Podcast appearances and mentions of christ jesus philippians

Watch the Devotion Based on Philippians 1:3-6 Thank You Since this is Thanksgiving weekend, I want to pause and reflect on the past year. The mission of WELS Ministry to the Military is to make Word and sacrament available to our actively serving military members and their families. To carry out this mission, the Wisconsin Synod provides financial support for 25 percent of our operating expenses. The other 75 percent comes from generous gifts from you. This past year WELS Ministry to the Military received $154,000 in gifts. Thank you! Your generosity and the work we do together as a synod reminds me of the apostle Paul's words to the Christians in Philippi: “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:3-6). Because of your generosity this past year, I was able to travel to 10 duty stations (including one aircraft carrier and 3 duty stations overseas), 16 congregations, 3 high schools, and 2 grade schools. This included a trip to Okinawa this past January where we led a retreat for service members who came from Guam, Japan, South Korea, and Okinawa. Because of your generosity, our office mailed 130 Spiritual Deployment Kits to service members around the world, not to mention a number of hymnals, catechisms, and devotion books. Thanks to you, 135 new referrals came in through our website. We were able to train seven Distinctive Religious Group Leaders to lead Bible study and worship in places we can't be. Five more are being trained right now. I want to say thank you to our European chaplain, Rob Weiss, and his wife, Rachel, for their faithful, dedicated service all over Europe: Spain, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and Poland. Thank you to the WELS pastors, teachers, and staff ministers who encourage and support our military service members, who show compassion and care to the family members when their service member is away from home. Thank you to all the grade schools, pastors' and teachers' conferences, and churches who adopted our ministry for their mission offering designation. Thank you to the WELS pastors and lay leaders who serve as contacts at numerous duty stations around the country, especially those who take extra time to visit our young people during basic training. I'd like to highlight Hope in Irmo, S.C., for serving Fort Jackson; Immanuel in Waukegan, Ill., for serving Great Lakes; Our Savior in San Antonio, Texas, for serving Lackland Air Force Base; and Risen Savior in Chula Vista, Calif., for serving Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD). At MCRD Pastor Paul Schulz leads the Lutheran service on Sunday mornings. This past year the Holy Spirit blessed Pastor Schulz' efforts with an average Sunday worship attendance of 47 recruits, and he was privileged to baptize 25 Marine Corps recruits. Thank you to the congregations in the Colorado Springs area for adopting Air Force cadets at the Academy and being their home away from home. Thank you to the Lutheran Military Support Group (LMSG) for their partnership. Because of their generosity, we led a Military Contact Pastor workshop near Hill Air Force Base in Layton, Utah, this past May. The LMSG also provided professional Christian counseling for active duty service members, veterans, and their dependents. I am grateful for our working relationship with WELS Campus Ministry. They have been helpful in identifying high school graduates pursuing ROTC or the National Guard and referring them to our ministry. Thank you to Michigan Lutheran Seminary who reached out to us, wanting to partner and provide a stable high school experience for high school-age students of our service members. I am grateful to the members and staff at Reformation Lutheran Church and School here in San Diego, where my wife teaches and we are members. You have been a huge support for our family. I want to say thank to the team that works behind the scenes to publish these devotions, for posting on our social media and website. You are so patient with me! I want to thank my Military Services Committee family: Paul, Joel, Holly, Josh, Dave, Ryan, Rob, Rachel, and Dale. It is a joy working with you. From me personally, I want to thank you for your small tokens of appreciation. The challenge coins, squadron caps and patches, letters, e-mails, and text messages—this is all so humbling and encouraging. And I am grateful for all of you every day for this partnership in the gospel. I ask that you continue to keep WELS Ministry to the Military in your prayers so that together we might reach more of our nation's service members with Word and sacrament. Have a happy Thanksgiving. Written and recorded by Rev. Paul Horn, WELS National Civilian Chaplain to the Military, San Diego, California. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. Note: Scripture reading footnotes are clickable only in the web version.

Are you in a box? I'm talking about breaking out of our boxes so we can be all God created us to be. This is from my book Get Over It: Letting Go and Moving Forward with God. In the parable of the talents Jesus taught us if we don't use what he gives us, not only will he not give us more, we will lose what we have! (See Matthew 25:14-30.) As I look back on how God led me to this ministry, I realize it began with a passion to minister to women like me—women who went into the workplace regularly. I started where I was, with a Monday night Bible study in my home. Then God put a vision in my mind of how good it would be to have a radio program directed to women like me, and though I had no connection with anyone in radio and no experience or credentials, I prayed about starting a radio program. After spending about 18 months praying about it, I decided it was time to put feet to my prayers, and I decided to find out how to start a radio program. On that very day, God miraculously put me in touch with a radio station who offered to put my program idea on their station, and within a few months, we were on the air. I believe God placed a passion in my heart and since it would not go away, even though it took me way out of my box, the passion became a vision, God opened some doors, the vision became this radio ministry, and God has kept us going for more than forty years. Your experience will be different from mine, but if God has given you a vision and you're willing to step out of whatever box you are in, God will guide you step by step and will lead you to new avenues of service that shatter all the stereotypes and boxes you or anyone else has tried to impose upon you. Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6). God won't give you a vision or a passion and then mock you or frustrate you. If it is of God, you can be confident he began it, and he will carry it on to completion.

Paul's Prison Perspective November 23, 2025 Elwyn Johnston Philippians 1 – 4 Verse of the Week: “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, rejoice.” Philippians 4:4 1. Joy comes from community “I have eagerly sent Epaphroditus back to you so that when you see him again you can rejoice” Philippians 2:28 2. Generosity blesses others “I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity.” Philippians 4:10 “in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once” Phil. 4:16 “I have received everything in full and have an abundance; I am amply supplied” Philippians 4:18 “A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart” Luke 6:45 3. God's Word changes lives “the message about Christ is being preached, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice.” Philippians 1:18 “All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar's household.” Philippians 4:22 “I suffer hardship even to imprisonment…but the word of God is not imprisoned.” 2 Timothy 2:9 “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it will not return to Me void, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11 4. We know we are making an eternal impact “Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ's return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless. But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God” Philippians 2:16 & 17 5. God is in control “rejoice in the Lord” Philippians 3:1 “rejoice in Christ Jesus” Philippians 3:3 “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, rejoice.” Phil. 4:4 "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:18

