Podcasts about Corban

Faith for the Coming Wilderness (4) (audio) David Eells – 9/14/25 I want to back up a little from what I shared last time, when we knew we were to move to Florida and share how we got a little ahead of the Lord. Sometimes the Lord will wait before He answers because He wants to see if we are going to get out there in the flesh and that's what we did. We came over a little early and started looking around Pensacola, but we didn't see anything, and we went back home. We started crying out to the Lord, “Okay, Lord, we know this is the time; we know it's coming,” and so on. And the next time, we waited until the Lord sent us. We even had a Christian realtor in Pensacola looking around for us, and we described the house to him because we had already seen it in dreams and visions. He was looking all over Pensacola, trying to find the house, until, finally, one day, in a little frustration after having sought the Lord, I stopped the man. I said, “Look, let's get your map.” So he got his map and we stretched it out on the hood of his car, and I said, “Listen, this is where the house is, right here!” I wasn't even looking where I was pointing, but I stuck my finger down on the map and he said, “Okay, we'll go there and look.” As we were looking, I told the man just exactly how much we were going to pay for the house. I could tell he wasn't used to that, but he said, “Okay.” He drove us through the area where my finger came down and we passed by the house we had seen in our dreams and visions. The lady who owned it had just stuck a “For Sale By Owner” sign in the ground. And since this was a realtor and it was a For Sale By Owner sign, he was just driving right on by, but I had my pad and pencil out. I wrote down the phone number and called her later. So after we looked at the house, I felt led to offer her $1000 less than I knew I was going to pay because some people like to haggle. She said, “Well, I don't know.” And I said, “Well, I tell you what, leave the curtains,” which I knew she was planning on doing anyway, “and I'll give you this much,” which was the amount the Lord told me. And she said, “Okay.” Praise the Lord! I do want to tell you that the realtor was a good Christian man who had done a good job looking for the house, and we actually gave him his commission. He had worked for his due, and we figured we'd give it to him anyway. He told us, “Man, I could never have found you a deal like this!” Now this lady was a Baptist, but one of her relatives was the pastor of a large, full-Gospel church in Pensacola. He and other people had been witnessing to her. And at the time when we came to Pensacola, she was having a problem with her eyes, so we asked her, “Would you let us pray for you? Will you let us lay hands on you for those eyes, so God will heal them?” I pointed out some verses to her and so on. She said, “Well, I don't know so much of that laying on of hands stuff, but I would like you to pray for me.” I answered, “Okay, we will pray for you without the laying on of hands.” That's what we did; we prayed for her, and God healed her. She was so jubilant to come to find out that God would do this for her because her doctrine didn't permit that kind of miraculous healing. She didn't really believe in those kinds of miraculous healings, but she received a miraculous healing, and her eyes were suddenly opened to the true Gospel. Then, when the time came for us to move in, she still wasn't ready to move out for another week, so she lived with us for a week, and we were able to witness to her even more. We had our stuff all piled up on one end of the house, and we were kind of living together like that until, finally, we had the house to ourselves. You see, God did a miracle. And it was through our weakness that we got this miracle. God paid for it; we didn't pay for anything. The money He gave us was enough to buy the house and a new car because our small car was a Toyota, which was good for doing small jobs, but we had five kids. So we bought a large, brand new station wagon, and God also did many miracles on that station wagon for us over the years. But the miracle was that God paid for both of these. We didn't have any money or save any money, and we just continued to give to any need that came our way. Whenever we saw a need, we gave to it. We didn't believe in storing up our treasures on earth, so we put no money in the bank. We did what Jesus says. (Luk.12:33) Sell that which ye have, and give alms; make for yourselves purses which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief draweth near, neither moth destroyeth. “Faileth not.” I want to remind you that no credit goes to us. Eph 2:8  for by grace (unmerited favor) 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.  When you store up your treasures in Heaven by meeting the needs of the brethren, you can always get it back because as the Lord said, it “faileth not.” For many years, I made a very good living, and I met the needs of the brethren around me. Whenever I saw a need, it wasn't a burden to me to take care of it by the grace of God, Who put it in my heart to do that. When you read the Word of God and you love the Word of God, and you love to act and live on the Word of God, the Word gets into your heart. The Word in you is Jesus in you. So we just gave where we saw to give; we didn't save up money and we didn't borrow money. Borrowing was out of the question for us because we were walking by faith, and even up to today, I haven't for 55 years. But because I give, the money is always there when I need it. As I've shared with you, the Lord taught me never to borrow, never to tell my needs, never to go into the business of buying and selling. Another was, never to take any government help. Recently the Lord had me sighn up for Social Security at 76 which didn't belong to the government but me, but I have given it away ever since. One of the things the young man said happened in his dream was that when he walked up to me, I told him, “I'm never going to work for man again,” and it was true. After I retired from Exxon, I never worked for man again. Now, everybody has to work, as the Bible says: (2Th.3:10) For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, If any will not work, neither let him eat. So I've worked diligently for the Lord and still do, but I've never been a burden on people. I made sure of that, and I never made my needs known. I haven't received any income from UBM. God put it in people's hearts to meet our needs separately. I don't believe in being a freeloader or “mooching.” It's wrong and it's evil. If you're truly walking by faith, God's going to support you. (Luk.10:7) And in that same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the laborer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house. (Mat.10:10) Get you no gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses; (10) no wallet for your journey, neither two coats, nor shoes, nor staff: for the laborer is worthy of his food. God supports those who work for Him. Apostle Paul is our example. At the beginning of his ministry, he worked for a living. (1Co.9:11) If we sowed unto you spiritual things, is it a great matter if we shall reap your carnal things? (12) If others partake of [this] right over you, do not we yet more? Nevertheless we did not use this right; but we bear all things, that we may cause no hindrance to the gospel of Christ. But later on (2 Corinthians 9; Philippians 2), it seems very clear that Paul was receiving freewill offerings from brethren so that he could continue on with his ministering and not be distracted by any work. It was that way for the first part of my ministry, too. I worked for many years while I ministered. I learned to walk by faith and, in that weakness, God was miraculous. Most people don't get to see the miracles of God because they are not willing to be weak. They're always strong and do for themselves; it's salvation by works. Remember that the Greek word for “salvation,” which is the noun soteria or the verb sozo, is translated in many different ways to cover every kind of salvation. For instance, when Jesus healed someone, (Mat.9:22) But Jesus turning and seeing her said, Daughter, be of good cheer; thy faith hath made thee whole (sozo). And the woman was made whole (sozo) from that hour. When He delivered people from demons, (Luk.8:36) And they that saw it told them how he that was possessed with demons was made whole (sozo). When the disciples were in the sinking boat, (Mat.8:25) And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Save (sozo), Lord; we perish. Salvation is very, very big! Jesus saved us from sin and its curse. (2Co.5:21) Him who knew no sin he made [to be] sin on our behalf; that we might become the righteousness of God in him. Did you know, in the Scriptures, poverty is a curse? (Deu.28:47) Because thou servedst not the Lord thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, by reason of the abundance of all things; (48) therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies that Jehovah shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee. Unless it is a sacrificial self-imposed poverty for the sake of others, it's a curse. How many of you know that Jesus wasn't poverty-stricken? He had His needs met everywhere He went. Now, He didn't have riches, according to the way the world likes riches. The world likes the material kind of riches in which they can trust. Jesus didn't have that, but His needs were met wherever He went, and so were His disciples. They weren't poor, but they were poor to the world. (Jas.2:5) Hearken, my beloved brethren; did not God choose them that are poor as to the world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to them that love him? People who are poor to the world are in a position of weakness, where they have to trust in God. You have to come out from under the principles of the world and the teachings of the worldly, Babylonish Church. You learn to obey the principles that Jesus gave us in the New Testament. Make sure your brother's needs are met sacrificially out of what you have, and God will make sure you don't ever have a need that isn't met by God's faith in us. Paul said, (Php.4:19) And my God shall supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. He said that because his needs were being met by the brethren and He made that promise to the Philippians. Well, we lost a car, had been injured, and didn't have any money, but in our weakness, God was made strong. We didn't have to sell or borrow or beg or do anything of the sort; all we did was give. I want you to walk in the same blessings, and God will do that for you if you start living according to His principles. By the way, because the second part of the money that came in from the wreck was delayed and delayed, God made an opportunity for me to give away my first station wagon that I had when I was in Baton Rouge. I gave it away to a mission in town where I had preached quite a few times because they needed transportation for the people in the mission. God blessed me with that car, and I never had any problems with it that Father didn't fix. When we prayed for a car, my youngest daughter had a vision of that car being in New Orleans. She even saw the color of the car. Sure enough, I couldn't find anything in Baton Rouge that I liked, so I went to New Orleans, and I saw the car and bought it. That was the car I gave to the mission. And I'd never put any spares in that car because I was trusting God to keep my tires, but the day I put the keys in the preacher's hand in my living room and we walked outside, it was sitting on a flat. I never had a flat as long as I had that car because I never carried a spare, but as soon as it got out of my hand and into his, it had a flat. And since I mentioned New Orleans, think about what happened there, folks. God brought a Category 5 hurricane (Hurricane Katrina: August 29, 2005) to that big sin city and, just as it was about to hit land, He sent in a wave of dry air from the northwest that suddenly knocked that hurricane down to a Category 3. That same gust of dry air pushed the hurricane to the east. A Category 5 hurricane that was about to hit that area would have driven the waters of Lake Pontchartrain over into the city and drowned 40,000 to 50,000 people because the water would have come in there so fast. Think about man's efforts to save himself with the levees and those great big monster pumps that they have in that city. They thought they could keep that city dry. Had a Category 5 hit that city head-on, or even a Category 3, it would have pushed the water in there faster than the pumps could handle. Most of New Orleans is 20 feet below sea level and some of it is more than 20 feet below sea level. What chance did man have to save himself from just one of God's judgments? As it was, He didn't let the city escape, even after moving the hurricane over a little bit. The levees gave out when they became saturated and the city started filling up with water, but it was slow enough to give people a little time to move out of the way. It was astounding how the mercy of God saved those people. The meteorologists pointed out on radar how this gust of dry air came in and moved the hurricane; they were totally amazed by it. They had never seen anything like it. That was purely an act of God that spared them when they couldn't have saved themselves, even with all of their efforts. They knew if a major hurricane hit them, the city would drown. God didn't completely spare the city, but He spared an untold number of people, including many brethren. I'm sure some people in New Orleans with faith were praying until God, at the last moment, suddenly dropped the strength of that hurricane and moved it over. Hurricane Dennis did exactly the same thing as it was coming toward Pensacola. I was praying the whole time and I was asking, “Lord, do you want me to command that hurricane to back off and go the other way?” The Lord said, “No. Just wait,” so I didn't do anything. All of a sudden, when it hit the land, I felt in my heart that the Lord wanted me to command it to be broken up, and that's exactly when it started breaking up. The strength dropped down, and it veered a little bit to the right of Pensacola. I know that there were some people over there in New Orleans doing the exact same thing and God answered the exact same way. You see, God has it all planned out. He just uses His faith in us to bring it to pass. We can put our trust in the living God. Nothing that man can do will save you from the judgments that are coming. The wilderness is where you learn to walk by faith in the Lord. You learn to put your faith in Him and you give up your efforts and your power; you give up your ability to do anything. The promises of God are past tense. He became a curse for you, He bore your curse, and He healed your body. He already did all of this, and since all of these promises are past tense, what can you do to bring it to pass? Jesus taught us, (Mar.11:24) Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye received them, and ye shall have them. If you believe you have received, there's nothing for you to do to bring them to pass. Believing the promises brings us into a position of weakness where we can't save ourselves. You've probably heard the old saying, “God helps those who help themselves.” Well, that's a lie. The Bible says just the opposite: (Jer.17:5) Thus saith the Lord: Cursed is the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. The power of God is made perfect in weakness; that's what He told Paul: (2Co.12:9) And he hath said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my power is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Paul couldn't save himself in those situations that he got into, but he said, (2Ti.4:18) The Lord will deliver me from every evil work, and will save me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. In his weakness, and faith, God's power was made perfect. Keep the Sabbath, and don't bring a burden into God's Holy City on this Sabbath. Cease from your own works or, in other words, cease from the works of man. As God told Moses and the children of Israel, (Exo.14:13) And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you to-day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to-day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. (14) The Lord will fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. He said, “Stand still.” They were trying to figure out what to do. Here was Pharaoh's army coming up behind them and they would have never thought about parting the Red Sea. (Exo.14:15) And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward. (16) And lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thy hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go into the midst of the sea on dry ground. You see, God has ways far beyond our ways. (Isa.55:8) For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. (9) For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. That's why He had to tell them, “stand still.” It's the same for us. Sometimes we're just so busy running around, trying to figure out a way out of this or a way out of that. We've been trained from our youth to solve our problems for ourselves, when God just wants us to be believers in His promises. Get your Bible and diligently read it. Underline those promises and start acting on them. (Jas.2:17) Even so faith, if it have not works, is dead in itself. Faith without works is dead. Remember that Jesus told us, (Mar.11:24) … All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye received them, and ye shall have them. How would you act if you believed you had received what you prayed for? You would stop trying to bring it to pass for yourself. You would cease from your own labors and, if you cease from your own labors on His Sabbath, you will find God's power is made perfect. Glory be to God! Now, I want to remind you that the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart over and over before the Israelites were set