Conversations Podcast with Terry Law & Scot Law

As Christians, we all have battles that occupy our minds. We may have a stray thought about something relatively unimportant while we're sitting in a church service. We then instantly feel guilt as a result of the thought because we thought it. During this episode, Terry and Scot will talk about the thought attacks that Satan wages in our mind. Satan has the power of suggestion. He can plant thoughts in our minds, just like the ones that pop up during a church service. Terry and Scot go to scripture to prove this point, but also to point out how we don't have to accept those thoughts or the guilt that Satan throws at us.

In the previous podcasts, we talked about the initial three ways to hear the voice of God - 1) Read Scripture; 2) Become a doer of the Word; and 3) Pray in the Spirit. All three areas, if practiced daily, will help you cultivate a posture for hearing God's voice. In this podcast, Terry and Scot touch on the fourth, and final, way on How to hear the voice of God - sensitizing your spirit to the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit. Terry calls it a “hunch”, and some call it a “nudge”, but it is essentially keeping your spiritual antennae up. Pay attention to not only the sublime, but also the absurd. God will bring people and instances across your path, and you must be ready to receive it when it comes. God is often speaking to you through His Holy Spirit. Are you daily quieting yourself to hear what it is that He has to say?

We all want to hear God's voice. This is especially true when we need to hear from him about things that are important to us.   In the previous episode, Terry and Scot discussed how important it is to mediate on scripture to hear God's voice. In this podcast, they talk about a subject that is not very often discussed today: praying in our prayer language, or praying in tongues.   What does it mean to pray in tongues? Praying in tongues is when a person prays in a language that is unknown to the one praying, and led by the Holy Spirit. A prayer language is a gift given to believers by the Holy Spirit that anyone can receive but not everyone does.   Have you received the gift of speaking in tongues? If so, when was the last time you dedicated yourself to praying in your prayer language? When Terry was a young Christian, he spent hours praying in the Spirit and often received very clear direction from God. Today, Christians often don't have the patience or discipline to linger in the presence of God long enough to really hear from him. The Holy Spirit is asking for our time and willingness to wait on him. If we are willing to give him our time, he is willing to reveal the secret things of God and to perform miracles.   We challenge you to pray in your prayer language, if we have received it. Listen to what God is saying to your spirit, and don't be shy about sharing what he says with people in your life. May you experience breakthroughs as you commit to linger with God in prayer.

What scriptures are you meditating on today?   In this episode, Terry and Scot discuss two spiritual disciplines that help us hear the voice of God: 1) Meditating on scripture and 2) Doing what the scriptures say to do. Chewing on scripture like a cow chews his cud is key to sensitizing our spirits to hear from the Lord.   Here are three key verses from today's talk to meditate on:   Joshua 1:8, “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”   Psalm 34:1, “I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.”   Matthew 7:24-27, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

Remember the duck! (What does that mean? Listen to find out).   God's love keeps no records of wrongs! I Corinthians 13:5   This is the third and final podcast with Terry's best friend, Ray Bevan of Wales. In this episode, Ray dives deeper into the subject of grace.   How many Christians are forgiven but they still live enslaved to guilt, as Satan whispers past sins in their ears 24/7? God keeps no records of wrongs, but Satan does. Satan knows he can't steal our salvation, so he tries to steal the joy of our salvation. His goal is to keep us from living the abundant life Christ has given us.   We hope this episode blesses your life. If so, please share it with your friends on Facebook, Twitter and elsewhere. We have more episodes still to come. Follow us on Podbean and Apple Podcasts. God bless you.

Today is a good day to remind ourselves of this truth: “There is therefore (right) NOW no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1. The only qualification for receiving the grace of God is that we are IN Christ Jesus.   Ray Bevan of Wales joins Terry and Scot for a second episode to share his journey to receiving the grace of God. Ray says, “If you can explain the Grace of God with words, you've never really experienced it because it's beyond words. Grace is a revelation in the heart.”   In the US, the Protestant work ethic has infiltrated our churches. The idea that “the harder you work, the more you'll receive/achieve” somehow applies to our faith has kept the Body of Christ from fully walking in the grace of God. There is nothing we can do to earn grace.   “The harder you work, the more you'll receive/achieve” does not apply to the grace of God. The Kingdom of God is grace plus nothing else. “My grace is sufficient for you.” Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 12:9. At the end of the day, Ray says it best that, “it is not what we do. It's what He (Jesus) has done.” This is the true message of grace.