When I think of a very self-confident person, I think of the Apostle Peter. He was confident in himself. He was the only disciple who was confident he could walk on water. He was confident in his fishing abilities and knowledge. He was confident Jesus was wrong to say he was going to die and rebuked him for it. He was totally confident that he, Peter, would never deny Jesus, even if everyone else did. Even when Jesus predicted otherwise, Peter was super-confident he would never disown Jesus even if he had to die with him. Peter did not lack self-confidence. However, all that self-confidence failed him at the critical moments of his life. He began to walk on water but very soon started sinking. Self-confidence didn’t keep him up. Self-confidence didn’t fill his empty nets with fish after a long night of fishing and catching nothing. Only when he followed Jesus’ instructions was he able to catch fish. Though he was very confident in rebuking Jesus, Jesus not only did not take his counsel, but he also considered it to be satanically inspired. And within hours of his most confident assertion, he would never deny Jesus, he did so three times with cursing. Peter’s example tends to give self-confidence a black eye. We’ve been led to believe self-confidence is the key to success, the one essential you must have to get ahead, to be assertive, to be a leader. But Peter’s experiences could cause one to lose confidence in self-confidence. It didn’t seem to help Peter much when he needed it. But thank God, that’s not the end of Peter’s story. We see a transformed Peter in the book of Acts. He was still extremely confident, still assertive, still a leader, but the results were very different. You remember the story of Peter and John encountering a lame beggar at the temple. Peter looked at the lame man and said in his most confident manner, “ In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk” (Acts 3:6). And guess what—the man went into the temple walking, leaping, and praising God. When questioned by the religious leaders as to how he had done this, Peter gave a most confident response: …then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed (Acts 4:10). Peter, who had failed miserably at every turn when he relied on self-confidence and who had cowardly denied Jesus three times, now stood tall among people who were seeking to harm him and proclaimed to them the gospel of Jesus Christ. When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say (Acts 4:13-14). Peter’s confidence amazed them but notice it was not self-confidence. They knew Peter was not able to heal this man or speak as he did because of his own education or training. Peter was no longer operating on self-confidence. That had been totally shattered. But his confidence and trust in Jesus Christ the Nazarene gave him a boldness and power he had never known before. The lame man was healed, he was able to persuade thousands of converts, and he led the early church as they changed the course of history. What happened to the Apostle Peter in the few intervening days between the sad scene at Jesus’ trial and this victorious display of confidence and success? In the first instance, though totally self-confident, he had failed miserably. In the second, he displayed a confident approach, yet the results were quite different. What happened was Peter lost all his self-confidence and gained in its place God-confidence. After he healed the lame man, he said to the amazed people who were watching, Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this, or why do you gaze at us, as if by our own power or piety we had made him walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus…And on the basis of faith in his name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know (Acts 3:12-13, 16). When Peter spoke now, he was filled with the Holy Spirit. No more shooting off his mouth as before when he operated out of self-confidence. With the Holy Spirit controlling him, Peter spoke with great power and was successful in his service for Jesus. Notice, however, the loss of self-confidence didn’t turn Peter into a sniveling, cowardly wimp. He didn’t walk around with his head hanging down, quite the opposite. He was bolder than ever before because God controlled him, and his confidence was in someone much more capable and powerful than he was. My dear friends, self-confidence is a deceptive allurement fostered by this world. Like Peter, many Christians go from one sad experience to another, as their self-confidence fails them. And even when self-confidence brings some temporary achievements, it is so fragile and so easily intimidated it falls apart at the first adverse wind that comes along. I know because I’ve been there. I spent ten years building my life on self-confidence and my own achievements. I could list the successes I had in the business world during those ten years, and you might think I had done pretty well. I had self-confidence, but it kept falling apart on me all the time. I could put on a good face, but underneath, in those quiet moments of aloneness, I was anything but confident, and I knew I wasn’t doing very well on my own. I thank God my self-confidence was shattered many years ago because then I finally turned to my Savior and said, “I just can’t do it anymore. I’m a failure. I can’t cope. I’m an emotional yo-yo. I’m just a mess.” Despite the success I had stacked up in the business world, I was at the end of my self-confident rope. Once that self-confidence was shattered, I turned back to God. And that's when the God-confidence began, and each day is another opportunity to grow in my trust of God and to operate now in his power instead of my own. But it began when my own self-confidence was destroyed. Paul wrote to the Philippians: We are, remember, truly circumcised when we worship God by the Spirit, when we find our joy in Jesus Christ and put no confidence in what we are in the flesh (Philippians 3:3). He was reminding his Jewish brothers and sisters that outward rituals and signs are not the evidence of our relationship to God, but we are truly rightly related to God when we are Spirit-controlled, when we find our joy in Jesus Christ, and when we have no confidence in our flesh, in ourselves. Have you been on a misguided search for self-confidence? It could be even though you know God through Jesus Christ, you've been running your life by the world’s principles, as I did for so long. Paul wrote to the Galatians: Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again (Galatians 4:8-9)? Why would we want to run on self-confidence when God-confidence is available to us? Can we doubt God-confidence has much more to offer? Can we deny self-confidence fails us frequently? Then why do we run back to the world’s weak and miserable principles? May I suggest it is because the philosophy of self-confidence looks good, and it appears to work for some people. We swallow the bait and are deceived again by the master-liar, the father of lies—Satan. What’s the answer? There’s only one: The shattering of our self-confidence and a decision on our part to replace it with God-confidence. If you’re still running on self-confidence, you can either make a choice to abandon it, or you can keep on until it runs out of gas on its own, which it will do eventually. It is self-destructive and will, sooner or later, collapse. Maybe that’s happened to you already, and you’re now wallowing in the shambles of that failed self-confidence. Either way, if you choose God-confidence, it can be yours. To have God-confidence, you must first have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, which requires repentance and a turning away from your sins. If you don’t have that assurance, it is the essential first step. Then, you must pursue knowing God as your highest priority. You must be willing to allow the Holy Spirit to control your life, and that is your choice. Remember Peter gained God-confidence as he was filled with God’s Holy Spirit. That is available to every Christian. When you are born from above, you receive the Holy Spirit, but it is your choice whether you will allow the Spirit to control your life or not. If you do, changes will take place in your everyday routine. Priorities will undoubtedly shift. Some good things you’ve been doing may have to go to make room for the time you need with God. That will not happen by accident; it will happen as you purpose in your heart to know God. I can assure you of this, the more you know him, the more confidence you have in him. The more his Word is the central focus of your existence, the more confident you will be. God-confidence may look the same as self-confidence in some respects, but the big difference is it is humble confidence. Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom (James 3:13). Humility that comes from wisdom—in other words, it is wise to be humble because you recognize your own weaknesses. And this wise humility will give you a confidence much stronger, much less dependent on you and your performance, and totally confident on God in you—the Holy Spirit. God-confidence is there even when you fail; even when you are fearful of failing. God-confidence does not rely on your abilities but relies on the truth of God's Word. Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6). You can be totally confident of this—God has begun a good work in you, and he will not let you go; he will not fail you; he will never leave you or forsake you. That, my friend, is God-confidence.

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus – Philippians 2:5

In this episode, we reflect on what it means to cultivate peace–as a fruit that grows from communion with God. The cultivation of peace is not something we control. It comes from learning to rest in God's presence, even amid life's storms. We talk practically about how to tend the soil of our hearts, so that peace can take root and grow into a fruit that becomes a visible witness to others. We also discuss how Jesus, the Prince of Peace, invites us to make room for His presence, allowing His breath to bring healing where fear and sin have disrupted our peace.    Heather's One Thing - Triumph of the Heart is now streaming! Sister Miriam's One Thing - Healed by Love: Contemplation as a Path of Healing according to St. John of the Cross by Daniel Chowning, OCD Michelle's One Thing - Feast: A Men's Devotional for Advent by Paul George    Journal Questions: What places of my heart are filled with anxiety or despair? Where am I seeking to be fixed instead of seeking communion with the Lord? What sins am I justifying that are robbing me of peace? What lies am I trying to talk myself into? Who or what are you trying to fix in your life that you need to surrender to the Lord?   Discussion Questions: How are you trying to control your life and heart rather than cultivating? What things motivate you to operate out of fear or mistrust? How can you internally cultivate peace? How can you externally cultivate peace?   Quote to Ponder: Let nothing disturb you, Let nothing frighten you, All things are passing away: God never changes. Patience obtains all things Whoever has God lacks nothing; God alone suffices. (St. Teresa of Avila)   Scripture for Lectio: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7)  Sponsor - BeeStill Design: BeeStill Design is a handcrafted Catholic jewelry and art brand founded by Louisiana artist and entrepreneur Holly Klock. A wife and mom of three, Holly has built BeeStill from a small creative outlet into a growing brand known for pieces that are both beautiful and meaningful. Her collections feature heirloom-quality jewelry, pressed flowers, and custom intaglios, along with enamel work and ornaments. From the very beginning, she has sought to bring the joy and beauty of our faith into each creation—always with the same vision: to design timeless pieces that tell stories of faith, love, and family. Whether you are looking for a piece of jewelry to be a daily reminder of God or would like to find a meaningful gift for someone in your life, head over to beestilldesign.com and use the code abidingtogether for 20% off your order.   Chapters:  00:00 BeeStill Design 01:08 Intro 01:59 Welcome 04:11 Scripture Verse and Quote to Ponder 06:31 Planting Peace in the Soil of Our Hearts 08:34 Cultivating vs Controlling 11:08 Fertilizing the Soil Around Us 13:56 The Breath of Peace 16:25 When We Feel Afraid 18:51 Communion Brings Healing 21:23 Wanting Peace for Those Around Us 23:26 Sin Disrupts Our Peace 27:52 Practical Tips for Cultivating Peace 32:55 Prayer 34:49 One Things

The first step "out" is prayer. The second step is service. Jesus said in Matthew 20:28, "The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve...and lay his life down as a ransom." In Philippians 2:7 Paul writes about Christ, "He made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant." What does it look like for us to learn to serve others like Christ has first served us? 

For many years, I've been sharing the privilege and importance you have as a Christian in the marketplace to let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven, as Jesus told us in Matthew 5:16. In all those years, one issue surfaces most frequently—dealing with people. As Charlie Brown said, “I love mankind; it's people I can't stand!” I'm examining dealing with people who are particularly toxic, spreading their poison where you work. You must intentionally purpose not to let toxic people occupy any more of your thought life than absolutely necessary. Here's another practical suggestion: Distance yourself from them as much as possible. You've heard a lot about setting boundaries, I'm sure. The Bible teaches us to set boundaries. For example, these two passages from Proverbs: Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evildoers. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way (Proverbs 4:14-15). The highway of the upright avoids evil; those who guard their ways preserve their lives (Proverbs 16:17). And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7). You must be wise about distancing yourself from people who would fill your mind with evil and try to bring you down emotionally. You may not be able to distance yourself from a toxic person physically, if they are a coworker, but you can learn to distance yourself mentally and emotionally. Pray each day that God will protect your mind and teach you how to literally tune them out when you can. If you can wear headphones where you work use them as a buffer between you and a toxic person. Even if you don't listen to anything, just wearing headphones creates some distance. You have two options: You can gripe and complain about them, letting them bring you down to their level, or you can determine by God's grace, to take whatever steps are necessary to respond appropriately and in Christ-like ways to toxic, difficult people. God loves them as much as he loves you, and no one is in your life by accident.