free from Egypt to go into their wilderness. (Exo.7:1) And the Lord said unto Moses, See, I have made thee as God to Pharaoh; and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet. (2) Thou shalt speak all that I command thee; and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land. (3) And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt. (4) But Pharaoh will not hearken unto you, and I will lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. (5) And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch forth my hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them. Why did He do that? Why did the Lord harden Pharaoh's heart? (Exo.10:1) And the Lord said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh: for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I may show these my signs in the midst of them, (2) and that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son's son, what things I have wrought upon Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that ye may know that I am the Lord. The Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart because He wanted to judge Egypt and He wanted to prove His great power to deliver the Israelites. By the time the Israelites left Egypt, the land had been devastated, and the economy was in ruins. (Exo.10:7) And Pharaoh's servants said unto him, How long shall this man be a snare unto us? let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God: knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed? You know, He's going to do that again in our day! (Ecc.1:9) That which hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. History is going to repeat. Judgments are coming upon the United States, but God is merciful, and He sends warnings to us so His people will pray. I'm totally convinced that the prayers of the saints have delayed a time of judgment. We have been receiving many revelations of judgments, some of them with actual dates that have since come and gone, and the Lord showed me that these were true revelations, yet they didn't come to pass. You see, the Lord gives you a warning of things to come for the purpose of having you seek Him for grace. (Jas.4:2) … ye have not, because ye ask not. God's people don't pray and they don't seek Him for His grace and mercy! It takes a threat for His people to seek Him for grace and mercy. When God wants to give us grace and mercy, He almost has to tell us what's going to happen if we don't seek Him. I know what the Lord did with those revelations that never came to pass: He put those warnings out there so His people would seek Him for grace and He gave it. By the way, if you don't believe God dates prophecies, you haven't read very much of the Bible because there are many of them in there (Daniel 7; 9; Jonah 3; Revelation 12; etc.) The brethren who share these warnings sometimes wonder if God just forgot about them or if He left them, or if they were deceived. The same thing happened with Jonah. (Jon.4:1) But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. Jonah had prophesied Nineveh would be overthrown in 40 days, and yet, God had mercy when the people cried out to Him. God had mercy, and Jonah was angry because now he was going to look like a false prophet. (2) And he prayed unto the Lord, and said, I pray thee, O Lord, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I hasted to flee unto Tarshish; for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness, and repentest thee of the evil. (3) Therefore now, O Lord, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live. Jonah didn't want to face the world. He felt as if the Lord had let him down. He had prophesied their destruction, but he also knew that God was merciful and would repent of the prophesied evil. However, God reminded Jonah there was something a lot more important than his pride. (Jon.4:11) And should not I have regard for Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than six score thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle? Can you imagine, He was even having mercy on the cattle! God was showing it wasn't important that Jonah might look like a false prophet, but it was important that God was going to have mercy on these people. That's the thing we have to keep in mind. Remember, we've been put here to be of no reputation anyway, according to the Scriptures. (Php.2:5) Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: (6) who, existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, (7) but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men; (8) and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross. We're supposed to have the same mind as Christ. We're here to lose our reputation in the eyes of the world. The wilderness is a place of hopelessness for the flesh because the flesh really can't help God. Just like the wilderness was a place of weakness for Israel, a place where the world couldn't supply the needs of God's people, so it is, and will be, for us in our day. What the Church has been teaching for so long is, “God helps those who help themselves.” That's their doctrine. Well, God doesn't like that and it's a stench in His nostrils. The Bible says (Eph.2:8) For by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. We are saved by His works, His efforts, and His wisdom. The Lord has already accomplished everything for us at the cross. (Php.4:19) And my God shall supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. He supplied our needs at the cross, so God doesn't appreciate that the Church is preaching salvation by works. He said, (2Co.12:9) … My grace is sufficient for thee: for my power is made perfect in weakness.... I'd like to share with you the difference between assurance and insurance because this is part of my wilderness. Many people have their trust in the “idol” of insurance. They think they've insulated themselves from anything bad that could come from this world, but it's going to fail. Every idol that you stand up to the Lord will fall over and be crushed like Dagon. (1Sa.5:3) And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again. (4) And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands lay cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him. God is going to judge all the idols of Egypt; they will all fail. Even insurance companies are not going to be able to save America. As a matter of fact, insurance companies have been leaving several states, including Florida, where judgments such as hurricanes are becoming more and more frequent. They've been leaving those states to avoid going bankrupt. And they get permission to not pay up if doing so would harm them. But God's going to continue hitting big sin cities all around the United States with one form of judgment or another, and there aren't enough insurance companies in the world to save America. If you're interested in my wilderness experiences and teachings from the Bible, I ask that you get our free e-book, Sovereign God For Us And Through Us, on our website: ubm1.org. He is sovereign for us and He wants to be sovereign through us. He wants to administer His authority in this earth through His people. I want to share some excerpts with you here from Chapter 18. It's titled “Assurance Versus Insurance,” and I hope it will give you a desire to read the rest of the book. We receive testimonies every day of people who are being empowered by God and helped and delivered by this book. (The excerpts are italicized, and my commentary is in parentheses.) (Psa.91:9) For thou, O Lord, art my refuge!.... This confession of faith and the deliverance that comes of it are merely acting on what the Word says. I received a revelation years ago in Louisiana, before it was a law to have any form of auto insurance. Even now there are are laws to have the minimum PIP/PD but that covers the other guy, not you. So I have had this to obey the law and have been rewarded greatly because the other guy was a fault and paid me. The Lord began spiritually to reason with me. It occurred to me that God is sovereign over what we call “accidents.” (We're always insulating ourselves with insurance, but there is really no such thing as an accident, is there?) (Joh.3:27) A man can receive nothing, except it have been given him from heaven. That doesn't sound like there are accidents (It sounds like there is a sovereign God!); therefore, an accident could not come without God sending it. Since He said that if we prayed believing we would receive, then I could ask Him to keep my vehicles, or let the other guy be at fault and pay me, which has profited me greatly. Why would I need insurance if I believed the assurance just given in His promises? (Psa.91:9) For thou, O Lord, art my refuge! (Notice the good confession and its resulting benefit. (Jas.2:26) For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead. Faith without works is dead, but the good confession brings a benefit.) Thou hast made the Most High thy habitation; (10) There shall no evil befall thee, Neither shall any plague come nigh thy tent. (I know a lot of people don't believe or teach this nowadays, but it's the Word of the Lord. Who are we to say otherwise!) (11) For he will give his angels charge over thee, To keep thee in all thy ways. (12) They shall bear thee up in their hands, Lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. (Or, in other words, “lest you have an accident.”) Notice that when we abide in Christ by faith (and hold fast this good confession; that's the promise of God), angels keep us from what men call “accidents.” An exception to this can be an experience like Job's to show hidden faults (Job.32:1-2). As in his case, God strictly controls the chastening and later restores what is taken. God restored to Job twice as much as he had and without insurance. God desires to be our security. We don't need security in the world; we need our God to be our security. (Psa.119:122) Be surety (Hebrew: “to give or be security”) for thy servant for good.... (Heb.7:22) By so much also hath Jesus become the surety of a better covenant. God and His promises are the believers' assurance of provision and protection. After seeing what the Lord was saying to me, I dropped my auto insurance back before it was required. Then I called my life insurance man and he came over. I told him that I would not need insurance anymore because God would be my assurance. He was a good Lutheran man who sincerely tried to reason with this fanatic, but to no avail. The week after I did this, I drove to a Stop-N-Go mart and went in to get some food. While I was walking down an aisle, I heard a crash that shook the store windows. I looked up over the isle to see that my car had been in a wreck without me! I went out and found a heavy old Buick's front end wrapped around the back corner of my Datsun station wagon. The driver backed the car up a foot or so, and we both stood there speechless. We just couldn't really understand how this could happen. The hood, grill and bumper of his all steel car were notched back about six inches, as if it had hit a big oak tree. Here is the good part. Datsun station wagons were tin boxes and could be dented with an elbow. This tank hit my car on the left rear wrap-around, plastic tail lens! I reached out and with my thumbnail, scraped a piece of paint from his hood off the plastic tail lens, and we stood there for a moment looking at this miracle. There was not a scratch, dent or crack on my car anywhere. Awesome God! He made my wimpy car, which should have been totaled, invincible to this old tank of a car. The assurance of God saved me from any need of insurance. The man said, “I think my brakes went out,” and then he mumbled, “They sure make ‘em better than they used to.” As I was thinking about how ludicrous that statement was (and I knew he didn't believe it anyway), he got in his car and left. Suddenly, it hit me that I missed the best chance in the entire world to witness to someone. I jumped into my car and caught him at the next red light (where his brakes, obviously, had stopped him). I grabbed some tracts out of the glove box and hurried to his door. I said, “Sir, that was a miracle.” He said, “It had to be.” I said, “I didn't have any insurance on my car and I was trusting God to keep it and He did.” The light turned green and we parted company. Since then, I have never had any insurance that covers our family, vehicles or home, other than what the law demands. We now have to have liability, which covers the other guy but not you. However, when the Lord tells you that you do not need insurance He means it. That first wreck, or lack thereof, was an awesome testimony, but we did not plunder Egypt, as we did with later wrecks. Since then, God has not always protected our vehicles or bodies, but in every case, it was to our advantage, for He healed our bodies once and greatly blessed us financially. (When you trust in the Lord, He's working all things for your good, as Romans 8:28 says.) During this time, though we sued no one, the other guy's insurance blessed us with money for the following: to repair a motorcycle with money leftover in my pocket for a new one; to repair a Toyota pickup that needed painting anyway, and I ended up after fixing the pickup, painting it with a beautiful paint job with $1,500 left in my pocket; to buy two cars, one new; to buy our home; to enable us to buy and give cars to others; to enable us to give our home away; and to buy a travel trailer for a homeless woman and her son. Besides all that and more, we have not spent God's money on many years' worth of insurance. (If you obey God, you can't lose! If you obey God and walk by faith in Him and let His assurance be your insurance and not the world, then you'll see the miracles of God.) Now, I can hear someone say, “But David, what if ... ?” What if what? What if God Almighty fell off His throne? (God made these promises; we're just depending upon Him.) (Rom.10:11) For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be put to shame. (The devil tells you that you will be put to shame, but that's a lie.) (Jer.17:7) Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose trust the Lord is. By the grace of God, it has been many years since we have had a wreck. Praise God! (So God can keep you from wrecks, but when you do get into them, He can make them bless you.) One day, in that same Datsun station wagon, I was driving along rather frustrated because I had had three flats on relatively new tires. Most people would be complaining to the manufacturer, but I believed that God was in control, so I was complaining to the Lord. A little frustrated, I said, “Lord, can't You keep my tires?” He said to me very clearly, “Don't you believe that I can keep your tires?” I replied in my ignorance, “Yes, I believe You can keep them.” He replied, “Then why do you keep putting that spare back there?” To be honest, I put the spare in the trunk because it was traditional and I had not questioned it, but also, the underlying reason was in case God didn't keep my tires. (I'm not trying to make a new doctrine on spares, just share a lesson God gave to me.) Fear and unbelief cause us to try to insulate ourselves from any possibility of lack, loss or threat. Since we are trusting in insurance besides the Lord, we usually end up needing it. (That's what people don't understand. If you trust in something besides the Lord, you end up having to use it. Of course, some people say, “Aha! You see, I needed it!” But they have it all backwards. When you trust in any idol and not in the Lord, you're going to need it.) Jesus sent out His disciples in a way that would make them dependent on living by faith. He sent them without their own provision so that in their weakness His power would be proven. (Mat.10:9) Get you no gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses; (10) no wallet for [your] journey, neither two coats, nor shoes, nor staff: for the laborer is worthy of his food. Later, Jesus wanted to see what they learned from this experience of depending upon God's supply. (Luk.22:35) And he said unto them, When I sent you forth without purse, and wallet, and shoes, lacked ye anything? And they said, Nothing. (For those of you who believe that only applied to the disciples, remember Jesus commanded His disciples to make disciples and teach them to observe everything that He commanded the first disciples to observe (Matthew 28:20). In other words, what He spoke to them, He spoke to us, but man came in there with religion and thwarted the whole mission that God sent us on.) In the wilderness of man's supply, God's provision was evident. (When Jesus sent out the disciples without their own supply, He basically made a wilderness wherever these men went because they didn't bring enough with them out of “Egypt” to supply their needs.) God starts His works when we finish ours. His power is made perfect in our weakness. That was my experience with those tires. I threw out my spare and I never had another flat on that car, and the neighbors who used to borrow it quit! (I would tell them, “Look, if you're going to drive this car, you have to drive it by faith because I don't have a spare back there.” Well, they quit borrowing my car, which I guess was another benefit.) The moral of that story is, if you prepare for a rainy day, it will come. With the next car, I had the same experience: no flats. When I decided after many years to give it to a mission, I put the keys and title into the hand of the pastor in my living room. We walked outside and the car was on a flat. (I was the one walking by faith and now that it was his car, now that the key was in his hand, it was sitting on a flat! Well, inside I just chuckled. I understood exactly what He was saying to me.) God made His point. As long as I owned the car, putting my trust in Him, there was never a flat. In other words, trusting in God takes away the need for insurance. (And, again, I'm not making any laws about this; I'm not condemning anybody for having spares. God was teaching me, and He'll teach you. He may use other methods, but He wants to teach you to walk in this wilderness, to walk in a lack of man's provision, but in your weakness, God will be made strong.) Men serve insurance companies, H.M.O.s, banks and store up their treasures on earth for the security they think it gives them. (Mat.6:19) Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal. Y2K revealed the paranoia and lack of trust in those who stored up their treasures on earth, contrary to the Lord's command. (It's fear that causes people to do such things, but God's power is made perfect in our weakness.) Quite a few I showed these principles to went home to give their store away and found it full of bugs, just as Jesus said, “thieves break through and steal.” Jesus told of a man who found peace in the insurance of storing up his goods in greater barns (Luke 12:18). He said to himself, (Luk.12:19) ...Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, be merry. (That's the thinking of man: “I have all I need; this will keep me for a long time.”) His misplaced trust brought judgment. (20) But God said unto him, Thou foolish one, this night is thy soul required (Greek: “they require thy soul”) of thee; and the things which thou hast prepared, whose shall they be? (21) So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. (Now, to be “rich toward God” is to be “rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom.” (Jas.2:5) Hearken, my beloved brethren; did not God choose them that are poor as to the world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to them that love him? Why did He choose the “poor as to the world”? He chose them because they have to trust in God, they have to put their faith in God. That's what God did with the Israelites when He brought them into the wilderness. He made them poor to the world, and He expected them to put their faith in Him.) Notice that it was his stored-up treasures that required his soul. Jesus promised the unfailing Kingdom provisions to those who would store up their treasures in Heaven by giving. (32) Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. (33) Sell that which ye have, and give alms; make for yourselves purses which wax not old (not storing up), a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief draweth near, neither moth destroyeth. As long as we are on this earth, we can draw on our Heavenly bank account if we have deposited by giving to the needs of others. “Give, and it shall be given unto you.” If we have stored up on earth instead, the promise is that it will be stolen by thieves of one kind or another. Our heart will be on our treasures, falsely thinking them to be our security. (Luk.12:34) For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (And God cannot lie!) (I'm told that Psalm 118:8 is the center verse in the Bible and I'm sure that it is at least central to God's heart.) (Psa.118:8) It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in man. Our trust in man is what brings the curse to pass. (Jer.17:5) Thus saith the Lord: Cursed is the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. (People are trusting in their insurance of many different kinds; they're trusting in their insurance companies, but they are all going to fail. Everything but God is going to fail in the days ahead!) As we can see, the insurances themselves bring the curse that they are thought to relieve. (The man who stored up “much goods” found that they brought the curse upon him. God is not offended with the world doing it; He's offended with His people doing these things.) God is offended with those who call themselves believers, yet trust in man's strength and insurances. This is a heart that departs from the Lord. In 2 Chronicles 16:1-6, Asa, king of Judah, put his trust in the worldly king of Syria for insurance against his enemies. This offended God, Who sent judgment. (2Ch.16:7) And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and hast not relied on the Lord thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thy hand. (8) Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubim a huge host, with chariots and horsemen exceeding many? yet, because thou didst rely on the Lord, he delivered them into thy hand. (9) For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly; for from henceforth thou shalt have wars. God is eager to show signs and wonders to those who trust in Him with a perfect heart. (Obviously, a “perfect heart” is not one that trusts in the world.) You would think that Asa would have learned this lesson, but his trust in man cost him his life, as it does for so many. (12) And in the thirty and ninth year of his reign Asa was diseased in his feet; his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the Lord, but to the physicians (13) And Asa slept with his fathers.... Christians justify their misplaced trust in man's insurances, not realizing that this brings the judgment in the first place. Let me share this experience with you. M.J. and I were about to go to work on a large crude oil pump for Exxon. The process department had blocked it out of line and drained it, or so we thought. What we did not know was that the pressure gauge read “0” because it was broken and the drain valve, though open, was stopped up, so there was a little pressure still in the pump. We took the bolts out of the head plate to remove it, but it was stuck. I stood up and took about four steps away to get something to break it loose when I heard a “pop” sound and turned around to see M.J. drenched with black crude from head to foot. As he opened his eyes, he sarcastically looked at me and said, “David, you did this to me.” Well, I could not contain myself and busted out laughing. The thought of me stepping away in the nick of time so that M.J. could get plastered was too much for me. Attempting to sound serious, he said, “Dave, you're never going to do this to me again.” I said, “M.J., you had better watch those self-confident statements. You know God is listening.” Then, he repeated his statement and said, “Bring me up to the shower house. I have a spare set of clothes up there.” I said, “Oh, now I know why you got it instead of me.” He asked, “Why?” I said, “Because I don't have a spare set of clothes and God knew it.” He looked at me kind of inquisitively. I explained that planning for a catastrophe is the same as having faith for it. It also proves that you do not believe that God will protect or provide. Later that day, we were working on another pump. M.J. was next to me as we used an impact gun to take off some bolts. Suddenly, slurry squirted down one of the open bolt holes and hit M.J. in the middle of his chest, leaving me untouched. (Slurry is a crude that will stain anything; you cannot get it out. If it gets on your clothes, you can just forget it because that's the color they are now. In fact, it's that way on skin; it's just terribly staining. So this slurry squirted down the bolt hole, down the side of the thread and hit him right in the chest.) He looked at me in disbelief. I playfully said, “M.J., I told you God doesn't like those self-confident statements,” but we both knew that God was speaking in this. We could not remember when this had happened to us before, much less twice in one day. (Truly, in the wilderness that's coming, we can put our trust only in the living God; nothing else is going to save us.) Now, back to that old Datsun station wagon; I want you to know the Lord used that vehicle to teach me many other lessons. When I was about to buy a new car, I really kind of favored the Toyota because I felt it was the better car, but I always left things up to the Lord. I asked, “Lord, which one do you want me to buy, the Toyota or the Datsun?” And I was surprised when the Lord said, “I want you to get the Datsun station wagon.” Now, a person would think that when the Lord tells you to do something, everything would be just fine since, obviously, the Lord is looking out for your good. Well, He was looking out for my good, but not in the way you would think sometimes. I told you the tire story, but other things went wrong with that car. Sometimes God wants you to have victory in trials. It wasn't all that long after I bought the car that the carburetor started acting erratically. And since I was a pretty good machinist and a pretty good mechanic, I knew the carburetor was plugged. I also knew that I didn't feel like tearing down the carburetor because the most precious thing in my life is my time. I used every spare moment I had to read the Bible, to study the Word. I was literally drawn, hungering and thirsting for the Word. Anyway, I just commanded that thing to be healed and kept on driving the Datsun. It went on like that, acting kind of erratically for a couple of weeks, but I just kept on holding fast to my confession. (Heb.10:23) Let us hold fast the confession of our hope that it waver not; for he is faithful that promised. The Lord will try you; just because you don't get the answer right away doesn't mean He hasn't heard you. After I held on like this for a couple of weeks, suddenly it started getting better and better until the problem was gone. In a few more weeks, I was faced with a different problem. The transmission started slipping and I thought it was just crazy for a relatively new car to be doing things like this, but I did all the normal things that a mechanic would do, like checking the fluid, for example, to make sure it was at the right level. And again, I knew that I didn't want to mess with that transmission by working on it myself, and I didn't want to take it to a shop. My time was valuable to me. In the wilderness, it will be a different story. You may not be able to find somebody to work on it, or you may not have the money to work on it, or the parts may not be available, etc. Even though in those days I had plenty of money, I just wouldn't spend it. I considered that what I made belonged to the Kingdom, and I wanted to use it to meet the Kingdom's needs, not spend it on vehicles and things like that. So instead, I just commanded that transmission to “Be healed in the name of Jesus,” but it still went on slipping for a while. Of course, your mind is telling you, “Hey, if you keep letting it slip like that, you're going to have to replace the clutch,” and all the other things that normally go bad when it starts slipping. I just ignored it and kept on going, and as I held fast my confession, my transmission gradually got better and better, until I never had any more problems with it. So, the Lord had me by that car so He could try me and show me He could fix anything. Some of the times when the Lord was teaching me these lessons, I got in the flesh to do things myself, and nothing worked out right. For instance, I told you how, when the insurance money came in, I bought a new Chevrolet station wagon. Well, I'd watched a lot of advertisements for a product called “Slick 50” that showed how you could put it in an engine, run it in there a while, and afterward actually dump out the oil and the engine would still run. I was impressed with that. I thought, “Wow! That will keep my engine. It will make it last a long, long time.” But, folks, I already had a God Who would keep my engine and make it last a long, long time. He's a jealous God. He really wanted me to put my trust in Him. Do you know what I did? I put that Slick 50 in there, even though they said not to use it unless you have 40,000 or 50,000 miles on the car. Well, I stuck it in there a little early and they warn you that you can break some rings doing that. At the time, I still lived in Florida, and I had to go on a teaching tour in Texas. So all of my family and I got in the car and we took off, and before I got very far down the road, the car started pouring smoke out of the tailpipe. I looked in the rear-view mirror, and it was just solid smoke back there. I said, “What in the world has happened to my new car?” I checked the PCV and things like that but couldn't find anything wrong. The only thing I determined was that I must have broken rings, as they said I might do if I put Slick 50 in an engine that didn't have extra clearance in it. I would go a few miles down the road and pour a quart of oil in it, go a few miles and pour another quart in it, so I decided I was going to pray over the engine. I said, “Lord, forgive me for getting in the flesh, and I'm going to trust You to keep this engine.” So I prayed over the engine and I commanded it to be healed in the name of Jesus. I don't know where I got into the terminology of calling it “healed.” I've prayed over vehicles, refrigerators, washing machines, and things like that, and I would always just call it “healing.” Anyway, I prayed over that engine and commanded it to “be healed in the name of Jesus,” because it's not the terminology that you use. Your theology might be a little bit wrong, but the Lord knows what you're meaning. Well, I got back into the car and we went on our way. We got a lot farther down the road, and I think I had to put one more quart in that car on the whole trip to Texas and back. God repaired those broken rings and we had no more problem with that. I didn't have much trouble with that car for many, many years, but I had the water pump stop working on it once when my wife and I were out driving. She cranked the car, and water started just pouring out on the ground. I asked her to get out of the car and come lay hands on the hood with me, which we did. We laid hands on the hood and commanded that water pump to “stop leaking in the name of Jesus.” And that water pump seal immediately sealed back up and we drove off. I've had many miracles like that, but most people never think about doing that. The first thing that comes to their mind is, “Well, I have a warranty on this car; or “I have enough money to hire a mechanic to fix it.” I wanted to stay in the wilderness because I wanted to learn those lessons that, one day, everybody is going to have to learn, so I took every opportunity to stay in the wilderness The Israelites wanted to run back to Egypt whenever they came into a place where God would try them, but God put it in my heart to want to stay out there. I wanted to learn; I wanted to see God do these miracles. Besides that, God told me, “I'm bringing you through a wilderness, so you can tell My people that I still supply there.” I treasured these experiences. Some people would call them terrible tribulation, but I treasured them and I enjoyed seeing God do these things. Let me tell you about my washing machine. One time, after we had moved to Florida, the washing machine started leaking. Mary came and told me, “The seal in the washer has gone out; the pump is leaking onto the ground.” I thought, “I'm going to go pray for it.” So I went and prayed for it and commanded it to be healed, then I sopped up the water and told her to go ahead and use it. Well, she did the rest of the laundry, and the machine didn't leak any more water. Then, just a few weeks later, she said, “That machine is leaking again,” so I went back in there and did the same thing. It went for a few more weeks, and for a third time she said to me, “David, that washer is leaking again.” I said, “No, it's not. It's not leaking; that thing is healed. It's okay, it's fine, just wash and don't worry about it.” You see, I didn't want to go back on what I had spoken. I wanted to keep my trust in the Lord and, sure enough, it sealed up. I told my wife, “If you see it leak, don't confess it, just thank God that it's not leaking and it's fixed.” And, you know, I kept that washing machine until somebody gave me another one that was a lot newer. I remember another time, back when we were in Louisiana, when my two young sons were playing in the living room and I was sitting there studying. My wife came in and she said, “That washing machine won't run. It won't even come on.” I said, “Well, Corban and Nathan, you two go back there and lay hands on that washing machine and just command it to run in the name of Jesus and it will run.” So they did that; they went back there and they laid hands on that thing and they commanded it to run and it took off. I taught all my children to lay hands on this and that, and they got to see the power of God in their simple, childlike faith. Children will always have awesome faith if you teach them about God and you show them the truths in the Bible. We had this lawnmower, and we pulled it out after the winter so we could cut the grass in the early spring. I pulled and pulled and pulled on this lawnmower, but it wouldn't start. My boys were really young at the time, and they were just standing around, looking at me. Well, I pulled the spark plug wire off, put it alongside the block, and pulled it. There was no spark. Now, by this time, I was sweating, tired and I wanted to get it over with. I called my boys to me and said to them, “Let's pray for this thing. Let's command it to run in the name of Jesus. I don't care if it has a spark or not; I just want it to run.” So my boys came over and we all laid hands on the lawnmower, and I commanded it to run in the name of Jesus. Then I cranked it up and mowed the lawn. I don't know if it ever had a spark or not. That didn't make any difference; it just had to run. (Mat.21:21) And Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do what is done to the fig tree, but even if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou taken up and cast into the sea, it shall be done. (22) And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. The Lord told us, if you speak to a mountain and don't doubt, that what we say will come to pass, and I tell you, teach your children. They have more faith than you. When you tell a child something, the child just believes you, and that's the way we ought to be with God. (Mat.18:2) And he called to him a little child, and set him in the midst of them, (3) and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye turn, and become as little children, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven. We need to become like a child and, with childlike faith, just believe in our God, just believe that He will do it.