Do you have that one friend you can always count on to make you laugh? For Terry, Ray Bevan was that friend. Not a conversation passed between the two when they didn't have a good hearty laugh together. Terry and Ray were friends for nearly 40's years, and supported each other through many life challenges.   In this episode, Terry and Scot talk with Pastor Ray Bevan of Wales. Ray shares his testimony of how the Lord saved him as a young vocalist in a rock and roll band, and called him into the ministry. Ray's outlook on life, the church, God's grace, and his passion to win souls for Christ, will not only make you laugh but also bless your soul. We hope you will take a few minutes of your day to listen.

America, it's time to hope in God!   Romans 15:13 says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”   If a stranger were to walk up to you today and ask you how you're doing, what would you say? Terry's response would have been, “I'm full of hope.” Romans 15:13 was one of his favorite verses in the Bible.   God wants to fill us with an abundance of hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. When we abound in hope, it bubbles over and blesses everyone in our life. It is our greatest source of motivation, energy, and creativity.   Believe that you can abound in hope today!

“You know what? I think it's time for us to say a prayer. He knelt down by my bed, prayed a prayer, and invited Jesus into his heart. That totally befuddled the Communists. They had sent this guy to find out what was motivating us, and he became a Christian and follower of Jesus. That shook the church everywhere throughout Poland. We had crowds of 20,000 people and couldn't fit them all into the cathedrals. We filled the streets and ended up doing a concert in Poland with 300,000 people. Pope John Paul II was there. The grace of God opened a tremendous door in the heart of the communist world.”     In this podcast, Terry and Scot take a trip down memory lane to 1972 behind the Iron Curtain in Krakow, Poland. Terry and a group of musicians from Oral Roberts University had formed a music ministry called Living Sound. Under the impression Living Sound was a rock and roll band from the US, the Communist Youth Party of Poland invited the group to sing in their nightclub. Living Sound boldly stepped through the open door and shared the Gospel in song and testimonials. One special soloist that night was Terry's wife and Scot's mother, Jan, singing “He's My Rock, My Sword, My Shield.” Her voice lifted the name of Jesus and brought the power of the Holy Spirit to the unsuspecting crowd. That significant night was the beginning of a revival in Poland that spread like wildfire through the region and is credited for the eventual fall of communism.   

God's not done! After receiving a call from God and spending months raising money to take the Gospel to South Africa, Living Sound left the United States with high hopes and expectations. Upon landing in South Africa, due to political circumstances outside their control, customs officials deported the group back to the US, leaving them with crushed hopes and dreams. During that time, God sent an encourager to the discouraged young people who prophesied: “God's not done with you yet. He still has a plan for you. You'll be back in Africa in a week's time.” There are times when God is silent on purpose. If He gave an answer for every question, how would people ever learn to trust Him? If you have given up on a dream, perhaps doubting whether God even spoke to you in the first place, this episode will remind you to revisit those dreams. God's not done with you yet!

Throwback – story of Terry Law's call to full time ministry    “I realized the grace of God…that God had called me, much like he did Paul on the road to Damascus. God called me, anointed me, and he wanted me involved in full-time ministry.”    In this episode, Terry Law shares how God called him into full time ministry as a missionary. May Terry's story inspire someone listening to respond to the nudge of the Holy Spirit into full time ministry, especially to the mission field. The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are still too few. 

Before Terry died, he and Scot spent many days together pre-recording their Conversations Podcast. It has not been easy to edit these episodes, hearing Terry's voice and missing the wisdom he so easily shared from scripture. Terry very much wanted to encourage people in their spiritual walks, especially in the matter of grace. So, we are thankful to have these treasured episodes to share.   In this episode Terry says, “Instead of only wanting to grow in faith, love or hope, the passion of our hearts needs to be to grow in grace.” Grace and favor are interchangeable terms in scripture, and both are critical to our spiritual walks. Old Testament Bible figures, such as Joseph, Esther and Daniel walked in the favor or grace of God. Jesus himself grew in wisdom, stature and in favor. Great grace was upon the early church, drawing multitudes of lost souls into the Kingdom of God.   May this episode inspire you to study and grow in grace.