Your Nightly Prayer

October 05 2025 Sunday Your Words Matter / Week 35 / T. Stacy Hayes #findoutwhoyouare My Vision My vision is to teach the world Who They Are In Jesus Christ their Lord and Savior! To Teach them what the Bible says about them and who they have been made to be in the promises of God's Word. This changed my life years ago and completely transformed me from a person full of doubt, fear and unbelief to a strong confident Christian that knows I can do anything through Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior. And I'm determined to teach the world what God has taught and commissioned me to teach and that is His Word.  That commission takes me to jails and detention centers weekly along with other open doors at many churches and ministries that are wanting to teach these important truths to the world. My podcast goes out 6 days a week to help the people I am ministering to grow in the truths that God has taught me for many years now. This podcast is free to all that want to listen and grow strong in who God has made them to be in Christ Jesus their Lord and Savior. Isaiah 53:5  Healing… Matthew 18:19  Agree with God's Word… Mark 10:29-30  100 Fold Return… Acts 10:34  God is no respecter of persons “I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.” John 17:23 KJV “I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.” John 17:23 NLT “I in them and You in Me, in order that they may become one and perfectly united, that the world may know and [definitely] recognize that You sent Me and that You have loved them [even] as You have loved Me.” John 17:23 AMPC “And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:29 KJV “And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God's promise to Abraham belongs to you.” Galatians 3:29 NLT “And if you belong to Christ [are in Him Who is Abraham's Seed], then you are Abraham's offspring and [spiritual] heirs according to promise.” Galatians 3:29 AMPC “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” Galatians 5:1 KJV “So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don't get tied up again in slavery to the law.” Galatians 5:1 NLT “IN [this] freedom Christ has made us free [and completely liberated us]; stand fast then, and do not be hampered and held ensnared and submit again to a yoke of slavery [which you have once put off].” Galatians 5:1 AMPC “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:” Philippians 2:5 KJV “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” Philippians 2:5 NLT “Let this same attitude and purpose and [humble] mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus: [Let Him be your example in humility:]” Philippians 2:5 AMPC “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Philippians 2:13 KJV “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” Philippians 2:13 NLT “[Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight.” Philippians 2:13 AMPC Romans 10:9-10  Salvation… Romans 10:17  Faith in God comes from hearing His Word… Matthew 11:28-30  Jesus'Yoke is Easy… John 3:16  God gave Jesus to pay for our Salvation… God Loves The abortion dr As Much As He Loves The Babies They Are Killing… Philippians 12:2  Work out your own Salvation… Romans 8:1  No condemnation in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior…  Luke Chapter 15 The Story Of The Prodigal Son… Philippians 4:19  God will supply all your needs let Him… Romans 4:20  Don't Stagger at What God Is Saying In His Word… John 15:5 We can't do anything aside from Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… 2 Corinthians 5:17  We are new creatures in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… 2 Corinthians 5:21  We are The Righteousness of God In Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… Mark 10:29-30  100 Fold Return… Ephesians 2:8  We are Saved by Grace through Faith in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… Believe God's Word Above All Opinions God Loves The abortion dr's As Much As He Loves The Babies They Are Killing… Mark 10:29-30  100 Fold Return… Share This Podcast On Your Social Media… Website https://the-prodigalson.com Email tstacyhayes@gmail.com  YouVersion Bible App https://my.bible.comi iOS App https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/prodigal-son/id1450529518?mt=8 …  Android App https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=tv.wizzard.android.prodical  Social Media https://www.facebook.com/The-Prodigal-SON-209069136315959/ https://www.facebook.com/noreligion1511/ https://twitter.com/noreligion1511 https://www.instagram.com/noreligion1511/ https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCPx4s1CLkSYef6mp4dSuU4w/featured

The question today is: How can you become a God-confident woman or man? First, you must continue to grow in your knowledge of Jesus and the Word by making them a daily priority in your life. There's no “secret sauce” here. It is back to the basics of saturating your life with the truth that comes only from God's Word. This is written Word—the Bible—and the Word made flesh, dwelling among us—Jesus Christ. As you continue to know God better, you build spiritual muscles which results in God-confidence. Then, most likely, God will give you an opportunity to do something that will be too big and too hard for you to do. Are you willing to step out of your comfort zone and follow the Lord, even if you are a bit fearful? I find when God calls me to serve in a new way, I'm always in over my head. But he who calls us to a new service gives us what we need. That's what we call walking by faith not by sight. What are your gifts and abilities you have not yet used in serving the Lord? Find ways to use them. He didn't gift you just so you could get a good job and earn more money. He wants to you to serve others. Never compare yourself to others. You don't have to do what someone else does or measure up to someone else's expectations. But you will need to step out on faith and follow God's leading. Then you will be confident of this: ...that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6). You will be living in God-confidence, and it will be amazing. It will be tiring, yes, and not always easy but always fruitful and satisfying. And the joy of the Lord will be your strength.

What is hindering you from having God-confidence? Being confident in yourself is very risky because pretty soon that self will let you down. But being confident in God—who he is and how he sees you—is a firm foundation that holds up no matter what. What is keeping you from having this God-confidence? Could it be a sin you haven't confessed and forsaken? Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us (Hebrews 12:1). Do you give up too easily and too quickly? Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him (James 1:12). Is your past imprisoning you? Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13-14). Are you afraid to fail? For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7). Has the enemy of your soul succeeded in making you feel unworthy, or keeping you burdened with sins which God forgave? I want to encourage you today to claim your right—your inheritance—as God's son or daughter. You have God's Spirit, and His Spirit makes it possible for you to be God-confident. His confidence is powerful, loving, and self-disciplined. Are you “taking advantage” of what is yours through God's Spirit? Are you aware of the Spirit's presence and the power you have as a result?

The second tool you need to be God-confident is to know how God sees you. God wants you to be confident in how he has gifted you and how he wants to use you. Let's begin by affirming what God has said about us: For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well (Psalm 139:13-14). I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand (John 10:28). Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror and said, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made”? Or “I am safe in the hand of Jesus—no one can snatch me out of his hand”? As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love (John 15:9). Have you ever declared: “I am the one Jesus loves”? God-confidence depends on being totally confident of who you are in Christ. But it doesn't come in one swoop—it comes through getting to know God better and better. You have been gifted to do something good for the Kingdom. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them (Ephesians 2:10 NASB). When you're willing to take the next steps where God is leading you, to do those good works he prepared for you, then you can be confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6). That is God-confidence!

“And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).

Two roller coasters. Only one seemed like a real option to me. I should point out that I really don't ride roller coasters much. "Because you're chicken," you say. No, because I'm too short. I just don't measure up to that little height chart that they have at the entrance to the coaster. Actually, I have a friend who declines roller coaster invitations by saying, "I can't. I have an inner ear problem." I like that. I may have to remember that one. For whatever reason, my rides on roller coasters are few and far between. But at this particular amusement park that I visited a few years ago, they had two roller coasters side by side and two lines to get to them. Over one line was a sign that said, "Forward." Over the other line, a sign that said - yeah, you guessed it - "Backward." You can ride looking forward or looking backward. Like this is a choice? I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Looking Backward, Missing What's Ahead." There are two lines in life, and two cars you can ride in. One says, "Forward" and the other says, "Backward." You choose. Frankly, I don't want to ride looking back at where I've already been. I want to ride looking ahead to where I'm going. I hope you do, too. And that's what God wants for you. In our word for today from the Word of God in Isaiah 43:18-19 - some of my anchor verses. Here's what He says: "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland." God wants today to be the first day of the rest of your life, not just another day of what your life has been up until now. This can be page one of a whole new volume or just another page of the same old story. Maybe you've been riding too long looking backward. You keep rehearsing and reliving the hurt of your past, your failures, and the regrets over what you've done or what you should have done. But that's the past, and none of it can be changed. But if you don't move beyond the pain, the anger, the bitterness, the self-pity, the grief, and the self-condemnation - if you keep dwelling on that, you'll miss the part of your life that can be changed - the future. One of God's great representatives, Paul, said, "Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:13-14). Jesus is the Lord of new beginnings, of fresh starts, of clean slates. You need to come to Him and let Him release you from being tied to the people who've hurt you, by getting His grace to forgive them. You need to ask His help to begin to define your life, not by what has happened, but by what's going to happen; what can happen because of Jesus in your life. Just a few verses after God's call to forget the past and go for His new thing, He tells us how that's possible. He says, "I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions...and remembers your sins no more" (Isaiah 43:25). That's what Jesus wants to do for you. It's why He died on that cross and why He rose again from His grave. He paid the death penalty for every wrong thing you've ever done so He could erase your sin from God's book forever, because otherwise, your sin will cost you heaven. A new beginning. A fresh start. A clean slate. If you're at the point in your life where that's what you want, then it's time to open up your life to Jesus Christ. He's the Lord of new beginnings. You can reach out to Him right where you are and tell Him something like this, "Jesus, I'm done running my own life, I'm turning it over for You to run. I'm grabbing you with both hands because you died for my sin and I want today to be the first day of a new life; of a new me." There's a lot more great information about this at our website and I pray you'll go there today. It's ANewStory.com. You've been looking back long enough. There's no reason your life has to be just more of what it's been before, because Jesus has come to you today. And with Jesus, your life will never be the same again.