We welcome back Dr. Michael Pakaluk, who attests that Christian sanctity is far nearer and far more beautiful than we think.  Show Notes Shock of Holiness By Michael Pakaluk Today's “Corban” is Social Security - The Catholic Thing iCatholic Mobile The Station of the Cross Merchandise - Use Coupon Code 14STATIONS for 10% off | Catholic to the Max Read Fr. McTeigue's Written Works! "Let's Take A Closer Look" with Fr. Robert McTeigue, S.J. | Full Series Playlist Listen to Fr. McTeigue's Preaching! | Herald of the Gospel Sermons Podcast on Spotify Visit Fr. McTeigue's Website | Herald of the Gospel Questions? Comments? Feedback? Ask Father!

Missing elements of Christ; Knowing biblical individuals; Melchizedek (King and priest); "Elder"; Family; Men and women; Tapping into God's essence; Salvation/water?; Seeking Tree of Life; Accepting Christ?; Abraham's kingdom preaching; Forbidden by Christ; Dainties of rulers; Idolatry; Living God's message; No forcing others!; Egyptians following Moses; Leaven?; False Christs?; Welfare snares; What was Jacob doing?; Jacob's ladder; Waiting upon the Lord; Right reason of Christ; Allowing others to be free; Rachel herding; Haran; Leban's household; Nimrod's government; vs Abraham's altars; Taking care of others; Divine spark?; Charity; Removing toxins; Jacob's blessing; "Rachel" resh-chet-lamad = dominant ewe; Republic; Commanders-in-chief; Saul's foolish thing; Jacob's 7 years labor; Stone over the well?; Kissing Rachel?; "kiss" = water in v10; Jesus' "living water"; Rolling back the stone; vav-yod-gimel-lamad; Socialism; Daily freedom; nun-shin-kuf = kindle or burn; How to set people free; vav-yod-shin-kuf kiss/water; Hebrew design; Allegory; Jacob's well; Ex 2:17 Moses watering the flock; Prosperity; vs forced offerings; Choice!; "helped" Israel; Ex 14:30; = "saved"; Corban making word of God to none effect; Ex 2:19; Full gospel; Tree of Knowledge; Ex 32:20 Golden calf into powder?; Burning Bush Festival; Nature; Cities of blood; FDR; Stone on your well/heart; Ps 78:15; John 4:10; Caring about neighbor; Doers of The Word; "Israel"; Seeing a different comforter; Living Christ's love; Jacob becoming Israel; Elder Jesus; Mt 5:22 "Raca"; Strange fire?; Selfish vanity; No exercising authority; Saving yourself?; Finding Holy Spirit; Feeding the 5000; Being in danger of judgment - vanity; Seeking the kingdom of God; Loving your enemy; Compassion for all; Gen 15:2; Cause and effect (gimel); Local congregations; Gen 29:27; shin-nun-vav-aleph-hey (hated? Not loved as much); Understanding "love"; Leah's affliction; Giving water of life; In spirit and truth; Begin your journey.

Making vows is serious business as far as the Bible is concerned. Making vows to people is serious and making vows to God is even more serious and we're going to continue that conversation on Foundations. Your support sends the gospel to every corner of Australia through broadcast, online and print media: https://www.vision.org.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are many ancient Middle Eastern traditions that we don't know about or understand, and one of them is the tradition of corban???making vows. That's what we'll take a look at on Foundations.Your support sends the gospel to every corner of Australia through broadcast, online and print media: https://www.vision.org.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever used your giving to steer decisions or send a message?It might seem harmless—or even wise—to designate your gift to specific ministries or withhold it when you disagree with leadership. But when our generosity becomes a tool for control, we've crossed a line. In this episode, we'll explore the subtle danger of using giving as leverage—and discover a better way rooted in surrender and trust.A Hidden Temptation in Church GivingLet's be honest—no one likes the word control when it's pointed at them. But in church life, this temptation surfaces more often than we'd like to admit.It might look like this:Giving only to certain ministries because you don't trust how the church allocates general funds.Withholding your giving when a leadership decision—like a staffing change or budget shift—doesn't sit well with you.Designating gifts to specific areas, not out of passion, but as a form of protest.On the surface, it may look like good financial stewardship. But beneath the surface, it's often an attempt to say, “I want things to go my way, and I'll use my money to make that happen.”That's not generosity. That's leverage. And Scripture warns us against it.The Corban Example: A Heart Check from JesusIn Mark 7, Jesus confronts the Pharisees for misusing a practice called Corban—a method of dedicating money or resources to God. While it sounded spiritual, the religious leaders were using it to dodge their responsibility to care for aging parents.As GotQuestions.org explains:“The Pharisees took a legitimate Corban offering and used it in an illegitimate and devious way to defraud their parents…Jesus tells the Pharisees that their misuse of Corban was an evil rationale to avoid doing what they should.”It wasn't the gift itself that Jesus condemned—it was the motive behind it.In the same way, when we give to maintain control or push our preferences, we're following the spirit of Corban. Even if our reasons sound righteous, they can mask a deeper issue: an unwillingness to surrender.From Leverage to Surrender: The Biblical CallThe Bible offers a better vision.Psalm 24:1 reminds us,“The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it.”That includes our finances. We don't give to direct the church. We give because God owns it all—and calls us to steward it faithfully.Consider the example in Acts 4. Believers sold land and possessions, then laid the proceeds at the apostles' feet. No strings attached. No demands were made about how it was to be used. Just trust, unity, and wholehearted surrender.Of course, that doesn't mean churches shouldn't be transparent or held accountable. Scripture calls leaders to wise and faithful stewardship. But giving with strings isn't about accountability—it's about control. And control is the opposite of trust.What's Driving Your Generosity?Ask yourself: What's driving my giving?Is it love for God?Faith in His provision?Worship and gratitude?Or is it something else?Preference?Power?Payback?When giving becomes conditional, it's no longer cheerful—it's contractual. We treat God's work like a business deal instead of a spiritual act of worship.But when we let go of control, something beautiful happens: we find peace. We no longer feel the pressure to manage every church decision. We can give freely, knowing God is at work—even when His ways don't align with our expectations.Moving Forward in Trust and GraceIf you realize that control has been influencing your giving, here are three steps to take:1. Confess it to the Lord. God is gracious and patient. Ask Him to realign your heart with His and help you give from a place of surrender.2. Release your preferences. You don't have to stop asking questions or seeking transparency. But your generosity shouldn't be tied to your personal comfort or preferences.3. Give with trust. Trust God's ability to work through imperfect people. Trust that when you give with the right heart, your gift brings Him glory.Because when we give to control, we place ourselves at the center. But when we give in faith, we put God at the center—where He belongs.A Resource for the JourneyWant to go deeper into the heart behind generosity? Request a copy of Faithful Steward, our quarterly magazine for FaithFi Partners. With a gift of $35/month or $400 annually, you'll receive this encouraging resource and join a growing community committed to biblical financial wisdom.Learn more at FaithFi.com/Partner.On Today's Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions:My husband's adult son often asks us for money. He and his wife are behind on their bills, but we know they also spend on partying and things like marijuana. My husband feels emotionally pulled in, especially when his son talks about possibly losing their home. We want to be generous, but we don't want to enable irresponsible behavior. How can we approach this situation in a way that's wise and biblical?I'd like to assign someone as my power of attorney, but I don't have any family members I trust to take on that role. What options do I have in this situation?Is it wise to purchase life insurance for your children or grandchildren? What are the pros and cons?I'm thinking about getting a reverse mortgage to create some extra income. Can you explain how they work, and whether they're a good idea? I'd also like to know what risks or downsides I should be aware of.Resources Mentioned:Faithful Steward: FaithFi's New Quarterly Magazine (Become a FaithFi Partner)Understanding Reverse: Simplifying the Reverse Mortgage by Dan HultquistWisdom Over Wealth: 12 Lessons from Ecclesiastes on MoneyLook At The Sparrows: A 21-Day Devotional on Financial Fear and AnxietyRich Toward God: A Study on the Parable of the Rich FoolFind a Certified Kingdom Advisor (CKA) or Certified Christian Financial Counselor (CertCFC)FaithFi App Remember, you can call in to ask your questions most days at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on the Moody Radio Network and American Family Radio. Visit our website at FaithFi.com where you can join the FaithFi Community and give as we expand our outreach.

1 Kings 7 verses 1-12 describes the building of Solomon's own magnificent palace - containing a grand hall called the Forest of Lebanon because of the magnificent cedar pillars. It was approximately 45 metres in length and 24 metres wide. It took 13 years to build. He also constructed an impressive palace for Pharaoh's daughter who may be the subject of Psalm 45 and the Song of Solomon. The timber work of cedar and the magnificent gemstones were characteristic of these houses. Verses 13-51 describe the furnishings of Yahweh's House. Both were magnificent, but, the description of God's house occupies the bulk of the chapter. A comment on the two pillars of entry into the house; one was called 'Yachin' meaning established by Yah; and the other'Boaz' the strong one. It was a parable about the Lord Jesus Christ- Yahweh will establish through the one He strengthened. In chapter 33 of Jeremiah we are told of the blessings of our Sovereign, when He brings peace and security; when the fortunes of Judah are restored. Verse 1-3 contains a plea from the Sovereign LORD to call upon Him and He will respond. The thoughts are similar to those expressed in Hosea 2 verses 21-23 and it follows on from the ideas outlined in Jeremiah 32 verses 37-41. Verses 4-5 tell of judgment that the Chaldeans will bring to guilty Judah. Verses 6-13 return to the blessings that will come to a repentant nation. Verse 9 focuses on the time when Jerusalem will be a city where God's truth resides and will be to the LORD for praise and glory: Zechariah 8 verses 11-23. Note well the joy in that city, ie equivalent to the rejoicing between the bridegroom and the bride - symbolic of our Lord Jesus Christ and his ecclesia. Verses 14-26 speak of that time when Yahweh's eternal covenant with David will be operational. God states that this covenant can never be broken, and can be relied on as the sun and moon rise each day. Contemplate the wonderful words of verse 15 ESV: "In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute righteousness and justice in the land". This is speaking of our Lord Jesus Christ. Compare the message of Zechariah 3:8-10. Slowly read aloud these verses and marvel at the blessings that Messiah's kingdom will bring.The 7th chapter of Mark contrasts worship that has been nullified by tradition, with true worship from the heart. The Pharisees found fault in Jesus' disciples who washed not after tradition. The Pharisees were noted for their elaborate ceremonies when washing: they washed so as to prevent water contaminated by dirt from contacting their hands. Our Lord used this situation to tell that legalism was symptomatic of the worship of that time. He spoke of the gross avoidance of responsibility contained in the 5th commandment by the ruse of Corban. Then he showed that defilement is a moral, not a physical, matter. This originated in the mind. The record follows with the curing of the Syrophenician woman's daughter; made possible through her great faith, and the acknowledgment that Israel were God's chosen people. She illustrates the importance of being associated with God's covenant people and on the basis of her faithful confession she gratefully receives the abundant crumbs that fall from the children's table. As Jesus says to the woman of the well at Sychar: "Salvation is from the Jews" John 4 verses 22-26. The chapter concludes with the healing of a deaf and dumb man from the Decapolis.More here https://christadelphianvideo.org/christadelphian-daily-readings/

1 Kings 7 verses 1-12 describes the building of Solomon's own magnificent palace - containing a grand hall called the Forest of Lebanon because of the magnificent cedar pillars. It was approximately 45 metres in length and 24 metres wide. It took 13 years to build. He also constructed an impressive palace for Pharaoh's daughter who may be the subject of Psalm 45 and the Song of Solomon. The timber work of cedar and the magnificent gemstones were characteristic of these houses. Verses 13-51 describe the furnishings of Yahweh's House. Both were magnificent, but,  the description of God's house occupies the bulk of the chapter. A comment on the two pillars of entry into the house; one was called 'Yachin' meaning established by Yah; and the other'Boaz' the strong one. It was a parable about the Lord Jesus Christ- Yahweh will establish through the one He strengthened.  In chapter 33 of Jeremiah we are told of the blessings of our Sovereign, when He brings peace and security; when the fortunes of Judah are restored. Verse 1-3 contains a plea from the Sovereign LORD to call upon Him and He will respond. The thoughts are similar to those expressed in Hosea 2 verses 21-23 and it follows on from the ideas outlined in Jeremiah 32 verses 37-41. Verses 4-5 tell of judgment that the Chaldeans will bring to guilty Judah. Verses 6-13 return to the blessings that will come to a repentant nation. Verse 9 focuses on the time when Jerusalem will be a city where God's truth resides and will be to the LORD for praise and glory: Zechariah 8 verses 11-23. Note well the joy in that city, ie equivalent to the rejoicing between the bridegroom and the bride - symbolic of our Lord Jesus Christ and his ecclesia. Verses 14-26 speak of that time when Yahweh's eternal covenant with David will be operational. God states that this covenant can never be broken, and can be relied on as the sun and moon rise each day. Contemplate the wonderful words of verse 15 ESV: "In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute righteousness and justice in the land". This is speaking of our Lord Jesus Christ. Compare the message of Zechariah 3:8-10. Slowly read aloud these verses and marvel at the blessings that Messiah's kingdom will bring. The 7th chapter of Mark contrasts worship that has been nullified by tradition, with true worship from the heart. The Pharisees found fault in Jesus' disciples who washed not after tradition. The Pharisees were noted for their elaborate ceremonies when washing: they washed so as to prevent water contaminated by dirt from contacting their hands. Our Lord used this situation to tell that legalism was symptomatic of the worship of that time. He spoke of the gross avoidance of responsibility contained in the 5th commandment by the ruse of Corban. Then he showed that defilement is a moral, not a physical, matter. This originated in the mind. The record follows with the curing of the Syrophenician woman's daughter; made possible through her great faith, and the acknowledgment that Israel were God's chosen people. She illustrates the importance of being associated with God's covenant people and on the basis of her faithful confession she gratefully receives the abundant crumbs that fall from the children's table. As Jesus says to the woman of the well at Sychar: "Salvation is from the Jews" John 4 verses 22-26. The chapter concludes with the healing of a deaf and dumb man from the Decapolis. More here  https://christadelphianvideo.org/christadelphian-daily-readings/

