Podcasts about Comforter

We explore Jesus' comforting words to His disciples in the upper room. The episode delves into Jesus' new commandment of love, His promise of the Holy Spirit, and His assurance of peace amidst coming trials. We examine key themes such as Jesus as the Way, Truth, and Life, the role of the Holy Spirit as Helper and Comforter, and the disciples' future persecution. Support the showRead along with us in the Bible Brief App! Try the Bible Brief book for an offline experience!Get your free Bible Timeline with the 10 Steps: Timeline LinkSupport the show: Tap here to become a monthly supporter!Review the show: Tap here!Want to go deeper?...Download the Bible Brief App!iPhone: App Store LinkAndroid: Play Store LinkWant a physical book? Check out "Bible Brief" by our founder!Amazon: Amazon LinkWebsite: biblebrief.orgInstagram: @biblelitTwitter: @bible_litFacebook: @biblelitEmail the Show: biblebrief@biblelit.org Want to learn the Bible languages (Greek & Hebrew)? Check out ou...

“Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us…” (II Corinthians 7:6). When life seems more than you can bear, remember “But God.” Join us in this broadcast of Woman at the Well Ministries as Kim continues to walk us through the scriptures displaying the power of the presence of God in any situation.   Do you want to connect with Kim and Erika? Visit us on our website, on Facebook, or on Instagram.  Mentioned in this Episode 2 Corinthians 7:6 – “Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us…” www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Corinthians+7%3A6&version=KJV 1 Samuel 17:47 – "The battle is the Lord's..." www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Samuel+17%3A47&version=KJV Philippians 4:13 – "I can do all things through Christ..." www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians+4%3A13&version=KJV Romans 8:37 – "We are more than conquerors through him..." www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+8%3A37&version=KJV 1 Peter 5:7 – "Casting all your care upon him..." www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Peter+5%3A7&version=KJV Hebrews 4:16 – "Come boldly unto the throne of grace..." www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+4%3A16&version=KJV 1 John 3:1 – "What manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us..." www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+3%3A1&version=KJV John 10:10 – "That they might have life, and have it more abundantly." www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+10%3A10&version=KJV Colossians 3:2 – "Set your affection on things above..." www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Colossians+3%3A2&version=KJV Matthew 6:19–20 – "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth..." www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+6%3A19-20&version=KJV Hebrews 11:10 – "He looked for a city which hath foundations..." www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+11%3A10&version=KJV Romans 12:1–2 – "Lay aside every weight..." www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+12%3A1-2&version=KJV Psalm 33:22 – "Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us..." www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+33%3A22&version=KJV Psalm 38:15 – "For in thee, O Lord, do I hope..." www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+38%3A15&version=KJV Psalm 39:7 – "And now, Lord, what wait I for? My hope is in thee." www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+39%3A7&version=KJV Psalm 78:7 – "That they might set their hope in God..." www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+78%3A7&version=KJV Psalm 119:114 – "Thou art my hiding place and my shield..." www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+119%3A114&version=KJV Jeremiah 17:7 – "Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord..." www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+17%3A7&version=KJV Jeremiah 33:3 – "Call unto me, and I will answer thee..." www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+33%3A3&version=KJV Romans 15:13 – "Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace..." www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+15%3A13&version=KJV Titus 2:13 – "Looking for that blessed hope..." www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Titus+2%3A13&version=KJV Hebrews 13:5 – "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+13%3A5&version=KJV John 14:16 – "He shall give you another Comforter..." www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+14%3A16&version=KJV Genesis 48:21 – "Behold, I die: but God shall be with you..." www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+48%3A21&version=KJV Proverbs 18:24 – "A friend that sticketh closer than a brother." www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs+18%3A24&version=KJV John 15:13–14 – "Greater love hath no man than this..." www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+15%3A13-14&version=KJV Nehemiah 9:12,19 – "Thou leddest them in the day by a cloudy pillar..." www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Nehemiah+9%3A12%2C19&version=KJV Psalm 119:105 – "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet..." www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+119%3A105&version=KJV Isaiah 58:11 – "And the Lord shall guide thee continually..." www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+58%3A11&version=KJV 1 Corinthians 10:13 – "But God is faithful..." www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+10%3A13&version=KJV 1 Corinthians 1:9 – "God is faithful, by whom ye were called..." www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+1%3A9&version=KJV Did you enjoy this podcast? Post a review and share it! If you enjoyed tuning into this podcast, then do not hesitate to write a review. You can listen to us on all major podcasting platforms like Apple Podcasts,  Spotify,  Google Podcasts,  YouTube, and Podbean. Check out Kim's latest Bible Bit book on Amazon! Do you want to bring Kim Miller to your church, upcoming retreat, or conference? Contact us! This podcast is brought to you by Woman at the Well Ministries and is supported by our faithful listeners. To support this podcast, please visit our support page. 

