Podcasts about even god

What do you do when the battle is too big? It is easy to look at our life circumstances and our difficulties and think that the battle is too big for us. Depression and discouragement are not reserved for those who do not have a relationship with God. Even God's people can grow weary and […] The post When The Battle Is Too Big (2 Chronicles 13) appeared first on Biblical Truths from West Palm Beach church of Christ.

Daily Study: Does it feel as though you're on a turbulent roller coaster ride with the vision God has provided? Hold on, because victory is on its way. Even God's dream for humanity encountered bumps along the road, and it's not over yet. Just like God, we will triumph in the end. Partner with Us: https://churchforentrepreneurs.com/partner Connect with Us: https://churchforentrepreneurs.com                  

Welcome to the sermon. Today we're in Exodus 3 & 4, exploring one of life's most foundational questions: "Who am I?" Through Moses's encounter at the burning bush, we'll confront the shame and insecurity that so often writes our life's story. We'll see how God's answer to our feelings of inadequacy is profoundly different from the world's, shifting our focus from our weakness to His powerful presence.Scripture ReferencesExodus 3:1-14: The Burning Bush, God's call, and Moses's first question, "Who am I?"Exodus 4:1-17: Moses's excuses, God's provision of signs, and His promise of help.Key Points1. Unredeemed Shame Writes Our StoryOur behavior is rooted in what we believe about ourselves. While guilt says "I did something bad," shame says "I am bad." If this shame isn't redeemed, it becomes the author of our story, creating vows that dictate our actions. Moses was crippled by shame: he felt he belonged nowhere, was a failure rejected by everyone, was too old, and was disabled by a speech impediment. His shame was about to make him miss his destiny.2. The World's Answer vs. God's AnswerHow does God respond to Moses's crippling insecurity? Our culture—and even AI—advises self-reflection, validation, and positive reinforcement. The goal is self-love. God's approach is completely different. When Moses asks, "Who am I?", God doesn't list Moses's qualifications or tell him "You've got this." Instead, He gives a radically different answer that changes the entire equation: "I will be with you."3. God's Presence is the Antidote to PrideGod's answer isn't a non-answer; it's the only answer. Focusing on ourselves leads to one of two places: pride ("I am adequate") or insecurity ("I am inadequate"). Both are forms of pride because they are self-obsessed. The way out is to stop looking inward, which leads to depression, and to look at God, which leads to rest. God's presence, not our adequacy, is the foundation for our calling.ConclusionGod's promise, "I will be with you," is the definitive answer to our deepest insecurities. He doesn't call the adequate; He makes Himself present to the inadequate. Even God's anger at Moses's final excuse was the protective love of a Father, angry for him, not wanting him to miss his destiny. God wants to take the pen from the hand of your shame and become the true Author of your story.Calls to ActionIdentify the Script: Recognize where shame, rather than God's truth, is writing the script for your life.Shift Your Focus: When you feel inadequate, intentionally shift your question from "Who am I?" to "Who is the God that is with me?"Rest in His Presence: Stop striving to become adequate. Instead, receive the promise that He is with you as your all-sufficient help. Support the show*Summaries and transcripts are generated using AI. Please notify us if you find any errors.

  How do you describe what a REPUTATION is and the tremendous effect it can have on people’s attitudes or even choices. A bad reputation keeps people away and a good reputation invites people to trust, right? That applies in almost EVERY aspect of life.  Even God has a reputation, did you know that? So, what would you say God’s reputation is with your family or your city? One of the very interesting threads woven through the “Grand Narrative” story of history is the reputation of God. Joshua was facing it regularly as he and the Israelites moved into the Land of God’s Promise. Remember what Rahab had told the scouts Joshua sent in to check out Jericho? “We have heard how the LORD dried up the Red Sea for you…for the LORD your God is God in heaven and on earth below” (Joshua 2:8-11) (Click here to see full text, images and links)    Pastor Doug Anderson    “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)Have a comment or question about today's chapter? I'm ready to hear from you, contact me here. Interested in helping "Walking with Jesus" financially? Click here