During their time at Rice Business, Mike Tatz '14 and Corban Bates '15 saw an opportunity to connect veterans with capital and the network needed to start a business. As veterans themselves, they understood how important it is to have the right connections and platform to pitch an idea. With that, the Veterans Business Battle was born. But Mike and Corban's story starts long before Rice. The two first met as students at West Point and followed similar paths — from Division I athletics to Army service to financial services, and eventually entrepreneurship. After launching the Veterans Business Battle and earning their MBAs at Rice, Mike went on to found a CBD company for athletes, and Corban began overseeing direct investments into private companies — now serving as the chief financial officer for one of those investments. Mike and Corban join co-host Maya Pomroy '22 to chat about how their time at West Point shaped them, what brought them to Rice Business and the impact the Veterans Business Battle has had over the past decade. Episode Guide:00:00 From Battlefield to Boardroom: Meet Mike and Corban03:01 Life at West Point: Challenges and Lessons08:38 Transitioning From Military to Business School12:57 Creating the Veterans Business Battle20:18 The First Prize and Investor Opportunities22:15 The Journey and Impact of the Competition24:01 Career Transitions and Personal Growth25:29 Mike's Venture Into the Sports Industry27:57 Corban's Path to Artisan Bakery33:43 Final Thoughts and Advice for Aspiring EntrepreneursOwl Have You Know is a production of Rice Business and is produced by University FM.Episode Quotes:The conversation that led Corban from Army to business school09:55: [Corban Bates] Mike's been a huge blessing in my life, 'cause business school wasn't really even on my radar. It's just kind of going up and down the aisles of the career conference, and there were probably 20 schools there, but I didn't talk to any of 'em. It wasn't on my radar, and I talked to Mike. I just ran into him and it's like, “Hey, how have you been?” Like, you know, all for Rice. He was there recruiting for Rice — Rice had a booth — and he starts telling me about it. And he was just about to start this internship at Goldman Sachs, and he had this amazing first year at Rice, and it just sets you up…[10:24] Yeah, I just ran towards it and was extremely fortunate to get in, and Mike completely changed the course of my career. If I hadn't run into him, then things would be very different.On unapologetically pursuing what lights you up34:29: [Mike Tatz] I think a lot of people, even at business school, they get very pigeonholed into thinking that they have to be a consultant or an investment banker because they think about the financial support that it is going to give them or the safety net. There is a gazillion ways to make money out there. I think you have got to be happy. You have got to be happy. And you can be, but you have got to take that leap. You have got to have a plan. And then once you figure out what it is, you go, baby. You go as hard as you can, and you make everybody else think that you are crazy for how hard you are working at whatever you are doing. If you do that, I think good things are going to happen.Why veterans and business school are a perfect match17:09: [Corban Bates] Rice came up with this concept of really bringing on more veterans to their business school. I think it's a great match of veterans being very far along in their leadership development and people management development by the time they're in their late twenties, but being behind on the business concepts. And then you pair, you know, the rest of the civilians who are advanced in their business concepts but are probably lacking on the leadership front — probably haven't led that much in their twenties. And so it's this great pairing where both sides can learn from each other.The business network gap veterans face13:35: [Mike Tatz] I don't think veterans need any special treatment, nor should they expect — or do we expect — any special treatment. But what I do think is the case is that, going back to that last example — let's say I do want to start a business. I'm starting a business. There are a lot of steps to it, but one of those steps that is crucial is capital. And so my network, being in the military, is Army sergeants, Army majors, privates — whatever it may be, right? They're not the Goldman Sachs folks. They're not the people looking to make investments into companies. They're not the people with the means to not only provide financial capital, but mentorship capital and experience capital that you would need as somebody being in the military, coming out and trying — and wanting — to start your own business.Show Links: TranscriptGuest Profiles:Mike Tatz | LinkedInCorban Bates | LinkedInVeterans Business Battle

On this GUEST episode of Disciples Make, Corban interviews El Maryland, a media director, and creative based in Atlanta. In the first half of the podcast we learn about El's background in media and music, and in the second half Corban and El discuss Atlanta Church Creatives; a growing community of creatives who follow Jesus that started gathering in 2022, lead by El. Corban asks questions that really get to the heart of what this creative community is all about, the conferences and breakfasts they've had and details are shared about how you can get involved.Disciples Make is a ministry dedicated to declaring the glory of God through the craftsmanship of disciples around the world. We do this by means of education, training and storytelling. We exist to encourage the believer and to reach those seeking truth. At the heart of all that we do our mission is to follow Jesus, love people and make disciples.www.disciplesmake.com

Corban and Maisha share their story of pregnancy and delivery.

Dr. Larry Chapp discusses the balance between TLM and Novus Ordo masses in the US, Dr. Ray Guerendi on how to get along with almost everybodt, and Michael Pakaluk on today's Corban as social security.

On this GUEST episode of Disciples Make, Corban interviews Jaye Wallace, a youth pastor, and creative. We learn about Jaye's perspective on Atlanta as an Atlanta native, his earlier influence and successes in music, how he came to know Jesus and his current creative work and ministry as a youth pastor. Corban and Jaye give some brief deep perspectives on what it takes to disciple adolescents, teenagers and young adults. Disciples Make is a ministry dedicated to declaring the glory of God through the craftsmanship of disciples around the world. We do this by means of education, training and storytelling. We exist to encourage the believer and to reach those seeking truth. At the heart of all that we do our mission is to follow Jesus, love people and make disciples.www.disciplesmake.com

Matthew 15 describes the lengths to which Jewish traditions could be taken to subvert Divine precepts and the Word of the LORD. The 5th commandment, described as the first with promise (Ephesians 6 verses 1-3), was bypassed by a legal ruse known as Corban. It allowed the wealthy to avoid all responsibility to their parents by declaring with an oath that an individual's entire wealth belonged to God. Whilst ,at the same time, ensuring that the wealthy enjoyed unfettered access to everything "promised" to the Temple. Just like the times of Jeremiah the chosen people gave mere lip service to their Creator and substituted this for this is what the truth demanded by our Sovereign demands from all disciples. The record tells of a discussion about the true source of defilement of people - that is their own fleshly minds - and not any external thing. These matters reveal Pharisaism as an example of the blind leadership of the blind. The faith of the Canaanite woman, whose daughter Jesus healed, was astonishing to our Lord. This incredible incident is like the faith of the Roman centurion in Matthew 8. This woman's belief and accepting of the power of Jesus to heal and his authority caused our Lord Jesus to marvel. This faithful woman acknowledged that privileges rightly rested upon the covenant people of Israel. She also requested that Jesus graciously give her crumbs that fell from the chosen people's table by heading her daughter. The chapter tells us that Jesus performed many miracles for the Gentiles. This caused many of them to ascribe praise to the God of Israel. The chapter concludes by telling us that our Lord Jesus fed 4,000 gentiles. This was despite his own Apostles' reticence to show any compassion to those people who were after all Gentile dogs. Our Lord never shared such prejudices. Christ was always expansive in his love of all and freely distributed the gospel's bounties.

1 Samuel 28 is the lowest point in Saul's life. In chapter 10 we see a promising beginning for a humble young man who God caused to be surrounded by a band of spiritually talented men. From there he slid lower and lower in the failure of removing all of the Amalekites and then to the slaughter of the Gibeonites. Yahweh refused to answer Saul and so in his extremity with a massive Philistine army having invaded the land he turns to a witch, or a medium, as some translations say. Saul travelled at night accompanied by members of his army to Endor to hear of his fate from a woman whose life was in danger from her king who had removed from Israel "all those with familiar spirits". The first interchange of words between Saul and the woman illustrates how these types of people are able to delude others and gain their confidence. A very tall man in the company of other men comes to her home not far from the site of the coming battle. This man assures her, that even though the king has determined to destroy mediums, he can guarantee her safety. He then asks her to stir up the spirit of Samuel. The woman says "You have deceived me - you're Saul". Who else could it be? She delivers a disturbing message to the king. Did she summon Samuel from the dead? Certainly not! Why would God allow this when he had refused to answer Saul? Also there is no communication with the unconscious dead. Notice that Saul asks her what she has seen. And her answers are vague, and many in Israel would have described Samuel in this way. She also relates information that many in Israel knew very well. The woman tells Saul that he and his sons would die in battle tomorrow. Anyone could see that this was the most likely outcome for an unequal battle. Finally the woman implores Saul and his men to eat before departing for the battle. In Jeremiah 4 verse 1-2 the LORD asks Israel to return to Him and promises that if they do this the Gentiles will embrace their God: Isaiah 65:16-19. Verses 3-4 says that repentance is a matter of a heart that has been touched by God and has nothing to do with outward appearances. And without anyone truly seeking the Almighty our God will bring justice to every hypocrite. Verses 5-8 reveal that the day of settling for the nation would come in His bringing judgment from the Babylonians in the north. The Babylonians are depicted as a ravenous lion ready to sweep upon the prey - Judah. Verses 9-13 speak of how Judah's hearts will tremble from the king down to the commoner. Verses 14-18 tell the nation to change its ways, since their doings have caused this coming doom. Verses 19-31 give a word picture of the destruction that the Babylonians have brought upon guilty Judah. Jeremiah is anguished by his contemplation of this scene of devastation. The prophet likens the pain of Judah to a woman in hard  labour. Matthew 15 describes the lengths to which Jewish traditions could be taken to subvert Divine precepts and the Word of the LORD. The 5th commandment, described as the first with promise (Ephesians 6 verses 1-3), was bypassed by a legal ruse known as Corban. It allowed the wealthy to avoid all responsibility to their parents by declaring with an oath that an individual's entire wealth belonged to God. Whilst ,at the same time, ensuring that the wealthy enjoyed unfettered access to everything "promised" to the Temple. Just like the times of Jeremiah the chosen people gave mere lip service to their Creator and substituted this for this is what the truth demanded by our Sovereign demands from all disciples. The record tells of a discussion about the true source of defilement of people - that is their own fleshly minds  - and not any external thing. These matters reveal Pharisaism as an example of the blind leadership of the blind. The faith of the Canaanite woman, whose daughter Jesus healed, was astonishing to our Lord. This incredible incident is like the faith of the Roman centurion in Matthew 8. This woman's belief and accepting of the power of Jesus to heal and his authority caused our Lord Jesus to marvel. This faithful woman acknowledged that privileges rightly rested upon the covenant people of Israel. She also requested that Jesus graciously give her crumbs that fell from the chosen people's table by heading her daughter. The chapter tells us that Jesus performed many miracles for the Gentiles. This caused many of them to ascribe praise to the God of Israel. The chapter concludes by telling us that our Lord Jesus fed 4,000 gentiles. This was despite his own Apostles' reticence to show any compassion to those people who were after all Gentile dogs. Our Lord never shared such prejudices. Christ was always expansive in his love of all and freely distributed the gospel's bounties.

Gen 25; Deeper stories; In, but not of the world; City-states; Civilization of Abraham; Meaning of place names; Traveling the desert alone?; "Pottage"?; Esau's failing; Mere words on the page?; Why Abraham in the desert?; Gerar?; Between Kadesh and Shur; What's wrong with Sodom?; More than Esau; Terah's idolatry; Deception; Treaties; Consent; "Sodded" = Nun-zayin-yod-dalet; Gen 25:29; 2 Kings 4:38; Stewpot and cauldron; Biting one another; One purse; Welfare snares; Natural disasters; Rumors of wars; Corruption; Living in the cauldron; Nicolaitans and Baalam; Addiction to benefits; Freewill offerings; Presbyterians on abortion?; Empowering wickedness; Breakdown of families; Gen 26: God's promise to Isaac; "Abimelech" = father king; Calling no man "father"; Roman republic; Bondage; Choice of sacrifice; Gen 26:5 "Because"; Natural law; Cause/effect; Abraham's obedience; Gerar = biet+gimel-resh-resh; Ear-tickling preachings; Doers of His word; Melchizedek; "Corban"; Isaac's fear; Already self-evident commandments?; The Comforter; Culture; Patriarchy; Who's your daddy?; The source of corruption; Your responsibility; "Put to death"; Sowing; Increasing in righteousness; Choosing your father by consent; Spreading corruption; Gen 26:15 filling wells?; Wells are sources; Well-fare?; Networks of care; Altars; Dwelling in a different way; Stephan; "Tables"; Finding a well in your own heart; Covetous practices are forbidden; Sharing; Covenanting with Abimelech; Having eyes to see; The peace of Christ; Abraham's righteousness; Showing the better way of faith, hope and charity; Mt 23:9; Robbing widows and orphans; Households; Helping neighbor without oppression; Share!