“Faith comes by hearing and hearing from the word of God.” Romans 10:17    When was the last time you told your body or mind to shut up because God has something important to say? In this conversations podcast, Terry and Scot dive deeper into the topic of hearing the voice of God. They challenge us to intentionally silence distractions (technology, work, news, hunger) so our spirits can hear and receive God's voice.    There are two Greek words in the Bible for the “word of God” – logos and rhema. Logos is the complete revelation of God, Genesis to Revelation. Rhema is the breath of God, the word ever proceeding or coming from the mouth of God to our spirits. Our faith comes when we hear the logos, and faith is what gets us ready to hear God's voice. We cannot hear God's voice (his rhema) without faith.     In Matthew 4:4, Jesus says, “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Just as we need daily bread to keep our bodies alive, we equally need the rhema of God to keep our spirits alive. Our spirits crave hearing God's voice. However, our bodies (taste, sight, smell, touch, hearing) and souls (mind, will and emotions) consume our energy and push our spirits aside to survive on leftovers. Our spirits will not hear God's voice until we tell our bodies to wait and our souls to be quiet.     You will hear God's voice when you give your spirit an opportunity to listen.

Terry Law went home to be with the Lord on August 31, 2020. Before his death, Terry and Scot spent many, many hours together discussing deep spiritual truths from scripture and recording this Conversations podcast. Although Terry is no longer with us, he has left us a profound inheritance - how to hear the voice of God. We will, in honor of the greatest man we have ever known and had the privilege of calling “Dad” continue to allow Terry to speak. In this episode, Terry unpacks how to hear the voice of God.   The following is an outline of this Conversations podcast to follow along and to study.   If there's ever a time we need to hear from God, it's now.   Luke 4:1-14 reads: Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spiritinto the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry. And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.'” Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.” And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.' ” Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here.  For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you,' and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.' ” And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'” Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time. Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.   When Jesus followed the Holy Spirit into the wilderness, he went FULL of the Holy Spirit. When he came out of the wilderness, he began his earthly ministry “EMPOWERED by the Holy Spirit.” The Holy Spirit led both Jesus and Satan into the desert for 40 days. Jesus fasted and overcame all of Satan's temptations by speaking these words: “IT IS WRITTEN.” The 40 days of temptation and overcoming sin by speaking the word of God, empowered Jesus, and put Satan in his proper place. Many Christians will say they are filled with the Holy Spirit, but lack his power. There is a deeper place we need to go in our walks with God. It is not enough to only be filled with the Holy Spirit. We also need to speak the word of God when temptations and thought attacks come. The spoken word of God empowers us. We are to live full of the Holy Spirit AND empowered to do good works, just as Jesus did. Romans 8:14-16 says, For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba,Father.”  The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. The Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. This is how we know we are born again, and that we are children of God. If we are born again, we have heard the voice of God. Many people confuse God's voice. We think it should be an audible voice that we hear with our ears. That isn't usually how it happens. We hear God through the Holy Spirit speaking to our spirits. God's voice is a still, small voice heard by our spirits. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 says,  Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.   Paul, who wrote this verse, explains how God created humans with 1) a body, 2) a soul and 3) a spirit.    The body is what makes us conscious of the world around us. The body has five senses: sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell. The body is first in line to develop as we grow from babies to adults.   The soul is what makes us self-conscious or aware of ourselves. The soul has three parts: the mind, emotion and will. The will is what prompts us to act. We will not be judged for our thinking or how we felt. We will be judged by our actions prompted by the will. God will judge what we have done with our wills, our actions.   The spirit is the hidden part of us that makes us God-conscious (as opposed to only self-conscious). This is where we apprehend and comprehend God. His Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. We hear God's voice in our spirits.   Naturally speaking, our bodies develop and decline as we age. In our early years our souls unconsciously dominate our behavior - our minds come alive to the world around us through our senses, and our emotions and wills drive our responses. This is why we must be born again of the Spirit. Our spirits awaken and come alive to God so we begin to hear from him. His voice - his breath or rhema - empowers and strengthens our spirits to act according to his will.   Philipians 2:13 says, For it is God who works in you (communicating through his Spirit to our spirits) both to will and to do for His good pleasure.   Matthew 4:4 says,  But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'”   The Greek word here for “every word” is “every rhema.” Logos is the Greek word used to express the total written revelation of God to man, in other words, the entirety of the Bible. Rhema is God's breath which is currently and continually proceeding from His mouth.   The Holy Spirit grabs the rhema of God and speaks it to our spirits. This is the key to hearing the voice of God. God's rhema is always coming to us through the logos. The job of our spirits is to pick up what the Holy Spirit brings to us as we read the Bible. That is the key to how we hear the voice of God. We have to read our Bibles. When we do so, the Holy Spirit speaks God's rhema to our spirits and bears witness that we are, indeed, hearing from God.

