Podcasts about Arise

The Christian Dilemma - Are You Ready for God's Truth?In this powerful episode we look at how Jesus spoke openly yet withheld information through the way He communicated. It's the beautiful art of Christian speaking because not everyone is ready to hear God's truth.This is week 3 in our bible study on "gates." Join Pastor Carina for digital disciple each week and mature your spiritual authority by going deeper into the things of God. Every Wednesday we grow our faith together - fellowship begins at 1:30pm Pacific Time.Pastor Carina is a Christian life coach, Keynote Speaker, and Mentor who God has uniquely gifted to activate others in the body of Christ. She carries an anointing to stir dormant callings, awaken spiritual gifts, and ignite Kingdom assignments,  empowering believers to step boldly into their God-given identity, walk in divine purpose, and bear lasting fruit for His glory. She's the Founder of Trumpets of Tirzah, an international apostolic center for women that facilitates purpose discovery, Kingdom lifestyle practices, and biblical leadership disciplines so that women can live, and lead, a "new creation" life that reflects Jesus. Her personal coaching, group mentoring, and Tirzah University courses provide keys of radical transformation that launch women into spheres of influence around the world.Hungry for more…Tirzah University, the religious education department of Trumpets of Tirzah, is the only educational institution in the world that focuses on the Apostolic role of women in the body of Christ while educating, equipping and empowering women to walk confidently in their God-given role. Come study with us: www.TirzahUniversity.com DONATE TODAYYour support plants seeds and grows the Kingdom of God! We are a 501c3 - www.trumpetsoftirzah.com/donate******************************************************** Awaken. Arise. Advance.https://www.trumpetsoftirzah.comDo you want your Christian product advertised on our podcast? Book your ad on Fiver.https://www.fiverr.com/s/NNLl8pN Get your Amplified Bible: https://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?event=AFF&p=1223731&item_no=0446538We host in-person and virtual events. Check out our website events page to join in the fun. We are a community of women leaders with creative hearts desiring to follow the examples of Jesus above all else. We are located in the heart of Temecula, CA.Let's connect and journey through life together! We are a mature community of Kingdom believers standing bolding in God's truth and partnering with the Holy Spirit.Shopping for Christian gifts? Here's a link to discounted quality gifts: https://www.christianbook.com/page/gifts?event=AFF&p=1223731Engage daily with us! Instagram https://www.instagram.com/trumpetsoftirzah/ TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@trumpetsoftirzahLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/trumpetsoftirzah iHeart Radio  ⁠https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-trumpets-of-tirzah-120477377/⁠ Amazon Music. ⁠https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/c0203ed1-9b85-426a-85f5-5350e82ab730/trumpets-of-tirzah⁠ Apple Podcasts. ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/trumpets-of-tirzah/id1551900025⁠ Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4DCT4KBVsmzfnqyobR4ZwF Apple Podcasts. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/trumpets-of-tirzah/id1551900025YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TrumpetsofTirzahRumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-5936184#journeyoffaith #spiritualgrowth #digitaldiscipleship #spiritualquestions #faith #virtualfellowship #lifestylechristianity #temecula #kingdomconnections #womensbiblestudy #intentionalfaith #kingdomnetwork #kingdomvalues #christianlifestyle #christianlearning #spirituallearning #maturebelievers #growyourfaith #apostolicprinciples #biblerevelation #kingdomimpact #kingdombuilders  #spiritualauthority #holyspirit #womenoffaith #christianpodcast #podcastforwomen #apostolicteaching #kingdompodcast #womanpastor #womanapostle

TODAY'S TREASUREGod is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble.Psalm 46:1Send us a comment!Support the show

Do you ever feel tired and empty, going through the motions but not really connecting? Are you waiting on God and not seeing his goodness?Pastor Barbie's teaching resonates with people who find it hard to stay motivated and those who feel like they are just going through the motions of their faith. Maybe there are some days, you don't want to be open or take a step forward. Sometimes, you can't see God's goodness in your life.Instead of pretending or hiding, think about Jesus. Pay attention to what he has done instead of what distracts or pulls you down. You're surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses and a family by your side, ready to pray, support, and walk with you during tough times.Scriptures ReferencedMatthew 7:7-8, 23:37; Hebrews 10:35-39, 12:1-3Key InsightsWe don't have to see what's next. We have to fix our eyes on Him and know that He has it.Focus on Jesus. Set aside distractions and consider His faithfulness.Perseverance is proven not in easy times but when you want to give up; God never wastes your steps.Running your race is not about perfection but about showing up, trusting, and not shrinking back.Key Sections00:00:00 - Seeing and Trusting God's GoodnessWhen you can't easily see God's goodness, remember his faithfulness. Trust that he is working, even if you can't see it right now.00:04:29 - Running With PerseverancePut away distractions, focus on Jesus, and keep running your own race with strength by thinking about who he is and what he has done.00:08:19 - Actively Focusing and TrustingActive faith means focusing on Jesus and ignoring distractions, even when you're unsure of what to do next. Trust that a good God knows your struggles and is not caught off guard by them.00:10:44 - Adding Weight To God's WorkThink about what God is doing and notice his faithfulness compared to everything else. This way, you won't get tired or lose hope. Remember, this "considering" is something you need to do regularly and on purpose.00:12:49 - Running Your Race By FaithPastor Barbie reminds us that we live our lives for God, not for others. We're never really alone—sticking with it is important, even if no one notices us.00:15:00 - Not Shrinking BackDon't pull back or lose your confidence. Trust God, even when you can't see the end, remembering you were meant to be strong and brave.https://springhouse.captivate.fm/episode/arise-consider-himSubscribe & Follow the PodcastDownload our appOur WebsiteOnline Tithes & OfferingsJoin our LivestreamGathering TimesSundays, 9:00 AMSundays, 11:00 AMThursdays, 6:00 PMContact InfoSpringhouse Church14119 Old Nashville HighwaySmyrna TN 37167615-459-3421CCLI License 2070006

Our 593rd episode, which aired on June 7, 2026. Arise & Go – Jos Cormier - Jock Broon's 70th, Moments of Light The McDades – Lily of the West, Thread the Light Seamus Begley & Jim Murray – The Old Torn Petticoat that I Bought in Mullingar/Mary Willie's/The Star Above the Garter, Ragairne Rua – The Moon & St. Christopher, Ao-Tea-Roa Hauler – Finders Keepers, Hauler The Kilfenora Fiddle Ceili Band – The Gold Ring/The Lucky Penny, The Kilfenora Ceili Band Gadan – Old Timey, May the Divil Tune Your Banjos Tempest – Queen of Argyll, Bootleg: 35th Anniversary Edition Tara Breen – Pottinger's Reel/Rannie MacLellan's/Bunker Hill, Sooner or Later CLOSET CLASSIC: Mazz O'Flaherty & Eilís Kennedy – The Painting Song, Songs of Mazz O'Flaherty Theresa O'Grady – Patsy Touhey's/Tommy Coen's/The Geese in the Bog, Banjo'ista Tim Edey – Emma's Tune, Little Bird: 22 Compositions 1995-2024

The Faith of Christians, Churches, and Nations Can Be Tested and Doubts Arise in Today's World; However, God Is Faithful and Will Not Forsake You MESSAGE SUMMARY: God will never leave you or forsake you. Even when difficulties arise and you are tempted to walk away from your faith, God will not leave you. When you are tempted to doubt God, remember that God is faithful. When the Apostles questioned Jesus about faith and prayer, Jesus told the Apostles, in Mathew 21:21-22, that your faith is powerful and that God will respond to your faith: “And Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.'”. Hold, unswervingly, to the hope and faith you profess because God, who promised us, is faithful. While you are endeavoring to hold onto your faith in God and Jesus' Gospel, you need to always remember the faithfulness of God, even in those times in which you may be doubting or questioning your faith. Do not give up your faith!   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, fill me with the simple trust that even out of the most awful evil around me, you are able to bring great good — for me, for others, and for your great glory. In Jesus' name, amen.     Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 91). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be ashamed of the Gospel. I will not be ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes (including me). From Romans 1:16 SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Psalms 91:1-10; Mathew 28:16-20; Mathew 6:25-34; Psalms 18b:11-20. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Our Awesome God -- Part 3: Trinity; Jesus, the Christ” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas reports on Donald Trump's health collapsing as his 22 doctors are uncovered. Remember to subscribe to ALL the MeidasTouch Network Podcasts: MeidasTouch: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/meidastouch-podcast Legal AF: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/legal-af MissTrial: https://meidasnews.com/tag/miss-trial The PoliticsGirl Podcast: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-politicsgirl-podcast Cult Conversations: The Influence Continuum with Dr. Steve Hassan: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-influence-continuum-with-dr-steven-hassan The Weekend Show: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-weekend-show The Ken Harbaugh Show: https://meidasnews.com/tag/the-ken-harbaugh-show Majority 54: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/majority-54 On Democracy with FP Wellman: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/on-democracy-with-fpwellman Uncovered: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/maga-uncovered Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

ARISE TO THE WORD | How to Make the Bible Personal — Sam Wishart The Bible is the most purchased book in history. But for many of us, it can also be the most unopened. In this message, Sam Wishart unpacks how to move beyond simply reading the Bible and into a place where Scripture comes alive — personally, practically, and powerfully in your everyday life. Because the Word of God was never meant to sit on a shelf. It was written for you. In this message we explore: Why so many Christians struggle to connect with the Bible consistently Practical tools to help you read Scripture in a way that actually sticks How to move from information to transformation Why making the Bible personal changes everything How the Word of God speaks directly into your story Whether you're brand new to the Bible or you've been reading it for years, this message will give you a fresh hunger for God's Word and practical steps to make it a daily reality.

ARISE TO PURPOSE | Arise & Shine — Living the Life You Were Made For You were not made by accident. You were made on purpose, for a purpose. In this message, we dive into what God says about your life — not what you feel in your hardest season, but what the Creator of the universe declares over you. From Ephesians 2:10 to Isaiah 60:1, the Bible is clear: you are God's masterwork, designed with intention, wired with gifts, and called to shine. But here's the hard truth — you cannot fulfil your God-given purpose from the sidelines. Too many of us are waiting for the perfect moment, the right season, the ideal circumstances. Meanwhile, the candle God placed inside us is sitting under a basket. In this message we explore: Why you were designed on purpose, for a purpose What the apostle Paul's struggles teach us about staying the course How every area of your ordinary life can become an act of worship How your spiritual gifts are signposts to your calling Why the church grows when everyone carries something Whether you're in a season of doubt, burnout, or simply going through the motions — this message is your invitation to arise.

ARISE TO THE WORD | How to Make the Bible Personal — Sam Wishart The Bible is the most purchased book in history. But for many of us, it can also be the most unopened. In this message, Sam Wishart unpacks how to move beyond simply reading the Bible and into a place where Scripture comes alive — personally, practically, and powerfully in your everyday life. Because the Word of God was never meant to sit on a shelf. It was written for you. In this message we explore: Why so many Christians struggle to connect with the Bible consistently Practical tools to help you read Scripture in a way that actually sticks How to move from information to transformation Why making the Bible personal changes everything How the Word of God speaks directly into your story Whether you're brand new to the Bible or you've been reading it for years, this message will give you a fresh hunger for God's Word and practical steps to make it a daily reality.

ARISE TO PURPOSE | Arise & Shine — Living the Life You Were Made For You were not made by accident. You were made on purpose, for a purpose. In this message, we dive into what God says about your life — not what you feel in your hardest season, but what the Creator of the universe declares over you. From Ephesians 2:10 to Isaiah 60:1, the Bible is clear: you are God's masterwork, designed with intention, wired with gifts, and called to shine. But here's the hard truth — you cannot fulfil your God-given purpose from the sidelines. Too many of us are waiting for the perfect moment, the right season, the ideal circumstances. Meanwhile, the candle God placed inside us is sitting under a basket. In this message we explore: Why you were designed on purpose, for a purpose What the apostle Paul's struggles teach us about staying the course How every area of your ordinary life can become an act of worship How your spiritual gifts are signposts to your calling Why the church grows when everyone carries something Whether you're in a season of doubt, burnout, or simply going through the motions — this message is your invitation to arise.

This talk was given by Diana Clark on 2026.06.10 at the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, CA. ******* Video of this talk is available at: https://youtube.com/live/8yecMJcLBzk. ******* For more talks like this, visit AudioDharma.org ******* If you have enjoyed this talk, please consider supporting AudioDharma with a donation at https://www.audiodharma.org/donate/. ******* This talk is licensed by a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License

Helen Musick, House Church Leader at Arise and Teacher, speaks on Exodus 24, and community in the presence of God.

Liam Horrobin is running the show today on Oilersnation Everyday, with Oilersnation writer Michael Menzies riding shotgun as the guys dive into a very busy news day around the Edmonton Oilers.The big story continues to evolve around Mike Babcock, with new reports surfacing this morning suggesting the NHLPA has received “significant” additional claims regarding his tenure in Columbus — the same situation that ultimately led to his firing. What does this mean moving forward, and why is this gaining traction now?The conversation doesn't stop there. The guys also break down the report that members of the Oilers' leadership group may be pushing for Babcock to become the next head coach in Edmonton. If true, what could that mean for the upcoming season, the locker room, and even potential future free agent decisions?Plus, we open up the mailbag to see how Oilersnation is reacting to all the speculation and rumours swirling around this potential hire. To wrap things up, Liam and Michael get you set for game day with some Bet365 picks and betting angles to watch.A packed episode with plenty to unpack — let's get into it.

You are holding the key

Pastor John Knapp teaching out of the Gospel of Luke chapter 7.

Bible teaching by Alex Vaca on the 7th June 2026. When Idolatry Produces Injustice (2:1-5) • The wealthy landowners spent their nights planning how to acquire more wealth and more land. When God's People Become God's Enemies (2:6-9) • The shocking reality is that these were not pagans. • They were Israelites. God's covenant people were exploiting one another. When False Prophets Silence the Truth (2:6-11) • The people did not repent when confronted. • False prophets assured them that judgment would never come. When a Nation Consumes Itself (2:8-10) • The land became polluted. • Not by foreign armies. Not by natural disasters. • But by sin. Greed. Oppression. Violence. False religion. The Reality of Divine Judgment • "Arise and go, for this is no place to rest." The Hope Beyond Judgment (2:12-13) • The chapter does not end in darkness. • The God who scatters is also the God who gathers. • The God who judges is also the God who saves. • Micah sees a Shepherd-King leading His people home.

Ever find yourself wondering where God is when life gets dark, frustrating, or just plain ordinary? Pastor Barbie invites us to sit with the reality that sacred moments aren't just tucked away in mountain-top experiences or huge miracles. They happen in the middle of everyday messes, small joys, and even deep pain.She tells relatable stories about being a parent, dealing with loss, and always wanting more. She shows how gratitude helps us notice God's goodness in every situation. She's not talking about ignoring the pain but about witnessing beauty rising from ashes and declaring, “I will see the goodness of God in the land of the living.”Scriptures ReferencedGenesis 1:14; Exodus 33:15-19; Psalm 27:13-14, 116:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; Hebrews 12:1 Key InsightsGod is calling us to wake up and see what He's doing.The enemy wants you to never be satisfied with what God has given you.Gratitude is a spiritual discipline and an act of trust, not just a surface emotion.Gratitude disciplines our hearts to judge a moment only after finding Him in it.Gratitude is the inevitable fruit of seeing God.The goodness of God should evoke a response in us.Key Sections00:00:00 - Welcome and Opening ReflectionPastor Barbie sets a tone of expectancy by reflecting on how God continually leads us to step up and discover new layers of His goodness.00:02:19 - Discovering Sacred MomentsWe live in a culture filled with distractions. In the tension between busyness and spiritaul awareness, the stars overhead still mark God's holy timing and prompt us to slow down, pay attention, and witness the sacred moments.00:07:46 - Shifting from Distraction to WitnessMany people feel pressured by messages that say “you don't have enough.” But the truth is different: the real miracle isn't just a big healing or event. It's about daily practice. It's about noticing what God has already given us and building a thankful spirit that appreciates both the simple and the amazing.00:12:07 - Holding Pain and Joy as SacredPastor Barbie shares personal stories about being a mother, dealing with loss, and finding healing. She shows that gratitude is important not just in happy times but also in tough times. We can see the sacred when we recognize God's presence at births, in hospitals, and during all seasons, even when we are unsure of what God will do next.00:17:21 - Practicing Gratitude as ObedienceGratitude is challenged by disappointments and distractions, but the Bible shows it's more than just a feeling. It's a way of living and a choice to give thanks in every situation. This attitude can change how you see your faith and your relationships.00:28:24 - Legacy of Gratitude in the FamilyPastor Barbie shows that being thankful every day creates a lasting impact on children, grandchildren, and future generations. Remember that sharing stories of God's faithfulness makes a difference.00:37:31 - Worshipful ResponseRemember one thing to be grateful for and worship. Gratitude is learned and contagious, transforming both individuals and communities.https://springhouse.captivate.fm/episode/arise-in-gratitudeSubscribe & Follow the PodcastDownload our appOur WebsiteOnline Tithes & OfferingsJoin our LivestreamGathering TimesSundays, 9:00 AMSundays, 11:00 AMThursdays, 6:00 PMContact InfoSpringhouse Church14119 Old Nashville HighwaySmyrna TN 37167615-459-3421CCLI License 2070006

What if you discovered that God never gives up—even when you've run from Him countless times? Pastor Dave powerfully unpacks Jonah chapter 3, revealing how "the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time," demonstrating God's relentless pursuit of our hearts. After Jonah's whale experience taught him that prayer changes everything while complaining changes nothing, he finally listened and obeyed God's call to preach to Nineveh. Dave challenges us with a convicting truth: if people who know you best don't even realize you're a Christian, is Jesus really in your life? He calls out our tendency to gossip about church problems while never sharing the gospel, reminding us that 83% of Americans don't walk with God—your coworkers, neighbors, and friends need to hear the good news. When Jonah finally preached God's message, an entire city repented, from commoners to the king himself, and God relented from judgment. This same merciful God offers you another chance today, no matter how many times you've failed or run. Don't let this moment pass—step out of your seat, surrender your heart, and watch God transform your story from the inside out.JONAH 3:1-10 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying,2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.”3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three-day journey in extent.4 And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day's walk. Then he cried out and said, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”5 So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them.6 Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes.7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water.8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands.9 Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish?10 Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.