Aaron and Willi sit down with their intern Corban to discuss the importance of communication. In a church made up of diverse cultures and languages, effectively communicating God's Word in a way that resonates with its members is of utmost importance.

Today on the show... - The utter bullshit, bluff and banter of one of the three so called wise men of NZ rugby. I will tell you what NZ's mainstream sports media want to tell you, but can’t and won’t for fear of being locked out. - Many kiwi men have experienced childhood trauma, unhealthy family dynamics or a lack of role models growing up. Seeking help is not about weakness but about being courageous in stepping into change. - Corban’s story, particularly his relationship with his Dad and experiencing trauma is not uncommon among men in New Zealand - a story often hidden and unheard among kiwi men. In this chat we delve into Corban’s story and reflect on the impact these experiences can have on us. - Plus some Letters to the Editor Website: https://www.rova.nz/home/podcasts/duncan-garner---editor-in-chiefInstagram: @DuncanGarnerpodcast TikTok: @DuncanGarnerpodcast

In today's interview... - Many kiwi men have experienced childhood trauma, unhealthy family dynamics or a lack of role models growing up. Seeking help is not about weakness but about being courageous in stepping into change. - Corban’s story, particularly his relationship with his Dad and experiencing trauma is not uncommon among men in New Zealand - a story often hidden and unheard among kiwi men. In this chat we delve into Corban’s story and reflect on the impact these experiences can have on us. Website: https://www.rova.nz/home/podcasts/duncan-garner---editor-in-chiefInstagram: @DuncanGarnerpodcast TikTok: @DuncanGarnerpodcast

In Mark 7:1-23, the religious leaders' opposition to Jesus resurfaces. After all the miracles that Jesus has performed, the Scribes and Pharisees are outraged because His disciples didn't wash their hands the “right” way before eating. It sounds trivial, right? But to them, it was a full-blown scandal, a matter of being “defiled” before God. Jesus doesn't respond to their question but instead exposes their obsession with outward traditions and their hypocritical approach to God's law. Then Jesus reveals what truly makes us unclean—our hearts. The Pharisees employed their traditions, such as “Corban,” to circumvent God's commands. They honored God with their lips, but their hearts were far from Him (Mark 7:6-7). Instead of answering their question about defiled hands, Jesus rebukes them for their hypocrisy and legalism and reveals that it is our hearts, not outward rituals or actions, that truly defile. How, then, can one be clean before God? Only from the inside. No amount of rule-following can fix the heart. But here's the good news: Jesus can! Through His sacrifice, He offers us a new heart, one that longs to follow God from the inside out. Take some time to read Mark 7:1-23 before Sunday. As you do, ask yourself: Are there ways I'm relying on “doing the right things” to be acceptable to God? What's in my heart that I need to bring to Jesus? Let us prepare ourselves to come and worship Him from the heart on Sunday as we sing and study His word. I. The Clash Over Tradition (v. 1-5) II. The Hypocrisy Of An Only Outward Religion (v. 6-13) III. The True Source Of Defilement (v. 14-23)

Understanding Abraham's mission to sacrifice Isaac; Altars of the ancients; Symbolism; Messages in stories; Gregory stories; Why Jesus was hated; Warnings in the bible; Rulers exercising authority; Chief Executive Officers; Cities of blood - cauldrons - flesh pots; Lot and Abraham; Truth vs opinion; Following God's lead; Bondage of city-states; "Church" (ekklesia = called out) in the wilderness; Duties of Levites; Learning to be "Israel"; Walking in faith; Melchizedek; Righteousness; Temptation; Following what is right; Government of God; Lot in the cities; "Moses"; "Egypt"; Philistines; Leaven; Circumcision; Creeds; Double standards; Convictions; "Trinity"?; gods many; Workers of iniquity; Eating of the Tree of Knowledge; Self-justified injustice; Lot as judge; Living in fear; Killing Christ; Understanding the bible; Replacement sacrifice; Sharing; Smoking furnace?; Receivers of Holy Spirit; Significance of Abraham; Canaan; Importance of Sarah; Gen 23:1; City of four?; Hebron = association or to bind; Bondage today?; Fear of leaving the city; Freedom?; One purse; Gathering like the Early Church; Organizing as Christ commanded; Tithing according to service; Wanting to see the light; Being watchful; Balaam and Nicolaitans; Spirit of Christ; Humility; Lamentation; Burying Sarah; Sons of "Heth" - chet-tav; from chet-tav-tav = people of faith; Cause/effect; Double-tav = more faith vs some faith; Responsibility of liberty under God; Sureties for trillions; What are you missing?; House of Abraham; Unkept oaths; Job 6:21; Washing feet; Not taking gifts; "The Way" of Christianity; Why seek the kingdom; Sacrifice; Righteousness; Eating of the Tree of Life; Saving others; Your choices; "Corban"; Making God's word to none effect; Volunteerism; "Abraham House" organization; Peace through power?; Jer 6:10; What the LORD has to say; Making covenants; Desire for benefits; Good Samaritan?; Covetous practices make you merchandise; Welfare snares; Take back your responsibilities!

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Today's shout-out goes to Mark Glover from Fulshear, TX. Thank you for partnering with us through Project23. Your commitment helps us bring God's Word to those hungry for truth. This one's for you. Our text today is Mark 7:9-13: And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother'; and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.' But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban”' (that is, given to God)—then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.” — Mark 7:9-13 Jesus confronts the religious leaders for turning God's commands into suggestions—and their preferences into law. The example he gives is a legal loophole they created to avoid caring for their parents. They'd declare their resources “Corban”—a word meaning “dedicated to God.” It sounded spiritual. But it was a smokescreen. They used it to avoid honoring their father and mother, a clear command from God. Here's the point: They used religion to excuse disobedience. They twisted the truth to protect and preserve their selfish way of life. And Jesus calls it what it is: "rejection of God's Word." This kind of thing still happens today. It's when we explain away obedience because it's too costly. When we spiritualize selfishness. When we hold to personal ideologies while ignoring biblical commands. When we protect our preferences to avoid making true spiritual sacrifices. Sometimes, we'd rather defend our tradition than deny ourselves. But in doing so, we trade God's authority for our own comfort. Have you built spiritual loopholes? Have you ever disguised disobedience with spiritual language? Are you submitting to God's Word—or just adjusting it to suit you? Guess what? Jesus doesn't want your spiritual gymnastics. He wants surrendered obedience. Father, show me where I've traded your commands for my comfort. Help me surrender my preferences so I can live in full obedience. Amen. #ObeyTheWord, #NoSpiritualLoopholes, #JesusOverTradition ASK THIS: Where am I tempted to explain away hard commands in Scripture? What personal traditions might be limiting my obedience? How do I use spiritual language to justify selfish decisions? What does it look like to honor God's Word fully this week? DO THIS: Identify one area where you're clinging to a personal preference over a biblical principle. Lay it down—and recommit to obeying God's Word without excuse. PRAY THIS: Father, show me where I've traded your commands for my comfort. Help me surrender my preferences so I can live in full obedience. Amen. PLAY THIS: “Here's My Heart” – David Crowder.

To become a follower of Jesus, visit: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/MeetJesus (NOT a Morning Mindset resource) ⇒ TELL SOMEONE ABOUT THE MORNING MINDSET - Your personal recommendation can make an eternal difference in the lives of the people you know! STEP ONE: Go to http://YourMorningMindset.com STEP TWO: Share that page with someone you know! ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:   ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ FINANCIALLY SUPPORT THE MORNING MINDSET: (not tax-deductible) -- Become a monthly partner: https://mm-gfk-partners.supercast.com/ -- Support a daily episode: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/daily-sponsor/ -- Give one-time: https://give.cornerstone.cc/careygreen -- Venmo: @CareyNGreen ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ FOREIGN LANGUAGE VERSIONS OF THIS PODCAST: SPANISH version: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/Spanish HINDI version: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/Hindi CHINESE version: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/Chinese  ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ CONTACT: Carey@careygreen.com  ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ THEME MUSIC: “King’s Trailer” – Creative Commons 0 | Provided by https://freepd.com/ ***All NON-ENGLISH versions of the Morning Mindset are translated using A.I. Dubbing and Translation tools from DubFormer.ai ***All NON-ENGLISH text content (descriptions and titles) are translated using the A.I. functionality of Google Translate. To become a follower of Jesus, visit: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/MeetJesus (NOT a Morning Mindset resource) ⇒ TELL SOMEONE ABOUT THE MORNING MINDSET - Your personal recommendation can make an eternal difference in the lives of the people you know! STEP ONE: Go to http://YourMorningMindset.com STEP TWO: Share that page with someone you know! ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Mark 7:9–13 - [9] And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! [10] For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ [11] But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban”’ (that is, given to God)—[12] then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, [13] thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.” (ESV) ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ FINANCIALLY SUPPORT THE MORNING MINDSET: (not tax-deductible) -- Become a monthly partner: https://mm-gfk-partners.supercast.com/ -- Support a daily episode: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/daily-sponsor/ -- Give one-time: https://give.cornerstone.cc/careygreen -- Venmo: @CareyNGreen ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ FOREIGN LANGUAGE VERSIONS OF THIS PODCAST: SPANISH version: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/Spanish HINDI version: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/Hindi CHINESE version: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/Chinese  ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ CONTACT: Carey@careygreen.com  ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ THEME MUSIC: “King’s Trailer” – Creative Commons 0 | Provided by https://freepd.com/ ***All NON-ENGLISH versions of the Morning Mindset are translated using A.I. Dubbing and Translation tools from DubFormer.ai ***All NON-ENGLISH text content (descriptions and titles) are translated using the A.I. functionality of Google Translate.

On this GUEST episode of Disciples Make, Corban interviews Kaden, a wedding photographer and filmmaker. We learn about Kaden's upbringing, his earlier work as a photographer and filmmaker, and how he started filming weddings. Corban and Kaden also discuss some of the more nuanced aspects of photography and filmmaking, such as the etiquette of photography out in the mission field with various ministries.Disciples Make is a ministry dedicated to declaring the glory of God through the craftsmanship of disciples around the world. We do this by means of education, training and storytelling. We exist to encourage the believer and to reach those seeking truth. At the heart of all that we do our mission is to follow Jesus, love people and make disciples.www.disciplesmake.com

Jesus accuses the Pharisees of disobeying God's word, and uses a Hebrew word when he does that. Just what does Corban mean? Let's find out together as we read Mark 7:9-13 and Leviticus 1.

On this CREW episode of Disciples Make, Corban and Anele talk about their experience in an unhealthy church environment in the earlier years of their relationship, how they eventually ended up finding a healthy church community in Los Angeles, and how it impacted their faith and artistic journeys.Disciples Make is a ministry dedicated to declaring the glory of God through the craftsmanship of disciples around the world. We do this by means of education, training and storytelling. We exist to encourage the believer and to reach those seeking truth. At the heart of all that we do our mission is to follow Jesus, love people and make disciples.www.disciplesmake.com

Gods many; Ruling judges; Which god do you worship (serve)?; Two "worlds"; Constitutions; Legal systems; Governing ourselves; "Shechem"; Circumcision?; Living God's way; Nimrod the hunter?; "Leaven"; Making the word of God to none effect; Baptism?; The Temple Laver; Hyrcanus and Aristobulus; Death of Zachariah; Sacrificing; Gen 17:4; Antisemitism?; Sons of Shem; Melchizedek; Good sons; Following Abraham; Corban?; Agreement with Egypt; Becoming Israel; Gen 18:1; "plains" of Mamre; 3 men?; nun-tzdek-biet+yod+mem (stood by); Divine spark; Referencing spirit; Where is Holy Spirit leading you?; Learning the Tree of Life; "Elder"; Church jobs; Hunters and Shepherds; Reading the bible; Testing forgiveness; Entertaining angels; Understanding societal relationships; v9 Sarah; Bible translators; Robbing Christ's Church; Sarah's denial; Fear not!; Lacking faith; Cry of Sodom and Gomorrah; Bargaining for Sodom; LORD and Lord; Today's politics; Seeing divine spark; Blessing from Shem; Abraham's case; Sin of Sodom; Aleph-lamad-vav; Plains and Oaks?; Walking in Spirit and Truth; The sin of Sodom; Weakening the poor; Long, fat breadlines; The need for challenge; Giving life; "Mamre" mem-mem-resh-aleph; Rebellion?; Understanding Abraham; Church of Constantine in Milan - ordered baptism; Blood money; Mixing iron and clay; Anti-Christian ministers; Welfare snares; Legal charity; Willful ignorance; "Mara" mem-resh-aleph - not spirit and truth; Beyond rebellion; Covetousness; Consequences; Job 39:18; Job 39:9; Revealing required corruption; Unicorn; Instant Christians; Zeph 3:1; Revealed lies; Becoming merchandise; False freedom; Opening eyes; Who is your savoir?; Sour grapes; The Harlot; Sloth; Gather and care for one another.