How often have you read your Bible and stumbled across a passage that seemed completely new to you, as if it were your first time to ever read it? “I have never seen that scripture before!” Or, have you ever heard God speak to your heart what seemed like words of scripture and later when searching, found them in the Bible?     There are two Greek terms that describe the word of God: logos and rhema. Logos is the entire 66 books of the Bible. It is the entire word of God inspired by the Holy Spirit, penned by men, and forever settled in heaven. “Rhema” is a sliver of the logos spoken to our hearts by the Holy Spirit. It is a word spoken to us by God at just the right moment. Rhema leads us in our decision-making. Rhema teaches us as we grow in Christ. Rhema is how we hear the voice of God.

80% of what we hear from God comes through scripture—God's written, Holy Spirit-inspired word. Hearing from God through scripture requires faith and the help of the Holy Spirit.     In this episode, Terry and Scot discuss how it takes faith to hear God's voice. Much of what God wants to say to us comes through scripture, inspired by the Holy Spirit. Under the influence and guidance of the Holy Spirit, just as the ancient writers of the scriptures, we learn to hear whatever it is that God wants to tell us.     Proverbs 4:20-22 says, “Pay attention to what I say. Turn your ears to my word. They are life and health to your body.”     When we meditate on the scriptures every day like a cow chews its cud, we will certainly hear God's voice. Incline your ear, humble yourself and allow the authority of God's word to speak to you through the help of the Holy Spirit today.  

As we learn to hear the voice of God, it goes without saying that we must read the Bible. 80% of what God says to us, He communicates through his word, the scriptures. The origin of the Bible is God, who inspired men through the Holy Spirit to write the eternal words. When we read the word of God, we know for certain we have heard His voice.     2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All scripture is God-breathed and is useful or teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”    Scripture is eternal, inspired, and guides us in our daily lives of faith. If you want to know what the Lord is saying today, read your Bible. Hearing God's voice really is that simple.   

Terry and Scot continue their talk today on the subject of eagles and hearing the voice of the Spirit of God. In previous episodes the men discuss the nesting patterns of mother eagles, how they intentionally build their nests so one day their eaglets will leave the nest and soar on the wind.     Deuteronomy 32:11-12 says, “Like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them aloft. The Lord alone led him; no foreign god was with him.” In today's episode, Terry and Scot share how God leads us through the voice of his Spirit. The Spirit's voice is likened to the wind that lifts eagles and causes them to soar. The Lord alone teaches us to soar with him. The Lord alone leads us.    Listening to the voice or wind of the Spirit is so important for our spiritual growth. We must quiet ourselves to hear. We also have to learn to wait on God for his timing. This takes patience but God's timing is perfect. Terry shares a few personal stories of learning to wait on God in prayer, hearing the wind of the Spirit blowing, and then soaring with God.  You'll will certainly be blessed by this episode.  Please share.

Mother eagle, in the process of preparing her eaglets to fly, will remove all the things that make her nest comfortable. She does this with great care and purpose. She teaches her young to listen to the wind to understand when the conditions are just right to soar.     Mother eagles are wonderful examples of how God teaches us to hear his voice, to listen to the wind of His Spirit, and to step out in faith. God will often allow us to experience discomforts in order to prepare us to soar. He wants to teach us how to fly by hearing his voice.     Just as a mother eagle teaches her eaglets how to listen to the wind, we must also learn to listen to the wind of the Holy Spirit. The Bible calls the Holy Spirit a “still small voice”. It's very hard to hear what God is saying when we don't still ourselves. The removal of distractions is one way God teaches us to hear.

