Podcasts about expect god

Why did John the Baptist call Jesus the Lamb of God? How does the message of John the Baptist relate to us today? Rabbi Schneider shares that John the Baptist was a real, historical person. His purpose is what ours is today: 1. A voice crying in the wilderness and, 2. John the Baptist was a forerunner of Jesus. By pointing out Jesus as the Lamb of God, he introduces Jesus as the fulfillment of the ancient Passover Lamb from Exodus chapter 12. As John the Baptist cried out in the wilderness, so are we to also cry out in the wilderness to prepare the world for Jesus' return. The New Testament is not separate from the Old Testament. It's the fulfillment of the Old Testament. The Bible is for revealing God, but is not God. Expect God to reveal Himself to you as you learn more about God through the Bible.   Visit our website at DiscoveringTheJewishJesus.com

The greatest creation God ever made was the human being. Not to sound cocky, but I truly believe he made us and gave us a gift and purpose. With those two things, we are supposed to build an empire and then leave that to our kids to let them continue to build on to that. The key is we have to build and use what God put in us when he made us.

This is Dr. Pete Norris from The Beauty of Grace Podcast. We would love to hear from you. Support the show

This is Dr. Pete Norris from The Beauty of Grace Podcast. We would love to hear from you. Support the show

Great expectations of God only

Psalm 42:4-5, 8-11 The Living Bible4-5 Take courage, my soul! Do you remember those times (but how could you ever forget them!) when you led a great procession to the Temple on festival days, singing with joy, praising the Lord? Why then be downcast? Why be discouraged and sad? Hope in God! I shall yet praise him again. Yes, I shall again praise him for his help…8 Yet day by day the Lord also pours out his steadfast love upon me, and through the night I sing his songs and pray to God who gives me life. 9 “O God my Rock,” I cry, “why have you forsaken me? Why must I suffer these attacks from my enemies?” 10 Their taunts pierce me like a fatal wound; again and again they scoff, “Where is that God of yours?” 11 But, O my soul, don't be discouraged. Don't be upset. Expect God to act! For I know that I shall again have plenty of reason to praise him for all that he will do. He is my help! He is my God!

Couple the fear of God with your faith in our God. By faith, which provides strength, peace, and hope and can help us overcome obstacles and challenges, keep expecting!  Expect God's help in all areas of life. Focus on and model His faithfulness to us in these areas – Nothing fails from His faithful Word never fails, the Lord faithfully prays on our behalf, faithfully protects us from the enemy's harm, has faithfully created good works for us to walk in, and He faithfully finishes what He began in us.   Keep revering, seeking, and obeying the Lord!

Couple the fear of God with your faith in our God. By faith, which provides strength, peace, and hope and can help us overcome obstacles and challenges, keep expecting!  Expect God's help in all areas of life. Focus on and model His faithfulness to us in these areas – Nothing fails from His faithful Word never fails, the Lord faithfully prays on our behalf, faithfully protects us from the enemy's harm, has faithfully created good works for us to walk in, and He faithfully finishes what He began in us.   Keep revering, seeking, and obeying the Lord!

Couple the fear of God with your faith in our God. By faith, which provides strength, peace, and hope and can help us overcome obstacles and challenges, keep expecting!  Expect God's help in all areas of life. Focus on and model His faithfulness to us in these areas – Nothing fails from His faithful Word never fails, the Lord faithfully prays on our behalf, faithfully protects us from the enemy's harm, has faithfully created good works for us to walk in, and He faithfully finishes what He began in us.   Keep revering, seeking, and obeying the Lord!

Couple the fear of God with your faith in our God. By faith, which provides strength, peace, and hope and can help us overcome obstacles and challenges, keep expecting!  Expect God's help in all areas of life. Focus on and model His faithfulness to us in these areas – Nothing fails from His faithful Word never fails, the Lord faithfully prays on our behalf, faithfully protects us from the enemy's harm, has faithfully created good works for us to walk in, and He faithfully finishes what He began in us.   Keep revering, seeking, and obeying the Lord!