Title: “Why We Give Thanks” Part 2 Text: 1 Thessalonians 1:6-10 FCF: We often struggle evaluating whether or not we are elect of God. Prop: God's elect imitate Christ and provide an example to be imitated, we must be imitators worthy of imitation. Scripture Intro: CSB [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to 1 Thessalonians chapter 1. In a moment we'll begin reading in verse 1 from the Christian Standard Bible. You can follow along in the pew bible or in whatever version you prefer. Last week, we saw how Paul expressed his deepest thankfulness to God because he knows that the Thessalonians are elect of God by the way the gospel came to them. We discussed how disciple makers' praise the Lord when disciples prove to be genuine. And some of the tests for genuine disciples include how the gospel comes and if the cardinal Christian graces of faith, love and hope are present in their lives. Today, Paul will give us the second reason that he and his companions know that the Thessalonians are elect of God. Which dovetails nicely with their display of the Cardinal Christian graces too. Please stand with me to give honor to and to focus on the Word of God as it is read. Invocation: Loving Father, You sent Your Son to be the pioneer of our faith. He ran the race before us. He looked to His reward, being elevated as the God-Man above every man that all men might declare that He is the Lord of glory. To receive His reward He faithfully endured the cross and despised the shame. But He has now finished this race and has sat down at Your right hand. And He has sent The Spirit to be an Advocate for us. Father, I pray that You will send the Spirit today so that we may find joy in the gospel of Jesus Christ and follow Him as our example to the result that we may be examples to others. I pray this in Jesus' name, Amen. Transition: [Slide 2] Normally I'd give you two or three quotes from two or three Christian authors. But today – I could not believe how fitting all three of these quotes were by one man named Juan Carlos Ortiz. He was a Pastor in Argentina who died in 2021. He wrote a book on Discipleship and these quotes show he knew the subject well. “Discipleship is more than getting to know what the teacher knows. It is getting to be what he is.” “A disciple is a person who learns to live the life his teacher lives.” “The making of a disciple means the creating of a duplicate.” Today, we will see firsthand what it means to be and make a disciple. Let's begin in verse 6. I.) God's elect imitate Christ and provide an example to be imitated, so we must joyfully receive the word in spite of severe affliction. (6-7) a. [Slide 3] 6 - and you yourselves became imitators of us and of the Lord i. Paul begins a new sentence here. But because he begins with the word “and” we can connect it back to the original thought in verse 4. ii. He is still talking about the reason that he, Silas, and Timothy are constantly thanking the Lord for the Thessalonian church. iii. He has shared that they are thankful because they know that the Thessalonians are chosen of God. iv. The evangelists know this because of how the gospel came to them. v. But one other reason that Paul and his companions know they are elect of God, is that they became imitators of the evangelists and ultimately, of the Lord Jesus. vi. We've already seen hints of this when Paul says that they mention often in their prayers to God the Thessalonians display of the cardinal Christian graces. vii. But in what way have they become imitators? viii. Paul spells this out a little more clearly by telling us to what extent the Thessalonians became imitators of them. ix. This forms the two major points of this sermon. There were two ways the Thessalonians became imitators of the evangelists and the Lord. x. First… b. [Slide 4] when, in spite of severe persecution, you welcomed the message with joy from the Holy Spirit. i. Paul, Silas, and Timothy, and every other Christian, faces or will face similar opposition to receiving the gospel of Jesus Christ. ii. Christ invites us to take up our cross and follow Him. To deny ourselves. He also says that as they hated Him, they will hate us. The life of a disciple of Christ is full of persecution and opposition. iii. This is what makes professions of faith so much less reliable in our culture. iv. Many people express professions of faith without having to consider what it might cost them to do so. When you couple this with preaching that never encourages a turning from sin and never requires growth in Christlikeness – you have a perfect recipe for people who claim to be Christians but look nothing like Christ and know nothing about suffering severe persecution with joy. v. But for the Thessalonians and for most Christians down through the ages and even for most Christians today globally – receiving the message of Jesus Christ comes with an immediate cost. Relationships, social standing, business opportunities, political pressure, ostracizing, and even murder are all common outcomes of people converting to Jesus Christ. vi. But one way we can know that we are elect of God is that despite the hardship taken up by entering the narrow gate, when we welcome the gospel of Christ with joy from the Spirit, we can know we are God's elect. vii. The effect of the gospel on the lives of the Thessalonians mirrored the effect the gospel had on the lives of the Evangelists. viii. They too are continuing to respond to God's Word with joy in spite of persecution. ix. Not an artificial joy and not human happiness. Instead, it is a trust and contentment rooted in the promises God has revealed in His Word. x. Such a trust and contentment is only borne of the Spirit in our hearts. It is, after all, part of the fruit of the Spirit. xi. And in this way, welcoming the gospel while enduring persecution, they are imitators of the evangelists and even Christ before them. Who despised the shame yet endured the cross, so that He would run the race before us. xii. But the evangelists are not simply thanking God that these Thessalonians are imitating them… xiii. They are thanking God because of the result of their imitation… c. [Slide 5] 7 - As a result, you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. i. The result of the Thessalonians imitating the evangelists is that they have become worthy of imitation themselves. ii. [Slide 6] They are now examples throughout the two provinces that make up the Balkan Peninsula. Macedonia which is the upper part on the map and Achaia which is the lower part. iii. [Slide 7] The word example has the idea of setting a pattern, a model, or a mold that something can be hammered into to achieve the exact same result. iv. Imitation begets imitation. v. This is the core of discipleship. vi. Do you want to know what making disciples looks like… really? 1. It isn't a 12 week study through a book called, “How to be a disciple of Christ.” 2. It isn't a 52 week systematic theology study. 3. It isn't going to seminary and getting a bible degree 4. It isn't a 12 step program of behavioral training. 5. It isn't a bunch of meetings in someone's office over coffee, just shooting the breeze. vii. It is you, imitating Christ, getting others to imitate you, and getting your imitators to encourage others to imitate them. viii. Go and make copies of yourself. ix. In many ways the items I listed that aren't making disciples… are much easier than what making disciples truly is. x. Why? xi. In order to make disciples, you must be a disciple that is being conformed to Christ. xii. So much so that you can say – in as much as I am like Jesus… imitate me. xiii. And let me tell you something, when you see others imitating you and causing others to imitate them as you imitate Christ… that confirms on your heart that they are elect of God and that is worthy of thanking the Lord. d. [Slide 8] Summary of the Point: Verses 6-10 operate like the second point of one sermon. This is why this is a part 2 sermon. Everything Paul has said in the first 5 verses contributes a good deal to the discussion here in the last half of the chapter. So, the evangelists are thankful for the Thessalonian church because they KNOW they are elect of God. The first reason being that the gospel came to them in power, in the Holy Spirit, and with full conviction. But the second reason they know they are elect of God occupies the remainder of the text and forms the primary point Paul is making in this sermon. And it is simply this… God's elect imitate Christ and other spiritually mature believers and provide an example to be imitated. In this we find a chain of imitation. [Slide 9] Take a look at Hebrews 12:1-2. [Slide 10] Christ ran the race before us. He has finished the race and is the reward for us finishing as well. He is the pioneer and finisher of our faith. In some sense then, even if we are imitating those who are spiritually more mature than us, so long as they are running Christ's path, we are imitating Christ. We also then are providing an example, a model, a pattern for those behind us to follow. So, what is one way that Paul references in this text that we can imitate Christ, other mature believers, and provide an example for others to follow? In order to imitate Christ, we can, and indeed we must endure affliction while being constantly guided in the gospel reality He lived for us, And to do so with joy from the Holy Spirit. We also see this in Hebrews. Christ ran the race already so that He might attain the joy that was set before Him, enduring the cross, despising the shame. To be like Christ, in joy, we must endure on this gospel road through many afflictions. Transition: [Slide 11(blank) In what other ways can we imitate Christ and other spiritually mature Christians and so provide an example for others to follow? II.) God's elect imitate Christ and provide an example to be imitated, so we must zealously and accurately bear witness to the gospel. a. [Slide 12] 8 - For the word of the Lord rang out from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place that your faith in God has gone out. i. They received the Word with such joy, in spite of the pain it caused them, that these Thessalonians could not and would not contain it in themselves. ii. They needed to share this gospel truth with everyone. iii. This doesn't mean that the Thessalonians sent out a bunch of missionaries far and wide. iv. Instead, what Paul is referring to is that because of Thessalonica being such a hub for travel across the empire, that the Thessalonians zeal to share Christ with all who they could, led to the gospel going out from Thessalonica to places well beyond their reach. v. And they shared the gospel so zealously, and it spread so far that Paul says something next that is absolutely bonkers. b. [Slide 13] Therefore, we don't need to say anything, i. The gospel went to these places so effectively through the Thessalonians, that Paul, Silas, and Timothy really had no need to ride in and correct, expand on, or generally add to anything they had shared. ii. Can you imagine Paul giving us a similar report? I'm sure if the apostle Paul heard my sermons, or heard my sermons through your testimony, that he would not have the same words for me. iii. But for these Thessalonians… Paul says – we don't need to say anything more. iv. Why don't they need to say anything else? c. [Slide 14] 9 - for they themselves report what kind of reception we had from you: i. As the evangelists interacted with people from various places, who had been in contact with the Thessalonian believers, they found something quite interesting. ii. They found that they had accurately reported exactly what happened while the evangelists were in Thessalonica. iii. Meaning the Thessalonians gave their testimony, and did so not just zealously, but accurately too. iv. So, what was their testimony? d. [Slide 15] how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God i. They had abandoned their former life and all that it included. ii. Abandoning paganism, is not simply changing religions. It is not simply adding Jesus to what you already believed. And it certainly isn't a lateral move to get on a different side of the same mountain all leading to the same God. iii. For the Thessalonians to turn from their idolatry to the living and true God was to be rejected by their own culture. iv. Their friends, family, co-workers, neighbors – all of them, to various degrees, would be appalled by the Thessalonians rejection of worshipping in the temples, and not worshipping the Emperor. v. The Thessalonians bore witness to the fact that they had left their lives to follow Christ. They had forfeited everything they knew and took comfort in, to serve the one true and living God. vi. Although these idols may be real demonic entities with actual power… the Scriptures are very clear. Unlike Yahweh, they are neither true nor are they living. vii. So what does it mean that God is true and living? viii. [Slide 16] God being the true God works on a couple levels. 1. First, He is the only God. a. There is only One God, in the sense that there is no god equal to Him. b. He is in a category all His own. c. He is Holy. i. Holiness then, is God's governing attribute. ii. He is unlike everything else. iii. He is unique. iv. He is different. d. All other gods are false in the sense that compared to Yahweh, they are far closer in class, kind, and characteristics to humans and other spiritual entities than they are to Yahweh. e. Despite God being Spirit and there being spiritual entities like angels and demons – angels and demons are closer in similarity to humans… than they are in similarity to Yahweh. f. This is why God is the only TRUE God. 2. Second, He is the only truthful God. a. All other gods, whether they be spirits, men, or make believe, are liars. b. First, pretending to be a god, is itself an act of deceit. For no entity is a god except for Yahweh – see point 1. c. Second, all men and fallen angels are sinful, selfish, and predisposed to lie. d. Satan is called a liar from the beginning. e. But Yahweh says of Himself – I cannot lie. f. It isn't a question of volition or choice – it is a statement of inability. God cannot tell us something that is false. ix. [Slide 17] God being living also has two levels. 1. First, God is the only being who does not need any other being in order to exist. a. God is Self-Sufficient. He is independent. He needs nothing from His creation to exist. He needs nothing from His creation to function or be happy. b. God is the only being that exists that can continue to exist without other parts of creation. c. Without time, space, matter, light, warmth, energy – God exists. d. God eternally exists in three persons and thus has communion and fellowship with Himself. Therefore, God doesn't even need His creation for worship or fellowship or completion of some relational need. e. God is the only being… in this sense… that is living. 2. Second, all other gods, men, fallen angels, or make believe, will burn up. a. In the second death, all those who do not worship Yahweh and believe on His Christ will be cast into the second death. b. They will all die in eternal death together. c. In this sense then, all other would-be gods are dead gods. d. And therefore, they cannot grant life. x. [Slide 18] And so, the Thessalonians bore witness to the fact that they have completely rejected their dead and false gods to pursue the living and true God. xi. But that's not all they bore witness to… e. [Slide 19] 10 - and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead— Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath. i. Part of the gospel witness is not just repentance, but it is also faith. ii. Faith to believe what God has said. iii. Faith to believe on Jesus as the deliverer. iv. Throughout the whole area people were hearing how the Thessalonians were believing on and hoping in a God-Man who died and was raised from the dead and is coming again to rescue them and all who believe in Him from the coming judgment. v. Paul, when speaking to gentiles, regularly spoke of the coming judgment of the one true and living God. vi. No such judgment exists in paganism. There is no final judgment where Zeus or Jupiter sit in judgment to determine the eternal consequences of each person. vii. But Yahweh had been telling His people about the Day of the Lord almost 800 years before Christ. viii. And a final judgment had been spoken of for even longer than that. ix. The fact that there is a coming day of God's wrath is expressed in the promise of God to Noah that he will not judge the earth again… with water. x. God's wrath has been spoken of for thousands of years – and like the ark was for Noah and his family, so Jesus is to His people. xi. The only true Ark is Christ. xii. He is the only hope to escape the wrath to come. He is the Savior. He is the rescuer. He is the Deliverer. xiii. And they waited. One thing that is abundantly true and emphasized in the hall of faith chapter of Hebrews 11, is that God's people have always been people who wait. xiv. God's people had been waiting on the seed that would crush the head of the serpent since Adam and Eve fell. God's people waited some 4000 years for that promise to come to pass. xv. But now God's people have been promised that the Son of David, the Son of Man, will come again riding on the clouds from heaven to consummate an eternal kingdom and destroy all His opposition. xvi. And God's people have been waiting for this to come to pass for nearly 2000 years. xvii. God's people have always been and continue to be a people… who wait. In hope and faith that God will keep His word. xviii. This was the Thessalonians' testimony. xix. And it was known far and wide. xx. And the evangelists are so thankful that this is so, because it confirms that they are elect of God. f. [Slide 19] Summary of the Point: Paul does not raise up any further points about how they know that these Thessalonians are elect. In fact, it is fairly clear here that this discussion continues the thought from verse 6. Therefore, we should see that Paul is expressing another way that they have become imitators of Christ and examples for others which proves they are God's elect. So, what is that way and what does it mean for us? They have become shining Christian examples both in their zealousness for sharing the gospel and their precision for relaying the truth accurately. So, in order to imitate Christ and those who are more spiritually mature and in order to provide an example for other believers to follow, we must zealously and accurately bear witness to the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Conclusion: So, CBC, what basics have we learned today that corrects and informs our faith and shapes and guides our practices? Basics of Faith and Practice: [Slide 20] We have learned that one other way we can be assured that we are God's elect is by imitating Christ and other spiritually mature believers to the extent that we provide an example for others to follow. What are some ways that we can do this? Paul specifically references two ways that the Thessalonians were imitators worthy of imitating. First, they welcomed the message of God with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of many afflictions. We too should receive or welcome the message of the gospel with joy from the Holy Spirit – knowing full well that we will suffer many afflictions for the cause of Christ. Secondly, the Thessalonians are commended for zealously and accurately bearing witness to their reception of the gospel. So, in order to imitate Christ and provide an example for others, we too must zealously and accurately bear witness to our reception of the gospel. These are actually quite complex applications with many moving parts, so let us try to break them down into small chunks this morning. 1.) [Slide 21] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that at the core of being a disciple and making disciples, is imitation. a. What is key in this text that I think is quite different than most people think about discipleship, is that discipleship is primarily imitation. b. Many people attack Paul's words here and in other books where he says something to the effect of, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ.” c. The assumption is that this is said in a pious way indicating Paul thought he was Christlike. d. But my friends, if you are living as Christ lived, there is nothing arrogant about saying that you are worthy of imitation. And Paul isn't saying – live like me even when I don't live like Christ. e. There is a reason that the scriptures talk about the church being the body of Christ. It is because the church should be the embodiment of who Christ was on earth. We should accurately reflect the words He spoke and the actions He did. f. Indeed, this is exactly how the scriptures teach us to make disciples – it is by baptizing them and teaching them to observe all Christ commanded. Not in the sense of mere education but by demonstration. g. For whatever reason we have been duped to believe that discipleship only happens in an educational setting, much like school. We hear the word “teaching” and immediately picture sitting in chairs with a desk and looking at a teacher who goes over certain things that you must agree with. When you graduate you get a little certificate and voila, you are a disciple now. h. This is, of course, ridiculous. i. Being a disciple and making disciples is and ALWAYS HAS BEEN primarily… imitation. j. Watch me do this. Now do it with me. Now you do it while I watch. Now you do it and tell me how it went. Now you do it and take this person with you and let them observe you. k. That… in a nutshell is discipleship. And I'm convinced, it is at the heart of the expression, “do life together.” l. I think sometimes when we hear “do life together” it means we enter some kind of compound or closed society where we only interact with each other in common ways. But I think when we say “do life together.” Primarily this means a more hands on approach to making disciples. m. So rather than leaning into some quasi-educational definition of discipleship – we should instead affirm that being a disciple is all about imitating Christ and doing that by finding someone who is godly and imitating them as they imitate Christ. n. And making disciples should be seen the same way. We are not sitting someone down to teach them systematic theology, we aren't getting through a book course, or even having them go through a bible study with us – although that is certainly part of making disciples. o. Making disciples ultimately boils down to… Imitate me. Live like I live. Follow me. p. But this doesn't actually make it easier does it? q. Taking someone through a 12 week course is a lot easier than saying imitate me as I go toward Christ. r. Why? s. Because 1 of them ends in 12 weeks and you check a box and it is done. t. The other is a lifelong commitment. u. My friends, it would be best for us to see discipleship in this way. Imitation = discipleship. v. And because of that… 2.) [Slide 22] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must imitate Christ and other spiritually mature believers and be an example for others to imitate as well. a. The easiest way to do this if you are a parent… is to do this for your children. b. Model for them what it means to be people of the Word. How to respond in a Christlike way to trials, tribulations, difficulties, and temptations. What to give priority to and how to pray and study the scriptures. c. But this relationship is not exclusive to a parent and their child. d. Younger believers should seek out older and more mature believers to mimic. Older believers should seek out younger and more immature believers to be an example to. And generally speaking, the church as a whole should be a group of people all following Christ by following the person in front of them. e. We have both made this simpler than it is and more complicated than it is. f. Humans have a nasty habit of doing that don't they? g. We've made it simpler in the sense that we've reduced discipleship to pure education and we've made it more complicated than it is in that we assume that we must be perfect in order to begin discipling someone. h. Neither of these are true. i. Let's do a little exercise this morning. It may crumble and not demonstrate what I think it will – but let's take a chance. j. Raise your hands if someone, in your lifetime, has ever walked up to you and asked you if you would disciple them? k. For those of you who did raise your hands – did you experience the sinking feeling of not even knowing what that means or where to begin? Hmmmm… Hang on to that for a second. l. Ok. Raise your hands if someone has ever walked up to you and asked you if they could disciple you? m. As I suspected. Almost no hands. n. Now. Raise your hands if you can honestly say that you are at the maturity level you are at in your walk with Christ because you have observed and endeavored to imitate someone who you know is a godly Christian. o. [[I think this will illustrate that formal discipleship is rare but actual discipleship is common. If that is the case… proceed]] p. You see that? What can we deduce from this? I think we can deduce that we are really bad at formally discipling people… but by God's grace… we are still succeeding in actually discipling people. q. So what is the application? r. Live like Christ, imitate those you know are godly and invite people to observe and imitate your life. Live in such a way that your life is an open book and that people can ask or see anything they want of you… to the extent that you are ALWAYS teaching how to be like Jesus. s. I really think it is that simple… and also that difficult. 3.) [Slide 23] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that following Christ is costly. a. By far this is the hardest sell for Christians living in the west. b. It is abundantly difficult to convince Christians who drive to church every Sunday without fear, who openly display Christian paraphernalia on their person and on their vehicles, who do not face losing their jobs or being kicked out of their families for following Jesus, it is so difficult to convince American Christians that to follow Christ is costly. c. But I think the reason we saw a bunch of people start attending church after Charlie Kirk was murdered, was because for at least a moment… people started to feel that it could actually cost them something to follow Jesus. d. And it scared them. Scared them enough to attend… for a couple weeks. e. But as the dust settled and as people moved on, and as the country, almost unanimously denounced the act… people returned to their lives thinking that maybe – just maybe – it isn't quite time to panic yet. f. My friends – Christianity is by far the most persecuted religion in the world. Not 1000 years ago. Not 100 years ago. TODAY. g. And honestly the writing is on the wall for this country too. It is coming. h. We can do our best to stall it through legislation and political activity and indeed we should. i. But it won't be long before we are drastically outnumbered in our worldview. It won't be long before political and legal action won't help us because we won't have the votes. j. You say, Chris how do you know that? k. Scripture predicts it, history proves it, and culture demands it. l. In reality, following Christ always costs us something. We always suffer affliction against the devil and his angels. We always face opposition from the world, its principalities, and powers. m. In a way, following Christ is always costly. But to the vast majority of Christians through the ages – it has cost them so very much. n. And soon, it will cost us much too. o. So what hope is there? 4.) [Slide 24] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” The gospel itself and the joy from the Spirit is our comfort despite many afflictions. a. Did you ever wonder why Jesus called the Spirit, The Comforter? b. The word is often translated, Advocate. c. An advocate pleads our cause, provides encouragement and help, and gives counsel. d. The Spirit of God indwells and continues to work in the hearts of believers delivering grace for help in times of need. e. And the gospel, the message of Christ's death, burial, resurrection, and future return to save us from the wrath to come, that is the greatest comfort and produces the greatest joy. f. Remember our sermon chorus? It will be worth it all, when we see Jesus. Life's trials will seem so small, when we see Christ. One glimpse of His dear face, all sorrows will erase. So, bravely run the race, till we see Christ. g. I love that because it is a little 3-point sermon. i. When we see Jesus' face, three things will happen. ii. Truth point – all the pain and sorrow in life will have been worth enduring. iii. Truth point – All the trials we face will seem insignificant. iv. Truth point – All the sorrows we've experienced will be erased forever. v. So, what do we do with those three points of truth? vi. Application – Bravely run the race until we see Christ. h. My friends, the joy set before Christ was to save His bride, to redeem a people for Himself. For that joy he endured the cross and despised the shame. i. The joy set before us… is to join Him where He is, and so shall we ever be with Him. j. The gospel is the vehicle to that joy. We are placed in Christ as we travel this road. k. When the gospel gets even more costly and when life's difficulties weigh us down – look to Jesus the pioneer and completer of our faith. l. Look to your joy. And realize that it is joy given by the Spirit of God in the gospel of Jesus Christ. m. But until then – what else must we do to be imitators of Christ? 5.) [Slide 25] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must zealously and accurately share the gospel. a. The Thessalonians' story was known far and wide. b. People heard about the time that the evangelists spent with them. They also heard about how the Thessalonians bravely cast aside their former lives and believed on the living and true God and His Son. c. People heard about how they were hoping in His return to rescue them from the coming wrath of God. d. My friends – have people heard a similar report about our church? Have people heard a similar report about you? e. If not, perhaps this is so for one of two reasons. f. The first is that perhaps you have failed to imitate spiritually mature people and Christ and have not zealously and accurately relayed the gospel to others. g. Perhaps you have grown weak and fearful and allowed petty fears of men to keep you from sharing the gospel with others. h. Perhaps you have shrunk back and blended in, trying to appear to be like everyone else. i. My friends – if you are elect of God, you will never fit in. Not here. This world with devils filled threatens to undo us. And you want to make it your home? You want to slip into some quiet corner and go unnoticed. j. We have the right man on our side. A man of God's own choosing. Who is it? Christ Jesus It is He. And He will win the battle. k. Friends – when the victory horn rings, you do not continue to hide in a corner. You come out and celebrate and gain confidence over the forces that still oppose – for they oppose in vain. l. Jesus has won. The victory bell rolled when the stone was rolled away. m. Get out of your hiding place. It is not time to hide. It is time to stand. n. Bear witness to the glorious gospel that saved you and can save others. Announce it to all you meet. Share with them how Christ caused you to cast aside your sins and follow Him in faith. Share with them how you were wicked and He has made you righteous. Share with them how God has done this and no one else. o. But there is a second reason that perhaps you have failed to zealously and accurately share the gospel… p. Perhaps you don't have a story to tell. 6.) [Slide 26] Evangelism: “What about this text points us to Jesus Christ, the gospel, and how we are restored?” The gospel always requires a turning from sin and former masters and to the living and true God and His Son whom He raised as our deliverer from future wrath. a. Some have wondered if Paul's last statement in this chapter is some kind of creed, confession, or song. b. The reason people wonder this, is because it is such a concentrated description of what the gospel is and does. c. These Thessalonians bore witness that because of a Jewish man who died in Judea 20 years before… d. They were giving up their ancestral beliefs, turning on their family and friends, rejecting the state religion, forfeiting their business relationships and ostracizing themselves from their own culture. e. Why would they do that? f. Because the man who died in Judea was no mere man. He was God and man. All other gods, religions, and even forms of Christianity that do not include a rejection of sin and pursuit of Christ alone, must be cast aside. g. Full and complete devotion to the true and living God must occur. h. Belief in the death, burial, resurrection and future coming of Jesus as this God-Man is required. i. And all hope placed in Him and Him alone to save you from the judgment which He Himself will bring is… necessary. j. Maybe you've never heard the gospel. Maybe you've heard it a thousand times but today… the loop closed. You see it now. He has died for you. He has won. k. Maybe you've thought you've been a follower of this Jesus – but your story of the gospel coming to you doesn't include anything like this. l. My friends – I implore you. Come to Jesus. Turn from everything else. Come to Jesus and live. [Slide 27] Let me close with a prayer by the Reformer Elisabeth Cruciger a former Nun who began writing hymns of the Reformation. Lord Christ, God's only dear Son, you have sprung from the Father's heart from eternity, as we see in the Scriptures. Morning star, you gleam brighter than all stars in the sky. You were born of a pure virgin in the fullness of time. Your death has opened for us the gates of heaven and restored life to us. Lord Christ, let us adore you in love, increasing in the knowledge of you. Despite our earthly weakness, let us serve you in spirit and never cease in faith, that our hearts may taste your sweetness, and ever thirst for you. You who founded the whole world, and who, in your unbounded power and fatherly might reign over day and night—let our hearts pursue you and let us turn our minds to you, lest we stray. Lord, kill us with your goodness. Make us alive in your grace. While we still live on this earth, take away our old nature, and replace it with new life. And may our every thought, desire, and feeling cleave to you. We pray this in Jesus' name, Amen. Benediction: Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in Him, Let Him shield them all day long, Let the one the Lord loves rest between His shoulders. That you might be steadfast, immovable and knowing That your toil in the Lord is not in vain. Until we meet again, go in peace.