Faith for the Coming Wilderness (6) (audio) David Eells – 9/21/25 I'm going to continue with our study of faith for the coming wilderness and how to walk above the principles of this world. All of this is to help prepare people to hear the voice of our God in the wilderness, so they can be preserved and provided for as they come out from under the bondage in Egypt. God led His people out of Egypt to learn to walk by faith in Him. (Heb.10:38) But my righteous one shall live by faith: And if he shrink back, my soul hath no pleasure in him. We've learned that God is about to raise up the first-fruits. They are a people who have been walking in the wilderness, walking by faith in the Lord. They are trusting in the Lord to be their Savior in all things. They are not ruled by the dictates of the world or religion. And, like Moses and Jesus, who were the first-fruits in their day, God is preparing the first-fruits of our day to bring the larger group of spiritual Israel into their wilderness. That's where we're headed soon, and you have an opportunity right now to be one of those who hears the voice of the Lord in the wilderness, one of those who learns to trust in Him. It's very exciting! So to help encourage others to walk by faith in the Lord, I have some more testimonies to share with you of my own wilderness experiences that gave me courage. And I want to tell you that these testimonies, even though they are very miraculous to me, are going to be commonplace in the days to come, but nothing like the even greater works God is about to do. Jesus told us, (Joh.14:10) Truly, truly, I say to you, He that believes on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to my Father. I've seen some wonderful things which are very exciting to me, and some are the greater works. They put faith in my heart to know that God is faithful to His Word, but we have things much, much greater coming. Let me emphasize again that salvation in the wilderness doesn't come through any works of man. The “rest” from our own works is just that: it's the rest from man's works to save himself and to provide for himself. The Lord God has already done it through Jesus Christ. Let me point something out to you. (1Co.1:28) And the base things of the world, and the things that are despised, did God choose, [yea] and the things that are not, that he might bring to nought the things that are: (29) that no flesh should glory before God. Have you heard that before? Yes! (Eph.2:8) For by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, [it is] the gift of God; (9) not of works, that no man should glory. God is very careful; He doesn't want us to be able to take credit for any form of our salvation, which we have seen is very big. When you speak a word of faith or you pray and believe you have received, only God is going to get credit for that. The fulfillment comes supernaturally. This is how God is going to provide for His people in the wilderness. They're going to enter into the rest by trust in God. The “things that are not” that God chose are all of those awesome promises we shared earlier: you have been saved; you were healed; He bare your sins; He reconciled you; you have been crucified; you have been redeemed; you have been perfected; He delivered you out of the power of darkness; and so on. Those things are not seen in the physical realm, but God chose to use those things that “are not,” that He might bring to nothing the things that are. And the “things that are” is the curse we see all around us: the sickness, the demonic possession, the lack, and so on. The “things that are” are all the curses of Deuteronomy 28 upon mankind. The Lord already took care of this because He says so in His Word. We need to believe exactly what He says without adding to it and without taking away from it, which He says brings a curse. (Rev.22:18) I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, if any man shall add unto them, God shall add unto him the plagues which are written in this book: (19) and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life, and out of the holy city, which are written in this book. So God chose the things that are not, He chose these promises, to bring to nothing the things that are. For example, a doctor is not a thing that is not and medicine is not a thing that is not, and psychiatry is not a thing that is not. The things that men generally run to for salvation are “things that are,” but God chose the “things that are not” for a very good reason: He chose them so “that no flesh should glory before God.” Jesus taught us to pray, (Mat.6:10) Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth. Is there any sickness in Heaven? How about demonic possession? How about sin ruling your life? He said, (Col.3:1) If then ye were raised together with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated on the right hand of God. (2) Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are upon the earth. (3) For ye died (past tense), and your life is hid with Christ in God. (4) When Christ, [who is] our life, shall be manifested (That is, in the physical realm.), then shall ye also with him be manifested in glory. The glory of God is manifested in us while we look not at the things that are but at the things that are not. So how do we use the “things that are not” to bring to nothing the “things that are”? We do it the same way God does it. (Rom.4:7) … God … calleth the things that are not, as though they were. We just speak them as done; we just command them as done; we claim them as done. And we don't put our trust in the arm of the flesh because in (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. When you trust in the arm of the flesh, you're trusting in what man can do, the strength of man; you're trusting in man's power, but that's a heart that “departs from the Lord.” For example, by the stripes of Jesus (1 Peter 2:24) “ye were healed.” He didn't say “will be,” He said, “were”! And that, of course, negates any of your own works to save yourself because He's already done it and so all we have to do is rest. (Heb.4:1) Let us fear therefore, lest haply, a promise being left of entering into his rest, any one of you should seem to have come short of it. We want to enter into all of the rest of God; we want to be at peace in all circumstances because we know our sovereign Lord is in control. We know He's taken care of us already at the cross. (Joh.10:30) When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up his spirit. We know He has healed us, we know He has delivered us, we know He has provided for us and so on. We know all these things are already done and it's just a matter of our entering into them through faith. The Good Tidings were also preached to the Jews, but they didn't believe them. (Heb.4:2) For indeed we have had good tidings (That's the Gospel, the Good News.) preached unto us, even as also they: but the word of hearing did not profit them, because it was not united by faith with them that heard. (3) For we who have believed do enter into that rest; even as he hath said, As I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. When we believe, we're not just hearing the promise; we're mixing faith with the promise by acting on that promise. When you do that, the miracle comes. A lot of people question, “Yeah, David, we know God can handle these little things, but what about the big things?” Well, I've already shared a few testimonies that I thought would be considered “big things” to most people, but now let me share another one with you. I'm going to tell you how the Lord miraculously healed my youngest son, Justin, without the help of man. Years ago, when Justin was little more than a toddler, we lived in a Christian community outside of Baton Rouge and all of us had our own assembly there. Well, the territory over there was a lot of hard clay, and you just about couldn't get grass to grow in it, but we had plowed it all up around several of the houses there and planted some grass. So when the rain came, the water stayed on top of the ground, and it was nothing but mud. So when that happens, we put planks across the mud so that we could go back and forth to the neighbors and fellowship with them and so on. I had walked over to the neighbors with Justin and when we were coming back, he was walking ahead of me on one of the planks, and I was kind of guiding him in front of me. Suddenly, he started to trip and lunge forward down into the mud. I reached out and grabbed his wrist just as he was falling, and I actually felt his bone snap in my hand, and I could have sworn I heard it, too. You know, that's a strange thing: I didn't know you could hear something like that, but I heard the pop and I felt the snap in my hand and I knew that his arm had broken. It was because I grabbed him at kind of a right angle, and it was my fault. When I picked him up, he was crying, and I just cradled him in my arms. Now, I'd already been walking in my wilderness for quite a few years, and I was constantly seeing miracles, so I was praying to the Lord and thanking the Lord for healing him because it was common for me to be healed by the Lord. And as I was going toward the house on the planks, the thought came into my mind, “I'm not going to say anything to Mary about this because I don't want to put any trial on her. I'm just going to see what the Lord does here.” So when we came in, she asked, “What happened?” I said, “Oh, he was falling and I caught him and his arm was hurt,” which was all true, but I knew a little bit more than what I was saying. So my wife picked him up and took him over to the rocking chair, and she rocked him back and forth until he basically cried himself to sleep. Then she began feeling around on his arm while I was in the room, watching her. She said, “David, his arm's not hurt, it's broken!” I said, “Yeah, I know that, but you know the Lord and you know what He's always done for us. You know He's always healed us and He's not going to fail us now, either.” She said, “Yeah, that's right.” She agreed with me. But when she was feeling around on his arm, he woke up and started crying again, and she rocked him back to sleep. By that time, it was getting late in the evening, so when he fell asleep in her arms, she put him in his bed. The prayer I prayed, was the prayer of faith. You know what faith is: it's calling those things that be not as though they were. (Rom.4:17) ... Even God, who giveth life to the dead, and calleth the things that are not, as though they were. It's believing you have received, as Jesus taught us in (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. I prayed the prayer of faith, which was the common way that I prayed. I rarely prayed the prayer that the Bible calls the “prayer of importunity,” which is to ask, seek, and knock. Here it is in (Luk.11:5) And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say to him, Friend, lend me three loaves; (6) for a friend of mine is come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him; (7) and he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee? (8) I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will arise and give him as many as he needeth. (9) And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. (10) For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. And there's nothing wrong with that; it's one way in which we can receive from God, but I had trained myself to walk in the prayer of faith, and it suited me. It saved a lot of time because you can either pray the prayer of importunity and end up at faith, or you can pray the prayer of faith and start out with faith. And it seems to me like the prayer of faith is the more spiritual because it's the one Jesus prayed. When He ministered to people, He spoke the words of faith and He just let it go, right there. He stood upon what He spoke, and I felt that's what the Lord was training me to do. I didn't feel like I had the time to pray about all the things I had to pray for importunely, day and night, day after day. Frankly, a lot of what people call the “prayer of importunity” is not; it's just thinking they're going to be heard for their “much speaking” as Jesus said. Understand that everything has to end up in faith. (Heb.11:6) And without faith it is impossible to be well-pleasing [unto him;] for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that seek after him. The Bible says that without faith it's impossible to be well-pleasing unto God and a man who is double-minded shouldn't think he's going to receive anything from God. (Jas.1:6) But let him ask in faith, nothing doubting: for he that doubteth is like the surge of the sea driven by the wind and tossed. (7) For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord; (8) a doubleminded man, unstable in all his ways. So I had pretty well trained myself to be stubborn with the devil and to believe I have received. You know, my wife said afterward, “I just knew you weren't going to take him to a doctor.” After Justin went to sleep, we both went to bed, and frankly, I went to sleep, but my wife prayed diligently because she knew I wanted to stay in the wilderness. She knew I wanted to trust in God and to see the works of God. So she prayed diligently, she prayed the prayer of importunity, and I prayed the prayer of faith. And Jesus told us, (Mat.18:19) Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father who is in heaven. So we did finally end up agreeing but it wasn't until about 4:00 in the morning because she prayed until 4:00 in the morning, and then she felt a rest and a peace come over her. The prayer of importunity always has to end up in faith. It's not just pray and pray and pray and God's going to hear you because you talk a lot. Jesus said, (Mat.6:7) But when you pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Some people think they have to wear God down because they're trying to convince Him to do something He doesn't want to do. But the truth is, He wants to do it and He's already done it, and it's not a matter of convincing Him; it's a matter of accepting what His Word says. You're the one who has to be convinced, not God. Well, my wife became convinced around 4:00 in the morning about the same thing I was convinced of the previous evening, so around 4:00 she dozed off until we got up. Earlier, Justin had awakened in the middle of the night, and my wife had gone to get him and put him in bed with us, and he went back to sleep. So when we woke up the next morning, we very carefully got out of bed and left the room with him sleeping. We went into the kitchen, where we were drinking some coffee, and we heard a noise from the bedroom. We peeked in the door and saw Justin was awake. When he saw us, he just started grinning a big grin, so I stepped in, and as I was walking toward the bed, he started running toward me across the bed on all fours! I knew the healing had manifested. He reached his hands up and I grabbed him by his hands and picked him up. I shook him in the air a little, and he just giggled. Then I threw him up in the air and caught him. The Lord had totally healed him! My wife and I came to an agreement around 4:00 A.M. through the prayer of faith and the prayer of importunity. That's when we entered into the rest and the miracle came. Praise God! Everything that God has provided is in the rest. (Heb.4:3) … We who have believed do enter into that rest.... When you truly believe, you act upon it and you stand upon it, and what you feel is peace. You rest because you know that God has done this. (Heb.4:9) There remaineth therefore a sabbath (The Greek word there is sabbatismos.) rest for the people of God. Sabbatismos is not like the word used for “sabbath” anywhere else and it means a “continual” or a “perpetual” rest. You see, God wants us to be at peace all the time because of His promises. (Php 4:6) In nothing be anxious; (which is not resting) but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. (7) And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus. (Heb.4:1) Let us fear therefore, lest haply, a promise being left of entering into his rest, any one of you should seem to have come short of it. We don't want to leave out even one promise of entering into His rest. Now He has promised that He has already healed us and we should be resting in that promise because He said it's done. (1Pe.2:24) … By whose stripes you were healed. Therefore we should be resting, we should be at peace, because God said it's already done. We shouldn't be anxious or troubled or seeking healing. We should be accepting healing as a free gift, just like we accepted salvation as a free gift. How long do you have to seek salvation? Don't you just have to accept salvation, since God has promised it? Yes, of course! And what is healing? Healing is salvation for the body; that's all it is. Many other provisions are salvation for the circumstances that you're in. All you have to do is believe God's Word and you automatically enter into the rest, which is where the provision is. The provision is in the rest. (Exo.31:5) Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord: whosoever doeth any work on the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. Man works for six days but rests on the seventh and we've entered into that seventh day. Jesus Christ said, (Mar.2:27) … The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: (28) so that the Son of man is lord even of the sabbath. That means, if you abide in Him, you abide in His rest. If you are obeying Him, you are keeping that New Testament Sabbath. If you're believing His Word, you are in that New Testament Sabbath because you are resting. Well, my wife and I joined together in rest around 4:00 A.M. and God was faithful to His Word. We resisted the devil's warnings, threats and fears, and God was faithful! I'm going to tell you about another miracle that is just so wonderful, that for years I literally would start crying when I recounted the story. And it's only been recently that I've been able to recount this story without breaking up. What happened was that when we first moved to Pensacola, there was a lady who came to our house to witness, and we talked with her for a while. She told us where she fellowshipped, and she invited us over there. Well, it was very unusual for me, but I felt led to go, and something strange happened when I walked in the back door of that church. There was a prophetess who stood up in the very front of the church as I was walking in. It was a long, old building, and she never saw me coming in, but she whirled around and she pointed her finger at me and she started prophesying. I didn't know it then but it was the first time this woman had visited the church, too. She started prophesying just a glorious prophecy of how she saw the Word of God living in me, stronger than she'd seen in any man, and so on and so forth, just some glorious things. I didn't know what the Lord was doing at the time, but I found out later that He was opening a door for me because the pastor was very impressed, so he invited me to teach. And I ended up doing most of the teaching there because the Lord just dried up the pastor. He wasn't really a man of the Word anyway, but he was impressed with the Word. One day when I was sharing, this couple came in, and the girl received salvation during that meeting. She was a quiet girl and after the meeting was over, she asked the pastor and me if we could give her some counsel. And, of course, we made sure the church secretary and my wife and several other women were there. Then she told us that she was pregnant and that three days earlier she had gone to the Public Health Unit there in Pensacola, where they had done some tests on her and discovered that her baby had died. Now she was in a church; she'd never been in a church before, but this brought her to church, so to speak. Understand, I'm using the word “church” the way the world uses the word “church.” So this had brought her to church and she got saved, I guess because of the turmoil she was going through. Well, she began to tell us what the real problem was. She said she had purposely aborted this pregnancy because she had been raped by a man of another race, and she didn't want her husband to know about it. This man was a friend of her husband, and she was afraid of what could possibly happen, either to her, or to her husband, or to this man. After she got through telling us this situation, she asked us for advice. Remember, it had been three days since they had put the heartbeat monitor on her, run the sonogram on her, and taken a sample of the amniotic fluid. At any rate, they told her they were certain that her baby was dead and that she was going to have to come back and have a D&C. That's what they had told her at the Public Health Unit, but she never went back. The Lord brought her to that church, and she heard the Word that I shared, and she came to the Lord. So now she was sitting before us, asking us what to do. The first thing that came to my mind was to ask her, Is there somebody that you haven't forgiven in your life?” She thought for a minute and she said, “Yeah, there's just one person I've never really been able to forgive.” I said, “Well, who is that? Tell us.” She answered, “It's a doctor, who I think purposely aborted one of my children when I was on welfare.” When she said that, I pointed out to her, “Do you understand that you've just done the same thing? Don't you think you'd better forgive him?” And she said, “Yeah, you're right!” I said, “Why don't you pray for him?” and so she did. She started praying for him, she asked the Lord to forgive him and she asked the Lord to save him. And when she was finished with her prayer, I asked her, “Would you like to receive the Holy Spirit?” She told me, “Yes, I want everything God has for me.” So we laid hands on her and prayed for her to receive the Holy Spirit. Now, I want you to know that she was a very quiet, very reserved and introverted person, not at all an extroverted person, but when we prayed for her, she became jubilant and started actually dancing and speaking in tongues! And after she had calmed down a little bit, I said to her, “You're a new creation and I don't see any reason why the Lord can't resurrect your baby!” This is the thought that had come into my head. I can't say it was a loud voice; I wasn't greatly impressed, but I actually believe that this is part of our Commission. I have seen quite a few raised from the dead. God is going to commonly raise the dead in the days to come. (Mat.10:1) And he called unto him his twelve disciples, and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of disease and all manner of sickness. (5) These twelve Jesus sent forth, and charged them, saying, Go not into any way of the Gentiles, and enter not into any city of the Samaritans: (6) but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. (7) And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. (8) Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons: freely ye received, freely give. When Jesus sent out His disciples, He sent them out to heal the sick and cast out devils and raise the dead! However, that was only part of it because, when He was leaving, He ordained them to go and make disciples, and to teach them to observe everything that He told those first disciples. (Mat.28:18) And Jesus came to them and spake unto them, saying, All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth. (19) Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: (20) teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. That's what He said, which of course means that this was passed on to us, too. I believe that raising the dead is something we're going to see commonly in the days to come. In the days of the ministry of the Man-child and the Two Witnesses company and in the time of the latter rain, we are going to see this commonly. In fact, it's a lot more common in other countries than it is here in the United States because people are so worldly-wise here; they don't come to the Lord as a child. Jesus told the disciples, (Mar.10:15) Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall in no wise enter therein. Back to this testimony. Well, when I got through saying that the Lord could resurrect her baby, the room mostly emptied. The pastor, the church secretary, and several other people who were there just walked out; they just left. So I invited my wife to come over and lay her hands on her tummy while I prayed, and all the time this was happening, these people were leaving the room. And I commanded the Spirit of life to come back into that baby, in the name of Jesus; it was just a simple and very quick prayer. Then I pointed out a few verses to this sister, who was a brand-new baby Christian and knew nothing about the Scriptures. One of them was (Mar.11:24) … All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye receive (The Greek word there is past tense, “received.”) them, and ye shall have them. I told her, “Now, you have to walk by faith. You have to accept this as a gift from God. We've prayed and so we believe we've received. Now we just thank God for it and don't let anybody talk you out of it. You see what it says here: “believe you received.” And she said, “Okay!” She was a very childlike person, and really, that's why she received this because she was childlike with the Lord. She knew that she had received something wonderful; she knew she'd been filled with the Holy Spirit, and I think she was full of faith. Now, like I said, during the time I was ministering to her, everybody was just leaving the room. Well, when I was finished ministering to her, my wife and I walked out and started down the hall, when a door opened and the pastor reached out, grabbed my arm, and pulled me into the room. All those people who had left my wife and me alone with the new sister were in there. And the pastor said, “David, God's not going to do that for her!” I replied, “Why do you say that?” He said, “Because she killed that baby!” Well, I told him, “I don't think you understand grace very well. That's a new creation in there; that person is not guilty. Not guilty! She is not guilty for what that other person did a few days ago.” And I said, “Besides, if I want to believe it, just let me believe it.” So I walked out of the room and left him standing there. Another thing I haven't mentioned yet is that she and her husband were actually living there because this was a church that operated a mission, and they were staying at the mission at that time. The next day she called me and she said, “David, I want to go down to the Public Health Unit, but nobody over here wants to take me.” I said, “Well, I'll take you,” and I went down and picked her up. You see, she had decided she wanted to go be checked out again, so I reminded her, “Remember, what we talked about.” And I began to go over again how faith worked, how believing you have received is how the miracle is manifested, and so on, to make sure she understood that. I told her, “Now, remember, no matter what anybody says, you've already heard what God says. Don't let anybody change your mind.” And she nodded her head and said, “Yeah.” Now, when we got down there to the Public Health Unit, she told the doctor that she wanted to be checked out again. I don't discourage that necessarily, but I knew where her faith was; I knew it was young faith. I don't recommend that people go and ask man anything about what God says He's already done. That's because some people can't stand the trial of their faith when man tells them, “No, it's not done.” But it was her decision, and I didn't get in her way. So she told them she wanted to be checked out again, and the first thing they told her was, “You should have come back before now. You can get blood poisoning like this; it's dangerous! You should have had your D&C.” They sent her into a room with a technician who put the heartbeat monitor on her again, and the technician told her again, “Ma'am, this baby is dead and you need to have a D&C now.” So when the technician said that, she replied, “Well, I don't accept that,” and when she said that, the baby came to life, right there! The baby suddenly started moving around, the heartbeat monitor recorded the heartbeat and God did a miracle. This little childlike person did not accept what men said, did not accept the diagnosis from Egypt, but accepted the diagnosis from the Lord, even though she couldn't see it. Here's a baby Christian, just a day old in the Lord. Some people think, “Well, I need to grow up in the Lord before I can see miracles.” No. As a matter of fact, a baby Christian might see miracles more than people who have been in the Lord for 40, 50 or even many years. That's because of the childlike faith that you especially have when you first come to the Lord. A lot of Christians sit in churches and become progressively more discouraged the whole time they're there because they hear so much carnal reasoning about why God can't do these kinds of things anymore today. They sit and listen to that carnal reasoning until they spiritually die. The second church I went into, after having stayed maybe only a month and a half at the first church, believed God's Word more, but I noticed that the new Christians were the ones who were receiving the signs and wonders and miracles from God. The older Christians couldn't even seem to get a healing from God. They'd go to the altar, that's the way they did it at this particular church, to be prayed for time after time. But the young Christians were getting miracles and healings. The young Christians who weren't following only the teaching they were getting in that church, but those who were studying faith were receiving miracles. Well, this little girl had no knowledge of the Word, other than just a few verses I'd shared with her; this is what amazed me. Just how much of the Word do you need to get a miracle? Not very much, but you have to hold to what you know. It's kind of like a mustard seed. You have to hold fast to what you know God has said and deny what man says. If you want a miracle, that's what you have to do. Now, we don't know what God did, but when this baby was born, it was a beautiful baby of the same race as the mom and her husband, and the problem she would have had with her husband was solved. God solved it. I don't know what she might have told him later, but God solved the problem. And I don't know what He did in the womb because you know we can't put anything beyond God, can we? God is awesome! (Eph.3:20) Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, (21) unto him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus unto all generations for ever and ever. Amen. He can do exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or think but we need that childlike faith. We need to put our trust in Him and not be moved by what we see, feel or hear. Let me give you another example of how the Lord taught me not to listen to anything but what He spoke in His Covenant. This happened to me many years ago. I started feeling pain and passing a lot of blood. Now, I was walking by faith in the Lord and He'd never failed me, and, truthfully, I had entered into the rest because I had absolutely no fear. I never even questioned what I was going to do. So these symptoms had been happening for two or three days, and I had to make a trip to Louisiana to see some relatives. And there was a friend, a spiritual brother of mine over there. We were both full of faith, and we wanted to live the life of faith, so I asked him to pray with me. That's the only person I had pray for me for that particular trial and when he prayed for me, I came in agreement with his prayer. I received it by faith, right there. Actually, I'd prayed earlier, and the word that came to me was “cancer.” Now, you can't always trust that because the devil will always threaten you with just about anything, just to make you fearful or give up. Well, when I came back to Pensacola, I felt led the next day to go to a Christian bookstore. It wasn't the one I usually went to; it was twice as far away, but I felt to go to that one and I'd only been there a few times. So I went over there, and when I walked in the door, the lady who owned the store and another woman whom I recognized as her prayer partner saw me come in and walked over to me. They said, “David, we've been praying for different ministers that we know, and when we were praying for you, the Lord spoke to us and said that you were having a battle with a spirit of cancer, but that you would win.” Well, that was a confirmation to me, and I told them what had been happening. Then I thanked them for their prayers and came in agreement with them, but then on my way home, I decided that I was going to ask the Lord to give me a Word concerning this situation when I got home. Now saints, you really don't need but one Word, and it's already been spoken. (1Pe.2:24) … By whose stripes ye were healed. God's not going to change His mind. (Num.23:19) God is not a man, that he should lie, Neither the son of man, that he should repent: Hath he said, and will he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and will he not make it good? Let me point out something to you. You remember that Balaam was asked by Balak to curse the children of Israel. (Num.22:6) Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land; for I know that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed. And Balaam went to God first. (12) And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people; for they are blessed. (13) And Balaam rose up in the morning, and said unto the princes of Balak, Get you into your land; for the Lord refuseth to give me leave to go with you. (15) And Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honorable than they. (16) And they came to Balaam, and said to him, Thus saith Balak the son of Zippor, Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me: (17) for I will promote thee unto very great honor, and whatsoever thou sayest unto me I will do: come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people. Now even though Balaam already had his answer, he told Balak's men to wait while he went to God again, hoping for a different answer because he was bribed by the possibility of rewards. (20) And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men are come to call thee, rise up, go with them; but only the word which I speak unto thee, that shalt thou do. (21) And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab. So God gave him the answer he wanted to hear; He told Balaam, “Yeah, go ahead,” but when Balaam went, the angel of the Lord was waiting there to kill him. (23) And the ass saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, with his sword drawn in his hand; and the ass turned aside out of the way.... (31) Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, with his sword drawn in his hand; and he bowed his head, and fell on his face. (32) And the angel of the Lord said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I am come forth for an adversary, because thy way is perverse before me. God was saying, “If you didn't hear the first Word I told you, if you don't want that Word, I'll give you one that you'll like.” So be careful of that! If you don't like the first Word He gives you, don't go asking Him for another one because He might tell you to go ahead, as He did with Balaam, and only Balaam's ass saved him. Anyway, as I said, I was going to ask the Lord for a Word concerning this situation, so when I got home, I just prayed and then I flipped my Bible open and I stuck my finger down by random on Isaiah 38:1, not just on the verse but on this phrase, “Thou shalt die, and not live.” (Isa.38:1) In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Set thy house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live. That was the phrase on which my finger came down. I said, “Wow!” I thought on that for a minute and I told the Lord, “Lord, this is not according to Your Covenant with me; this is not according to Your promise to me. You told me in 1 Peter 2:24 that by the stripes of Jesus I was healed. You told me in Galatians 3:13 that Jesus became a curse for me, that You put my curse on Him. You told me in Colossians 1:22 that reconciliation has been made, there was an exchange, that He has taken my curse and given me His blessing.” I said, “You've taught me never to depart from the New Covenant, Lord, so I don't accept this Word.” You're probably thinking, “Well, that's pretty arrogant.” No, it was really what God wanted from me because He was trying me. He wanted to see if I would depart from what the New Covenant clearly says. I hear people getting answers like this all the time, and they accept them, but they don't realize those answers are contrary to their first Word. God's trying them to see if they will depart from the first Word, and they do because they believe in any so called voice of the Lord that agrees with their flesh more than they believe in the Word. But listen to me here, the true voice of the Lord is what you become familiar with when you read the Word. He's not ever going to depart from the Word. (Heb.13:20) Now the God of peace, who brought again from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep with the blood of an eternal covenant, even our Lord Jesus, (21) make you perfect in every good thing to do his will, working in us that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be the glory for ever and ever. Amen. It's called an “eternal covenant,” which means that He's not going to change it. He warns us in (Rev.22:18) I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, if any man shall add unto them, God shall add unto him the plagues which are written in this book: (19) and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life, and out of the holy city, which are written in this book. If you add to or take away from the Covenant, the curses of this book are upon you, and He'll take away your part in the tree of life and from the holy city. That's pretty dangerous. So God tells us not to depart from this Word, no matter what. Well, here I was asking the Lord for a sign, and He gave me, “Thou shalt die, and not live.” But I said, “Lord, I just don't accept this. I don't accept it because it's not according to what You've taught me, and I don't believe that's what You want me to do; I don't believe You want me to accept this. So I'm asking You for another Word that's in agreement with what You've taught me.” I don't know why I would have to get that because, frankly, God was just being merciful with me. Obviously, we don't need anything more than what God's already told us concerning the New Covenant, and I've studied it enough, and I've stood on it enough, and I've been healed every time. I've received enough miracles, signs, and wonders; why would I need a Word from the Lord? It was very immature of me. But God was merciful with me the second time because I overcame in that trial; I didn't give in to the temptation, and I didn't accept that Word that was contrary to everything He taught me. So I said, “I'm asking You for another Word, Lord. This time I'm going to believe something that's in agreement with what You've taught me.” And I flipped my Bible open again, not looking at it, and just stuck my finger down right on the phrase, “I shall not die, but live.” (Psa.118:17) I shall not die, but live, And declare the works of the Lord. It's amazing how close those two phrases are but exactly opposite to one another, and they're each in only one place in the Bible. Isn't that amazing? And I told the Lord, “Thank You, Lord. I agree with that! I thank You for that and I receive it, in Jesus' name.” Well, after that, I went on for a week or so and the pain became less and less, and the blood became less and less, until I was manifestly healed. I'd like to exhort you, no matter what you hear, whether you might think it's from God, or whether it's just from people, don't accept it, if it's not according to the Word of God. Don't accept anything. Don't accept anything you see with your eyes, don't accept anything you hear with your ears and especially don't accept your emotions, if any of these things are contrary to what you read in the Word of God, according to the promises of the rest. Enter into the rest. However, that wasn't the end of the story. 15 years later, God tried me again. 15 years later, I started having severe heart pains and, on top of that, I was very cold on the left side of my body. I couldn't get warmed up at all and I knew I had a circulation or a cardiovascular problem, naturally speaking, but I don't accept those things. At the same time this was going on, although I didn't tell these people about my problem, two people in our assembly amazingly each had dreams that I died of a heart attack, and both of them had been pretty accurate in their dreams, too. Now, that would seem like a pretty good confirmation, but I had learned you need to walk by faith; it's not just hear faith, you need to walk by faith. When this started happening, I would go for a walk every once in a while, only a mile or so, because I stay busy all the time, and I just really didn't have time to do much more than that. So I would get out and start walking, and my heart would start acting up, and the devil would tell me, “You're going to be lying out on the side of the road here somewhere, if you don't stop this, with your heart problem,” and so on and so forth. You know how the devil likes to tell you things, and I knew it was the devil, but I just called his bluff. I started jogging and was really working up a sweat. I did that for a little while. Now, my wife had pointed out to me and said, “David, it's been 15 years since that last time you had the threat of death,” and immediately it clicked in my mind that Hezekiah was given 15 more years. (Isa.38:4) Then came the word of the Lord to Isaiah, saying, (5) Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years. Hezekiah was given those 15 years after the Lord first had told him, (Isa.38:1) … Thus saith the Lord, Set thy house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live. Just what I had received as a test. I said to the Lord, “Lord, are You saying to me that You only added 15 years to my life and that I'm Hezekiah, and that this is the time for me to go on to be with You?” And you know what I heard? The Lord said, “Yes, that's right.” So I thought on that and I said, “Well, Lord, I still don't believe that You would have me depart from the promise of the Covenant, so I don't accept that, either.” You ask me, “Does God do such a thing?” What did God do with Abraham? (Gen.22:1) And it came to pass after these things, that God did prove Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham. And he said, Here am I. (2) And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son, whom thou lovest, even Isaac, and get thee into the land of Moriah. And offer him there for a burnt-offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. God was trying Abraham. He wanted to see what Abraham would do and Abraham overcame. He knew that even if he did sacrifice his son, he was going to come back with his son. As a matter of fact, (Gen.22:5) And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass, and I and the lad will go yonder; and we will worship, and come again to you. He knew that God would have to resurrect Isaac from the dead to keep His promise because he knew that God was faithful to keep His promise, and I know that, too. God is faithful to keep His promise. So when the Lord told me that, I meditated on it and I said, “Lord, I can't see any difference in this situation from the last one 15 years ago. It still doesn't please You for me to depart from Your Word, so I just don't accept this.” Of course, I kept on calling the devil's bluff; I kept on jogging, but it had nothing to do with jogging; it had to do with walking by faith. If you're careful because you think that you're having a heart attack or a heart problem, obviously, you're acting in agreement with the curse; you're not acting in agreement with the promise! (Jas.2:17) Even so faith, if it have not works, is dead in itself. If you really believe the Word of God, you can walk it out. (Mat.14:28) And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee upon the waters. (29) And he said, Come. And Peter went down from the boat, and walked upon the waters to come to Jesus. Peter believed the Word of God. He stepped out on the water. Miracles come when you act on the Word of God. As you know Peter looked at the waves, got double minded, and started to sink, but Jesus had mercy and saved him. Well, as I continued to walk by faith the heart problem disappeared; Glory to God. (Jas.2:18) Yea, a man will say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith apart from thy works, and I by my works will show thee my faith. You can't prove faith unless you can act in agreement with it because people are sometimes very schizophrenic. They say they believe but then all their actions and all their words prove just the opposite. If we want to have completed faith, what we have to do is to act in agreement with what we believe. (Rom.10:10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. So, truly, if you've come to believe and trust in the Word of God, start walking it out and you'll see it manifested. The Israelites are a wilderness lesson for us. They had to walk through that wilderness without murmuring, without complaining, and without speaking against the promise. The majority failed the test, but Joshua and Caleb spoke in agreement with the promise. They received the Promised Land; they entered into the land of rest because they agreed with the promise. We're being tried the same way, saints! Every day we're being tried to see whether we're going to agree with what the Bible says. Do you know that you don't have a problem with demons? Do you know that you don't have a problem with sin? Do you know that you don't have a problem with sickness? Do you know that you don't have a problem with provision? We need to remember that the Lord Jesus solved all of those problems for us already when He made reconciliation for us at the cross. What we do have a problem with is walking in agreement with what He said. We're like the children of Israel when they were dying of the fiery serpents in the wilderness. (Num.21:8) And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. (7) And the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. (8) And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a standard: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he seeth it, shall live. (9) And Moses made a serpent of brass, and set it upon the standard: and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked unto the serpent of brass, he lived. They cried unto Moses and Moses cried unto the Lord, and the Lord told Moses to raise them up a serpent on a pole. Of course, the medical profession uses that today to represent them, but really, the serpent on the pole (the caduceus) was a symbol of God's healing power, totally outside that of man. In order to be healed, all the Israelites had to do was get their eyes off the snake bite and on the serpent on the pole. They had to accept what the Bible says about Jesus: (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. (1Pe.2:24) Who his own self bare our sins in his body upon the tree, that we, having died unto sins, might live unto righteousness; by whose stripes ye were healed. (Col.2:13) And you, being dead through your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, you, [I say,] did he make alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses; (14) having blotted out the bond written in ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us: and he hath taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross. Jesus became accursed for us; He became sin. God put on Him our sin and our curse, and we don't have it anymore. Accept the truth! It's very simple: you are healed, you are delivered from sin, you are blessed. That's the Gospel, that's the very, very Good News of what the Lord has accomplished for us! You don't have to live under the curse anymore. When the Israelites got their eyes off the snake bite and on Jesus, they were miraculously cured. Today, men go to the medical profession because of the very opposite: they don't believe that they were cured at the cross. They believe they have to get cured, and so they run back to Egypt because they don't understand the Gospel, the Good News that Jesus has already solved this problem for them. It is already accomplished. If you believe that God has already done all this for you and all you have to do is accept it, then you can rest from your own works. (Heb.4:1) Let us fear therefore, lest haply, a promise being left of entering into his rest, any one of you should seem to have come short of it. (2) For indeed we have had good tidings preached unto us, even as also they: but the word of hearing did not profit them, because it was not united by faith with them that heard. (3) For we who have believed do enter into that rest; even as he hath said, As I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. (4) For he hath said somewhere of the seventh [day] on this wise, And God rested on the seventh day from all his works; (5) and in this [place] again, They shall not enter into my rest. (6) Seeing therefore it remaineth that some should enter thereinto, and they to whom the good tidings were before preached failed to enter in because of disobedience, (7) he again defineth a certain day, To-day, saying in David so long a time afterward (even as hath been said before), To-day if ye shall hear his voice, Harden not your hearts. (8) For if Joshua had given them rest, he would not have spoken afterward of another day. (9) There remaineth therefore a sabbath rest for the people of God. (10) For he that is entered into his rest hath himself also rested from his works, as God did from his. (11) Let us therefore give diligence to enter into that rest, that no man fall after the same example of disobedience. (12) For the word of God is living, and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and quick to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart. (13) And there is no creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and laid open before the eyes of him with whom we have to do. (14) Having then a great high priest, who hath passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. (15) For we have not a high priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but one that hath been in all points tempted like [as we are,] yet without sin. (16) Let us therefore draw near with boldness unto the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace to help us in time of need. When we enter into the rest, we're no longer fearful; we don't dwell on the need, we dwell on the provision. And when we enter into the rest from our works, we're at peace with God. However, we must not leave out that willful rebellion against the known will of God will leave you no sacrifice. (Heb 10:26) For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and a fierceness of fire which shall devour the adversaries. Now I must add that some are not willfully sinning but are against their sin and haven't found faith to be delivered. If so study this teaching again.