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). Yesterday, Kyra reflected on the gifts the Philippians had given to Paul. Today's text is a promise that the young church in Philippi will be cared for; cared for by God. These two things belong together; they follow each other. The way Paul writes, it sounds like God will care for them because they have cared for Paul. But is that right? Yes and no. Because we believe so firmly in ‘saved by grace alone' we have a difficult time with certain texts in the New Testament. Jesus tells us to lay up treasures in heaven and Paul adds that we will receive a crown of glory. Are these rewards for good behaviour? Sort of. There are rewards for the life of Christian faith that go above and beyond just our salvation in Christ. Should we want these rewards? Of course, but why should we want them? It's a thing we should wrestle with. It's our desires that we need to wrestle with. Paul's reflections are helpful. Paul's desire was not for gifts, even though he is blessed by them and receives them gratefully. His desire is not stuff. His desire is the place from which these gifts come. These are gifts of love from the Philippians as a response of faith to God. These gifts mean that God's Word is bearing good fruit through the Philippians. And that is enough. There's abundance in the Kingdom of God even when he goes without, because he is strengthened not by the stuff of this world but by Christ. The economy of the kingdom is a gift economy. Its not one of balance sheets. The things that the Philippians give are “a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice” given in response to all that God has given. The Philippians were living Romans 12. They are “living sacrifices,” giving all in the service of God—all that you have and all that you are. When we do that, we store up treasures for ourselves in heaven, a crown of reward. We do it, of course, not to get that reward per say, but as a response of faith—to be pleasing to God, recognizing as Paul had said already, that our contentment—our rest—is in Christ. We can say with Paul that “our God will meet all our needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” Whether he does so in this world or the next, it does not change the calculus: God has given much. We are amply supplied in Christ and therefore we give as a response of faith.  It's a joyful storing up not in this life and according to the rules of this world, but rather according to the Kingdom principles of the world to come. As the Heidelberg Catechism says, true faith is a “also a deep-rooted assurance, created in me by the Holy Spirit through the gospel, that, out of sheer grace earned for us by Christ, I have had my sins forgiven, have been made forever right with God, and have been granted salvation” (A 21). But it opens with this, “Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him” (A 1). We don't live generous lives to get rewards. We do so to give him glory, to please him, believing that he is more than able to provide for us. As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you: wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness: protect you through the storm. May he bring you home rejoicing; at the wonders he has shown you. May he bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). “Do not be anxious about anything,” Paul begins. Well, that's quite a start. I must confess that I don't know that there is ever a moment in my life where I am anxious about absolutely nothing. There are maybe, just maybe, about 5 minutes after I read a verse like this, where I am in a devotional space, and I read this text, I pray a prayer of surrender for whatever it is that has just jumped into my head as an example of how bad I am at being obedient to this command… And maybe for those 5 minutes after I can maintain the kind of non-anxiety Paul is talking about here. But once I've left that quiet devotional space, all of reality comes rushing back in to disrupt my nice pious resolution of mere moments before. Possibly you can relate. I suspect we are not alone. Jesus offers a similar teaching as part of his Sermon on the Mount in Matthew's Gospel. Many of us are likely familiar with the text of Matthew 6 that begins “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life…” It continues to reflect on the birds of the air and the flowers of the field, God's provision for them and for us.  In both passages, the Greek word for worry or anxiety is the same. And I don't think either, in spite of how they are often read, is a judgment against worry or anxiety. As we have reflected previously this summer, Scripture's commands against fear do not express finger-wagging disapproval, but rather God's desire for his people. The command Paul gives in this passage is not “Do not be anxious about anything, you irrational and untrusting fools. Do you not know God at all?” No, Paul says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Paul is offering a way of transferring our anxiety and fear to our God, who promises to respond with his peace, so we don't have to carry it alone. Paul also calls the church to offer prayers with thanksgiving. This builds on the theme of joy which Pastor Michael reflected on yesterday. There are times when, as he described, thanksgiving is not a natural reflection of our circumstances, which may be tremendously painful. However, with the intimacy with God that comes through prayer, we can become people of joy and thanksgiving because of who God is–and who he has been and promises he will be–regardless of our present reality.  “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Jesus Christ for you,” Paul reflects similarly in 1 Thess. 5:18. Thanksgiving and joy, not fear and anxiety, are God's will for his people. But we don't have to carry the burden of willing or working our circumstances into alignment. In the midst of trials and suffering, we don't have to add the burden of positive thinking. Expressions of grief at what is wrong in our lives and the world is no less holy a form of prayer than joyful prayers in response to what is good, true, and beautiful. Prayer is not first about what we feel, say, or do; it is about who God is and what he can do. We may simply come before him, presenting our requests, and he will guard our minds and our hearts in Christ Jesus.  So as you journey on, go with the blessing of God: May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you: wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness: protect you through the storm. May he bring you home rejoicing; at the wonders he has shown you. May he bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.  

So, all of us who are mature in the faith should see things this way. Maybe you think differently about something. But God will make it clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already reached. Brothers and sisters, join together in following my example. You have us as a model. So, pay close attention to those who live as we do (Philippians 3:15-17). What is Paul getting at in these verses? It's helpful to recognize that Paul is picking up ideas from the beginning of chapter 2. There he says: “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.” The Greek word translated as “mindset” lies behind the phrase “such a view of things” and the word “think.”  In other words, Paul is saying: “All of us who are mature should take on the same mindset as that of Christ Jesus, even as you have witnessed me doing while I was with you.” Further, in considering everything a loss for the gain of knowing Christ, becoming like him in his death, Paul was practicing this mindset. In other words: to be mature in Christ is to have the mindset of Christ, as Kyra said yesterday. Paul offers his own life and experience as a witness and pattern of this mindset. It humbly submits to God and gives up everything as loss. Maturing Christians are learning to say yes to Christ in every area of our lives every day – at home, at work, at school, in our leisure, in our finances, in our friendships. The task of the Christian life is to say, “Christ is my all in all, seeking him as a precious jewel.” This had become Paul's life, full submission to Christ. And now he tells the Philippians: imitate me as I imitate Christ. Or imitate someone else whose life imitates mine or that of Christ. If we know Christ, we will mature into living the life of Christ—that life of humble submission. If believing the right truths about Christ is as far as we get, then we have not yet grown up. This is an immature Christian life. Yet, as Kyra also mentioned yesterday, Paul remains “confident… that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). Indeed, as he says: wherever your mindset differs from that of Christ Jesus, Paul trusts that God will make it clear to you.  Paul also encourages us not to go backwards. “Let us live up to what we have already attained,” he says. The goal is always to be straining forwards, looking ahead, keeping one's eyes fixed on Christ—or at least on those ahead of you who are following Christ—so that all of us might increasingly run the race of growing up into Christ until we become mature.  Who are you following into this mindset and way of Christ—this way of the cross: of humility, submission, and loss? Who is following you? And what is God clarifying to you? What is the next step of submission for you? How is God calling you to go deeper into the mindset of Christ? Where do you need to mature in your Christian faith? As you seek Christian maturity, go with the blessing of God: May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you: wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness: protect you through the storm. May he bring you home rejoicing; at the wonders he has shown you. May he bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12-14). Yesterday, Pastor Michael described the “upward spiral” of the Christian life, the continual dying and rising with Christ by which we are transformed more fully into his likeness. Today's verses continue to unpack what this process looks like. The letter to the Philippians talks a fair bit about having the same mindset as Christ. This, it seems for Paul, is the measure of Christian maturity, and we've seen some examples of his teaching in this regard already in our exploration of the letter. In today's verses, he uses athletic language to describe this effort: “straining toward what is ahead” and “press[ing] on toward the goal to win the prize.” Just as an athlete trains for a grueling race, so too striving after union with Christ requires a single-mindedness and self-denial.  But is striving for perfection in every step the goal Paul is describing? I'm not sure that's quite it. Paul notes that as he strives toward the prize, he must forget what is behind him. Think about Paul's history. In an earlier chapter of his life, he had been a lead persecutor of followers of Christ. He certainly had been the antithesis of what he is describing in this passage. And yet he knows himself to have been taken hold of by Christ. Were he to dwell forever on the mistakes of his past, living a life of perpetual regret, he would not have been able to do the work God had for him to do. And the challenges don't only seem to be in the past; the language of “straining” or “pressing” implies the kind of daily present hardships that Pastor Michael described yesterday. So if Christian maturity Paul describes here is not past or present perfection, what is it? Paul locates the fullness of Christian maturity in the future–a divinely appointed goal to press toward. A goal toward which God has called, and thus for which Christ followers can expect to be supported by the Spirit.  What is perhaps most significant about what Paul says here is that, because Christian maturity is a future prize toward which a believer and believing community strains together with the Spirit's help, Christian maturity is not, at least in this life, a final destination. If a believer is pretty confident that they've already reached the fullest extent of Christian maturity, that's probably not a good sign.  If your past is full of failures or sins, or you consider yourself in a position now where you are still struggling, desiring faithfulness, but falling short–you're not a liability to Christ. Because Paul teaches that Christian maturity is not confidence of full attainment already, but a desire to grow, to admit past failures but not allow them to compromise our present or future witness, and to trust in God's calling and follow it with a single-minded focus and fervour. Like Paul, we do not consider ourselves having taken hold of all that is ours. Rather, we trust that our God is accompanying us on the journey, and there is much goodness that lies ahead. So as you journey on, go with the blessing of God: May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you: wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness: protect you through the storm. May he bring you home rejoicing; at the wonders he has shown you. May he bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.  