Have you ever seen an eagle's nest? In Alaska, Terry once saw an eagle's nest that stretched nine feet wide, 13 feet deep, and discovered on the side of a cliff some 10,000 feet up. What a wonder of design built by incredible creatures! Scripture often references the habits of eagles as pictures that teach us spiritual truths. For example, Isaiah 40:31 says, “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.” In this podcast, Terry teaches how mother eagles build their nests for their young. The nest is a powerful structure with three layers: 1) scaffolding for stability; 2) prickly briars and thorns for when the eaglets need subtle encouragement to leave the nest; 3) and a third layer of cushion for comfort like moss, rabbit skins, ferns, feathers, etc.   There comes a time in every eaglet's life when it must leave the nest. Deuteronomy 32:11-12 says, “like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them aloft. The Lord alone led him; no foreign god was with him.” Mother eagles know when it's time for her eaglets to fly, but the little ones don't always have confidence or even the desire to leave the comforts of home. So, momma eagle will intentionally and purposefully remove the comforts of her nest, revealing the second layer—prickly briars and thorns. Eaglets eventually grow so uncomfortable, they seek the sky. The spiritual picture we believe God wants to teach us is through the habits of eagles is how He often does the same for us. God is more interested in our character than in our comfort. In the process of learning to fly, to hear his voice, God will intentionally and purposefully remove our comforts so we learn to hear His voice and to depend on him. Like momma eagle, the Lord will lead you by stirring up your nest. Don't equate everything bad or uncomfortable that happens in your life with the devil.  God wants us to have confidence leaving our comfortable nests so we  hear his voice.  Discomfort doesn't always mean something is wrong. It could mean that we're being prodded out of the nest so we hear God's voice. Followers of Jesus must be able to hear God's voice. Take inventory of your life. God is for you, not against you. He has good things for you, and will take away comfort so you better hear his voice.

In this episode, Terry and Scot pick up a new topic of conversation: Grace, God's unmerited favor. They take a look at the life of Joseph, an Old Testament character who walked in favor throughout his life. Joseph was the favorite son of Jacob (as known as Israel) and Rachel. The favor of God was upon his life, through every hardship and promotion.   What do we learn by studying Joseph's story? We are the apple of God's eye. His favor is upon each one of us, just as it was upon Joseph. The finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross is God's ultimate expression of his favor. God sees us through the eyes of grace, his unmerited favor.   Scriptures to meditate on:  Romans 15:4  "For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope."   2 Corinthians 9:8 “8 And God is able to make all grace (every favor and earthly blessing) come to you in abundance, so that you may always and under all circumstances and whatever the need be self-sufficient [possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation].” 

In 2 Kings 6, Elisha is the prophet in Israel. During that time the King of Assyria had plans to destroy Israel, but every time he tried, Israel was ready and waiting. The prophet of Elisha, through the Spirit of God, heard the things the king of Assyria said in his bed chamber, and was able to warn Israel of planned attacks.  Soon after, the king of Assyria sent a great army to capture Elisha in Dothan. Elisha had a servant named Gehazi who saw the advancing army and cried out “What should we do? We've been invaded.” Calmly, Elisha prayed, “God, open my servant's eyes so he can see.” When Gehazi's spiritual eyes opened, he saw the angels of the Lord surrounding the valley. Gehazi had no ability to see what Elisha saw until God opened his eyes. Spiritual eyesight removed all fear from Gehazi and gave him peace.    May God open our spiritual eyes as he did for Gehazi. We need spiritual eyes with spiritual glasses of hope to have God's perspective. With his perspective, we can understand the move of God that's coming. On the heels of major global events, there have always been major moves of God in the earth to follow. We need to pray and ask the Lord to move mightily in the earth.

Do you remember the Bible story of Joshua, Caleb and the ten spies Moses sent into Canaan to spy out the land God had promised the children of Israel? What did the spies see and conclude? Twelve spies saw giants. Ten of those spies saw themselves as grasshoppers compared to the giants. Two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, saw God. Joshua and Caleb knew they served an all-powerful God who had done mighty things to deliver them from slavery in Egypt. So, they delivered a faith-filled report to Moses that the nation of Israel was more than able to possess Canaan. Sadly, the nation gave themselves over to fear and followed the advice of the ten, not the two. Thus, the nation then spent the next 40 years wandering in the desert, in a state of despair. Each man, woman and child alive looks through his/her eyes at the world around and makes assessments every day. The way in which we see the world is our paradigm, our glasses. What kind of glasses are you wearing today? Are your glasses like the ones worn by the ten spies who predicted doom, gloom, and hid away in the desert far from their giants? Or, are your glasses like the ones worn by Joshua and Caleb? Glasses that see God and his ability to do the impossible? “With God's strength and power,” Caleb said, “we are more than able to take possession of the land.” The Holy Spirit is challenging the Body of Christ in all nations of the earth to hope in God. “Lift up your eyes. Look at the fields! They are ready for harvest.” It's time for the church to put its hope fully in God. No more fear-based desert wandering! It's time to take possession of the promises God has given to us. It's time to put on the glasses of hope and watch as God leads us through, from glory to glory. 