In this sermon, Pastor Shola Okodugha teaches on breaking generational patterns. He notes that:- The only thing the enemy recognizes is power- The first standpoint of power is awareness- Even God rules by power; there are no sentiments in the spirit world- The Spirit of Revelation gives insight, foresight and hindsight, and this spirit of revelation is required for breaking generational patterns. Key Scriptures:- 2 Corinthians 2:11- Ephesians 4:27- Hosea 4:6- Ezekiel 18- Psalm 51:1-19 6 things to break generational patterns:1. Stay within the finished works of Christ2. Stay away from ungodly practices3. Deal with the flesh4. Service to God5. Observe the patterns6. A cry for Mercy Join us in this Spirit-filled time of fellowship, believing God for complete transformationABOUT THE NEWWe are a people of love and excellence who are result-oriented, spirit-led, word-rooted, prayer-driven, and kingdom-conscious. Led by Pst. Shola Okodugha, we are on a divine assignment to equip and raise men; to release people from strongholds that have stifled them from taking their rightful places, and to give young people an avenue for their God-given gifts to find expression.OUR CREED"As sure as God helps us,We will not give upWe will not cave inWe will not quitWe will not failWe will not dieUntil our job is doneAnd victory is won"——Partner with us to spread the influence of God all over the world. Give - https://pay.squadco.com/TheNewglobal——CHAPTERS00:00 - 8:52 - Testimonies8:52 - 26:18 - Worship26:18 - 2:11:25 - Ministration of Words2:11:25 - 2:38:42 - Prayers/Prophetic Declarations 2:38:42 - 2:40:47 - Announcement/Offerings2:40:48 - 2:41:12 - Creed 2:41:08 - 2:41:43 - Outro——BROADCAST DETAILSMinister: Pst.Shola OkodughaDate: Thursday, August 28, 2025——Stay ConnectedSubscribe to the latest content: http://bit.ly/subscribethenewliveWebsite: http://wearethenew.org/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wearethenew_global/#TheNewLive #SholaOkodugha

“When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” (Isaiah 43:2–3 NLT) Have you ever gone through a hard time and wondered where God was? I can tell you where He was: He was right there with you. Not only that, but He will be with you tomorrow and the day after. And He will be with you on the day you leave this earth for Heaven. In Isaiah 43:2–3, God says, “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior” (NLT). You’ll notice that He doesn’t say, “I will keep you in the shallow end.” He doesn’t say, “I will make sure that you stay on the riverbank.” He doesn’t say, “I will keep you a safe distance from the fire.” God doesn’t promise comfort. The paths He lays out for us aren’t always smooth and level. He doesn’t guarantee a life free from failure, devastation, pain, anxiety, loneliness, or doubt. He guarantees that you will never face any of those things alone. You will never have to rely solely on your own strength to endure any of them. The psalmist David wrote, “Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me” (Psalm 23:4 NLT). God is with you. He will be with you. You don’t have to fear evil. God will be with you on your good days and on your bad days. He will be with you in your grief of a lost loved one and in your joy of a baby’s birth. You don’t have to be afraid. Jesus said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you” (Hebrews 13:5 NLT). Also, the Bible tells us, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8 NLT). There will never come a time when He changes His mind and leaves you. Sometimes when we pray, it may seem as though God is late in answering. Sometimes when God comes through for us, it is later than we expected. God is never late. His delays are delays of love. Even God’s silence can be a silence of love. He wants us to pour our hearts out to Him. He will enter into that pain with us. He will answer in the way He chooses. Call on Him. Reflection question: What does it mean to you that God is always present in the midst of pain, suffering, and struggle? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship! — The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie. Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast Become a Harvest PartnerSupport the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Send us a textThe profound mystery of divine foreknowledge unfolds in this thought-provoking exploration of what it truly means when Scripture declares "God knew you." Contrary to popular modern interpretations, we discover that God's foreknowledge isn't simply His awareness of future events but rather His eternal, electing love set upon His people before creation itself.Through careful examination of key passages in Genesis, Exodus, Amos, Jeremiah, and Romans, we uncover the beautiful truth that when God says "I know you," He means "I love you with an everlasting love." This understanding transforms our comprehension of salvation itself - not as something contingent upon our choices, but founded upon God's sovereign love established before time began.The discussion navigates the important distinction between common grace (God's general kindness to all humanity) and saving grace (His specific redemptive love for His elect). We explore why these once-common doctrines have become shocking to modern ears and why many churches now avoid these challenging yet biblically clear teachings.For believers, this revelation of God's foreknowledge as His "forelove" provides unshakable security and joy. When Romans 8:38-39 assures us nothing can separate us from God's love, it's because that love was established in eternity past. Even God's discipline, which always accomplishes its purpose in those He loves, flows from this same steadfast affection.Whether you're wrestling with questions of divine sovereignty, seeking deeper assurance of God's love, or simply hungry for biblical truth, this episode offers profound insights that will strengthen your faith and deepen your appreciation for God's unchanging love.Support the show

Sometimes we talk about anger like it's a sin. It can be depending on the reasons for it, but anger is one of our God-given emotions. Even God gets angry, so anger itself must not be the problem. Sometimes we should get angry. The question for us, whatever the provocation, is, “what will we do about it?” Our primary text is from Ephesians 4:26-27

Envy is a sin that has plagued people throughout the ages. Even God's people wrestle with it at times. Exactly what is it; and how does it work? What does it do to us? Join Pastor Kyle as he unpacks this issue found in Psalm 73.

Send us a textWelcome to today's episode, where we dive into Judges 13—the beginning of Samson's remarkable story. In a time of Israel's deep spiritual decline, we witness a divine intervention: the angel of the Lord announces the birth of a deliverer. But Samson's arrival isn't just a story of hope—it's a tale of consecration, purpose, and the tension between human weakness and divine calling. What does this chapter reveal about God's ways? And how does it set the stage for the turbulent life of one of Israel's most enigmatic leaders, and asks the question, are there times when even God's Blessings Are Not Enough.Let's explore. Support the showTo listen to my monthly church history podcast, subscribe at; https://thehistoryofthechristianchurch.buzzsprout.com For an ad-free version of my podcasts plus the opportunity to enjoy hours of exclusive content and two bonus episodes a month whilst also helping keep the Bible Project Daily Podcast free for listeners everywhere support me at;|PatreonSupport me to continue making great content for listeners everywhere.https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.com

We hope you enjoy today's Scripture reading and devotional aimed at equipping you for moral and spiritual transformation. Today's Bible reading is Jeremiah 15:10–21. To read along with the podcast, grab a print copy of the devotional. ESV Bible narration read by Paul R. House. Follow us on social media to stay up to date: Instagram Facebook Twitter

Even God loving, God fearing, humble and kind Christian men, can face brutal battles of anxiety and depression. The bible reveals many stories of men who faced these terrible feelings and battled through by faith in God. I also share my story on today's episode. I hope you are encouraged!

