to seek the things of the world to find fulfillment. Purpose to seek the city that is to come, whose maker and builder is God. You're a pilgrim just passing through this world. You should have an anticipation for eternity to come. If Christ came back today, would you be ready and excited, or ashamed? "Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

Jesus Christ is the perfect picture of a true servant. When Jesus had the Last Supper with his disciples, He took the lowliest of jobs and washed their feet. You should look at Christ's example and purpose to imitate Him daily. Whenever you read of Jesus, you will find Him always pouring Himself out and serving His community. Are you radiating the presence of Christ in your community by your service? The only reason why God hasn't taken you home yet is because He has service for you to do. "Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

As Pastor Ricky teaches through the book of Isaiah, he will be teaching us how the prophet Isaiah is speaking of Christ the Servant. Now that Christ lives inside of you, you're now a servant in the Kingdom of God. The Lord delights in you and pours out His spirit on you in order to equip you to further the Kingdom of God. The mission of the servant is to act rightly in accordance with the Word of God and to draw others to redemption in Christ. Are you accurately representing Christ? "Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

There is a common thread among believers that live in fear, and that common thread is that they consider the temporal more dear to their hearts than the eternal. God's purposes for you will not be frustrated. He is in control of your life. He has plans to prosper you and give you hope. The Lord desires that you live for eternity and not for the temporal things of the world. When you keep your priorities in order your fear of losing the temporal will begin to dissipate."Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

The essence of the gospel is that those who should live in fear have been brought near as friends. Pastor Ricky will be teaching on the importance of living a faith-filled life rather than living in fear. Fear is the antithesis of having faith in God. The prophet Isaiah in this text will be explaining to the Israelites that there is nothing to fear as a child of God because God is sovereign and in control of the universe. If you're battered by fear, cling to the rock that is Christ and He will give you His peace."Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

Pastor Ricky will be continuing his teaching on God vs. idols through the book of Isaiah. Israel turned away from God and focused their attention on things that God created. The Lord is rebuking Israel in this text for not loving and worshipping Him. The definition of idolatry is loving something and giving adoration to something or someone more than you love and adore God. Is there anything or anyone that draws your attention and devotion away from God?"Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

Pastor Ricky will be asking you this question today, “Do you place all your trust in God or in idols?”. Your actions will reveal if you place your trust in God. You can't say that you believe God will provide for you and then live in worry and forsake the call God has on your life in order to stock up on money and resources. When times get tough do you run to the world for comfort or do you turn to Christ? There is nothing that can save you and give you peace like God Almighty, turn to Him alone. "Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

Pastor Ricky will be teaching today about the importance of beholding our God and falling deeper in love with Him. The only way that you can become more Christ-like, the only way you can rid yourself of sin, is if you focus on Christ and His presence. When you spend that intimate time with Christ in communion, you will naturally begin to become more and more like Him. Don't allow sin to be your main focus. Have Christ as your main focus and He will enable you to live for Him."Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

God has created man with a longing for the Lord. Before you came to the Lord, you had a God-shaped void in your heart that only God could fill and satisfy. Now that you've received Christ into your heart, you have the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, but you still have the flesh within you that tries to sway you into longing for everything other than God. Always remember your first love and pursue God. He will satisfy you."Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

God wants us to become disciples of Christ, and He also calls us to make disciples. Today, Pastor Ricky will teach us that one of the primary ways this happens is by living life together with other believers. The early church devoted themselves to learning, studying Scripture, praying, and sharing life with one another. As they did, they grew together—becoming more devoted to Jesus and more like Him. Who can you do life with? Who might God be calling you to reach out to, encourage, and grow alongside?"Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.

Today Pastor Ricky will remind us that early in the first church, all the people were together, and God continued to add to their numbers. As they were coming to Him, God was reshaping them, He was transforming them. As they became disciples, everything they did changed. It was all built around Jesus as they were totally devoted to Him. He became their identity. We will learn that this is what God desires for us, to be so devoted to Jesus that we become disciple-makers for Him."Mighty Fortress" by Sovereign Grace Music, used with permission.