A Sunday sermon by Pastor Brett Deal. I once found myself in conversation with a futurist. He'd published several books and was well-known for his study of the future and his predictions on where things were headed. At times it was as if he was looking past the curve of the earth and seeing what tomorrow was bringing. When I asked him how he went about making his predictions for the future, his response was just as surprising. He said the best way to predict what will happen tomorrow is to be fully present today. What a short answer but such a tall order. As we've been reading the book of Ruth, we've seen Naomi overcome by the suffering of yesterday, overwhelmed with the difficulties of today, and full of anxieties for tomorrow. It would be easy to predict a tragic ending if this was the sum and substance of the book! But all of that is outweighed by the actions of two people. Ruth's friendship and Boaz' covenant obedience foreshadow the hope of chapter four. If we've read each chapter well, the kindness of God, poured out through Ruth and Boaz into the life of Naomi, tells us where the story's going. Friends, being present today in Christ, we know what the future holds, we can see where our story's headed. In Jesus, the hope of overmorrow colors every day and every dawning. In Jesus, eternal hope is written on every page and every paragraph of our lives. We feel this hope in the Holy Spirit's invitation to unpack our past. We see it in the fellowship of our brothers and sisters in Christ. We perceive it in the empowering move of the Spirit calling us to deeper faith, to greater trust. Knowing the kindness of God, we are giving new space to surrender our anxieties, bringing our prayers and petitions to the Father with hopeful confidence, as the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guards our hearts our minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4.6-7). Today, be present in someone else's life. Share with them the hope of overmorrow, your hope for eternity.

        In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus… (Philippians 2:5) Yesterday, Kyra said, “The kind of like-mindedness that Paul advocates for is the kind that comes, not from uniformity, but from the willingness to give priority to the needs of others and sacrifice one's own.” And as she said, ‘that's awfully hard to do.” But how do we do it? Paul answers that question in our text, “have the same mindset as Christ Jesus”. Jesus lays down for us the two greatest commandments: Love the Lord Your God with all you've got and love your neighbour as yourself. Jesus defines the love he's talking about through his own action: dying for us on the cross. As he offers his life, he gives all his heart, soul, mind, and strength in an act of love for the Father and for us. This is the crux of the Christian faith. Jesus crucified is the entire story. It tells us what Jesus has done for us. It tells us what to preach. It also tells us and shows us how to live. Keep Jesus and his cross at the centre—as that thing that defines all else—and everything else will find its way. In fact, if we do this: others will see the life of Christ in us as we live it, bringing glory and praise to God! Paul also puts Jesus and his cross at the centre of the life of the church. He invites us to have this very same mindset as Jesus in our relationships with one another. That is, to have the mindset of Christ and him crucified.  As Paul will go on to tell, and as we will cover in the days to come, to have the mindset of Christ means having an attitude and practice of humble, loving submission before God that allows us to give everything else up to be a loving servant to others. This command is at the very heart of the gospel. It resonates with Jesus' own commands to love one another and to take up our cross and follow him. By these things, the world will know we are his disciples. It's not easy though. There are times when I'm right and the other person is wrong; times when I want what someone else has; times when I'm paralyzed by what someone else thinks of me; times when I've been hurt by someone or when I want to hurt someone for what they have said or done. These are the sort of small, sometimes even petty things, that undercut loving relationships in the church and that can breed mistrust, fear, discord, malice, slander, and the sort of fights that lead to division. It is in these very situations that we are to have the mindset of Jesus Christ. What are we to do when we come to these moments finding our motivations are less than wholesome or holy? Take on the mindset of Jesus and his cross. We are called to humbly die to ourselves. It often looks like a prayer. “Dear God, forgive me for my anger towards so-and-so. Help me to love them instead, even though I don't want to.” Asking forgiveness is a humbling action. It's a dying to ourselves. But in that action, we take on the mindset of Christ that frees us to live and to love. As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you: wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness: protect you through the storm. May he bring you home rejoicing; at the wonders he has shown you. May he bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

Your Daily Prayer

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

Your Nightly Prayer

“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).

“I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).   Visit our website at DiscoveringTheJewishJesus.com

Transcript:Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. Arguably the most basic thing to a church culture is the shared mindset or attitude of its members. It is not so much the stated mission or strategy of a church that matters as much as the vibe its members give off, especially as they gather. This vibe flows from the shared mindset—the deep often subtle beliefs and feelings that each person has toward themselves, others, and ultimately God. Now, the gospel calls us to have a peculiar mindset. Paul exhorts the believers in Philippi saying “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus…” (Philippians 2:5). And what is that mindset? To do “nothing out of selfish ambition (politicking for status) or vain conceit (self-glory). Rather, in humility value others above yourselves….” (Philippians 2:3 NIV). We are to understand and value the perspectives and preferences of others above our own. Now, this is deeply counterintuitive and fraught with the challenge of self-justification. We tend to flatter ourselves we are doing the “others-centeredness thing” better than our neighbor—that our self-sacrifice in loving others is greater than their self-sacrifice in having to love us. But, of course, this is the very opposite of the gospel mindset. This is why our minds must be saturated and shaped by Jesus's shocking sacrificial love for us. We need to be daily struck in the gut by this truth (gut could be another possible translation for “mindset”). If Jesus, who is in very nature God, did not think highly of Himself, how in the world can I? And that's something to think about, daily, from The Kingdom Perspective. “Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!   Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”~Philippians 2:1-11 (NIV)

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” — Psalm 46:10 In moments of uncertainty and chaos, finding peace in the assurance of God's sovereignty is a source of strength and comfort. Whatever our life circumstances may be, God is in control, guiding our paths and working out his perfect plans. Chewing on Psalm 46:10, we are reminded to be still and to acknowledge that the Lord is God. His authority transcends all challenges. He is exalted above every situation. And in this we can find peace. I have experienced the calming presence of God's sovereignty even in the midst of brokenness, addictions, and sorrow in my own family. In times of turmoil or when facing the unknown, trusting in God's ultimate control brings a deep sense of peace. Knowing that his purposes prevail and his promises endure gives hope and reassurance. Drawing peace from God's sovereignty means surrendering our worries, fears, and desires into his capable hands. In faith we can rest in the truth that God works all things together for our good (Romans 8:28). As we navigate life's uncertainties, let's anchor our hearts in God's sovereignty. May his peace, which surpasses all understanding, guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7). Lord, thank you for your sovereignty over all things. Give us peace in knowing you are exalted above every situation. Strengthen our faith and trust in you. Amen.

••• Overcoming Stress, Ep368 .••• Bible Study Verses: 1 Kings 19.1-18, Psalm 23, John 6.35, Ecclesiastes 3:11, Psalms 118:5-6 . ••• “To be a true minister to men is always to accept new happiness and new distress. The man who gives himself to other men can never be a wholly sad man; but no more can he be a man of unclouded gladness. To him shall come with every deeper consecration a before untasted joy, but in the same cup shall be mixed a sorrow that it was beyond his power to feel before”, Phillips Brooks, 1835-1893, The Influence of Jesus, H.R. Allenson, 1875, pg191. † ••• “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” Philippians 4.6-7, NKJV .••• What are 5-reasons why Elijah got so stress out that he wanted God to take his life? ••• Why did Elijah run from Jezebel?••• How did Elijah get from being the bold and confident prophet to being a stressed out prophet on the run?••• What are 7-negative consequences of being stressed out?••• What were 5-life actions in Elijah's life that pulled him out of despair?••• What is the “activation energy”?••• How does a 15-minute power nap affect one's stress levels?••• How does receiving a touch from Our Creator affect stress in our lives?••• How does the Christian regain full strength and vitality?••• Why can't you win in life, when you are stressed?••• What is a reason for people to eat the wrong things?••• What is rest's affect on personal perspective?••• What is the ‘Bread of Life'?••• When you are at the point, of contemplating the absurd what do you do?••• Are you going to ask your small group to pray that you will be more intentional about reducing stress in your life through Godly wisdom & the power of Holy Spirit? ••• Pastor Otuno expounds on this and much more on the exciting journey of Fresh Encounter Radio Podcast originally aired on October 12th, 2019 on WNQM, Nashville Quality Ministries and WWCR World Wide Christian Radio broadcast to all 7-continents on this big beautiful blue marble, earth, floating through space. Please be prayerful before studying The Word of God so that you will receive the most inspiration possible .••• This Discipleship Teaching Podcast is brought to you by Christian Leadership International and all the beloved of God who believe in it's mission through prayer and support. Thank you . ••• Broadcaster's Website - https://www.lifelonganointing.com/ . ••• Exceeding Thanks to Universe Creator Christ Jesus AND photo by Etty Fidele Photography, Paris France, https://www.fideletty.com/, https://www.instagram.com/fideletty/, https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/FideleEtty, Art Direction by gil on his mac with free mac layout software . ••• Study Guides at - https://shows.acast.com/fresh-encounter-radio-podcast/episodes . ••• SHARING LINK: https://shows.acast.com/fresh-encounter-radio-podcast/250215-winning-the-battle-of-the-mind-part3of9-ep368 . ••• † https://gracequotes.org/author-quote/phillips-brooks/ , Phillips Brooks was an American clergyman best known for authoring the Christmas carol "O Little Town of Bethlehem" . ••• RESOURCE - IONA, “Burning Like Fire” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaXikLXH_sQ .••• RESOURCE - https://www.soundcloud.com/thewaytogod/ .••• RESOURCE - https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/kjv/john.1%20 .••• RESOURCE - PRAYER@SWRC.COM .••• FERP250215 Episode#368 GOT250215ep368 .••• Winning the Battle Of The Mind, Part-3 of 9: Overcoming Stress .Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fresh-encounter-radio-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Your Daily Prayer