Today expect God's favor."For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; with favor You will surround him as with a shield." Ps 5:12 NKJVThe Bible says that God will surround the righteous with favor. If you are trusting in the finished work of Christ, God sees you as "righteous" (See Ro 3:22). So, you qualify; you can pray, "Lord, I need your favor in this job interview," or "in selling this house," or "in making this deal," or "in going on this date," etc. Be prepared for your old programming to kick in, where you think about the word "righteous"; you begin to wonder if your thoughts, words, and deeds are good enough to deserve God's favor. Here is a truth you need to keep in mind: The only righteousness that God responds to is the righteousness of Christ. And since He has placed you "in Christ," you are always qualified to ask God for favor and believe He will grant it. You are saved by grace. And the word grace means "unearned, unmerited, undeserved favor." The world's concept of favor is misleading: "She owes me a favor," or "I don't owe you any favors!" In other words, the world's concept of favor is totally performance based.But the only performance God looks at when it comes to granting you His favor is Christ's performance on your behalf and the fact that you are trusting totally in Him. His life covers all your sins of omission, and His death covers all your sins of commission. And since God always sees you "in Christ," in His eyes you are always qualified for favor."Righteousness...shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus" (Ro 4:22,24 NKJV). So, today expect God's favor. Today expect God's favor Unearned, unmerited, undeserved favorShare This DevotionalSend us a textSupport the showChanging Lives | Building Strong Family | Impacting Our Community For Jesus Christ!

What does true hospitality look like? In this powerful sermon, Rachel unpacks how Jesus radical hospitality transforms livesespecially through one extraordinary encounter between Jesus and a woman society had cast aside. She challenges us to move beyond mere entertainment and embrace gospel-shaped hospitality, where love, grace, and interdependence create space for encountering God. Join us as we explore how Jesus mission wasnt just about teaching or miraclesit was about eating and drinking with people, inviting them into His presence. What if our tables could be places of transformation too? Listen now and be inspired to open your home, your heart, and your life to experience the reality that God is truly among us. To catch up on the latest sermons from Deep Creek, go to iTunes, Spotify ordeepcreekanglican.comand check out the website for more info about whats happening. We are a welcoming and growing multigenerational church in Doncaster East in Melbourne with refreshing faith in Jesus Christ. We think that looks like being life-giving to the believer, surprising to the world, and strengthening to the weary and doubting. Read the transcript Scripture Reading (James 5:720) Be patient then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near. Dont grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Jobs perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple Yes or No. Otherwise you will be condemned. Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray.Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins. (This is the word of the Lord.) Introduction Well, this is the last in a series from the Book of James, but well actually be considering the entire message of the book. If you havent been here for the series, thats absolutely fine youll still get plenty out of the text today. At the moment, my social media feed seems to be full of fact-checking videos. When someone in authority says things about, maybe, medicine or demographics or how things are in the world, someone else pops up over the top of that video and talks about whether the facts being shared are accurate whether the speaker is interpreting the information properly, whether the evidence is really there. I dont know that I ever expected wed need this rise of fact-checking when authoritative figures speak. It might be the news or whatever, but suddenly we do need fact-checkers. And of course, we went through a period on social media where little flags would come up saying, we dont think that this actually tells the facts (that feature has apparently been removed on some platforms). Its a strange world where we know the power of words, and yet its so easy to disagree about whether those words convey truth. We might find information being presented to us, but truth is another thing altogether. The Book of James is very concerned with the power of words and the truth of those words. Its concerned with how we respond to the powerful Word of God, and also how our own words reflect the fact that weve had the powerful Word of God implanted in our lives. We see at the beginning of James that Gods Word is powerful to save and to guide. As we get towards chapter 3, we see that our words are powerful for good or ill we can really damage people, community, and situations by what we say. And now in chapter 5, we see the intersection of those two things: Gods Word is powerful, our words are powerful, and our words to God are exceedingly powerful for ourselves and others. But the foundation of all of this, for James, is the powerful, growing, life-giving action of the Word of God. He uses language like this in chapter 1: He chose to give us birth through the