Our Resolute Hope Podcast

We may wander and stray, but the heart of El Shaddai toward us never changes.  When we choose to live face to face with Him, He promises to make us complete and to supply all our needs, so that we lack nothing.

This name, above all others, shows the heart of our all-sufficient God toward His children.  When we are weak and vulnerable, He is our nurturing, comforting El Shaddai, the One Who promises to meet all our needs.

Safety, welfare, contentment, and completeness are all wrapped up in the word peace.  When God gives us His peace, He gives us the Person of Peace, Jesus Christ.  And through Him, we can cast our concerns in the lap of our God and enjoy His rest.

Come, let's reason together.  That's the compassionate invitation from our Lord to safely share all our sins and struggles with Him.  He will show us the truth about our circumstances and, through that truth, empower us to live lives that honor Him.

Knowing God as Adonai changes us.  Receiving Him as sovereign leads to a vulnerable transparency between God and his children, where we recognize our total inadequacy but move forward with a bold trust of His strength in us.

Sovereign.  Ruler.  Master.  All these define Adonai (Lord).  We use this name for God a lot.  But like Abram, we often don't fully appreciate its meaning until we find ourselves in difficult circumstances we can't manage on our own.

As covenant maker, Yahweh promises to do it all for us.  He leads, guides, and blesses us, and all we need do is believe and follow.  And when we do, He revives our soul, enlightens our eyes, and makes our hearts rejoice.

Intimacy,  Fellowship.  Communion.  A life shared with those He created.  These words barely begin to describe Yahweh and His desires for a relationship with us.  He describes Himself as I am, our present-tense God.

Our God works to recreate us spiritually, offering us what we need most:  a new heart and a new spirit.  Creating the heavens was handiwork for Him, but He had to roll up His sleeves and bare His arm to secure our salvation.

Our Creator is infinite, beautiful, and mysterious.  While we might see Him as distant and uninterested, the very opposite is true.  He is always active on our behalf, inviting us to draw ever closer and know Him more.

All authority to judge now belongs to Jesus, Who demonstrates the same wisdom, discernment, and understanding as the Father.  Jesus judges pass-fail:  do you have the Son or not?

God alone has the authority, the right and power, to judge.  Only He has the discernment, understanding, and wisdom to judge rightly every time.

Defender and protector are attributes of our warrior God.  But sometimes He fights for us in different ways, motivating then inviting us to join Him in His plans then empowering us to play key roles in His kingdom.

When we're surrounded by enemies, feeling vulnerable and powerless, our Shepherd God has prepared His table for us.  He offers His rest, peace, and blessing no matter what we might face.

Green pastures and still waters sound great, but what about the dark valleys?  Psalm 23 shows us that, no matter where we are, the Person of Peace - Jesus Christ – is always with us.

Psalm 23 is the Lord's job description as our Shepherd.  It describes all He does to address the parts of our lives that interfere with the expression of His life in us.

Pastor Frank continues his visit with Jim Welch.  His ministry, Real Restoration, rescues trafficked, sexually exploited, and at-risk girls from danger, and guides them toward a new journey of life (RealRestoration.org).

Pastor Frank's guest is Jim Welch, director of Real Restoration.  Active in Nepal, Bhutan, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Uganda, and Kenya, this ministry rescues trafficked, sexually exploited, and at-risk girls from danger, and guides them toward a new journey of life (RealRestoration.org).

Pastor Frank visits with Brian Miller, founder of Global Transformation Ministries in Medellín, Colombia.  The ministry rescues children from the streets, victims of sex trafficking, and exploited girls (TMinistries.org

In this second of two-interviews, Pastor Frank continues his conversation with JimBob Norman, missionary at New Song Mission in Nicaragua (NewSongNica.org).

In this two-part series, Pastor Frank interviews JimBob Norman.  A native of North Carolina, JimBob now ministers at New Song Mission in Nicaragua (NewSongNica.org).

Our wise and loving Father knows precisely what to prune, when to prune, and how to prune things from our lives so that we can bear just the right amount and type of fruit He intends.

The parable of the barren fig tree captures the attributes of our Vinedresser Father.  He is focused, patient, determined, protective, and longsuffering, willing to do all He can so that we'll bear fruit.  

Suffering is a strong foundation for friendship.  It was true for Abraham, God's friend.  It's true for us too, as we share in the sufferings of our Friend, Jesus Christ.

Our Friend God is without equal.  He loves, accepts, encourages, and supports us at all times.  And we experience His Friendship most fully when we go through adversity.

Our Husband God is like no other.  He hears and understands us.  He always makes us feel special.  He believes in and trusts us.  He provides everything we need.  And He is always there for us.

The Bible provides stunning insights into an often-overlooked aspect of God's revealed identity: Husband.  He not only made us, but He treasures us and adorns us with His glory.