Pastor Nate Hobert continues our series through the book of Job, where we see how to become people who walk with others with wisdom and compassion as they suffer.

Todaywe're specifically looking at Ephesians 3:16. Two things we're going to talkabout and that's, “the riches of His glory” and “in the inner man”.As we look at this passage of scripture, we realize that the power of the HolySpirit is given to us “according to the riches of His glory”. Christreturned to glory. But remember He said, "If I don't go away, I can'tsend the Holy Spirit. But if I go away, I will send the Comforter, the HolySpirit." (John 14; John 16:7). Christ returned to glory and sent theHoly Spirit from heaven to indwell and to empower His people.  So,it's not necessary for us to work something up. The power of God has been sentdown. Jesus said, "Tarry at Jerusalem till the power of the Holy Spiritis come upon you." (Acts 1:4-8). They did tarry and the HolySpirit, 10 days later, on the day of Pentecost, came down upon them. The HolySpirit was sent down. The Holy Spirit is the “gift of God” according tothose first passages of Scripture in the book of Acts (Acts 2:38; 8:20; 10:45;11:17). Now the Holy Spirit dwells in us and empowers us.  Goddoesn't give us the Holy Spirit's power out of His riches, but “according toHis riches” and that is a far greater thing. If I'm a billionaire and Igive you $10, I've given you out of my riches. But if I give you a milliondollars, I have given you according to my riches. The first is a portion, butmy friend, the second is a proportion. Oh, God has His riches in heaven thatare immeasurable, unfathomable, endless, eternal. He gives you not out of Hisriches but “according to the riches of His glory”. Nowvery interesting this power is available for “the inner man”.This means the spiritual part of man where God dwells and God lives in us. Weread in Romans 8:16; “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit thatwe are the children of God”. The inner man of the lost sinner is dead (Ephesians2:1), but that inner spirit becomes alive when the Holy Spirit of Christ,Christ Himself comes to indwell us. We find that the inner mancan see in Psalm 119:18, "Open mine eyes that I may see wondrous thingsout of your law." The inner man can hear Matthew13:9, Jesus said, "He who has ears, let him hear."  “Theinner man”has taste in Psalm 34:8; “Taste and see that the Lord is good”. We findwe can feel with the inner man (Acts 17:27). According to 1 Timothy 4:7-8,we find that bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness exercises greatprofit for those who trust and believe in Him. The outward man is perishing.But the inner man, the inner man can be renewed day by day in spite of thephysical outward decay that takes place. I love that passage in 2 Corinthians4:16-18: “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man isperishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our lightaffliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceedingand eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen,but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen aretemporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal”.  Whatdoes it mean to have the Holy Spirit empower “the inner man”? Itmeans that our spiritual faculties are controlled by God, and we are exercisingthem and growing in the Word (Hebrews 5:12-14). It is only when we yield to theSpirit and let Him control the inner man that we succeed in living to the gloryof God. This means we are feeding the inner man the Word of God, praying andworshiping, keeping clean, and exercising the senses by loving obedience. MayGod help us to trust Him today to have that strength that only He can give forHis glory and for His ministry of sharing the good news of Jesus Christ withthe world around us.  Godbless!