Even God loving, God fearing, humble and kind Christian men, can face brutal battles of anxiety and depression. The bible reveals many stories of men who faced these terrible feelings and battled through by faith in God. I also share my story on today's episode. I hope you are encouraged!

What happens if you love money more than God? Longing for money results in consequences that go beyond money. The Bible calls it an idol and some very unpalatable things will follow.Moses and Paul both beg us: Don't end up with ruin, destruction, a fall into a senseless and harmful desires, temptations and snares. Don't  disregard God and end up in ruin. Let's get this right in the next 7 minutes.https://youtu.be/8rwMod2gwmI

Getting to others is a very bad thing because if a person gets the property to someone without the knowledge of the owner, it is a pain. If a person gets the property of others without the permission of anyone, then instead of calling him his name, he is called a thief. This act not only but the reputation of the recipient of the property, but the name of his father and family becomes devastated and eye -catching. The one who owns others once or twice, this becomes his habit. This action makes the future of the person dark. Even God hates thieves and theft.

As a parent, you want to give your son the world. But of course, time, resources, and energy are limited. When you have to tell your son “no, I can't play with you right now,” or, “No, we can't buy that toy right now,” you may feel guilty. But don't feel bad. Even God, our perfect Father, often answers our prayers and requests with “not right now” or “no.” As you teach your son to wait, you teach him patience, self control, and the value of working towards something that you want. Maybe things are tight financially for your family right now. If so, remember– you are still a good parent. By not giving your son everything, you're shaping his character– and that's a gift that will last a lifetime. For more ideas on raising boys to be godly men, visit Trail Life USA or RaisingGodlyBoys.com.

Send us a textWhat happens when fathers must parent while carrying their own wounds? We explore the complex journey of men trying to be providers and protectors while dealing with personal trauma and societal expectations.• Fatherhood comes with immense pressure to provide, protect, and nurture even when wounded• Men often struggle with vulnerability, building walls instead of seeking help• The lack of positive examples makes fathering particularly challenging for those who grew up without fathers• Societal emphasis on financial success creates additional wounds for men trying their best to provide• The power of healing comes through vulnerability, community support, and spiritual connection• Even God the Father experienced wounds watching His Son on the cross, showing strength manifests in weakness• Mental health concerns affect fathers but many don't seek help due to cultural expectationsIf you're a father struggling with your own wounds while trying to parent, remember that seeking help isn't weakness—it's strength. Find community, open up to trusted supporters, and above all, connect with God as the ultimate source of healing. Support the showSocial Media/Follow Us: Website:https://www.calledbygodpodcast.com/IG: https://www.instagram.com/cbg.podcast/Twitter: https://twitter.com/CalledbyGodPodTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@calledbygodpodcast