As His bride, we are responsible:  to grow in the knowledge of God, our Bridegroom; to receive Him as Lord and allow Him to meet our needs as He sees fit; and to trust and yield to Him as our very Life.

Intimacy.  Acceptance.  Dependence.  Trust.  Celebration.  Love.  Peace.  Joy.  Enthusiasm.  Security.  Giving.  Receiving.  Knowing.  All these are facets of the relationship that is ours to enjoy – today – as the bride of Christ.

Light describes our basic identity, who we are in Christ.  Facing certain adversity from those who love darkness, we're to let our light shine, consciously choosing to step into the world's darkness and shine the light of our Savior Jesus, Who indwells us.

Salt defines how we're to interact with a fallen world.  More that just a preservative and a seasoning, we're to boldly proclaim Jesus to the world.  We're an aroma of death to the perishing but a fragrance of life to those who are being saved.

In this second of two interviews, Pastor Frank continues his conversation with David Gregory, speaker, teacher, and author of The Rest of the Gospel and the New York Times bestseller, Dinner With A Perfect Stranger.

In this two-part series, Pastor Frank interviews David Gregory, speaker, teacher, and author of The Rest of the Gospel and the New York Times bestseller, Dinner With A Perfect Stranger.

God never told us to save our world or rescue society.  That battle will leave us frustrated, confused, and angry.  We must cling tightly to our Father and to His promise that He is in control and is working out ALL things according to His perfect plan.

Economic crises.  Wars and threats of war.  Climate.  Rioting.  Racial tension.  Corruption.  Crime.  Rising suicide rates.  Believers everywhere ask, “What can we do?”  Paul told us in Colossians 3:2 to set our minds on things above, not on things that are on the earth.

While recognizing our fleshly characteristics is an important first step, we must follow it with corresponding Scriptural truths from Father's Word.  Continually renewing our minds with these truths will enable us to resist the enemy and stand against his attacks.

Temptations to sin are offered to us by our enemy, who often masquerades as us and makes it difficult to recognize his voice.  To spot the lies, we must understand and embrace the truth about i) who we are in Christ and ii) our fleshly weaknesses that make us vulnerable.

Effective spiritual warfare hinges on four keys that Christians must master if they wish to live in freedom:  i) Recognize the condemning thought; ii) Refuse that thought; iii) Reckon (consider) themselves dead to sin and alive to God; and iv) Rest in Jesus.

Spiritual warfare bears no resemblance to what's depicted in the media.  It's not a power struggle, with good and evil battling and the victor undecided.  It's a truth struggle, with the veracity of Father's Word proving false all of the enemy's lies.

In this final episode of the series, Frank and Paul Byrd discuss what came next after retiring from baseball, including the launch and focus of Byrdhouse Ministries (thebyrdhouseministries.com).

In this continuing series, Frank explores other aspects of Paul Byrd's faith walk, including his marriage and family and his decision to retire from professional baseball.

Frank continues his conversation with Paul Byrd, major league pitcher and author of Free Byrd, a book that details his faith in Christ, his struggles with pornography, and other personal topics.

Pastor Frank launches a four-part series with Paul Byrd, major league All-Star pitcher and long-time friend of the ministry.

Pastor Frank, Dr. John, and Joshua Gordon discuss how the church often stigmatizes those who suffer with anxiety, and they chart a path forward through intimate dependance on Father.

Guest Joshua Gordon discusses his long struggle with anxiety and how Father inspired to him to develop his book.

Often overlooked as a piece of armor, continual watchful prayer is a formidable weapon during times of spiritual warfare.  It is mighty to tear down spiritual strongholds and it sharpens our discernment into both the wiles of our enemy and the needs of those around us.

To stand against our enemy, we need the helmet of salvation and the word of God.  The first gives us understanding into who we are in Christ, which protects how we think, feel, and choose.  The other enables us to parry his cunning lies with the sword of the Spirit, Jesus Christ.

The most adaptable piece of our armor is the shield of faith.  Our faith doesn't just deflect the enemy's flaming darts; it  extinguishes them.  Positioning this shield correctly, that is, trusting God in every circumstance, we can minimize the suffering we receive at the hands of our enemy.

As soldiers, we must always be prepared to do battle with the enemy.  Our readiness depends on understanding the gospel of peace.  This gospel is more than just forgiveness of our sins:  it's a comprehensive change in how we feel, think, and choose, a totally new way to live in Him.

The breastplate of righteousness is a core aspect of our identity.  In Christ, we've been made righteous, as approved and accepted as Jesus.  This truth protects against a key attack by our enemy:  the temptation to question who we are as believers.

Our armament from God begins with the belt of truth, which is the most foundational piece. Knowing the truth about ourselves in Christ and about our enemy and his tactics is critical if we're to live victoriously.