POPULARITY
Categories
Good evening. Welcome to Dial P for Podcast, Patrick Ripoll's year-long chronological voyage through the films of Alfred Hitchcock. Every month Patrick will be watching four Hitchcock features and talking about them here, from The Pleasure Garden to Family Plot, all across the year of 2026, examining the life and work of England's most famous cinema pervert.We have now reached the peak of Alfred Hitchcock's career, finding the ambitious auteur angling to ascend to new heights of affluence, adoration and artistic acclaim. With I Confess he chases Catholic consternation across Quebecois contexts, with Dial M for Murder he maps and measures macabre mystery to massive monetary means, in Rear Window we watch the wicked whims of windowshoppers wonder about wifely whacks with an ax, and in To Catch A Thief...who the hell knows what's going on with To Catch a Thief, that's a weird one. Genuinely odd.The longest episode of Dial P for Podcast yet, so clearly the best?0:00 - 0:29 - Intro0:30 - 37:50 - I Confess (1953)37:51 - 1:42:03 - Dial M for Murder (1954)1:42:04 - 4:07:46 - Rear Window (1954)4:07:47 - 4:53:44 - To Catch a Thief (1955):4:54:45 - 5:02:19 - Outro
Do You Need to Confess Even After an Act of Perfect Contrition? How does Catholic theology understand savantism? Is this a good or a privation of a good? How do different Catholics views on grace and free will shape prayer and devotion? Join us for these questions and more.
Our text today is 2 Peter 2:4-6: For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly — 2 Peter 2:4-6 False teachers can look successful for a long time. Their audiences can grow, their influence can expand, and their wrongdoings seem to carry no consequences. This can leave us wondering whether God sees what is happening. Peter's answer is unmistakable: God sees, and God judges. For evidence, he points to rebellious angels, the ancient world, and the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. In each case, rebellion continued for a time, sometimes a long time, but not forever. God was patient and his judgment real. We have to remember: Delayed judgment is not denied judgment. Sometimes even I wonder why God allows deceptive or corrupt people to keep acquiring influence. I want him to act more quickly and make everything right. But this text reminds me that God sees what I cannot see, knows what I cannot know, and judges in a way I don't—perfectly. That truth should produce humility and sober self-examination. You see, Peter's warning is not only about "those people out there." It also confronts the compromises we excuse in ourselves. We can wrongly assume that if God has not disciplined us immediately, he must not be concerned. But God's patience is not permission to engage in sin. His patience gives us time to repent. To turn back to him. You may be tolerating an attitude, habit, relationship, or secret behavior because nothing terrible has happened yet. But the absence of immediate consequences does not make your disobedience safe from God's judgment. Sin always brings destruction within it, even when the destruction is not yet realized. So don't worry, God will judge false teachers. He will expose what has been hidden and bring perfect justice in his time. Our responsibility is not to inflict or predict that judgment. It is to remain faithful, reject compromise, and respond with repentance in his patience. God's silence in this matter is not always his approval of their sin or yours. DO THIS: Identify one compromise you have excused because it has not yet produced visible consequences. Confess it honestly to God, remove one practical opportunity to repeat it, and take one step of repentance today. ASK THIS: Why are we tempted to confuse delayed consequences with God's approval? Is there a compromise in your life that you have begun treating as harmless? How should the certainty of God's judgment shape the way you respond to sin and false teaching? PRAY THIS: God, help me never mistake your patience for permission, and lead me to repent quickly from every compromise you reveal in me. Amen PLAY THIS: Lord, I Need You
1 John 2:22-23 & 5:1-5. What does it actually mean to be a Christian? In this new series, You Can't Be a Christian If…, we're diving into 1 John to discover the marks and beliefs that are essential to following Jesus, not just wearing the label. We begin with the most important question of all: Is Jesus really the Christ? Because everything about our faith hinges on who Jesus is, and if He isn't the Christ, then Christianity falls apart, but if He is, then everything changes.For upcoming events and important announcements at Skyline, visit our Facebook page or the Church Center App for the latest details!If you'd like to check out more resources, get to know Skyline Church, or donate to our ministry and missions please visit www.skylineofallon.com. Don't forget to leave us a review and subscribe to have our Sunday message downloaded straight to your phone each week!
In our September 27 Sunday gathering, we close out our series about what you can say to God, by talking about confession.
September 28, 2026Today's Reading: Proverbs 25:6-14Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 1:1-18; Matthew 5:1-20“Do not put yourself forward in the king's presence or stand in the place of the great, for it is better to be told, ‘Come up here,' than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.” (Proverbs 25:6-7)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Throughout the book of Proverbs, God gives His people wisdom regarding humility. This week, God's Word offers an opportunity to reflect on humility as defined by God. Today, we focus on repentance as a Gift of humility given by the King.There is only one King. God Himself is the Maker of the universe and is worthy of all honor, glory, and praise. Here, many of us trip up because of our Old Adam. Simply put, we don't like being told what to do. This is the sin we've inherited from Adam and Eve, who rebelled at the urging of Satan to be “like God” (Genesis 3:5). Rebelling against God, Adam and Eve sought a “higher” place than what they'd already been given. Pride blinded them to the fact that God had already put them as the crown jewel of creation! Yet, it wasn't enough. The tempting serpent led them to rebel against God as they put themselves forward to stand in the place of the Greatest King. Afterward, they try to hide, but are called to account for their sin. Finally, Adam and Eve are cast out of the Garden, far away from their previous place of honor as “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall”(Proverbs 16:18). This is the sin you've inherited, along with all mankind. Own up to the fact that this sin is a deadly sin that infects our thoughts, words, and deeds. Repent of pride, which is always present in our lives. Confess and receive the Absolution of the King. In our confession, we place ourselves rightly in the order of the universe; we admit what we deserve as we petition the King for mercy. God gives it freely and richly. Repentance is that gift of Spirit: humility. Through the Holy Spirit, cultivate a repentant heart, read God's Word, see how the King establishes the universe, and acknowledge how far we fall short. The Holy Spirit enables you to desire the better things God has for you, not what your sinful heart chases after. Repent, believe in the Gospel, and follow the King.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.“To Thee, omniscient Lord of all, In grief and shame I humbly call; I see my sins against Thee, Lord, The sins of thought, and deed, and word. They press me Sore; I cry to Thee: O God, be merciful to me!” (LSB 613:1)Rev. Miguel Gonzalez-Feliciano, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church of Klinger and St. Paul Lutheran Church in Readlyn, IA. Tackle the book of Revelation and discover both the promise and challenge of the end times in this new volume in the Concordia Commentary Bible Study Series. Dive into the wide breadth of information available in the Concordia Commentary series with this new line of Bible studies. Each volume covers one of the Concordia Commentaries to help break up deep, theological content into easy-to-digest sections.
https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/family-devotions/20260928fam.mp3 Listen to Devotion Read: Ezekiel 18:1-4,25-32 “What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel: “‘The parents eat sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge'? “As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel. The parent as well as the child—both alike belong to me. The one who sins is the one who will die. “Therefore, you Israelites, I will judge each of you according to your own ways, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live! Ezekiel 18:1-4,30,32 Don't Blame Others In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. You can't blame others for the wrong things you do. Well, that isn't entirely true. You can—and you do. We all do. It sounds like, “They started it.” Or, “She was frustrating me.” Or maybe, “What they did was far worse.” When we are caught sinning, we naturally make excuses. We quickly point a finger at a sibling, friend, parent, or even a teacher. When we blame others, we are doing what sinners have done since sin first entered our world. When God asked Adam if he had eaten fruit from the one tree in the garden he was not supposed to eat from, Adam's response was to blame someone else. “The woman you put here with me—she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it” (Genesis 3:12). The Israelites in Ezekiel's day had a similar attitude. “The parents eat the sour grapes and the children's teeth are set on edge” was their way of saying, “Our problems are our parents’ fault.” Point the finger. Shift the blame. Excuse your sin. That attitude probably feels familiar. Through the prophet Ezekiel, our just and loving God tells us to stop blaming and start confessing. In Sunday worship, we admit, “I have not loved you with my whole heart; I have not loved others as I should. We have done those things that we should not have done, and we have not done those things which we should have done.” No blaming others. We honestly confess it to our holy God. Why does God call us to repent? Because he doesn't want sin to destroy us. He says, “I take no pleasure in the death of anyone . . . repent and live!” (Ezekiel 18:32). God wants us to confess our sins and receive the forgiveness Jesus won for us by his perfect life and innocent death. Jesus accepted the blame and punishment for every sin—even the sins for which we blame others. So when you do something wrong, you don't need to hide behind an excuse. Confess it. Jesus has taken your blame away. You are forgiven! Now live freely and confidently as God's forgiven child. Prayer: Dear God, forgive us for blaming others instead of confessing our sins. Help us to live in faithful confidence of our forgiveness. Thank you for your faithful love that never fails. Amen. The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire. Questions for Younger Children What should you do when you have done something wrong? God forgives us not because of what we have done, but because of what Jesus has already done. How does that make you feel? Questions for Elementary Age Children Why are we sometimes tempted to blame someone else for what we did? How does knowing Jesus forgives you help you tell the truth? Questions for Middle School and Above What excuses are you most tempted to make when you are confronted about a sin? How does God's forgiveness give you the freedom and confidence to accept responsibility? Download Family Devotions Family Devotions are brought to you by WELS Discipleship. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
4 One Liners 4 Life PART 2
I. The searching question we are asked II. The Scriptural answer we may give III. The Spiritual knowledge we must have (next time, D.V.)
Ask, Tell, Confess is back, and this week the gang is barely hanging on between bronchitis, hangovers, and Mercury retrograde.Bunnie, Meme, and Hailee dive into your wildest snooping stories—from secret coworker “dates” and group chat receipts to finding out you definitely weren't the only one. They get into what counts as cheating, what's unforgivable, and what happens when one little discovery changes everything.Bunnie also addresses the strip club footage that landed on TMZ, opens up about her past as a dancer and escort, and Meme and Hailee recap the chaos of the Redneck Rumble.Then y'all bring the confessions: a giant dildo discovered on the job, a crusty suitcase full of secrets, and a boyfriend hiding an entire four-year-old child.Basically, snooping will either set you free or ruin your whole d*** day.Got a confession? Slide into our Instagram DMs and send it anonymously for a future Ask, Tell, Confess.Watch Full Episodes & More: YouTube
Cult expert Rick Alan Ross (founder of the Cult Education Institute and author of Cults Inside Out: How People Get In and Can Get Out) reveals how cults are shaping modern society in ways most people never realize.Could a cult be influencing U.S. politics? On this episode of Mayim Bialik's Breakdown, we examine the disturbing allegations surrounding Tulsi Gabbard's (former director of national intelligence) spiritual guru, including claims of child abuse, his reported influence on her political career, concerns about potential access to national secrets during her time as Trump's Director of National Intelligence, and why Ross says fully vetting government officials is more important than ever.Rick also answers one of today's most controversial questions: Is MAGA a cult? He explains what actually qualifies as a cult, shares examples of modern-day cults and cult-like organizations influencing global politics, and reveals what ordinary people can do to protect themselves.Think you'd never join a cult? Think again. Ross explains why anyone (regardless of intelligence, education, or success) can become vulnerable, why loneliness and social isolation make people especially susceptible, how cults first draw people in, and the psychological process they use to slowly break people down over time.You'll learn the 3 stages of thought reform (coercive persuasion), why social isolation is considered a core element of destructive thought programs, what makes a cult truly dangerous, why followers often lose their critical thinking and sense of empowerment, and whether cult leaders actually believe what they're preach, or knowingly manipulate others.Rick also breaks down:- Why it's so difficult (even for trained experts) to infiltrate cults and rescue members- How deprogramming works, why it can take so long, and what happens when interventions fail- Hidden warning signs of controlling leaders, including subtle behaviors followers display around them- Scientology's controversial "auditing" process and how it functions psychologically- Whether support groups like AA could ever be considered cults- Where the line exists between healthy religious devotion and dangerous religious extremism- Why accountability within leadership is essential, and why claims of having "a direct line to God" deserve careful scrutinyThe conversation goes far beyond traditional cults.Rick explains how abusive romantic relationships often use the same psychological tactics, including