Manifesting Sonship (1) (Audio) David Eells, 6/7/26 Parable of the Persecuted Man-child David Eells - 01/18/2012 This came to me in the middle of the night of 1/18/12 and I hurried to write it down before I forgot it. Joseph took care of his father's flocks with his brothers before he was anointed to reign. His brothers became jealous of him and hated him and could not speak peaceably to him. The Father's favor was on Joseph, Who gave him a coat of many colors, symbolizing the attributes of light, since a prism breaks down light into the seven main colors. This represents the seven attributes of Jesus in 2 Peter 1:4-8, called divine nature. Joseph had dreams from God of being anointed to be over his brothers. His brothers hated his dreams and slandered them and God Who gave them. The brothers also hated and slandered Joseph. They agreed to throw him in a pit with plans to kill him. As traitors and Judases, they sold him into bondage for personal gain. They also wanted to inherit the flock as their own. They treated him as their own possession, as though God did not see their evil deeds. However, He saw and considered it as evil against His Son: (Mat.25:40) Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of these my brethren, [even] these least, ye did it unto ME. They took Joseph's coat of many colors and tore it between them and put the blood of a goat on it. This symbolizes their slandering his integrity and imputing to him an evil nature. (This was as the Pharisees treated Jesus. These apostate brothers did not know Jesus either, and their beast parted his garments, too.) These leaders of the harlot church proclaimed an evil beast had done this and in this, they were right. In this captivity, Joseph was then slandered by the harlot of Potiphar, the chief executioner, and thrown into a spiritual prison. Joseph was not deterred. His interpretations of dreams fulfilled prophecy as men's fates were decided. As with the butler and baker, some were resurrected from their prisons, and others were eternally destroyed. Because of his gift of understanding dreams and the future, Joseph was promoted and anointed to reign. He taught the people how to store up their treasures in the kingdom so they might be provided for from there. The seven years of plenty came to an end and seven years of famine came, and there was famine all over the world. The Father then sent Joseph's brothers to him so that they might not starve with all the flocks. They did not recognize him because he looked like any worldly Egyptian on the outside. Although all the people came to Joseph for spiritual sustenance, these leaders still did not know the one on the inside. Because of this, they reaped what they had sown and were tried by Joseph's words and falsely accused as they had done to Joseph. (Isa.54:17) No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness which is of me, saith Jehovah. In the fullness of time, Joseph revealed himself to them, and they were greatly saddened for their failures, which had caused them and their families much grief. Joseph comforted them, telling them that they meant evil against him, but God used it for good to save many people alive. All of the types of the Man-child were slandered before and after the anointing came. The Psalms are full of this in David's experience, which was a type of Jesus' experience, which was a type of Jesus in the end-time Man-child ministry's experience. This parable above is in the process of being fulfilled. It is easy to see ‘who is who' in this parable of God just before the seven years of famine begin. Repent while there is still time. Joseph is not in prison alone. Some will end up like the butler and some like the baker, by His Word.   Death of the Davids Eve Brast - 11/25/2012 (David's notes in red) In the dream, David Eells (representing the David/Man-childs) and I (Eve, representing the bride of the last Adam) were in an Army barracks on a base on the second floor. I walked into the room where David was sitting. He was sitting at the doorway, teaching a rebellious man who was sitting at his feet, about not fighting in the flesh because he really wanted to teach his son to rise up and fight the government with guns and weapons. At first, my eyes were focused on the rebellious man, but then I looked up at David and saw the condition of his outward man. He was feeble and old but the voice coming from his inner man was very strong and youthful. (2Co.4:16) Wherefore we faint not; but though our outward man is decaying, yet our inward man is renewed day by day. (17) For our light affliction, which is for the moment, worketh for us more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory; (18) while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.) I was shocked when I saw him. He was wearing a long-sleeved white dress shirt, and it was soaked with bloody sweat, just like Christ in the garden just before His crucifixion. He had been laboring in great travail and prayer while teaching this rebellious man who had been sitting at his feet. (I have discovered that teaching the rebellious man is a wonderful way to be crucified of self at his hand.) When I looked at him, he motioned to me with his finger by pointing to his mouth and then pointing to me and indicating to me to read his lips because his old man could not speak anymore. (The tongue is a good indication of whether the old man is dead. (Jas.3:2) For in many things we all stumble. If any stumbleth not in word, the same is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body also. A perfect man is one who is dead to self.) When I read his lips, he said without a sound, “It's time.” And then he pointed at R. S., who was his personal secretary/nurse in an office to his right. He wanted me to alert her. I didn't understand what was happening and I became concerned because he looked like he was going to die! (Please read our book, How Shall We Die, to know the way of death to self.) Then he pulled his blood-and sweat-soaked shirt open (like Superman does) and I saw a bright red scar running down his sternum. Then I understood that he had recently had a heart transplant and now it was time for him (the old man) to pass away. (A heart transplant is in effect the death of the old heart and resurrection of the new.) I ran and got R.S., who was a white woman in this dream. She jumped up and ran to catch his body as it slumped in his chair and passed away. She said, “We've been waiting and preparing for this to happen for quite a while now”. She reached David just in time to catch his body and lower it down to the floor. I was sorrowful that he had left us, as the brethren took his body away. I felt the way the disciples felt after their Shepherd, Jesus, had been crucified. (The Davids are going through a crucifixion and death of the old man.) I then went back to another barracks where I also taught the revelations the Father had given David to others, and where we all slept. (The Bride will pass on the Man-child's teachings in the tribulation.) It was dark outside, and on the way back, I heard a radio broadcast in my right ear. The disc jockey was criticizing me and slandering the good news teaching that I had been sharing with others. I didn't realize that anyone knew about me or that I taught the good news to others. I then smiled and said to myself, “I don't care if they don't like me because I know what I've taught is the truth of the Word”. (Persecution will come on the bride, as it did on the Man-child, so the bride too can walk in death to self and share the same gift with the world.) A confirmation: This is a small portion of a dream I had on the morning of 11/26/12, confirming the “death of David.” In one part of the dream, David's voice is heard teaching out of a very large stone fireplace with a blazing fire burning, which was inside a white homeschool convention center. (I have had several dreams with fireplaces, but this is the first one that actually had a fire going in it.) David was sharing a dream from a UBM brother with us then afterward, he was going to share a dream I was given. (Fire represents tribulation, which burns up flesh. The Davids are in the fire, which will purify their Word and make it effectual for many more people, implied by the “white homeschool convention center.”) At another point in the dream, I was out in the foyer of the convention center, in front of the two huge, carved double doors of the entry into the center, when my son, Elijah, who was 10, ran up to me and asked, “Do you think I can have David's ministry when he's dead?” (I am sure that when the Davids manifest death, many will inherit from them their mantle and ministry, especially all of the witnesses, typed by Elijah.) I said, “I don't know. You will have to ask him, but I'm sure it's okay”. I then looked way up high above the double entry doors and saw very large, red music notes, edged in gold, mounted on the wall. I thought, “Enter into His courts with praise!” (The color red represents the “sacrifice of praise.”) (The Davids should complain about the fire less and praise the Lord more, in great appreciation for this unmerited and gifted ministry to come!)   Sonship or Persecutor? Golda Meyer - 05/14/2006 (David's notes in red) Children, carry forth this message, for truly, the time is no more. Hours in the day are crunched. Mercy time is crunched because of My chosen ones. For long you have walked in the wilderness, hoping for more, groaning for more, and crying for more. I have seen your tears, and I know of the cries in your hearts. Children, the time is here. Like Mary accepted the seed of the Holy Spirit in her womb, so did you. But travail came in a terrible way in her young life, but she rejoiced in the Birth of the Sign - Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Sign, but even the Sign had to be fulfilled in the Promise. And this is happening. Children, it is happening still, for the Promise is fulfilled with many sons of God coming into Sonship. Children, this is that time now. It is Sonship time. Now you will see the true Sonship. Men and Women of God on this earth truly walking like Jesus did. By this, you can see who the sons are and who are not. Discernment will be so easy, and the works wrought by their hands in perfection are driven by Love. And this Love is from God; for no man, it does not matter how long and hard they try, can muster this Love up from their own will. These sons are sent by God, and cannot by their own will achieve anything. They have died and given over fully their wills to God. Deep in the river do they abide, knowing only the Love and Strength and Life of their God. You will see them appear - all of them. From the quiet and the secret places are they coming forth, and in great strength, for all in them is from Me. And they shall rule in the way I want them to rule. No tolerance for evil or flesh will they be able to show, for the mere idea stinks with rot to them. For I AM in them, fully employed and in Power. They will not tolerate any mediocrity either, and harsh will be their words sometimes, but it is for healing only, motivated by Love. You shall see their strength and their beauty in the LORD. Only those who abide in the LORD can follow this road. Abiding in the Vine, the Vine of all Life-giving. Only those can move to Sonship, for in the fellowship and intimacy of God, only herein could they grow into maturity. That time of maturity is here. And they will mature simultaneously, in great numbers, to impact this world. This world will know of the Glory of the Lord, for it will be shown in great and splendid public display. How shall this be? Oh, you shall see, for ALL will be healed in the Presence of God, in Mine Glory and ALL shall be delivered in the Presence of God, of those that will accept the LORD Jesus Christ as their Savior. The Healing and Deliverance is for ALL who will receive Me. For ALL. They will walk, talk, and do like Jesus, and even more so. For much splendor will I bestow on this earth, and great is the Glory of God, for My Presence will fill this earth, and even the sinners will know that I AM God. So children, have eyes wide open, for those that will see, shall see, and those that will hear, shall hear. The others shall be veiled, unless My intercessors intercede and stand in the gap for those who are lost. Children, hear your Father's Heart. I will not, that anyone go astray, so stand in for those that you know are not with Me. For I long to feel them in My Heart, for I have created them in Love. Don't let them die, children, but pray for them to Live, and have Life abundantly. You are greatly blessed with the Light; now shine that Light unto others, so they may live. (Joh.6:39 And this is the will of him that sent me, that of all that which he hath given me I should lose nothing, …) Dearest children, this, your Father asks of you today, to be merciful unto others as I AM merciful to you. Pray earnestly for those, and I shall save them, for the prayers of the righteous avail much. Love Me first and love others as you love yourself, and truly, your rewards are great in Christ Jesus. Now then, My beloved, pray for unity, for I want My Church together in great strength, for in unity there can be no division, and if no division, then comes forth great Strength in Christ. Accept them, each other, and do not cuddle dominion loyalty, but be loyal to your God and to each other. As I AM, so you shall be. Now see My sons, for you shall truly say: How long have I been in your midst? See then Me, in My sons, for this is who I AM. ALL in ALL. Dearest ones, be faithful to My commands and be blessed in Christ Jesus, for truly, great is the time upon you. Great is the Grace upon you, and great is the Glory of God upon this earth. So it shall be. AMEN. Rom 8:16 Rom The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God: 17 and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified with him. 18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed to us-ward. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creation waiteth for the revealing of the sons of God. Rom 8:29 For whom he foreknew, he also foreordained to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren: 30 and whom he foreordained, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. Let's look at some scriptures concerning our persecution and the reasons, and if we endure, the rewards. (Mat.5:4) Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.   Obviously, we mourn. The world is full of laughter and enjoying everything that's going on around them, but like Lot (2 Peter 2:7-8), we're grieved in our hearts. When we put the Word of God in our heart, the Jesus Who is in us is grieved at the things that go on around us, is grieved at the advantage that the wicked take of us, is grieved at the persecution that they bring against us. Losing your life can be painful, of course, but if we obey Jesus' commands, He will make it as quick as possible. Thank You, Lord! Needless to say, there is a place of mourning because of the persecutions and the tribulations that come upon us through the wicked people around us. Jesus told us in (Luk.6:21) Blessed [are] ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed [are] ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh. (22) Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you [from their company,] and reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. We don't see that as a blessing, but it's listed here as one of God's blessings because when we're hated of the world, that means we're loved of God. If we weep because of what we're giving up in the natural, because of persecutions that we're suffering and enduring for Christ's sake, persecutions that we endure because of the crucified life, this is good.  The Lord is going to bless us for this. (Mat.5:10) Blessed are they that have been persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Another Scripture tells us, (2Ti.3:12) Yea, and all that would live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. If you're going to live Godly, as Jesus walked, you are going to suffer persecution, and it's for the purpose of crucifying that old man. But notice He said, “Blessed are they that have been persecuted for righteousness' sake” because if we suffer for doing evil, we don't receive glory or gain any advantage for that (1 Peter 2:20, 3:17). And many of us do suffer God's chastening for doing things that are contrary to His Will, but that's because He loves us and wants us to turn and go the other way. (Mat.5:11) Blessed are ye when [men] shall reproach you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. We don't like to suffer persecution, or people speaking lies against us, and so on, but God said, “Blessed are you.” This is more of God's humbling process, that we should accept what's being spoken against us. Jesus told His apostles, (Joh.15:20) Remember the word that I said unto you, A servant is not greater than his lord. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also. If they did it to our Lord, they'll do it to us, and so we should be rejoicing in our persecution. In fact, look at what the very next verse says in Matthew. (Mat.5:12) Rejoice, and be exceeding glad (Notice that's our command from the Lord.): for great is your reward in heaven… We're going to receive a reward because of all the things that the wicked do; things the wicked Christians and wicked worldly people say against us. We're going to get a reward for that, and so He tells us to rejoice and give thanks to God. I don't believe when we're on the other side of our trial, looking back, brethren, that we're going to think, “Boy, I'm sorry I went through that!” It says in (Heb.12:11) All chastening seemeth for the present to be not joyous but grievous; yet afterward it yieldeth peaceable fruit unto them that have been exercised thereby, even the fruit of righteousness. Obviously, we're going to see the results of God's blessings and the things that He's provided for us because we have gone through that, and because of the peaceable fruit that God is working in our hearts by our going through this. No, I believe we're going to thank God and we will be rejoicing! (Deu.28:7) The Lord will cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thee: they shall come out against thee one way, and shall flee before thee seven ways. In the midst of the trial, “hearken” unto the Word. Accept the good report, and the devil won't know what to do with you, and neither will your physical enemies (Numbers 13:30). Our physical enemies come against us as persecutions and a matter of crucifixion, so the best thing to do is lay down your life. Stop trying to save yourself by man's methods. Put your trust in the Lord and “hearken diligently” unto His Word.   Will You Eat with Chickens or Fly with Eagles? G. W. - 10/06/2008 (David's notes in red) I had a dream that was very clear. I found myself in a school classroom full of students and everybody was there learning. David Eells was teaching about this great event that was going to happen, almost like it had to do with dinosaurs. (Many think the Biblical events of the disciples walking as sons of God to be extinct, but they are coming again now to repeat history.) I was so excited about this event, and I watched and studied everything David did and said. It was as if the rest of the class took it lightly and didn't really pay close attention as much to the things he was saying. I then watched him as he and some students were outside, and one of the students lit a firecracker that went into a tree and exploded. In my mind, I realized that David had the authority to stop this, but he let the student do it anyway. (The tree is America, and some will rebel and fight against her in the flesh, which will separate them from the true disciples. This is a test, like many other things.) Then David and I were in front of the class, and he said, “It's time.” Nobody in the room knew what he was talking about but me, and even I didn't really understand, but I was filled with excitement. In front of the class, he then pulled out this ring that was about the size of a car tire and put it over my head. I then disappeared in front of the class and found myself going up to heaven. (The ring over the head represents the authority of the King manifested through the renewed mind.) I thought to myself the whole time I was floating up to heaven, “Wow, David was right, and I'm so glad that I listened”. (This is the authority to walk above the laws of the earthbound in the kingdom of heaven on earth.) I then realized that I was still on earth and now I had the power to fly. I then began flying around all over the place and around people, but they could not see me. But then I began to think in my mind that flying wasn't as fun as I thought it would be, and I thought there would be more to it. (Overcoming the gravitational draw of the world is not fun or painless for the flesh.) I then flew around a public swimming pool with people in it and the swimming pool pulled me into the water with the people. (The water of the worldly bound represents their carnal teaching. “Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers”. “Be not deceived: Evil companionships corrupt good morals”. “A little leaven leavens the whole lump”.) I tried to fly again, but I could not fly; it felt like the water was kryptonite, and I was powerless to fly. I only had the ability to do what everyone else was doing in the pool. (Their worthless teaching and sometimes faction makes one powerless to overcome the world, and instead, they will walk after the mind and works of the flesh, thinking it to be the normal Christian life.) Then everyone could see me, but they never knew that I could fly before. (Their teaching takes away the power to live like Superman, and the manifestation of Sonship cannot be revealed to them through you because you are just like them.) I then went back to the school to find David. He was there grading papers and talking to a student whose paper he had just graded. I wanted to talk with David, but he was busy grading other papers, and I wondered why he was back there and not in heaven. My whole view of him changed from that which I had in the beginning; it was like now he was just a normal schoolteacher. (When one walks and thinks in the flesh, they are not able to see and associate with those who walk in heavenly places while on earth. The Pharisees didn't recognize Jesus or His disciples as sons of God.) I wanted to speak with David very badly and waited for him to acknowledge me. Then a sixth-grade student, whom I taught when I was an Elementary schoolteacher in real life, said to me with fear, “Everyone saw you disappear in class, and now you're back”. I realized everyone was filled with fear about this, but I was sad that I was back and didn't understand why I returned. (If we fall, we have to start school all over again to learn to be an overcomer by being obedient to the Word. This should put the fear in others not to make this mistake and lose fruit and time to bear it. This is a warning to the body to not mix the worldly teachings and spirits of the apostate church into our life, or we will have no strength to walk in the Spirit as sons of God, as the Man-child and Bride. Sadly this happened and he never flew again.) The Darkness is Closing In So Walk in Jesus' Steps Marie Kelton - 3/27/21 (David's notes in red) I had an open vision a couple of days ago while standing on my front porch. The sky had a reddish-orange color to it. (Representing warning or danger) I was looking in the direction of the stepping stones in the grass. (These stepping stones represent the steps already laid by Jesus, Who is the Word.) 1Jn.2:3-6 And hereby we know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; 5 but whoso keepeth his word, in him verily hath the love of God been perfected. Hereby we know that we are in him: 6 he that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk even as he walked. These stones help us navigate the straight and narrow path, over our flesh nature, that leads to the manifestation of eternal life in Christ.) I was wearing a long, white skirt with a white top and a white head covering. (This is the Leukos or white garment of those invited to the marriage supper. Rev 19:9  And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they that are bidden (invited) to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are true words of God…14  And the armies which are in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white (leukos) and pure.)  There was a thick darkness (representing demons) coming towards the stairs up to the left of me and a thick darkness (also representing demons) coming to the right of me. Isa.60:1-3 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of Jehovah is risen upon thee. 2 For, behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the peoples; but Jehovah will arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. 3 And nations shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. So, seek to walk in the light saints and escape the darkness. Then, while standing there, I saw Jesus Who was walking on the stone pathway, but it was no longer a stone pathway but a white light. Psa.119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, And light unto my path. He stopped and held out His hand for me to take it. I was standing on the white pathway on my porch. I knew Jesus wanted me to walk with Him on the pathway of light in the midst of the darkness. (Here is an exhortation to those who aspire to be in the bride. Isa.52:1-12 Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean. 2 Shake thyself from the dust; arise, sit on thy throne, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bonds of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion. 3 For thus saith Jehovah, Ye were sold for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money. 4 For thus saith the Lord Jehovah, My people went down at the first into Egypt to sojourn there: and the Assyrian hath oppressed them without cause. 5 Now therefore, what do I here, saith Jehovah, seeing that my people is taken away for nought? they that rule over them do howl, saith Jehovah, and my name continually all the day is blasphemed. 