On this CREW episode of Disciples Make, Corban and Anele talk about their journey as artists over the last decade from their early twenties into their early thirties. They scratch the surface of topics dealing with creative milestones and lessons learned, as well as some of their current aspirations as artists on mission in Christ's kingdom.Disciples Make is a ministry dedicated to declaring the glory of God through the craftsmanship of disciples around the world. We do this by means of education, training and storytelling. We exist to encourage the believer and to reach those seeking truth. At the heart of all that we do our mission is to follow Jesus, love people and make disciples.www.disciplesmake.com

On this GUEST episode of Disciples Make, Corban interviews Javier Vazquez Jr. As a seasoned actor with dozens of film and television appearances, including roles in hit productions like Venom and Ozark, Javier knows firsthand the magic of bringing stories to life on screen. In addition to his entertainment accomplishments, Javier is a dedicated educator with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and a concentration in Spanish. Disciples Make is a ministry dedicated to declaring the glory of God through the craftsmanship of disciples around the world. We do this by means of education, training and storytelling. We exist to encourage the believer and to reach those seeking truth. At the heart of all that we do our mission is to follow Jesus, love people and make disciples.www.disciplesmake.com

In this conversation, Jay Carter and Rod Corbin delve into the intricacies of sports psychology, exploring Rod's extensive background in high-performance sports and neuropsychology. They discuss the importance of managing expectations, the role of upbringing in competitiveness, and the significance of building relationships within team environments. Rod shares insights from his journey into sports psychology, emphasizing the need for high standards while acknowledging the challenges of human emotions and cognitive processes in performance settings. In this conversation, Rod discusses the profound impact of upbringing, education, and experience on his practice in sports psychology. He emphasizes the importance of building trust and relationships within teams, the distinction between mental skills training and sports psychology, and the complexities of team dynamics. Rod also highlights the necessity for coaches to create a supportive environment that fosters connection and psychological safety, while navigating the pressures of performance and athlete identity.Send us a textSupport the showhttps://talkingperformancepod.com/

On this GUEST episode of Disciples Make, Corban interviews Mike Davis. Michael Davis Jr. aka “Movie-Maker Mike” is a filmmaker and owner of Enriched Images Productions, LLC, a film production company that produces media content for diverse audiences who want to watch amazing faith-based and inspirational films that are relatable, authentic, and entertaining. In this episode Corban and Mike talk about his journey through the military, faith and film.Disciples Make is a ministry dedicated to declaring the glory of God through the craftsmanship of disciples around the world. We do this by means of education, training and storytelling. We exist to encourage the believer and to reach those seeking truth. At the heart of all that we do our mission is to follow Jesus, love people and make disciples.www.disciplesmake.com

On this GUEST episode of Disciples Make, Corban interviews Charles Reynolds. Charles had a few career paths over the last decade plus and today he finally finds himself in a career path that is aligned with his true passion of storytelling. He is a filmmaker, content creator, musician and photographer. In this episode Corban and Charles talk about the struggles and perspectives in relation to the fear of man as a disciple of Christ.Disciples Make is a ministry dedicated to declaring the glory of God through the craftsmanship of disciples around the world. We do this by means of education, training and storytelling. We exist to encourage the believer and to reach those seeking truth. At the heart of all that we do our mission is to follow Jesus, love people and make disciples.www.disciplesmake.com

On this GUEST episode of Disciples Make, Corban interviews Scott Free. Scott is an urban missionary & pastor based in Atlanta, Ga. He is the founder of the “City Takers Movement,” which exists to “raise up urban missionaries who transform cities through hip-hop, love and Jesus,” and lead pastor of Crossover Church ATL, an inner city, missional, church plant. In this episode Corban and Scott talk about what it means to be a missional follower of Christ.Disciples Make is a ministry dedicated to declaring the glory of God through the craftsmanship of disciples around the world. We do this by means of education, training and storytelling. We exist to encourage the believer and to reach those seeking truth. At the heart of all that we do our mission is to follow Jesus, love people and make disciples.www.disciplesmake.com

Review Gen 45; Importance of forgiveness; Pit of bondage; Not killing Joseph; Divine Karma?; Relationship with God; Cauldron; Preserving life; Priests to all nations; Deciding good and evil; Vanity; Manifesting compassion; Wrestling with the message; Esau and Jacob; Nimrod - provider instead of the Lord; Provisions for life; Doing well with what you are given; Understanding principle; "Hate"; Cursing your children with debt; Fleshpots; Getting out of debt?; "Corban"; Greatest destroyers of liberty; Parasites; Gen 45:24; Theory of evolution?; Sophistry; Gen 46:1; Israel's journey; Jesus the king; "Beersheba"; Gen 21:31; Abimelech; Jacob's freewill sacrifice; zayan-biet-chet; Why sacrifice?; Drawing near to God; Making a great nation; Wells with water; Tree of Life; Learning lessons; Sacrificing out of love; Becoming Israel; Sons of Jacob; Generations of Israel; Having more than one wife; Well of satisfaction; Oppressing your brother; Contrary to Israel; Sons of Rachel; Jacob's wrestling; Saving Israelites; tempting Joseph; Righteousness; Oppression; The faithful; Swords necessary?; Biology; Prophesy of names; Doing your part - sacrifice/service; Strengthening others; Overcoming difficulties with righteousness; Learning to trust in the way of God; Denial; Gen 46:31; Hearing the cries of Israel; Coming out of bondage; Gen 49:4; Moral structure to society; Family unit; Innocence?; Beginning of corruption; Legal charity; Caring for one another; Gen 49:5; "Hamas"?; Vessels?; mem-kof-resh-hey; Have faith!

Mark 7:1-23 records Jesus' confrontation with the Pharisees over their traditions, specifically their handwashing rituals and Corban practice, which undermined God's commandments. Jesus teaches that true defilement comes from within, not external rituals, emphasizing inner purity over human traditions. He declares all foods clean, foreshadowing the new covenant and shifting focus to the heart rather than legalistic observance.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/lets-talk-scripture/donations

Passage: 6 And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; 7 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' 8 You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.” 9 And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother'; and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.' 11 But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban”' (that is, given to God)—12 then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, 13 thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.” (Mark 7:6-13 ESV) Song: Getaway (https://open.spotify.com/track/75YGqDOySZH5mQ8pHmEg54?si=6c5bcad67cba4cdf) by Jon Guerra, Lindsey Sweat, Taya Gaukrodger Lyrics: Are you burnt out On religious things Are you worn down Lacking inner peace Take a real rest Walk along with me In the pastures of my presence You can be yourself and you can Say what's on your heart I already know it all Doesn't matter what you say Come and get away with me I know where you are Where you've been and what you've seen Doesn't matter how you come Come and get away with me Get away get away with me (Get away get away with me) Are you burdened From all the heavy days It's not your job To shoulder all the weight Let me do it Let me come and take The lies you've been believing in The truth is that you have a place to Grace upon grace upon grace Let it lead Get away get away with me Grace upon grace upon grace Let it lead Get away get away with me Grace upon grace upon grace Let me lead Get away get away with me Say what's on your heart I already know it all Doesn't matter what you say Come and say it all to me I know where you are Where you've been and what you've seen Doesn't matter how you come Come and get away with me Oh come away come away with me Get away get away with me Prayer: Father, what we know not, teach us; what we have not, give us; what we are not, make us; for the sake of your Son our Savior. Amen. -Old Anglican Prayer

(An Approach to Church Organization - Part 3) Is nature organized?; Church established by revelation; Your gospel challenge; Perseverance; Lacking grace; Church manifesting Christ; Feel-good churches; Picking 7 men; Free government; Self-organization; Tens, Hundreds and Thousands; Calamities; Review; Limited access per mission; Testimony; Recording truth; Love = charity; Grace?; Property taxes; Legal title; Moses' people; Christ's freedom; "Order"; Families at Christ's time; Levites belonged to God; Apostles; Marriage license; To whom do you pray?; Forcing neighbors; Church of Constantine; Who controls your church?; Early Church organization; Corporation; "Great Domestic Relationship"; Honoring your father; Consent in society; Mark of the beast; Church records; Civil marriages; Justin's apology; Lady Godiva?; Covetous practices; General "church"; Sheep searching story; "Pure religion"; Daily ministration; Taking care of the needy; "Church" defined in law; Is your church doing what Christ said?; Tree of Knowledge vs Tree of Life; Navigating by Holy Spirit; Preserving Christ's doctrine; Exercising authority?; Sacrifice; Incorporation; Self-discipline; "Ekklesia"; Separation; Widows and orphans?; Christ's government; Gather with those God puts before you; Corban; Making God's word to none effect; What is a Christian?; Helping others love neighbors; Serving God by serving one another; Repentance; "Unincorporated Associations"; Corporation of Christ; "Thithingmen"; Burnt offerings; Trusts; What is an "Ordained" minister; Multiple words translated into "ordained"; "Elders" = episkipos; Owning things in common; Corporation sole; Underwear of the minister?; Congregation "membership"?; License to minister; Vow of poverty; Stones of the Temple; Recognizing ordination; Rights in God's kingdom; Becoming merchandise; Choosing men over God; Jews accepted Christ; Defining religion; Your need to give - to your minister; Regulating flow; Repent and seek His kingdom and righteousness! (An Approach to Church Organization - Part 4) Bible about religion? Or government?; Rights; "Ye also are gods"; Office of "Apotheos"; Rome v US; Religious governments; Altering history; Becoming merchandise; Bondage of Egypt; Corruption; Deciding good and evil; Inflation; Understanding value; Cash?; Separate Church; Setting souls free; Freedom?; Biting one another; Will God hear you?; Feeding the truth to others; Learning by doing; Church built on revelation; "Ordain"; "tethini", "genomai", "creno", "poeo"; Confusing meaning; Eternal life?; Buying your bondage; Christ sought recognition (witness); Which "Christ"?; The Church's legal existence; Constantine's church; Mt 18:15; Binding and loosing; Pure republics; "Libera res publica"; Church networking; Health, education and welfare; "Sacred Purpose Trust"; Jurisdiction?; Usurping authority; Getting free from your bondage; Historical wrong ways; The key to your salvation; "Che Guevara"; How to love your neighbor; Ordaining ministers; Levites; Golden calf; Substance money; Repentance; Operating by faith, hope and charity; Forcing neighbor; Get involved!

Rituals and ceremonies; "Rite"; How The Church does things; Taking care of the needy; "Religion"; Exercising authority?; Executing the king?; Moneychangers; Fervent charity vs Legal charity; Offices of Caesar; Mt 20:25; Not to be that way with you; Acts 23; Pharisees and Sadducees; Mark 10:42; Freedom of choice; Civil law; No coveting; "One purse"; Servants of the people; Cities of blood; Early Church model; Lk 22:25; Paul on trial; "Church" = "ekklesia"; Levites?; Golden calf; Loyalty to gold; "Temples"; Treasuries?; Welfare snares; Synagogues; Heave offering; "Corban"; Lk 22:29; Kingdom of Judea appointed; Pilate's proclamation; Plagues and filters; Israelites helping Egyptians; "Whited wall"; Wall around a city; Mt 23:27, Lk 11:24; Robbing widows and orphans; "Visit" in James; Church use of funds; Keeping you from the kingdom; Human resources; God's government; Being doers of the word or workers of iniquity; Paul's "us" and "we"; False gospels; Forms of godliness; Repentance; "Polity"; Justin's apology; Sin of Sodom; Actually helping the poor; Imagining you're doing good; Is Christ your king?; Public schools; Christian schools; Feeding His sheep; Idolatry; Choosing your religion; Weakening of the church; Constantine's church; Salvation; "Holy apostles"; Article 8: Objective of The Church; Following Pharisees instead of Christ; Saul's folly; Righteousness; Offices of power; Free nations; Social bonds; Family; Bondage of Egypt; Civil vs Natural rights; Willingness to return to Christ's way; Your duties; Caring for your neighbor; Advancing peace; Prov 16:7; Making neighbors merchandise; Inflation; Christ's instructions; Prayer; Isa 26:3; Free assemblies; Self-organization; Conforming to Christ; Isa 32:17; Ps 37:11; Addiction to benefits; Mal 2:6; Feel-good churches; Equity; Mt 5:25; Lk 10:5; Act 10:42; Believing lies; Listening to Holy Spirit; The Way of peace; Repent now!

Jesus took kingdom from Pharisees and appointed to apostles; Government; Rituals and Ceremonies; Militia; Danger of fire to crops; Droughts; Calamities; Gospel of the Kingdom; Explaining righteousness; "Leaven" = oppression; Immoral practices; US grain storage policy; Caring for the needy of your society; Tens; Separate Church; Religious rituals and ceremonies; Living by charity; Setting the captive free; The "Way" of Christ; Organizing the congregations; Article 7 - Church rituals and Ceremonies; Num 9:3; "Rites" = statute or ordinance; Corban - of Pharisees and of Christ; Welfare covetousness; Justifying world practices with Christ's way?; Conforming to Christ; Matt 4:23; Gospel of the Kingdom; Children of God - some not obedient; Church "services"?; Sacrificing for neighbors across the network; No exercising authority; Daily ministration from The Church; Denying God's power; Inbreeding; Poor food quality; Believing a lie; Taxation; Weakening society; Baptism; Washing of feet; Statutes of Moses; Weightier matters of the Law; Forcing benefits from the people; Self-called benefits; "Fair share"?; Haters; Electing Sauls; Power corrupts; Following Christ's way; Rightly dividing resources; Importance of faith; Curing corruption; Taking back your responsibilities; Forcing slothful to contribute; Restoring every man to family and possessions; Freedom of Religion; Adultery; Being friends with the unrighteous mammon; Laying down your life daily out of love; Loving your enemy; "Legal Charity" weakens society; Bearing witness to neighbor; Church duties; vs Beast; Do you accept Christ as your savior?; "Born again"; Sin of Sodom; Early Church practices; Rom 12:2 "world"; Foreign aid; Individual choice; Christ's "salvation"?; Repentance; James 2:1; Offices of power; Respecting persons; Law enforcement; No forcing neighbor; "Tariff"; Legal tender; Lawful money; Rich depending on poor; Christ's solution; Voluntarism; "Name" of Christ; Life-changing practices; James 1:27; Taking choice from neighbor; Do you love Christ?; Reciprocity; Blaspheming Christ; "Liberty"; Strong delusion; Faith without works; Join the Living Network.