how narcissistic partners create dependency, weaponize the fear of disequilibrium, why explosive behavior is never acceptable in a healthy relationship, and the key warning signs that you're dating someone controlling or abusive.We also explore how UFO communities can evolve into cult-like movements, examine real-world examples of UFO-based cults, and discuss how cult psychology is appearing in workplaces, startup culture, and organizations facing uncertainty as AI transforms the workforce.Finally, Rick shares practical tools everyone can use to recognize manipulation before it's too late.And stay until the very end to hear the shocking story of whether Mayim was personally targeted by a cult!Rick Alan Ross' book, Cults Inside Out: How People Get In and Can Get Out: https://cultsinsideout.com/The Cult Education Institute: https://culteducation.com/Follow us on Substack for Exclusive Bonus Content: https://bialikbreakdown.substack.com/BialikBreakdown.comYouTube.com/mayimbialikSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Cult expert Rick Alan Ross (founder of the Cult Education Institute and author of Cults Inside Out: How People Get In and Can Get Out) reveals how cults are shaping modern society in ways most people never realize.Could a cult be influencing U.S. politics? On this episode of Mayim Bialik's Breakdown, we examine the disturbing allegations surrounding Tulsi Gabbard's (former director of national intelligence) spiritual guru, including claims of child abuse, his reported influence on her political career, concerns about potential access to national secrets during her time as Trump's Director of National Intelligence, and why Ross says fully vetting government officials is more important than ever.Rick also answers one of today's most controversial questions: Is MAGA a cult? He explains what actually qualifies as a cult, shares examples of modern-day cults and cult-like organizations influencing global politics, and reveals what ordinary people can do to protect themselves.Think you'd never join a cult? Think again. Ross explains why anyone (regardless of intelligence, education, or success) can become vulnerable, why loneliness and social isolation make people especially susceptible, how cults first draw people in, and the psychological process they use to slowly break people down over time.You'll learn the 3 stages of thought reform (coercive persuasion), why social isolation is considered a core element of destructive thought programs, what makes a cult truly dangerous, why followers often lose their critical thinking and sense of empowerment, and whether cult leaders actually believe what they're preach, or knowingly manipulate others.Rick also breaks down:- Why it's so difficult (even for trained experts) to infiltrate cults and rescue members- How deprogramming works, why it can take so long, and what happens when interventions fail- Hidden warning signs of controlling leaders, including subtle behaviors followers display around them- Scientology's controversial "auditing" process and how it functions psychologically- Whether support groups like AA could ever be considered cults- Where the line exists between healthy religious devotion and dangerous religious extremism- Why accountability within leadership is essential, and why claims of having "a direct line to God" deserve careful scrutinyThe conversation goes far beyond traditional cults.Rick explains how abusive romantic relationships often use the same psychological tactics, including how narcissistic partners create dependency, weaponize the fear of disequilibrium, why explosive behavior is never acceptable in a healthy relationship, and the key warning signs that you're dating someone controlling or abusive.We also explore how UFO communities can evolve into cult-like movements, examine real-world examples of UFO-based cults, and discuss how cult psychology is appearing in workplaces, startup culture, and organizations facing uncertainty as AI transforms the workforce.Finally, Rick shares practical tools everyone can use to recognize manipulation before it's too late.And stay until the very end to hear the shocking story of whether Mayim was personally targeted by a cult!If you're struggling with OCD or unrelenting intrusive thoughts, NOCD can help. Book a free 15 minute call to get started: https://learn.nocd.com/BREAKVisit https://www.wakingup.com/breaker for a 2 week free trial. Make your summer wardrobe feel easier. Go to https://www.quince.com/breakdown for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.Upgrade your kitchen with Our Place today. Visit fromourplace.com/BREAK and use code BREAK for 10% off sitewide.Go to https://helixsleep.com/breakdown to receive 27% off sitewide.Rick Alan Ross' book, Cults Inside Out: How People Get In and Can Get Out: https://cultsinsideout.com/The Cult Education Institute: https://culteducation.com/Follow us on Substack for Exclusive Bonus Content: https://bialikbreakdown.substack.com/BialikBreakdown.comYouTube.com/mayimbialikSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Negative thoughts can feel relentless, especially in a dressing room, in front of a mirror, or anywhere body-image fears get loud. But today Heather Creekmore explains why simply telling yourself to “take your thoughts captive” often doesn’t work. In this episode, Heather explores 2 Corinthians 10:5 and clarifies that taking thoughts captive isn’t thought suppression, positive thinking, "Jedi mind tricks," or a battle of willpower. The deeper issue is often the belief beneath the thought. In this episode Why taking thoughts captive is not step one 02:19 What “captive” means in the context of spiritual warfare 03:54 How negative body-image thoughts can reveal doubts about God’s character 04:23 Why trying to suppress thoughts can make them feel even more persistent 07:26 The difference between a thought arriving and choosing to dwell on it 08:00 How hidden beliefs shape recurring negative thoughts 08:39 What “I believe, help my unbelief” has to do with thought battles 13:03 Why confession and knowing God’s character come before taking thoughts captive 19:32 How bringing secret struggles into the light can help expose lies 22:26 What to Do Before Taking Thoughts Captive: Get honest about what’s underneath the thought. A thought like “I look horrible in this dress” may be connected to a deeper fear of being rejected or unworthy of love. Confess the lie and the unbelief beneath it. Remember who God is by searching Scripture for specific truth about His character. Invite trusted people to speak truth with grace and help bring the struggle into the light. Take the thought captive once it has been exposed as a lie and brought under the truth of God’s Word. Learn more about Heather Creekmore's books and programs here: https://www.heathercreekmore.com Join the 40-Day Journey or one of Heather's coaching groups at: https://www.improvebodyimage.com Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.
Alan's Soap https://AlansArtisanSoaps.com/Todd The legacy continues for Ian and Alan with Alan's Artisan Soaps “John's Favorites” bundle. Get one bar of each of John's favorites for only $28.99. Bulwark Capital https://KnowYourRiskPodcast.com Join Zach's “Game Plan” webinar October 1st at 3:30 Pacific. It's LIVE and it's FREE. Register at the link above today.Renue Healthcare https://Renue.Healthcare/Todd Your journey to a better life starts at Renue Healthcare. Visit https://Renue.Healthcare/Todd Bonefrog https://BonefrogCoffee.com Get the new limited release, The Sisterhood, created to honor the extraordinary women behind the heroes. Use code TODD at checkout to receive 10% off your first purchase and 15% on subscriptions.SentryH2O https://SentryH2O.com/Todd Upgrade your drinking water. There's a Sentry H2O system for every home and every budget. Use code TODD to save 10% off today. **** LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE at: The Todd Herman Show - Podcast - Apple Podcasts The Todd Herman Show | Podcast on Spotify WATCH and SUBSCRIBE at: Todd Herman - The Todd Herman Show - YouTubePresident Trump Is Right About CNNPresident Trump is right about CNN, MS-NOW and Politico and Made The Wrong Move // Toronto Star Is The First Mockingbird Media Member to Confess on Covid // On The Sanctity of Family and the evil of Detachment Brokers
#16: Silencing Shame Romans 8:38–39 1. The Reality of Our Failure 1 Corinthians 6:9–11 Romans 3:23 Luke 22:33 ● Peter overestimated his strength. Luke 22:31–32 1 Corinthians 10:12 ● Peter drifted into danger. Luke 22:54 ● Peter warmed himself at the wrong fire. Luke 22:55 ● Peter denied what he once declared. Luke 22:56–58 2. The Reproach of Our Shame Godly guilt says, “I did something wrong.” Shame says, “There's something wrong with me.” 3. The Reach of His Love Romans 7:19 Romans 8:1 Romans 8:39 The Eight Impossibilities of God's Love 1. No accusation can separate us. Romans 8:31 Romans 8:33 Romans 8:34 2. No affliction can separate us. Romans 8:35 ✓ Tribulation — pressure ✓ Distress — perplexity ✓ Persecution — people ✓ Famine — poverty ✓ Nakedness — privation ✓ Peril — danger ✓ Sword — perishing 3. No opposition can separate us. Romans 8:36–37 4. No transition can separate us. Romans 8:38 ✓ Death — departure ✓ Life — days 5. No creation can separate us. “nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers.” 6. No duration can separate us. “nor things present, nor things to come.” 7. No dimension can separate us. Romans 8:39 Psalm 139:8 8. No exception can separate us. Romans 8:39 4. The Restoration of Our Failure Go to John 21. ● Jesus sought him. John 21:9 ● Jesus searched him. ● Jesus sent him. John 21:19 5. The Responsibility of the Church Galatians 6:1 Steps to Silencing Shame 1. Confess it. 1 John 1:7 2. Correct it. 3. Continue. Proverbs 24:16
Topics: Confess Your Sins to One Another, James 5:16, James 5:16 Explained, What Does James 5:16 Mean?, Do Christians Need to Confess Their Sins?, Confessing Sins to One Another, Confession of Sins, Do Christians Need to Confess Sins to Be Forgiven?, Are Christians Already Forgiven?, Complete Forgiveness in Christ, Forgiveness Through the Blood of Jesus, Once for All Forgiveness, Are All My Sins Forgiven?, Does God Remember Our Sins?, 1 John 1:9, 1 John 1:9 Explained, If We Confess Our Sins, Do Christians Need to Ask God for Forgiveness?, Ongoing Confession of Sin, Finished Work of Jesus, Jesus Paid for All Sin, Does Confessing Sin Bring Healing?, Do You Have to Confess Sins to Be Healed?, Prayer for Physical Healing, James and Paul, Faith vs Works, Old Covenant vs New Covenant, Law vs Grace, Identity in Christ, James ExplainedSupport the showSign up for Matt's free daily devotional! https://mattmcmillen.com/newsletter
Bible StudyDon't just take our word for it . . . take His! We would encourage you to spend time examining the following Scriptures that shaped this sermon: .I. God's Character: God Is Light (1:5)A. Sin is understood in light of who God is"God is light, and in him is no darkness at all."God's moral perfection: Truth, Goodness, Purity, Justice, No hidden darknessB. Sin distorts our purposeWe were created to reflect God's glory.Illustration: a mirror reflecting light.Tarnished mirror = sin corrupting God's image.Turned mirror = idolatry and self-centeredness.Sin is anything that distorts or redirects God's light shining in and through us.C. Sin remains a reality for believersChristians have a new identity.Yet the possibility of sin remains."If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves." (v. 8)II. God's Provision: Jesus Cleanses Sin (1:7; 1:9; 2:1–2)A. The gospel's repeated refrainSin is real...But God has provided a Savior.B. Jesus does what we cannot do"The blood of Jesus... cleanses us from all sin."We cannot cleanse ourselves.Christ's cross is God's answer to sin.C. The tragedy of denying sinIt separates us from reality.It also keeps us from experiencing forgiveness.The joy of being fully known and fully loved is found only through Christ.III. Our Response: Walk in the Light Through Confession (1:9)A. What confession is notNot the basis of forgiveness.Not obsessive self-analysis.We confess from acceptance, not for acceptance.B. Practice confession corporatelyGeneral confession in worship.Cultivates humility and dependence on God.C. Practice confession privatelyInvite the Spirit's examination.Psalm 139:23–24.Not self-condemnation, but repentance and renewal.D. Practice confession relationally"Fellowship with one another" (v. 7)."Confess your sins to one another" (James 5:16).Need a few trusted believers for Honesty, Accountability, Encouragement, and Gospel reassuranceE. The atmosphere of confession is graceThe goal is not shame.The goal is walking in the light together."The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin."Discussion QuestionsDo you agree that there is a tendency in our culture to diminish or deny the reality of sin? If you agree, what are some examples that you have noticed?Why is understanding God's character important for a right understanding of sin? Also, how does the call to reflect God's image also help us understand sin?If I am a Christian, should I still call myself a sinner?What role does confession play in your life currently?Is it possible for a Christian to totally conquer sin in this life?Questions?Do you have a question about today's sermon? Email Randy Forrester ().
Fill-In Notes: https://churchlinkfeeds.blob.core.windows.net/notes/39900/note-279474.html Continuing the Conversation What makes it difficult for you to be completely honest with other people about what is really happening in your life? What are you afraid might happen if they knew? The message described shame as something that causes us to hide, blame, and disconnect. Where do you see shame affecting your relationshipswith God, yourself, or others? James 5:16 says, Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. What do you think is the difference between simply asking God for forgiveness privately and allowing a trusted believer to walk with you in confession?
We're bringing back some of the best Ask, Tell, Confess chaos because honestly, some of these stories deserved a second round.Bunnie, Meme, and Hailee start out reminiscing about their band and orchestra days before calling Meme's sweet, wholesome mama—who proceeds to tell a hotel-cleaning story so graphic it leaves the girls questioning everything they thought they knew about her. Somehow Hobby Lobby gets dragged into it too, because of course it does.Then y'all take over. One listener walks into a hotel room and realizes REAL quick she has accidentally entered the Swingers Olympics, while Bunnie explains how one forgotten ticket turned into a suspended license—and the possibility of having to walk herself into jail like she's checking in for a dentist appointment.There's also a tick in a place no tick has any business being, a toddler who nearly mistakes something horrifying for candy, and Yelp reviews of exes so brutally honest they deserve their own one-star rating.And finally, one anonymous listener confesses that her sex drive is basically a full-time job with mandatory overtime.If this is what y'all are willing to tell us, imagine what you're keeping to yourselves.Watch Full Episodes & More: YouTube
Am I the Jerk? is the show where you can confess your deepest darkest secrets and be part of the conversation.