Appreciation and Introduction Gratitude for songs, testimonies, and prayer requests. Expresses contentment and appreciation for being in God's house. Acknowledges the presence and importance of the Holy Spirit. Reference to Acts 2:1-4 about the day of Pentecost. All were in one accord in one place. Sound from heaven like a rushing, mighty wind. Cloven tongues like fire appeared. All were filled with the Holy Ghost and spoke in other tongues. Worship and the Holy Spirit People worship differently, and that's okay. Anticipation of uninhibited worship in heaven. Appreciation for times when the "wind blows" in church (the Holy Spirit is present). There are times for stillness for the seed to fall. Desire for the Holy Ghost in the church. If the Holy Ghost wasn't present, would seek it elsewhere. If one doesn't feel the Spirit, there may be something wrong in their heart. Not the fault of others or external factors. God is not a respecter of persons; He blesses all equally. If you want the Holy Ghost, He will give you all you want of Him. If one doesn't like the Holy Spirit, this church may not be a good fit. The Holy Ghost needs to lead in everything done in the church. The Pastor's Perspective The more people filled with the Holy Ghost, the better for the pastor. Contrast between preaching to an unresponsive crowd and a Spirit-filled congregation. Signs of a Spirit-filled congregation: raised hands, tears, smiles, recognition of God's presence. God is the answer, and the question is when. God administers through the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost dwells within, not just visits. The Holy Ghost stays until the job is done, taking believers to the end. Belief that one couldn't make it without the Holy Spirit's help. Old Testament Examples of the Holy Spirit (Wind) The Word of God is discerned by the Spirit. The Holy Spirit helps people get what they need from the Word. Exodus 14:21 - Deliverance at the Red Sea Moses stretched out his hand, and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind. The wind blew all night, dividing the waters. The Holy Ghost has been a deliverer. The Holy Ghost is a wind that will deliver the people of God all the time. The Holy Ghost is always working, whether one is conscious of it or not. The Holy Ghost frustrates the devil. Reference to Job, whose hedge was removed, but his life was protected. The Holy Spirit's deliverance is still moving today. Numbers 11:31 - Sustenance in the Wilderness The children of Israel murmured and were hungry. God sent a wind that brought quails from the sea. The quails fell around the camp, two cubits high (three feet deep). The Holy Ghost brings what is needed to make it another day. The wind of sustenance feeds the soul. The Holy Ghost moves to make sinners uncomfortable and saints rejoice. God used the Spirit to gather billions of quail. The wind brought sustenance when it was needed most. Reference to Ezekiel, where the Lord asked if dry bones could live. The bones came together, but they were still dead until the wind blew into them. 2 Samuel 5 - Assurance David sought God before going into battle. David asked if he should go up against the enemy and if God would deliver them. God loves zeal but also gives assurance. God told David to wait for a sign: the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees. The wind will start blowing, and you'll know it's time to go. The wind gives assurance. The unction is needed to preach. Without the unction, it's just teaching. The Holy Ghost won't bear witness to anything untrue or false. The Holy Ghost will bear witness if your heart is for God. Jonah 1:4 - Repentance Jonah ran from God because he didn't want to preach to the people of Nineveh. You can't run from God; the Holy Ghost is everywhere. The Lord sent a great wind into the sea, causing a mighty tempest. The wind of God can break, stop, or wake one up. The wind of God blows to bring repentance. God can use the Holy Ghost to bring you to a place of repentance. New Testament Promise and Provision of the Holy Spirit (Wind) John 16:7 - Promise of the Comforter It is expedient that Jesus go away so the Comforter (Holy Ghost) can come. The Comforter is the Holy Ghost. Jesus had bound Himself to an earthly body and couldn't be everywhere. The Holy Ghost isn't bound to anything. Jesus promised to send the wind of God (the Holy Spirit). Acts 1:4-5 - Promise of Baptism with the Holy Ghost Jesus commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem but to wait for the promise of the Father. John baptized with water, but they would be baptized with the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost will lead and guide in all truth and righteousness. Acts 2:1 - Provision of the Holy Spirit On the day of Pentecost, they were all with one accord in one place. Suddenly, there came a sound from heaven as a rushing mighty wind. It filled all the house where they were sitting. The Spirit of God still does that today. When people are walking with God, the wind will blow in their lives. All that Jesus was trying to tell them became clear when the wind started blowing. John 3:7 - Born of the Spirit Jesus told Nicodemus that he must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh and whither it goeth. So is everyone that is born of the Spirit. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; Jesus was talking about being born again in the spirit. The Holy Ghost had to blow over and be partaking in your salvation. God is saving your spirit, not your flesh. The Holy Spirit has blown in the lives of His children from the time He left them until now. The wind is still moving as long as the people of God are on planet Earth. Discernment of Spirits There are strange winds blowing today that are not of God. These winds are false and imitate the Spirit of God. They are a form of godliness but deny the power thereof. Try the spirits to see of what sort they are. Not every spirit that blows in your life is of God. People are getting caught up in smoke, mirrors, darkness, and strobe lights. These things appeal to the flesh and stimulate the emotions but are not of God. If it ain't of God, you ain't getting born again. Be sure every spirit you face is Him. Gratitude for the rushing mighty wind that blew into the hearts of those men and forever changed them. The wind leads or stops them, making them go to the left or right because He knows. Invitation and Closing Invitation for those who need the Lord to come forward. If you haven't felt the wind of God in a while, get right with Him. Repent of your sin, turn from it, yield yourself to God, and trust Him. He will forgive you of your sin and purge you of all unrighteousness. He will forgive you if you confess it. The wind of the Holy Spirit will start blowing in your life again.

The Gospel of John Week 20 Scripture: John 14:31 - 16:3. Our study of the evening of Jesus' Passover meal with His disciples continues.  In our opening verse of John 14:31 we read, "Come, let us go."  Pastor shares an ancient Christian tradition that states Jesus met with his disciples in the upper room in a location in the southwestern corner of the city of Jerusalem on the Western Hill.  Using tradition, archeological discoveries, writings from Jewish historian Josephus, and some holy speculation, Pastor puts together an amazing picture of Jesus and His disciples walk to the Garden:     ⁃    It was an evening walk.     ⁃    To get there they would have moved through the Kidron Valley to the Mount of Olives where the Garden of Gethsemane was located.     ⁃    On the way they would have passed the Temple     ⁃    According to Josephus the Temple was 150 feet tall and on the face of the temple was a massive golden grapevine with clusters of grapes made out of solid gold. The clusters stood about 6 feet high.     ⁃    What is known from rabbinical writings is that during the great feasts, (like this one at Passover) massive torches were placed in the courts of the temple. There were 4 of them and they stood 75 feet high with multiple containers of oil for each.     ⁃    They provided a tremendous amount of light in the temple and could have been seen throughout the city. So as we read, "Come, let us go," we move to the first words of chapter 15, "I am the true vine."     ⁃    And Jesus and His disciples are actually seeing the massive golden grapevine on the face of the temple as they walk. These are absolutely startling and dramatic words.     ⁃    These words would have been more significant to them then than they are to us today. What Jesus' disciples would have thought of was that the people of Israel are compared to a grapevine in the Hebrew Scriptures and they would have thought of Isaiah's Song of the Vineyard. (Isaiah 5) an analogy of what God intended the nation of Israel to be. And now Jesus is saying He is the vine. Jesus is saying He is everything that God intends for His people to be. With this analogy Jesus is saying that He is the One who gives life to the people of God. It is only by being connected to Jesus that we have life and forgiveness and hope because He is the Messiah. Unless we receive Him as such, judgement will come. As Pastor takes us through verses 1-2 of chapter 15, he shares what he personally believes and that is that the translators have possibly not translated accurately. He goes on to share that the Greek word translated in English to "cuts off" has two meanings and the correct meaning may not have been used here, that the meaning "to raise to life up" (the second meaning)should have been used.  Pastor brings in the actual care of grapevines by a good gardener and that non-producing vines are lifted up off the ground by the gardener so they can receive more light and are not cut off. Pastor makes a solid argument that the text is better translated as: "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He lifts up every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful." This is all happening just hours before He will be arrested and He is making sure His disciples understand these truths. He goes on with more truths of praying in His name, loving one another and He repeats Himself. Why? Because not only did they need it repeated, but we need to hear these truths over and again. Jesus wants to make sure and re-share these fundamental truths to anchor His disciples and us in the good times and in the difficult times. Jesus goes on with more truths:     ⁃    As the Father has loved Me, so I have loved you.     ⁃    Remain in My love.     ⁃    Keep His commandments (not to earn His love, but because we have His love)     ⁃    He calls His disciples His friends     ⁃    He tells them whatever you ask in My name the Father will give you.     ⁃    He tells them the world will hate them as it hates Him     ⁃    He talks of persecution, but that there will also be those who will listen. So He encourages them to speak His words and tell others. We will have difficulties in this world be we know He is with us, and He loves us!     ⁃    He shares that the Holy Spirit is coming. The Advocate. The Comforter, The Consoler. And that they will need the Holy Spirit. Then Pastor shares the story of Jacob DeShazer. It's a powerful testimony of how God changes our hearts with His Word and uses our changed hearts to impact others. Our website – https://www.awakeusnow.com Watch the video from our website! https://www.awakeusnow.com/2-year-study-of-the-gospels-upper Watch the video from our YouTube Channel!! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTaaqrC3dMOzMkhPyiNWwlJRpV6Bwpu01     ⁃    The Gospel of John study is part five of five of our Two Year Study of the Gospels.      ⁃    The Gospel of John may be one of the most powerful books ever written. Many people have come to faith after reading only this book of the Bible.  Scholarly and archeological discoveries in recent decades give us new insight on details in the Gospel of John. We can now understand it as the most Jewish rather than the most "Gentile/Greek" of the Gospels, and when we do that we see many things that we missed before. Our 2 year study of the gospels is great for large group, small group or home group study and can be started at any time!

This is November 9th's sermon by Gage Crowder revealing how we hear the voice of Jesus the commander (v. 9-11), see the vision of Jesus the conqueror (v. 12-16), and receive the victory of Jesus the comforter (v. 17-20). Gage Crowder is husband to Rachel and father to Kyper and Binx. A graduate of Birmingham Theological Seminary and the Theopolis Institute, Gage is assistant pastor at Trinity Reformed Church and a lecturer in philosophy at Providence Classical School in Huntsville.  Trinity Reformed Church is a CREC church in Huntsville, AL. seeking to extend and unite the Kingdom in the Huntsville area. Check out our website, Facebook or YouTube!

November 13, 2025Today's Reading: Catechism: Table of Duties - To ParentsDaily Lectionary: Jeremiah 26:1-19; Revelation 13:1-18; Matthew 26:20-35“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:4)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Thank God for our parents. Without them, we wouldn't be here. It pleased God to continue his work of creation by giving you life through a mom and a dad. God continues to care, provide, and protect us through the parents he gives us. This is at least God's design and intention for the family, to see one another as a gift and to share life together in love. This is the heart of the Fourth Commandment, where God instructs children to honor their father and mother. In his Small Catechism, Luther explains that rather than despising and angering our parents, children should honor, serve, obey, love, and cherish them. To see our parents as a gift from God causes hearts to cherish and love them. Love can't help but bear the fruit of willful service and obedience. Looking at one another through the lens of a God-given gift makes all the difference. There is no “Commandment” for parents, though, is there? Yes, there are several places in Scripture where parents are instructed in how to raise and treat their children. Although the particular guidelines may differ, the lens prescription is still the same; see your children as a gift from God. When parents see their child as a gift from the hand of God, they see their role in a whole new light. Dads and moms become a portrait to their children of their heavenly Father, mirroring God's gracious love, his sacrificial care, tireless provision, and tender guidance and protection. This is the hands-on way of raising children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. The thing about parents is that they are sinners, too. I've never met a parent who doesn't have regrets or who hasn't wished they could do some things over. Parents need forgiveness, too, just like children. This is perhaps the most profound way a parent can teach their children the faith when a parent is on the receiving end of God's forgiving grace. God loves to give gifts. He gave his most precious gift, his very own Son, to die for the sins of the world, and “the world” includes parents. God has given parents the gift of a family to love and to care for. Sharing life together in Christ makes all the difference.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.“I the Lord will be your Father, Savior, Comforter, and Brother. Go, My children; I will keep you and give you peace.” (922:4)Author: Rev. Darrin Sheek, pastor at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church Anaheim, CA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Richard Heinz, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lowell, IN.This new devotional resource by Carl Fickenscher walks you through each week's readings, revealing thematic connections and helping you better understand what is to come in worship each Sunday.