Kevin is a really cool guy… great family man, kind, caring and is a believer in Jesus! He grew up in Alaska, graduated college from Corban (undergrad) and George Fox (PT school), has been married for 10 years, has 3 boys and is an Orthopedic PT!He is a guy who loves to challenge himself through endurance running.  If you want a challenge, follow Kevin on social media to see what he is up to! Check out Isaiah 43 to learn more about rivers and deserts! “The comfort crisis”“Milestone moments”“Counting your blessings”To learn more or connect with Kevin, go to: https://healingmotionpt.com/dr-kevin-coriano/#Jesusfollower #physicaltherapy #healingmotionPT #challengeyourself_ _ _For more stories like this, go to: https://www.youtube.com/@BuddyJamesPuckettIf you or someone you know want to be on the podcast, please reach out to me on Instagram @conversationswithbuddy or text me at 503-851-8031. _ _ _About Buddy Puckett:Buddy Puckett has been in the mortgage and finance space and mentoring men for over 25 years.  A mentoring opportunity all started when he first began in the mortgage industry in 1998, when he began to mentor a younger guy who happened to be married.  This person was not making great choices and it was sadly affecting his marriage.  We all are 1 decision away from something really dumb, so accountability became something Buddy knew he needed as well.  Buddy's wife, Shawn, suggested he start a podcast in 2022 to share the stories of people who have struggled,failed, overcame by realizing the life of love, joy and peace is only available through a relationship with Jesus Christ! “Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me'.” John 14:6

"Polity"?; Early Church activities; Christ's abilities; Gospels vs Apostles; The Comforter; Two-by-two; Inspired authors; Baptism; Christ the king; "Logos" vs "Rema"; Sharing/Charity in the kingdom; Mobilizing resources; "Worship" service; Early Church was decentralized; Social welfare; Daily ministration; "Politeia" G4174; Eph 2:12; Administration of civil affairs; Loving God and neighbor; Acts 22:28; "Conversation"; Being a citizen; Pagan altars of Rome; Corban; Communism; Acts 23:1; Phil 1:27; Political Christ; Elders donating; God's government of love; Public vs private religion; Where is your "service"; Repentance; Perfect law of liberty; Empowering choice in other people; Thievery; Covetousness; Omitting inconvenient truths; What God wants you to do; Article 6: Bishops and Archbishops; Serving the people; Caesar: son of god; Degeneration of society; "Archbishop"; Minister of bishops; "Titular"?; "Rank"; No exercising authority; Relationship; Anti-Christian way of life; Accepting the whole truth; Corruption and apathy; "god" = ruling judge; Lev 25:10; "Power" of ministers?; Pretend Christians; Ps 119:45; Mt 6:9; Electoral College; Democracy; Living from bondage to faith to liberty and abundance; Exercise?; Chores as responsibility, not reward but right; Repentance from bondage; Jealous God; Courage to be kicked out; Forgiving others; Abundance; Life includes choice; If you really believed…; Importance of humility; Election day; Laying down your life; The sin of Sodom and Gomorrah; Mt 23:9; Lk 4:18; Phil 3:16; Your actual priests; Remembering "The Way"; Charity alone; James 1:25; Are you blessed in your deeds?; Pure religion; Legal yet unrighteous; The rationale of Christ; Do you love God?; Respect of persons; Strive and be diligent.

This Holiday Season, Create a Tradition That Transforms Lives What if this Christmas, your family could do something more meaningful than decorating the tree or exchanging gifts—something that plants seeds of kindness and changes lives across the globe? Imagine a tradition that not only brings joy to others but also shapes your children’s hearts with a lifelong spirit of generosity. This holiday, make giving the greatest gift of all. How can we make this a reality? Catherine’s guest, Brian Frazier, shares his powerful journey of faith and purpose. With nearly 15 years at World Vision—a Christian humanitarian organization that brings hope to the poor and oppressed—Brian has witnessed firsthand the transformational power of generosity. Inspired by a life-changing trip to India, Brian left a successful career in engineering and banking to dedicate his life to helping others. His commitment even led his family to relocate to Bangalore, India, in pursuit of service. In this episode, Catherine and Brian explore how families can embrace generosity and make an extraordinary impact through simple acts of giving. Here’s what you’ll discover: The Power of Family Giving: Brian shares how involving children in charitable activities—like choosing gifts through World Vision’s gift catalog—can create meaningful family traditions that inspire lifelong habits of giving. World Vision’s Global Impact: Learn how World Vision has sparked transformative change—from creating Mongolia’s first Christian radio station to delivering clean water to villages in Rwanda. Stories That Inspire Hope: Hear about Rachida, an 8-year-old Sudanese refugee who found hope through World Vision’s efforts after losing her family to war. Lives Transformed: Experience the joy of a family in Zambia whose life was forever changed by a goat-herding program, offering them new opportunities and hope for the future. Generosity as a Legacy: Discover how small acts—like sponsoring a child or giving a life-changing gift—can instill values of compassion and selflessness in your children, creating a lasting legacy of generosity. Building Global Bridges: Reflect on how connecting with those in need—whether across the world or in your community—brings hope, fuels dreams, and reminds us of the profound difference we can make together. This episode is an invitation to bring your faith to life this Christmas season through actionable, family-focused giving. Together, we can bridge the gap between affluence and need, offering hope to children around the world while creating cherished family traditions grounded in love and service. For more information, to sponsor a child, or to explore the gift catalog, visit worldvision.org. Start a tradition of generosity today, and let this Christmas be remembered as the season your family gave the gift of hope. About the Guest: Brian Frazier is the Executive Director of Team World Vision, a program of World Vision that mobilizes individuals—many of them non-runners—to conquer half and full marathons in support of ending the global water crisis in Jesus’ name. In his role, Brian passionately inspires people to take on physical challenges on behalf of the world’s most vulnerable communities. Brian’s unconventional career path began in engineering, transitioned to banking with a focus on microfinance, and ultimately led him to finding his calling in fundraising. Over the course of his career with World Vision, Brian has worked in more than 30 countries. His unique perspective and broad skill set fuel his commitment to advocating for the forgotten and marginalized. Brian lives in Houston, Texas, with his wife, Colette. Together, they are the proud parents of four wonderful children: Corban, Haddon, Kai, and Niya. Episode Links: World Vision Gift Catalog. Instagram: @worldvisionusa Facebook: World Vision USA Twitter: @worldvisionusa Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Although our rankings varied (especially when the nostalgia trump card was pulled on a couple of cartoons!), here are our favorite (and most nostalgic) and least favorite cartoons from this magical 90s VHS tape. Did anyone else have one of these tapes lying around their house as a kid? Favorite and Most Nostalgic Disney Christmas Cartoon Shorts

Explaining God's kingdom; Called-out government; Corruption; Social Security system; Rights/responsibilities from God; Caring for your parents; Minister/Elder responsibilities; Bondage of Egypt; Free Church; What else to do?; Does the IRS oversee your church?; Making Church make sense; "logos"; Right reason; The love of Christ; The Comforter; World government activities; New World Order; 501(c)3; Seeking His kingdom and Righteousness; "Polity" of a government; Basing on Christ; "Idiotes"; Registration?; Baptism; Being part of the solution; Church incorporation; Social Security Act; Following the patterns; Finding Holy Spirit; Knowing what God wants you to do; Church polity Article 1; Descendants of Abraham?; Nation without compromise; Fancy doctrines; Article 2 - seat of authority; Putting others on pedestals; Tree of Knowledge vs Tree of Life; Article 3: Conscience of The Church; Slaves to Christ; Empowering ministers; Maintaining free assembly; Daily bread; Loving your neighbor; "Matrix"; Golden Calf; Jesus High Priest and King; Altars of Living Stones; "Corban"; Cities of Refuge; Kingdom courts; God's Natural Law; Disaster predictions; Modern prophets; Following Holy Spirit; Christ's instructions what NOT to do; Daily ministration; Millenium; Divine right of kings?; Doomsday book; Socialism; Acts 5:29; Becoming doers of the word; Your salvation; Num 7:5; 1 Cor 9:13; Poisoning; Become the antidote.

Crucifixion?; The "Word" = right reason of Christ; Law of Nature; Benefits at our neighbors' expense; Corban making God's word to none effect; Augustus Caesar; Roman republic?; "Emperator"; Caesar story; "Son of God"; Submitting to slavery; "God"; Making covenants; Societal shifts in thinking; Unrecognized captivity; Assurance of freedom; Covetousness not allowed; Manufactured conflict; Conflict in Christ's time; Sanhedrin; Appointment of 70; "Stones" for the Temple; No exercising authority; Sacred rights; Whole Gospel; Assembling the puzzle; Statues; Government welfare; Christ's ministers duty; Corruption; Accountability in kingdom of God; Taking back responsibilities; Early Church functions; One purse; Weakening the people; Inflation; Thriving Christians; Non-participators; Temple tribute; Building the Roman colosseum; Biting your neighbor; Wanting to believe we are free; Pilate's "Superscription"; Matt 27:27; Lk 23:11; Mark 15:24; Herod's recognition of Christ; "Parens Patria"; The Veil; Hebrew (poreketh) "pai-resh-kuf-tav"; from "perek" (cruelty); Weakened, degenerate people; Soup kitchens; Al Capone?; Income tax; FDR's bondage; Old Testament "Vail"; Tabernacle; Jubilee; Church in the Wilderness; Slavery = force; Substitute "choice" for people; Every day election day; Saul syndrome; Scattering the flock; Saved by a new Caesar?; Logos of Moses; Rebuilding stone Temple; Red Heifer?; Misunderstanding symbology; Ripping of the veil; Temple full of blood; Electing Rulers?; Repentance; Consenting to covetousness; Torment?; Holy Spirit; Immigrants; Veil within us; Pai = oral torah; Resh = process; Living the law - sacrifice; Gathering together; Kuf = crown - actualized potential; Power to heal; Tav = faith; Living by faith to receive actualized potential from God; Altars of faith, hope and charity; Tabernacle covered with skins; Offices of Caesar; Who will repent?; Healing demoniac; Caring for neighbor; "Worship"?; Bondage of Egypt; Owning your labor; Deciding good and evil; Getting you to bite one another; "love"; Hearing the Word; Tearing of the veil; Binding by love; Archeological evidence; Sacrifice of family; Ear ticklers; Receiving life more abundantly; Col 3:5; Idolatry; Wrath of God; Eph 5:5; Constantinian church; Good news knowing what to repent from; 1 Cor 5:10; Fornicators with the world; Unrighteous mammon; Creating the alternative; Setting your neighbor free first; Legal charity; Lady Godiva?; Blessing others; God of salvation; Individual salvation; Previewing Mark 16; Gathering together; May your eyes be opened.

Mark 13 highlights; Christ's return; What Christ was preaching; Moses, Abraham and Melchizedek; Freewill offerings; Conquered people; Was Jesus a socialist?; Jubilee; "Corban"?; Making the word of God to none effect; "Leaven"; Men who exercise authority; How are you taking care of the needy of your society?; Temple built without hands?; Cities of blood; Graven images; Fleshpots; Freedom from things public; Lk 22:29; Lk 12:23, John 10:10; Denying truth; Knowing history; Mark 14:1 Plotting against Jesus; Scribes?; "Religion"; Seared consciences; Where is your faith?; Killing care; Obtaining protection from God; False Christians; Precious oil?; Lk 7:37, John 12:3; "Spikenard"; Simon the leper; Nicodemus; John 19:39; King in Judea; Taking back responsibilities; Power of choice; Walking in spirit; Strengthening the poor; Sodom; Setting others free; Better Nimrods?; Charity; Jesus anointed with oil; Proclaimed king by the people; Baptized by John the Baptist; Are you spiritually following Christ?; 1 John 2:19; Memorials; Government of, for and by the people; Mk 14:10 Judas Iscariot; Helping the poor; Sanhedrin (70); Anointed king, firing moneychangers; Deciding the rightful king of Jerusalem; Giving power to a king; Bondage of Egypt; Rehoboam; Inheriting rights; Repentance; 1 John 2:19; v12 Passover; Men carrying water?; Moving in the spirit; Who to follow?; Who will betray?; Mt 26:25; Body and blood; Eating/drinking in the kingdom?; Lk 22:16; Lk 24:40; John 21:9; How taken from Pharisees?; Peter's offense; Knowing the whole gospel; "Skandalizo"; Welfare snare and trap - distrusting the way of Christ; Legal charity; Denying Christ; v26 Singing?; Strengthening the poor; Capitalism; Associations; Corporations; Song of Moses and of the Lamb; Believing fosters doing; "sore amazed" and "very heavy"; Rich people in the kingdom of God; Salvation?; "watch"; Did Christ need to be baptized?; Comforting gospel?; God's will; Watch and pray; The flesh is weak; Temptation?; Selling brothers into bondage; v46 - taking of Jesus; To be continued...