Drag queen icon BenDeLaCreme (Drag Race 6, All-Stars 3) joins Nicole to spill some major breaking news: they've been secretly separated from her partner of 8 years. They talk about the effort it takes to try to stay friends with an ex, the confusing reality of jumping back into the LA dating pool in your mid-40s, and why it's impossible to tell if a guy wants to date you or just wants exclusive Drag Race gossip. Plus, DeLa breaks down her brilliant move to self-eliminate on All-Stars 3, and Nicole reveals the unhinged manifestation trick she used to lock down the nice man in her life.See The Jinkx and DeLa Holiday Show on tour in a city near you! Get tickets and buy the upcoming book at https://www.jinkxanddela.com.Watch this episode on our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@WhyWontYouDateMePodcastSupport this podcast by checking out our sponsors:» Squarespace: Head to https://www.squarespace.com/DATEME to save 50% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code DATEME.» Planned Parenthood: Donate to support Planned Parenthood now at https://plannedparenthood.org/defend» Hinge: Try Hinge's new feature, Friend's Take. Send your link to the group chat and let the people who know you best do the talking. https://www.hin.ge/WhyWontYouDateMe» Betterhelp: This show is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit https://www.betterhelp.com/dateme today to get 10% off your first month.Check out all of our sponsors and discount codes at wwydm.notion.site/sponsors.Follow:All Links: linktr.ee/whywontyoudatemeTour Dates: linktr.ee/nicolebyerwastakenYouTube: @WhyWontYouDateMePodcastTikTok: @whywontyoudatemepod Instagram: @nicolebyerX: @nicolebyerThis is a Headgum podcast. Advertise on Why Won't You Date Me? via Gumball.fm.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
LEAVE IT BEHIND | MOVE: Faith Takes Action (3)You cannot move freely into what God has ahead while carrying everything from behind.In the third message of MOVE: Faith Takes Action, we discover that sometimes moving forward with God requires us to release what was never meant to go with us.Hebrews 12:1–2 tells us to strip off every unnecessary weight, throw aside what entangles us, and run the race with our eyes fixed on Jesus.Before we can run forward, sometimes we have to let go.IN THIS MESSAGE:1. Not Everything You Can Carry Should Be CarriedThe question isn't only, “Is this wrong?” We also need to ask:“Is this helping me become who God is calling me to be?”Some things may be permissible but still become weights that hinder our walk with God.2. Stop Excusing What God Is Asking You to ReleaseSometimes the weight isn't something someone did to us. Sometimes it's something we keep choosing.Proverbs 28:13 teaches us to confess and forsake what God is asking us to leave behind.Ephesians 4:22–24 shows us the movement: put off the old, renew your mind, and put on the new.God's grace doesn't give us permission to stay stuck. His grace empowers us to change.3. Decide Which Direction You're LookingPaul said in Philippians 3:13–14 that he was forgetting what lies behind and pressing forward toward what lies ahead.Your past does not have authority over your future.So ask the Holy Spirit:“What am I not taking with me?”Maybe it's fear, offense, comparison, shame, people pleasing, an unhealthy relationship, a destructive habit, negative thinking, or the need for everyone's approval.Whatever God reveals, don't just acknowledge it.Take action.Forgive. Set the boundary. Change the pattern. Replace negative thoughts with God's Word. Confess and forsake what needs to go.Make the decision:“This does not get to go where God is taking me.”MOVE: FAITH TAKES ACTIONTAKE THE STEP. When God speaks—MOVE.KEEP MOVING. When your feelings change—stay faithful.LEAVE IT BEHIND. When yesterday tries to weigh down tomorrow—let it go.We're not going backward. We're not staying stuck. We're not carrying unnecessary weight.We're looking to Jesus.Take the step. Keep moving. Leave it behind.Wherever Jesus leads—WE WILL MOVE.
It's time to crank up another batch of new and emerging rock on Fresh Blood! This week, we're bringing ten artists to the table that we think deserve your attention. Chris brings L.A. Cobra, Confess, Duskwood, Electric Hydra, and Starbenders, while Aaron counters with Sludge Mother, Century, Mirador, The Violent Hour, and Rebels Opera. As always, the goal of Fresh Blood is simple: turn you on to bands you may not know yet and give you something new to add to your rotation. Check out Fresh Blood – Ep682 and let us know which artists caught your ear! Decibel Geek is always looking for the next great band. If you've got something we need to hear, mention it in the comments! We hope you enjoy Fresh Blood September 2026 and SHARE with a friend! Decibel Geek is a proud member of the Pantheon Podcasts family. Chris Picks:L.A. CobraConfessDuskwoodElectric HydraStarbenders Aaron Picks:Sludge MotherCenturyMiradorThe Violent HourRebels Opera Contact Us! Rate, Review, and Subscribe in iTunes Join the Facebook Fan Page Follow on Twitter Follow on Instagram E-mail Us Subscribe to our Youtube channel! Support Us! Buy a T-Shirt! Donate to the show! Stream Us! Stitcher Radio Spreaker TuneIn Become a VIP Subscriber! Click HERE for more info! Comment Below Direct Download Artist Links Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It's time to crank up another batch of new and emerging rock on Fresh Blood! This week, we're bringing ten artists to the table that we think deserve your attention. Chris brings L.A. Cobra, Confess, Duskwood, Electric Hydra, and Starbenders, while Aaron counters with Sludge Mother, Century, Mirador, The Violent Hour, and Rebels Opera. As always, the goal of Fresh Blood is simple: turn you on to bands you may not know yet and give you something new to add to your rotation. Check out Fresh Blood – Ep682 and let us know which artists caught your ear! Decibel Geek is always looking for the next great band. If you've got something we need to hear, mention it in the comments! We hope you enjoy Fresh Blood September 2026 and SHARE with a friend! Decibel Geek is a proud member of the Pantheon Podcasts family. Chris Picks:L.A. CobraConfessDuskwoodElectric HydraStarbenders Aaron Picks:Sludge MotherCenturyMiradorThe Violent HourRebels Opera Contact Us! Rate, Review, and Subscribe in iTunes Join the Facebook Fan Page Follow on Twitter Follow on Instagram E-mail Us Subscribe to our Youtube channel! Support Us! Buy a T-Shirt! Donate to the show! Stream Us! Stitcher Radio Spreaker TuneIn Become a VIP Subscriber! Click HERE for more info! Comment Below Direct Download Artist Links Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 935: You Must Be Born Again - In this episode, discover the transformative truth of being born again—old things pass away, and everything becomes new. Confess with your mouth, believe in your heart, and you will be saved! Download or request your FREE Study Notes for this series at https://gregfritz.org/study-notes/. Greg Fritz is on a mission to get the truth of the Good News to as many people as possible. The truth is God has a plan and a meaning for your life. You are extravagantly and deeply loved by God, and you were created for a purpose. Receive a free CD and our newsletter: https://www.gregfritz.org/free-cd/ Follow Greg on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gregfritzministries/ Follow Greg on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gregfritzministries/ Watch more videos: https://www.gospeltruth.tv/ Learn more on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrR9Rsx4h_RqYigda2PysZQ Email us: info@gregfritz.org Partner with us: https://gregfritz.org/partners/ Donate: https://gregfritz.org/donate/
This is repentance season—and before God pours out revival through the church, He is calling the church to return to Him.Maybe you are hungry for God to move, but you cannot understand why breakthrough seems delayed. Maybe you want to see an outpouring of the Holy Spirit—not only on a large scale, but in your own life and family. Maybe you know you have drifted, but you do not know what returning to God really looks like.Or perhaps when you hear the word repentance, you immediately think of condemnation. You think repentance is only saying, “I am sorry,” or enduring God beating down His people.But repentance is not God beating down His people. Repentance is the doorway back into fellowship, freedom, restoration, renewing, refining, and revival.By the end of this post, I want you to understand four things:* First, why repentance must begin with the house of God.* Second, what true biblical repentance actually means.* Third, what a lifestyle of repentance opens in your life, your family, and the church.* Fourth, how to return to your first love and do the first works again.And I need you to stay with me, because I am also going to share a Word from the Lord that I believe is for this moment.REPENTANCE BEGINS WITH THE HOUSE OF GODThis is a moment when the Lord is calling people back!He is calling us back to Himself. The Lord is calling the hurting, the weary, the broken, the battered, and the bruised. He is calling those who have wandered away and become lost again in their sins.Jesus is seeking to save that which was lost. With great compassion, He is calling those who have strayed to RETURN to the Lord.But it is an hour for the church first to return and come to repentance.I cannot get away from this thought from the Lord: it is REPENTANCE SEASON.* For the church, it is time to come home.* For the church, it is time to repent.* For the church, it is time to get our hearts back in line with our God.He longs to pour out among His people great power, overwhelming victory, and the goodness of His name. But it all begins with us humbling ourselves and returning to a place of repentance.And to those whose first thought is, “What do I need to repent of?”—you are the very ones He is speaking to!When we, in any way—whether in large ways or small ways—TURN AWAY and depart from the paths of righteousness, there is a great need to return.Listen to what Scripture declares:1 Peter 4:17–18 NKJV-For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? [18] Now “If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?”We have to understand that our repentance affects more than us alone. Our repentance is a witness of hope to the world. It declares that God saves, God restores, God renews, God replenishes, and God refines.Our repentance speaks hope to people who lost their hope long ago and laid it aside. It tells the world that the Lord is a God of great mercy and grace, who forgives and redeems people from iniquity and from the places where they have wandered and strayed.In fact, if we are going to experience the outpouring of God, WE MUST REPENT.Whether your desire is to experience an outpouring from the Holy Spirit on a large scale, or simply to see Him move in your own family, it all starts with repentance.#1: repentance must begin with the house of God because God intends for His people to become a living testimony of His saving, restoring, renewing, replenishing, and refining grace.REPENTANCE MUST BECOME OUR LIFESTYLE.It must become the WAY we live every day. We must begin to care more about what the Lord thinks of us than what the world wants from us.Psalm 51:16–17 NKJV-For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. [17] The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart- These, O God, You will not despise.The Hebrew word for “sacrifice” is זֶבַח—zevach—which refers to offerings made to God.“Broken” in Hebrew is שָׁבוּר—shavur—implying something shattered or crushed and symbolizing deep humility.“Contrite” is נִדְכֶּה—nidkeh—meaning crushed or deeply penitent and emphasizing a heartfelt sorrow for sin.Each of these words foreshadows what Jesus would provide for us on the cross. These are expressions that Jesus is the ultimate and only sacrifice for sins that can ever save. When we place our faith in Jesus, He becomes FOR US the ultimate sacrifice on a personal level, allowing us acceptance with the Father.The sacrifices the Lord desires are a heart shattered and crushed in deep humility, along with a spirit crushed to the point of deep sorrow for sin. These things are the basis for true repentance, and without repentance we will not be born again.* To say that we have no need for repentance or for a lifestyle of deep repentance...* To say that we no longer need to search our hearts for sin and wrongdoing...* To say or think that we are so good that we do not need the Lord to cleanse us daily...* Is to accept and come into union with a religious spirit and a self-righteous spirit that stands obstinate against the Lord.For the church to become the bride of Christ He is returning for will require EACH OF US to search our hearts and ask the HOLY SPIRIT to search our hearts.I SAY AGAIN WHAT I'M HEARING FROM THE LORD: THIS IS REPENTANCE SEASON.WORD FROM THE LORD — This is the season, says the Lord, for my people to humble themselves and return to me, the living God, and see if I will not pour out my Spirit, blessing, and power upon you and among you. For I long to move in my people and pour out my Spirit. I long to send you FREEDOM that comes to those who submit to my hand, but you must SUBMIT. With conviction from my Holy Spirit, you must repent and come back to me in ALL your ways and stop turning to the right hand and to the left. You must allow me to lead and guide your steps and stop pursuing your own pleasure; instead, seek my face and the pleasure of my ways. For soon I come, says the Lord. I am returning for a people who have made themselves pure and clean in my eyes—those who have not given themselves over to their own ways and pleasures. I am returning for those who find their pleasure and their purpose in serving me and opening their hearts to the goodness of my name and the power of my Spirit.RETURN TO THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEARTFriends, it is repentance season!Joel 2:12–17 NKJV-“Now, therefore,” says the LORD, “Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” [13] So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm. [14] Who knows if He will turn and relent, And leave a blessing behind Him- A grain offering and a drink offering For the LORD your God? [15] Blow the trumpet in Zion, Consecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly; [16] Gather the people, Sanctify the congregation, Assemble the elders, Gather the children and nursing babes; Let the bridegroom go out from his chamber, And the bride from her dressing room. [17] Let the priests, who minister to the LORD, Weep between the porch and the altar; Let them say, “Spare Your people, O LORD, And do not give Your heritage to reproach, That the nations should rule over them. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?'”* Where is our fasting?* Where is our weeping over our sins?* Where is the mourning heart that grieves for the wrong it has done?* Where are those who rend their hearts?* Where is our consecration and separation unto the Lord?Even in my own self, I search and ask the Lord, “Have I done what I am supposed to do? Have I declared all the Word of God? Have I cried out enough, ‘Spare Your people'?”I feel deeply that this is the word for the moment.Suddenly, the Lord is returning.Also, suddenly the Lord is coming back to His temple.Suddenly, He will come in to those who have prepared their hearts.Suddenly, He will say, “The time is now and the time has come.”We do not want to be unprepared and miss the move of God!We do not want to be unrepentant, with obstinate hearts full of our own ways, and be left behind.The people of God are the first fruits of the Kingdom. God is looking for hearts that want HIM MORE THAN ANYTHING!The deepest reason we repent is because we understand that He is the treasure. We develop a longing for Him over everything else, and we want NOTHING that hinders our relationship with Jesus.It is time for the people of God to stop trying to see just how much of our own pleasure He will allow, and instead pursue just how much of HIS pleasure we can receive.WHAT TRUE REPENTANCE MEANSLet me be clear about what repentance means.* REPENTANCE IS NOT ONLY SAYING, “I AM SORRY.”* REPENTANCE IS WHEN WE LITERALLY CHANGE OUR MIND AND ALIGN WITH GOD'S MIND, AND WE WALK IN A NEW DIRECTION BY OUR CHOICE AND FAITH.* REPENTANCE IS A CHANGE OF MIND THAT LEADS TO A CHANGE OF HEART, THAT CREATES A CHANGE OF ACTION.* God grants repentance.* Repentance always leads us to confession of sin.* Confession of sin leads to forgiveness of sin.* WE must confess AND forsake our sins.#2: true repentance is not merely an emotional apology. It is a God-granted change of mind that changes the heart, changes our actions, leads to confession, and causes us to confess and forsake our sins.WHAT REPENTANCE OPENSRepentance is not GOD BEATING DOWN HIS PEOPLE.Repentance is not just SOMETHING TO BE ENDURED.It is time for the church to understand that a lifestyle of repentance OPENS THE DOOR for the Lord to move in our lives!Repentance brings revival, restoration, renewing, and refining!Look at the results of repentance:Joel 2:18–29 NKJV-Then the LORD will be zealous for His land, And pity His people. [19] The LORD will answer and say to His people, “Behold, I will send you grain and new wine and oil, And you will be satisfied by them; I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations. [20] “But I will remove far from you the northern army, And will drive him away into a barren and desolate land, With his face toward the eastern sea And his back toward the western sea; His stench will come up, And his foul odor will rise, Because he has done monstrous things.” [21] Fear not, O land; Be glad and rejoice, For the LORD has done marvelous things! [22] Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field; For the open pastures are springing up, And the tree bears its fruit; The fig tree and the vine yield their strength. [23] Be glad then, you children of Zion, And rejoice in the LORD your God; For He has given you the former rain faithfully, And He will cause the rain to come down for you- The former rain, And the latter rain in the first month. [24] The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, And the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil. [25] “So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you. [26] You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, And praise the name of the LORD your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; And My people shall never be put to shame. [27] Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: I am the LORD your God And there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame. [28] “And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. [29] And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.Do you see what repentance opens?