St. Gregory details the nature and characteristics of the Triune God: Father, Son, & Holy Spirit. A reading from Homily 8 (p. 55-58) from Saint Gregory Palamas: The Homilies

Happy Monday!  Deena Talbert joins Janice on-air today. Topics include God's Word is the cure for our unbelief, our Comforter, gratitude in our our darkest days, prayer for the seemingly little things, confidence in God's love, faith and more. Janice's books What Do I Have to Lose? Books 1 and 2   are available! The complete set is just $25. Check it out at FaithMusicRadio.com. Today also features A Word of Encouragement with Vicky Mutchler, and CW Today with Loretta Walker and Renewing Your Health with Dana Ellison Be sure to subscribe to this podcast and please share this podcast with your friends so we may be an encouragement to them through the music and programming on Faith Music Radio. Music is brought to you by Faith Music Missions. Learn more here >>> https://www.faithmusicmissions.org Eleven2One Facebook  Eleven2One on Instagram Faith Music Radio is a listener supported Christian station.

God Speaks to Jesus Followers Through the Holy Spirit's Inward Voice, and with the Spirit, He Gave His Personal Relationship MESSAGE SUMMARY: Isaiah tells us in Isaiah 30:21: "And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,' when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.". We know, from the New Testament, that Jesus Followers are given the Holy Spirit to walk with them -- "a word behind you". Since the Holy Spirit takes up residence in you, the way the Lord speaks to you is through the inward witness of the Holy Spirit -- the Spirit will speak, and you will know that it is the Lord. In John 14:26, Jesus reminds us about His promise, to His followers, of the “Helper” (Holy Spirit): “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”. Additionally, in John 16-7, Jesus tells us that not only will the Holy Spirit be your “Helper”, the Holy Spirit will be your “Comforter”: “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him {the Comforter} unto you.". For Jesus Followers, God speaks through the inward voice of the Holy Spirit who He gave to us along with a personal relationship with Him.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, you know how difficult it is for me to be in silence before you. At times it feels almost impossible, given the demands, distractions, and noise all around me. I invite you to lead me to a quiet, silent place before you — to a place where I can hear you as Elijah did. In Jesus' name, amen.     Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 123). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Fear. Rather, I will abide in the Lord's Faithfulness. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Ezekiel 22:30-31; Isaiah 30:21; John 14:23-27; John 16:7-13; Psalms 134:1-3. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “My Grace is Sufficient”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

NO! He's no Comforter, Helper.. much less, The Holy Spirit!I note a number of silly, brain dead arguments that are tossed against the Muslim's wall in the hopes that something will stick! Lord have mercy!Love the people, scoff at the bad arguments!(Proverbs 26:5)Thanks for listening!

 Do you need the Holy Spirit? In this message, Lead Pastor Jamie Nunnally helps us understand that the Holy Spirit isn't optional in the Christian life—He's the source of it. Who Is the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. He is God. The Hebrew word Ruach and the Greek word Pneuma both mean "wind" or "breath." The Holy Spirit is a person—He feels, speaks, and can be hurt by how we live. Ephesians 4:30 (NLT): "Do not bring sorrow to God's Holy Spirit by the way you live." 1 Thessalonians 5:19 (ESV): "Do not quench the Spirit." You determine how much of the Spirit you experience. The Holy Spirit isn't a power you use—He's a person you know. What Is the Holy Spirit Like? The Holy Spirit isn't weird—people are. Like the wind, He is: Invisible. John 14:17 (NIV). You may not see Him, but you can see His results. Unpredictable. John 3:8 (NIV). You can't control or schedule Him—you can only make room for Him. What Does the Holy Spirit Do? He provides power. Acts 1:8 (NLT): "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you." He isn't an accessory; He's the power supply. He gives gifts. 1 Corinthians 12:4 (NLT): "...different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all." They're for showing love, not off. He cleanses us. 1 Corinthians 6:11 (NLT): "...you were cleansed... by the Spirit of our God." Jesus forgives sin; the Spirit fixes character. He teaches us. John 14:26 (ESV): "...the Helper... will teach you all things..." He turns Scripture from words you read into words you live. He guides us. Romans 8:14 (NLT): "...all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God." He's your guide and guardrail—follow Him, and you won't lose your way. He helps us. John 14:16–17 (NIV): "...he will give you another advocate to help you..." When you can't, He can. He convicts us. John 16:8 (NLT): "He will convict the world of its sin." Conviction draws you to God. "It's God's job to judge, the Spirit's to convict, and ours to love." —Billy Graham He fellowships with us. 2 Corinthians 13:14 (NLT): "... the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." He wants relationship, not visitation rights. Closing At the source of the Nile, a hidden spring flows north, bringing life wherever it goes. When the Holy Spirit is your source, your life flows upward toward God. John 7:38–39 (NIV): "Rivers of living water will flow from within them... By this he meant the Spirit." Stay connected to the Source—and His life will flow through every part of yours. Is the Holy Spirit your source?

Be Bold in Your Faith Acts 4:13When 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. When it comes to our Christian faith, the loud voices in this world often tell us to keep our faith and our beliefs to ourselves, to blend in, to avoid offending anyone. But that's not what Jesus did. He preached the good news everywhere he went and with boldness and authority. And if we want to be his disciples, he calls us to do the same. But how do we do this in a world that views the Christian message of salvation with increasing hostility?  Beloved, bold and courageous faith comes from being with Jesus. We experience supernatural courage and strength when we spend time in fellowship with the Lord. When the resurrected Christ rose from the dead and appeared to his disciples, he promised that a gift was coming, the Advocate and Comforter was coming, the Holy Spirit. Christian, we are filled with the same Holy Spirit as Peter and John and we can literally accomplish great and mighty things with his help. So be strong, be encouraged and be bold in your faith, Jesus is counting on you!I love y'alldoug