6 Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak; behold, it is I. 7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace, that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation, that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! 8 The voice of thy watchmen! they lift up the voice, together do they sing; for they shall see eye to eye, when Jehovah returneth to Zion. 9 Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem; for Jehovah hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem. 10 Jehovah hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. 11 Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; cleanse yourselves, ye that bear the vessels of Jehovah. 12 For ye shall not go out in haste, neither shall ye go by flight: for Jehovah will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rearward.   Your Way Is Marked Sandy Warner - 10/17/2005 I have heard your anxious worries over walking to the tune of My Spirit and walking with others of like minds. I know who and what has been missing in your life, dear one. I understand the pain. You have been sent like a pioneer into non-charted territory and few have walked this way. They have not recognized this great drive that is within you to see what is beyond the next valley. Come walk with Me. Your way is greatly protected and sheltered. I have given you My Word, which you have hidden in your heart. I have covered you and shaded you. Resist carrying too much weight, dear one, for such encumbers your way. Instead, travel light and easy and become so sensitive to My leading that I can lead you with My eye. Look up, change your focus, for it is faith that causes you to rise above all that encumbers you. You belong to Me, My love. I belong to you. Fear not, for your prepared way has an impenetrable fence against the dogs or wolves who devour and bite. I am taking you cross-country and bringing you along the path of laurels, the overcoming ones. Also, you need not fear deception from the wolves, for I have paved the trail before you. Your path is well marked with signs of My Word liberally sprinkled to your right and to your left. I have also sent others before you who have given much in order to leave a trail of breadcrumbs and seeds for you, My precious hungry birds. And even as you have followed the signs and been faithful with what I have given you, you shall be promoted. I will send you into the marketplace to release My Words to those who are starving and, yes, they will listen. In the past, they did not heed My Word and grew hungry while they walked in circles. You are My chosen generation who walked ahead of them. You shall walk out of the wilderness pioneering, leaning upon your Beloved. A great company travels with you, and you shall never be alone again. (SoS.8:5-7 NKJV) Who is this coming up from the wilderness, Leaning upon her beloved? I awakened you under the apple tree. There your mother brought you forth; There she who bore you brought you forth. Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love is as strong as death, jealousy as cruel as the grave; Its flames are flames of fire, a most vehement flame. Many waters cannot quench love, nor can the floods drown it. If a man would give for love all the wealth of his house, it would be utterly despised.   The Mark, Persecution and Refuge I. P. - 03/22/2009 (David's notes in red) I had a dream that the world turned on the Christians. They did not necessarily turn on them because they were Christians, but because they did not receive the mark (of the beast). The war on terror never seemed to cease, and the focus seemed to be on those who did not take the mark. Anyone who refused the mark was considered a terrorist. The whole world had received the mark and even though I did not see it, I knew that everyone had it. Those of us who did not take it had a camp in the woods, hidden away from those in the world. I went into the city one day with my Bible to preach the Word to all those who would listen. After I entered the city, I stepped inside a mall and was taken aback by the strange sight. Everyone in the mall was severely mentally retarded. (The mall represents Babylon's buying and selling with those who have the mark. The mark retards spirituality.) Some of the store owners were outside their storefronts, beckoning people to come into their shop. (Those who seek to sell you their goods or worldly ideas.) Everyone was mentally handicapped, from the shoppers to the owners. (This is the reprobation the Bible promised to those who receive the mark.) Everyone in the mall had severe hatred for me, so I continued walking around until I came to a storefront where normal people were. It was the only shop where the people were not mentally handicapped. I walked to the front counter and they asked, “May I help you?” I said, “No, I am just here to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.” I was surprised because they were happy to see me. I said, “Wow, I thought I would be kicked out of here by now; everyone hates me.” She said, “No, we don't hate you.” They listened to what I had to say. Earlier in the dream, I had sown a blessing to another, and it made sense now that these women gave me more than I had sown before. The Lord met my needs. (These women represent those groups of Christians who do not buy and sell with the world because they are not marked. They also offer in Babylon their truths for those who will receive. Public buying and selling will not last long after the mark is forced. I suggest giving and receiving for which there is a reward.) So I walked back out of the city into the woods where our camp was. My fiancée (who's now my wife) welcomed me there. I walked to a lake that was inside our camp, and I saw David Eells and another man lying in lawn chairs, basking in the sun. (This represents the David/Man-child ministries resting from their own works abiding in the Son.) They were rubbing suntan lotion on and enjoying the day. (Resting in the anointing.) The man who was with David had a mustache that curled upwards; he was also a minister and seemed to be in the same position of authority as David. They were like elders of the community. The other elder was a bit sterner and more old-fashioned, but still in the same spirit as David. (The Man-child ministers will not be carbon-copies but will all walk in the Spirit of the Son.) They asked me about my day, and I proceeded to tell them all that had happened to me.    Christ Manifest in Us  David Let's examine some verses about how Jesus is coming in this matured body of sons. Christ will manifest His life and ministry in these. (2Th.1:10-12) when he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be marvelled at in all them that believed (because our testimony unto you was believed) in that day. (We are still coming out of the dark ages but God will reveal the greater works in our day.) (11) To which end we also pray always for you, that our God may count you worthy of your calling, and fulfil every desire of goodness and [every] work of faith, with power; (12) that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. (2Co.3:18) But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit. (Col.3:4) When Christ, [who is] our life, shall be manifested, then shall ye also with him be manifested in glory. (Gal.4:19) My little children, of whom I am again in travail until Christ be formed in you. (Col.1:27) to whom God was pleased to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: (28) whom we proclaim, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ; (2Co.4:10) always bearing about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in our body. (11) For we who live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh. (Eph.3:14-19) For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father, (15) from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, (16) that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that ye may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man; (17) that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, (18) may be strong to apprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, (19) and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that ye may be filled unto all the fulness of God. (Eph.4:11-15) And he gave some [to be] apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; (12) for the perfecting of the saints, unto the work of ministering, unto the building up of the body of Christ: (13) till we all attain unto the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a fullgrown man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: (14) that we may be no longer children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error; (15) but speaking truth in love, we may grow up in all things into him, who is the head, [even] Christ; Maturity is having Christ manifest in you. It says in 1Jn2:28 And now my little children, abide in him; that if he shall be manifested (the three most ancient manuscripts of the New Testament, the Nestles text, the A.S.V., the R.V., and the Numeric New Testament agree to this translation) if he shall be manifested we may have boldness, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. This means that “If he shall be manifested” in us, we won't be ashamed when we see him. 1Jn.3:2 “Beloved now are we children of God, and it is not yet made manifest what we shall be. We know that, if he shall be manifested, (Again this means manifested in us 2 Cor 4:10,11) (the three most ancient manuscripts of the New Testament, the Nestles text, the Received Text, the A.S.V., the R.V., and the Numeric New Testament agree on this translation) we shall be like him; for we shall see him even as he is”. Notice that we must see the real Jesus to be like Him. The apostate's ‘Jesus' is nothing like Him and so they do not walk as He walked. 2Co.3:18 ASV But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit. This shows us that if we “see him as he is” in the mirror (by faith) then we will manifest His glory. According to quantum physics or mechanics, we must see what we want and believe we have received it to have it. Christ exchanged His life for ours at the cross. (Col.1:22) yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and without blemish and unreproveable before him: (23) if so be that ye continue in the faith, grounded and stedfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel which ye heard, which was preached in all creation under heaven;) That's why we must see him in the mirror by faith in order to manifest Him. (Gal.2:20) I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me: and that [life] which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, [the faith] which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me. This kind of faith is accounted as righteousness until righteousness is manifested in bearing fruit. He who sees his “natural face in the mirror” will be a hearer but not a doer because they will not have power to obey (James 1:23). (Col.3:4) When Christ, [who is] our life, shall be manifested (in us-same as above), then shall ye also with him be manifested in glory. Now notice the life of Christ is His glory and it is manifested in our “mortal flesh” (2Co.4:11) For we who live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh. Notice: mortal flesh on the earth, not glorified bodies. The false prophet has told us that we have to settle for being forgiven sinners in this life instead of overcoming sons of God. For many deceivers are gone forth into the world, [even] they that confess not that Jesus Christ cometh in the flesh. (This means in the true believer's flesh.(2Jn.7). Note: “is come” or “has come in the flesh” has no foundation in the ancient manuscripts, the Received Text, or the Nestles Text or Numerics. Paul prayed in Ephesians 3:18,19 that they “may be strong to apprehend (not comprehend- The ancient manuscripts, Received Text and Nestles Text and Numerics agree) ...the breadth and length and height and depth ...of Christ ...and be filled unto all the fullness of God”. I.e., Apprehend all of Christ. The power to do this is faith in Him. According to Paul in Eph.4:11-15, the five-fold ministry is “for the perfecting of the saints...unto a full-grown man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” Through faith in the promises we “cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2Co.7:1). Be diligent in this faith beloved, till He comes, and you will bear the fruit of His works and have great reward. Most of you know this, but I want to briefly explain that ‘Manifest' in these texts means to appear in the physical realm. When we come to Christ, we accept all of His benefits by faith (faith is the substance of the thing hoped for while the evidence is unseen. Heb.11:1) until the sacrifice is manifest in our lives as fruit. According to the parable of the sower, the seed is sown in the heart, but only one out of the four is good ground and brings forth fruit 30, 60, 100 fold. The fruit here is Christ, not gaining other souls. The fruit of the Spirit. He is the “seed” of the word and each seed brings forth after its own kind; not another Jesus. (Rom.8:24,25) For in hope (Greek = a firm expectation) were we saved. But hope that is seen is not hope: for who hopeth for that which he seeth? (25) But if we hope for that which we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. In other words, we wait for the full manifestation of our salvation. When we come to Christ, we receive a new spirit, but our soul, our mind, will, and emotions need transforming. (Rom.12:2) And be not fashioned according to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. and ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. By faith we say with Paul (Gal.2:20) I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me: and that life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me. As we make this confession of our faith, it will be continually manifested in us, for we are justified by faith. The Holy Spirit gives power to those who believe. If we don't repent and believe the word, we cannot have what it says. As long as we are walking by faith in the word, we are acceptable to God for “faith is accounted as righteousness” until it is manifested. Jesus told his disciples in (Luk.6:40) The disciple is not above his teacher but every one when he is perfected shall be as his teacher. Christ wants to live and be seen or manifested in us. As we repent, when we see the word we permit this to happen. We give good ground to the seed and bear His fruit. (Luk.9:23,24) And he said unto all, If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. (24) For whosoever would save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. (2Pe.1:19) And we have the word of prophecy made more sure; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts. This is the manifested glory. (2Pe.1:9-11) For he that lacketh these things is blind, seeing only what is near, having forgotten the cleansing from his old sins. (10) Wherefore, brethren, give the more diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things ye shall never stumble: (11) For thus shall be richly supplied unto you the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. (Jas.1:23) For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a mirror. If we don't see Jesus in the mirror, then that is not faith and we will not be a doer of the word. A doer of the word is manifesting Christ. I received this objection to my letter “Christ In You” from a brother. I am using the word perfection as the Greek word implies, to be mature, or full-grown. Here is an objection to what the Word clearly says: Dave, are you suggesting that the Word teaches that perfection can be attained in this life? Your quote: “perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Cor 7:1). would seem to indicate strongly that it is an ongoing process (known in Scripture as Sanctification) not accomplished in this life. (Notice here you have added to the Word, which brings the curse of the last four verses of Revelation. This also takes from the Word for you can never arrive at the manifestation with this unbelief.) Paul said, “...not as if I had already attained ...” - Paul continues that he is still pursuing that higher life which is found in Christ, who is “in us”. (Paul believed he could by grace manifest what he already said he believed.) 1 John says that if we say we sin not, we lie. We must be careful to differentiate between the goal we strive for (as close to the life of Jesus as possible) and claiming sinless perfection. Try as you may and believe as much as you wish does not erase the “old man” we must constantly fight against. That fight is by faith, of course, in Christ. Here is my answer: I hope you will read this carefully because, as you can see, it is the Word of God. We can't reject any scripture and still say we have the truth. We cannot pick the verses we like in order to justify our religion. “The sum of thy words is truth”. The whole verse says this: Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (2Cor.7:1) All we have to do is believe what it says without invoking the curse for adding to the word. We are commanded here to use the word of God to separate from worldly thinking and actions. Look at what the following scriptures say: (1Th.4:3-8) For this is the will of God, [even] your sanctification, that ye abstain from fornication; (4) that each one of you know how to possess himself of his own vessel in sanctification and honor, (5) not in the passion of lust, even as the Gentiles who know not God; (6) that no man transgress, and wrong his brother in the matter: because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as also we forewarned you and testified. (7) For God called us not for uncleanness, but in sanctification. (8) Therefore he that rejecteth, rejecteth not man, but God, who giveth his Holy Spirit unto you. How can sanctification not be attainable in this life when scriptures say, (Heb.12:14,15) Follow after peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no man shall see the Lord: (15) looking carefully lest [there be] any man that falleth short of the grace of God. Holiness and sanctification are the same Greek word. A person who does not believe it is attainable cannot receive it because we receive it by faith. (2Co.4:11) For we who live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh. (Eph.3:18-20) ....may be strong to apprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, (in other words all of Christ ) (19) and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that ye may be filled unto all the fullness of God. (20) Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Notice, its not our power but His that accomplishes this by faith. Are you saying He can't do this? (Eph.4:12) for the perfecting of the saints, unto the work of ministering, unto the building up of the body of Christ: (13) till we all attain unto the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a fullgrown man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: (14) that we may be no longer children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error; (15) but speaking truth in love, we may grow up in all things into him, who is the head, [even] Christ; (Col.1:22,23) yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and without blemish and unreproveable before him: (23) if so be that ye continue in the faith, grounded and stedfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel which ye heard, (1Co.15:1,2) Now I make known unto you brethren, the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye received, wherein also ye stand, (2) by which also ye are saved, if ye hold fast the word which I preached unto you, except ye believed in vain. We are justified by faith in the sanctification given us at the cross and that faith continually brings us into manifest sanctification. Faith is accounted as righteousness until righteousness is manifested in us. In this way a person can continue under the grace of God as he bears fruit. Faith is the “victory that overcomes the world” (1Jn.5:4). Faith is “calling the things that are not as though they were” (Rom.4:17), until they come to pass. We must be “seeing that His divine power hath granted unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness... whereby He hath granted unto us His precious and exceeding great promises that through these you may become partakers of the divine nature having escaped from the corruption that is in the world by lust” (2Pe.1:34). Christ made you “free from sin” (Romans 6:18,22) so why should you “live any longer therein?” (verse 22) for you were “delivered out of the power of darkness” (Colossians 1:13) so “reckon yourselves to be dead unto sin but alive unto God” and “let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body that you should obey the lusts thereof “(Rom.6:11,12). “If you live after the flesh, you must die: but if by the Spirit (God's power) you put to death the deeds of the body, you shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God” (Rom.8:13,14). Believe God's promises and escape the lusts of the flesh. “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God (2Cor. 7:1). (1Jo.2:1-6) My little children, these things write I unto you that ye may not sin. And if any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: (2) and he is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the whole world. (3) And hereby we know that we know him. If we keep his commandments. (4) He that saith. I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar. and the truth is not in him: (5) but whoso keepeth his word, in him verily hath the love of God been perfected. Hereby we know that we are in him: (6) he that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk even as he walked. The religions of this day have turned the grace of God into lasciviousness, which is a license to do what you want to do. As we can see from the verses above, grace delivers from sin, not just covers it up. The blood covers our ignorance until we see the light. (Jas.4:17) To him therefore that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. (Heb.10:26) For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more a sacrifice for sins, (27) but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and a fierceness of fire which shall devour the adversaries. Some sins are done in ignorance and are therefore not willful. These are covered by the Blood through faith. For the other sins, we will obviously get chastening until we hopefully repent. (Rom.5:13) ... for until the law sin was in the world; but sin is not imputed when there is no law. You may have sinned a sin of ignorance (not knowing the law) but under Grace, God does not reckon it as sin. That is why we cannot say, “we have no sin” (1Jo.1:8). We are ignorant of many things that are against His perfect will. When we get light, then we are responsible. When does the Blood not just cover, but wash away the very nature of sin? (1Jo.1:5-7) And this is the message which we have heard from him and announce unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. (6) if we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in the darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: (7) but if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanseth us from all sin. This is why the Gospel is the Good News. Now we don't have to be content with forgiveness because Jesus is “the Lamb of God that taketh away, not just covers up the sins of the world”. Many of God's people are still living with Old Testament benefits because they don't believe the Gospel. I hope this answer will benefit you in your walk with Christ.   Chosen to Show God's Glory Mary Clark - 04/26/2007 unthinkable = unimaginable, impossible, fantastic, unbelievable, incredible, improbable, extraordinary Word: I want to talk to you about the unthinkable. What I am going to do is unthinkable. No man on the face of the earth could ever think up, ever even imagine, what I am about to bring forth. No man on the face of the earth could ever think up the wonders that I am about to present. It is utterly impossible, absolutely impossible! Keep this in mind when My mighty forces present the coming scenario. Keep this in mind when you see mind-boggling events. Keep this in mind when you see mankind standing agog, looking as if they have seen a ghost or something equivalent. Yes, keep it in mind that I told you that I was going to do the unthinkable. Keep it in mind that I told you that I was going to surprise you with the most extraordinary. Keep it in mind when you see the most incredible sights you have ever seen, much less experienced. Yes, I want you to remember My words when this fantastic display occurs in your vicinity and remember that I told you in advance. Yes, I always let My beloved children know in advance, and this is the season, beloved, for the unthinkable. It is approaching with great rapidity. It is coming by My hand. Stand back and watch as I present My last day scenario and know deep within your heart that all is coming forth for a reason. All is coming forth for a very good purpose. You will see that purpose arise solidly in lives all across the face of the earth, and you will vow that your God does all things well. Yes, you will vow that it is GOOD, mighty GOOD. In fact, you will say that it is unthinkable, and too good for words, too good to be true, but true, yes, true it will be. Yes, true it will be, and you will know that your Beloved has shown forth His mercy in this final hour to bring forth His glory-filled presence for all to see and to know that He is alive and He lives mightily in His chosen. Yes, I live mightily in those called by My name. My very own chosen are arising with purpose to show forth My glory, and what the world will see will be unthinkable, but it will be true, true to My word, a true to life display of the wonders of the living God, shining forth in vast array for all to see and to know that the eternal King has a purpose and has carried it through. Unthinkable? I think not, beloved. I think not. Did I not think? Did I not bring it into existence? Not so unthinkable. No, not so unthinkable at all. Not for Me, anyway!!!