* The Lord becomes zealous for His land and pities His people.* He sends grain, new wine, and oil.* He brings satisfaction and removes reproach.* He drives the enemy away.* He causes the land to spring up and bear fruit.* He sends the former rain and the latter rain.* He fills the threshing floors and causes the vats to overflow.* He restores the years the locust has eaten.* He removes shame and makes His presence known.* And afterward, He pours out His Spirit on all flesh.#3: a lifestyle of repentance opens the door to the Lord's pity, provision, victory, fruitfulness, restoration, presence, and outpouring. Repentance brings revival, restoration, renewing, and refining.RETURN TO YOUR FIRST LOVEThis is the season for the bride of Christ to RETURN and REPENT, and do the first works again!Revelation 2:4–5 NKJV-Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. [5] Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place-unless you repent.Here is how we return:* Remember where you were before you drifted.* Repent of every way you have turned from the Lord.* Return to Jesus as your treasure and first love.* Do the first works again—seek Him, obey Him, consecrate yourself, and walk in His ways.* Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart.* Confess and forsake what He reveals.* Stop pursuing your own pleasure and seek His face and the pleasure of His ways.#4: we return to our first love by remembering, repenting, returning, and doing the first works again.Friend, this is not a message for somebody else. This is a moment for every one of us to put our own heart before the Lord.Ask Him right now: “Holy Spirit, search my heart. Show me where I have turned away. Show me what I need to confess and forsake. Bring me back to my first love, and help me do the first works again.”God is not calling you back so He can beat you down. He is calling you back because He loves you. He longs to send freedom to those who submit to His hand. He longs to restore, renew, refine, and pour out His Spirit. But we must humble ourselves, repent, and return to Him with all our hearts.The Lord is calling the hurting, the weary, the broken, the battered, the bruised, and the wandering. It is time to come home.It is time for the church to repent.It is time to get our hearts back in line with our God.THIS IS REPENTANCE SEASON.If the Lord is speaking to your heart through this word, write “I am returning” in the comments. Let that be your declaration: “I am returning to my first love. I am opening my heart to the Holy Spirit. I am choosing a lifestyle of repentance.”And if you know someone who is hurting, weary, broken, or has wandered away from the Lord, share this video with them. Do not send it in condemnation—send it with compassion. Let them know that Jesus is still calling them home.If you want to keep growing in strong faith, prayer, revival, repentance, and obedience to the voice of God, subscribe to the channel and turn on notifications. We are going to keep seeking the Lord together, standing for His Word, and preparing our hearts for everything He wants to do.Subscribe to the PodcastI am praying for you. Return to the Lord with all your heart. He is gracious. He is merciful. And He is calling His people home. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.strongfaith.co
Send us Fan MailMorning Prayers (Shout for joy to God; Confess / Forgive; Children; Battling diseases / Lymphoma; Those Who Are Grieving; For Each Other; Open Our Eyes...)Thank you for listening, our heart's prayer is for you and I to walk daily with Jesus, our joy and peaceaimingforjesus.comYouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@aimingforjesus5346Instagram https://www.instagram.com/aiming_for_jesus/Threads https://www.threads.com/@aiming_for_jesusX https://x.com/AimingForJesusTik Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@aiming.for.jesus
Psalm 32:1-5 NLT"Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty! When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone."David's detailed and intense description of his battle with sin and confession offers us such a great encouragement to go straight to the Lord and be honest with all our confessions. We see the journey of David trying to ignore his guilt and pain, his loss of even physical health, and then his ultimate surrender of all rebellion. Healthy acceptance of shame through confession brings us in line with authentic humility and our dependency on God.Is there an area of life that you are trying to rectify on your own? A sin… that you are reluctant to call a sin… or rationalize away? Maybe an attitude or something that we feel entitled to hold onto that we really should confess. something that we know, to use David's words, “are causing our body to waste away”?Listen to verses 1, 2 and 5 once again—the result of full confession and acceptance of forgiveness:"Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty! … You forgave me! All my guilt is gone. "(Psalm 32:1-2, 5 NLT)Can you see the power in confession and surrender?Today, if you relate to any part of David's words, take his advice and make things right. Confess and then accept the joy and freedom of total and absolute forgiveness.Pray with me using David's words: “Heavenly Father, forgive my disobedience. Put my sin out of sight. Clear my record. Thank You for forgiving me. Now, may I let go of my guilt and accept Your grace. As above, so below.” - Amen
To Become Jesus Followers: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” MESSAGE SUMMARY: Every time you lie or cheat or lust or get stoned, you put a barrier between yourself and God because God is Holy. God's Holiness prevents Him from communing with sinners. The author of 1 John tells us in 1 John 3:8: “Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.". God brought Jesus, who was both God and man, to live on earth. Therefore, Jesus' blood sacrifice on the cross permitted Him to take on your sins. By His sacrifice, Jesus became the doorway for your personal relationship with God and a path for your Salvation from your sins (1 John 1:9-10): “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.". TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, everything in me resists following you into the garden of Gethsemane to fall on my face to the ground before you. Grant me the courage to follow you all the way to the cross, whatever that might mean for my life. And then, by your grace, lead me to resurrection life and power. In Jesus' name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 100). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, because of I am filled with the Holy Spirit, I will not be controlled by my Anxiety. Rather, I will walk in the Spirit's fruit of Peace. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22f). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): John 17:2-3; Philippians 3:7-10; Matthew 16:13-20; Psalms 78b:13-24. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Some Christians Easily Walk Away from God, But God Rejoices When They Return”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Am I the Genius? is the show where you get real answers to questions you've always wondered but didn't think to ask. Subscribe on YouTube - youtube.com/@amithegenius?sub_confirmation=1 Am I the Jerk? on Instagram - instagram.com/amithegenius Am I the Jerk? on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0uEkxvRMpxLuuHeyPVVioF?si=b279dadfe593432b x.com/amithejerk facebook.com/amithejerk SUBMIT YOUR OWN STORIES HERE http://amithejerk.com/submit Mint Mobile - Get this new customer offer and your 3-month Unlimited wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month at MINTMOBILE.com/AITJ Quince - Keep it classic and cool — with long-lasting staples from Quince. Go to Quince.com/AITJ for free shipping on your order and three hundred and sixty-five -day returns. EveryPlate - Dig into these flavor-packed meals your household will love. New customers can enjoy this special offer of only $1.99 a meal. Go to everyplate.com/podcast and use code AITG199 to get started. Green Chef - Head to Greenchef.com/50AITJ and use code 50AITJ to get fifty percent off your first month, then twenty percent off for two months with free shipping. Lola Blankets - Get 35% off your entire order at Lolablankets.com by using code AITJ at checkout. Uncommon Goods - To get 15% off your next gift, go to UncommonGoods.com/AITJ Don't miss out on this limited-time offer. Uncommon Goods. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What if repentance is not a path toward condemnation, but an invitation to joy? In Luke 13:1–9, Jesus responds to questions about tragedy by turning the crowd's attention away from the sins of others and toward their own need to repent. Cole Ellerbrock explains how repentance renews our minds, brings us home to a loving Father, and produces lasting fruit in our lives.• Tragedy is not proof that someone was a worse sinner, but it reminds us that life is uncertain and everyone needs the grace of God• Repentance means turning from lesser things and returning to the God who offers forgiveness, rest, and lasting satisfaction• Genuine repentance does not leave us trapped in guilt because Jesus forgives, renews our hearts, and produces new fruit in usKey Scriptures:Luke 13:1–9Romans 12:1–2Luke 15:11–241 John 1:8–9Psalm 51:1–12Ask God to reveal where your heart, attention, or behavior has turned away from Him. Confess it honestly, receive the forgiveness Jesus has already secured, and ask Him to renew the joy of belonging to Him. Share this message with someone who needs to know that it is never too late to turn back home.Bayou City Fellowship Tomball Campus | Cole Ellerbrock | September 13, 2026https://linktr.ee/bayoucityfellowship
God Empowers the Weak (3) (audio) David Eells, 9/13/26 Let me share a testimony with you. Back when I was in the world, I had a deficiency that was passed on to me from my daddy. His daddy had this really bad sinus problem. My daddy used to pack around this bottle of Neo-Synephrine. It opened up the sinuses, and he carried it year-round. Growing up, I had the same problem. My sinuses would close up, and so I used that stuff to open up my breathing, but eventually it will eat the lining right out of your nose, and then I would have to use it even more. Well, when I saw that Jesus healed me at the cross, I threw that bottle away. God healed my nose then and it hasn't stopped up to this day. That was in my low twenties when I threw that bottle out by faith. And I've had head colds since then, but my nostrils haven't stopped up. When I threw that bottle out, that honored God so much that He just took it out. I used to have a natural problem with colds and sinuses, chest congestion, and all that left. The doctors gave me so much penicillin that it no longer worked for me. Then I caught on to vitamin C, and I started taking it, and let me tell you, it did twice the good that the drugs and Neo-Synephrine had done. I saw it worked so much better than the shots, medicine, and stuff, but when I found out what Jesus did for me, I stopped taking vitamin C and I got deliverance from the whole curse of colds, congestion and sinuses. Even though the vitamin C worked better than the drugs because my system totally just was ignoring them by that point, I threw the vitamin C out, too. When I'd get a cold back then, and we'd have orange juice in the ice box, God would say, “Don't drink any of that; just totally avoid it.” He wanted to prove to me that the deliverance I was getting was from Him; it didn't have anything to do with vitamin C. Listen, I got delivered of something I had all of my life to that point. It was so bad that the infection would get in my inner ears, then my eardrums would burst, and I had fluid draining out of my ears. When God delivered me, I threw out the Neo-Synephrine, and I threw out the drugs and the vitamin C; I got total deliverance from that. It's no longer a problem. So, what is it to walk by faith? We can pick up parts of walking by faith by looking at one another, but we need to get an image of what God's faith is. Look at Mark 11:22. Most versions read, “And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.” But in the original version, it says, “Have God's faith” and the Numeric Bible says that, too. I thought about that, and I felt like the Lord told me that God's faith is not the faith of man in God, but the faith of God inside of man. It's hard for us to work up enough faith in God, but it's our right and privilege from the Scriptures to have God's faith in us, which is what salvation is all about. (Php.2:13) For it is God who worketh in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure. And you know it's our right because that's what Jesus did. He made reconciliation. Reconciliation is an exchange. Jesus took our unbelief; He put it on the cross along with the curse and He gave us His faith. We have to reckon ourselves to be dead unto sin (Romans 6:11). Self is the unbeliever, but your spiritual man is not able to walk in unbelief because he is born again. He's born of God. The problem is our old carnal man gets in the way. From the time we are children, our carnal man is being trained to be our savior, to be a grown-up, but Jesus taught us that we have to become as children, or we won't enter into the Kingdom with its benefits. Now, we know that we're entering into the Kingdom because Jesus said, “the kingdom of God is within you” (Luk.17:21) and some translations say “among you” instead of “within you.” Both are true. So we are entering into the Kingdom, but we can't enter into the Kingdom without being a child. And that means we are weak. That's not a grown-up, right? The qualities the world calls “grown-up” are not considered to be qualities in the Kingdom of Heaven. Casting all our cares upon Him (1 Peter 5:7) and putting our total trust in Him to be our supplier (Genesis 17:1), our Savior (Ephesians 5:23), our Healer (Exodus 15:26) – these things please God. (Heb.11:6) Without faith it is impossible to be well-pleasing [unto him]; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that seek after him. So what we need is what He says in Mark 11:22. We need to “have God's faith” in us. When you get a picture of Jesus, you may get a picture of a faith that you don't have by manifestation. Let me say that you can have that faith. The Bible says, We all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory…. (2Co.3:18). You have to see it as an accomplished fact. You have to see the fact that Jesus has already given you everything that He is, and that includes His faith (Romans 5:10,11). And that's the way faith works. It speaks the end from the beginning. It calleth the things that are not, as though they were (Rom.4:17). When we look in the mirror and we are to see Jesus. The Bible promises us that for this we'll be transformed into that image, from glory to glory, so we need to get a picture of His faith because that's our faith. It is the faith of God inside of man, not the faith of man in God, because the carnal man has no ability to walk in faith. We try and try to work faith up in ourselves, and that is the faith of man in God. But the faith of God inside of man is the Father's free gift given to us by grace. It's by grace we are drawn to the Father; that's His gift to us. And He will keep us in the same faith He put in us to cause us to come to Him at the beginning, if we continue to walk in that faith. He's given us the faith that we need. He's given “us all things that pertain unto life and godliness” (2Pe.1:3). He's given us all things. His divine power hath granted unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness (3) and faith is the victory that overcomes the world (1 John 5:4). (Eph.2:8) For by grace have ye been saved through faith…. “Have you been saved” is what it says in the original and that's what the Numeric says and that's what the Nestles Text says. I believe the Received Text says that, too. “By grace have ye been saved through faith.” Faith always looks back. Faith believes you have received. It's always past tense. Hope is future tense. Hope is looking forward to something, confident that you will receive something, a firm expectation. Strong's says the Greek word elpis, meaning “hope,” is “a favorable or confident expectation.” But faith is looking back at something, not forward to something. It's something that you have already received. It's calling “the things that are not, as though they were” (Rom.4:17). So whatever salvation is, whatever salvation incorporates, it comes by grace through faith and it comes by looking back. And since our