The plan of God is to pour His abundant love; everything He is and everything He has and all His peace and His joy; His plan is to pour that out upon your life. And that … that's why He's sent the Holy Spirit.   How Thirsty are You? We are starting a new series this week on Christianityworks called "The Holy Spirit and Me". For most of my life I haven't been a Christian. My early memories of church as a child were hard pews and filtered light through yellow windows and the Latin Mass and then as I grew up, a German Mass. And for me as a child, it felt like the whole thing was just droning on. I don't mean to criticise but for me as a kid, the whole Christianity/religion thing – it just didn't work. It all seemed pretty much irrelevant. In fact, I remember in church, sitting as a young child, I knew my father could wiggle his ears and I thought, "Maybe I can do it too" and the biggest thing I got out of that time – sitting still for me for an hour on end was just a terrible thing as a kid – was learning to wiggle my ears. And as I grew up, I'm your typical baby-boomer – you know, I was into career, into money, into having things and I discovered I was very good at what I did so, I got onto the treadmill of life and the whole religion and rules and church thing, by and large, for me, was just irrelevant – particularly as a baby-boomer. So when I came to that time in my life, about eleven years ago, when God started to stir things around inside of me; began to develop a sense of my own spirituality, I thought, "I only want this if it is real, if it's relevant, if it's here and now, if it makes a difference." The notion of church and religion to me was vacuous and out of date and irrelevant. If there was a God I wanted to know Him and if not I thought, "I can do without all that other palaver" – you know. I don't know if you have been at functions or events or cocktail parties when you are standing around and you have a discussion with someone and it's all superficial and you wander off and go and get another drink and you talk to someone else at all this superficial level. It's so different to having a great meal with some close friends where there is a depth and a reality to the relationship. And I guess to me, that was the distinction between the whole churchy/religiousy thing on the one hand, which I saw as superficial and the depth of relationship on the other which is what I wanted with this God – with this Jesus, if He was who He said He was. A friend is someone who sticks by you through thick and thin. A friend accepts you for who you are, good and bad. So I thought, "If I am going to be a Christian I want a deep, passionate, real relationship with God." I remember having a cup of coffee not many months after I gave my life to Christ and this man was my pastor – a wonderful man – and he saw how excited, how passionate I was about this new relationship that I had discovered with Jesus. And he said to me, "Berni, you know, it's not always going to be like that. There will be days when it's bad," and in a sense he's right, there are some tough days in life. But I went home and I was really angry with what he had said and I remember praying, I said, "God, if I am going to be a Christian I want to do it with my all and I want it to be a real, powerful relationship and I want to know this peace and this joy and this love and this excitement every day of my life." Now, there are three types of people in this world – those who enjoy a relationship like that with God – and I would encourage you to stick with us today because it will be an encouragement to listen to what we are talking about with the Holy Spirit. There are those who believe in Jesus – the second type – but they don't have that sort of relationship. Somehow the Christianity thing is hollow; it's empty. The third…the third are people who don't yet believe in Jesus, who don't have that relationship and maybe you are asking, "Well, does He have anything to offer?" So today let me encourage you – we are going to open up a box here and look at what Jesus says about the subject of having a relationship with Him and for you to evaluate that and decide for yourself whether that's the sort of passionate relationship you would like to have. Way back in the Old Testament, to the prophet Jeremiah, when God's people, the people of Israel were going through some really tough times – God always seems to show up for Israel during the tough times. And He makes really powerful and far-reaching and exciting promises and this is one of those times. He says: Look, after all this is through, I will put My Word inside you. I'll write it on your heart and I will be your God and you will by my people and you won't have to teach each other and say to each other, 'Know God' because you will know Me. From the least to the greatest" says the Lord, "I'll forgive you and I'll remember your sin no more and you will love me. I love that passage because that's God heart; that's God passion; that is God saying to me and God saying to you, "I want to have a relationship with you, I want to be close to you, I want for you to know Me." You know, it's one thing to know God; it's another thing to know God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our spirit, to be consumed with the wonder and the awe of who God is. There is another beautiful passage in the Book of Joel – another one of the Old Testament prophets: And God says, "After all these things, I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh and your sons and daughters shall prophesy. This picture of God wanting to have a relationship; this picture of God pouring out His Spirit - you know, He's not doing it with an eye-dropper; He's not doing it with a little cup, God wants to pour out His Holy Spirit. That's why this week we are starting a series called, "The Holy Spirit and Me". Who is this Holy Spirit? What's His job? What's He like? What does He do? What's my relationship? What's the whole point of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit? So right now I'd ask you how thirsty are you? How much do you want to have a relationship with God through the Holy Spirit?   Intimacy with God We are going to have a look today at what Jesus had to say about this person, the Holy Spirit and we are going to John chapter 14 – if you have got a Bible, grab it and open it up – the fourth Book in the New Testament – John chapter 14. Now Jesus has spent three and a half years with His disciples; they were fishermen and tax collectors and they had seen Him do the most amazing miracles; they had heard Him preach powerful sermons but the time was drawing near for Him to be crucified. Now Jesus was a religious subversive. The religious establishment of the day was into rules and religion and pomp and ceremony and hypocrisy and oppression and they had done deals with the Roman occupying power and Jesus ... Jesus comes along and threatens that. He is like a breath of fresh air. He hangs around with common people, like you and me. He stands up for the oppressed ones and the marginalised ones. He does miracles and He shows up the establishment and so they plot to kill Him. So His disciples have this sense of fear and loss. He is telling them about it and they are wondering, "Well what about my life? I mean, this Jesus who has been doing these amazing things, He says He is going to be crucified – what then?" So this little rag-tag group of fishermen and tax collectors and the people that God has chosen to establish His church are about to experience the deep loss of Jesus on the cross. And Jesus comes along and promises them something and that's what we are going to read now in John's Gospel chapter 14, beginning at verse 15. Let's have a bit of a read. He says: If you love me you will keep my commandments and I will ask My Father and He will give you another advocate; another comforter to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of Truth whom the world cannot receive because they don't see Him or know Him but you know Him because He dwells and abides with you and He will be in you. I won't leave you orphaned; I'm coming to you. In a little while the world won't see me any longer but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in My Father and you are in me and I am in you. They who have My commandments and keep them, are those who love Me and those who love Me will be loved by My Father and I will love them and reveal Myself to them. Judas – not Iscariot, another Judas – said to Him "Lord, how is it that you reveal yourself to us and not to the world?" And Jesus answered him "Those who love me will keep My Word and My Father will love them and we will come to them and make our home with them." And then He goes on to say: Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I don't give it to you the way the world gives. Don't let your hearts be troubled and don't let them be afraid. This is a promise from Jesus in this tough time, just like those Old Testament promises we looked at earlier. This is God showing up in a difficult, tough time, making beautiful, wonderful, powerful promises and here He promises the Holy Spirit. He says: If you love Me you will keep My commandments and I will ask Dad and He will give you another one; another advocate. "If you love Me ..." Is He looking for perfection? No! Jesus knows we are not perfect but He is saying if you live your life for Me – if you really love Me, the things that I have taught you, the things that you have heard, the things that I've said are really important – My wisdom, love your enemy, love your neighbour, don't judge other people – all that stuff, He says if you will do that, I'll ask Dad and He will send you another counsellor. Now if you have a Bible, this word is translated in different ways – Counsellor or Advocate or Comforter "like Me". In fact, the words that Jesus uses there mean "just like Me" – another one "just like Me". So all of a sudden we know something about this Holy Spirit that He is promising. The Holy Spirit is just like Jesus. Ever wondered what the Holy Spirit is like because when we say, "God the Father", we go, "Well, I can imagine what a good dad is?" We haven't all had good dads but we can all imagine what a good father is like and so we look at God as "Father" and we go, "Yep, I get that bit." "God the Son", well, we understand sonship and we understand Jesus because we can pick up at least four books in the Bible – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, the Gospels – and read exactly what He was like and how He behaved and how He reacted and what He said. But kind of getting your mind and your heart around the Holy Spirit is ... it's a whole bunch more difficult isn't it? And here Jesus tells us what the Holy Spirit is like – He is just like Jesus. In the Old Testament, remember we read earlier, the promise in Joel: I will pour out My Spirit on everyone. And Jesus is saying, "It's about to happen folks!" God is God the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit – we don't understand that fully – three persons, one God and Jesus is saying, "It's about to happen, guys. I know I'm going to be crucified but sometime real soon I'm going to follow-up on My promise to pour out My Spirit and I'm going to pour My Spirit out on you and if you love Me, if you believe in Me, I will come and make My home in You. I'm in Dad and you will be in Me and Dad and I will come and make our homes in you." Let's look at it again: This Spirit of truth whom the world can't receive because they don't know Him and they don't see Him but you do – you know Him because He abides with you. See, "abides" is such a strong word – it doesn't mean "shack up", it doesn't mean "visit", it doesn't mean "have a cup of coffee together", it means "to be with us forever" and that's what Jesus said: I will give you another advocate to be with you forever. And we will come and make our home with you. If you love Me and keep My Word, My Dad will love you and He and I, through the Holy Spirit, will make our home with you." Up until then, the presence of God had been understood to be inside the temple in Jerusalem, in the Holy of Holies and no one could come close to God and here in Jesus, God comes close to us. And Jesus says, "It gets better than this – we are about to get much closer because when I pour My Spirit out, I will be dwelling with you and living in you." In fact, He goes on to say, in John chapter 16: It's to your advantage that I go away because if I don't go away I won't be pouring My Spirit out on you and having My Spirit is so much better. What an amazing plan Jesus has for us! What an awesome plan to pour out His Spirit and we will pick up and look at that plan just a little bit more next.   Jesus Comes Home Well, God does have an amazing plan for us to have a relationship with Him that is intimate and real and here and now. I remember talking to a young man at a church I was at a few years ago – I was running an ALPHA course, which is a course to introduce people to Jesus and what Christianity is all about. And this man was a young Jewish lawyer by the name of David and we were talking about the Holy Spirit – we were talking about exactly this passage that we've just read. It says: I will come and make My home in you. My Spirit will abide with you forever. And I was explaining it is kind of like God moves in. God moves into our lives, into our hearts and into our spirits and into our souls and He is with us every second of every minute of every hour of every day for the rest of eternity. And this young lawyer said 'Woe, that's a bit of an invasion of privacy isn't it?' I guess it is … I guess it is when a man a woman gets married, you know, all of a sudden there in each other's space and they are in each other's lives and they share the same bed and they share every room in the house. It is kind of an invasion of privacy but it's God's plan. Not for religion, not for rules: If you love Me you will keep My commandments and I will come and make My home in you. I will love you, I will show Myself to you. It says here in this passage we have just been reading. When Jesus said: It is to your advantage that I go away so that I can send you the Holy Spirit. What He was meaning was this: Jesus was God in the flesh and being a man He had a physical limitation – He could only be in one place at one time but the Holy Spirit doesn't have that problem. The Holy Spirit … God the Spirit can be in me and in you and in a trillion other people at exactly the same time. The Holy Spirit is God with me and God with you, 24/7. And when Judas asks the question in verse 22 of chapter 14, when he says: Lord how is it that You reveal Yourself to us and not to the world? That is a good question. Jesus answer is: I will make My home with you. I will abide with you. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit will be on your journey with you. Not in a church, not in a building, not in a temple, not in an air-conditioned heaven, I'll be on the journey with you through thick, through thin, through up, through down, through plenty, through not enough, through fire, through storm, Jesus is in that place with us. But this isn't for everyone; this isn't for the world; this isn't for people who say, "Well, you know something, I'm going to live my life my way and Jesus can be my little lap dog; my little puppy who does tricks and helps me when I need Him to." No, this is on God's terms – God is God. If you love Me you will keep My commandments and I will ask Dad and He will give you another advocate just like Me to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth whom the world cannot accept. If we want to race off and live our lives contrary to God's will, Jesus is saying "I'm sorry, but this isn't for you. I want to give you My Spirit, I want to move in, I want to dwell with you, I want you to see Me, I want to reveal Myself to you through the Spirit of God, but you know something, it's on God's terms because God is God. And sometimes we think, "Well, what will that mean? What will I have to do?" And we think, "Well, that's God's problem; God will teach us, God will show us when we invite Him in." And that's exactly what Jesus says. Pick it up in chapter 14, verse 25: I have said these things to you while I am still with you but the Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have said to you. What a great plan! What an awesome plan! It's so scary sometimes to contemplate this Person, the Holy Spirit and think what's it going to mean? What do I have to give up? And all the time what the Spirit brings is joy and peace and an intimate relationship with God that we can't even begin to imagine until He does that work in us. And when He does that, He changes us. We get addicted to His joy. I'm addicted to the peace that the Holy Spirit brings. That's why I spend time with God; that's why I do what I do. I just love Him and when we do that somehow He changes us. You know those things that you've been trying to change in yourself all your life – I have them too. When we draw close to Him, that flame burns and somehow, all that rubbish just burns away, day-by-day, week-by-week, year-by-year. So it's not a self-help programme, its God changing us. For me when I accepted Jesus I did it holus-bolus. Like the disciples, it was a time of loss and fear and loneliness for me eleven years ago. When I accepted Him the pain didn't go away straight away – I still had ups and downs – but God blessed me so greatly with a beautiful wife and daily I live in His presence and day after day after day He is changing me and touching me and guiding me and moulding me and it's the Holy Spirit … God the Holy Spirit in me. And God the Holy Spirit in you who wants to do this; who wants to show us Jesus and tell us how wonderful He is. This is what Jesus says in chapter 16, beginning at verse 14 about the Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit will glorify Me because He will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine and for this reason I said to you that He will take what is mine and declare it to you. The plan of God is to pour His abundant love, everything He is and everything He has and all His love and His peace and His joy – His plan is to pour that into your life and my life through the Holy Spirit. Father, I pray that as we have been in Your Word today Your Spirit would stir us up – You would give us a hunger and a thirst and a desire to be filled with Your Holy Spirit and I pray Father God in Jesus name, that You would do exactly that. 

We live in a world that hungers for spiritual experience. That 'something more' that seems to be missing. Well ?' Jesus always had a plan for exactly that???enter the Holy Spirit. Why don't you join Berni Dymet, on Christianityworks to take a look at Jesus' plan??? Support the show: https://christianityworks.com/channels/cw/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Did you know it was to your advantage that Jesus went away? He did so to send the Comforter—the Holy Spirit—whose presence is even more beneficial than Jesus being here physically. The Holy Spirit reveals truth, brings understanding, reminds us of God's Word, and empowers us to live a supernatural life. If you let Him, He'll teach you to hear God's voice clearly through His Word.

October 31, 2025Today's Reading: Matthew 11:12-19Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 32:28-52; Deuteronomy 33:1-29; Matthew 20:17-34“From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence” (Matthew 11:12)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. “Lord, I thank you that I am not like other church bodies: Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, the Baptists…” Sound familiar? Just a few days ago, we heard Jesus tell us about the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. The sinful pride of the Pharisee clouded his thoughts on all things spiritual, and he ended up thinking he was doing a good job being righteous.It's easy for Lutherans to fall into that same trap around this time each year. In some strange twist of irony, as we talk about not focusing on our works, we champion our “saved by grace through faith” as if it's something we think and do. We end up turning belief into a work! And as if that wasn't bad enough, we convince ourselves that this work of belief is superior to our Roman friends' works adding to their faith.  Guess what?! BOTH of those ideas miss the mark. The kingdom of heaven suffers violence when you consider faith something you have done. The kingdom of heaven suffers violence when one thinks that her works are needed to join with faith to make one right with God. The kingdom of heaven suffers violence any time when one Christian takes pride that he is better than another.Having been warned against pride, and knowing that sometimes we are the ones inflicting violence, we also take comfort from Jesus today. The Comforter of Priceless Worth has brought you to repentance and delivered the unlimited forgiveness of the Lord to you. You are made right with God by His divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in you.Our dear Savior does forewarn that the Church will indeed suffer. Christ Our Mighty Fortress does not promise to shield you from every persecution, hardship, or violence against His kingdom. He will not necessarily let you avoid the attacks. But He will be with you throughout them, always. Sometimes He will prevent or diffuse the violence. At other times, the comfort simply is that He endures it with us.Your dear Christ Himself is the kingdom of heaven in the flesh, and He suffered violence for you. Our Great Captain bared His arms, as He was stripped and nailed to the cross. Our prayer for deliverance from evil was answered as He endured the thorns, nails, and so much more, to pay the price for any violence that you have inflicted. And He supports and carries you through any violence that you endure until He returns for you, when we, with all His saints and martyrs, will raise a mighty chorus to His praise forevermore.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Amen, Lord Jesus, grant our prayer; Great Captain, now Thine arm make bare, Fight for us once again! So shall Thy saints and martyrs raise, A mighty chorus to Thy praise Forevermore. Amen. (LSB 666:4)Rev. Richard Heinz, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, Lowell, IN.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Harrison Goodman is the Executive Director of Mission and Theology for Higher Things.Step back in time to the late Reformation and learn about a divisive yet inspirational figure: Matthias Flacius Illyricus. His contributions to Lutheranism still echo in our teachings today, from the Magdeburg Confession to parts of the Lutheran Confessions. Learning about Flacius's life will help you understand more intricacies of the Reformation than ever before.

Did you know it was to your advantage that Jesus went away? He did so to send the Comforter—the Holy Spirit—whose presence is even more beneficial than Jesus being here physically. The Holy Spirit reveals truth, brings understanding, reminds us of God's Word, and empowers us to live a supernatural life. If you let Him, He'll teach you to hear God's voice clearly through His Word.