Sunday evening special music provided by the "Arise Quartet" from Baptist College of Ministry

The LORD is our shield.  The LORD is our Guide.  The Lord’s protection and direction is for His glory.  God protected and guided Esther to the place where she could be His voice to provide relief and deliverance for God’s people.  She is an example for us.  But Esther also points us to the Deliverer who arose to bring about our greater salvation. Esther 4:10-17 Recorded Sunday morning, June 7, 2026 by Brad D Harris We hope that this online service has blessed you.  It is funded by the generous participants of Prairie Oaks Baptist Church.  If you would like to contribute to Prairie Oaks and their audio ministry, we have a donation page so that you can securely give online to help this ministry.  Thank you for listening and prayerfully supporting us.  I hope we continue to further you in your journey with Christ!

Daniel 7:1-28 Daniel's Vision of the Four Beasts 7In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and visions of his head as he lay in his bed. Then he wrote down the dream and told the sum of the matter.2Daniel declared,I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea.3And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another.4The first was like a lion and had eagles' wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it.5And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, Arise, devour much flesh.6After this I looked, and behold, another, like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back. And the beast had four heads, and dominion was given to it.7After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.8I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things. The Ancient of Days Reigns 9As I looked, thrones were placed,and the Ancient of Days took his seat;his clothing was white as snow,and the hair of his head like pure wool;his throne was fiery flames;its wheels were burning fire.10A stream of fire issuedand came out from before him;a thousand thousands served him,and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him;the court sat in judgment,and the books were opened. 11I looked then because of the sound of the great words that the horn was speaking. And as I looked, the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire.12As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time. The Son of Man Is Given Dominion 13I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaventhere came one like a son of man,and he came to the Ancient of Daysand was presented before him.14And to him was given dominionand glory and a kingdom,that all peoples, nations, and languagesshould serve him;his dominion is an everlasting dominion,which shall not pass away,and his kingdom onethat shall not be destroyed. Daniel's Vision Interpreted 15As for me, Daniel, my spirit within me was anxious, and the visions of my head alarmed me.16I approached one of those who stood there and asked him the truth concerning all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of the things.17These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth.18But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever. 19Then I desired to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the rest, exceedingly terrifying, with its teeth of iron and claws of bronze, and which devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet,20and about the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn that came up and before which three of them fell, the horn that had eyes and a mouth that spoke great things, and that seemed greater than its companions.21As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them,22until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom. 23Thus he said: As for the fourth beast, there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth,which shall be different from all the kingdoms,and it shall devour the whole earth,and trample it down, and break it to pieces.24As for the ten horns,out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise,and another shall arise after them;he shall be different from the former ones,and shall put down three kings.25He shall speak words against the Most High,and shall wear out the saints of the Most High,and shall think to change the times and the law;and they shall be given into his handfor a time, times, and half a time.26But the court shall sit in judgment,and his dominion shall be taken away,to be consumed and destroyed to the end.27And the kingdom and the dominionand the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heavenshall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High;his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom,and all dominions shall serve and obey him. 28Here is the end of the matter. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly alarmed me, and my color changed, but I kept the matter in my heart.

Group Guide Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week. 2 Samuel 16:15-17:29 Spencer Cary Download TranscriptMy name is Spencer and I am one of the pastors here. We are going to be in 2 Samuel chapter 16. We're going to go all the way through chapter 17 today. So, if you have a Bible around you, those black Bibles, you can grab one of those. We're going on page 306. and most of the text or all of this text will be on in those Bibles. We'll have some text on the screen as well. I'll try to cue when that comes up, but you can go ahead and follow along there. I've been following Jesus for 20 years at this point.And there are times when you follow Jesus long enough that just feel really dark. whether that's for suffering, whether that's affliction, sadness, all types of things that come upon us. But there are times where it just feels very very dark. But like the words we just sang, when darkness seems to hide his face, as the original hymn said, when darkness veils his lovely face. It's just this idea that if you follow God long enough, you're going to have times where you just don't feel the presence of God. you don't feel his goodness. And then when that happens, there are questions that begin to linger.Does God love me? Is he for me? Does he care about me? And those questions can linger in a way and surface and sometimes resurface when we are going through times that are difficult, when we're traveling through times that are very dark. Man, if you follow Christ long enough, that's that's going to happen. the reality of following Jesus this side of the fall. But then there are moments there are moments where God in the middle of darkness and his kindness breaks through. And it doesn't always mean that your circumstances get better. But in the middle of suffering, in the middle of what feels like hopelessness, God meets us in some wonderful and powerful ways.And that is the experience that all of God's people feel in the lifetime, the marathon of following Jesus. And maybe that's you right now. Maybe that maybe that's where you're at. That you just feel darkness and all the things that come with that we just talked about. And if that is you, and certainly for all of us, it will be us at some point. If that is you, then this part of the story of David is actually going to be, I think, wildly encouraging because David's been in it. We have I mean it's like week after week as we're following his story right now. He's living in the aftermath of his sin against Bathsheba and Uriah and he's dealing with the discipline of the Lord and it just feels unrelenting.But today, we're going to see that in the middle of all of this darkness that he's walking through, we're going to see God shine through like like a like like in a really difficult storm, like a light that just pierces through. We're going to see some hope that's found in that. And then as we look at this as Christians, we'll be able to take a step back and see that this is the hope that he has for us as well. So, I'm going to pray for us and then we're going to work through the story together. Heavenly Father, I thank you for the good news of the gospel that we just got to read, sing, and pray.I pray that you would help us as we seek to understand who you are even as we encounter the sufferings of this present life. So may you give us ears to hear in Jesus' name. Amen. All right. All right. So, before we jump into verse 15, let's recap a little bit where Mike took us last week. Absalom, the son of David, has been leading to this point a very successful rebellion, a civil war against his father, King David. And David has fled Jerusalem. Absalom has entered Jerusalem, is set up on the throne. And now Absalom is seeking to establish his reign. Picking up in verse 15. Now Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel came to Jerusalem and Ahithophel with him. Okay? So Absalom has a party of men of followers of leaders and it's going to be referred to as the men of Israel. And the most prominentfigure in that party is a man named Ahithophel. Ahithophel is a counselor to the king. He was a counselor to David. He was someone that David brought in to give wise counsel and advice. But now he's betrayed David and he's joined his son in this rebellion. And we don't really know why. Some have theorized that Ahithophel that when you follow his line, he has a son named Iliam. And that that might be the same Iliam that is the father of Bathsheba. That this might be the grandfather of Bathsheba and that he's exacting some type of revenge against David here. We don't know that to be true, but he has betrayed David and now he's joined in with Absalom and he's giving counsel to him. But he's not the only one seeking to give counsel to this new king. Verse 16.And when Hushai the Archite, David's friend, came to Absalom, Hushai said to Absalom, "Long live the king." Long live the king. Okay, we'll pause there. There are a lot of names as we're going to see in the story today. There's a lot of names last week, so some of this stuff is hard to track. But if you remember back from last week, Hushai is a spy that David has sent to disrupt Ahithophel. So in 2 Samuel 15, what we read last week in verse 34, this will be on the screen. It says, "But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, I will be your servant, O king, as I've been your father's servant in time past, so now I will be your servant. Then you will defeat for me the counsel of Ahithophel." This is David sending in Hushai to defeat the counsel of Ahithophel, which he knows is going to be veryhelpful to Absalom. And then in verse 37 it says, "So Hushai, David's friend, came into the city just as Absalom was entering Jerusalem." So that's what's happened here. He has sent he sent Hushai in to be rival counsel to Ahithophel to disrupt all of this. And Hushai, who's playing the part of double agent quite well, comes in immediately and says, "Long live the king."Now Absalom may be pretty but he's not that stupid because he knows that Hushai is a friend to David. So he responds verse 17. And Absalom said to Hushai, "Is this your loyalty to your friend? Why did you not go with your friend?" And Hushai said to Absalom, "No, for whom the Lord and this people and all that the men of Israel have chosen, his I will be, and with him I will remain. And again, whom should I serve? Should it not be his son? As I have served your father, so I will serve you." So Absalom says, " don't you like play golf with my dad?Like, aren't y'all boys? What's happening here? Why are you where why are you here?" And he's like, "No, no, no, no, no, no, no. I play golf with whoever sits on the throne. I'm for the position, not the man. And the Lord is with you and the people are with you. So I am with you. So I'm here to help you. And it's great. You're David's son. You're the next. So he plays the part of double agent quite well. He doesn't get immediately thrown out. The question is, is he going to be able to keep his cover as he's trying to infiltrate his way into Absalom's influence? Verse 20, then Absalom said to Ahithophel, "Give your counsel. What shall we do?" So he's looking to what's my next move is now that I've established my place in Jerusalem. And Ahithophel in verse 21 said to Absalom, "Go into your father's concubines whom he has left to keep thehouse and all Israel will hear that you've made yourself a stench to your father and the hands of all who are with you will be strengthened." Okay, that is a diabolical plan. All right, for a variety of reasons. First, this is a egregious sin. This is an egregious violation of the law. Leviticus 20:11 prohibits this. It gives the death penalty for anyone who will lay with his father's wife. And though concubines were seen as lesser status wives in the reign of the kings, they still are wives of the king. So what Ahithophel has recommended is a wicked and gross violation of the law. But as far as evil plans go in and its most brilliant base form, it's smart. From a worldly perspective, from a godless perspective, this is a massive power play. This is his way to show all the rebels that are fighting for him that I mean business.So it's wicked and it's evil and it's vile and it's obscene, but also it's very cunning. So Ahithophel gives him this counsel and Absalom listens. Verse 22. So they pitch a tent for Absalom on the roof. And Absalom went into his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel.Now in those days the counsel that Ahithophel gave was as if one consulted the word of God. So was all the counsel of Ahithophel esteemed both by David and by Absalom. And that's a way of saying that Ahithophel's counsel was so valued. It was like hearing the word of God. Meaning that the word of God says this, you do it. Ahithophel says this, you do it. And he recommends this rebellious, cunning, and wicked act. And Absalom does it. And they pitch a tent. And they work out this plan in front of all of Israel. But this is also fulfilling the prophecy of Nathan after David sinned with Bathsheba and murdering Uriah. For Nathan the prophet in 2 Samuel 12 will be on the screen. It says, "Thus says the Lord, behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house, and I will take your wives before your eyes and givethem to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of the sun. for you did it secretly, but I will do this before this thing before all Israel and before the sun. So God gives up Absalom to his own sinful desires. And this brings judgment upon David and his house. And Ahithophel's counsel is followed. And he makes himself a stench to David and his followers. Now he's got more counsel to give becausenow they've got to reckon with David himself. And this is where we're going to see rival counselors Ahithophel and then Hushai is going to come into the scene and both of them function like the cabinet of the king. Right? So if you follow US history every US president has a cabinet and if you follow some of the biggest battles that have happened between these cabinet members. These are counselors to the king. The biggest one is is the original cabinet. So in Washington's presidency, he had Jefferson and then he had Hamilton. And both of them represented two very different political philosophies. That's why he put them in the counsel in the first place in the cabinet because he wanted to see two rival philosophies go at it, which didn't work out very well. They actually ended up forming two different political parties that came out of that. But if you follow theythey've written all this down. If you follow some of the history of how they fought, there were times where Hamilton would go on these 45minute monologues. He just go on and on and on and on and on and on and on and it's and this recorded that Jefferson would just be like head back just like just so annoying. And then there are times where Jefferson would win the day and he would get the influence of Washington and it's recorded that he would like sneer and like make faces at Hamilton, which is just funny because these are our founding fathers. of the people that helped found this nation and we can all act like children in our own sinful state at times. But that's not abnormal.That's not just US history. That's ancient history. That's happened for thousands of years that kings and presidents and prime ministers and sovereign leaders, they have counsel that they bring in often to oppose one another to find what is the best way forward. So what we're going to see is that type of cabinet battle here starting in verse one of chapter 17. Moreover, Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Let me choose 12,000 men, and I will arise and pursue David tonight. I will come upon him while he is weary and discouraged and throw him into a panic, and all the people who are with him will flee. I will strike down only the king, and I will bring all the people back to you as a bride comes home to her husband. You seek the life of only one man and all the people will be at peace and the advice seemed right in the eyes ofAbsalom and all the elders of Israel. Okay. So Ahithophel's plan I'll be honest is very very good. This is a good plan. He says listen we have a standing army of 12,000 men tonight that we can ride out of here. In fact, I will lead this. I will lead. You can stay put. I'll lead these 12,000 men. And we're going to catch David because David's not just traveling with his warriors. He's also traveling with his wives and probably some of his children, but with some grandchildren. He's got and they're tired and they're discouraged and they're weary. And he says, "You know what's going to happen?We're going to come upon them. It's going to be like lightning warfare. Boom. We're going to come in quick. And then all we have to do is cut off the head of the snake. All we have to do is take out David. There won't be lots of bloodshed. Only one man has to die. And then guess what? You're good. There's no more threat. Everyone gets behind you and you're the king. Now, that's an objectively good plan. All the commentators, everyone's looked at this and said, "That's a smart way to do this." And they hear it and they say, "Absalom likes this. The elders who are sitting in counsel like this." Now seems to be happening here is you got Absalom with a counsel of elders. Ahithophel comes in he makes his pitch and they like it and then he exits. Then verse 5, then Absalom said call Hushai the Architealso and let us hear what he has to say. So Ahithophel leaves Hushai comes in and now Hushai has to follow up a very very good plan. And that's difficult because if you have to outdo a very very good plan, you it's hard. If someone said, you know what, you're going to have to out-pitch ice cream as the staple dessert. That's a hard thing to do. You know why? Because ice cream is amazing. The fact that you can take the best part of milk, which is cream, and slowly turn it to where it's not so hard where it's just like ice, and it's not too soft that it's just this perfectly formed. and you could throw chocolate in it and all types of things. The person who pitches that idea originally, that's a good pitch. It's for you to come in and try to pitch something else. Unless milkhates you, it's a pretty good dessert. So that's what's that's happening here. Hushai is has to come in. He's going to outdo a very very good plan. Verse six. When Hushai came to Absalom, Absalom said to him, "Thus has Ahithophel spoken. Shall we do what shall we do as he says? If not, you speak." So they tell him, "This is Ahithophel's plan. Should we do what he says?" Verse 7. Then Hushai said to Absalom, This time the counsel that Ahithophel has given is not good, which I so appreciate as the opener to what we're about to read as a monologue because it's like Ahithophel has chosen poorly. Like, this is just no. It's the equivalent of Trump just saying wrong when someone says something it's just no immediately we're diverging this is not a good plan so then he starts to pitch his plan first by poisoning thewell of Ahithophel's plan verse eight said you know that your father and his men are mighty men and that they are enraged like a bear robbed of her cubs in the field. Besides, your father is an expert in war. He will not spend the night with the people. Behold, even now he has hidden himself in one of the pits or in some other place. And as soon as some of the people fall at the first attack, whoever hears this, hears it will say, "There has been a slaughter among the people who follow Absalom." Then even the valiant men whose heart is like the heart of a lion will utterly melt with fear. For all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man and those who are with him are valiant men. All right, pause.Hushai basically chooses fear. He chooses fear, which I don't know if you've been bombarded with the most obnoxious political ads that have been ra running right now, but all of them, 95% of them are fear-based because fear is effective. So, he chooses fear. He says, "You ever seen a bear robbed of her cubs? It's not good. You don't want to get in the middle of that." And he's enraged. They're furious. They're very upset with you, Absalom. So, I know you're thinking, "We've got the numbers. We've got 12,000 men. We can catch them off guard. First off, no you won't. You think David is stupid? He's hiding. He's off. You remember how you used to be hiding in the caves all the time? You think you're going to find him easily cut off the head of the snake? No. No.No. You He's not with his people. You're about to enter a hornets's nest. And let me tell you something. This is what he does. He says he says, "Your men, they've got strong hearts. Some of them courageous like lions. But the moment they start taking L's on the battlefield, the moment they start getting slaughtered, it's going to spread like wildfire. And everyone knows that David and his mighty men are bad. And that is 100% true. I mean, you look at some of their resumes, they are bad to the bone. And he says the moment that they start hearing that people are getting slaughtered, your men'll run.Seeing them not super courageous once they start getting defeated, that's a bad plan. So that's how Hushai begins. He poisons the well with fear. Okay. Now that he's poisoned it, he's going to shift to his plan. Verse 11. But my counsel is that all Israel be gathered to you from Dan to Beersheba as the sand by the sea for multitude, and that you go to battle in person. So we shall come upon him in some place where he is to be found and we shall light upon him as dew falls on the ground and of him and all the men who are with him not one will be left. If he withdraws into a city then all Israel will bring ropes to that city. We shall drag it into the valley until not even a pebble is to be found there.Okay. So what Hushai just did is he is wisely buying time. That's what he's doing. Ahithophel's plan is quick. That night he says, "No, no, no, no, no, no, no. You don't want that. Already talked about this. This is this this is going to go wrong for you. Also, Ahithophel's super old. You want him leading you to battle?" No. Here's what's going to happen. We're going to slow it down. We're going to go from Dan to Beersheba, which is basically from north to south. Think Maine to Florida. Okay? We're going to gather all the people of Israel, not 12,000 men, hundreds of thousands of men. We're going to get all of them in our side. that we're going to find David and we're going to surround him. He doesn't matter how mighty his men are, we will have numbers upon numbers upon numbers. And then once we surround him, we're going to win. And ifsomehow he escapes and he makes it to a city where there's where there's walls, guess what? We'll have so many people we'll take ropes, throw it over the wall, rip the walls down, bring all the pebbles into the valley, and guess what? We'll kill every single one of them. That's the option. That's the one you should choose. It's guaranteed. It's going to take some time. But let me tell you something. You don't want to go out without the numbers. That is Hushai's plan. And you've got these two different plans. One, which still, I'll be honest, is way better. Very quick. 12,000 men coming upon them as they've been running. They've got women and children with them. Boom. Kill David. Done. or Hushai's plan which is long drawn out buying time.What are you going to choose? Both are given. Verse 14. And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, "The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel. For the Lord had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel so that the Lord might bring harm upon Absalom. So they choose Hushai's plan. And what we see in this is this is what David prayed for. If you remember back in 2 Samuel 15:31, it says, "And David said this on the screen." Oh Lord, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness. He prays this and God answers this prayer. For it says, "The Lord had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel so the Lord might bring harm upon Absalom." David's prayer is answered because ultimately God is going to bring judgment upon Absalom for his wickedness and his rebellion against David, the Lord's anointed king.So while that's happening, Hushai seemingly he's out of the room. So he's left the room. They're in here discussing this and they are making the decision that Hushai's plan is very very good. Hushai outside the room is now not going to wait to see what happens next because he heard Ahithophel's plan and that's a good plan. So he has got to get a word to David because David is exactly where Ahithophel said he would be. He's out in the open. He's not hiding. So that was all smoke and mirrors and he's got to get word to David in case Ahithophel's plan is taken. And that's what we pick up in verse 15. Then Hushai said to Zadok and Abiathar the priest. Okay, we got a lot of names here. Stay with me. Zadok and Abiathar are priests, Levitical priests that were loyal to David. So Hushai said to Zadok and Abiathar, the priest,thus and so did Ahithophel's counsel, Ahithophel counsel, Absalom and the elders of Israel. And thus and so have I counseled. Now therefore send quickly and tell David do not stay tonight at the fords of the wilderness but by all means pass over lest the king and all the people who are with him be swallowed up. So he says you've got to leave now. If they follow Ahithophel's plan they're going to catch you. You've got to get out of town. You got to get out of the wilderness. You got to get away as far as you can. So that's the word they give to Zadok and Abiathar. Verse 17. Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were waiting at En-rogel. Okay. Jonathan and Ahimaaz are sons of Zadok and Abiathar. They are Levitical priests as well. And they're waiting at En-rogel which is just outside of Jerusalem. And it says a femaleservant was to go and tell them. And they were to go and tell King David for they were not to be seen entering the city. So what we have here is a chain of spies. One to the next to the next to the next to get to David. so that David and his crew can leave and flee danger. But verse 18, the young man saw them and told Absalom. So both of them went away quickly and came to the house at a man at Bahurim who had who had a well in his courtyard. And they went down into it. And the woman took and spread a covering over the well's mouth and scattered grain on it, and nothing was known of it. So while they're trying to get the message out, one of Absalom's men sees what happens. So they go, they hide in a well and then the woman very smartly spreadscovering over the well, puts grain on top of it, very much like Rahab and the spies in Jericho and hides them so that they can evade capture. Verse 20. When Absalom's servants came to the woman of the house, they said, "Where is Ahimaaz and Jonathan?" And the woman said to them, "They have gone over the brook of water." And when they had sought and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem. So they successfully evade capture. Verse 21. After they had gone, the men came up out of the well and went and told King David. They said to David, "Arise and go quickly over the water, for thus and so has Ahithophel counseled against you."Then David arose and all the people who were with them, and they crossed the Jordan. By daybreak, not one was left who had not crossed the Jordan. So chain of spies works. They cross and guess what? They didn't even need to because Hushai's plan won. And Ahithophel's plan was defeated because God has determined to bring his judgment upon Absalom. And that plan is now in full effect. And Ahithophel cannot handle the defeat of this rival counselor. Verse 23. When Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his donkey and went off home to his own city. He set his house in order and hanged himself and he died and was buried in the tomb of his father. Now, it's possible that Ahithophel was so poisoned by his own pride and self-worth and his own great advice, his own great counsel that the moment that he's defeated, he can't handle it and hecommits suicide. It is also possible that at this point he may see the writing on the wall and that David is actually going to win this war and he'd rather take care of it himself as opposed to falling to David's sword. We don't know for sure. I lean towards the former. I think the text more I think pushes in that direction that when he says his counsel was not followed I think what's bound up in here is pride which just for the moment is a very good case study and a warning sign to anyone who puts their worth and their value and their work and their abilities and their talents and what they do. Because if you put so much value into those things and those things are taken from you, what you've done is you've set up an idol to worship. And when that idol is taken, it can lead you to some very dark places.And what this serves as is a cautionary tale to be mindful of not putting so much of your value and your worship and the things that you do because that's what I think Ahithophel does. And when his counsel is not followed because of his shame, he goes and takes his life.So let's finish out the chapter verse 24. Then David came to Mahanaim and Absalom crossed the Jordan with all the men of Israel. Now Absalom had set Amasa over the army instead of Joab. Amasa was the son of a man named Ithra the Ishmaelite who had married Abigail, the daughter of Nahash, the sister of Zeruiah, Joab's mother. and Israel and Absalom encamped in the land of Gilead. Verse 27. When David came to Mahanaim, Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites and Machir the son of Ammiel from Lo-debar and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim brought beds, basins and earthen vessels, wheat, barley, flour, parched, beans and lentils, honey and curds and sheep, and cheese from the herd. for David and the people with him to eat. For they said the people are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness.The chapter ends with even though they're in the wilderness and even though they're on the run for their lives and even though it seems like things are going against them, God still cares and raises a people to provide provisions for them in the wilderness. And that closes chapter 17 to set up next week which we will see is the great battle between Absalom's men and David's men.Okay. So, if you've been with us the last few weeks, if you study this just in its immediate context, it's very hard to see the light in all of this darkness because we've seen so much of it. At this point, David has suffered for years under the discipline of God. He's watched his family be torn apart. He's watched his nation be torn apart. He's had to deal with the emotional agony of his own son leading a rebellion against him to murder him. I mean, he it's all these chapters, it's dark. And in the middle of all this darkness, in the middle of all this brokenness, in the middle of all of this pain and suffering, is a reminder that God is still for David.Because what commentators will say is that in all these chapters of suffering, right in the middle in verse 14 of chapter 17 is this shining light that breaks through the storm. So it says, "For the Lord had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, so that the Lord might bring harm upon Absalom." And that right there is the glimmer of hope that the wickedness and the evil, the dishonor of his father, the dishonor of his nation, the dishonor of his God, Absalom will be judged. and that the covenant that God made with David is remembered. Does David deserve to have favor? Absolutely not. Does God remember his covenant of favor towards David?Absolutely. That no matter how dark it has gotten, no matter how bad has gotten for David, God remembers his covenant to him. God remembers his covenant to his people. That is the glimpse of light that breaks through the storm of all of this darkness that we're reading. And as you take a step back as a Christian, it is a helpful reminder for us because we I think also we forget this because we will go through seasons of intense present darkness, of suffering, of affliction. And in the middle of all of the suffering, in the middle of the affliction, in the middle of all of it, those questions can linger. Is God for me?Does he care about me? Does he love me? Because it doesn't feel like it right now. If you follow Jesus long enough, you will have been there. And the good news is we don't just have the scriptures that testify to how God meets his people in the middle of darkness. We also have wonderful stories from church history. In the modern missions movement in the 19th century, there's a lot of missionaries that went out to parts of the world that were very difficult to reach and very difficult to reach with the gospel. One of them was named John Paton. John Paton was a missionary.Him and his wife, they went to the island of the New Hebrides Islands in the 19th century. It's an island that had zero Christians, had tribes that were cannibals. And he arrived on the island then not long after arriving there, his wife died. And then their infant son also died. And in his autobiography he says, "Then in a moment altogether unexpectedly, she died on March 3rd to crown my sorrows and complete my loneliness, the dear baby boy whom we had named after her father, Peter Robert Robson, was taken from me after one week's sickness on the 20th of March.Let those who have ever passed through any similar darkness as a midnight field for me, as for all others, it would be more than vain to try to paint my sorrows. And he just says that after losing his wife, after losing his son, after being obedient to the Great Commission to go and make disciples of nations that did not know him, that he felt such an intense loneliness it would be vain to try to paint and describe his sorrows. So he dug two graves with his hands and buried his wife and buried his son. and he's alone on an island with people who are trying to kill him.And this is what he writes. I'll put this on the screen. Stunned by that dreadful loss and entering upon this field of labor to which the Lord had himself so evidently led me, my reason seemed for a time almost to give way. The ever merciful Lord sustained me. But for Jesus and the fellowship he vouchsafed to me there, I must have gone mad and died beside that lonely grave. And it's such a wonderful reminder that even in the darkest of moments, even when all hope seems lost, even as he's buried his wife and his son and he's alone on an island under the threat of death, that in the intense darkness that he faced, Jesus Christ came. He says, "The ever merciful Lord sustained me. but for Jesus and the fellowship vouchsafed to me there, he says without it I would have gone mad beside that lonely grave and that story in some versions happenedover and over and over again and he continued and now that island for centuries at this point was converted to Jesus and has a legacy of Christ but God's people sometimes go through intense bouts of suffering I don't think any of us have ever faced anything like that. But in the middle of darkness, in the middle of complete what seems like hopelessness, God shines through to his people. And the reason he does this is because when he saves you and redeems you and seals you with the Holy Spirit, he never leaves or forsakes us. He is for us. And even though darkness may seem like it's prevailing, even though hope may seem like it is lost, even though it feels so sad and lonely, God is for you if you belong to him. He is for your good. It may not seem like it and he may not answer you with the circumstantialchange that you want, but God breaks through to his people. I don't know why some of you have suffered in the way that you have. I don't know why you feel the way that you do, but I do know that if you belong to Jesus Christ, he is with you. And my hope and my prayer is that you would sense it just like Paton did. That he would break through. That you would sense it just like David did and be reminded that just as David had a covenant that was made with him, we because we belong to Jesus Christ have a covenant that was made with us by his blood. that when Jesus Christ goes to the cross and sheds blood for our sin and then captures us and brings us into the family of God, that covenant is remembered and it is never forgotten that our God is for you. And wecelebrate that regularly and remember that as we come to the table. George is going to come up and we're going to prepare to take the Lord's Supper, which is a meal of remembrance that Jesus instituted and gave to the church. On the night that he was betrayed, he took bread and he broke it. He said, "This is my body that was broken for you." And then he took the cup of the new covenant. He said, "This is my blood that was shed for you that as often as you eat and drink this, you proclaim my death until I return." And Jesus gives us that meal to remember the covenant that was made with his blood.That God loves you so much that he gave up his one and only son. that you even in this life that is filled sometimes with suffering and darkness would persevere by faith trusting in the finished work of Christ and finding those moments where God encounters us with his presence and breaks through the dark questions that linger in our soul looking forward to a day when there will be no more questions like that because there will be no more suffering or sin or brokenness. There will only be him in eternity. So as a Christian you get to come to the table remembering the work of Jesus Christ as a reminder as a memorial as remembrance that he is for you. Even if it doesn't feel like it right now he is.So may you prepare your hearts and then in a moment you can come to the table. There's gluten-free at that table back there. If you do not belong to Jesus Christ, we don't want you to come to the table. We want you to come to Jesus. We want you to place your faith in him. We want you to see what it is like to walk with a God who loves you so deeply that he gave himself for you.And the invitation is for you to follow Christ. And if you want to know more about that, find me, find another pastor, find a Christian who brought you here today, and we can show you what it means to follow Jesus Christ. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, I pray that you might prepare our hearts to receive this meal of remembrance. God, I pray that you might help us, especially those of us that belong to you that are right now feeling so hopeless, feeling such darkness as so many of your people have done and felt. God, I pray that you would as they take this meal, would you break through the darkness, would you help them see that you love them, that you're for them, that they belong to you, that they're treasured by you.May they remember who you are. And for those who do not belong to you, I pray, God that you would compel them to faith in you this morning. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Come when you are ready.