Title: Have Courage Text: Acts 22:30-23:11 FCF: We often struggle having the courage to share our faith when we face uncertain days. Prop: Because God's unfailing providential plan includes all events, we must courageously proclaim the gospel. Scripture Intro: NET [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 22. In a moment we'll begin reading in verse 30 and on to verse 11 of chapter 23 from the New English Translation. You can follow along in the pew bible or whatever version you prefer. Last week we saw Paul reviled by the sinful Jews and treated with respect by the pagan Romans. In these events we see God's providential hand accomplish His purposes. Even orchestrating the choices of men to compose His perfect story. Today the narrative will advance again in a new Episode. Paul will be granted a hearing before the spiritual leaders of Israel. But in a rare occurrence we will see the righteous character of Paul falter as he faces frustration at the ongoing spiritual rot of the Jews. We will also see the wisdom of Paul to lay a firm foundation for his defense in every trial he will face in the rest of the book. Please stand with me to give honor to and focus on the reading of the Word of God. Invocation: Sovereign Lord, You are master of all things. You have decreed the end from the beginning and all things work to accomplish Your will and Your purposes. Indeed, there is nothing too small or too big that You have not already woven together and written for Your ends. In this grand story the gospel shines bright as the center of it all. And as one of Your servants once said, “The whole gospel is contained in Christ.” At the center of Your already written story, is Your Son. We pray that You would make much of this gospel to us today. That Your Spirit would enable us to see it clearly and preach it courageously. We pray this in Jesus' name… Amen. Transition: Let's get right to the text this morning. I.) God's providential plan includes unjust rulers; we must courageously proclaim gospel. (22:30-23:5) a. [Slide 2] 22:30 The next day, because the commanding officer wanted to know the true reason Paul was being accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and the whole council to assemble. He then brought Paul down and had him stand before them. i. So, we see the predicament that the commander is in. ii. He tried questioning the crowd and got nothing. iii. He tried beating it out of Paul and to his horror, discovered that he had bound a Roman citizen. iv. While it makes sense that perhaps he should just ask Paul what the issue is, for whatever reason, he doesn't. v. Perhaps there is an assumption that Paul will not willingly incriminate himself? Perhaps he has tried to question Paul and he has kept silent. vi. What is clear is since Paul is a Roman citizen, this is now a Roman matter. But in order for the commander to send the matter to be judged in a Roman court, he must have a definitive charge from the Jews against Paul. vii. So, he releases Paul and arranges an audience for him with the Sanhedrin and the chief priests. viii. Hopefully the Sanhedrin will either dismiss their case against him or agree on formal charges. b. [Slide 3] 23:1 Paul looked directly at the council and said, “Brothers, I have lived my life with a clear conscience before God to this day.” i. If we would compare Stephen's defense before this same council and Paul's defense before the Jewish mob in chapter 22, we'd see a remarkably similar style. ii. Essentially the defense in each case begins with a look to the past to establish the innocence of the person in the present. iii. They are saying that it is not odd what I am doing, in fact there is a precedent for my actions. iv. This is clearly where Paul is going. He will probably move to remind this council of his zealousness in the pursuit of God and the law. v. His clarity of thought and determination of spirit. vi. In fact, he is probably going to show them that the only thing that deterred, interrupted, and circumvented him not being the exact same person he has always been was the experience he had on the Damasus road with Jesus of Nazareth speaking from heaven. vii. What begins with great promise is met with a strong and violent resistance. c. [Slide 4] 23:2 At that the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth. i. There are some things we need to understand about the office of the High Priest in the first century and how that compared to the office in the Old Testament. 1. In the Old Testament, God chose to have the High Priest come from the line of Aaron exclusively. 2. As time went forward, Zadok, one of Aaron's ancestors, because of his unwavering loyalty to God and David and Solomon, became the chosen line from which the High Priest would come from that time forward. 3. In the Old Testament a high priest would serve for the duration of his life and then another would be appointed. 4. But during the 400-year silence where God did not give any Word to Israel, a group called the Maccabees began to normalize the granting of the role High Priest to… well… anyone. 5. As the Romans took over, they began appointing and removing Jewish High Priests to accomplish certain political objectives in the region. 6. Ananias was appointed High priest by King Herod Chalcis, the brother of Herod Agrippa the First. He appointed Ananias High priest around AD 47 and then died shortly thereafter. 7. Josephus, the Jewish historian records that Ananias was harsh, cruel, and greedy. 8. Indeed, in AD 52, right before Paul came back to Jerusalem between his 2nd and 3rd missionary journeys, the governor of Syria sent Ananias to Rome on charges of excessive violence toward the Samaritans. 9. Due to the influence of King Herod Agrippa II, Ananias was acquitted of these charges and returned to his office in Jerusalem. 10. It was no doubt because Ananias was a much better politician than he was a High Priest that he managed to keep his office for as long as he did. ii. Thus, when Paul is ordered to be struck here, we do not see this order coming from a holy and just man called by God to be His High Priest of Israel. iii. Instead, we see this come from a man who has a history of cruelty and violence. iv. A man put in his position by the wickedness and greed of men. v. And he orders Paul to be struck because he has already determined that what Paul is saying is a lie. d. [Slide 5] 23:3 Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Do you sit there judging me according to the law, and in violation of the law you order me to be struck?” i. Paul reacts to being physically assaulted as you and I might react. ii. He gives a prophesy and it does come true. Ananias will be hunted down and murdered in his burning home by zealots at the beginning of the revolt in AD 66. iii. However, this prophesy doesn't seem to be spoken with a godly purpose. iv. In fact, it almost seems like a curse in God's name uttered in retaliation for a personal. v. And then he calls Ananias a whitewashed wall. vi. A wall pretending to be strong and fortified but only seems that way because the white wash hides the imperfections. vii. In other words, Paul calls him a hypocrite. viii. Why? ix. Paul calls Ananias a hypocrite because he is presiding over a trial to determine if Paul violated the law but in doing so Ananias violates the law by striking an accused person. x. The Paul we've seen throughout the entire book of Acts has never reacted this way to being persecuted or mistreated. xi. The most he has ever done was to refute false teaching and even demand justice from people who did not treat him as a Roman citizen. xii. And it is here we see the contrast. When Paul announces that he is a Roman citizen, the Roman commander, the Roman centurion, indeed every guard steps back in fear and seeks to treat him with the respect that he deserves and give him the legal rights he deserved as a Roman. xiii. But the High Priest, presiding over the Jewish ruling council called the Sanhedrin, cannot even afford a fellow Jew the rights guaranteed to a Jew. xiv. In a sense, the Romans were better at being Roman than the Jews were at being Jewish. xv. Why does Paul react so strongly? xvi. I think he is supremely disappointed and frustrated at the absolute corruption of the Jewish Spiritual Leadership. And he is fed up with it. And he lashes out. xvii. Counter to many scholars attempt to defend him, I do think Paul reacts in the flesh here. He is not like Jesus who did ask why he was struck but did not insult or curse those who struck him. xviii. Paul doesn't even act as he advises the Corinthians in chapter 4 of 1 Corinthians when he says that when we are cursed, we bless. xix. Paul succumbs to his flesh here out of frustration. Why? Because even the High Priest of Israel is wicked. e. [Slide 6] 23:4 Those standing near him said, “Do you dare insult God's high priest?” i. Here we see the reaction of those near him in this court room. ii. They are aghast that Paul would have the gall to insult the High Priest. iii. Was what Paul said not true? iv. Just because something is true of someone doesn't mean it is any less of an insult to say it to them, in public or in private. v. Also to pronounce judgment on a judge at your own hearing could be seen as an insult. An insult borne of not knowing your place or respecting the authority over you. vi. Paul's response to these men is somewhat of an enigma to us, so let's get to it. f. [Slide 7] 23:5 Paul replied, “I did not realize, brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, ‘You must not speak evil about a ruler of your people.' ” i. There are two basic points that Paul makes in his response to their protest. ii. First, he did not recognize the High Priest iii. Second, he quotes Exodus 22:28, which is listed in an assortment of miscellaneous laws with little connection between them. iv. So, the primary question of interpretation here is… is it really possible that Paul did NOT know that the person who ordered him to be struck was the High Priest? Wouldn't the High Priest be wearing different robes? Shouldn't Paul know who the High Priest is? Doesn't the fact that the man gave an order and it was followed seem to indicate that he was the High Priest? There are 4 basic views. I'll cover them more fully on Thursday Night. 1. Some scholars point to Paul's eyes as a continued issue. Paul did not recognize the High Priest because he could not see him. 2. Some scholars suggest that this was not a formal meeting of the Sanhedrin and because of this the High Priest was not wearing his robes. 3. Some scholars suggest that Paul simply did not know that Ananias was the High Priest. 4. Finally, other scholars suggest that Paul is being ironic with his statement. Meaning that Paul is saying he didn't know it was the High Priest because High Priest's don't act this way. v. Although each option has their strengths, each option has some significant weaknesses as well. vi. If I was forced to pick one, I'd lean more toward the ironic option. vii. But, in the end it seems best to leave this unanswered. viii. What we do know for sure is that Paul proves that he does know the law and is not intentionally violating it. He desires instead to please God as he tried to say before he got punched in the mouth. g. [Slide 8] Summary of the Point: Although we know that God's plan is for Paul to go to Rome to preach the gospel, in the apostle's mind, this is still not certain. Remember what he told the disciples of Christ before coming to Jerusalem. That if God wanted him to, he is prepared to die for Jesus' name. Paul has no idea how this is going to end. And in the midst of that, he is put in a situation where those who are the religious leaders of Israel, who know the scriptures and have studied them thoroughly, are now in a position to hear the gospel from the lips of one who was formerly among them. All of that comes crashing down when after uttering his first sentence in this hallowed hall, Paul was struck in the mouth. Where should he seek justice when the religious leaders of Israel are unjust? Where should his hope be when his own kinsmen will treat him with less respect than pagans? Paul, in a rare moment of weakness, reacts in anger and frustration over unjust rulers allowed to treat him this way. He has forgotten how the providential hand of God includes unjust rulers. God uses, and orchestrates unjust rulers to accomplish His purposes. Paul corrects himself for his momentary lapse in character but he needs to get back to the reason he is there. He must courageously proclaim the gospel of Christ. Even in these hollow halls of whitewashed walls – he must proclaim the gospel to them. Should we ever be in a similar position, may we remember our primary objective. To give a defense for the hope we have in us. [Slide 9 (blank)] Transition: But one thing he most assuredly realizes because of this interaction, is that he will NOT get a fair trial by this court. And that is why he changes his tactics in the next scene. II.) God's providential plan includes theological opposition; we must courageously proclaim gospel. (6-10) a. [Slide 10] 6 Then when Paul noticed that part of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, he shouted out in the council, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. I am on trial concerning the hope of the resurrection of the dead!” 7 When he said this, an argument began between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8 (For the Sadducees say there is no resurrection, or angel, or spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.) i. Using a rather well-known tactic for defense, Paul decides to sow a little chaos by dividing the council. ii. Paul looks up and notices that the council has both the Pharisee party and the Sadducee party represented among them. iii. We've talked about their primary differences several times before but Luke takes the time to show Theophilius the exact reason that Paul's comments would have elicited such a reaction. iv. The Sadducees only believed that the Pentateuch (The first five books of the bible) was the authoritative Word of God. They denied that there was ever a resurrection of the dead or that after death a person would become an angel or a spirit of some kind. They insisted upon annihilation. v. But the Pharisees affirmed the whole Old Testament as God's Word, they believed in miracles, in angels and spirits, and in the resurrection of the dead. vi. The divide between them was so sharp that it led to many disputes, some of which are recorded in the gospel accounts. vii. So, Paul starts a fight. viii. But we have to ask the question here… Is Paul lying? ix. He shouts that the reason he is on trial is because he is a Pharisee and that he believes in the hope of the resurrection. x. But… that isn't true. Is it? xi. In fact, it is abundantly true. xii. Paul pivots the entire trial to the REAL reason that he is there. He remembers that although he won't get a just and fair trail, that isn't why he is there in the first place. xiii. Although the Jews from Asia accused him of speaking against the law, the people, and the temple, the real reason he is there is because his opponents hate the gospel of Jesus Christ. Something he now has a unique opportunity to proclaim. xiv. So, Paul has three objectives in claiming to be a Pharisee and stating he is on trial because he believes in the resurrection of the dead. 1. His first objective is to gain allies. a. Paul claims to be of the Pharisee party. b. The New Testament scriptures never record for us anywhere that a Sadducee ever came to Christ in conversion. c. In Acts 15 we see that there was an entire group within the church who were comprised of former Pharisees. d. That doesn't necessarily mean that no Sadducee converted. e. But Christianity is MUCH MORE compatible with the Pharisee's perspective on doctrine. f. To the extent that the teachings of Christ's death, burial, resurrection, ascension and future return are not at all compatible with the Sadducee party's doctrine. g. In order to confess Christ, a Sadducee would first need to reject their beliefs. h. So, in some ways, Paul is a Pharisee. i. So, the council is immediately not united against him any longer. 2. His second objective is to end the trial. a. The High Priest has made it clear that this trial is not going to be about establishing clear accusations against Paul. b. It will instead be designed to destroy Paul any way they can. c. If Paul is interrupted by being struck every time he says something the High Priest disagrees with, this will be a long and painful trial. d. So, Paul needs this trial to end. Now. e. The quickest way to do that is to throw a theological grenade in the middle and let them clamor over it. f. Since he is still a prisoner of Rome, he knows this will stop the trial. 3. His third objective is to make the gospel the center of every future Roman trial. a. Paul wisely pivots the entire dispute to be about the main issue. b. The gospel of Jesus Christ. c. This assures him that not only will he go before Roman judges over a purely religious issue and not a legal one… which means barring any injustice in the law, he will be released. d. But also, it means he will have legal right to proclaim the gospel to every Roman judge he encounters since it will include discussion about the resurrection of the dead. xv. So, Paul is not lying about what the trial is about. Because it is most certainly about the resurrection of the dead, meaning Christ crucified, risen, and coming again to reclaim His people. xvi. His statement here is a brilliant way to make the gospel the center of the trials that are to come. b. [Slide 11] 9 There was a great commotion, and some experts in the law from the party of the Pharisees stood up and protested strongly, “We find nothing wrong with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” i. Paul's gambit pays off. There was a great commotion and he actually gains unlikely allies. ii. The Pharisees and their experts in the law say they find nothing wrong with Paul. iii. Then they suggest that it is entirely possible that an angel or spirit spoke to Paul. iv. This suggests to us that members of the Sanhedrin were present during Paul's first defense to the Jewish mob. v. The Pharisees are willing to entertain the possibility that Paul was met on the road to Damascus by something… not the risen Messiah, not Jesus the second person of the godhead, but perhaps an angel or a spirit. vi. In this way they simultaneously advocate for their theological position while also not believing the Jesus heresy. As a byproduct of this, they exonerate Paul. vii. This, however, doesn't quite settle the matter… c. [Slide 12] 10 When the argument became so great the commanding officer feared that they would tear Paul to pieces, he ordered the detachment to go down, take him away from them by force, and bring him into the barracks. i. The Pharisees would not have the majority view on the Sanhedrin. ii. If they did, the trial would have been over and Paul would have been released. iii. Instead, the Sadducees who held a clear majority continued to argue over the theological matter in question. iv. The Roman commander put Paul before the Sanhedrin hoping they would be able to dismiss or clarify the matter. v. But their fighting over doctrine has led the Romans to conclude that the issue with Paul has nothing to do with legal matters and everything to do with theological ones. Which is true. vi. But as they fight over these issues, it is incumbent upon the Roman Commander to protect his prisoner. vii. So, having received the reason for their treatment of Paul, he brings him back to the barracks and will begin the process of arranging for his next trial. d. [Slide 13] Summary of the Point: In this scene we see how God not only uses unjust rulers to accomplish His will, but He also uses theological disputes to accomplish His will too. God uses this dispute between the Sadducees and the Pharisees to ensure that Paul goes before Roman judges on trial for something they cannot find him guilty for, and in which he can proclaim the gospel as his defense. And that is exactly why Paul comes back to the reason he is there and brings the issue to the surface. He isn't there to dispute these doctrinal issues – but he is there to make this all about the gospel of Jesus Christ. We too should look for ways to turn, even difficult situations to a proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Transition: [Slide 14(blank)] God uses so many things to accomplish His will that we should trust Him without question. But He knows we are weak. And oftentimes, He aids us by supplying clear promises of purpose and plan. In this final scene of this episode, we'll see Christ do just that for Paul. III.) God's providential plan will not be undone, we must courageously proclaim gospel. (11) a. [Slide 15] 11 The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Have courage, i. After all of the dust settles and Paul spends another night in the barracks, the Lord Jesus comes to Paul again. ii. Jesus stands next to him and tells him… commands him… to have courage. iii. We've seen Paul courageously get up after being stoned and go right back into the city. iv. We've seen Paul courageously face down several Jewish mobs and imprisonments. v. We've seen him courageously go to Jerusalem knowing that he would be imprisoned and suffer for Jesus. vi. He even said that if it was the Lord's will for him, he was not afraid to die for Jesus' name. vii. But today, Paul proved that he was afraid of something. viii. Paul was afraid of his life ending before he completed his race. ix. In 2 Timothy, when Paul faced his second imprisonment by the Romans in Rome. And he was soon to go before Nero and be judged. Almost certainly facing death – he wrote to Timothy and assured him that he was ready to die because he had fought the good and worthy and noble fight, and that the has finished the race and kept the faith. x. But that was after he had completed what Jesus said he would. xi. Today - Paul is afraid. He is afraid that he will stumble before the end. That his life will not accomplish what God has planned for it to. xii. On this night, Jesus stands next to him and provides to him what he needs. xiii. First… a command. xiv. Be courageous. Don't be afraid. xv. Why? b. [Slide 16] for just as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.” i. I haven't forgotten my plan for you. ii. You have borne witness to me in this city. iii. You have testified before men what I have said. iv. You have preached the gospel. v. You have kept the faith and fought the good fight. vi. Don't be afraid… because you must go to Rome. vii. Why? viii. So, you can do the same thing there. ix. Do not be afraid. Be courageous Paul. x. My will will be done. c. [Slide 17] Summary of the Point: God uses various means to accomplish His will. Many of them surprise us because they include evil and unjust people doing evil and unjust things which eventually lead right back to what God wants to happen. But the long and the short of it is that God's providential plan will come about. It will not be broken. It cannot be undone. Jesus assures Paul – You must testify about me in Rome. Not you might. Not you could. You WILL! Everything that happens is a means God has used to accomplish His purposes. So, what is the only response? Courageously proclaim the gospel. Paul you are going to do it… so go and do it courageously. We too should go and courageously proclaim the gospel because our Lord has assured us that the Kingdom is coming and that He is returning. Conclusion: So, what have we learned today CBC and how then shall we live? What are some basic principles we can take away informing our faith and commanding our practice? Basics of Faith and Practice: [Slide 18] Luke continues to develop the theme of God's providence working in various ways to accomplish His will for His church. This last act of the narrative has focused on Paul's going to Jerusalem and then on to Rome. The connective tissue of all this is in verse 11 when Jesus tells Paul overtly to have courage because just as he has proclaimed the gospel in Jerusalem, he must and will do the same in Rome. This becomes our primary lesson of practice. We must courageously continue to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ no matter where we are in life. But all of this is predicated on the fact that God providentially leads all things to accomplish His will. Luke has demonstrated in this episode specifically that God's appointment of unjust rulers and even theological opposition are all orchestrated and used of God to accomplish His purpose. Indeed, part of Jesus' words in verse 11 to Paul are to guarantee him that he will preach the gospel in Rome. Essentially Jesus sums all this up by telling Paul that the providential plan of God cannot be undone and that all things work to accomplish His purpose. And that purpose for Paul is for him to preach the gospel in Rome. Once again, Luke forces us to see an abundantly practical side to the absolute sovereignty of God. But let me try to help you see those practical things. 1.) [Slide 19] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that God even uses Opposition and Injustice to accomplish His will. a. In this text we clearly see God use unjust rulers and theological opposition to accomplish the purpose of Paul going to Rome with the gospel. b. The amazing part is that Paul is still two and a half years away from setting foot in Rome. c. Isn't that wild? d. Paul has really just begun this journey to Rome. But Jesus assures him, that he will go and proclaim the gospel. e. We won't linger long on this this morning, but we must again recognize that God's decreed and perfect will cannot be thwarted by anything men do. f. In fact, all things work together to accomplish that good and perfect will. From the insignificant all the way to wickedness and everything in between. g. There is not one rogue molecule in God's creation. There is not anything that God has left to chance or to a free choice of even one member of His created order. h. Isaiah 46:10 teaches us that God has decreed, published, declared or proclaimed the end from the beginning. This is a cohesive novel that God has already written. We are characters in this play. i. Though we experience the play in real time and have the very real perception of freedom of choice and agency, so much so that God holds us accountable for what we choose to do – at the same time, nothing happens that God has not already determined. j. Even God's opponents are Opponents He owns and has designed to accomplish His will. k. We must confess this – otherwise we have a very puny god indeed. l. We must also… 2.) [Slide 20] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that God's Sovereignty is the necessary backdrop for proclaiming the gospel courageously. a. If God has left even one man, truly free, and able to freely choose to do things that He did not plan, then we as believers must live in fear of that one person no matter who they are, because at any moment the plan of God could be toppled by their freedom to do what God has not willed them to do. b. Jesus has no right to declare to Paul that he should have courage. Because that one person could prevent Paul from preaching the gospel to Rome. c. But skeptics of the teaching of God's absolute sovereignty do not settle for merely one man but that all men have absolute freedom to make their choices. d. Is Jesus saying have courage Paul because no matter what happens I'll make sure you get there? Or is Jesus telling him to have courage because He has willed him to be there? e. Indeed, looking at all that will happen to Paul over the next two and half years – if we take the first option we are left with a god that is quite puny indeed. He is able to run faster, hit harder, know more, and generally do more – but ultimately, he is little more than a demigod that just slightly better than humans at making sure he gets his way. f. But if we take the second option that Jesus has willed Paul to go to Rome, when we look at the next two and a half years we see that Romans 8:28 and Isaiah 46:10 assure us that Paul experienced all that he did as the plan which God had written for him from before the foundation of the world. g. Indeed, it is only the second option that leads us to any courage to continue our mission. h. If God wills it… then none can oppose it… and if none can oppose it…then how can I fear? 3.) [Slide 21] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that the primary mission of God's people is correcting social ills or theological opposition. a. This application is borne out of Paul's fleshly response and affects many Christians today as we seek to right the social wrongs or theological quagmires of our day. b. Paul was frustrated by the Spiritual leaders of Isarel being experts in the law and occupying such titles as High Priest, being so absolutely devoid of justice and mercy and goodness. c. Indeed, for a moment he cursed them for being hypocrites and demanded justice rather than injustice. d. After an apology, or at least a recognition of the law of God against cursing rulers – Paul refocuses on his primary mission. e. He starts a religious fight. Not to prove out the truth… but to get to the heart of the gospel and make sure it is the primary talking point in every trial that follows. f. Paul gets back on mission. g. And Christian we must get back on mission too. h. We do not exist in the United States of America to right all the country's problems. We don't need to know the scriptures only so we can cast down all the false teachings out there. i. My friends our primary mission is to make disciples – baptizing them and teaching them to follow Christ. j. We can be politically active, we can mourn injustice, we can defend the gospel against error – but these must play second fiddle to our primary mission. k. Which is what? 4.) [Slide 22] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must courageously proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, in season or out of season. a. In times when things are going good for us and in times when the world seems to be crashing down around us – the primary mission of God's people is the same. b. Make disciples. Proclaim the gospel c. Paul told Timothy later to preach the word in season or out of season. d. To be ready to proclaim the truth whether it was convenient or not. e. As far as opportunities to preach the gospel go, standing before a bunch of judges, Jewish and Roman, who could have you killed, doesn't seem to be like the ideal place to preach the gospel of Christ. f. I think we all could think of much less hostile environments to proclaim the gospel. g. But this is Paul's mission. And it is our mission. h. Most of the time our opportunities to proclaim the gospel risk very VERY little. Especially compared to Paul. i. But we have to ask ourselves – If I can't share the gospel when all I'd face is rejection… how can I ever hope to proclaim the gospel when I face death and torture? j. We must be bold in our witness. k. But not just with our words… With our actions too. 5.) [Slide 23] De-Exhortation: “What actions should we stop doing” or “What behaviors do we naturally practice that this passage tells us to stop doing?” We must not allow uncertainty or irritation to compromise our character or witness. a. We understand Paul's plight. b. Until Jesus tells him in verse 11, he doesn't know what is going to happen in Jerusalem. He doesn't know what the outcome will be. c. But the moment he is put in the hands of the Sanhedrin, he is guaranteed that they will not let him go without snuffing him out. d. We too can become irritated and frustrated when we are uncertain about what is to come. e. We become worriers and can even get impatient and downright rude when we are in a position of uncertainty. f. And when we look to people who claim to be spiritually minded, and their advice or actions prove ungodly… we can get pretty cranky then too. g. What we must realize is that our knowing what is going to happen or the spiritual strength of others cannot be the basis for our holy living. h. The bedrock of faith and practice is Jesus Christ. To know Him in His death and resurrection is the core of being who He has called us to be. i. When we start depending on what we know will happen or on the spiritual strength of others… that's when failure is sure to follow. j. Paul failed in this text. He was not thrilled about being struck in the mouth and essentially called a liar. He was not happy that the supposedly spiritual people of Israel were still failing so badly. k. And for a moment he let it get to him. l. We must trust the Lord. We must be courageous and trust that He is our only hope. He is what gives us life abundant. m. Only then will we maintain holy lives when faced with uncertainty or the failure of others to do justly. 6.) [Slide 24] Evangelism: “What about this text points us to Jesus Christ, the gospel, and how we are restored” The gospel of Jesus Christ centers on the resurrection of the dead. a. The resurrection of the dead is the keystone in the concept of the gospel. b. Not just because Jesus rose from the dead, but because all who are in Christ will rise with Him. c. Sin and Death are the problem. d. Although there are many ills we face in society, in our lives personally, and bodily ailments – the greatest plight mankind faces is that we are born in sin and under the wrath of God as children of Satan. e. Satan being condemned as a vile sinner himself, and Satan earning eternal death for himself one day, he wields sin and death as a kamikaze pilot wields his plane. He too will be destroyed by these things. f. And he has succeeded in plunging all of mankind to share his fate. g. That is why we are born his children. Adam has joined him and in Adam we too have joined him. h. The effect of death is its finality. Which wouldn't be so terrible if it were not for sin. Sin is called the STING of death. Why? i. Because all who die… in sin… remain in sin. j. Sin separates us from God. Not in the sense that God can't be in the presence of it but in the sense that God is holy and anything unholy cannot abide His presence. k. And God's wrath is revealed against ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS. l. Meaning what? m. Everything unholy will have God's wrath eternally revealed upon it. n. But what if sin could be killed? What if death was not final? o. Do you see what Jesus has done? By His death He has took away the sting of death which is sin. He became sin so that we might become the righteousness of God. p. By His resurrection he took away the finality of death being the first fruits of many brothers. q. The keystone of the gospel is the resurrection of the dead. Because in His death and resurrection Christ has defeated both sin and death for His people. And who are His people? Those who endure in turning from their sin and believing on Him. r. Do you want the sting of death removed from you? Do you want to live again? Not in an eternity called a second death… but in something called eternal… LIFE? s. If that is what you desire… don't leave this place this morning without talking to an Elder. We'd love to share with you more about what Jesus has done. [Slide 25 (end)] Let me close with a prayer by the Puritan Jeremiah Burroughs Lord, you have given me a portion in the world. You have given me credit and a reputation among others. But what is all this to me, if I am without Christ? If I do not have the one who gives grace to my soul, the one who is my all in all? Lord, you have taught me this day that the distance between you and me is so great that without a mediator, I perish forever. So whatever else you deny me, give me Jesus. It is in His name I pray this… Amen. Benediction: May the God who works wonders, Who has made His strength known among His people, And by His power redeemed them, May He be your joy and may He delight in you always Until we met again, go in peace.