Have you ever heard someone make a statement like this: “Even when we don't understand the reasons, we can be sure that nothing happens outside of God's will.”?   Folks, that statement is heresy. How? Why? Because we are not helpless. God has given us the power to change our circumstances through prayer. When we take on the mindset that nothing happens outside of God's will, then we lose all reason to pray. But scripture urges us to pray about everything.   God is sounding a wake up call to the church. He is calling his people to repentance and to seek him on behalf of our world. Do you hear him calling you to pray…about the spread of Coronavirus and our need for healing; for our governments; and for the hearts of lost souls to choose Christ? If ever before in our lives, now is definitely a time we need to earnestly pray.  We have some choices to make. Will we choose to engage our circumstances through prayer? And, will we choose to saturate our circumstances with hope…that God is listening and responding positively to our prayers? Calamities of all kinds will happen to each of us at inopportune times. How we respond to those calamities is what determines how the road ahead will look for us. Circumstances will either define or refine us. We have to choose to pray and to maintain an attitude of hope anchored in God's word.   Biblical hope is a confident expectation in the goodness of God. Choose hope today. Grow in hope. Fan the ember of hope in your life through prayer today. Amen. 

Something GOOD is going to happen to you today! In the midst of a global pandemic presently claiming the lives of 100,000+ Americans and nearly 15% of the US unemployed, we must actively, daily put our hope in God. Without hope in God, where do we go? Hope resides in the mind. It is in the mind where our thoughts war against hope. We see the statistics, we hear the stories, we watch our retirement funds diminish. The battle of the mind is real. But we are not left helpless and forced to surrender to a daily onslaught of bad news that crush our hope. We have God's word to give us his thoughts, his hope, and to guide us. We have God's truth as a helmet for our minds. Thoughts come from three primary sources: 1) our five senses - sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell; 2) our subconscious memories; 3) the spiritual world - God thoughts and thoughts from the devil. Learning to control our thoughts through daily scripture reading is the key to holding onto our hope for future good. II Corinthians 4:17 says, “For our momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” Momentary troubles help us exercise our faith and to build our hope.

In this episode, Terry and Scot open with a reminder about hope. In turbulent times, the people of God must choose to hope, to run toward hope, and to embrace it. Hope is an action. In the early 1970's, God opened the door for Living Sound (a music group from Oral Roberts University) to minister in South Africa. At the time, the Afrikaner National Party controlled the government. In 1948 when the ANP stepped into power, they instituted a political and social system called “apartheid” which literally means “apart-hood” or “apartness”. This wicked system of white minority rule divided South Africans into separate groups based entirely on race and caused extreme suffering to blacks. God heard decades of cries for justice, and sent Living Sound to the nation with a message of hope and peace that changed the course of history.   Living Sound's first tour of South Africa lasted for a year, and God brought them back many times over the next decade. On one of those tours, a musician named Andre Crouch joined Living Sound. In this Conversations podcast, Terry fondly recalls that tour with Andre. At a time when blacks were not legally allowed to attend events with whites, Living Sound welcomed people of all color to their concerts, including Andre, a black man with a powerful anointing on his life. Andre ministering on stage with black and white musicians sent a powerful message of hope to the crowds who gathered. On that tour, more than 10,000 people made decisions for Christ and later became Christian leaders in South Africa and around the world.  Looking back at Living Sound in South Africa during apartheid, we remember God's faithfulness. God is a God of hope and has answers for our turbulent days. It is only the Gospel of Jesus Christ that changes hearts.

Something GOOD is going to happen to you today!   In the midst of a global pandemic presently claiming the lives of 100,000+ Americans and nearly 15% of the US unemployed, we must actively, daily put our hope in God. Without hope in God, where do we go?  Hope resides in the mind. It is in the mind where our thoughts war against hope. We see the statistics, we hear the stories, we watch our retirement funds diminish. The battle of the mind is real. But we are not left helpless and forced to surrender to a daily onslaught of bad news that crush our hope. We have God's word to give us his thoughts, his hope, and to guide us. We have God's truth as a helmet for our minds.   Thoughts come from three primary sources: 1) our five senses - sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell; 2) our subconscious memories; 3) the spiritual world - God thoughts and thoughts from the devil. Learning to control our thoughts through daily scripture reading is the key to holding onto our hope for future good.   II Corinthians 4:17 says, “For our momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” Momentary troubles help us exercise our faith and to build our hope.