word of truth. Then he calls all believers to humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Not simply telling you about God, but this Word that God has revealed about Himself not simply a book, but Gods revelation about Himself in Jesus Christ (the Good News about who He is, who we are, and how we can be together) and this Word can save you. Of course, the risk of telling people that the Word of God saves you is that we can feel like once weve heard the Word, were good. Its done its job; weve listened, weve sat here (Megans gone on and on), and were good. But James says, no, no, thats not actually listening that God requires. Do not merely listenand so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Whoever looks intently into the perfect law (James often uses law, word, and truth interchangeably) that gives freedom, and continues in it not forgetting what they have heard but doing it they will be blessed in what they do. (In other words, hearing Gods Word isnt enough; we must do it.) The Word of God is able to save and give you new birth, and as you live it out, you actually flourish you are blessed. James then concludes the letter with the words we heard today: My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins. James knows that we live in a world full of information, and that we have power to convince people of just about anything. (People have said about me, she could sell ice to Eskimos. That means its hard to know because of a convincing tone whether the information someone is conveying is actually truth.) But James centers on three words truth, law, and word as the core of Gods action in our lives. So when we use our words, ultimately the most powerful thing we can do on earth is to bring people to the truth. And when you do that, you cover over a multitude of sins, because the truth is the message about Jesus gift of forgiveness, grace, and eternal life. So James wants us to know that if Gods words have been so powerful as to save us, then our words must be full of grace, integrity, and hope. We saw in chapter 3 the damage that can be done by the negative use of words. (Like a forest fire set off by one tiny spark, our words can cause damage: gossip, rumors, slander, cruelty, deceit destroying relationships and community.) But now, as we come to the end in chapter 5, James starts to talk about using our words in a positive way the power of positive words. Patience in Suffering The first thing he addresses is our patience under suffering and how we speak during that suffering. Be patient then, brothers and sisters, until the Lords coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lords coming is near. Dont grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door. In the midst of their trials (and James has never glossed over the fact that being a Christian may lead to deprivation, alienation, doubts, questions, hardship he started the very letter with, Consider it pure joy whenever you face trials of many kinds.) he sees the need for patience. Just like the Israelites moving from Egypt to the Promised Land: that time in the wilderness was meant to strengthen them, to give them a legacy of trusting God for everything. God was always faithful. And so, just as a farmer knows the rains are coming, they had to be patient on this journey because the Judge is at the door Jesus is coming. But you know what happens when youre having a hard time? You tend to look around for anyone or anything that can become the target of your sense of unease, dis-ease. (I dont know if youve ever had to say this: Im sorry for what I said when I was hungry. In our household, that tends to be Sunday afternoons Meghan coming home around 1 PM, and I have actually had to text Phil, Im coming in hot. Like, just have the carbohydrates on the table, dont talk to me, Im going to need something. And those Tim Tams that I told you to save oh, they better still be there!) Weve worked it out now; they are there, because weve had some good family meetings about this recently, clarifying expectations and making sure nobody is grumbling. James knows that when youre under pressure under pressure as a family, as friends, as housemates, as a church (financial pressure, persecution, interest rates, whatever it is) you look around and you grumble and fight, pushing your frustrations outwards. I find that Im often looking for something to retrofit my bad feelings into. Im looking for an excuse to be grumpy at something, and that thing isnt even whats making me feel bad but Ill pretend it is so I can vent it. James is saying: you will go through hard times as a community. Do not grumble at each other (like the Israelites did, even though God was faithful). The Lord is coming, and you will be provided for. So then he moves on: Okay, if youre not going to grumble, can you instead speak graciously under that pressure? Can your words be full of integrity and hope even when times are hard? He gives us an example of patience in suffering: Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. They persevered under suffering but continued to speak rightly about God. (Thats not to say they didnt complain about their circumstances to God. We know Jeremiah, who endured all kinds of physical, emotional, and social suffering, was very honest with God. Elijah spoke very frankly with God: Im the only one left; Youve left me here! And God said, Youre hungry have a nap and a snack, and now lets talk.) The prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord persevered in speaking rightly about God and His mission on the earth, and in speaking rightly to God, bringing their struggles to Him. Youve also heard of Jobs perseverance and seen what the Lord finally brought about (The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.). Job, too, is an example of someone who did not sin in what he said, even though he was under great suffering and trial. We know this because he was told by his wife, Curse God and die. His friends told him he was speaking wrongly about God that he shouldnt be asking Why is this happening? or claiming to be righteous. In the end of the book, God says to Jobs friends, You have not spoken rightly about Me, as has My servant Job. So as Job persevered under suffering, he maintained the ability to speak rightly about God and about his situation, and to speak rightly to God about his situation. James says if you do that, youll come to know that the Lord is full of compassion and mercy. If Gods words have been so powerful as to save us (the message of Jesus), then our words must be full of grace, integrity, and hope. Speaking with Integrity Above all, James says, do not swear not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. (Hes not talking about using foul language here; he means dont say, I swear by heaven or on my grandmothers life that something is true.) All you need to say is a simple yes or no. Otherwise you will be condemned. Having a community that always speaks truth is essential to God growing His kingdom on the earth absolutely essential. Jesus spoke to the leaders, and throughout Jamess letter you find heaps of connections to Jesus Sermon on the Mount. This teaching on oaths is one of those connections. In Matthew 5 Jesus said: Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made. But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is Gods throne; or by the earth, for it is His footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair black or white. All you need to say is simply Yes or No; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. (I think I sort of can make one hair black or white but I have to pay a lot of money!) Providing backing for your words actually undermines their truthfulness. If you feel the need to say, Ive got heavens backing for this truth Im telling you, then what are we to think about what you say normally? And what happens if it turns out not to be true? Its greatly risky to claim any sort of divine power behind your words because if you break that oath and youve called on God to back you up, well, maybe He wont be too pleased. If youve broken it, youve associated the truthful, holy God with your deceit. Jesus says you need to simply say yes or no. Are you a person of integrity or not? Why would you need to call on something that you have absolutely no power over? Instead, just be a person who speaks out of the integrity of your heart. Jesus goes on to say in Matthew 12: The mouth speaks what the heart is full of. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that everyone will have to give an account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned. Jesus isnt proposing a different measure of salvation here; Hes saying that our words show whether our heart is truly connected to God. Your words show whether the Word of God thats been given to you that could save you, that could give you new birth has really done that. Your verbal integrity shows that you are a friend of God and not of the world. James wants his community to be people of the utmost integrity in their speech. And its so important, especially for a new church thats telling the world we speak the truth. This message about Jesus is the truth! Yet if we then say other things that arent true, what will the world think? (Fast forward 2,000 years and you can see what the world thinks.) And what if we want to be open to the work of the Spirit among us open to everybody having a go at understanding what the Scriptures mean for us today but we cant be sure people are speaking the truth? Then, boy, youd have to shut things down to the narrowest little channel, with one leader at the front, and put all your hope in them being the only one to say things from God. No we need to speak honestly and truthfully. Of course well come at things from different perspectives (thats okay); we gather around the word of truth together and we dont deceive. We come to God and say, show us, and Hes given us plenty of Scriptures to help in that regard. Verbal integrity is central to Christian community. So, to recap: Gods Word is powerful to save and to guide. Our words are powerful for good or ill. Our words to God are powerful for ourselves and others. So, James concludes: Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. James says the best use of our words, in good times and bad, is always to involve God. There is nothing too small, nothing too big, nothing too good, nothing too bad our words are not simply to go on the horizontal; we are always invited (indeed, it is Gods intention) to involve Him with our words in everything. Of course, when its something small, you might think, does it really matter? Well, if youve done the Prayer Course or read anything by Pete Greig, he often talks about how if you are in the habit of bringing everything to God, then you start to see Gods answers in the small and the big, and gratitude wells up in you. I think your language to other people then becomes more gracious and hopeful as well. I