salvation is past tense, it makes being weak of primary importance. If you obey the Word of God, if you obey the principles of Jesus, you will be weak in yourself. You will cease from your struggling to save yourself in situations; you will enter into the sabbath and cease from your works so that God can do His. Some time back, I ran into this one woman in Louisiana. She had been to “who's who” in the healing circuit. She had gone to everybody. She had two very large, inoperable tumors, and she gave me a list of all the people she had gone to. She said, “David, I just don't understand why I haven't been healed.” And I said, “Well, I believe the reason just came out of your mouth as to why you haven't been healed. You're looking forward to healing and the Bible teaches us to look back at healing, for by His stripes you were healed.” (1 Peter 2:24) Faith is always in the past. The sacrifice of Jesus was at the beginning of this Testament so that we would always look back and accept what was done there, accept it as ours, because it is past tense. If we accept it as past tense and done, then it causes us to be weak because it causes us to cease from our works and we enter into the sabbath rest. If you believe it's done, then you don't have to keep working to try to bring it to pass. If it's in the future, you'll never know what method God wants to use to bring it to pass, but since it's in the past, you can accept it as a free gift. (Eph.2:8) For by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, [it is] the gift of God; (9) not of works, that no man should glory. (10) For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works…. So we do have works to do; only they're not our works, they're the works of God. Whatever God's work is between here and the manifestation, our work is to believe what the Bible says, and the Bible says, “by whose stripes ye were healed” (1Pe.2:24). We should never be moved away from that for any reason that would say, “Maybe not, maybe not in this case,” because we'll never be able to have faith if we're not convinced that what the Bible says is true about our healing. See, Jesus came to reveal the Will of the Father and He did that by healing everyone who came to Him. Our problem is that we can't come to Jesus physically and touch Him, but we can all come to Him by faith. We can confess our sins that we may be healed. (Jas.5:16) Confess therefore your sins one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. We have the ability to get things out of the way that would hinder healing. So we confess our sins that we may be healed, as the Bible says, and then we can “touch” Jesus by faith. He healed everyone who came to Him. He came to show us the way and to be an example. Everybody who came to Jesus was healed, so why isn't everybody healed today? The number one reason is that it's not being taught that by His stripes you were healed (1 Peter 2:24). You, as a Christian, were healed. This is not something you have to look forward to. That's hope. See, that's the problem with many Christians – they're looking forward to something that they need to be looking back to. We were all healed at the cross. And we enter into that by ceasing from our own thinking and our own reasoning and saying, “God, I repent. Your Word is true.” What does it mean to “repent”? It means to “change your mind.” The Word is true. If it says by His stripes you were healed, then change your mind; you were healed. What we need to understand here is this word “salvation,” or in Greek, sozo. The Scripture says, “for by grace have ye been saved through faith” (Eph.2:8). Now, I point out to you that faith is past tense. It's always believing for something that you've received. When you pray, Jesus said, “believe you have received and you shall have it” (Mark 11:24). That's the way that faith works. That identifies how our salvation is going to come, our sozo, our “saved,” is going to come. Grace is another thing that identifies God's method for bringing you sozo, “salvation,” “saved.” Let's look carefully at this example. (Rom.4:4) Now to him that worketh, the reward is not reckoned as of grace, but as of debt. It says, if it's grace, it's not your works. If it's grace, you have to cease from your works. See, many people are seeking healing and deliverance because they have hope. But hope will not get you either. Faith will. If you have to work for it, or pay for it, if you have to earn it, it's not something that's coming through grace because “grace” is “unmerited favor.” Much of the church is caught up in their own works. They say, “You're not saved by your works,” but they believe that only refers to their soul. When the Bible talks about salvation in other areas, like “deliverance” or sozo, “saved” in other areas, it's, “Oh, well, no; now God does it this way.” So they continue in their own works. He says here, “To him that worketh, the reward is not reckoned as of grace, but as of debt.” In other words, God would owe it to you if you could work it up in yourself. But it's not grace if you have to work for it because God would owe it to you. It would be a debt. He refuses to cooperate with you in that. (Rom.4:5) But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is reckoned for righteousness. Notice: “to him that worketh not…” Grace comes “to him that worketh not.” Here's another example. (Rom.11:6) But if it is by grace, it is no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. Whatever salvation is, salvation is very big. It's much bigger than your soul going to Heaven when you die. Salvation is here and now. Salvation covers everything that Jesus did on the cross. It covers everything having to do with the curse of sin and of death. We've been delivered from the curse of sin and of death (Romans 8:2), and that's what salvation is all about. But if any part of that salvation is by works, then that's not salvation through grace. There are salvations out there that are not God's method for His people. The world always wants to be your savior. The arm of the flesh always wants to be your savior. I.e.,“Let me do it my way, Lord. I know how to take care of myself. I'll do it.” The worldly ways of deliverance don't cause us to grow closer to God; they don't cause us to manifest Christ, nor do they cause us to grow in faith. They are salvations that are of the world. When the children of Israel were brought out into the wilderness, they wanted to run back to Egypt for their salvation (Exodus 16:3). They said, “Let's go back to the flesh-pots.” God said in effect, “No, you stay in the wilderness. Your salvation is coming out of Heaven.” But they continued to murmur. “Well, we would rather have Egypt's salvation; it's easier on the flesh; it's not so much of a trial. Let's go back to Egypt.” Every time the Israelites got into a tight spot, every time they lacked water, or food, or whatever, God put them in that spot. He brought them there, and He put them there so that they would come to the end of themselves and put their trust in Him. Instead, they kept crying, “Let's go back and get Egypt's salvation.” Egypt had a salvation. The world has a salvation for you; it has a deliverance, but it's not an eternal deliverance, and the end is always a curse. The Bible says, “Cursed is he who trusts in man, in the arm of the flesh” (Jeremiah 17:5). Maybe you don't see it, but in some way, whenever the world saves you, there's always a curse in it. Maybe you don't see it yet, but there's one there. When Christ saves you, it is eternal. It causes you to grow in faith. It causes you to grow in manifesting Him. It's an affront to Him to think that you can pay for His benefits. You remember when Peter and John were praying for people and they were receiving the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:15,17), that Simon the magician also received the Holy Spirit, but he wanted to pay Peter and John for this ability. (Act.8:20) But Peter said unto him, Thy silver perish with thee, because thou hast thought to obtain the gift of God with money. (21) Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right before God. Simon wanted this gift to be able to lay hands on people to impart the Holy Spirit. That's all he wanted, but we need to see that the principle here covers much more than just this gift of imparting the Holy Spirit. Peter said, “Thy silver perish with thee, because thou hast thought to obtain the gift of God with money”; in other words, it's not something that you can earn or ever pay for. The gift of God doesn't come through your ability, nor does it come through your earning it. You cannot pay for it. It has to be free. Do you know what happens when you go and pay for the world's salvation and call that God? Because it's not God; it's going back to Egypt. You get an answer and you may grow, too, but you grow in the world; you don't grow in God. You see, the Lord explained something to me about the image of the beast. The image of the beast is being manifested in this world right now. I'm not going to deny what anybody else has to say about the image of the beast in the future, but the Bible says that Christ was the image of God (Hebrews 1:3) and that His Body is made up of saviors. The Bible even says, “and saviors shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau” (Oba.21). “Saviors” is plural. God's body is made up of people (1 Corinthians 12:27) whom He has gifted in different gifts (1 Corinthians 12,13,14) to enable them to do the work of Jesus in this earth, works that Jesus wanted done: of deliverance, of saving, of healing, of providing. But, you know what? First of all, God's administering these gifts through Spirit-filled believers. Don't twist the Word, as many Christians do, and say, “Well, now God administers these gifts through pagans.” No. Not so. Although God can give you many gifts through pagans, and although the Holy Spirit does not have to go through a man, these particular gifts He's talking about only come through Spirit-filled believers. None of these gifts can be bought. If you have to buy it, or pay for something that you call “God's salvation,” it's not grace and faith. Grace and faith cause you to be weak; it causes you to cease from your trusting in Egypt and in the ways of the world. God's gift is free. You can't pay for it, you can't earn it, you can't be good enough for it. It comes by faith. Faith is believing you have received. When you believe you have received, it causes you to stop seeking it. Stop and think about it. If you believe you have received healing, are you going to keep running after it? No, because faith always cuts off the works and the methods of men. When you believe you have received, you can rest; you can cease from your works; you can enter into rest. Everything can come from God that way. Everything will come from God that way. It's the most perfect way to receive from God. You say, “Well, doesn't God keep Egypt going?” Sure He does, but God wants Egypt for the Egyptians. God has planned the wilderness for Christians. Does God give strength to Egypt to keep running? Of course. (Act.17:28) For in him we live, and move, and have our being…. He gives you your very breath. The world gets its breath from God, but the world is not God's method for Christians. God's method for Christians is receiving every salvation that comes from Christ through grace and faith. That's His method. It is offensive to God to think that you would want to buy from Him any gift that He has already given to you. He has chosen it to be a gift. (Eph.2:8) For by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, [it is] the gift of God. Note the word translated “saved” here is the word sozo. “For by grace have ye been saved,” Sozo. That word is used over and over in the Scriptures. If we can find the places where this word is used, then every place this word is used, it should come by grace through faith. That means not of your works. A free gift of God; exercising faith in God. That's what pure faith is. That is what God's faith in man is. The other is not real faith and fails us. I want to give you an example of what salvation encompasses, one probably every Christian would agree on. This was the sinful woman who anointed Jesus, and Jesus pronounced her forgiven of sins. (Luk.7:47) Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, [the same] loveth little. (48) And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. (49) And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that even forgiveth sins? (50) And he said unto the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace. Now I believe everybody who is a Christian would agree with me that forgiveness of sins is salvation, and it comes by grace through faith. As we look at some of the other places where the same word, sozo, is used, you may question whether that salvation still comes by grace through faith, but I can assure you, any kind of salvation that comes from God is a free gift that comes by grace through faith. Wherever this word is used, it fits into Ephesians 2:8. Everywhere it fits in there, no matter what we identify as being this salvation. I once asked a Greek man, who spoke Greek as his native language, “What does the word soteria mean to you?” Soteria is the noun of sozo in the Greek and is the word in the Scriptures for “salvation.” He said, “Well, it means to us Greeks, ‘all of your needs supplied like a little baby; all of your needs supplied.'” See, we have such a very narrow idea of what salvation is. Most of the churches that we've been raised in have taught us that salvation is only getting to go to Heaven when this life is over. But when we look at that word and identify it in the Scriptures, we find out it's very big, very broad, and that every bit of it is incorporated in these promises concerning being saved. (Eph.2:8) For by grace have ye been saved through faith…. This woman, to whom Jesus said, “thy faith hath saved thee,” was saved by grace through faith. This was where her sozo came from. All her needs were supplied like a little baby. A little baby needs all his needs supplied. We have to come to Jesus as a child, in need of our needs being supplied. Adults are used to going out and supplying their own needs; they're used to taking care of themselves, but God desires this sozo kind of relationship with us. He desires that we would keep the sabbath, cease from our works, and enter into the rest through faith in the promises of God, as the Bible says. (2Co.7:1) Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Now, that's a broad promise, but salvation is very big. Let me give you another example of this word, sozo, and let's see if “by grace have you been saved through faith” still applies. This is the story of the 10 lepers. Remember the one leper who returned and gave glory to God (Luke 17:15)? Here's what Jesus told him: (Luk.17:19) And he said unto him, Arise, and go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole. And the word for “made thee whole” here is the word sozo, “saved.” “Thy faith hath made thee whole.” What the leper received from God can only be obtained in the wilderness, not in Egypt. Sometimes there is a salvation in Egypt, but just like the mark of the beast, there are two marks. There is a mark of the beast, and there is the mark of God. Exodus 13:16, speaks about the mark of God on the forehead and on the back of the hand, and the mark of God was to have the Word of God. The Israelites would write the Word of God, put them in these little boxes, and then they'd tie them right across their forehead and put them on the back of their hand (Deuteronomy 11:18). But, guess what? The corresponding verse in Revelation 13:16 talks about the mark of the beast. So, if it's the Word of God being manifested in your mind and in your works, that's the mark of God. In contrast, the mark of the beast can be the word of the flesh, the word of the devil, the word of the world, the thinking of the world being manifest, the mind of flesh being manifested in your mind and in your works. That might be just a spiritual revelation of it, but accept it because it's still Scriptural. See, if we walk after our own thinking and after our own works, it's because we're trusting in our own ability. We're not walking by faith in Jesus, and your mind is not being renewed by the Word of God. You walk as a beast. I don't care if you walk in church; you still walk as a beast if you walk after the mind of the flesh and if your salvation comes from the world. So we have the image of the beast being manifested in the world, while the image of Christ is being manifested in the Church. Christ's Body is made up of people, each of whom has been given gifts to serve the rest of the Body. Do you know the world is made up the same way? Jesus said there are only two men in the earth (Matthew 24:40) – there's Christ and there's antichrist. The world works the same way. The only difference is that the saviors who make up the image of the beast want to save you from Christ's salvation, and Christ wants to save you from their salvation. His salvation is free. Theirs is not free; theirs is very costly. The Lord has a better way. He showed it to us in the Gospels. What Jesus gave in His provision was free; it didn't come through the works of man, the ability of man, or man's money. When you have to pay for it, believe me, that's not salvation by grace through faith. This leper found that out. What did he have to pay for this sozo? He received a sozo that came by grace through faith. You know, a third example can be found in the story of the blind man. (Luk.18:38) And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. (40) And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, (41) What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. (42) And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath made thee whole. Sozo, “saved.” “Thy faith hath saved thee.” That's what He's talking about that saves you. Salvation covers healing, and it's always covered healing, even in the Old Testament. The word right here is sozo. It's “saved.” The leper was “saved” of his leprosy. The blind man was “saved” of his blindness. See, they've translated the same word different ways. They've translated it “saved”; they've translated it “made whole,” but the original word is still only one word; it's the same word. I have the three most ancient manuscripts, and it's the word sozo. Sozo is the word in the Scriptures for “saved.” Everywhere Scripture uses the word “saved” in talking about our eternal salvation, it's the word sozo. We see now it's also used for healing, which tells us that healing is involved. Remember, Jesus came to deliver us from the curse of sin and of death (Romans 8:2). Sin brought death. What was incorporated in death? Sickness, disease, everything else was incorporated in death. Our salvation is double; it's dual. It saves us not only from sin, but it saves us from the penalty for sin. What is the penalty for sin? The curse. In Deuteronomy 28, God expounded the penalty for sin and He gave us the curse there. When you go back and read it, you'll find out that the curse covers not only sickness, but everything detrimental that ever happened to man because of his sin. Everything that came against man from the beginning because of his sin is a part of the curse. And you know what? Jesus became accursed for us that we might have Abraham's blessings. He became a curse on that cross. Everybody who's put on a cross is accursed (Galatians 3:13). What Jesus bore was not only the sin; it was the curse for that sin. Why would God say, “I'm going to take away your sin,” but not take away the curse? So now we see this word, sozo covers all of that. It covers not only the sin, but also the curse. We've just looked at three people who were delivered of the curse of sin, and they were delivered of it because it was by grace through faith. Let me give you yet another example to show you the difference between God's salvation and the world's salvation. Let's not change the Scriptures. What we see in Jesus is still the truth. He's the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). He is our Salvation. What He did, was to prove to us what He wanted to do. What He did in the Gospels, He does today to everybody who believes. The Gospel is the power of God to save everyone who believes (Romans 1:16). What's the Gospel? It's the Good News. It's the promises of God. And it doesn't matter if you're a “Christian.” What matters is: are you a believer? Do you believe what the Gospel says? There are Christians who are unbelieving Christians because they only believe what they want to believe. We have to believe in the Jesus of the Bible and that He really is the same yesterday, today and forever. Jesus still heals everybody who comes to Him. Let's not make up another Jesus. Paul talked about those who would come to you with another Jesus. No, we don't need another Jesus. We need this Jesus. The problem is not with God. People blame the problem on God. The problem is not with God because God has already healed you. It's not a matter of God deciding whom He's going to heal and whom He's not going to heal. That's not what the Bible says. The Bible says that by His stripes you were healed (1 Peter 2:24). This is your decision to make. (Rom.1:16) For I am not ashamed of the gospel: for it is the power of God unto salvation (soteria) to every one that believeth…. Look, the condition is on you believing. The condition is not whether God wants to heal you. The Bible says all of the promises of God are “yes” (2 Corinthians 1:20). Don't believe the people who say, “Sometimes it's ‘no.'” No, all the promises of God are “yes,” and through him is the Amen (2Co.1:20). That means “the so be it.” That means it will come to pass through Him. What we have to do is renew our mind and get back to the real Jesus. The real Jesus of salvation covers your body and your circumstances. Now let's look at this example. (Luk.8:43) And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, who had spent all her living upon physicians…. You know what? She was trying to buy salvation here. She was trying to buy sozo. The word “saved” is used in this text. She was trying to buy it. This is not God's method for you to receive it. God's method for you to receive this comes the same way as it did in the Scriptures: through the laying on of hands (Mark 16:18) and the confession of faith (Romans 10:10). That's His method. You know why? Because it excludes all of man's glorying in it. Nobody but God can take credit when you do it God's way. (Jas.5:14) Is any among you sick? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: (15) and the prayer of faith shall save him that is sick, and the Lord shall raise him up … This doesn't say it “would” or it “might”; this says it “shall” raise them up. The Bible says if any two of you agree as touching anything, it shall be done (Matthew 18:19), and I consider that to mean the person being prayed for and the person doing the praying. That's two, right? Let's continue with our example. (Luk.8:43) And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, who had spent all her living upon physicians, and could not be healed of any. Some of you have been there. I've been there, too, only to find out that God gave it freely when I gave up. God gave it freely. Look at this same story in Mark. (Mar.5:25) And a woman, who had an issue of blood twelve years, (26) and had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse … I just wanted to point that out to you: she spent all that she had. She came to the end of herself. I've been there. You don't have to try everything but God. You can start out with God. God is faithful. He is faithful Who promised (Hebrews 10:23). He will not fail you. There is no “maybe.” You can't exercise faith if you think, “Maybe God will, maybe He won't.” The Bible doesn't say “maybe” He will, “maybe” He won't. It says He's already done it. When this woman was healed, it didn't have anything to do with Jesus' faith because she came up and touched Him, but Jesus didn't know it until after it was all over. I do want to make a point here, though. This salvation she had been looking for was not sozo because it was not grace through faith. It was not. Why? Because if it's grace, it's no more works. If it's a gift of God, you can't pay for it. And if it's faith, it's past tense. She was looking for it in the future. She sought to receive it. But if it's faith, she was looking the wrong way, just like this lady I told you about who had those two tumors. I told her, “Turn around and look the other way; you're looking the wrong way.” That's when God gave this to me, this thought of “You're looking the wrong way. Turn around and look at the cross.” When the serpent on the pole was raised up in the wilderness, everybody who got their eyes on that serpent on the pole was healed (Numbers 21:9). You had to get your eyes off the snakebite and on the serpent on the pole to be healed. I told her, “Turn around and look at the cross. That's where your healing happened. You're looking in the future.” Tomorrow never comes. Faith never works that way. Faith believes that you have received (Mark 11:24). Faith turns around and looks back at the cross because the Bible says, by His stripes you were healed (1 Peter 2:24). Your healing is certain. It was accomplished at the cross. Reconciliation was accomplished (Colossians 1:20). What is that? Exchange. At the cross, Jesus gave you His healthy body and He took your old, unhealthy one. He gave you His clean, pure soul, and He took your old, unclean one. He gave you His righteousness and His blessings, and He took away your unrighteousness and your cursings. The exchange was made. This is how faith works. (2Co.5:17) Wherefore if any man is in Christ, [he is] a new creature: the old things are passed away; behold, they are become new. Now our old things have become new. What are we? New creations. New creatures in Christ. This is how faith works. Faith sees the end from the beginning; faith accepts it, grasps it; and faith holds on to it. That's why this particular method is God's method. You ask, “Can God do it?” Sure. God keeps all the Egyptians alive until they come to know Jesus. Do you understand that when we come out of Egypt and go into the wilderness, we still need “Egyptology” to come out of us? Yes! When we come out of Egypt and go into the wilderness, we need to be delivered of Egypt. I'm not talking Law here; I'm talking about a privilege. It is our privilege to accept our salvation in Jesus Christ as an accomplished fact and what I'm telling you is just how big the salvation is. (Luk.8:43) And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, who had spent all her living upon physicians, and could not be healed of any, (44) came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately the issue of her blood stanched. (45) And Jesus said, Who is it that touched me? And when all denied, Peter said, and they that were with him, Master, the multitudes press thee and crush [thee]. (46) But Jesus said, Some one did touch me; for I perceived that power had gone forth from me. By the way, I know the King James says “virtue” here, but the word is “power”; it's dunamis. In fact, the King James does translate it “power” in other places in the Bible, like in Luke 10:19. The word “power” there is the word dunamis. So it was power that came out of Jesus, but if it was power that came out of Jesus, it didn't have anything to do with His faith. In this particular case, all that was necessary was for this woman to touch Him by faith. It wasn't a matter of Jesus making up His mind whether to heal this woman or not. Jesus never turned anybody away anyway and He's not going to tell you “no.” In fact, if there's a “no,” the “no” is going to be in you; it's not going to be in Him. Our problem is we listen to the devil; we listen to the flesh. We don't listen to the Bible. Confess your sins and believe. That's all you have to do. Now, if you have willful disobedience in your life, it will come between you and healing because you won't have faith toward God. The Bible says, “if our heart condemn us not, we have boldness toward God” (1Jn.3:21). That's why you have to confess your sins to get them out of your way. But Jesus always said, “Yes.” Do you think that there were some of those people who came to Jesus who needed something worked out in their lives? I guarantee you that all of those people who came to Jesus had something that needed working out in their lives, but that didn't stop Jesus from healing. You know what did stop Jesus from healing some? When He went to His own hometown, their unbelief stopped Him. He could not. It doesn't say He would not. (Mat.13:58) And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief. Now, we need to have the faith of God in us. This salvation has been accomplished. It's not a matter of you asking Him to accomplish it; “it is finished” (Joh.19:30). I have overcome the world (16:33). This is not a matter of Jesus doing something in the future. Ask Him, “Will You do it?” He'll tell you just what the Bible says. “I did it.” He won't say, “I will do it.” He never says that. The Bible doesn't say that. He's always going to agree with the Word. He won't tell you something contrary to the Word. I knew a man one time who was asking God to heal his wife of cancer, and God told him, “She's healed.” You know what? His wife died. He was sure God told him that she was healed, and he was angry with God. I said, “Bud, God told you exactly what the Bible says. He's not going to disagree with His Word. The problem is, do you agree with His Word? He's going to tell you to believe the Bible every time. He's going to tell you, ‘You are healed.' By his stripes you were healed. What else is He going to say? Are you going to ask Him to tell you something besides what the Bible says? He's only going to tell you what the Bible says.” I know calling “the things that are not, as though they were” (Rom.4:17) appears like a lie to the world, but it's not a lie because you're in agreement with the Scriptures. You agree with God Almighty, the One Who does not dwell in time, and what He says goes. (Rom.3:4) … Let God be found true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy words, And mightest prevail when thou comest into judgment. Now, when you come under the judgment of the curse, what you need is justification. Justification is God calling you righteous. And He calls you righteous when you come under the curse, if you agree with the Bible concerning what Jesus did about the curse. Can you agree with the Bible about what Jesus did for you? He became accursed for you so that you could have the blessings of Abraham. (Isa.53:5) But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Do you agree with the Bible? See, if you're not agreeing with the Bible, you're going to consider, “Well, I need this.” Or “I'll have to handle it. The crucifixion of Jesus was not enough, I'll have to handle a little bit of it myself.” The worldly teachers will convince you of that, and you will be a double-minded person because you are not agreeing with God's Word. Jesus only preached to those people who had eyes to see and ears to hear (Matthew 13:9-11). He wasn't talking about the physical eyes and ears; they all had them. He meant spiritual eyes and ears. (2Pe.1:3) Seeing that his divine power hath granted unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness…. Do you see that? Do you see with your spiritual eyes that God has already given you everything that pertains unto life? It's not a matter of Him accomplishing it. He did that almost 2000 years ago. Now the problem is, are you going to agree with Him? Two can't walk together except they be agreed (Amos 3:3). You can't walk with Jesus except to the extent you agree with Him. Now, how are you going to agree with Him? I told Bud, “The Lord told you what the Bible says. The problem is you didn't believe in it. You were waiting to see something first. That is not the way faith works. Faith accepts it as a fact before seeing it. If you walk by faith, you'll see it, but if you walk by sight, you'll never see it because that's not the way it works. That's not faith. Faith is looking back at the cross.” So, Bud was angry at God because God didn't do what He said He was going to do. But it wasn't God's fault. See, we enter into the Covenant. The Bible says that the Gospel “is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth” (Rom.1:16). Listen, the power of God has already accomplished everything. What He's done is already accomplished. Your part is to enter into that Covenant by your faith. That's what brings it to pass. God's part is sure; it is finished, and it is final. Now we enter into our part of it by faith. That's our part of keeping the Covenant. When the disciples asked Jesus, “what must we do, that we may work the works of God?” (Joh.6:28), He said just one thing: “believe on him whom he hath sent” (29). All we have to do to do the works of God, whatever they are, is “believe on him whom he hath sent.” Does everybody have to die under the curse? Does everybody have to leave this life under the curse? The world has taken for granted that you're going to die of something. Do you have to die under the curse, or can you keep believing all the way up to the end, until you leave this life? Has everybody died of the curse? No, they did not. In fact, I have some books describing people who died on their deathbeds, and there was absolutely no pain in their bodies, and they couldn't find anything wrong with them; they just went to be with the Lord. This is not to condemn the ones who do die, but we have to get our sight and our vision on Jesus. You can't go somewhere that you can't see, you know. The Bible says, if you can see Jesus in the mirror, you can go there. Of course, everybody's not going to go there to the same extent. Look, one person received one talent, another two and another five (Matthew 25:14-30). Everybody doesn't get the same gift. Everybody doesn't manifest the same fruit, do they? There's 30-, 60- and 100-fold fruit (Matthew 13:8,23). Do you want to enter into only what you see other people entering into, or do you want to enter into everything that God has for you? That's the point. We're supposed to be looking at Jesus, not looking at our neighbor. Get your eyes on Jesus. He'll show you what you can enter into. God is going to do a special thing in these days. Did you know that He's going to do something He's never done before? The Bible says He's coming “to be glorified in his saints, and to be marvelled at in all them that believed (because our testimony unto you was believed) in that day” (2Th.1:10). Oh, glory to God! The apostle Paul said there was a day in the future when his words would finally be believed and that Jesus would be glorified in those people in that day because they did believe that word. You know, God gives grace for us to enter into believing just as much as we can believe. God gives grace for us to reach out to places people have never reached out to. In this day there is more grace to believe more than there's ever been. Do you understand what that verse says? He said, “in that day.” Paul was saying that they weren't believing it in his day, but that's what we're seeking right now. We don't want to stop with what religion has accepted; we want to go on and get everything God has given us. (Eph.2:8) By grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, [it is] the gift of