In this podcast, Terry and Scot take a trip down memory lane to 1972 behind the Iron Curtain in Krakow, Poland. Terry and a group of musicians from Oral Roberts University had formed a music ministry called Living Sound. Thinking Living Sound was a rock and roll band, the Communist Youth Party of Poland invited the group to sing in their nightclub. Living Sound boldly stepped through the open door and shared the Gospel in song and testimonials. One special soloist that night was Terry's wife and Scot's mother, Jan, singing “He's My Rock, My Sword, My Shield.” Her voice lifted the name of Jesus and brought the power of the Holy Spirit to the unsuspecting crowd. That significant night was the beginning of a revival in Poland that spread like wildfire through the region and is credited for the eventual fall of communism.   At the time Living Sound visited Poland, the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Church in Krakow was Cardinal Karol Wojtyla. Cardinal Wojtyla heard of Living Sound's nightclub experience and invited the group to his home. He loved young people, played the guitar and learned several Living Sound songs. Wojtyla played a Living Sound song titled “Hallelujah, Hallelujah” to a crowd of a million Poles. Incredible! A few years later in 1978 he became Pope John Paul II, head of the Catholic Church worldwide and sovereign of the Vatican City State. Living Sound was invited to visit Pope John Paul II at the Vatican in 1981.   Terry and Scot continue their walk down memory lane in this wonderful podcast by reflecting on the goodness of God that opened doors for Living Sound to minister in Catholic churches all over Europe. The Living Sound members who boldly walked through open doors in the 1970's felt incredible hope in God as they followed his leading to declare the Gospel behind the Iron Curtain.

What do Sylvester Stallone and Harriet Tubman have in common?  They each understood and acted on their God-given freedoms to choose hope.   In this episode, Terry and Scot continue their conversation on the subject of hope. True hope, they express, only comes from the heart of God. When people choose to listen to God's word, they discover an abounding source of hope that is meant to overflow or spill out and touch the world around them. People can have so much hope that it bubbles over and blesses everyone in their lives.  Choosing hope is a discipline whereby believers encourage themselves in the Lord, listening closely to what he has to say about them and their future. True hope is contagious and energizing, and the Bible is filled with it. When people get a hold on hope, God uses it to bless the whole world.  The following hope scriptures are powerful passages of hope. Meditate on them and allow them to change your life. They will be so contagious they'll spill out into the world around you.   Scriptures  Romans 8:28, "We know that all things work together for good to those who love God."  "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope." Luke 15:13  "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil. My cup runs over." Psalms 23:5  "Oh that men would praise and confess to the Lord for his goodness and loving kindness, and his wonderful works to the children of man. For he satisfies the longing soul and he fills the hungry soul with good." Psalm 107:8-9

Hope is a nation's most important, most precious source of energy. Only the God of hope can give hope. Hope spurs action, makes us creative, enlightens our decision making. All these things are very important. Every human being needs hope, especially in the environment of the world today. We've been asking the Lord, "How do we encourage the people listening to us?" The answer, we believe, is to communicate a message of hope. God is saying that it is time to hope. It is time to abound in hope, especially as we think about the Coronavirus and its devastating effects on people's physical and emotional health. It is time to confess that all we are and ever hope to be, we owe it all to God. We've done our best to build ourselves in love. We know it is possible to grow in love for God and mankind, et cetera. We've also done our best to grow and strengthen our faith. Just as we've grown in love and faith, it is time to also grow in hope. God wants to give us so much hope, abundant hope, that it overflows our lives and blesses others around us. To grow in hope, the most important thing we can do is meditate on God's word. Here are three verses that will certainly build us up as we choose to act upon them: "I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living."  Psalm 27:13 "For we know that all things work together for good to those that love God to those who are called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28 "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope." Romans 15:13