believe James would say that your expectation about God in your words is everything. Recently I lost a necklace. Id taken it off when we went swimming and put it in the car. I thought at the time, This is risky youre not going to remember where you put it. I do lose things a bit (I could probably put that on my diagnosis sheet), and it really struck me; I thought, Is this wise? Is this a good spot? Whats going to happen? Anyway, when I went to find it again, the only thing I could think was, Megan, you lose things all the time and you put it in a really risky spot. I couldnt even bring myself to look in the safe or obvious places; I was convinced: you took a huge risk (you do this all the time), so its gone. Of course, Phil went and found the necklace in a really easy spot just in the little side-door pocket no problem. Meanwhile I was imagining wild scenarios: Did I put it in a shoe? Did it fall out on the ground? It was madness. My expectation while looking for it was basically, I always lose things; Im probably not going to find it, and I wasnt even going to look in the obvious spot because I assumed it wouldnt be there. James says we are so like that when it comes to prayer. Were great at making our spreadsheets and plans, but we dont think to go to prayer. We think, Well, I havent really found answers to my prayers in the past I always lose things and so we dont do it. But James says: just do it with everything. When youre in trouble, pray (pray for yourself you dont have to wait for someone else). When youre happy, sing songs of praise (if youre doing that outside of church, just make sure no ones around unless youre really great at singing, then, you know, put it on the internet!). James wants us to know that in the midst of all the human wisdom we can glean from his book (and you dont have to be a Christian to find incredible wisdom in Jamess advice to speak rightly and avoid hypocrisy anybody can learn from the fact that one word can cause huge damage), the distinctive thing about Christianity is that we expect God to answer prayer that we can access God for ourselves and for others. (As Phoebe told me, shes seeing a lot of people saying, Id vote for Jesus; Im not a Christian, but I would vote for Jesus. I love what Jesus stands for. I completely agree imagine what incredibly compassionate policies we might see! But people often dont realize that Jesus also talked about the weirdest stuff: Connect with God. Pray. Expect God to answer. Know that God is a good Father and will give you everything you need.) So as much as we might say Jesus would have great social policies, the truly distinctive thing about Christianity is that we expect that God will answer prayer that we can access God for ourselves and for others. Conclusion This year were calling ourselves to Start Right. God wants us to know that His Word is powerful, and that we are to treasure what we have to soak ourselves in the Word as much as we can, to talk about it, and to talk to God about it. And as we are planted in Him, we must use our words rightly, noticing how we speak to each other here and moving beyond just avoiding the negative. Its not only about saying, Im not going to say bad things, but actually making a positive contribution: Im going to speak truth. Im going to speak hope. Im going to speak grace. Im not going to grumble. And finally, were going to talk to God. Prayer is really the only thing. Im pretty good at making things on Canva and keeping spreadsheets (though updating them and keeping my files consistent not so good). But without prayer, what do those efforts amount to? To quote Pete Greig again: Without prayer, Alpha is just advertising a religious product. Without prayer, church planting is just rolling out outlets for a franchise for the religiously inclined. Without prayer, our works in social transformation are just (lets be honest) second-rate social work. Without prayer, we might feel religious, but we dont have a relationship an interactive encounter with the living God. So this year, as we seek to have people know (and for ourselves to know) that God is really among us, it comes down to this: involving God in every single aspect of our lives. Talking to Him, listening to Him, praising, seeking help, and getting others to help us in prayer as well. Now, Im going to pray for us, and as the band comes up I want to ask you to consider whether you would like God to give you a greater hunger for prayer this year. Only you know if thats something you need. Im not going to ask anyone to stand up or raise a hand, but I am asking you to make a commitment to God that youre seeking a greater hunger, and that if He gives it to you, you will act on it. So lets pray. Almighty God, Your words are powerful, and we always want to respond to them. For those of us who need to respond in this way, Lord, we ask that You would see us and our great desire to involve You to have an interactive, encountering relationship with You through prayer. For those of us making that commitment, Lord, we now ask that Your Holy Spirit give us a greater hunger for prayer in 2025. And Lord, where You pour out Your Spirit and give us a hunger for prayer, may we not ignore or abuse that gift, but act to slake that thirst and meet that hunger by praying. May it be our gift to the world, to ourselves, to this church. And may we find ourselves so deeply in love with who You are our faith refreshed and our confidence in Your power immensely grown this year. Amen.