God; (9) not of works, that no man should glory. That's one work. Now, here's another work: (10) For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works…. The first is talking about your work, the work of the flesh, the efforts of man, the efforts of self, the buying of God's gift, all those things. The second is talking about God's work. So let's just use healing again as a “for instance” because we're talking about it already. Do you know what? When you have faith that Jesus healed you, which is the only one that's a Scriptural faith, that faith is going to be walked out by your feet; it's going to come out of your mouth; it's going to be seen in your actions. That is a work that comes from faith. You know what the other work is? It's a work that comes before faith. Works of the flesh come before faith; works of God come after faith. When you believe, you're able to walk just like you received, and do you know what happens when you do that? You do what the 10 lepers did. Jesus said to them, “go and show yourselves unto the priests” (Luk.17:14). Well, they understood that because in the Law of Moses, when a person was healed of leprosy, he went to show himself to the priests. Then the priest inspected the person and took his turtle dove and gave his offering. But these lepers went to show themselves to the priests before their healing was manifested. Their walk was a walk of faith. But the way of the world would stand right there and say, “Well, I'm not healed.” Those lepers would look at themselves and say, “Well, I'm not healed yet. It's not the time to go show myself to the priest.” That's a carnal walk. That's walking by sight and not walking by faith. So there is a work that follows faith. Faith without works is dead. If you believe that you're healed, let me hear it come out of your mouth and let me see it in your feet. And if you believe that Jesus delivered you from sin, let's see that come out of your mouth and see it in your feet. Do you understand? When you believe something, your actions have to agree with that belief. Faith, if it have not works, is dead in itself (Jas.2:17), or it's incomplete. It's not real faith until it's put into works that agree with what the Bible says. But the world says, “I can see you're not healed,” but your feet keep on saying, “I'm healed. Look at me walk,” because your works are going to agree with faith. So if you're just healed by faith, you know you're not healed by manifestation. As long as you're healed by faith, you're believing for something that you don't yet see. That's the way faith works. And if you don't do it there, you'll never see it by manifestation. We have to repent of our worldly thinking. We have to repent of our Babylonish doctrine that's been given to us. We must change our minds, and we say, “God, You're right.” You have to say that before you can enter into it. (Rom.3:4) Let God be found true, but every man a liar…. Justification comes from agreeing with God. Agree with God; even if you're failing, agree with God. God's not going to condemn anyone. You don't condemn your child if your child is a toddler and stumbles and falls. There's no way you would condemn that child because that's the way they learn to walk. That's the way children are. They don't always get it right the first time. Now, as they get older and they're stumbling, you start asking what's wrong with them. So when we start out on a faith walk, we stumble and fall, but we get up. If you don't get up, you're not overcoming. You get up, you walk a little farther, you stumble, you walk a little farther. Every time you get up, you're walking farther, and you keep going. But if you decide, “I'm just going to sit right here because it's too dangerous to stand up,” then you're going to be an unprofitable servant (Matthew 25:30) because you've been given knowledge and you're doing nothing with it. Remember, it's God's faith inside of you; it's not your faith in Him. You'll fail as long as it's just your faith in Him. It's God's faith inside of you. Remember that God has given you His faith. Accept it as a gift. Reconciliation has given you this gift. Unbelief was taken away from you at the cross. Did you know that? All your sins were put on that cross, including the one that's at the foundation of every sin – unbelief. But that's at the cross, and you've been delivered. The Bible says, “reckon ye also yourselves to be dead unto sin” (Rom.6:11). That means to reckon your old unbelieving self to be dead and gone. “I'm delivered from unbelief.” Do you understand? That's not a confession of faith in yourself; that's a confession of faith in God. We are new (2 Corinthians 5:17). You have been made free from sin (Romans 6:22). You're free from unbelief. Believe and accept it. Don't get anxious when you fail God because of your unbelief, and don't let anybody put a guilt trip on you. Don't let anybody put you under the Law to do what they expect. Don't be moved by peer pressure because somebody else has faith. Don't look at any of that. Get your eyes on Jesus. He will give you the faith that you need to do these things. It's His free gift to you. You don't have to be anxious or try to work it up yourself. You can't pick yourself up off the floor by your bootstraps. It's just not possible. It has to come from the outside in. It's nothing that you can do from the inside out. So don't be condemned if you're not able to do everything that you see Jesus do or that you see others do. Don't worry about it. It's God Who started the good work in you, and it's He Who's going to finish it (Philippians 1:6). The people who put others under legalism cause a lot of people hurt. This is wrong. And I'll tell you what, they ultimately get hurt, too, because what you sow, you reap (Galatians 6:7) and you can't sow that legalistic thing without it coming back on you. You can't judge others without being judged (Romans 14:4). I'm just offering you the knowledge. I'm trying to put the picture of Jesus there in front of you. Look at Jesus and you'll be transformed into that image from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18). Don't look at any religion or put another Jesus up there because, believe me, you can be transformed into any Jesus. Religions do it all the time. The only Jesus we want to reflect is the One the Father sent. Look in your Bible. The only way you'll see the true Jesus is to look in this Book. Look at Him. This is Jesus. He's the same. He hasn't changed. Men try to change Him; they have made a comfortable Jesus. One that the flesh could be comfortable with, a Jesus that wouldn't bring you through any kind of a trial of your faith. It's easy to have the Jesus that religion has. Let's look at the Jesus in the Bible. I tell you the reason we're not seeing the works of Jesus on this earth; it's because they've made another Jesus and they're being transformed into that image from glory to glory. That's the problem. Let's get back to the Word and believe it. Jesus sent His disciples out to do the same things He did. How can you do the same things He did unless you agree with Him? So now let's read the rest of the story from where Jesus perceived that power, sozo, went forth from Him. I really want to get beyond healings being included in salvation because I believe a lot of people already understand that, and I want to show you how broad salvation is. And it's all going to come by grace through faith. All of it. The rest of it, let me tell you, is man's works. (Luk.8:47) And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people for what cause she touched him, and how she was healed immediately. (48) And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath (my Bible says “made thee whole,” but the word there is sozo) saved thee; go in peace. He saved her. This is a part of salvation. She was saved. Remember, she sought the physicians. The Bible clearly shows you the difference between seeking deliverance from the physicians and seeking it from Jesus. (2Ch.16:12) And in the thirty and ninth year of his reign Asa was diseased in his feet; his disease was exceeding great: yet he sought not to the Lord, but to the physicians. (13) And Asa slept with his fathers…. The Scripture makes a difference between seeking the salvation that normally comes from the world and the salvation that comes from God. Now, did you know that those Jews received their healing from God for many, many years. They started being drawn away from that when Solomon brought in all of his pagan wives, who brought the physicians into Israel. Up until that time, they got their healing from God. And when they went to Babylon, they started falling into many of the things of the world that weren't Scriptural. And the word in Scripture for “healing by the use of medicine” is the word pharmakia – just what we use today. Pharmakia is the word for “sorcery” or “witchcraft,” depending on which Bible you have, and is where we get our word “pharmacy.” Jesus has a better way, and it won't cost you anything, and believe me, you'll get out of so much trouble. If you live a life of the carnal Christian, by the end of your life you will have spent a lot of money on Egypt. But I tell you, God will get you out of that; it's His free gift. Don't say, “I have to do this.” No, it is a privilege. God gives you a privilege. You don't earn it; He's given it to you freely. This is His sozo. This is a part of His deliverance. Years ago, way back at the beginning of our Christian walk, my wife, Mary, and I were riding motorcycles up in Mississippi. And this was a real hilly area. We were on two dirt bikes, and this was new territory to us, so it was kind of crazy what we did. We were each on a bike and we came over this hill, and she turned one way, and I turned another way. Well, on her side it was almost a cliff. It just went nearly straight down. And I heard her screaming all the way to the bottom of that hill, “MOMMAAA!” And she was mashing the foot peg as hard as she could, but I don't think she ever mashed on the brake because I never saw the wheels skid or anything. I mean, she was flying when she hit the bottom of that hill. It was painful for me to watch. I saw her bounce off a few trees, and I went down in there and scraped her off those trees and put her on the back of my bike. And then I took her out of there and got her to a hospital. This was during the same time that Mary was taking some medicine to try to clear up an infection, so the doctors were talking about operating on her kidneys. But a friend of ours told us about the promises in the Scriptures about healing, and we went to this church that believed in healing. So she went down in front of the church, and they prayed over her. Well, nothing physical happened. We went home, and it was probably a week or two later when she was meditating and thinking on it all, and the Lord spoke to her. And you know what He said? He said, “If you believe that I have healed you, why are you taking all that medicine?” Because the Bible says, ‘He has healed you'. And you know what? When Mary ran into the bathroom and started pouring her medicine down the commode because of that voice of the Lord, she was instantly healed. And not only was she healed of the kidney problem from hitting the tree, but she was healed from a natural kidney deficiency that she'd had since she was a little girl. She was healed of always having infections. God did a miracle. He did it freely. The doctors were going to charge us an awful lot to do that, but God did it for free. God will ask you the same thing one day. He says, “If you believe that I have healed you …” God expects us to believe, not because of what we see or feel, but because He expects us to believe what the Scripture says. We need no other grounds. Peter stepped out of the boat because of what Jesus said. “Bid me to come unto you, Lord” (Matthew 14:28). And when Jesus said, “Come,” that's all Peter needed to step out (Matthew 14:29). All Peter needed was the Word of God, and he stepped out on that Word and the water held him up. If you're walking by sight, you'll never be able to walk where we're talking about walking because you're calling the things that are as though they are, instead of calling the things that are not as though they were (Romans 4:17). God chose the things that are not to bring to nothing the things that are (1 Corinthians 1:28). Think about it again now. God chose the things that are not to bring to nothing the things that are. How does He do that? What are the things that are not? The promise. “By His stripes you were healed” (1 Peter 2:24), when you look at yourselves and say, “Well, I don't see myself healed. I still feel sick. I still look sick.” See, the things that are not, are these promises that are not manifested yet. So how do you translate that into this present physical time? It's very simple. We do it the way the Bible tells us to: by calling “the things that are not, as though they were” (Rom.4:17). Please understand. If God chose the things that “are not” to bring to nothing the things “that are,” then He did not choose the things “that are” to bring to nothing the things “that are.” Did you get that? Read it again. He chose the things that “are not” to do away with the things “that are.” What are the things “that are”? The curse. What are the things that “are not”? The promise. Don't say, “God chose this method” or “He chose that method,” when you're talking about the things that are, because the Bible says He chose the things that are not, to bring to nothing the things that are. That's the promise. When you don't see the promise, and you say, “Well, now God chooses doctors or lawyers or bankers or going in debt,” etc., if you say that God uses or chooses the things “that are” to bring about the promise, you're contrary to the Scriptures. In the Scriptures, the men of God used faith to bring to pass everything. Do you understand what I'm saying? The world will tell you, because it's very convenient or comfortable for them, they'll say, “Well, now God uses this method, now God uses that...” No, He doesn't use “now methods”. That's not Scriptural. He uses the things that are not. He still uses the things that are not. Jesus doesn't have to heal you because He already healed you. You can prove it for yourself. Find one place in the Scripture, find just one place, where anybody who ministered healing to anybody else stopped and prayed and asked God to heal somebody. Find it. They didn't do it, and do you know why? Because it was already an accomplished fact. You know what they did? “Be healed in the Name of Jesus.” They laid hands and they commanded them to be healed. They commanded healing in the authority of God. “As the Father sent me, so send I you,” Jesus said (John 20:21). So we do the same thing Jesus did: We command healing in the name of Jesus. The reason we can do that is that there shouldn't be any question in our mind that it's already an accomplished fact. None of the disciples in the Book of Acts ever stopped and prayed, “Lord, will You heal this person?” Now God gave us conditions. He said, for instance, it's “the children's bread” (Matthew 15:26). That's for us. He called deliverance from demons and healing the children's bread. It's ours. Is God ever going to deny the children their bread? No. May they go hungry? They might go hungry but it won't be because He's denying them their bread. That woman who was not one of the children, she said, “Well, even the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table” (Matthew 15:27). She exercised faith. She proved herself to be a believer. I'm not saying that God can't do more than what it says in the Scripture. He won't do less, but I'm not saying He can't do more. When Paul was shipwrecked on the island of Melita (Acts 28:1), it didn't say anybody there believed him, but he prayed for the sick, and God healed them (Acts 28:8,9). He prayed for a bunch of pagans, and you have to get God's permission to do that because Jesus said it's not right to cast the children's bread to the dogs. You have to get God's permission to do that. He might give it to you. He might do it as a witness. He may do it as an evangelistic tool. He may do it for those reasons, but He doesn't have to because you can't hold Him to any Scripture for that. The Bible says it's the children's bread. You may question, “What about the mercy ships and the mercy planes that have doctors and nurses specialized in a lot of the surgeries they do for cleft palates and so on?” Well, is it using the things that are or using the things that are not? I'm sure not going to condemn them, but let's get our eyes just on Jesus and look at His perfect way and His perfect Will. Did you ever see Jesus doing that? No. Did you ever see any of His disciples doing that? No. Wasn't Luke a physician? Maybe. Did you ever see him practicing that? No. Not after he came to Christ; you don't see him practicing that. So we don't have an example; we don't have a foundation to do it that way. I'm not condemning them; I'm not going to come against them. I'm just trying to get back to the Scriptures. I'm just trying to get back to God's method, God's way. You can make a mistake trusting in man and it can be dangerous because man can surely fail you. But it's never dangerous to trust in God. He never fails. He's never failed to heal me in almost 57 years, and I've gotten in some places where I needed healing. I've had broken bones; I've had cancer and He's healed me every time. God has never failed me. It didn't matter if it was a cold or a hangnail. It doesn't make any difference. You see, it doesn't matter how big it is. Jesus knew that He had the authority of the Father to come against all the works of the devil and destroy them. And that's the very same authority He gave us.