Today's podcast is summed up in four words: Hope is a choice. When God looks at people, he sees everything. He sees sin, failure and brokenness. He also sees potential. To know God's nature is to know hope. Hope pushes away despair and walks toward, rather than away from God.   The world needs to hear a voice of hope. They want to hear that God is not done with them yet. He has a plan and purpose. Hope is a confident expectation of the goodness of God.  That's the kind of hope-filled message we need to be sharing, especially at this very challenging time. We have to believe that God has something good ahead for us. The grace of God is coming toward mankind, but we have to choose it. The most important thing about hope is we have the power to choose to receive it or not.   Hope is indispensable for generating enthusiasm. When in need of enthusiasm, it's there in hope, creativity, enlightened decision making, and effective action more than oil, ethanol, hydrogen, and nuclear power. Hope is the world's most important, most precious source of energy.   Only the God of hope can give hope. And yet He will not force it. People must choose to receive it. People can bring despair into their lives by their thoughts, and conversely, can bring hope into their lives by acting on hope. This action will literally bring about health and wellness in the body.  Take a few moments to meditate on the following scriptures. The message of hope is clear in each verse.  “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people.” Ephesians 1:18   "I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord." Psalm 27:13  “Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.” 3 John 2:2 

In today's episode, Scot and Terry talk candidly about the physical, psychological and financial toll the Coronavirus is having on people globally. Many are fearful, anxious about the future, and imagining the worst. Life may be on hold, but there is still hope.  Scot opens up episode #2 with his own personal journey through colon cancer. The initial shock and uncertain diagnosis, the painful surgery, the miserable chemotherapy…through it all, Scot actively chose to put his hope in God alone. He frequently reminded himself that a parked car is impossible to turn. To steer a vehicle, it must be in motion. Hope is active, and hope is what kept Scot moving forward toward full healing.  In the book of John, a man by the name of Andrew meets Jesus. Andrew has a brother named Simon. When Simon meets Jesus the Bible says, “Jesus looked at him.” Without words, only a look, Jesus sees into the heart of Simon and declares these hope-filled words: “You are Simon the son of Jonas, but you shall be called Peter or Cephas the rock.” Jesus saw past Simon's present circumstances into his future. Jesus frequently spoke hope to his listeners, and his words haven't changed. John 16:33 says, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace (hope). In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”   The Bible is not a book about heroes or super spiritual people who never failed and who always did the right thing. The truth is, it featured an all too human cast of failures. The same is true of Jesus followers today. We are people who allow doubt, fear, and allow circumstances color us. God, however, is greater than our circumstances and His is work in us in not yet complete. Like Simon Peter he says to each of us, “You are…BUT you will be.”   One of the beautiful things about hope is when we grasp it, hope generates energy and enthusiasm.  Hope convinces our doubting minds we have power to change circumstances. It inspires creativity, innovation, and determination to overcome. And, hope gives us a vision of the future, something to strive towards. When we're sick, hope helps us to see our healing. When we lose a job, hope shows us God's provision and purpose. Hope is one of God's greatest gifts to humanity.  In conclusion, Terry and Scot encourage listeners to meditate on these scriptures to build hope, especially in troubling times.   1st Thessalonians 5:8, “But let us who are up the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.”  1st Corinthians 13:13, “Now abide faith, hope, love these three, but the greatest of these is love. Here's a beautiful verse.”   Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good. To those who love God, to those who are the called according to his purpose.”  God bless you!

Get to know Terry and Scot and their stories in this first Conversations episode. Listeners will find the guys have an easy, conversational communication style that is both encouraging and inspirational.    Terry wrote a book a few years ago called The Hope Habit. If the world needs anything right now, it's a douse of good old-fashioned biblical hope. People need to remember that true hope is much more than wishful thinking. It is a confident expectation in the goodness of God. Hope is the strong foundation upon which all of scripture rests. Just as believers need to grow in faith and in love, they also need to grow in hope.   The word today is hope! Hope pushes against the often-deadly effects of despair. In times of despondency and despair, people need to hear a word of hope from God. Hope literally brings life to people lost in extremely difficult circumstances. People have a divinely given need to dream, and to hope for the future. Without hope, people are vulnerable to despair. It's why many have given up on God.   Here are three verses Terry and Scot encourage their listeners to hear and internalize today. As it is written: “They would have despaired unless they had believed they'd see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.”  Meditate on these verses today:   Psalm 130:7 says, "Hope for the Lord, for with the Lord there is loving kindness and with him is abundant redemption."   Proverbs 23:18, "Know that surely there is a future and your hope will not be cut off."  Jeremiah 29:11, "I know the plans that I have for you," says the Lord, "Plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."