Dr Rob DeckerHebrews 11 ,11-12

In this episode of Arise and Abide, Curtis and Sally read and reflect on Proverbs 4, a chapter centered on a father's wise instruction to his children. Together, they explore the image of wisdom as a guiding path that protects, corrects, and leads God's people toward life. Sally reflects on the importance of staying on the path God has given rather than turning aside to our own understanding or following the way of others. Curtis connects the passage to discipleship, parenting, humility, and the need to receive correction with an open heart. The conversation highlights the contrast between the way of righteousness, described as the first gleam of dawn growing brighter, and the way of wickedness, described as deep darkness. Curtis and Sally also connect Proverbs 4 to the words of Jesus in John 8 and John 12, reminding listeners that Christ is the true light who leads us away from darkness and into life. While wisdom calls for attention, discipline, and obedience, this episode also emphasizes God's grace: even when we stumble or lose our way, God continues to draw us back to Himself.

If you have been sensing a new season in your spirit but cannot quite step into it yet — this episode is for you.I am pulling back the curtain on the Women Who Arise Summit happening Tuesday, June 9th and giving you a sneak peek at everything we have planned for this FREE one-day live virtual experience. We are talking identity breakthroughs, tactical business strategy, real stories from women who are actually building online, and a full day designed to fill you from the inside out.If you are a Holy Spirit-led woman coach, course creator or ministry leader who is ready to stop waiting for confirmation and finally arise into what God called you to build — you do not want to miss this.Register for free at https://www.wildandradiant.com/womenwhoarise — no replays, live only!

Welcome to Day 2875 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom. Day 2875 – Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 132:13-18 Daily Wisdom Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2875 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2875 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. The title for today's Wisdom-Trek is: The Blooming Horn of Zion's King In our previous episode on this grand pilgrimage, we marched alongside the ancient Israelite community in the second movement of Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Two, verses six through twelve. We witnessed the historical, corporate joy of locating the long-lost Ark of the Covenant, which had been neglected in the wooded, overgrown fields of the countryside. We joined the grand procession as the Ark was carried up the slopes of Mount Zion, and we heard the priests raise that dramatic, ancient battle cry: "Arise, O Lord, and enter your resting place!" We explored the cosmic weight of the Ark as the physical footstool of Yahweh's heavenly throne, and we stood in awe as the Creator responded to David's restless devotion by swearing an unbreakable, unconditional oath to establish the Davidic dynasty forever. Today, we have reached the magnificent, soaring finale of this epic psalm. We are completing our exploration of the longest Song of Ascent by diving deep into Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Two, verses thirteen through eighteen, in the New Living Translation. The human voices of the pilgrims, and the earthly liturgy of the procession, now recede into a quiet, reverent silence. The stage is completely cleared, and we hear the direct, first-person decrees of Yahweh Himself. The Sovereign Commander of the heavenly armies takes the microphone to deliver His final, unyielding oracle regarding the destiny of His holy city, His anointed king, and the entire cosmos. Let us step onto the final ridge of this specific trail, open our ears, and listen to the voice of the Almighty. The first segment is: The Cosmic Headquarters and the Eternal Rest Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Two: verses thirteen and fourteen. For the Lord has chosen Jerusalem; he has desired it for his home. “This is my resting place forever,” he said. “I will live here, for this is the home I desired.” The climax of the psalm opens with a foundational declaration of divine selection: "For the Lord has chosen Jerusalem; he has desired it for his home." To fully appreciate the absolute explosion of theological and cosmic weight embedded in these words, we must view this geography through the lens of the Ancient Israelite divine council worldview, as masterfully taught by Doctor Michael S. Heiser. We must recall the grand narrative of Deuteronomy chapter thirty-two, verses eight and nine, which reveals that when the Most High divided the nations at the Tower of Babel, He allocated the different people groups to the oversight of lesser spiritual beings—the sons of God. Those territorial elohim subsequently rebelled, corrupting their assignments, and demanding worship for themselves, plunging the pagan world into spiritual darkness. But Yahweh claimed one specific people, and one specific piece of geography, as His own personal, prized allotment. That prized allotment is Zion. By declaring that He has "chosen Jerusalem," Yahweh is executing a monumental act of cosmic boundary-setting. He is looking at the entire planet—which has been carved up by rebel spiritual forces—and He is planting His royal flag on this specific, modest hill. The surrounding pagan cultures believed their gods ruled from massive, physically imposing mountains, like Mount Zaphon or the towering heights of Mount Hermon. But Yahweh bypasses the arrogant, towering peaks of the rebels, and He chooses Jerusalem. He "desired it for his home." He then seals this choice with an absolute, eternal decree in verse fourteen: "‘This is my resting place forever,' he said. ‘I will live here, for this is the home I desired.'" The phrase "resting place"—or menuchah in the Hebrew—carries a deep, ancient Near Eastern royal meaning. A king's resting place was not where he went to take a nap; it was his palace. It was the centralized command center from which he issued decrees, administered justice, and ruled his empire after completely defeating his enemies. When Yahweh says Zion is His resting place "forever," He is announcing that Jerusalem is the permanent, unchangeable headquarters of the cosmos. He is completely evicting the claims of the rebel principalities. He says, "I will live here." The High King of heaven has moved His primary residence down into the human realm, establishing His divine council administration right in the midst of His people, and creating an unshakeable fortress of truth that can never be overthrown by the powers of chaos. The second segment is! The Overflowing Feast and the Garments of Victory Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Two: verses fifteen and sixteen. I will bless this city and make it prosperous; I will satisfy its poor with food. I will clothe its priests with salvation; its loyal servants will sing for joy. Because the ultimate Source of life and cosmic order has taken His seat on the mountain, the blessings of His presence immediately begin to cascade down, radically transforming the socioeconomic and spiritual reality of the city. Yahweh promises, "I will bless this city and make it prosperous; I will satisfy its poor with food." The rebel spiritual forces and their arrogant, earthly proxies governed the pagan empires through exploitation, greed, and systemic cruelty. In Babylon, Egypt, and Canaan, the wealthy elite built their palaces by grinding the faces of the poor into the dirt, while their corrupt gods demanded heavy sacrifices from the starving masses. But the government of Yahweh operates on an economy of absolute Shalom—complete, flourishing wholeness and restorative justice. When the King of Zion prospers His city, the blessing is not hoarded by a select few at the top. It ripples all the way down to the margins of society. He promises to "satisfy its poor with food." In the ancient world, satisfying the poor with bread was the ultimate sign of a righteous, legitimate monarch. Yahweh's presence ensures that hunger is eradicated, oppression is broken, and the vulnerable are fiercely protected. The cosmic center becomes a place of abundant, overflowing life for everyone who dwells within its gates. The divine blessing then moves from the physical needs of the community, to their spiritual armor in verse sixteen: "I will clothe its priests with salvation; its loyal servants will sing for joy." We must look back to verse nine of this same psalm to see the beautiful, reciprocal nature of this verse. In the previous processional prayer, the pilgrims petitioned God, saying, "May your priests be clothed in godliness and righteousness." Now, Yahweh answers that prayer, but He expands the vocabulary. He doesn't just promise to clothe them in righteousness; He says, "I will clothe its priests with salvation." The Hebrew word for salvation here is yesha, implying deliverance, victory, and safety. The priests, who serve as the crucial human mediators between the heavenly council and the earthly congregation, are completely wrapped in the defensive armor of the Divine Warrior. They become walking advertisements of God's saving power. And because the leadership is securely wrapped in victory, the effect on the congregation is instantaneous: "its loyal servants will sing for joy." The hasidim—the covenant-keeping exiles—break out into uninhibited, ecstatic shouting. Their worship becomes an auditory shield, completely drowning out the deceptive lies and the mocking laughter of the surrounding culture. The third segment is: The Sprouting Horn and the Resplendent Crown Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Two: verses seventeen and eighteen. Here I will increase the power of David; I will prepare a lamp for my anointed one. I will clothe his enemies with shame, but he will be a resplendent king.” The psalm reaches its grand, prophetic finale by focusing entirely on the destiny of the Davidic monarch, the human vice-regent of God's earthly kingdom. Yahweh decrees, "Here I will increase the power of David; I will prepare a lamp for my anointed one." The phrase "increase the power of David" uses an incredibly vivid, old-world idiom. The literal Hebrew text says, "There I will cause a horn to sprout for David." In ancient Near Eastern iconography, the horn of a wild ox represented raw, undefeated military strength,...

How do we pray the psalms of judgment and vengeance? What about the imprecatory prayers? In his book Arise, O Lord: A Christian Guide to Cursing with God, Dr. Trevor Laurence digs into these psalms and shows us that they are faith-building, help us understand our story, and revive our sense of justice. 

Sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ means that we don't just sit in our houses and shut away the world.Scripture is an action item.Isaiah 60:1 says, “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.”If the Bible is true—if God's story intersects with our story—then a hurting world is in need of a Savior. The pain many are enduring will have no end until they meet the God-Man, Jesus. He is our healer, and His glory fills the earth.We all have different personalities and various methods of engaging with others. But whatever personality God has given us, we are tasked with sharing the life-giving news of Jesus and His sacrifice.Get in the game and do that very thing! God has called you to share His salvation with anyone and everyone. Darkness can be oppressive. The Light has come!Let's pray. Lord, you showed up in our world at precisely the moment we needed you most. Help us tell others that eternal story. In Jesus' name, amen. Change your shirt, and you can change the world! Save 15% Off your entire purchase of faith-based apparel + gifts at Kerusso.com with code KDD15.

Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept very sore.2 And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land: yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing.3 Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them, according to the counsel of my lord, and of those that tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law.4 Arise; for this matter belongeth unto thee: we also will be with thee: be of good courage, and do it.5 Then arose Ezra, and made the chief priests, the Levites, and all Israel, to swear that they should do according to this word. And they sware.6 Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Johanan the son of Eliashib: and when he came thither, he did eat no bread, nor drink water: for he mourned because of the transgression of them that had been carried away.7 And they made proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem unto all the children of the captivity, that they should gather themselves together unto Jerusalem;8 And that whosoever would not come within three days, according to the counsel of the princes and the elders, all his substance should be forfeited, and himself separated from the congregation of those that had been carried away.9 Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered themselves together unto Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month; and all the people sat in the street of the house of God, trembling because of this matter, and for the great rain.10 And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye have transgressed, and have taken strange wives, to increase the trespass of Israel.11 Now therefore make confession unto the Lord God of your fathers, and do his pleasure: and separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the strange wives.12 Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, As thou hast said, so must we do.13 But the people are many, and it is a time of much rain, and we are not able to stand without, neither is this a work of one day or two: for we are many that have transgressed in this thing.14 Let now our rulers of all the congregation stand, and let all them which have taken strange wives in our cities come at appointed times, and with them the elders of every city, and the judges thereof, until the fierce wrath of our God for this matter be turned from us.15 Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahaziah the son of Tikvah were employed about this matter: and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite helped them.16 And the children of the captivity did so. And Ezra the priest, with certain chief of the fathers, after the house of their fathers, and all of them by their names, were separated, and sat down in the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter.17 And they made an end with all the men that had taken strange wives by the first day of the first month.18 And among the sons of the priests there were found that had taken strange wives: namely, of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren; Maaseiah, and Eliezer, and Jarib, and Gedaliah.19 And they gave their hands that they would put away their wives; and being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their trespass.20 And of the sons of Immer; Hanani, and Zebadiah.21 And of the sons of Harim; Maaseiah, and Elijah, and Shemaiah, and Jehiel, and Uzziah.22 And of the sons of Pashur; Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethaneel, Jozabad, and Elasah.23 Also of the Levites; Jozabad, and Shimei, and Kelaiah, (the same is Kelita,) Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.24 Of the singers also; Eliashib: and of the porters; Shallum, and Telem, and Uri.25 Moreover of Israel: of the sons of Parosh; Ramiah, and Jeziah, and Malchiah, and Miamin, and Eleazar, and Malchijah, and Benaiah.26 And of the sons of Elam; Mattaniah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, and Abdi, and Jeremoth, and Eliah.27 And of the sons of Zattu; Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, and Jeremoth, and Zabad, and Aziza.28 Of the sons also of Bebai; Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai.29 And of the sons of Bani; Meshullam, Malluch, and Adaiah, Jashub, and Sheal, and Ramoth.30 And of the sons of Pahathmoab; Adna, and Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezaleel, and Binnui, and Manasseh.31 And of the sons of Harim; Eliezer, Ishijah, Malchiah, Shemaiah, Shimeon,32 Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah.33 Of the sons of Hashum; Mattenai, Mattathah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei.34 Of the sons of Bani; Maadai, Amram, and Uel,35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Chelluh,36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib,37 Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasau,38 And Bani, and Binnui, Shimei,39 And Shelemiah, and Nathan, and Adaiah,40 Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,41 Azareel, and Shelemiah, Shemariah,42 Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph.43 Of the sons of Nebo; Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jadau, and Joel, Benaiah.44 All these had taken strange wives: and some of them had wives by whom they had children.

Guest: Mike ArnoldOrganization: Africa ArisePosition: FounderBook: Epicenter: Nigeria, Radical Islam, and the War for Global OrderWebsite: mikearnold.org

Arise, Sir David, Principal of the Te Akau Stud, for services to the thoroughbred industry and philanthropy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to Day 2873 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom. Day 2873 – Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 132:6-12 Daily Wisdom Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2873 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2873 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. The title for today's Wisdom-Trek is: The Song of Ascent – The Enthronement of the Ark on the Holy Mountain In our previous episode on this grand expedition, we stepped onto the thirteenth ridge of our fifteen-part pilgrim journey through the Songs of Ascents. We explored the opening section of Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Two, verses one through five. We witnessed the unyielding, sleepless passion of King David. Even though he had a quiet, weaned soul within himself, he refused to enjoy the private luxury of his cedar palace while the Ark of the Covenant remained neglected in a temporary tent. We examined his solemn vow to the Mighty One of Jacob, a vow of deliberate restlessness, where he refused to sleep until he found a permanent, sacred space—a cosmic embassy—where the True King of heaven and earth could establish His earthly footstool. Today, we take our next historic step forward, continuing directly from that narrative. We are entering into the second movement of this grand, processional anthem, exploring Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Two, verses six through twelve, in the New Living Translation. The psalmist shifts our focus from David's private, intense vow, to the corporate, joyful experience of the entire nation as they actually locate, recover, and march with the symbol of God's presence up the mountain. Let us step onto the rugged trail, join the ancient procession, and watch the Divine Warrior ascend His throne. The first segment is:The Discovery and the Procession to the Footstool Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Two: verses six and seven. We heard that the Ark was in Ephrathah; then we found it in the distant countryside of Jaar. Let us go to the sanctuary of the Lord; let us worship at the footstool of his throne. The narrative transitions from David's intense, singular obsession, to the collective voice of the Israelite community, singing together on the road to Jerusalem. “We heard that the Ark was in Ephrathah; then we found it in the distant countryside of Jaar.” To fully appreciate the deep, emotional relief embedded in these two names—Ephrathah and Jaar—we must recall the tragic, historical backstory. Decades earlier, during the chaotic days of Eli the priest, the Israelites had foolishly treated the Ark of the Covenant like a magical good-luck charm, dragging it onto the battlefield against the Philistines. The rebel spiritual forces operating behind the Philistine armies achieved a temporary, mocking victory; the Ark was captured, and the glory of God seemed to depart from Israel. Even after the Philistines returned the Ark due to divine plagues, it sat neglected, stashed away in the obscure, overgrown, and wooded fields of Kiriath-jearim—which the psalmist poetically calls the “distant countryside of Jaar.” It was hidden in the brush, largely forgotten by the general public, while the nation drifted spiritually. But David mobilized the nation. The pilgrims recount the great rally: “Let us go to the sanctuary of the Lord; let us worship at the footstool of his throne.” We must view this through the profound lens of the Ancient Israelite Divine Council worldview, as masterfully taught by Doctor Michael S. Heiser. In the ancient Near East, a supreme monarch sat on a high, elevated throne, and his feet rested upon a beautifully crafted footstool. The footstool was the critical point of contact where the heavenly, royal realm physically touched the lower, earthly domain. In cosmic geography, the Ark of the Covenant, positioned inside the Holy of Holies beneath the outstretched wings of the golden cherubim, was recognized as the literal footstool of Yahweh's heavenly throne room. When the pilgrims say, “let us worship at the footstool of his throne,” they are not merely engaging in formal temple rituals. They are entering the earthly embassy of the Supreme Commander of the cosmos. They are stepping into the direct presence of the High King, joining the heavenly assembly of loyal angels, and declaring that Yahweh's authority completely eclipses the claims of the rebel spiritual principalities who rule over the surrounding, disinherited nations. The second segment is: The Divine Warrior Takes His Seat Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Two: verses eight through ten. Arise, O Lord, and enter your resting place, along with the Ark, the symbol of your power. May your priests be clothed in godliness; may your loyal servants sing for joy. For the sake of your servant David, do not reject the king you have anointed. The procession reaches its absolute climax as the Ark is physically carried up the slopes of Mount Zion. The king and the priests raise a dramatic, liturgical shout to the heavens: “Arise, O Lord, and enter your resting place, along with the Ark, the symbol of your power.” This phrase, “Arise, O Lord,” is a direct, intentional echo of the ancient wilderness battle cry recorded in Numbers, chapter ten. Whenever the Ark of the Covenant set out from the camp to lead the tribes through the desert, Moses would stand and shout, “Arise, O Lord, and let your enemies be scattered!” It was the invocation of Yahweh Sabaoth—the Lord of Hosts, the Commander of the heavenly armies. But notice the fascinating, beautiful shift in Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Two. The Divine Warrior is no longer marching out to do battle in the wilderness; He is marching in to take His seat. He is entering His “resting place.” In the Deuteronomy Thirty-Two framework, the rebel gods claimed ownership over the nations, but Yahweh has chosen Zion as His permanent, centralized cosmic mountain. By placing the Ark—the symbol of His power—on Mount Zion, Yahweh is establishing an unshakeable, eternal fortress. The warfare is completed; the King is officially taking His seat on the throne. This supreme, cosmic installation requires an entirely transformed community to serve the King. Verse nine petitions: “May your priests be clothed in godliness; may your loyal servants sing for joy.” The priests, who act as the human mediators between the heavenly council and the earthly congregation, must not wear the corrupt, manipulative garments of the pagan fertility cults. They must be literally wrapped, clothed, and saturated in tsedeq—true, uncompromised godliness and righteousness. When the leadership is holy, the entire community flourishes. The "loyal servants"—the hasidim, the covenant-keeping exiles—break out into uninhibited, roaring songs of joy. Their worship becomes a defensive shield, keeping the chaos of the world outside the walls of the sanctuary. The processional prayer concludes with a crucial plea for the continuation of the dynasty: “For the sake of your servant David, do not reject the king you have anointed.” The human king, the Mashiach, the anointed one, serves a vital function in the Divine Council worldview. He is designated as Yahweh's earthly vice-regent. He is the human representative who executes the justice, and the cosmic order of the High King, within the physical realm. The pilgrims pray that God will look at the faithful, historical sacrifices of David, and refuse to reject the current, fragile human king who sits on David's throne. They need the line of the vice-regent to remain unbroken, so that the connection to the cosmic mountain remains secure. The third segment is: The Reciprocal Oath of Eternity Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Two: verses eleven and twelve. The Lord swore an oath to David with a promise he will never take back: “I will place one of your descendants on your throne. If your descendants obey the terms of my covenant and the laws that I teach them, then your royal line will continue forever and ever.” In the final section of today's trail, the direction of the song flips completely. The pilgrims have finished speaking to God, and now, Yahweh speaks back to the pilgrims. He responds to David's historic, restless vow with a massive, unyielding oath of His own. “The Lord swore an oath to David with a promise he will never take back: ‘I will place one of your descendants on your throne.'” This is the beautiful, reciprocal irony of the Davidic covenant. In the first five verses of this psalm, David...

Let's Kick Some Things Out - it's time for Spiritual Spring Cleaning!Sometimes we clean out our home closets but we don't take the time to clean out our heart. Things that are dwelling there affect us. Join this week's podcast as we start our brand new study. Join Pastor Carina for digital disciple each week and mature your spiritual authority by going deeper into the things of God. Every Wednesday we grow our faith together - fellowship begins at 1:30pm Pacific Time.Pastor Carina is a Christian life coach, Keynote Speaker, and Mentor who God has uniquely gifted to activate others in the body of Christ. She carries an anointing to stir dormant callings, awaken spiritual gifts, and ignite Kingdom assignments,  empowering believers to step boldly into their God-given identity, walk in divine purpose, and bear lasting fruit for His glory. She's the Founder of Trumpets of Tirzah, an international apostolic center for women that facilitates purpose discovery, Kingdom lifestyle practices, and biblical leadership disciplines so that women can live, and lead, a "new creation" life that reflects Jesus. Her personal coaching, group mentoring, and Tirzah University courses provide keys of radical transformation that launch women into spheres of influence around the world.Hungry for more…Tirzah University, the religious education department of Trumpets of Tirzah, is the only educational institution in the world that focuses on the Apostolic role of women in the body of Christ while educating, equipping and empowering women to walk confidently in their God-given role. Come study with us: www.TirzahUniversity.com DONATE TODAYYour support plants seeds and grows the Kingdom of God! We are a 501c3 - www.trumpetsoftirzah.com/donateDo you live the ANOINTED LIFE?We have many testimonies on the miracles that God does as people use our blessed products.Luxury anointing oils and anointing lotions: https://www.trumpetsoftirzah.com/category/anointingCreative ways of sharing the gospel…And take a look at how we are sharing the gospel through film: https://www.trumpetsoftirzah.com/mastersmedia******************************************************** Awaken. Arise. Advance.https://www.trumpetsoftirzah.comDo you want your Christian product advertised on our podcast? Book your ad on Fiver.https://www.fiverr.com/s/NNLl8pN Get your Amplified Bible: https://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?event=AFF&p=1223731&item_no=0446538We host in-person and virtual events. Check out our website events page to join in the fun. We are a community of women leaders with creative hearts desiring to follow the examples of Jesus above all else. We are located in the heart of Temecula, CA.Engage daily with us! Instagram https://www.instagram.com/trumpetsoftirzah/ TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@trumpetsoftirzahLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/trumpetsoftirzah iHeart Radio  ⁠https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-trumpets-of-tirzah-120477377/⁠ Amazon Music. ⁠https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/c0203ed1-9b85-426a-85f5-5350e82ab730/trumpets-of-tirzah⁠ Apple Podcasts. ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/trumpets-of-tirzah/id1551900025⁠ Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4DCT4KBVsmzfnqyobR4ZwF Apple Podcasts. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/trumpets-of-tirzah/id1551900025YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TrumpetsofTirzahRumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-5936184#journeyoffaith #spiritualgrowth #digitaldiscipleship #spiritualquestions #faith #virtualfellowship #lifestylechristianity #temecula #kingdomconnections #womensbiblestudy #intentionalfaith #kingdomnetwork #kingdomvalues #christianlifestyle #christianlearning #spirituallearning #maturebelievers #growyourfaith #apostolicprinciples #biblerevelation #kingdomimpact #kingdombuilders  #spiritualauthority #holyspirit #womenoffaith #christianpodcast #podcastforwomen #apostolicteaching #kingdompodcast #womanpastor #womanapostle 

Send us a messageIn Part 2 of “Warriors of Truth Arise!” we revisit the Armor of God, with encouragement to the Holy Remnant who are contending for God's Word in the midst of the darkened compromises of last days Laodicean Church.As this modern Church yields to the enemy's seduction, she is becoming more inept and sick unto death, having slipped into a quagmire of preaching the doctrines of the world while crediting them falsely to the Bible – leaving many with a false salvation security.And yet in spite of this, the Lord God has guarded over His Word, with the Holy Spirit being the Sacred Interpreter in Truth. And the one who has been called to be chosen will be given understanding in recognition of the One Who alone is the Way – and the Truth – and Eternal Life. And they will hear His Voice when He calls – and will follow no other. Therefore, let those who have ears to hear – Hear! And come quickly – for the Ark of Salvation is getting ready to depart – and soon!Support the showVisit our website: https://agapelightministries.com/

If God Was Faithful Then, He'll Be Faithful Now Isaiah 51:15-16 “I am the Lord your God, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— the Lord of hosts is his name. And I have put my words in your mouth and covered you in the shadow of my hand, establishing the heavens and laying the foundations of the earth, and saying to Zion, ‘You are my people.'” This was the verse we used for the monthly bookmark we do at my prayer group.  It seemed to go well with the words of prophecy that we received and discerned for that month.  We were working on January's discernment.  After reading this verse again, I wanted to get a sense of what others said about it.   I wanted to make sure I really understood what it meant, so I could help you understand it.  I am glad I did because I definitely would have missed the context of this verse.   The first line, “I am the Lord your God, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— the Lord of hosts is his name.”  This is meant to remind the Israelites of when God saved them from Egypt.  However, not so much about how He parted the Red Sea so they could pass through on dry land; rather, to remind them of what happened after they crossed safely. God sent the raging waters to destroy those who chased after them.  This is God reminding them that He is their protector and their savior.  A few verses earlier in Isaiah 51:12-13 it says, “I, I am he who comforts you; who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, of the son of man who is made like grass, and have forgotten the Lord, your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth, and you fear continually all the day because of the wrath of the oppressor, when he sets himself to destroy? And where is the wrath of the oppressor?” God is trying to remind the Israelites who they are.  They are the chosen people of God.  They have His protection.  Throughout this chapter, He reminds them who they are and that they don't need to be afraid. They don't need to fear their enemies; they don't need to fear anything because God is on their side.   This is a great reminder to us as well.  We don't have to be afraid of the current president, the last president, or the next president.  We don't have to focus on how bad the world around us is getting.  We don't have to focus on all the messes in our lives.  We need to focus on how God is Sovereign over all of these – He is the Almighty.  Everything He wills comes to pass. And God has promised Jerusalem that the day will come when her exile will be finished, and she will return. If God has promised it, then His people can count on it; they can rely on it.  God is trying to remind the Israelites that He is the Lord of hosts, and if He saved them before, He can save them again.  I think He is also telling us this, too!  God rolled back the seas so His people could pass on dry ground and then let them roar again to protect those same people.  What has God done in your life that you can look back on and know you will be okay in this tough time as well?  What has He done in the past that proves to you that He will show up in this present situation as well?  If you can't think of something He has done personally in your past, you can look to what He has done in scripture.  Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” What He has done in the past, He can do again.   The last part of the verse says, “And I have put my words in your mouth and covered you in the shadow of my hand, establishing the heavens and laying the foundations of the earth, and saying to Zion, ‘You are my people.'” This part of the verse reminds us that we have a role to play in God's plan.  Yes, He is there to protect us, and He also wants us to go out and share His message with everyone we meet.  He doesn't want us to sit around, worship Him, and praise Him, yet keep Him to ourselves.  He is protecting us and filling us up with His graces so that we can share them with all we meet.  This might make us nervous to think about talking about God to others.  I know I get nervous thinking about it.  What if I don't know what to say? What if they ask questions and I don't have any answers?  What if I say the wrong thing, or say something that isn't true?  In this verse, God is reassuring us that when we say yes, when we step out in that call, He will put the words in our mouths.  God isn't asking us to know everything; He isn't asking us to be an eloquent speaker or have all the right words. He is asking us to be an empty vessel. He is asking for our “yes,” and then He will give us the words to say.   God is calling each and every one of us to go out and to pass to others all He has given us.  Each month, as we review and discern the words God has given us throughout the prayer group meetings, we realize that God is giving us this call over and over again.  He doesn't always say it in the same way, and yet it is always there.  Go and tell my people; go and spread my love, my hope, my peace, my forgiveness.  God would not keep telling us every single week if it were not important to Him.  He also probably wouldn't keep telling us this if we were doing it.  So, why aren't we doing it?  Why aren't we passing on what the Lord is giving us?  What is stopping us?  This will be different for each one of us.  I can't answer these questions for you.  Maybe it is the enemy telling us we don't know enough to share with others? I can tell you that when I started reading the Bible more and learning more about my faith, I started wanting to share more with others. When God is asking us in a prayer group to share with others, it is not the knowledge of scripture He is asking us to share.  He is asking us to share His love, His peace, His joy, His forgiveness, and other such things.  These are things we don't need to be super smart and have the Bible memorized to share.  We can share these things without knowing much scripture at all.  However, we do need to have these things in our lives if we want to share them.  If we don't know God's love, peace, joy, and forgiveness, then we can't share it with others. God wants to give us all of this and more, and all He asks is that we share it with those around us.  We don't have to go up to strangers and share it; we could start right in our own home with those we spend the most time with.  I have included the bookmark in this episode.  I think hearing an example of God's call for us to go out and share all He gives will help you understand a bit better.  Also, as you can see in the bookmark, He doesn't start by directing us to go out and share.  He starts by calling us closer, then tells us how special we are and reminds us how amazing He is.  Then he asks us to go out and share it with others.  I will leave you with His words today.  Here are the words we felt God wanted us to use for the January 2023 bookmark: Come closer to me.  Come deeper with me.  Come into my presence because I want you, my diamonds, to sparkle so that all those around you will want to come and be in your presence to absorb your light.  Your light is my life in you.  I am the God who loves you.  I am the God who protects you.  I am the God who never stops caring for you. I give you my abundant blessings.  No matter what is going on in your life right now, I take each step that you take.  When you feel you can't stand, I am there to carry you. What I share with you, you must share with others.  It is I who sends you to share my way, my truth, and my life so that others may grow in me and love me.  Arise and go forward with the name of Jesus on your lips. Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today.  Lord, we love you, and we are so grateful for your words above.  We are grateful that you want to spend your time talking to us when you have so much to do.  We are grateful for your protection and for being your chosen people.  We are sorry we get it wrong so often, and we just ask for your forgiveness.  We love you, Lord.  We thank you for your protection and for putting the words in our mouths.  Please give us the courage to use those words to help bring others to you, Lord.  We love you, and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus' holy name, Amen  Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus.  The Walk Boldly With Jesus mentoring group is a safe, judgment-free space to grow in your relationship with God. If you've been looking for that, I'd love to invite you to join us. CLICK HERE for more info on mentoring. I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow.  Remember, Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I.  Have a blessed day! Today's Word from the Lord was received in October 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today's Word from the Lord is, “I myself underwrite this plan of your life. I myself secure your path to it, to your destiny. It is from eternity. It is interwoven in my divine purposes. You are not insignificant. You are interwoven in the fibers of my being and the great eternal plan.” www.findingtruenorthcoaching.comCLICK HERE TO DONATECLICK HERE to sign up for Mentoring CLICK HERE to sign up for Daily "Word from the Lord" emailsCLICK HERE to sign up for my newsletter & receive a free audio training about inviting Jesus into your daily lifeCLICK HERE to buy my book Total Trust in God's Safe Embrace