Thank you for joining for worship at Meadowbrook.If you are joining via Facebook or YouTube and experiencing any difficulties, consider joining us at https://www.meadowbrookbc.org/live. We also have channels available on the Meadowbrook App as well as Apple and Roku.
Thank you for joining for worship at Meadowbrook.If you are joining via Facebook or YouTube and experiencing any difficulties, consider joining us at https://www.meadowbrookbc.org/live. We also have channels available on the Meadowbrook App as well as Apple and Roku.
Ask, Tell, Confess is back and this week we're getting into the red flags y'all saw, ignored, and somehow still said, “Yeah, but he's hot.” Bunnie, Meme, and Hailee kick things off with a wild L.A. cop bar story, some Del Taco drive-thru scheming, and why a pretty face will have you out here making decisions you know d*mn well you shouldn't be making.Then the gang gets into your confessions, and baby… some of y'all really put up with some sh*t. We're talking mattress-on-the-floor men, crusty yellow pillows, secret girlfriends, cheating boyfriends, validation smashes, and dating app disasters with enough red flags to fill a whole parade.At some point, we gotta stop calling it “potential” and call it what it is. If the red flags are waving, believe them. Raise your standards, trust your gut, and stop letting somebody being fine make you lose all common sense.Want to be part of the next Ask, Tell, Confess? Send your stories to our Instagram DMs and make sure you're following along.Watch Full Episodes & More: YouTube
Purity gets talked about like it's mostly external, but I'm inviting you to go deeper with me. Day 22 of 31 Days of Obedience centers on obedience and purity through Psalm 51:10–12, where David's prayer asks God for a clean heart, a renewed spirit, restored joy, and the willingness to obey. That word willing is a checkpoint for every woman of faith who wants consistent Christian living without performing for people.We walk through a hard but freeing question: Is there anything in my heart, thoughts, or motives that I've been willing to tolerate privately that I know God is asking me to surrender? I name the kinds of hidden battles that can quietly shape our choices, resentment, jealousy, pride, lust, comparison, bitterness, selfish ambition, even the desire for recognition. Obedience isn't only doing the “right” thing. God wants access to the reasons underneath what we do, the why beneath our yes.Then we take a practical step you can do today: five quiet minutes with God. I'll guide you to pray, listen, and respond without justifying, minimizing, or condemning yourself. Confess specifically, surrender it, and ask God to purify what He reveals, your intentions, imagination, words, anger, ambitions, or motives for serving. Purity is not only what we refuse to do; it's what we allow God to remove so what's holy remains.If this devotional helps you, subscribe to the Intentional Woman Podcast, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more women can find this journey. What is God putting His finger on in your heart today?
Welcome back to another episode of BUTT HONESTLY!This week, things are opening up, going a little deeper, and in one case… coming right back up.One Booty Gangster has an ambitious mouth and a throat that may be questioning the assignment. With a history of colon cancer and some chest pain in the mix, he wants to know: is it all in his throat, or is something more serious going on?Another listener loves putting in the oral work, but after a string of unfinished jobs, he's starting to wonder who really sucks in this situation?And one Booty Gangster discovers that an honest conversation with his husband can open the door to a whole new level of intimacy—and a few unexpected possibilities.Plus, we're opening the READY, SET, CONFESS vault with our very special guest: Glitz Glam!From South Florida beginnings to San Diego's Church of GLAM, our guest has spent decades serving looks, shaking up nightlife, bending the rules of drag, and championing the LGBTQ+ community. HIV activist, queer mentor, Club Kid, Drag Icon, and one of the forces behind Urban MO—Glitz Glam has stories.So open your ears and hit play. The confession booth is open, the questions are coming in, and things are getting very Butt Honestly.
“He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.”Our confession of sin - one time - triggers God's faithfulness, forgiveness, cleansing, removal of sin, kindness, grace, and freedom. What an amazing deal for us once we simply get honest with God about what we have done.If you struggle with forgiving yourself for any past mistakes and sins, maybe it's time to visualize a funeral for them.Confess, place them under the blood of Christ, and ask for forgiveness one final time.Commit to this being the last time you will bring it up. Just like when a funeral is over, you need to walk away once you've said your goodbyes. But now instead of mourning and grief, you say hello to freedom and forgiveness.What is a specific sin you are willing to confess and bury today?Listen once again to God's promises and the finality of what happens once we confess:“But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” (1 John 1:9 NLT)“He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.” Psalm 103:12 NLT“He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.” (Ephesians 1:7 NLT)It is time to say a final goodbye to something God wants to see you let go of… that you know you need to let go of.As you can see, He has made your forgiveness and freedom available to you right now.How does it feel to know that God not only forgives your sins, but He forgets they even happened. What does it look like to accept you are living with a new reality, a clean slate.Let's commit this to Him: “Father, I want today to say a final goodbye to the things that have held me back from receiving all You have for me. Today, I hand these things over You. Thank You now for Your faithfulness, forgiveness, cleansing, removal of sin, kindness, grace, and freedom. As above, so below.”- Amen
Freedom from sin comes when we take inventory, confess, and repent, bringing what's hidden into the light. When we turn toward Jesus, we find forgiveness, healing, and joy.Take inventory of sinConfess your sinRepent of your sinLife Group Discussion:What is something you tend to avoid acknowledging or looking at honestly in your own life? Why?How does knowing that God responds to confession with forgiveness change the way you view your sin?What's the difference between simply feeling sorry for your sin and actually turning from it?
Freedom from sin comes when we take inventory, confess, and repent, bringing what's hidden into the light. When we turn toward Jesus, we find forgiveness, healing, and joy.Take inventory of sinConfess your sinRepent of your sinLife Group Discussion:What is something you tend to avoid acknowledging or looking at honestly in your own life? Why?How does knowing that God responds to confession with forgiveness change the way you view your sin?What's the difference between simply feeling sorry for your sin and actually turning from it?
GIs Confess by John Sancandi https://www.amazon.com/GIs-Confess-John-Sancandi/dp/B0H8FMJ8Q6 A stolen masterpiece. A troubled veteran. A conspiracy that could change the world. Ed Smith has spent years fighting battles no one else can see. A Marine veteran haunted by PTSD, crippling self-doubt, and disturbing dreams that seem to predict the future, Ed struggles to separate reality from imagination. When a mysterious woman appears at his door claiming that a stolen Monet painting is connected to a plot that could trigger an international crisis, Ed is forced into a world far more dangerous than any nightmare. As political tensions rise, secrets unfold across Washington, and powerful figures maneuver behind the scenes, Ed finds himself at the center of a deadly conspiracy involving art theft, deception, espionage, and global power. The problem is simple: No one believes him. Not even Ed is certain he can trust himself. With time running out and the stakes higher than ever, one damaged veteran may be the only person capable of stopping a catastrophe that threatens far more than his own future. Fast-paced, thought-provoking, and packed with unforgettable characters, GIs Confess is a gripping thriller about courage, redemption, and the fine line between intuition and madness.
Ask, Tell, Confess is back at the kitchen counter, and somehow y'all managed to outdo yourselves. This week, the gang is diving into your absolute WORST date and hookup stories—and there is truly no preparing for where these confessions go.We're talking puking in mouths to Alan Jackson, surprise butt play with ZERO warning, period disasters on white sheets, boogers on boobs, and enough poop and puke stories to last us a lifetime.Bunnie, Meme, Hailee, and Jaime break down every unhinged detail while getting into sex and consent, period sex, butt stuff myths, bleaching buttholes before surgery (yes, really), and the red flags you should NEVER ignore just because you're “already there.”Consider this your reminder: sometimes it's better to just get dressed and go home.Watch Full Episodes & More: YouTube
Why Should I Confess My Sins? (Nehemiah 9)
Talk to a HG Coach 1-on-1: https://bit.ly/46bIkdoDr. K's NEW Guide to Love, Sex, & Relationships is here! Order now: https://bit.ly/4dO3x0VDr. K's Guide to Mental Health: https://bit.ly/44z3SztHG Memberships : https://bit.ly/3TNoMVf Products & Services : https://bit.ly/44kz7x0 HealthyGamer.GG: https://bit.ly/3ZOopgQIn this episode, Dr. K unpacks the psychology and data behind transitioning from friends to lovers, explaining why the traditional "friend zone" is actually the most successful starting point for a romantic relationship. Moving away from the high-stakes, dramatic gestures often seen in movies, he breaks down the science of social environments, the developmental stages of attraction, and why a grand confession of love is almost guaranteed to sabotage your chances. What to expect in this episode: The Friends-to-Lovers Blueprint: Why the dreaded "friend zone" is actually the most common path to romance, with data showing that 70% of couples start out as friends. You'll also learn why you must play the long game, as the average successful transition takes 21.9 months. The Open vs. Closed Field Dynamics: How dating apps act as "open fields" where physical attractiveness is virtually the only deciding factor. In contrast, "closed fields" (like work projects or friend groups) naturally highlight deeper, highly attractive traits like humor, reliability, and shared values. Small Talk is a Red-Flag Filter: Why the primary goal of small talk isn't actually to get to know someone, but rather a crucial "safety assessment" designed to weed out catastrophic red flags before you invest your energy. Why Grand Confessions Backfire: How blurting out a dramatic, high-stakes declaration of love maximizes psychological uncertainty, panics your friend, and forces them to pull away from the friendship entirely to regain safety. The Six Destabilizing Triggers: The specific events that shake up a stable friendship and can trigger romantic feelings, ranging from supportive bonding during a personal crisis to the sudden threat of competing relationships. The One-Sided Exclusivity Trap: Why closing yourself off to other dating options while waiting around for a friend actually decreases your chances of being with them, and how third-party interest often serves as the catalyst they need to realize their feelings. The Art of Reducing Uncertainty: A practical guide to navigating the transition by systematically managing behavioral, mutuality, definitional, and future uncertainty. Dr. K explains how to make small, explicit moves that protect the friendship, giving your partner the safety to explore dating without fearing they will lose you forever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Baby, we had WAY too many unforgettable Ask, Tell, Confess moments for just one episode. BEST OF PART 2 is here, and the gang is going back through even more of the confessions that left us speechless.We've got “pepper spray puss,” secret hookups that could turn an entire family upside down, anonymous confessions hitting dangerously close to home, and secrets that should probably never see the light of day. Some made us laugh, some made us gag, and some had us wondering why y'all would ever put this information in writing.It's messy, it's chaotic, and it's everything we love about Ask, Tell, Confess. If you thought Part 1 was wild, baby… we saved plenty for Part 2.Watch Full Episodes & More: YouTube
Greg Morse | God offers free forgiveness to all who will confess and forsake their sins — meager terms for tremendous mercy. What are you waiting for?
BEST OF ASK, TELL, CONFESS: PART 1, baby. We pulled together some of the most unhinged, most talked-about ATC moments and crammed them into one chaotic episode… and this is just the beginning.We kick it off with the guy who checked every box—until he made one disgusting, deal-breaking request. From there, it's the infamous mouse nest inside a penis pump (yes, that really happened), pre-cum debates, and Hailee's balcony adventures with the neighbors basically getting a free show.The girls also spiral over their whitewater rafting trip, weigh in on a lawyer dating a guy who might become her boss, and react to some truly tragic hookup etiquette. Plus, disappointing “pretty boy” sex, a chaotic gift unboxing, and plenty of peak Dumb Blonde energy.If you've missed any of these—or just want to relive the chaos—BEST OF ATC: PART 1 has you covered.Watch Full Episodes & More: YouTube
Bunnie and the gang are back with Part 2 of Ask, Tell, Confess: Vacation Edition — and somehow, y'all managed to make these stories even wilder than last week.From a construction work trip involving a $1,000 bet and some very questionable decisions, to Dempsey's disastrous jet ski instructor situationship in the Keys, we're getting into the vacation memories that should've stayed on vacation.Bunnie and the gang also relive their chaotic Rome trip, Nanny's cigar-on-the-beach fail, matching tattoos, and why everyone thinks they're out doing hoe shit when they're really just playing games and making cookie balls.Then the confessions completely go off the rails with cheating exes, family vacations gone horribly wrong, accidental cousin kisses, and hotel room behavior nobody asked to witness. Plus, the worst psychic reading ever, why Four Loko is officially off-limits, and way too much oversharing.Moral of the story: some vacation memories should've stayed on vacation — but thank God y'all told us anyway.Watch Full Episodes & More: YouTube
Ask, Tell, Confess is back, and somehow we end up in a full-blown war against wicker. It starts with the new movie Wicker and quickly spirals into wicker furniture, unfortunate splinters, and why Bunnie thinks the whole damn thing should be illegal.Bunnie also clears the air about the new Cali vacation house, why Nashville will always be home, and what's really happening with Crunchy, S'more, and all the animals on the farm.Then we get into your wildest vacation stories—from mystery poop in Alaska and traumatizing hotel moments to drunk shower hookups in Mexico and Bunnie's own disastrous Tijuana detour.Turns out y'all have been doing some absolutely feral shit on vacation, and we didn't even make a dent in these submissions. So yeah… Part 2 is happening.Watch Full Episodes & More: YouTube