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God's Word for Today22 May, 202515 Lie not in wait as a wicked man against the dwelling of the righteous; do no violence to his home;16 for the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.17 Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles,18 lest the LORD see it and be displeased, and turn away his anger from him.-Prov 24:15-18 ESV GOD LOVES THE WICKED TOOThere is an image of an ambush prepared outside the home of a godly person by a wicked man. These ruthless people look for an opportunity to destroy the helpless. There is an implication that the good man is weakened by illness or distress. The devil, likewise, waits for an opportunity to take advantage during our weakness. Like a predator, he lurks for an opportunity to attack like a lion. (1 Pet 5:8). He assaulted Jesus in the desert when Jesus was physically weak after forty days of fasting (Mat 4:1–3). But Jesus stood his ground quoting scriptures to drive him away. He even sifted the proud Peter as wheat, a fulfilment to Jesus' prophecy that he will deny Christ. Peter denied Jesus for three times. (Luke 22:31, 54–62).However, godly people can recover from setbacks. But, those who do evil will fall when struck by adversity. This is true, especially in the eternal sense. Those who reject Christ are inescapably doomed eternally. [John 3:18,36] But, the saved are secured through Christ's righteousness. (2 Cor 5:21) God condemned those who sneered and gloated over the poor, as well as those who celebrated when someone else suffered tragedy. The same basic attitude is reflected in how one responds to the suffering of enemies. Even God avoids expressing glee over the ruin of evil people (Ezekiel 33:11). We are commanded not to "rejoice" or "gloat" or "smirk" when an enemy suffers or falls. Believers ought to forgive (Mat 18:21–22) Those who refuse to forgive show they don't understand their own need for forgiveness (Mat 6:14–15; 18:23–35). This humble attitude expressed through love towards one's enemies is not a natural impulse, is it? It is among the most unique features of Christianity.Scripture compares all people to lost sheep. Like the Good Shepherd, believers should endeavor to find those who are lost, even the most wicked and bring them to God (Mat 28:19–20; Luke 19:10, Luke 15:4–7). Should we reach out to the wicked, the Lord says, "But if a wicked person turns away from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is just and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him; for the righteousness that he has done he shall live." [Eze 18:21–22] The following verse says, “Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?”[Ezek 18:23] In short, the Lord's compassion is unfathomable.Watch in YouTube: https://youtu.be/lPuuvKVODmgListen and FOLLOW us on our podcast Spotify: http://bit.ly/glccfil_spotify Apple Podcast: http://bit.ly/glccfil-applepcast Audible Podcast: http://bit.ly/glccfil-audibleFollow us on various media platforms: https://gospellightfilipino.contactin.bio#gospellightfilipino#godswordfortoday

Today's witnesses are from Matthew West's website, called popwe.org. If you don't know who Matthew West is, he is a singer, songwriter, and storyteller. This website is for the non-profit that he has with his father, a pastor. Matthew and his father encourage people to share their stories. They have various categories of stories. Today, I chose two testimonies from the Anxiety/Depression Category. I know so many people who are struggling with anxiety and depression right now. Suicide seems to be increasing as well. Often, we can hear our own story in someone else's story. When we listen to others tell their story, it helps us see that we are not alone. When we hear how God worked in their situation, it gives us hope that He will work in ours, too! I pray that when you hear these testimonies, you get the faith and hope to believe that miracles can happen in your situation, too. I pray you know that God is there with you, and if you invite Him into your anxiety and depression, He can help.Blair: Every story has a beginning. Even God's Word says “In the beginning” Genesis 1:1. So here's how my beginning led me to where I am now. I was born into a “Christian” home. We went to church, we went to Youth Group, and we participated in missionary activities at the church. But there was not a Bible to be seen in our whole house. I'm the first of three children, the Type A, do everything right, be the perfect kid. That's great, but try being that way with a mother who was emotionally, psychologically, verbally, and sometimes, very rarely, physically abusive.I didn't have a traditional mother-daughter relationship doing things together. I was a good student- no- I had to be a perfect student. When my brother was born, the last child, it was made very clear who the favorite child was. My sister and I were knocked out of place because we were girls. So, in the beginning, I was not the gender my mother wanted me to be. As the years went by, it was more of the same treatment with little in the way of any faith journey or building a relationship with Jesus. When I began having children, the stress of that sent me over the edge. The depression and anxiety were debilitating. I felt like I was in a valley and didn't know how to climb out. My husband was a pastor and even then my faith was very shallow.Things continued to spiral out of control and I ended up in the psychiatric ward of the hospital three times. Sadly, some of those times were because of suicide attempts. The whole of 2011 I basically spent in bed. I felt hopeless, useless, exhausted, unworthy, scared, anxious, and I could go on. I finally got a doctor who tweaked my medication so that I could go about “normal” life. Two weeks after my last stay in the hospital, my husband of 18 years passed away at the age of 44 on Christmas Eve. My boys were 17,15, 11, and 9.This is where the story of my new life in Christ began. Just like there were medication changes, there were also church changes that led to soul changes. I could actually hear God. I wanted to learn everything about Him. The more I began leaning into Him, the more He leaned into me. I lost my dad two years before my husband and my mom three years after my husband. But I was as ok as ok could be given the circumstances life has, is, and will be. That's life. I am so thankful for the valleys because then I was able to enjoy the mountain tops. God has a reason for me being here. Understand that my life still hasn't been perfect. I've had many financial difficulties. I've had difficulties being a man to four boys not knowing what it means to be a dad. But I know 100% that all of these “tragedies” and “valleys” led me to “triumphs” and “mountain tops” because God has a plan that I can't see. He is with me ALL the time. He puts people in my life that help me grow- friends, pastors, and family. He inspires me through music. The words hit me in just the right place and at just the right time. I'm thankful for the music of Matthew West, Chris Tomlin, Mercy Me, Toby Mac, Zach Williams and so many other talented musicians that bring God to me. I love music but I love my Savior even more. And so my story continues until God takes me home to live with Him in glory. My past doesn't dictate my future and my past doesn't change my relationship with Jesus Christ. I'm so very loved by a God who loves me unconditionally. Guess what? He loves you that much, too.Jenna: I grew up in a Christian family. We went to church every Sunday and Wednesday and were a part of almost everything; Awana, Elevate teen group, and even school there. Two and a half years ago, I lost someone who I was close to because she felt the need to commit suicide. I was heartbroken and I felt like I lost everything. 2022 was a challenging year for me. I had daily panic attacks and felt like I was worthless. My eating habits went down significantly, and I was stressed all the time. As exams neared, I was super stressed and ended up passing out.Months passed and I still felt worthless. I planned to commit suicide when I got a text from a friend, and it was like a text from God. She said she heard I was going to camp and hoped to see me there. I thought if I waited til after camp, and then committed suicide it would be okay. So I went to camp and it changed my life. I met so many new people and was able to share my hurt with my church and they told me that I was not alone. Camp was my blue couch moment as I sat there in service Thursday night, I realized that I needed God in my life more than ever. I had already been saved, but I realized I hadn't been living like Christ wanted me to. I have had friends come and go in my life some that have stuck around for a while God will not let you down and he will always have someone in mind who will help you grow in faith and support you through it all. They can also help you overcome the hardships in your life.I still deal with anxiety and eating habits, but they have gotten so much better since camp and I am so thankful for all that my church has done for me. Also, I have my three closest friends with me right by my side and the Lord has blessed me with an amazing boyfriend who I love and who has helped me through a lot.GOD'S NOT DONE WITH YOU OR YOUR STORY! HE STILL CARES A LOT AND WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU. YOU HAVE A PURPOSE – TURN TO GOD TO FIND THAT PURPOSE AND YOU WILL BE FOUND.Thank you to Jenna & Blair for sharing their stories with us. I know it can be hard to be vulnerable and share your story; however, when you share your story, you are showing someone else that God is there and that if He worked in your life, then He can work in their life too. You are showing them that if you could make it through the hard time, they can too. Thank you so much for sharing!  www.findingtruenorthcoaching.comCLICK HERE TO DONATECLICK HERE to sign up for Mentoring CLICK HERE to sign up for Daily "Word from the Lord" emailsCLICK HERE to sign up for my newsletter & receive a free audio training about inviting Jesus into your daily lifeCLICK HERE to buy my book Total Trust in God's Safe Embrace

     Satan promotes uncontrolled anger. Paul wrote, “Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity” (Eph 4:26-27). By itself, anger is not sinful. Even God gets angry (Num 25:4; Deut 9:8, 20; Jer 4:8). Human anger is a natural response to an injustice, real or imagined. We get angry because we feel someone has wronged us, and the personal scales of justice need to be corrected. Ideally, this happens when the offender comes and apologizes and seeks forgiveness, or makes restitution for damage. However, we cannot always control other people's thoughts, words, or actions, but we can control how we respond. Paul tells us not to let anger last beyond the day. If we let anger fester, then by our choice we give the devil an opportunity to turn it into something greater, which can enslave us in bitterness. Solomon wrote, “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city (Prov 16:32), and “A man's discretion makes him slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense” (Prov 19:11). James said, “everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does achieve the righteousness of God” (Jam 1:19-20). Hoehner comments: “While believers may at times be legitimately angry (with righteous anger against sin; cf. John 2:13–16), they are not to sin. The way to prevent such sin is to “keep short accounts,” dealing with the anger before the sun goes down. The reason is that the devil would like to intensify a Christian's righteous anger against sin, causing it to become sin itself. This then gives the devil a foothold (lit., “a place”), an opportunity for leading that Christian into further sin. Then anger begins to control the believer rather than the believer controlling his anger.”[1]      Satan uses suffering to pressure us to turn from God. Satan can, on occasion, afflict God's people with suffering (Job 1:1-2:10; Luke 13:16; Acts 10:38); but this is only done with the Lord's permission. Satan's use of suffering is intended to get us to turn away from God, who is the source of life, goodness, and strength. Job is the classic example of a believer who was attacked by Satan (Job 1:1-2:10). Though Job suffered greatly, he understood his life was in God's hands and he kept faith, saying, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD” (Job 1:21). And on another occasion he said, “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him” (Job 13:15a). Jesus said to Peter, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat” (Luke 22:31). Satan's request was granted. But the Lord also told Peter, “I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:32). Peter did return to the Lord and was strengthened (John 21:15-17). The key for us as Christians is to trust in God's love and goodness when we face Satan's attacks against our flesh. This is a faith response not born of feelings or circumstances (Rom 5:3-5; Jam 1:2-4; 1 Pet 1:6; 4:12-13; cf. 1 Th 5:16-18).      Satan masquerades as a messenger of light. Satan was created as a beautiful cherub (Ezek 28:12-14), and he retains all his outward attractiveness. Inwardly he is prideful (Ezek 28:15-17), and this is part of what makes him dangerous. Satan uses his outward appearance as a disguise to deceive others, and many of his messengers do the same. Paul wrote, “Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore, it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds” (2 Cor 11:14-15). The Pharisees were satanic deceivers. They referred to themselves as God's children, saying, “we have one father, God” (John 8:41b). But Jesus said of them, “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father” (John 8:44a). The Pharisees were very religious. They read the Scriptures, prayed, fasted, offered sacrifices, and spent much of their time at the temple. Jesus said they had “seated themselves in the chair of Moses” (Matt 23:2). This was because they coveted positions of power. Jesus said, they “tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men's shoulders” (Matt 23:4), they “do all their deeds to be noticed by men” (Matt 23:5), and they “love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues, and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called Rabbi by men” (Matt 23:6-7). But Jesus also revealed their true identity as “hypocrites” (Matt 23:13-15), “blind guides” (Matt 23:16-19), and those who “neglect justice and mercy and faithfulness” (Matt 23:23). Outwardly they look attractive, “but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence” (Matt 23:25), and are “like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness” (Matt 23:27), and “outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness” (Matt 23:28). Jesus established policy for His disciples when He told them on a previous occasion, “Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit” (Matt 15:14). He also warned them, “Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees” (Matt 16:6), by which His disciples understood leaven to refer to “the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees” (Matt 16:12b). Knowing God's Word helps us identify and avoid Satan's beautiful messengers, who outwardly appear righteous, but twist Scripture and promote false doctrines.      Satan empowers his false prophets to perform miracles in order to deceive. When Moses was executing God's plagues upon Egypt, it is recorded that three times “the magicians of Egypt did the same with their secret arts” (Ex 7:10-11; 7:21-22; 8:6-7). Moses warned the Israelites who were about to enter the land that they should guard themselves against false prophets and dreamers of dreams who arise and give them a “sign or wonder”, and then seek to lead them away from God (Deut 13:1-4). Jesus warned of “false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect” (Matt 24:24). And Paul spoke of the coming Antichrist, “whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved” (2 Th 2:9-10). Those who know God's Word and live by it will guard themselves against the deceiving power of false miracle workers.      Satan desires that we turn from God and His Word and live independently of Him. He promotes sinful pride, lies, uncontrolled anger, uses suffering to pressure God's people, masquerades as a messenger of light, and empowers false teachers to perform miracles in order to deceive. Knowledge of God's Word informs us about Satan's strategies, and the humble believer who lives by faith will be able to stand when he attacks. Satan's World-System      Satan is permitted, for a time, to rule over the majority in this world. Three times Jesus referred to Satan as “the ruler of this world” (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11). Other passages of Scripture call Satan “the god of this world” (2 Cor 4:4), and “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph 2:2), informing us “that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19). Satan rules as a tyrant who has “weakened the nations” (Isa 14:12), and currently “deceives the whole world” (Rev 12:9). Furthermore, humanity is living in an “evil age” (Gal 1:4), under “the dominion of Satan” (Acts 26:18), whose sphere of influence is called “the domain of darkness” (Col 1:13). Though Satan has attacked some people directly, he mainly operates as commander of an unseen realm of demons, through a worldwide system of philosophies and values he's created, through unbelievers whom he energizes to do his will, and through the sinful inclinations of our fallen nature.      The Bible recognizes Satan's world-system and warns us not to love it. John writes and tells the Christian, “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world” (1 John 2:15-16). We live in a fallen world, and John's command is intended to warn us of real danger. First, John opens with the negative particle Μὴ Me, which is followed by the Geek verb ἀγαπάω agapao, which is in the imperative mood—the mood of command. The word ἀγαπάω agapao denotes desire or commitment to something or someone. Allen comments on love: “In its essence love is two things: a desire for something and a commitment to something … Whatever it is you desire and whatever you're committed to, that's where your time and resources will go. If you love football, that's where your time and resources will go. If you love hunting or fishing, that's where your time and resources will go. If you love your spouse, you desire to spend time with her and you are committed to her. Love is more than an emotional feeling. Love requires a commitment of time and resources.”[2]      John then gives the object we are not to desire or be committed to, namely, the world (τὸν κόσμον). The Greek word κόσμος kosmos is used in Scripture to refer to: 1) the physical planet (Matt 13:35; Acts 17:24), 2) people who live in the world (John 3:16), and 3) the hostile system created and controlled by Satan that he uses to lure people away from God (1 John 2:15-16). It is this third meaning that John has in mind. Hence, the word κόσμος kosmos refers to “that which is hostile to God…lost in sin, wholly at odds with anything divine, ruined and depraved.”[3] Concerning, the word κόσμος kosmos, Allen writes: “Sometimes the word “world” is used to refer to the organized evil system with its principles and its practices, all under the authority of Satan, which includes all teachings, ideas, culture, attitudes, activities, etc., that are opposed to God. A fixation on the material over the spiritual, promotion of self over others, pleasure over principle—these are just a few descriptors of the world system John is talking about. The word “world” here means everything that opposes Christ and his work on earth. Jesus called Satan “the ruler of this world” (John 14:30; 16:11), and Paul called him “the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4). In Luke 16:8 Jesus referred to all unsaved people as “the sons of this world.”[4] Dr. Steven R. Cook   [1] Harold W. Hoehner, “Ephesians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 637. [2] David L. Allen, 1–3 John: Fellowship in God's Family, ed. R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2013), 96–97. [3] Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, p. 562. [4] David L. Allen, 1–3 John: Fellowship in God's Family, 96.