You may wonder if your story is too messy, if the labels or wounds others have given you are just your lot in life. This message throws open the doors to all—no matter what you've carried or the battles you still fight.Pastor Kevin doesn't shy away from difficult topics. He's experienced brokenness and confusion firsthand. What changed everything wasn't wishing for a simple fix, but coming to the table with Jesus, again and again, embracing the daily process of letting His love wash away old pain and mistaken ideas about who you are.When life tries to stick you with labels and expectations, remember that your worth is given, not achieved. Nothing anybody else has said or done, no wound or mistake, can separate you from the wholeness and acceptance at Christ's table.Kids running wild? Past hurts? Questions about belonging? There's a place for you, just as you are. Here, you'll find people who understand that growth isn't instant, who walk with you as you discover that God truly doesn't make mistakes.Scriptures ReferencedGenesis 1:1, 1:27; 1 Samuel 17:38-40; Psalm 16:6, 139:14; Proverbs 3:5; Romans 8:38-39, 15:1-9; 2 Corinthians 5:17, 12:8-10Key InsightsJesus didn't die to fix you. He died to make you new.If you spend enough time around Jesus, you become like Jesus.Your identity is received, not achieved.Many of us want struggles removed from our lives. God wants maturity.God's grace is sufficient.ResourcesYou Are Special by Max LucadoKey Sections00:00:00 - Welcome and AnnouncementsJoin us June 6 for the Instruments of Joy benefit concert. Enjoy some excellent Nashville musicians and partner with Instruments of Joy in providing quality instruments to musicians in need all over the world.00:03:04 - Anchoring in God's LovePeople struggle with feeling like they are mistakes or not good enough, but God makes us new, and nothing can keep us away from His love.00:05:20 - The Power of Abide and AriseMany people work hard to do great things for God but forget to let Him change them inside. The real journey is about living as who we are in Christ, not just seeking constant outside success.00:10:10 - Owning Brokenness and Finding HealingChildhood trauma, broken families, or abusive experiences affect how we view ourselves. Pastor Kevin shares his honest story and invites us to stop listening to those old thoughts. Instead, we should let Jesus' words define us, bringing daily healing and freedom with Him.00:18:42 - Becoming Who You Spend Time WithThe people and places around us shape who we are. If we spend time with negative people or face criticism, we may become like them. But if we get close to Jesus, we start to show His love and truth instead of the hurtful labels from the world.00:21:19 - The Process of Forgiveness and Releasing BlameTrue faith means not letting past hurts or what others do control our present. Pastor Kevin shows that forgiveness is both a special gift and a helpful action. This helps those who hurt us to be free, so their choices don't shape or restrict our future.00:30:32 - Calling, Restoration, and New LifeEach person has a special calling from God and is given what they need. We should not try to take on someone else's problems or burdens. God's healing does not happen all at once; it is a journey. We find it by coming to Him every day for cleansing, accepting our weaknesses, and receiving the grace that helps us change and gives us hope.https://springhouse.captivate.fm/episode/arise-in-who-he-created-you-to-beSubscribe & Follow the PodcastDownload our appOur WebsiteOnline Tithes & OfferingsJoin our LivestreamGathering TimesSundays, 9:00 AMSundays, 11:00 AMThursdays, 6:00 PMContact InfoSpringhouse Church14119 Old Nashville HighwaySmyrna TN 37167615-459-3421CCLI License 2070006

"I Will Arise and Go to Jesus" played by Nancy Wilkerson May 31, 2026 Worship Service Groveport UMC, Groveport Ohio To support the ministry of the church, please click here: https://groveportumc.org/give/

Group Guide Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.Additional context: Watch the theology teaching video, What is the Bible? 2 Samuel 15 Mike Goble Download TranscriptAll right, so Chet and Spencer are away. Let's get down to business. No, no, no, no, no. My name is Mike. I'm an elder in training here. Last week at the end of the sermon, I had three people come up to me and say that I reminded them of Absalom.I had one person come up and tell me I reminded them of Abimelech and I reminded them that that's not what the story was about and that was Raz. So when they told me that I reminded them of Absalom, I said, "Oh, of course, the striking good looks." And they all pretty intentionally clarified, "No, that is not why. it is because you have long hair and you are trying to convince people to leave this church and go out with you to plant another church. And so that brings me to my first point today. Oak Ridge Church in Lexington will be meeting sometime in January of 2027. Now this is not an infomercial for our church plant, even though we are very excited about that.We're going to be today in 2 Samuel. We're going to be in chapter 15. This is going to be on page 304 of the Bibles that are at your seats. We would ask if you'd consider not using an electronic Bible if you're willing and instead maybe pick one of those Bibles up and we're going to read the Bible together. And we think that's a helpful thing. Before we get started in our text, I'm going to pray for us. Father, we thank you for being our God, for being our salvation.We thank you for your good scripture that teaches us about you. Please Lord, may the Spirit work in our hearts through the foolishness of preaching that we would be changed to be more like your Son in Jesus' name. Amen. All right. Last week we saw that David permitted Absalom to return back to Jerusalem after he initially spent three years in exile after murdering his brother Amnon after Amnon's sin with Tamar. But even though Absalom was back in Jerusalem, he was not allowed to be in the king's presence.And after about two years, he kind of forces himself back into the king's presence by burning down Joab's field. Now, Joab is one of David's nephews. He is the son of David's sister. And he's one of the commanders of David's army. So, Absalom burns down the field, gets his attention, and Joab tells David, and David lets Absalom back into his presence. And then Absalom goes and spends the next four years positioning himself daily at the city gate, rendering judgments and manipulating the people, stealing their hearts is what it says. He is taking them away from their loyalty and their allegiance to King David.He then travels down to Hebron, which is about 18 miles or so south of Jerusalem. And he's got a large group of followers with him. And guys, remember Hebron is actually a pretty significant place. It's significant that he goes down there. So Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the patriarchs, the men from which all of Israel descended, are buried.They're all buried in Hebron. And David himself was was anointed king down in Hebron. So this is a pretty significant place. And now we see Absalom is down there and he's proclaimed as king, but he's not anointed. He's taking it by manipulation. And we're going to see taking it by force.This is the beginning of a full-scale rebellion. And today we're actually gonna look at how David responds and how the people around David respond to what's going on here in Israel. We pick up in verse 13 of chapter 15. And a messenger came to David saying, "The hearts of the men of Israel have gone after Absalom." Then David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, "Arise and let us flee, or else there will be no escape for us from Absalom," "Go quickly, lest he overtake us quickly and bring down ruin on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword."And the king's servant said to the king, "Behold, your servants are ready to do whatever my Lord, the king, decides." So the king went out and all his household after him. And the king left 10 concubines to keep the house. And the king went out and all the people after him and they halted at the last house. All right.So a messenger comes in and tells David, hey, Israel is going to follow Absalom. So through his manipulation over the last four years, he has won over a significant portion of people that this messenger comes right in and says, "Hey, is the hearts of the men of Israel, they're gone. And they're not just gone from you. They've gone to your son Absalom." Meaning Absalom has the loyalty of these people. So David responds by saying to all his servants that are still in Jerusalem that they need to flee because if they stay, they will not escape from Absalom and he will come quickly and violently and he will ruin them.And so his servants get up with him and they get ready to flee and they leave behind the 10 concubines to maintain the house. And now they're going. And this is a pretty high pressure moment in this story. And we've we've kind of seen stuff like this play out in stories before, right? You know, you know the story the the tale of the prince who his uncle wanted to become king. And so he convinces the prince that the prince killed his dad.And the prince gets so overwhelmed and so scared that he flees. And he leaves Pride Rock. And Zazu and Rafiki have no idea what they're going to do. And we see stories like this in our entertainment. But guys, this happens a lot and it has happened a lot in history.There are so many coups in history from the murder of Julius Caesar to Napoleon taking over France to Castro and the Cuban Revolution. Did you know that in 2024 there was a coup in South Korea where the president of South Korea decided he was going to declare martial law so the legislature you know they couldn't meet or do anything and then well the legislature met anyway and 11 days later he was impeached and then put on trial. That was two years ago. This kind of stuff has been happening forever throughout history. And honestly, when I think about that, I can't help but think back to 1 Samuel chapter 8, where Israel is demanding that they have a king so they can be like all the other nations.And David, their king, is now here fleeing Jerusalem because his son is coming to overthrow him just like so many other nations before them and so many other nations that will come after them. What do you think was on David's mind? What do you think he was thinking about here? You know, the text doesn't directly say, but do you remember what the Lord said through the prophet Nathan in chapter 12? In chapter 12, when Nathan is pronouncing his judgment from God on David for his sin, the Lord says to David that the sword will not depart from your house. And then right after in chapter 13, we find out Absalom kills his brother Amnon.So, one of David's sons kills the other. And now David suspects Absalom is coming for him. So his plan is to flee. And it might be because he's afraid of Absalom. It might be because he wants to avoid conflict with his own son. It might also be acceptance of the judgment of God.And I actually think that the rest of what we're going to look at today supports that idea. Supports that David has accepted what God has planned for him no matter what. All right. So, David's servants are ready to go and they begin leaving Jerusalem together. And let's pick up verse 18. And all his servants pass by him.And all the Cherethites and all the Pelethites and all the 600 Gittites who had followed him from Gath passed on before the king. Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, "Why do you also go with us? Go back and stay with the king, for you are a foreigner, and also in exile from your home. You came only yesterday. And shall I today make you wander about with us, since I go, I know not where? Go back, take your brothers with you.And may the Lord show steadfast love and faithfulness to you." But Ittai answered the king, "As the Lord lives and as my Lord the king lives, wherever my Lord the king shall be, whether for death or for life, there also will be your servant." And David said to Ittai, "Go then, pass on." So Ittai the Gittite passed on with all his men and all the little ones who were with him. And all the land wept aloud as all the people passed by and the king crossed the brook Kedron and all the people passed on toward the wilderness. Okay, so David's leaving and as he's leaving he passes by different people that are highlighted for us here in the text.First there's the Cherethites, the Pelethites and the Gittites. So the Cherethites and the Pelethites are part of the royal bodyguard. So these are warriors who protect David and they go with him. And the Gittites and their leader Ittai are originally from Gath, we're told. And that's a a Philistine city. And the reason that we're told that is because back in 1 Samuel, David when he was originally fleeing Israel, fleeing from Saul when Saul wanted him dead, lived in Gath.And these men followed him when he returned back to Israel. And so he gives Ittai the option. He says, "Go back. You can just go back and align yourself with Absalom. You do not have to come with me." He says, "There's not really a reason for you, Ittai, to go ahead and get caught up in this problem.I'm releasing you from that." And Ittai refuses and he says, "He's going to stay with David even to death." And that is pretty awesome. There's something in us that just kind of loves a display of loyalty and a display of friendship like that. If you remember the famous book series that was adapted into the blockbuster movies, The Lord of the Rings, the whole series, the whole journey, the main character is trying to destroy this ring that he has to carry. And right when he's at the end, right when he's just feet almost steps from being able to do so, he runs out of strength and and by his side with him the whole time is his friend, his best friend that he's known his whole life.And his friend looks at him and says, "I can't carry it for you." And that's the ring, "But I can carry you." And when you watch that in the theater or maybe at your house, you're like, "Yeah, and I can carry it for you, too." You just like get so swept up in it, it's really cool. And your wife says pipe down, but you're like, "No, this is this is awesome." And so we see that and that strikes a chord within our hearts because we love that display of loyalty and friendship.We want to be a part of that display of loyalty and friendship. And so I think that's a really noteworthy thing and I think it's included in that in who he passes by on his way out of town because we get to see that exceptional display of friendship and loyalty to David. So, he's got this large group of faithful friends who in his darkest hour are leaving Jerusalem with him and they're all together and it says that they're weeping and that they're headed into the wilderness. Verse 24, and Abiathar came up, and behold, Zadok came also with all the Levites bearing the ark of the covenant of God.And they set down the ark of God until the people had all passed out of the city. Then the king said to Zadok, "carry the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me back and let me see both it and his dwelling place. But if he says, I have no pleasure in you, behold, here I am, let him do to me what seems good to him." The king also said to Zadok the priest, "Are you not a seer? Go back to the city in peace with your two sons, Ahimeaz, your son, and Jonathan, the son of Abiathar.See, I will wait at the fords of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me." So Zadok and Abiathar carried the ark of God back to Jerusalem, and they remain there. But David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, barefoot and with his head covered. And all the people who were with him covered their heads and they went up weeping as they went. And it was told David, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, "O Lord, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness."All right. Now we are going to get into David's response to the situation that he's in. So Abiathar and Zadok, who are they? They are the chief priests. They are part of the Levites and they carry the ark of the covenant. And the ark of the covenant represents God's presence with his people.What does David say? He tells them, "Take it back to Jerusalem." Why? Why would David say that? Part of the answer to that question is because he says, "Zadok, aren't you a Aren't you a seer? Aren't you a prophet?" maybe David thinks, well, if he's back there, he can he can get some information out to me while I'm out here in the wilderness.It might be good to have him back there. And that is part of it. However, I think the main answer, the main reason that David tells him to take the ark, tells them to take the ark of the covenant back, is because he is accepting of the sovereign will of God. And he's doing it with humility. David's response is to essentially resign himself to the will of God. And if he sees the ark again, he knows God has looked favorably on him.And if not, then may God do what seems good to him. In the 1600s, German theology professor Samuel Rodegast wrote a song for his friend who was dying. And the song is called Was Gott tut das ist wohlgetan. Do you got I'll translate that for you for those of you who don't speak German. Whatever my God ordains is right. And one of the verses in this song goes, "Whatever my God ordains is right, he never will deceive me.He leads me by the proper path, I know he will not leave me. I take content what he has sent. His hand can turn my griefs away, and patiently I wait his day." So David resolutely accepts the will of God and he ascends the Mount of Olives weeping and here we see the second aspect of his response. We first see the humble acceptance of the divine will and after that we see him pray. What does he pray?He asks God to make the counsel of Ahithophel foolish. Now, Ahithophel was once David's advisor, but he turned his allegiance toward Absalom. And David here, powerless from a position of humility, asks the Lord to make whatever Ahithophel advises Absalom to be foolish. And we're actually going to see later on that God is going to answer this prayer. But something I want to see is that the two aspects of the response are actually linked together, require each other.Because intrinsic to prayer is humility. It's recognizing that the greatest thing you can possibly do is acknowledge the will of God and the fact that he is ordaining all things. And when you do that, you are going to pray. No, you are. You pray. When you have a heart posture like that, what comes out of it from within you is prayer.Because you finally understand how insignificant you are in affecting outcomes on this earth and you realize that God is sovereign and that God is ordaining all things and you are not God. What happened in Israel when they decided to accomplish their own will? Sexual sin, murder, treachery, it doesn't really go well. And the world around us doesn't really understand this, right? Because what happens when we see tragedies and things like that and people say, "Well, you know, our thoughts and prayers are are with the victims and and the things that have happened, right?" And people just don't like that.They sort of respond back with, "Well, we don't want that. We would rather you do something. We would rather see action. But if you know God and you know your relationship to him and you understand in your heart that what he ordains is right, that what he is doing has a purpose, then you know that the greatest thing you possibly could do would be to pray and to ask him, hey, if it could work out this way, would you change the counsel of Ahithophel to be foolishness? Right? And to commune with God from a position of humility is a really powerful thing.Let's pick back up in verse 32. While David was coming to the summit where God was worshiped, behold, Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his coat torn and dirt on his head. David said to him, "If you go on with me, you will be a burden to me. But if you return to the city and say to Absalom,"I will be your servant, O king, as I have been your father's servant in time past, so now I will be your servant. Then you will defeat for me the counsel of Ahithophel."Are not Zadok and Abiathar the priests with you there? So whatever you hear from the king's house, tell it to Zadok and Abiathar, the priests. Behold, their two sons are with them. Ahimeaz Zadok's son and Jonathan Abiathar's son. And by them you shall send to me everything you hear. So Hushai, David's friend, came into the city just as Absalom was entering Jerusalem.Okay. Here, David tells Hushai, another one of his close friends and counselors, to go back to Jerusalem and act as a spy, essentially to feed information to Zadok and Abiathar, who will through their sons get that information out into the wilderness to David. And so now we finish chapter 15 with David on his way out of Jerusalem. And we begin chapter 16. And as David is out of Jerusalem, Absalom has now entered Jerusalem. Chapter 16 starts, "When David had passed a little beyond the summit, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him with a couple of donkeys saddled bearing 200 loaves of bread, a hundred bunches of raisins, a hundred of summer fruits, and a skin of wine."And the king said to Ziba, "Why have you brought these?" Ziba answered, "The donkeys are for the king's household to ride on, the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat, and the wine for those who faint in the wilderness to drink." And the king said, "And where is your master's son?" That's Mephibosheth. "Where is your master's son?" Ziba said to the king, "Behold, he remains in Jerusalem, for he said, Today the house of Israel will give me back the kingdom of my father." Then the king said to Ziba, "Behold, all that belonged to Mephibosheth is now yours."And Ziba said, "I pay homage. Let me ever find favor in your sight, my Lord the king." Okay, so back in 2 Samuel 9, we see the first interaction of David with Ziba. And what's happening there is remember David wanted to honor someone of the lineage of his friend Jonathan. And so he wants to find someone of the lineage of Saul. Jonathan was Saul's son.And he wants to honor him. And Ziba says, "Well, actually, Jonathan's son, Mephibosheth, is here." And David says, "Okay, bring him to me." And he brings him and he honors him. And he says, "You're going to always eat at the king's table." And Ziba then after that is made the servant of Mephibosheth.And now where we are, we've got Ziba coming to tell David, "Hey, just so you know, as you were leaving back in Jerusalem, Mephibosheth went ahead and said, "Awesome. Now I'm going to get the kingdom back because David's gone." Like as if the house of Saul is going to now take back the kingdom. And David kind of takes this just at face value. And I don't know if it's because maybe things have not been working out super well for David. So, you know, when you're not having the greatest of time and you hear a piece of information that's not that great, you're like, "Of course, yeah, that's going wrong, too.The car is broken as well." You know, it's that kind of thing where, yeah, Mephibosheth thinks he's going to be king. I guess that's what he wanted all along. I don't know if that's exactly what David's thinking, but he responds by giving what he had originally given to Mephibosheth over to Ziba. But later on, and we're not going to unpack this as much today, in chapter 19, Mephibosheth is going to dispute this.And we're not actually sure if this is what happened. But from David's perspective, he thinks Mephibosheth has also sort of abandoned him and is looking to gain his own kingdom. And he thinks that's another person who probably is not on his side anymore. Verse 5. When King David came to Bahurim, there came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera. And as he came, he cursed continually. And he threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David.And all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. And Shimei said as he cursed, "Get out. Get out. You man of blood, you worthless man. The Lord has avenged on you all the blood of the house of Saul in whose place you have reigned. And the Lord has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom.See, your evil is on you, for you are a man of blood. So Shimei, who is one of Saul's relatives, sees things aren't going very well for David. And as David and his guard and all his people with him are are passing by, he starts flinging stones at him and saying a curse at him. And the text sort of reads this as one man just out there flinging rocks into a crowd of hundreds, thousands at David and cursing at him. And we're told he does this because he resents David for what happened to Saul. In verse 9, you see, then Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, said to the king, "Why should this dead dog curse my Lord the king?Let me go over and take off his head." But the king said, "What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the Lord has said to him, "Curse David, who then shall say, why have you done so?" And David said to Abishai and to all his servants, "Behold, my own son seeks my life. How much more now may this Benjaminite? Leave him alone and let him curse, for the Lord has told him to. It may be that the Lord will look on the wrong done to me, and that the Lord will repay me with good for his cursing today."So David and his men went on the road while Shimei went along on the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went and threw stones at him and flung dust. And the king and all his people who were with him arrived weary at the Jordan and there he refreshed himself. Okay. So Abishai is Joab, the guy who we talked about from last time whose field was burned. He's his brother. So this is another one of David's nephews, one of the children of David's sister.And Abishai, he is not liking this. He does not like what he sees here. This is like, you know, if you're like in high school and maybe you're like having a feud with another person and so like all your friends, they're like shooting that other person dirty looks. Maybe that person's having a party and they're like, "Well, we're not going to go because, you know, our friends are feuding with each other. we're not going to go support that. And then your friend kind of comes up to you and he says, "Look over there at that dead dog. How about I just go bring his head to you?"And you're like, "Whoa." Love the zeal, but no. And so David here tells Abishai, "No." But this isn't the first time that's had to happen because actually back in 1 Samuel, Abishai is with David when David is in the camp of Saul when Saul wants to kill him and Saul is sleeping and David and Abishai are there and see him and Abishai goes let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of the spear and David tells him no and he tells him here no again. So he's being cursed and mocked by Shimei and Abishai will not stand for that.And in his zeal he wants to go kill him. And you know David could have just been like yeah I am so tired of this. I am so sick of this. Go over there and bring me his head. But he does not.Instead, he says, "Let him curse because if God told him to curse, then who are we to question that? And perhaps one day God will look favorably upon it for me." This is David again accepting God's will humbly. He rejects the opportunity to control the outcome by manipulating the circumstances and instead he resigns himself to the will of God. I think that's really hard. And I know some of you feel like you're in the same boat, right?Maybe your mind is three steps ahead of everyone else and you're always trying to engineer the best outcome for yourself, especially if things haven't been going well lately. And so seeing David do this this act of humility is impressive and it's really challenging. We're going to bring our time together with this story to a close today. I want us to look back through some of those themes that we stopped to talk about. You know, we're not kings and queens. We probably will never flee our own homes on foot because of a coup.But a lot of these are reflections of what goes on in people's hearts. And I think some of these things go on in our hearts. First, I want us to reflect on Israel's desire for the king. Their desire to be just like everyone else around them. You know, this was a rejection of God as their king. And we talked about this in 1 Samuel, but now here they are just like everyone else.Because murder and sexual sin and treachery are all just glimpses of what life choosing your own sin and choosing your own will can lead to. And it doesn't ever seem like that. Nobody ever says we want a king and is thinking about a military coup. But yes, sin can take us to the place that we never think we'll go. So where are you tempted to believe these things?Where are you tempted to say that you know better that you desire a king even though that's not what God wants? I mean, I know I'm not supposed to sleep with my boyfriend or girlfriend before we're married, but what's the big deal? I mean, it's just so impractical in this economy anyway to not live together. I mean, I understand that God says I shouldn't lie, but really, honestly, taxes are crazy high, and I don't really believe in them anyway. So, what's a big deal if I count that as a deduction? Where do you think you know better than God?And where will it take you today? Reflect on that and turn from it. You can do it. You can turn from it. You can reject it and obey God, but not in your own willpower. But Romans tells us that we were once slaves to sin, but from a changed heart, we can now obey.You can obey if you have repented of sin and put faith in the gospel because your heart is changed. And only from a changed heart can we obey God. Second, I want us to see the beauty of friendship and the beauty of loyalty. David in one of his darkest hours is surrounded by men who refuse to leave him. So where do we need to be a friend like Ittai the Gittite?Where do we need to say that wherever you will be, I will be, good or bad? Are you sticking it out with your friends? Are you showing it up? Are you showing up when they need you or are you just busy? What do you need to remove from your life so that you can have the space to be there for other people? Some of you have been in rough situations in your life.Some of you are in rough situations and some of you can think of people who have showed up. Some of those people are sitting nearby you in this room. Rejoice in that because guys, you know that's a reflection of God. You know in the book of Hebrews it says that God will never leave us or forsake us. Why? Because he forsook Jesus.And so we are welcomed in a relationship with God that even death cannot sever. And we should reflect that to the friends around us that God has brought in our path. Thirdly, I want us to see David's humble contentment with God's will. We see it in his posture toward the ark of the covenant and in the cursing from Shimei. David accepts whatever God has ordained. And the temptation in times when you're walking a dark road can be to look up at God and say, "No, I am the master of my fate.I am the captain of my soul." And so I ask you today, where are you discontent with what God has sent? work, family, dating, children, health. Remind yourself of his goodness and entrust yourself to him. David ascends the Mount of Olives, weeping, resolved to God's will. And about a thousand years later, a descendant of David will sit at the base of the Mount of Olives in the Garden of Gethsemane. And in grief, he is going to call out to God and say, "Let this cup pass from me."Yet, not as I will, but as you will. And that's Jesus. And that's David's descendant who humbly accepts the will of God and goes to the cross and is punished for sin and he dies and he's buried and he rises again. And because of that, because Jesus has humbly accepted the will of the Father and was crushed, you can humbly accept the will of the Father and live. And the band is going to come back up and we are going to close this morning reflecting on Jesus, on the freedom he brings from our own sinful will and desire, on the relationships that he makes possible for us to have with God and on the example of humble acceptance of the will of God that he showed us on the cross that allows us to accept whatever comes our way.