The Divine Exchange  #RTTBROS #Nightlight   Finding Perfect Peace: The Divine Exchange "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." - Isaiah 26:3 (KJV) Have you ever watched a child peacefully sleeping in their parent's arms, even amid chaos and noise? This beautiful picture illustrates what happens when we truly surrender our burdens to our Heavenly Father. When we put our problems in God's hands, He puts His peace in our hearts. This divine exchange isn't merely a poetic idea – it's a profound biblical truth. The Apostle Peter understood this when he wrote, "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you" (1 Peter 5:7 KJV). Notice the word "all" – not some, not most, but every single concern that weighs upon our hearts. Consider the story of Paul and Silas in prison. Despite their chains and wounds, they sang praises at midnight (Acts 16:25). They had mastered this sacred exchange: their circumstances were in God's hands, and His peace filled their hearts so completely that they could sing in their darkest hour. Too often, we try to make a partial exchange. We give God our problems while keeping a tight grip on them simultaneously. It's like trying to hand someone a package while still holding onto it – the transfer can never be complete. The Lord gently reminds us, "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God" (Philippians 4:6 KJV). The beautiful promise that follows this instruction reveals the outcome: "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7 KJV). This peace isn't dependent on our circumstances changing; it's a supernatural peace that defies human logic and transcends earthly understanding. Think of what happens when we place a document in a safe. We don't keep worrying about it because we know it's secure. Similarly, when we truly place our problems in God's hands, we can rest assured that they are in the safest place possible. After all, "The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms" (Deuteronomy 33:27 KJV). Dear Heavenly Father, today we come before You with our burdens, our worries, and our fears. Teach us to release them completely into Your capable hands. Help us to trust not in our own understanding but to lean fully on Your wisdom and love. As we surrender our problems to You, fill our hearts with Your perfect peace – the peace that surpasses all understanding. Remember, child of God, your Father's hands are big enough to hold any problem and strong enough to carry any burden. The exchange is simple but profound: your problems for His peace. Will you make that trade today? Daily Challenge: Take a piece of paper and write down your current worries and concerns. Then, in a prayer of faith, read each one aloud to God, physically crumpling the paper afterward as a symbolic act of releasing these burdens into His hands. Close your prayer time by meditating on Isaiah 26:3, allowing His peace to fill your heart. In the end, true peace isn't found in the absence of problems but in the presence of God. When we learn to place our problems in His hands, we discover that His peace is more than enough to sustain us through any storm. Be sure to Like, Share, Follow and subscribe it helps get the word out. https://linktr.ee/rttbros

"I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:14).

Presented by Lauren Stibgen Yesterday we learned God is omnipresent—in all places, at all times, at once. He sees us. But God also hears us, even when we are not speaking! You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar (Psalm 139: 1-2). Psalm 139 is clear. God can discern our thoughts. Even when you are thinking something, God is Elohim Shama—a God who hears. Even so, God loves when we talk to him directly though prayer! Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7). Work, family, and life in general can be frustrating. Sometimes, absent of someone to vent to, we can keep our feelings stored up. This can add to stress and even cause despair if it goes on for long enough. Especially at work, there can be challenges that are hard to speak with others about. Maybe it is a conflict with a colleague or boss, or perhaps you are contemplating a new position. Perhaps you were unhappy about feedback you received. Or, on the opposite end of this, you are happy you received a great review. God wants to hear from us! He asks we bring everything to him. Everything. With “everything” in mind, think about the last time you were angry with God about something. What about that time you told a small lie? Or maybe you are weighing a very heavy personal decision. God wants to hear about this too. In fact, you honor God in prayer because he already knows and discerns your every thought! Maybe you feel like you don't know what to pray or how to pray. That's ok too. The Holy Spirit can help us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans (Romans 8:26). The Holy Spirit intercedes for us! Whether it is God discerning our thoughts, or the Holy Spirit interceding, we also need to give thanksgiving to God. In the moments when we feel defeated and unheard, sometimes the only thing we can give to God is the thanksgiving that you know he is Elohim Shama—the God who hears you. God provides for me, sees me, hears me.

Presented by Lauren Stibgen As a working woman, you could have several different reasons you go to work. God created us for work. Sometimes this “work” can be paid. Sometimes this “work” can be volunteer based. Either way, we are Christian working women. Our roles span from grocery clerks to CEOs, ministry workers to sole proprietors running our own business. Whatever “work” we find ourselves doing, we need to look for our strength in God—Jehovah Jireh, God our provider. Maybe like me, you are the sole financial provider for your family. Or you work alongside your spouse to provide for your family's needs. Perhaps your work is as an unpaid volunteer. There isn't one right or wrong reason to go to work whether the work is paid or unpaid, but the implications of financial security for ourselves and our loved ones can create stress and a reliance on self that isn't what God wants for us at all. In revealing himself to us as Jehovah Jireh, we can better understand his will for our work. Maybe your work just seems impossible. It is something you must do, but it isn't something you really love to do. Perhaps you aren't making enough to make ends meet, which makes the going even more difficult. Maybe you have been an unpaid volunteer, but with tight finances, you need to go back to work. All of this can be a drain on our strength and can lead us into deep self-reliance. God often will call us to do hard things. In Genesis 22:13-14 God calls Abraham to hard work. God calls Abraham to sacrifice his beloved son Isaac. In obedience and great faith, Abraham sets out in obedience to God. And, just in the final moments, God provides a ram to take the place of Isaac. In the right moment God supplies Abraham with just what he needs. If your work seems impossible, the stress of financial needs seems insurmountable, or the job hunt seems never ending, know the Lord will provide for you. His will for our work is to seek him first in all things, because God is our ultimate provider. And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). Are you leaning into God as Jehovah Jireh? What do you need to lay before him today?

December 15 2024 Sunday Week 33 / Your Place In Him / T. Stacy Hayes #findoutwhoyouare My Vision My vision is to teach the world Who They Are In Jesus Christ their Lord and Savior! To Teach them what the Bible says about them and who they have been made to be in the promises of God's Word. This changed my life years ago and completely transformed me from a person full of doubt, fear and unbelief to a strong confident Christian that knows I can do anything through Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior. And I'm determined to teach the world what God has taught and commissioned me to teach and that is His Word.  That commission takes me to jails and detention centers weekly along with other open doors at many churches and ministries that are wanting to teach these important truths to the world. My podcast goes out 6 days a week to help the people I am ministering to grow in the truths that God has taught me for many years now. This podcast is free to all that want to listen and grow strong in who God has made them to be in Christ Jesus their Lord and Savior. Isaiah 53:5  Healing… Matthew 18:19  Agree with God's Word… Mark 10:29-30  100 Fold Return… Acts 10:34  God is no respecter of persons… “I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.” John 17:23 KJV “I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.” John 17:23 NLT “I in them and You in Me, in order that they may become one and perfectly united, that the world may know and [definitely] recognize that You sent Me and that You have loved them [even] as You have loved Me.” John 17:23 AMPC “And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:29 KJV “And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God's promise to Abraham belongs to you.” Galatians 3:29 NLT “And if you belong to Christ [are in Him Who is Abraham's Seed], then you are Abraham's offspring and [spiritual] heirs according to promise.” Galatians 3:29 AMPC “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” Galatians 5:1 KJV “So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don't get tied up again in slavery to the law.” Galatians 5:1 NLT “IN [this] freedom Christ has made us free [and completely liberated us]; stand fast then, and do not be hampered and held ensnared and submit again to a yoke of slavery [which you have once put off].” Galatians 5:1 AMPC “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:” Philippians 2:5 KJV “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” Philippians 2:5 NLT “Let this same attitude and purpose and [humble] mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus: [Let Him be your example in humility:]” Philippians 2:5 AMPC “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Philippians 2:13 KJV “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” Philippians 2:13 NLT “[Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight.” Philippians 2:13 AMPC Romans 10:9-10  Salvation… Romans 10:17  Faith in God comes from hearing His Word… Matthew 11:28-30  Jesus'Yoke is Easy… John 3:16  God gave Jesus to pay for our Salvation… God Loves The abortion dr As Much As He Loves The Babies They Are Killing… Philippians 12:2  Work out your own Salvation… Romans 8:1  No condemnation in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior…  Luke Chapter 15 The Story Of The Prodigal Son… Philippians 4:19  God will supply all your needs let Him… Romans 4:20  Don't Stagger at What God Is Saying In His Word… John 15:5 We can't do anything aside from Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… 2 Corinthians 5:17  We are new creatures in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… 2 Corinthians 5:21  We are The Righteousness of God In Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… Mark 10:29-30  100 Fold Return… Ephesians 2:8  We are Saved by Grace through Faith in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… Believe God's Word Above All Opinions God Loves The abortion dr's As Much As He Loves The Babies They Are Killing… Mark 10:29-30  100 Fold Return… Share This Podcast On Your Social Media… Website https://the-prodigalson.com Email tstacyhayes@gmail.com  YouVersion Bible App https://my.bible.comi iOS App https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/prodigal-son/id1450529518?mt=8 …  Android App https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=tv.wizzard.android.prodical  Social Media https://www.facebook.com/The-Prodigal-SON-209069136315959/ https://www.facebook.com/noreligion1511/ https://twitter.com/noreligion1511 https://www.instagram.com/noreligion1511/ https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCPx4s1CLkSYef6mp4dSuU4w/featured