Unlocking Love: The Secret to Finding Your Perfect Match Heartlib.us Courses.myrealloveracademy.com About the Guest(s): Desirel Calvin Lawrence is an accomplished author and entrepreneur. He is known for his expertise in personal development and relationships, having penned several books, including "Wiz Diary: Secret Keys to Self-Mastery" and "Power of Paradise." Lawrence is also the visionary behind Heartlib, a matchmaking agency that combines deep psychological compatibility with unique algorithms to help individuals find their perfect match. He is dedicated to transforming the dating landscape by emphasizing long-term compatibility over short-term attraction. Episode Summary: In this engaging episode of The Chris Voss Show, returning guest Desirel Calvin Lawrence dives into the fascinating world of relationships and matchmaking. Lawrence, an acclaimed author and the mind behind Heartlib, discusses his innovative approach to dating that challenges the conventional notion of compatibility. Listeners are treated to an exploration of Lawrence's unique method, which combines deep psychological understanding with number alignment to help individuals find lasting and fulfilling relationships. Lawrence shares his personal journey and insights into the complexities of love and matchmaking. He explains how Heartlib differs from traditional dating apps by offering users scientifically-backed compatibility reports and actionable guidance based on extensive case studies. Touching upon the deep patterns that sustain relationships, Lawrence offers listeners a glimpse into how his methods can guide them toward more meaningful connections. This episode is a treasure trove for anyone interested in enhancing the quality of their relationships. Key Takeaways: Desirel Calvin Lawrence emphasizes the importance of psychological compatibility over mere physical attraction in sustaining long-term relationships. Hot Lab uses a unique matchmaking approach that involves deep compatibility analysis and number alignment to recommend matches. Lawrence's methodology aims to eliminate guesswork in relationships, offering scientifically-backed insights into partner compatibility. Heartlib's services extend beyond romantic matchmaking to include business partnerships and friendships, focusing on synergy and long-term success. The episode also highlights the need to address familiar dysfunctions in relationships and the pursuit of stability and growth through compatible partnerships. Notable Quotes: "What makes our approach so different is that most people love as a numbers game… but what if I told you that it's like throwing darts in the dark?" "It's not just about romantic relationships… it can make all the difference in the world of business partnerships." "True compatibility is not about just feeling good in the moments; it's about who deals with in the long run." "Even God's perplexed… on understanding the complexities of the opposite gender." "We take the guesswork out of relationships so you can get the right one."

SHOW NOTES:   In Podcast Episode 319, “Even God's Faithful Aren't Immune to Betrayal,” Kim discusses the sting of betrayal. Whether the betrayal is in a personal relationship, or someone in authority betrayed you, the pain can be life-changing. Yet, when the betrayal is in a church or ministerial context, there are added layers of hurt. Join Kim as she explores two stories from scripture that describe betrayal. Hang on to the end, and she prays for all those hurting from the effects of betrayal.   Our focal passage for this episode is 2 Kings 5:20-27 with 22 as the focal verse:   22 “Yes,” Gehazi said, “but my master has sent me to tell you that two young prophets from the hill country of Ephraim have just arrived. He would like 75 pounds of silver and two sets of clothing to give to them.”     WEEKLY ENGAGEMENT FEATURE:   When have you experienced betrayal?   Additional Resources and Scriptures:   Judas - 47 But even as Jesus said this, a crowd approached, led by Judas, one of the twelve disciples. Judas walked over to Jesus to greet him with a kiss. 48 But Jesus said, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” (Luke 22:47-48) EMAIL — encouragingothersinlovingjesus@gmail.com TWITTER - https://twitter.com/EOinLovingJesus INSTAGRAM -  https://www.instagram.com/encouragingothersinlovingjesus/ “Encouraging Others in Loving Jesus” YouTube Channel: Check it out at https://www.youtube.com/@EncouragingOthersInLovingJesus   I WANT TO BEGIN A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS CHRIST.   RESOURCES USED FOR BOOK OF 1 & 2 Kings PODCASTS: “The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: The Complete Old Testament OT in One Volume” “Christ-Centered Exposition: Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Kings” by Tony Merida “The Tony Evans Bible Commentary: Advancing God's Kingdom Agenda” “Life Application Study Bible” “The Swindoll Study Bible: NLT” by Charles R. Swindoll Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary “The Baker Illustrated Bible Background Commentary” by J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays (Editors) Expositor's Bible Commentary (Abridged Edition): Old Testament, 2004, by Kenneth L. Barker, John R. Kohlenberger, III.     "Encouraging Others in Loving Jesus" Facebook Group:   Our Facebook Group is devoted to providing a place for us to encourage each other through all the seasons of life. Follow the provided link to request admittance into “Encouraging Others in Loving Jesus”—https://www.facebook.com/groups/encouragingothersinlovingjesus/ Feel free to invite others who will be good encouragers and/or need encouragement to follow Jesus.   This podcast is hosted by Kim Smith, a small town Country Girl who left her comfort zone to follow Jesus in a big City World. Now, she wants to use God's Word and lessons from her faith journey to encourage others in loving Jesus.   In each episode, Kim will share insights regarding a portion of God's Word and challenge listeners to apply the lessons to their daily lives.   If you want to grow in your faith and learn how to encourage others in loving Jesus, subscribe and commit to prayerfully listening each week.   Remember, “It's Always a Trust & Obey Kinda Day!”   If you have questions or comments or would like to learn more about how to follow Jesus, please email Kim at EncouragingOthersinLovingJesus@gmail.com.     National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline   988   https://988lifeline.org/   Reference: Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Tyndale House Publishers. Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Wheaton, Ill: Tyndale House Publishers, 2004.   Podcast recorded through Cleanfeed and edited through GarageBand. The soundtrack, entitled “Outlaw John McShane” was obtained from Pixabay.         The HIDDEN Episodes:  If you can't access episodes 1-50 on your podcast app (the podcast was then entitled "A Country Girl in a City World - Loving Jesus"), you can get all the content at my Podbean site at https://acountrygirlinacityworldlovingjesus.podbean.com/  

What is it like to be unaffected?How sad it must be to go to church, attend a class, interact with your neighbor, and be indifferent to what they say.What is it like to be unaffected?To be so confined to yourself that when you look at your natural reflection in the mirror, you see your flaws—you might even acknowledge them—but the moment you look away, you forget them. You carry on with your life. It's a curiosity, an interest, a fleeting insight, perhaps. But it's a compartment, a facet of your identity that you create that fits into something you control—a picture you paint that does not influence how you live.What is it like to be unaffected?To live in such a way that everything around you exists as an experience in service to you on your checklist—an item on your itinerary, your menu, your agenda.What happens when every member of society treats everything like a trophy wife? Their job, partner, children, friends, family, affiliations, and even the place they pray?Everything becomes a trophy wife.Even God—the god of their imagination—becomes a trophy wife.What happens when everything is the object of the reflection of their natural face?What is it like to be unaffected?To resolve the dissonance of your natural reflection with the comfort of forgetfulness.To return to what was left behind. To turn away from what lies ahead. To prefer a lie. To lie to yourself.What happens when you look away?This week, I discuss Luke 8:19–21.Show NotesRefer to Episode 548: Μαγδαληνή / ג-ד-ל (gimel-dalet-lamed) / ج-د-ل (jīm-dāl-lām)In Latin, creāre means “to create,” “to produce,” or “to elect.” In Rome's political sphere, it referred to the act of appointing or electing officials, including Julius Caesar.Hearers Not Listeners“For if anyone is a listener of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.” (James 1:23-24)“Γίνεσθε δὲ ποιηταὶ λόγου καὶ μὴ ἀκροαταὶ μόνον…”“But be doers of the word and not listeners only…”(James 1:22)“Ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτούς· Μήτηρ μου καὶ ἀδελφοί μου οὗτοι εἰσιν οἱ τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ ἀκούοντες καὶ ποιοῦντες.” (Luke 8:21)In James 1:22, ποιηταὶ λόγου (“doers of the word”) and ἀκροαταὶ (“listeners") correspond to the participial forms found in Luke 8:21: ἀκούοντες (“hearing”) and ποιοῦντες (“doing”). Notably, ἀκροαταὶ and ἀκούοντες come from different roots. ἀκροαταὶ from the root: ἀκρο- (akro-), meaning at “the edge” or “the extremity,” implying passive reception, or “listening” vs. ἀκούοντες “to hear.”)Someone who sees their natural face (πρόσωπον τῆς γενέσεως, “the face of his birth”) in a mirror and then forgets what he saw is the one who hears Scripture and neglects to act. He chooses to forget his appearance in God's eyes. His knowledge of Scripture (the mirror) is overtaken by willful self-deception. He is a listener, not a doer. ἀκροατής (“listener to”) occurs only four times in the New Testament, all with the negative connotation of inaction: Romans 2:13: γὰρ οἱ ἀκροαταὶ νόμου δίκαιοι“for it is not the listeners of the Law”James 1:22: καὶ μὴ ἀκροαταὶ μόνον παραλογιζόμενοι“and not mere listeners of the Law, who delude themselves” James 1:23: ὅτι εἴ τις ἀκροατὴς λόγου ἐστὶν καὶ οὐ ποιητής“for if anyone is a listener of the word and not a doer"James 1:25: παραμείνας οὐκ ἀκροατὴς ἐπιλησμονῆς γενόμενος“not a forgetful listener, but a doer”παραλογίζομαι / ر-م-ي (rā-mīm-yāʼ) / ר-מ-ה (resh-mem-he)To deceive, defraud. To desert, abandon, or betray. To cast, throw, to cast (blame), or shoot (arrows). The Arabic رَمَى (ramā) and the Hebrew רמה (rāmā) carry the same function. “So it came about in the morning that, behold, it was Leah! And he said to Laban, ‘What is this that you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served with you? Why then have you deceived (רִמִּיתָנִי, rimmītānī) me?'” (Genesis 29:25)“But whoever earns an offense or a sin and then blames it (يَرْمِ yarmī) on an innocent has taken upon himself a slander and manifest sin.” Surah An-Nisa (4:112)James 1:24: ἐπιλανθάνομαι (“to forget”)"For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten (ἐπελάθετο) what kind of person he was." (James 1:23-24)"For God is not unjust so as to forget (ἐπιλαθέσθαι) your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints." (Hebrews 6:10) "Do not neglect (ἐπιλανθάνεσθε) to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it." (Hebrews 13:2)"And do not neglect (ἐπιλανθάνεσθε) doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased." (Hebrews 13:16)"Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting (ἐπιλανθανόμενος) what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead." (Philippians 3:13)Philippians 3:13 refers to 3:8, which pertains to Paul's station, family, tribe, religion, religious purity, heritage, personal achievements, religious accomplishments, national pedigree, and personal zeal—in his words—"ἡγοῦμαι πάντα ζημίαν / ἡγοῦμαι σκύβαλα" (I consider everything a loss; I consider them dung):“More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them mere dung, so that I may gain Christ.”"ἀλλὰ μενοῦνγε καὶ ἡγοῦμαι πάντα ζημίαν εἶναι διὰ τὸ ὑπερέχον τῆς γνώσεως Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Κυρίου μου, δι' ὃν τὰ πάντα ἐζημιώθην, καὶ ἡγοῦμαι σκύβαλα, ἵνα Χριστὸν κερδήσω." ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, Dr. Oord discusses an essay from Donna Bowman entitled, Even God Can't Have It All.  This essay is one of many compiled in volume 1 of a 2 volume work interacting further with the ideas of amipotence in Dr. Oord's book, The Death of Omnipotence and Birth of Amipotence.

Anger is a normal emotion that everyone feels. Even God gets angry. But how do we manage anger in a way that is not destructive? In this message, we learn the power of a debt-to-debtor relationship and powerful principles to manage the emotion of anger.

Anger is a normal emotion that everyone feels. Even God gets angry. But how do we manage anger in a way that is not destructive? In this message, we learn the power of a debt-to-debtor relationship and powerful principles to manage the emotion of...

Have you ever felt like God is silent or distant during your most painful moments? If so, you're not alone. In today's episode, we're addressing the heartache of feeling abandoned by God and how these emotions shape our view of His presence. We'll take a closer look at why these feelings arise, how our circumstances can cloud our understanding of God, and what Scripture says about His unwavering love. If you've ever questioned where God is in your pain, I hope this episode offers a fresh perspective and encouragement to find hope in His promises, even in the silence. Rooting for you, Jessica Next steps: Get my free 3-day study and learn how to deal with your emotions in a biblical way: https://www.jessicahottle.com/3-day-study/ Learn more about working with me 1:1 as your mental health coach: https://www.jessicahottle.com/mental-health-coaching Or book your free 20-minute consultation here! Check out my biblical studies: https://www.jessicahottle.com/shop Work with me in my Untangle Your Thoughts program: https://www.jessicahottle.com/heal Email me at >> jessica@jessicahottle.com The information shared in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical or clinical advice. While we discuss mental health topics, this is not a substitute for professional care. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider for advice specific to your situation.

1/26/2025 1 Corinthians 15:24-28 Then Cometh The End Intro: Everything must end. Life comes to an end. Ball games come to an end. Christmas comes to an end. 2024 came to an end. Even God's creation of earth must end….in order to be recreated. The butterfly was once a caterpillar. The caterpillar ended so that the butterfly could begin. I remember a Buggs Bunny cartoon. The cartoon was about an attaché case with a top secret inside. The whole cartoon was about Elmer Fudd and Buggs Bunny each trying to steal the case from each other and find the secret it contained. Finally, after fighting each other they agree to open it together……When they see what is inside they say “this is horrible, awful, the worst thing that could ever happen!” what was inside?….simply the words…..”the End!” Then the credits rolled. That was a brilliant cartoon by the creators of Buggs Bunny! The end is coming of all we know and experience. It can be awful, terrible and horrible…..or it can be unimaginable joy!

This podcast addresses the heart of God our Father towards his children. Blessings and curses both involve words. Blessings are words that bring about good to someone. Curses are the use of words to bring harm to someone. Scripture tells us: death and life are in the power of the tongue. And those who love it will eat its fruit. Nonetheless, the first time the word "curse" is used in Scripture God is doing the cursing and he is doing it for Adam's sake. After the Fall He says "cursed be the ground for your sake". Even God's curses bring blessing to His children. Notice God did not curse the Man; He cursed the ground for the sake of the Man. As God describes Himself as being Truth and Love. Existentially Truth itself and Love itself. His perspective is always to bring about good. After all, He is a good, good Father, absolutely good. Come listen to how our understanding of the Father's love for us helps us find our calling and destiny. If we truly know and trust His love for us, why would we be jealous of anyone else? The enemy of our soul never wants us to understand who we are; who He created us to be. Our enemy wants us to be jealous just like he was jealous when God created Adam in His image and likeness. Hopefully, listening to this podcast will raise questions in your mind and encourage you to think about how you perceive yourself. Are you so focused on what other people think or you that you do not consider what the Father thinks of you? After all He who knows you the best; loves you the most. Are you bold enough to ask the question: What does my Father think of me? I pray you will do so. Papa Tom