God's Mercy With Gideon's Doubt by Autumn Dickson The book of Judges records a time period in which Israel had no centralized prophet. There was apostasy and partial restorations as the Israelites would sway into worshipping like the Canaanites did. The Lord sometimes sent judges to help Israel against their enemies. These judges were charismatic, military leaders. Some of the judges would save all of Israel; other judges were more regional. Gideon was one of these regional judges, primarily protecting Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, Naphtali, and Ephraim. Gideon is interesting because he struggled with his faith in the Lord, and yet, the Lord was merciful. There are plenty of instances in the scriptures where the Lord doesn't seem to respond to that very well. Right after the Red Sea parted, the Israelites demanded a sign of Moses to show his favor with God. They were complaining and challenging Moses to show a sign. The place was named Massah as a memorial to their lack of faith. When Zechariah was told that his wife would have a son, he didn't believe it because she was old. He was struck as a mute. Thomas the apostle was likewise rebuked for his lack of faith. Gideon receives not just one, but multiple signs from the Lord. The angel burns up his offering to the Lord. His blanket is covered with dew while the ground is dry one night; his blanket is dry while the ground is wet one night. As he stands in the camp with his 300 men to go against the Midianites, the Lord encourages him to go spy on the Midianites and see what they're saying in order to receive comfort. He does so and overhears a Midianite sharing a dream in which a barley loaf came and flattened a tent. The Midianite's companion interprets it as God helping Israel defeat them. Here is Gideon's response. Judges 7:15 And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the Lord hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian. Multiple signs! God continually blesses Gideon and gives him signs to encourage him along. In fact, Gideon didn't even ask for the last sign. The Lord just gave it to him, and He gave it to Gideon in a powerful way. It would have been one thing to send a dream to Gideon about defeating the Midianites. It would have been easy for Gideon to wonder if it was just wishful thinking. In comparison, hearing the mighty Midianites have a dream and interpret it as defeat by the Israelites was much more powerful in calming Gideon's fears. So why did Gideon get multiple signs while others seem to be rebuked for asking for the same thing? I think there are a lot of reasons because the Lord works according to individual circumstances, but I want to talk about two potential reasons that can be applied in our own lives as we work to approach the Lord. The first reason the Lord was willing to work with Gideon is because the Lord is wise enough to understand that Gideon didn't have much of a relationship with the Lord. The fact that his father had a Baal altar implies that Gideon's family had fallen into idolatry. How much did Gideon know about God? We know Gideon had some knowledge of God because he asks about the deliverance from Egypt, but how much had Gideon experienced God? There's a difference. How much could the Lord reasonably expect Gideon to trust Him? The Lord knew Gideon, but did Gideon know the Lord? The Lord isn't looking for blind, obedient dogs. He is looking to have a true relationship with us. The fact that Gideon was cautious about running into danger isn't a sign that Gideon is faithless; it is more an indication that Gideon did not yet know the Lord. So what does this teach us about our own lives? The Lord will not begrudge us the time it takes to learn how to trust Him; He doesn't mind allowing us to approach Him until we've built up a number of encounters and start to understand His character. David fought off two wild animals before he fought off Goliath. We recently read about Moses whose trust in the Lord was extremely fragile in the beginning; Moses grew to the point where he encouraged the Israelites to have faith in the face of certain death even though he did not yet know the plan for rescue. The Old Testament gives us a front row seat to watching people experience the Lord and grow in their trust of Him. In contrast, imagine a powerful stranger coming up to you and saying, “Trust me.” When you ask them why you should trust them, they respond with, “Because I told you to.” Um…what? You may not immediately hate them or be wary of them, but you're not going to give them your darkest secrets or social security number (or hopefully you won't…). The Lord understands that He is a stranger to us; He is the one who put the veil there. He understands that we need experiences with Him before we're ready to run into danger when He asks. Once again, He isn't looking for blind, obedient dogs. He wants His children to be wise and consciously and voluntarily choose Him. He gave Gideon experiences because Gideon likely hadn't had many previously. He was patient with Israel. He was patient with Moses. The Lord has no problem being patient. If He seems impatient in specific scenarios, we can usually assume it's for the benefit of the person He is working with. He is trying to get their attention or get them moving. Which leads me to my second reason: The Lord allowed Gideon to approach Him multiple times for signs because Gideon's heart was soft. Over and over and over and over and over we read about the Lord responding with intensity in response to a hard heart and responding with mercy and encouragement to a soft heart. Gideon's heart was obviously soft. Look at this verse. Judges 6:17 And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me. Gideon approaches the Lord so humbly. When the angel gave him a sign, Gideon immediately built an altar unto the Lord. That night, Gideon went and took down the altar of Baal according to the direction of the Lord. We see this multiple times with Gideon. He approaches the Lord in humility and asks for help knowing the truth. Gideon was willing to follow the truth and power and peace; Gideon was just trying to make sure he was looking in the right direction before moving forward. It is only when we've closed our heart off to that truth and power and peace that the Lord shakes the earth to reach us. I think of the Egyptians that saw all the same signs as the Israelites but didn't bother to ask whether they should follow after the same God as the Israelites. I think of Rahab and her people. The Canaanites were all terrified, but it didn't change who they put their faith in. Only Rahab was willing to follow the Israelite God and was spared because of it. You would think that people would open their eyes and ask, “Is there something here?” You would think that they would pause long enough and open their hearts so that the Lord could speak to them. Gideon asked, but Gideon was likewise prepared to follow through. This was part of why the Lord was so willing to encourage him along. I testify of a Lord that responds with wisdom. He knows what He is doing. He will not condemn us for approaching Him for reassurances if we're doing so with the intent to follow after Him. He doesn't even condemn us when we struggle; His intensity is not a sign of condemnation. It's a sign of God's love in trying to reach us! However the Lord is working in your life, you can take it with the perspective that He is trying to do what's best for you. I'm grateful for a Lord who is wise and can train me so purposefully and deliberately. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Judges 2–4; 6–8; 13–16 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

The action of sharing the Good News—the Great Commission—means that we don't just sit in our houses and shut away the world.Scripture is an action item.Isaiah 60:1 says, “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.”If the Bible is true—if God's story intersects with our story—then a hurting world is in need of a Savior. The pain many are enduring will have no end until they meet Jesus. He is our healer, and His glory fills the earth.We all have different personalities and various methods of engaging with others. But whatever personality God has given us, we are tasked with sharing the life-giving news of Jesus and His sacrifice.Get in the game! God has called you to share His salvation with anyone and everyone. Darkness can be oppressive—but the Light has come!Let's pray. Lord, you showed up in our world at precisely the moment that we needed you most. God, would you help us tell others that eternal story? It's in Jesus' name that we pray, amen. Change your shirt, and you can change the world! Save 15% Off your entire purchase of faith-based apparel + gifts at Kerusso.com with code KDD15.

17 And it came to pass on a certain day, as he sat teaching, that there were also Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, that were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judea and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was to heal them.Et factum est in una dierum, et ipse sedebat docens. Et erant pharisaei sedentes, et legis doctores, qui venerunt ex omni castello Galilaeae, et Judaeae, et Jerusalem : et virtus Domini erat ad sanandum eos. 18 And behold, men brought in a bed a man, who had the palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him.Et ecce viri portantes in lecto hominem, qui erat paralyticus : et quaerebant eum inferre, et ponere ante eum. 19 And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in, because of the multitude, they went up upon the roof, and let him down through the tiles with his bed into the midst before Jesus.Et non invenientes qua parte illum inferrent prae turba, ascenderunt supra tectum, et per tegulas summiserunt eum cum lecto in medium ante Jesum. 20 Whose faith when he saw, he said: Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.Quorum fidem ut vidit, dixit : Homo, remittuntur tibi peccata tua. 21 And the scribes and Pharisees began to think, saying: Who is this who speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?Et coeperunt cogitare scribae et pharisaei, dicentes : Quis est hic, qui loquitur blasphemias? quis potest dimittere peccata, nisi solus Deus? 22 And when Jesus knew their thoughts, answering, he said to them: What is it you think in your hearts?Ut cognovit autem Jesus cogitationes eorum, respondens, dixit ad illos : Quid cogitatis in cordibus vestris? 23 Which is easier to say, Thy sins are forgiven thee; or to say, Arise and walk?Quid est facilius dicere : Dimittuntur tibi peccata : an dicere : Surge, et ambula? 24 But that you may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) I say to thee, Arise, take up thy bed, and go into thy house.Ut autem sciatis quia Filius hominis habet potestatem in terra dimittendi peccata, ( ait paralytico) tibi dico, surge, tolle lectum tuum, et vade in domum tuam. 25 And immediately rising up before them, he took up the bed on which he lay; and he went away to his own house, glorifying God.Et confestim consurgens coram illis, tulit lectum in quo jacebat : et abiit in domum suam, magnificans Deum. 26 And all were astonished; and they glorified God. And they were filled with fear, saying: We have seen wonderful things today.Et stupor apprehendit omnes, et magnificabant Deum. Et repleti sunt timore, dicentes : Quia vidimus mirabilia hodie.Jesus worked wonders by the power of the Holy Ghost: healing of the man with the palsy; He remitted the sins of this sick man at the same time that He restored him to health.

"It was strange and daunting to select a church service as my starting point, but I was drawn to it. My main focus thematically was on struggle and renewal, and how we try to explain the inexplicable."Oslo Domkirke reimagined by Eulipion Corps.

This week Fr. Michael reflects on the scripture passage from Acts where Tabitha is raised from the dead. He contrasts that with the healing of Jairus' daughter in the synoptic Gospels. Follow and Contact Us!Follow us on Instagram and FacebookWe're on YouTube!Join our Goodreads GroupFr. Michael's TwitterChrist the Bridegroom MonasteryOur WebsiteOur NonprofitSend us Fan MailSupport the show

Grow Your Faith - Here's the Truth about Free Will!Sometimes believers forget that you have free will and that it can get you into trouble if you aren't careful. When you accept Jesus, your free will stays intact. Listen to this episode to learn more about free will.Pastor Carina is a Christian life coach, Keynote Speaker, and Mentor who God has uniquely gifted to activate others in the body of Christ. She carries an anointing to stir dormant callings, awaken spiritual gifts, and ignite Kingdom assignments,  empowering believers to step boldly into their God-given identity, walk in divine purpose, and bear lasting fruit for His glory. She's the Founder of Trumpets of Tirzah, an international apostolic center for women that facilitates purpose discovery, Kingdom lifestyle practices, and biblical leadership disciplines so that women can live, and lead, a "new creation" life that reflects Jesus. Her personal coaching, group mentoring, and Tirzah University courses provide keys of radical transformation that launch women into spheres of influence around the world.Hungry for more…Tirzah University, the religious education department of Trumpets of Tirzah, is the only educational institution in the world that focuses on the Apostolic role of women in the body of Christ while educating, equipping and empowering women to walk confidently in their God-given role. Come study with us: www.TirzahUniversity.com DONATE TODAY Your support plants seeds and grows the Kingdom of God! We are a 501c3 - www.trumpetsoftirzah.com/donateDo you live the ANOINTED LIFE?We have many testimonies on the miracles that God does as people use our blessed products.Luxury anointing oils and anointing lotions: https://www.trumpetsoftirzah.com/category/anointingCreative ways of sharing the gospel…And take a look at how we are sharing the gospel through film: https://www.trumpetsoftirzah.com/mastersmedia******************************************************** Awaken. Arise. Advance.https://www.trumpetsoftirzah.comDo you want your Christian product advertised on our podcast? Book your ad on Fiver.https://www.fiverr.com/s/NNLl8pN Get your Amplified Bible: https://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?event=AFF&p=1223731&item_no=0446538We host in-person and virtual events. Check out our website events page to join in the fun. We are a community of women leaders with creative hearts desiring to follow the examples of Jesus above all else. We are located in the heart of Temecula, CA.Let's connect and journey through life together! We are a mature community of Kingdom believers standing bolding in God's truth and partnering with the Holy Spirit.Shopping for Christian gifts? Here's a link to discounted quality gifts: https://www.christianbook.com/page/gifts?event=AFF&p=1223731Engage daily with us! Instagram https://www.instagram.com/trumpetsoftirzah/ TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@trumpetsoftirzahLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/trumpetsoftirzah iHeart Radio  ⁠https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-trumpets-of-tirzah-120477377/⁠ Amazon Music. ⁠https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/c0203ed1-9b85-426a-85f5-5350e82ab730/trumpets-of-tirzah⁠ Apple Podcasts. ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/trumpets-of-tirzah/id1551900025⁠ Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4DCT4KBVsmzfnqyobR4ZwF Apple Podcasts. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/trumpets-of-tirzah/id1551900025YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TrumpetsofTirzahRumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-5936184spiritual authority, holy spirit #growyourfaith #christianpodcast #weeklychristianpodcast #apostolicfaith #womenoffaith #faithcommunity #lifestylechristianity #kingdomliving #kingdomlifestyle #christianliving #christianlifestyle #walkwithjesus #walkwiththeholyspirit #holyspirit #faith #christianity #womanapostle #womanpastor #biblestudy #journeyoffaith #spiritualgrowth #digitaldiscipleship #spiritualquestions

Sermon from the pulpit of Falls Baptist Church