Send us a textFrom Genesis to Revelation, Scripture traces a living current of the Spirit—hovering over the waters (Gen 1:2), breathing life into dry bones (Ezek 37), resting on Jesus and promised to his friends (John 14–16), poured out at Pentecost (Acts 2), and forming Christlike people who bear fruit (Gal 5) and serve with Spirit-given gifts (1 Cor 12–14). In this episode we follow that flow to answer a foundational question: Who is the Holy Spirit?Rather than an impersonal force, the Spirit is the personal presence of God—our Advocate, Comforter, and Guide—leading ordinary apprentices of Jesus into a with-God life. Drawing on the wisdom of the church and the everyday rhythms of discipleship, we explore how the Spirit shapes our identity, empowers our witness, and cultivates love in community. By the end, you'll have a biblical map—and practical next steps—for recognizing and responding to the Spirit's work in and through you.Support the show If you have any questions about the subjects covered in today's episode you can find us on Facebook at the links below or you can shoot me an email at joe@buddywalkwithjesus.com One Stop Shop for all the links Linktr.ee/happydeamedia

Did you know it was to your advantage that Jesus went away? He did so to send the Comforter—the Holy Spirit—whose presence is even more beneficial than Jesus being here physically. The Holy Spirit reveals truth, brings understanding, reminds us of God's Word, and empowers us to live a supernatural life. If you let Him, He'll teach you to hear God's voice clearly through His Word.

Did you know it was to your advantage that Jesus went away? He did so to send the Comforter—the Holy Spirit—whose presence is even more beneficial than Jesus being here physically. The Holy Spirit reveals truth, brings understanding, reminds us of God's Word, and empowers us to live a supernatural life. If you let Him, He'll teach you to hear God's voice clearly through His Word.

Did you know it was to your advantage that Jesus went away? He did so to send the Comforter—the Holy Spirit—whose presence is even more beneficial than Jesus being here physically. The Holy Spirit reveals truth, brings understanding, reminds us of God's Word, and empowers us to live a supernatural life. If you let Him, He'll teach you to hear God's voice clearly through His Word.

In this episode of Speak the Truth, host Mike welcomes guest Ellen Dykas, an ABC partner from Harvest USA. Ellen discusses the vital topic of 'God as Comforter' in biblical counseling, specifically referencing 2 Corinthians 1:3-6. The episode not only delves into Ellen's background and her work in discipleship and counseling but also offers a practical guide for counselors on integrating the concept of divine comfort into their sessions. Ellen emphasizes the importance of understanding God's comfort, engaging in meaningful dialogue with counselees, and applying Scripture to help those dealing with pain and suffering. The episode is a rich resource for both current counselors and those in training.00:00 Introduction to Speak the Truth Podcast00:33 Guest Introduction: Ellen Dykas01:15 Ellen's Background and Ministry03:09 God's Comfort in Counseling06:42 Applying God's Comfort in Counseling Sessions16:44 After Session Assignments and Reflections20:48 Final Encouragement and Closing RemarksEpisode MentionsWives Navigating Sexual Betrayal - Harvest USA Counseling Through God's Attributes - ABC RES 

In this episode, Christian Ann Larson—therapist, pastor, and co-leader of North City Church—teaches on what it means to live with a conscious dependence on the Holy Spirit. She explores how our daily habits, routines, and relationships reveal what (or who) we truly depend on—and invites us to reimagine dependence as something holy, not weak.Through stories, humor, and reflection on John 14, Christian Ann helps us see that dependence on the Spirit brings peace of mind and heart, not restriction. Drawing from her experience as both a therapist and follower of Jesus, she contrasts cultural ideals of independence with the interdependence modeled by the Trinity itself—Father, Son, and Spirit.You'll also hear a few funny moments (including one involving getting lost in northern Wisconsin without Google Maps!) and guided reflection questions to help you pause and notice the Spirit's presence in your own life.Key Themes:Rethinking dependence vs. independenceJesus' promise of the Holy Spirit (John 14)The Spirit as Advocate, Comforter, and GuidePractical ways to create space for the Spirit's voiceInterdependence as the design of God's peoplePeace as a sign of being led by the SpiritReflection Questions:What or who do you find yourself depending on most these days?How might those dependencies be shaping your sense of peace?Where can you create space to listen to the Spirit this week?Scripture Reference: John 14:15–27 (NLT)

Pastor Nelms teaches on believers learning to follow Jesus according to the pattern of Psalm 23, and eating from the table of blessing that Jesus prepares for His children.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/renaissance-school-of-the-spirit--3241606/support

Christians, real Christians, know and understand salvation, the incredible salvation experience, when they have met and believed in Jesus Christ.Real Christians know the experience of forgiveness of sin, the soul and character-changing encounter with the crucifixion, the body and blood of our Lord.Real Christians know how important, vital and life-changing PRAYER is, communion with God Almighty every day.Real Christians study Scripture, the Bible, Old and New Testaments, to learn, to grow, and to show themselves approved unto God work men and women who are never ashamed of the Gospel and their incredible spiritual experiences.Real Christians grow, understand, and are thrilled with the challenges and opportunities of THE JOURNEY OF LIFE.But even real Christians may not know the necessity, the meaning of this extremely important Biblical command:I WILL MEDITATE ON YOUR PRECEPTS. (TEACHINGS, COMMANDMENTS, LAWS, AND GRACE, AMONG OTHERS)Of all the Christians verities, the marvelous act of meditation may be the one most misunderstood or neglected. But Psalm 119:15 implores us to never forget to meditate daily, DAILY! There is no day too busy not to take time to:MEDITATE ON HIS PRECEPTS.Meditation, real meditation, as the process begins, is difficult. For some, it is very difficult. It requires an environment of:COMPLETE QUIET.Spurgeon urges and indicates that meditation, real meditation, can only occur when one enters the so-called CLOSET where there is complete quiet, perhaps darkness, an environment without distraction, noise, and certainly other people. There is an environment where one is alone and only with the company of THE HOLY SPIRIT, and with the presence of our Lord. It becomes the perfect QUIET TIME, away from everyone and everything.It is in that precious environment of SOLITUDE AND SILENCE that one, that every true Christian believer, can really hear and absorb the presence of:THE HOLY SPIRIT.It is only there that this indispensable CHRISTIAN HELPER and Comforter can make His presence known.It is only in that quiet time that real Christian growth and especially understanding of the mysteries of the Gospel can be revealed. It is only there, in the closet, that there can occur the work of the Holy Spirit which includes:ILLUMINTATIONENLIGHTENMENTINSTRUCTIONSINTERPRETATIONINSPIRATIONThose incredible spiritual experiences can only occur when the believer is completely open, and then the Spirit bear's witness. The mind stands still, a tabula rasa readiness (a completely open and empty mind). All worldly thoughts are postponed, the heart opens wide, and the believer signals ready for the working of the Holy Spirit. Nothing is more difficult, but nothing is more worthwhile, NOTHING!Then one begins the next process, difficult, but necessary and oh-so-valuable, that completely open time when the believer:WAITS ON THE LORD.There is no agenda. The believer brings nothing spiritually or mentally into the closet but lays the soul bare before the Lord and waits, WAITS, on the Lord and the coming of the Holy Spirit. To understand the value, to learn patience, to learn how to wait, to empty the mind, and no matter how intellectual, really learn the deep, mysterious, and incredible truths of the Gospel. It is a discipline which takes time, practice, and constant experimentation. But no Christian experience is complete unless a believer learns how to practice and derive the benefits of:MEDITATION.And the incredible strengthening process of:WAITING ON THE LORD.Done right, then comes the work of the Holy Spirit. That work illuminates, educates, instructs, and, perhaps most importantly, interprets and inspires every believer, like nothing else and no other experience can. Meditation is the process of deep and rich:SPIRITUAL DIGESTION.The meditation experience alone can produce those rich and vital spiritual vitamins, the most important spiritual digestion of anything in the Christian journey.It takes time, quality time, daily time, no day is too busy to set aside quality time for the partnership and the workings of the Holy Spirit in meditation. There is no believer or any day which can not provide:30 MINUTESor more of quality time all alone IN THE CLOSET with the Holy Spirit. If a Christian sincerely wishes to grow in the things of the Gospel and our Lord, the goal should be the setting aside of that quality time, perhaps a minimum of 30 minutes:EVERY DAY.Then, a believer can rightly ASK, and, in that environment, there comes the Scriptural promise that such asking will be answered:ASK AND YOU WILL RECEIVE THE ANSWERS.Meditation, real meditation, is not easy. It takes practice, time, trial and error, and patience, careful love, and patience in this cell phone age. But there is no spiritual experience, Christian experience, in the journey of faith, which is more worthwhile or more necessary if one, any believer, no matter how busy, sincerely desires to experience in this life all that our Lord and the Holy Spirit has promised to all true believers. As with prayer and thanksgiving, MEDITATION should be an essential part of the Christian journey and experience:EVERY DAY!

2 Chronicles 12 saw Rehoboam become lifted up and forsake Yahweh. As a consequence, Shishak of Egypt was sent in judgment against him. But because the king and princes humbled themselves they were not destroyed. But unfortunately, his Ammonite mother led him in evil ways. In chapter 13 we read of Abijah's reign in Judah. In the third year of his rule, he went out to battle with a mighty army against Jeroboam; whose idolatry he scorned. He warned Jeroboam to desist as they were certain to fail. Half a million Israelites were slaughtered. Jeroboam never recovered and was relentlessly pursued by Abijah. Ezekiel 46 deals with the entering of the prince through the eastern gate - verses 1-8 - the entering and leaving of worshippers to the LORD's House - verses 9-10 - and the appointed feasts - verses 11-15. Verses 16-18 speak of the land grants given by Messiah the Prince i.e. our Lord Jesus Christ. Verses 19-24 describe the size and functions of the massive corner kitchens which were approximately 145 metres in height. These are likely for food preparation for the millions of worshippers who will constantly flow into Yahweh's Sanctuary: "The House of prayer for all nations". In John 13 we have Jesus' demonstration to his disciples of love, when he girds himself with a towel in the form of a servant (Philippians 2) and washes their feet. When Jesus came to Peter he was told you're not going to wash my feet. He was told unless I wash your feet you can have no part with me. Peter's response was, "Wash all of me". Jesus said that the believers need only their feet be washed. Jesus had given the great example of loving service; and that from the one who was their Lord and Master. We must follow that exemplary service. Our Lord spoke of his betrayal and after given the sop - a sign of friendship -to Judas the betrayer left intent on completing the deliverance of his Lord into the hands of Christ's enemies. When Judas left Jesus' response was, "Just now was the Son of Man glorified". He told the disciples of a new commandment, which was not entirely new, but certainly it was to the extent our Lord demonstrated in the laying down of his life revealed 'agape' to an extent never been seen before. Peter's threefold denial was prophesied. In chapter 14 we are told that Jesus is, "the way, the truth and the life"and that no one can come to the Father but through the Lord. Philip said, "Show us the Father and thatwill be enough. Jesus response was "Haven't you been with me long enough to have seen the Father's character revealed?" Jesus promised the Holy Spirit as their Comforter, when he was to be taken from them. They would be left with peace - not the absence of strife, but the understanding that all things arein the Father's control. So, they left the upper room for further instruction.Thanks for joining us - we pray you found these comments helpful in your appreciation of God's words, join again tomorrow

The Comforter. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me (Psalm 23:4). Thank you, Holy Spirit.