How do we respond to lifes challengeswith grumbling or with patience? In this sermon from the Book of James, we explore the power of words, the call to integrity, and the life-changing impact of prayer. James reminds us that just as a farmer waits for rain, we too must trust in Gods timing. Whether we face trials, joy, or uncertainty, our words and prayers matter. Join us as we reflect on starting right this yearanchored in faith, truth, and the power of Gods presence. To catch up on the latest sermons from Deep Creek, go to iTunes, Spotify ordeepcreekanglican.comand check out the website for more info about whats happening. We are a welcoming and growing multigenerational church in Doncaster East in Melbourne with refreshing faith in Jesus Christ. We think that looks like being life-giving to the believer, surprising to the world, and strengthening to the weary and doubting. Read the transcript Scripture Reading (James 5:720) Be patient then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near. Dont grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Jobs perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple Yes or No. Otherwise you will be condemned. Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray.Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins. (This is the word of the Lord.) Introduction Well, this is the last in a series from the Book of James, but well actually be considering the entire message of the book. If you havent been here for the series, thats absolutely fine youll still get plenty out of the text today. At the moment, my social media feed seems to be full of fact-checking videos. When someone in authority says things about, maybe, medicine or demographics or how things are in the world, someone else pops up over the top of that video and talks about whether the facts being shared are accurate whether the speaker is interpreting the information properly, whether the evidence is really there. I dont know that I ever expected wed need this rise of fact-checking when authoritative figures speak. It might be the news or whatever, but suddenly we do need fact-checkers. And of course, we went through a period on social media where little flags would come up saying, we dont think that this actually tells the facts (that feature has apparently been removed on some platforms). Its a strange world where we know the power of words, and yet its so easy to disagree about whether those words convey truth. We might find information being presented to us, but truth is another thing altogether. The Book of James is very concerned with the power of words and the truth of those words. Its concerned with how we respond to the powerful Word of God, and also how our own words reflect the fact that weve had the powerful Word of God implanted in our lives. We see at the beginning of James that Gods Word is powerful to save and to guide. As we get towards chapter 3, we see that our words are powerful for good or ill we can really damage people, community, and situations by what we say. And now in chapter 5, we see the intersection of those two things: Gods Word is powerful, our words are powerful, and our words to God are exceedingly powerful for ourselves and others. But the foundation of all of this, for James, is the powerful, growing, life-giving action of the Word of God. He uses language like this in chapter 1: He chose to give us birth through the word of truth. Then he calls all believers to humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Not simply telling you about God, but this Word that God has revealed about Himself not simply a book, but Gods revelation about Himself in Jesus Christ (the Good News about who He is, who we are, and how we can be together) and this Word can save you. Of course, the risk of telling people that the Word of God saves you is that we can feel like once weve heard the Word, were good. Its done its job; weve listened, weve sat here (Megans gone on and on), and were good. But James says, no, no, thats not actually listening that God requires. Do not merely listenand so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Whoever looks intently into the perfect law (James often uses law, word, and truth interchangeably) that gives freedom, and continues in it not forgetting what they have heard but doing it they will be blessed in what they do. (In other words, hearing Gods Word isnt enough; we must do it.) The Word of God is able to save and give you new birth, and as you live it out, you actually flourish you are blessed. James then concludes the letter with the words we heard today: My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins. James knows that we live in a world full of information, and that we have power to convince people of just about anything. (People have said about me, she could sell ice to Eskimos. That means its hard to know because of a convincing tone whether the information someone is conveying is actually truth.) But James centers on three words truth, law, and word as the core of Gods action in our lives. So when we use our words, ultimately the most powerful thing we can do on earth is to bring people to the truth. And when you do that, you cover over a multitude of sins, because the truth is the message about Jesus gift of forgiveness, grace, and eternal life. So James wants us to know that if Gods words have been so powerful as to save us, then our words must be full of grace, integrity, and hope. We saw in chapter 