Peace is a commodity in short supply these days—wouldn't you agree? While we hear a lot of talk about peace, we recognize there is precious little of it in our world and in our lives. How about you? Are you a little short on peace right now? Have you been spending too much time in worry mode? Has fear seized your mind and heart, keeping you awake at night? I'm examining the names of Jesus—the titles he has been given by the Father. Names that show his power and his authority. And one of those names is Prince of Peace, which we read in Isaiah 9. A prince is someone who is a leader and has influence and authority. Therefore, the Prince of Peace can bestow peace on a person or situation. If you have become a believer in Jesus Christ, then you have access to the Prince of Peace. That means there is no need for you to be held captive by worry or fear, because you can claim the name of Jesus—the Prince of Peace—and he will give you peace. Ephesians 2:14 says Jesus himself is our peace. Jesus said the peace he gives us is not just temporary peace like you might find in the world. Jesus said it's peace only he can give, and Paul wrote to the church in Philippi, The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7). Why are you living in worry and fear? Do you see how useless and unnecessary it is for you as a child of God because you can claim the name of Jesus, your Prince of Peace. And you do that by faith. You believe Jesus is your peace, and you claim that peace as your own. You don't have to feel it; you just have to believe Jesus is the Prince of Peace, and he has peace for you. I would suggest when you find yourself engulfed by worry or fear, you simply start repeating what the Bible says is true, that Jesus, the Prince of Peace, is your peace. Resist the enemy who wants to keep you mired in doubt and worry. Run him off—out of your mind—by repeating the truth that Jesus is your peace, and then repeat that as often as you need to throughout the day. This is how you claim the name of Jesus.

Even during the happiest season of the year, we can experience fear and anxiety. God has a gift for us in the midst of this, though. Join me (Tosha Williams) as I share a personal journey of wrestling with sadness only to discover in a new way the power of God's peace. Even when circumstances don't change, His peace will change us. In this episode, let's "unwrap" His peace. Seek Him Speak Him!**********“The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace” Psalm 29:11 NIVSEEK HIM: Devotion is Meeting with God in Our Own Lives! Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble,” and even in the best of times like Christmas, life can be challenging. However, God gives us a special gift, for in the same verse Jesus also said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have PEACE” (John 16:33 NIV). Jesus came to bring peace, so let's “Seek Him” about this gift.WHAT:  What is God saying through this Scripture? God gives His people so many gifts, including, as our key verse says, the gift of peace. This peace is God's blessing for those who belong to Him. His peace is not just an occasional experience when life is good; it's His gift of completeness and wholeness throughout our lives. ~ According to our key verse, who receives God's gift of peace? Are you one of God's people? Where do you need God's peace today? WHY:  Why does this Scripture matter? The world teaches us that peace is the absence of problems; God's Word teaches us that peace is His gift in spite of problems. Jesus promised: “PEACE I leave with you; my PEACE I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27 NIV). ~ What's the hardest thing you've gone through? What does Jesus say about this? Why can you trust Him in hard times?HOW: How does God want us to respond to this truth? Scripture says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the PEACE of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7 NIV). Instead of fixating on hard things, God wants us to talk to Him about these. ~ What must we give God in order to receive His peace? Is there something making you anxious or afraid right now? Let's pray!SPEAK HIM: Discipleship is Making God Known to Others! One of God's promises to those who “Seek Him” is:  “All your children will be taught by the Lord, and great will be their peace” (Isaiah 54:13 NIV). As we learn to unwrap God's gift of peace, others can learn from our example. This Christmas and always, let's be sure to spend time being taught by the Lord. As He fills us with His peace, then our loved ones can learn to experience His peace, too! ______________________The Family Disciple Me ministry exists to catalyze devotion driven discipleship in our homes and around the world. We believe that discipleship starts with a conversation, and FDM provides free, easily-accessible, biblical resources to encourage these meaningful conversations along life's way. Sign up through our website to be "the first to know" about upcoming releases and resources (including the FDM App - coming soon!!!) You can also follow Family Disciple Me on social media. Family Disciple Me is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit ministry, and all donations are tax deductible. More information, blogs, statement of faith and contact info can be found at familydiscipleme.org

Presented by Lauren Stibgen For many businesses, the end of the year can be one of the busiest seasons. Coupled with the holidays quickly approaching, we are managing the balance of work and family with extra care during this time. As a leader, or manager you are likely deep into planning for the next fiscal year and facing the results of the current year. As an employee, you may be thinking about the company's results as well, and what this means for your job. Without a doubt, this season is filled with uncertainty. What does this have to do with compassion? When we face pressures at work, especially those that are financial in nature, it is easy to feel stress, and to focus on ourselves. First, if you are in a position to help set forth the financial plans in your company, a compassionate approach to budget formation might look different. Let's think about Jesus feeding the 4000. Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way” (Matthew 15:32). You know the story, his disciples fret and wonder how they will feed the crowds. They have seven loaves of bread and a few fish. Let's think of a worldview response. You are the person with enough. You hold the bread and fish, but you keep them all for yourself instead of trying to compassionately share the little you have. As a leadership team, are you focused on your bonuses to the point of cutting other positions? Or are you thinking of ways to retain employees? Maybe you are considering cutting benefits programs that your employees rely on. Now, while I realize sometimes you are called to make hard choices. I would challenge you to pray and consider how Jesus would see your workforce. He sees them like the 4000. How are you seeing them? If you absolutely cannot influence your company and need to make cuts, what are things you can do for your employees? First, clear and compassionate communication is critical. If you do face a layoff, maybe it is a wonderful reference letter or an offer to make an introduction. Can you serve as a mentor in their search? As an employee, these seasons can be stressful as you hear the office buzz about budgets and cuts or a rumor about merit increases—maybe there will be none. The pressure mounts—especially as you try to plan holidays with family. You can have compassion too. I could tell you about the many women I pray with in leadership roles who have true broken hearts over decisions they have tried to compassionately influence but cannot. They are faced with making cuts and even having to often deliver bad news of a layoff. Being impacted feels so personal, but many of the Christian leaders I know are truly grieved at the impact they know job loss will have on their employees. I know many of our listeners don't always work for a Christian leader. Consider the impact you might have on the person who delivers bad news to you. Your reaction just may change their life for the kingdom. Can you leave them asking why you are so hopeful? After all, God is compassionate for all of us. He loves us lavishly. And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). God is in control.

At the age of 75 and with about 57 years of ministry behind him, our Pastor stresses the patience required for spiritual growth. He shares his personal journey, stating that his conversion continues to be a daily process. He identifies with the Apostle Paul, saying: "Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:12). This race is not a sprint, but a marathon, and it requires patience and trust in God's timing.

Presented by Lisa Bishop We are examining the 5 attitudes for everyday life, and today let's look at what the apostle Paul writes about having a Christ-like attitude. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:3-5). These verses challenge us to align our attitudes with the very heart and mind of Jesus. They're a reminder we are called to reflect Jesus in our daily lives. But what does it mean to have a Christ-like attitude? First, it means embracing humility. Even though he was God, Jesus didn't cling to his divine privileges. Instead, he emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant (Philippians 2:7). A Christ-like attitude doesn't elevate self, seek status or recognition, but is willing to serve others selflessly. When we have an attitude like Jesus we find joy in lifting others up. We find ways to be generous with our words, our finances, our resources, and our time, even when it costs us something. Second, a Christ-like attitude is marked by love and compassion. Throughout the Gospels, we see Jesus moved with compassion, whether he's feeding the hungry, healing the sick, or comforting the brokenhearted. His love wasn't conditional or reserved for those who thought the same way he did or could give him something in return. Jesus's love was freely given to all. In our daily lives, we are called to mirror this love—offering grace, kindness, and forgiveness, even when it's hard or we think someone does not deserve it. Third, a Christ-like attitude is characterized by obedience and surrender to God's will. Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, not my will, but yours be done (Luke 22:42). He was obedient to the point of death on a cross. Similarly, we are called to surrender our desires and plans to God, trusting his ways are higher, and his plans are perfect. This requires a heart that is willing to listen, to be led, and to follow wherever he may guide us. Living with a Christ-like attitude isn't easy when we operate in the flesh. It requires renewing our heart and mind with God's Word and prayer, abiding in Jesus, and relying on the Holy Spirit. As we grow in our relationship with God, we display more of his character. We reflect his heart, and our attitudes bring glory to him in everything we do.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1:7 NLT)   You don't have to look hard to find reasons to fear. We live in a crazy world. I can't think of a scarier time than the present, quite frankly. The 24/7 news cycle and social media amplify our sense of danger by bombarding us with images of the latest mass shooting, a Chinese hypersonic missile, or yet another strain of COVID. And that doesn't even take into account our personal triggers. We all know what it's like to wake up in the middle of the night and be gripped by panic, fear, or anxiety.   What we also need to know is that we serve a God who is eternal, sovereign, all-powerful, and loving. He is in control. That's why Paul wrote, “Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6–7 NLT).   Mark 5 tells the story of a demon-possessed man who terrorized people in the region of the Gerasenes. He lived in the tombs and was so powerful that no chains could hold him. Day and night, he cried out and cut himself with stones. He was the stuff of nightmares. Yet when Jesus approached him, it was the demons inside the man who were terrified—because they realized they were powerless against the Lord.   You probably know that when the angel announced Jesus' birth to the shepherds in the field, his first words were “Don't be afraid!” or “Fear not!” depending on your translation (Luke 2:10). But did you know that “Don't be afraid”—or words to that effect—appears more than 350 times in the Bible? That's almost one “Don't be afraid” for every day of the year. Obviously, it's a message God wants us to take away from His Word.   The angel's next sentence explains why: “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people” (Luke 2:10 NLT). Our goal is to experience God's joy to the fullest. But fear robs us of that joy. It prevents us from experiencing life as God wants us to. The condition of joy is to let go of fear.   First Peter 5:7 says, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you” (nlt). You choose to have joy. You don't wait for it to come if and when your fears go away. It doesn't matter whether you feel it. Paul was in prison when he wrote, “Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4 NLT). He was able to say, “I'm choosing to rejoice in the Lord, regardless of my very scary circumstances.” You can make the same choice.   Are you struggling with fear or anxiety? Remember God's words from Isaiah 43:2: “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you” (NLT).   Let go of your fear. Give it to God. Walk boldly and courageously in the path He's laid out for you. — Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast Become a Harvest PartnerSupport the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome! Church Online is a community of people all over the experiencing God and connecting with one another like never before in history. Introduce yourself in the chat and let us know where you're from! Get Connected Check us out on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram Find a Small Group www.southpoint4u.com/groups Learn more about SouthPoint at Growth Track www.southpoint4u.com/growthtrack Find out more at www.southpoint4u.com Notes: Our definition of peace is impossible to experience in the real world. Peace: Freedom from Disturbance or a State of Tranquility In a world that is broken, and where everyone is flawed, Conflict and Chaos become unavoidable. Aiming at the impossible sets us up to be continuously disappointed. Jesus's Peace: A wholeness, a wellness, and a completeness of every area of life We want PEACE: - Inner Peace - Relational Peace - Practical Peace - Spiritual Peace Peace with CREATOR Peace with OURSELVES Peace with OTHERS Peace with WORLD “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” - Matthew 22:37-40 Trying to manufacture a peace with creation…without having peace with our Creator leads to failure and futility. Only our Creator can answer these: Who am I meant to be? What am I meant to do? How do I live out who and what I am? Problem: All are naturally disconnected from our Creator. God: Perfect & Holy Us: Flawed & Sinful For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ's blood on the cross. - Colossians 1:19-22 …Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault… - Colossians 1:19-22 Who am I meant to be? What am I meant to do? How do I live out who and what I am? See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! - 1st John 3:1 Who am I meant to be? What am I meant to do? How do I live out who and what I am? Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but ALSO the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: - Philippians 2:4-5 Who am I meant to be? What am I meant to do? How do I live out who and what I am? “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” - John 13:34 Peace with God through Jesus gives us the needed foundation to have peace with rest of creation!