This week we will be considering the confidence that we have in the one true God. We will study in particular the confidence that He gives us in the privilege of prayer. But "prayer" to any god is not really prayer. Only prayer addressed to the one and only God is true prayer. Our final hymn will emphasize the nature of that one true God, in whom we have absolute confidence and to whom we pray. This is hymn 541, O Blessed Holy Trinity in The Lutheran Hymnal. This hymn by Lutheran pastor Martin Behm, is both a prayer to the true God AND and confession of who that true God is. The hymn is based primarily on the Aaronic and Pauline blessings of the Old and New Testament. These blessings highlight the nature of what the Christian Church has called the "Triune" God. Both of these blessings bring out the three-fold nature of the true God. The Aaronic blessing (the blessing given to Aaron in the Old Testament) states: "The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace." (Numbers 6:24-26). The Pauline blessing (the blessing used by the Apostle Paul) says: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen" (2 Corinthians 13:14). The stanzas of Behm's hymn develop and utilize these two Bible verses and what they tell us about God. He is three in person, but one in essence. The Triune God is Father and Maker, Son and Redeemer, and Holy Spirit and Comforter. This God has created and preserves us, protects us, instructs and cheers us, and illuminates and keeps us in the faith.  The hymn, which was written just under a hundred years after the start of the Reformation, also draws from and beautifully incorporates Luther's Morning Prayer in stanza 2. Luther wrote: In the name of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen. I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept all harm and danger away from me last night; and I pray that You would also protect me today from sin and every evil, that my life and all my behavior may please You. Into Your hands I entrust my body and soul and everything else. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the devil may have no power over me. Amen. There is inestimable value in knowing the true God and having absolute confidence in His power, love and mercy. There is joy in our ability to come to the true God in prayer, knowing that He can and will answer according to our need and His will for us. We worship and serve a wonderful God! Join us this weekend to be assured of that confidence and to blend our voices together to sing praise to Father, Son and Holy Spirit for all that our God does, has done and will do for you! 

In Acts 19, Paul asked a simple question: “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”Tonight, Pastor Kelli reminds us that God has immeasurably more for His people through the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit isn't distant—He's our Helper, Comforter, Teacher, Defender, and Friend. We are called not just to know about Him but to be filled and refilled daily with His power, strength, and presence.

“The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost.” — John 14:26 This age is peculiarly the dispensation of the Holy Spirit, in which Jesus cheers us, not by His personal presence, as He shall do by-and-by, but by the indwelling and constant abiding of the Holy Ghost, who is evermore the Comforter of the church. It […]

Jesus promised the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit indwells Christians at salvation. The role of the Holy Spirit is to be our Advocate, Comforter, Teacher, Convicter, Guide, Intercessor and Power as we live our lives for Christ. The problem is that we can quench the Spirit - meaning we can harden our hearts to God. But, imagine the impact that would come if all Christ-followers lived with the power and Presence of God through the Holy Spirit on the world today. Every Great Spiritual Awakening begins with a Revival of God's People. This is our time. Come, Holy Spirit!

Jesus promised the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit indwells Christians at salvation. The role of the Holy Spirit is to be our Advocate, Comforter, Teacher, Convicter, Guide, Intercessor and Power as we live our lives for Christ. The problem is that we can quench the Spirit - meaning we can harden our hearts to God. But, imagine the impact that would come if all Christ-followers lived with the power and Presence of God through the Holy Spirit on the world today. Every Great Spiritual Awakening begins with a Revival of God's People. This is our time. Come, Holy Spirit!

The Holy Spirit isn't a mystery, He's your divine Helper, Comforter, and Guide! In this powerful message, Pastor Corey Erman teaches how to build a real relationship with the Holy Spirit, learning His voice, following His lead, and walking in His power daily. “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever.” — John 14:16To support this ministry and help us reach the nations with revival visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠RiverWPB.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or text GIVE and any amount to (855) 968-3708.

Who is the Holy Spirit, and how does He move in your life? In this foundational message, Pastor Corey Erman unpacks the person and power of the Holy Spirit, your Comforter, Teacher, and Helper who equips you to live victoriously. “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.” — Acts 1:8To support this ministry and help us reach the nations with revival visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠RiverWPB.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or text GIVE and any amount to (855) 968-3708.

Send us a textFire didn't start the story of Pentecost; harvest did. We begin with Firstfruits and follow the thread fifty days forward to the moment the Holy Spirit descends—not as a vague comfort, but as the Spirit of truth who testifies of Jesus, frees us from the law's condemnation, and grows fruit we cannot fake. Along the way, we ask hard questions about tradition, sift Shavuot's memories through Scripture, and show why the timing and symbols of the feasts are more than religious décor—they're the spine of a gospel-shaped calendar that points straight to Christ.We open John 15:26 and let it lead: the Comforter comes to make much of Jesus. That claim is either blasphemy or divinity, and the implications reach into daily life—conviction that heals, guidance that steadies, power that resists the flesh. Then we widen the lens: Ezekiel's promise of a new heart, the imagery of wind and fire, the global call that follows Pentecost as the gospel trumpet sounds beyond Palestine. If you've ever wondered why many missed the Messiah amid such bright signs, we talk about veils, timing, and the difference grace makes when understanding moves from data to worship.From there we connect the fall feasts. Trumpets summons repentance and gathering; the Day of Atonement reveals the cost of mercy and the beauty of a high priest who enters once for all. Hebrews 9 becomes a guide to Christ's finished work and His ongoing intercession at the Father's right hand. That's where confidence lives: your debt is handled, your Advocate is alive, your future is secure. And if the feasts lead anywhere, they lead to celebration—less posturing, more gratitude; fewer intramural fights, more awe at a plan that holds together from Genesis to Revelation.If this journey helped you see Jesus in the feasts and the Spirit's role with fresh clarity, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review to help others find thoughtful, Scripture-rich conversations like this. What feast theme most reshaped your view of the gospel?Support the show

In John 14:15–27, Jesus promises the Holy Spirit as our Advocate, Comforter, and Friend—the one who steadies our hearts and keeps us focused on him. Using imagery from The Wizard of Oz, Bret compares the Spirit's quiet guidance to Toto's loyal presence beside Dorothy: alert, faithful, and always sensing what's true. When fear and distraction rise, the Spirit redirects us toward Jesus and fills our troubled hearts with peace—the kind the world can't give or take away.

We hope you are blessed as Apostle Harold Williams shares a message that will challenge the way you think about your walk with the Lord: "Holy Spirit: More than a Comforter."Visit our website at www.givinglight.org.Download the Giving Light App available for free on iOS and Android.

The Sound Chaser Progressive Rock Podcast is on the air. On the show this time I have new music from Head Spin, an In Memoriam feature for Danny Thompson, and over three hours of entertaining and enlightening progressive music. All that, plus news of tours and releases on Sound Chaser. Playlist1. Ekseption - The Peruvian Flute, from TrinityIN MEMORIAM DANNY THOMPSON2. Danny Thompson - Yucateca, from WhateverEND IN MEMORIAM3. Spock's Beard - Gibberish, from There & Here4. Frédéric L'Épée - Kalimba I, from Vent, Pluie et Sable5. Thermal and a Quarter - Stone Circle, from A World Gone Mad6. Head Spin - Phase Eater, from High Orbit7. Art Griffin's Sound Chaser - Astronomy by Rail, from The Seven Ages of Starlight8. Alex Machacek, Jeff Sipe, Matthew Garrison - Matt's Riff, from Improvision9. Fleet Foxes - Quiet Houses, from Fleet Foxes10. Steve Hackett - The Lovers, from Voyage of the Acolyte11. Moon Safari - Barfly, from Live in MexicoTHE SYMPHONIC ZONE12. David Bedford - The Phaeacian Games, from The Odyssey13. Egdon Heath - Buried Inside, from Nebula14. Jade Warrior - Night of the Shaman, from Distant Echoes15. Jade Warrior - Standing Stones, from Distant Echoes16. Jade Warrior - Village Dance, from Distant Echoes17. Jade Warrior - Spirits of the Water, from Distant Echoes18. Poor Genetic Material - Thin Red Line, from Leap into Fall19. Lisa LaRue - Lament of the Cherokee / Ruins of Home, from Origins (retrospective)20. Marillion - Pseudo Silk Kimono, from Misplaced Childhood21. Marillion - Kayleigh, from Misplaced Childhood22. Marillion - Lavender, from Misplaced Childhood23. Marillion - Bitter Suite, from Misplaced Childhood24. Marillion - Heart of Lothian, from Misplaced ChildhoodLEAVING THE SYMPHONIC ZONE25. 10cc - Johnny Don't Do It, from 10cc26. Rick Wakeman - The Chase Continues (Po's Plan), from The Burning27. Silent Island - King Pirate, from The Curse of Coleodeia28. Boris S.G - In the Distance, from Soft Landing29. Software - Calèche, from Fragrance30. Forrest Fang - New China, from World Diary31. Rocket Scientists - Calm Before the Storm, from Earth Above and Sky Below32. Mildlife - The Gloves Don't Bite, from Phase33. Steven Wilson - King Ghost, from The Future Bites34. Jay Tausig - Key of Night, from Clavicula Nox35. Dewa Budjana - Zone, from Mahandini36. Lyle Mays - Street Dreams 1 & 2, from Street Dreams37. John McLaughlin with The One Truth Band - Desire and the Comforter, from Electric Dreams

“And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.” (Romans 8:26–27 NLT) There will be times when you don’t know what or how to pray. You may be overwhelmed with a burden. You may be discouraged. You may be depressed. You may be afraid. That’s when the Holy Spirit steps in to help you. Referring to the Holy Spirit, Jesus said, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you” (John 14:16 NLT). The word Advocate also can be translated as Comforter. It comes from the Greek word parakletos, which means “called alongside to help.” The Holy Spirit comes alongside you to assist you in your prayer. He serves as an advocate in interceding for you and pleading your cause before the Father. Let’s face it, some prayer requests are too complex to put into words. Some situations are beyond your ability to fully grasp. Some cause you to confront your self-interests in uncomfortable ways, requiring you to choose between what’s easiest for you in the short term and what’s best for you in the long term. In situations like these, arranging your thoughts and emotions into coherent sentences may seem next to impossible. The good news is that sometimes the most profound prayers are nothing more than a sigh or a groan—an emotional SOS, signaling that you’re overwhelmed and don’t know what to say. I can attest. After my son died, I struggled to come to grips with the reality of his being gone. I prayed to God, but I didn’t always know what to pray. So, sometimes I just said, “Oh, Lord.” Sometimes I just groaned. Sometimes I just cried. Sometimes I just sighed. But that was all I needed to do because I wasn’t crying out against God; I was crying out to Him for help. And His Holy Spirit was ready to assist. The apostle Paul wrote, “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will” (Romans 8:26–27 NLT). Don’t let a lack of words keep you from praying. No matter what you’re experiencing, take it to the Lord. Give Him your sighs, your groans, your tears, your anxiety, your rage. Even if you can muster no more than “God, please,” it’s enough for the Holy Spirit to work with. He will make your needs known to the One who can bring ultimate good from any situation. Reflection question: When have you needed the Holy Spirit’s assistance with a prayer? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship! — The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie. Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast Become a Harvest PartnerSupport the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are targets of the devil because of God's Spirit in us, so it is important for us to try the spirits to discern false teaching from the Word of God. We need to look to the Word and learn the sayings of God, carefully wielding the rhemas as a short sword – in defense and offense against the enemy. VF-2113 Ephesians 6:17, 1John 4:1-3 Watch, Listen and Learn 24x7 at PastorMelissaScott.com Pastor Melissa Scott teaches from Faith Center in Glendale. Call 1-800-338-3030 24x7 to leave a message for Pastor Scott. You may make reservations to attend a live service, leave a prayer request or make a commitment. Pastor Scott appreciates messages and reads them often during live broadcasts. Follow @Pastor_Scott on Twitter and visit her official Facebook page @Pastor.M.Scott. Download Pastor Scott's "Understand the Bible" app for iPhone, iPad and iPod at the Apple App Store and for Android devices in the Google Store. Pastor Scott can also be seen 24x7 on Roku and Amazon Fire on the "Understand the Bible?" channel. ©2025 Pastor Melissa Scott, Ph.D., All Rights Reserved