From Darkness to Dawn: The Mystery of Grace Unfolding: Reflections on St. John of the Cross When this weary world approached the shadows of night, . . . . . . the ancient hymn reminds us, the Lord came—not in regal splendor or majestic power, but as a humble child born to Mary, the pure and gentle mother. The saint we honor today, John of the Cross, profoundly shaped the Church's understanding of the “dark night of the soul.” He gave us language for that profound spiritual experience: the deep longing for God's presence, met with an aching silence. This “dark night” is marked by yearning and emptiness—the pain of seeking the One our hearts desire, only to find the heavens seemingly unresponsive. It is an essential part of the spiritual journey. Authentic spirituality acknowledges this reality. A faith that claims unbroken intimacy with God is, ultimately, self-deception. Even Mary, the Blessed Mother, experienced the anguish of losing sight of her Son for three days. If she endured such a trial, we should not expect to be exempt. An Essential Part of the Spiritual Journey Advent, too, is a season of longing, echoing this experience. Nightfall carries layers of meaning. It is cold, dark, and often restless. For those unable to sleep, the night stretches endlessly, intensifying loneliness and fatigue. In the hymn, night arrives as the culmination of the day's struggles. It is the image of a world grown weary—of hearts burdened by prolonged labor and unfulfilled promises. Initially, the promise of a Savior sparks eager anticipation. Yet, as years stretch on, waiting becomes harder. The human spirit, though not inherently faithless, grows tired. It seeks solace in lesser things and forgets where to direct its gaze. It's not that the heart no longer yearns for God; it simply lacks the strength to keep seeking. St. John of the Cross' “Dark Night” This weariness is something we recognize from our own restless nights, where worries bubble to the surface. St. John of the Cross intimately understood this “dark night.” Betrayed by those who should have supported him, his path was marked by criticism, hostility, and isolation. Even God, to whom he turned for solace, seemed eerily silent. Yet John's response was extraordinary. His desire for God burned brighter amidst the silence. His heart grew bolder in its pursuit of the distant Lord. And when the dark night eventually gave way to dawn, the light of God's presence filled him more completely than ever before. The years of longing and emptiness were not wasted. They expanded John's heart, making it capable of receiving greater grace. What appeared to be emptiness was, in truth, growth. The “dark night” prepared him to be filled more fully with God's light and love. This pattern resonates in the season of Advent. In the darkness of longing and weariness, God is quietly at work, preparing us. The dark night has purpose. It stretches and strengthens the heart so that when God's presence returns, it can shine more brightly and fill more completely. The waiting, the calling out, the apparent silence—all of it contributes to the mystery of grace unfolding in our lives. In the end, the night is not the end. It is preparation for the dawn. Hear more and understand the impact of the Dark Night within our own Spiritual Journey. Listen to this Meditation Media. Listen to: From Darkness to Dawn: The Mystery of Grace Unfolding: Reflections on St. John of the Cross ------------------------------- Image: The Vision of St. John of the Cross: French Painter: Charles de la Fosse: 1600s This is a depiction of St. John of the Cross' drawing of Our Lord. St. John is a Doctor of the Church and is known for his writings. In 1575, he also drew a vision of Christ on the Cross. This image illustrates Our Lord and St. John of the Cross. ------------------------------- Gospel Reading: Matthew: 7:9-13 First Reading: Sir 48:1-4, 9-11

Today, on Karl and Crew, we continued with our theme of the power of praise, and we discussed the power of praise to affirm. Even God affirmed His son! The scripture reference was Matthew 3:16-17. Our special guest was Dr. Robert Lewis, founder of Better Man. He is a pastor, speaker, and author of many books, including "Raising a Modern-Day Knight." He shared the power of affirmation between men and their sons and between men and men. Finally, since it is Wednesday, we enjoyed "Ally Thinks It's Funny." You can hear highlights of today's program on the Karl and Crew showcast. Donate to Moody Radio: http://moodyradio.org/donateto/morningshowSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you ever feel like you have no one in your life?  Even if you spent the holidays with family or friends, maybe you've decided that you're okay with isolation. Today we're going to discover why it's not okay to be alone and some practical ways to connect with others to improve your physical health and overall quality of life.  Episode 147 from loneliness to belonging with Dr. Vickie Petz Kasper.  It's easy to believe you're the only one, and think that others are leading perfect social lives, while you're sitting at home, feeling isolated. Loneliness is considered an epidemic, and it affects people of all ages and all backgrounds, But when you're isolated, it's hard to know that what you're feeling is common.  So even if you feel alone in your feelings, remember, you're not. Let's take the argument that you're the only one feeling this way off the table and talk about loneliness and how common it is. It is a human emotion that does not define your worth. People often internalize their loneliness as a personal failure or flaw, but it's not.  There's a loneliness cycle. I'm okay by myself, followed by isolation, which then fosters a fear of being misunderstood or dismissed, and then that prevents you from opening up about loneliness.  Isolation can actually feel comfortable and safe.  There are lies we believe, like no one cares or I'm fine on my own and I don't need anyone.  Even God said it's not good for man to be alone. We are created to be in community with others and prolonged loneliness can have significant consequences on your health. So I'm going to give you some practical tips on connecting with others. And listen, it's never too late. Certain ages and stages are harder than others, but meaningful relationships are possible.  After I got really sick, and then I got divorced, and then there was a pandemic, I felt lonely. And I didn't want to admit it. It seemed like a weak word to tell people, I'm lonely. But I was.  But you know what? When you admit it, Sharing your feelings can lead to unexpected support and understanding.  C. S. Lewis said, "Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, What? You too? I thought I was the only one."  And that's what loneliness can do to you. Now, before I give you a prescription for connection, let's go to Mini Medical School for a quick overview. And if you have not heard my previous episode on loneliness, I would recommend it and I'll put a link in the show notes. And also, if this episode is a little heavy, listen to last week's. It was funny.  Chronic loneliness is linked to increased inflammation in the body, and that can damage your blood vessels and lead to cardiovascular diseases and increase the risk of high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, and even dementia.  Loneliness also increases cortisol levels, and it also damages blood vessels and weakens the immune system. And all of this can impair cognitive function. The amygdala gets sensitized and communicates with the prefrontal cortex. This is where we make decisions about our social behavior and It shows reduced activity when we're lonely and that is why it can impair cognitive function and decision making. And the nucleus accumbens, which is the brain's reward center, becomes less responsive, making activities that once brought you joy feel less rewarding.   The impact on your physical health is significant as well. Social isolation and loneliness are linked to a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The lack of social engagement can lead to unhealthy lifestyles, such as sitting in front of the TV, not being active, and eating junk. Loneliness can elevate your blood pressure, causing hypertension, and the stress response triggered by loneliness can lead to long term heart issues. Chronic loneliness can weaken the immune system, making you more susceptible to infections and illness. Cortisol, the stress hormone is the culprit  and chronic inflammation contributes to a lot of different health conditions including autoimmune diseases  Loneliness can impact your quality of life leading to feelings of emptiness and dissatisfaction. Lack of social connectedness affects your mental and physical well being. Social isolation and loneliness can impact your health as much as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Your lifespan can actually be shortened by loneliness. It's also linked to an increased incidence of depression and anxiety, which can lead to persistent worry and sadness. And, of course, the most serious thing is an increased risk of suicide. Social isolation is also linked to a higher risk of mortality associated with cardiovascular disease as well as cancer.  Overall, there's a 29 percent increased risk of dying early if you're lonely. You can be around people and still be lonely.  It's the quality of connections that matters, not the quantity. So seek out relationships with depth and meaning.  But even brief, positive encounters with people can release oxytocin. And that makes you feel good. So, try to be intentional about connecting with people, even in little short bursts. Speak to the clerk at the grocery store. Have a conversation while you're waiting in line. Smile at people and shake hands when you can. Even those small little doses can make a difference. Loneliness can be a temporary phase, But chronic loneliness requires proactive steps to overcome. Don't ignore loneliness because it has serious issues for your health. And asking for help is a sign of strength and not weakness. It actually takes courage to acknowledge loneliness. So if you're feeling lonely, admit it and just recognize it's part of being human.  And if you are lonely, what you need is people.  I know, kind of a no brainer. So, where are there people? Well, there are people in classes. So, could you maybe take a class? Here are some ideas. Take a dance class. This is such a fun way to get some exercise and meet people. Or maybe take an art class where you paint together and tap into that creativity. You can even take a class at a community college or university and learn about something like history. That would be a great way to meet some people.  There are cooking classes and interior design classes and pottery classes where you put your hands in the clay together. But, here's the deal, don't take a private lesson. You know, that kind of defeats the purpose. But any new hobby, usually you can find a class where you will meet other people who are at your same skill level.  So that brings me to my second idea. Join a club. Something like a running club. Women can run or couch to 5K are beginner runners who work together for a common goal. And the key word there is together. When you have a sense of accomplishment, that can really help form a strong bond between you. Or just go to any kind of fitness class and meet other people. But don't think you can come in late and leave early and stare at the floor and meet anyone.  You're going to have to put yourself out there. And interact with people and it may not work the first time or the second time or the third time be persistent  Don't give up. It's so important for your health Maybe join a quilting club if you're so inclined or if you can sing join the church choir. Bible study is a great way to meet people. There are also master gardener groups that are well connected. Hiking clubs that get out in nature. So there's added benefit there too.   And you want to know what's all the rage right now? Pickleball. Learn to play pickleball and I can promise you, you will meet people. Another popular thing right now is Mahjong. And I don't have a clue how to play it but they say it's really fun and it uses your brain so that's super important. The same can be said about playing bridge. So find a bridge club. And if you don't have a hobby or a skill or anything like that that interests you then maybe a book club is the answer. I bet you could find a local book club or you could start your own.   I just moved to a new town about a year ago and I'm in a new bunko group. My old bunco group played together for nearly three decades. Here's the thing about bunco, you gotta have 12 people to play. So if you can't play, you have to get a sub, which ensures that there are always 12 people there. It helps maintain the cohesiveness of the group. And I think bunco is a great way to form connections. In my group, we've celebrated babies and grandbabies and weddings and graduations. And we've mourned loss and supported each other through illness and surgery. So grab some dice, set up some card tables, and invite some people over to play Bunko. And you just might find your tribe that way.   During my season of intense loneliness, I started the Interesting People Dinner Series. I lived alone  and I would just invite a group of people to sit around the table and have dinner. People who maybe didn't know each other. And we had some of the most interesting conversations.  And here's a super simple idea. I recently interviewed Kathi Lipp about her new book called Sabbath Soup. And she says you can always just send a message to someone and say, I made too much soup. Can I bring it over?  Taking soup or any type of food is a great way to connect with your neighbors.   I'd love to hear what your ideas are for connection. Make sure you're on my email list and just reply to one of the emails and let me know what you've found to connect with others. And give yourself some grace. It's not easy. Sometimes it takes time and effort and it can be super discouraging, but it's worth the effort because loneliness has such an impact on your health and social connectedness will make you healthier, and healthy looks great on you.  The Deadliness of the Loneliness Epidemic Navigating Connections During the Holidays Sabbath Soup Browse all episodes 

In Genesis 18:1-8 Abraham entertains three guests, not knowing who they are. We are told, however, that God himself, along with two angels, had come to Abraham. We are reminded of the need to be hospitable at all times, following the example of Abraham.

Even in the best of Christian homes, kids can wander away from the Lord. Even God - the perfect parent - had children who rebelled back in the Garden of Eden. Thursday on A NEW BEGINNING, Pastor Greg Laurie brings practical help and biblical hope for parents of prodigal children.Support the show: https://harvest.org/resources/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

(1 Kings 17:7-9) Rain falls on the just and the unjust. Even God's people have to deal with difficult things. When the different channels of our blessing are dried up, run quickly to the Source of all blessing—Jesus! (08251241018)  21 Bible Prayers for Government Leaders: https://enjoyingthejourney.org/21-bible-prayers-for-government-leaders/ Read The Need of Our Nation: https://enjoyingthejourney.org/topics/need-of-our-nation/

Two are better than one—anytime, any day, anywhere! Even God exists as a team of three in one. Teaming up is a winning strategy!

Who is your favorite Bible character? David is a beloved man for many. Even God called him a man after his own heart. In this week episodes, Meagan and Mesu discuss Mesu's new series based on the wives who gave David his first 6 sons. You'll get a look into David and his first wife Ahinoam in this conversation about Mesu's new book Brave.

Wise-Up & Team-Up! Lead Scripture: Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 & 12 (NLT) Two are better than one because they can help each other succeed. If one falls, the other can lift them up. Standing alone is risky, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even stronger, like an unbreakable cord! Two are better than one—anytime, any day, anywhere! Even God exists as a team of three in one. Teaming up is a winning strategy! "I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can do great things!" – Mother Theresa "Teamwork is the force that propels ordinary people to achieve extra-ordinary results!" —Pastor Femi Paul

The summer of concerts getting rained on continued over the weekend. Brian has on-sight details about what went down.  Chicago's best morning radio show now has a podcast! Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and remember that the conversation always lives on the Q101 Facebook page.  Brian & Kenzie are live every morning from 6a-10a on Q101.    Subscribe to our channel HERE: https://www.youtube.com/@Q101 Like Q101 on Facebook HERE: https://www.facebook.com/q101chicago Follow Q101 on Twitter HERE: https://twitter.com/Q101Chicago Follow Q101 on Instagram HERE: https://www.instagram.com/q101chicago/?hl=en Follow Q101 on TikTok HERE: https://www.tiktok.com/@q101chicago?lang=enSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Government was God's idea. It's an institution He created to promote justice in human societies. As such, good government requires the participation of the just. Even God is involved in government. He sets up kings and kingdoms, and brings them down. There is no wall between politics and religion. There is a relationship between the two, but we must understand what that relationship is if we hope to properly relate to our government. Web: ThinkingtoBelieve.comEmail: ThinkingToBelieve@gmail.comFacebook: facebook.com/thinkingtobelieveTwitter & Gettr: @thinking2believTruth: @ThinkingToBelieve

We hope you enjoy today's Scripture reading and devotional aimed at equipping you for moral and spiritual transformation. Today's Bible reading is Jeremiah 15:10–21. To read along with the podcast, grab a print copy of the devotional. ESV Bible narration read by Paul R. House. Follow us on social media to stay up to date: Instagram Facebook Twitter

Does it feel as though you're on a turbulent roller coaster ride with the vision God has provided? Hold on, because victory is on its way. Even God's dream for humanity encountered bumps along the road, and it's not over yet. Just like God, we will triumph in the end.

Today is Q & A day! Another great question from one of our loyal, beautiful women: How do you know if you can really forgive him for betraying you?  It's so hard. Even God gives us a way out because it's so hard. How can I truly know if I can actually forgive him? This is such a hard topic but one that we must address if we are going to really heal from the trauma of betrayal. I pray this helps you! :: MORE RESOURSES: Beauty Beyond Betrayal Website:  www.beautybeyondbetrayal.org  Work with Lisa:  Coaching Information   Join our Beauty Beyond Betrayal Sisterhood:   Healing from an affair: Heartbreak Recovery for Christian Women Grab your Free Ebook:   Broken Vows: Begin healing from the devastation of betrayal Email:   info@lisalimehouse.com Got a question you want answered?  ASK HERE

Maximize your productivity and transform your life with Ryan's 7 essential tips in this game-changing video!---Want to be coached by me on real estate investing? Join our Wealthy Investor program today at https://wealthyinvestor.com/Purchase the Wealthy Way book here: https://wealthyway.com/book---We all spend 24 hours a day working on something. The true choice is what you want to be working on. Most people don't leverage their time productively, so in this video, Ryan shares 7 tips to help. 1. There are several things that multiply your time and give you leverage. The first is labor, like meal prep, walking the dog, and cleaning your house. You can leverage this by hiring someone to do these things for you. The second is technology. Instead of giving a speech in front of 20 people in person, record your speech and share it with a million people online. The third is capital. And lastly, skill. If you are good at doing something then you're able to do that thing quicker than other people who aren't skilled. 2. Evaluate your time. You do this by recording how you're actually spending your day. For one week, set a timer for 15 minutes. When it goes off, write down what you're doing. At the end of the week, tally this up. You'll see where you're wasting time and be able to create a time budget. 3. Create your dream schedule. Write out what you want your dream week to be like. No work on weekends, church on Sunday, golfing on Fridays, working at your business from Monday to Thursday, etc. Then break down your daily schedule. 4. Constantly ask yourself why you do what you do. As you grow your ability to outsource stuff, like driving, or having a home gym, will change. You can then spend your time doing other things. Remember that limitation creates innovation. You'll recognize your limitations by asking yourself why you're doing the stuff you're spending time doing. 5. Remove distractions. Social media is one of them. Drinking and going to bars are others. gambling, porn, Netflix; you have to get these distractions out of your life in order to be truly productive. 6. Change your community. You need to upgrade your network and get around high-level people who have accomplished more than you. Cut out friends and people who are holding you back and who don't believe in what you want to achieve. 7. Rest. You gain more by resting than you do by working to the point of burnout. Even God rested on the 7th day, and he's commanded us to do the same. This will keep you from losing momentum.