Sign-up for my free 20-day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com--Series: Double-Sided WisdomDevotional: 2 of 5Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:34)We're in a series exploring five pieces of “double-sided wisdom” we see in Scripture. Today we come to the couplet of biblical commands to Plan for Tomorrow AND Focus on Today.The virtues of the first side of this double-sided wisdom can be seen in Proverbs 21:5: “The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.” Jesus echoed this idea in Luke 14:28-30 where he assumes that a good worker will “first sit down and estimate the cost” before “building a tower.”In these passages and others, we see that it is wise to plan for the future. But the flip side of this double-sided wisdom is to “not worry about tomorrow” and focus on today (see Matthew 6:34).So, how can we both plan for tomorrow and stay focused on today? Here are three practices that work for me.#1: Schedule recurring times on your calendar to plan for the future. If you fail to plan for tomorrow, you plan to fail and worry tomorrow. Which is why I have three recurring items on my calendar: a quarterly, weekly, and daily review to plan what I will work on in the upcoming quarter, week, and day. This level of planning massively helps me not worry about tomorrow. Why? Because, to quote David Allen, “You can only feel good about what you're not doing when you know what you're not doing.” These reviews help ensure that I know what I'm choosing not to do.#2: Block tomorrow's worries from your physical view. The Daily Review I mentioned above is the only time I look at my calendar for tomorrow. Once my review is complete, I set my calendar back to show today only. That simple habit removes a ton of temptation to worry about tomorrow, allowing me to focus on what I believe God has called me to do today.#3: When you're feeling worried about tomorrow, take it to the Lord in prayer. Anxiety is the symptom that we're not holding the tension between planning for the future and focusing on today well. When you experience symptoms of anxiety—tense muscles, a wandering mind, shallow breathing, etc.—“by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).With those practices in hand, go forth and focus fully on the good works God has for you today!

Presented by Lisa Bishop How am I supposed to be grateful when life hands me lemons? How can I be thankful when life is hard? Have you ever asked yourself that? How can you be thankful when you are experiencing conflict at work or are overlooked for a promotion? When finances are tight, your dreams feel delayed, or when you have prayed that same prayer a million times, and your circumstances don't seem to change? It may not be easy, but it is possible. God's word instructs us to do more than just find the proverbial silver lining. God teaches us to be thankful in challenging circumstances because he has proven himself faithful even when life is hard. Philippians 4:6-7 are familiar verses we often quote, but do we let them instruct us when life is sour? Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7). We often get the part about not being anxious, presenting our requests, and praying in every situation, but we tend to gloss over a key call to action—with thanksgiving. Why be thankful when hardships happen? Because when you are thankful in hard times, you are promised peace! Now let me just say we are not called to be thankful for all of life's challenges that come our way per se, but to give thanks because we know God is working in our circumstances. And this is also not a call to pick yourself up by your bootstraps and muster up a pretense that everything is A-OK. You are allowed to lament when things go awry. Gratitude and being disgruntled can coexist. The key is not to let the grumbling overpower the gratitude. Get real with God but also remember his character. He is for you even if you don't feel like it. Your feelings don't always tell you the truth, only God's Word is true and that is why you must renew your mind with the Word and pray with thanksgiving. As you pray and remember God's steadfast love and faithfulness, the peace of God will guard your heart and mind in Christ. If you are facing a trial right now, I want to remind you to stand firm. God is with you and will not allow your needs to go unnoticed or unaddressed. It may be hard but keep your eyes open and your heart attuned to how he is working on your behalf, even in this very moment. Hang onto the truth of God's Word to get you through hard times and be thankful.

Leadership Kryptonite #2: Fear & Anxiety Paul writes, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6–7, ESV).   When fear and anxiety drive a team, they stifle creativity and innovation. They inhibit open communication, preventing honest dialogue. Together, they create misunderstandings and leave unresolved conflicts in their wake. They work against collaboration, create a culture of finger-pointing and blame-shifting, and bring down morale. Ultimately, fear and anxiety lead to indecisiveness and a reluctance to make bold choices that challenge the status quo.   This leadership kryptonite, left unchecked on your team, is like trying to drive with the emergency brake on full time. Get The Notes

Presented by Lisa Bishop What do you radiate while you wait? When you find yourself waiting on God to come through, what is your attitude? We'll examine how we carry ourselves when we are counting on God to come through. It is not easy to maintain a good attitude in times of waiting. We may start to complain, get impatient, grumpy, angry, jealous, or even resentful. What is your demeanor when you have to wait? No matter what it is you are waiting on God for, it's easy to have a negative disposition and the enemy will do his best to discourage you by getting your focus off God and fixed on the very thing you do not have. But we can't allow the devil to take us on a downward spiral of negative thoughts or emotions. The feelings that come with waiting will be real but when they arise, we need to bring them all to God. Talk to him and be honest about your frustration, your worry, doubt, fear, or resentment. After all, he already knows our hearts anyway. Scripture teaches us to remain hopeful in our times of waiting. Hope, by definition, has the connotation of waiting. It is an expectation of something to happen. We can put our hope in a lot of things, but as Christians ultimately our hope is in Christ. We can always count on him to come through at his appointed time. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7). Don't let your feelings fool you and pull you into a negative spin cycle. I know it is easier said than done, but focus on the faithfulness of God so you can radiate the spiritual fruit of patience, peace, joy, and faithfulness as you wait. Waiting is hard but wouldn't you rather look back on this time knowing you didn't get sucked into complaining but instead you practiced reigning in your thoughts and attitudes? Plus, our attitudes leak onto the people around us. We've all been around people who cannot seem to regulate their emotions when things don't go their way. This doesn't mean you aren't allowed to feel moments of impatience, disappointment, or dismay, but as a follower of Jesus, we are called to have faith as we wait. If you find yourself waiting on God to move on your behalf, how can you focus on giving off a grateful glow because you know God is faithful as you wait? It may not be easy, but it will be worth it.

McKenzie Denkins

On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you” (John 20:19-21).   1. Fear is the Opposite of Faith (John 20:19a). “On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews” 2. Peace is the Christian Response (John 20:19b). Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). 3. The Cross Is Our Hope and Motivation (John 20:20). “When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.” “For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's” (Romans 14:8). 4. We Go Because Jesus Came to Us (John 20:21). Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you” (John 20:19-21). And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me” (Isaiah 6:8).

How can we have more of God? If we're filled with Christ, how can we be “more” full? Followers of Jesus can ask God to fill them with His fullness and have faith that “He who began a good work among you will complete it by the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). There is more to come...

Today's Bible Verse: In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus - Philippians 2:5 Want to listen without ads? Become a BibleStudyTools.com PLUS Member today: https://www.biblestudytools.com/subscribe/ MEET OUR HOSTS at https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-bible-verse/   Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.