3 the damage that can be done by the negative use of words. (Like a forest fire set off by one tiny spark, our words can cause damage: gossip, rumors, slander, cruelty, deceit destroying relationships and community.) But now, as we come to the end in chapter 5, James starts to talk about using our words in a positive way the power of positive words. Patience in Suffering The first thing he addresses is our patience under suffering and how we speak during that suffering. Be patient then, brothers and sisters, until the Lords coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lords coming is near. Dont grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door. In the midst of their trials (and James has never glossed over the fact that being a Christian may lead to deprivation, alienation, doubts, questions, hardship he started the very letter with, Consider it pure joy whenever you face trials of many kinds.) he sees the need for patience. Just like the Israelites moving from Egypt to the Promised Land: that time in the wilderness was meant to strengthen them, to give them a legacy of trusting God for everything. God was always faithful. And so, just as a farmer knows the rains are coming, they had to be patient on this journey because the Judge is at the door Jesus is coming. But you know what happens when youre having a hard time? You tend to look around for anyone or anything that can become the target of your sense of unease, dis-ease. (I dont know if youve ever had to say this: Im sorry for what I said when I was hungry. In our household, that tends to be Sunday afternoons Meghan coming home around 1 PM, and I have actually had to text Phil, Im coming in hot. Like, just have the carbohydrates on the table, dont talk to me, Im going to need something. And those Tim Tams that I told you to save oh, they better still be there!) Weve worked it out now; they are there, because weve had some good family meetings about this recently, clarifying expectations and making sure nobody is grumbling. James knows that when youre under pressure under pressure as a family, as friends, as housemates, as a church (financial pressure, persecution, interest rates, whatever it is) you look around and you grumble and fight, pushing your frustrations outwards. I find that Im often looking for something to retrofit my bad feelings into. Im looking for an excuse to be grumpy at something, and that thing isnt even whats making me feel bad but Ill pretend it is so I can vent it. James is saying: you will go through hard times as a community. Do not grumble at each other (like the Israelites did, even though God was faithful). The Lord is coming, and you will be provided for. So then he moves on: Okay, if youre not going to grumble, can you instead speak graciously under that pressure? Can your words be full of integrity and hope even when times are hard? He gives us an example of patience in suffering: Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. They persevered under suffering but continued to speak rightly about God. (Thats not to say they didnt complain about their circumstances to God. We know Jeremiah, who endured all kinds of physical, emotional, and social suffering, was very honest with God. Elijah spoke very frankly with God: Im the only one left; Youve left me here! And God said, Youre hungry have a nap and a snack, and now lets talk.) The prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord persevered in speaking rightly about God and His mission on the earth, and in speaking rightly to God, bringing their struggles to Him. Youve also heard of Jobs perseverance and seen what the Lord finally brought about (The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.). Job, too, is an example of someone who did not sin in what he said, even though he was under great suffering and trial. We know this because he was told by his wife, Curse God and die. His friends told him he was speaking wrongly about God that he shouldnt be asking Why is this happening? or claiming to be righteous. In the end of the book, God says to Jobs friends, You have not spoken rightly about Me, as has My servant Job. So as Job persevered under suffering, he maintained the ability to speak rightly about God and about his situation, and to speak rightly to God about his situation. James says if you do that, youll come to know that the Lord is full of compassion and mercy. If Gods words have been so powerful as to save us (the message of Jesus), then our words must be full of grace, integrity, and hope. Speaking with Integrity Above all, James says, do not swear not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. (Hes not talking about using foul language here; he means dont say, I swear by heaven or on my grandmothers life that something is true.) All you need to say is a simple yes or no. Otherwise you will be condemned. Having a community that always speaks truth is essential to God growing His kingdom on the earth absolutely essential. Jesus spoke to the leaders, and throughout Jamess letter you find heaps of connections to Jesus Sermon on the Mount. This teaching on oaths is one of those connections. In Matthew 5 Jesus said: Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made. But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is Gods throne; or by the earth, for it is His footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair black or white. All you need to say is simply Yes or No; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. (I think I sort of can make one hair black or white but I have to pay a lot of money!) Providing backing for your words actually undermines their truthfulness. If you feel the need to say, Ive got heavens backing for this truth Im telling you, then what are we to think about what you say normally? And what happens if it turns out not to be true? Its greatly risky to claim any sort of divine power behind your words because if you break that oath and youve called on God to back you up, well, maybe He wont be too pleased. If youve broken it, youve associated the truthful, holy God with your deceit. Jesus says you need to simply say yes or no. Are you a person of integrity or not? Why would you need to call on something that you have absolutely no power over? Instead, just be a person who speaks out of the integrity of your heart. Jesus goes on to say in Matthew 12: The mouth speaks what the heart is full of. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that everyone will have to give an account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned. Jesus isnt proposing a different measure of salvation here; Hes saying that our words show whether our heart is truly connected to God. Your words show whether the Word of God thats been given to you that could save you, that could give you new birth has really done that. Your verbal integrity shows that you are a friend of God and not of the world. James wants his community to be people of the utmost integrity in their speech. And its so important, especially for a new church thats telling the world we speak the truth. This message about Jesus is the truth! Yet if we then say other things that arent true, what will the world think? (Fast forward 2,000 years and you can see what the world thinks.) And what if we want to be open to the work of the Spirit among us open to everybody having a go at understanding what the Scriptures mean for us today but we cant be sure people are speaking the truth? Then, boy, youd have to shut things down to the narrowest little channel, with one leader at the front, and put all your hope in them being the only one to say things from God. No we need to speak honestly and truthfully. Of course well come at things from different perspectives (thats okay); we gather around the word of truth together and we dont deceive. We come to God and say, show us, and Hes given us plenty of Scriptures to help in that regard. Verbal integrity is central to Christian community. So, to recap: Gods Word is powerful to save and to guide. Our words are powerful for good or ill. Our words to God are powerful for ourselves and others. So, James concludes: Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. James says the best use of our words, in good times and bad, is always to involve God. There is nothing too small, nothing too big, nothing too good, nothing too bad our words are not simply to go on the horizontal; we are always invited (indeed, it is Gods intention) to involve Him with our words in everything. Of course, when its something small, you might think, does it really matter? Well, if youve done the Prayer Course or read anything by Pete Greig, he often talks about how if you are in the habit of bringing everything to God, then you start to see Gods answers in the small and the big, and gratitude wells up in you. I think your language to other people then becomes more gracious and hopeful as well. I believe James would say that your expectation about God in your words is everything. Recently I lost a necklace. Id taken it off when we went swimming and put it in the car. I thought at the time, This is risky youre not going to remember where you put it. I do lose things a bit (I could probably put that on my diagnosis sheet), and it really struck me; I thought, Is this wise? Is this a good spot? Whats going to happen? Anyway, when I went to find it again, the only thing I could think was, Megan, you lose things all the time and you put it in a really risky spot. I couldnt even bring myself to look in the safe or obvious places; I was convinced: you took a huge risk (you do this all the time), so its gone. Of course, Phil went and found the necklace in a really easy spot just in the little side-door pocket no problem. Meanwhile I was imagining wild scenarios: Did I put it in a shoe? Did it fall out on the ground? It was madness. My expectation while looking for it was basically, I always lose things; Im probably not going to find it, and I wasnt even going to look in the obvious spot because I assumed it wouldnt be there. James says we are so like that when it comes to prayer. Were great at making our spreadsheets and plans, but we dont think to go to prayer. We think, Well, I havent really found answers to my prayers in the past I always lose things and so we dont do it. But James says: just do it with everything. When youre in trouble, pray (pray for yourself you dont have to wait for someone else). When youre happy, sing songs of praise (if youre doing that outside of church, just make sure no ones around unless youre really great at singing, then, you know, put it on the internet!). James wants us to know that in the midst of all the human wisdom we can glean from his book (and you dont have to be a Christian to find incredible wisdom in Jamess advice to speak rightly and avoid hypocrisy anybody can learn from the fact that one word can cause huge damage), the distinctive thing about Christianity is that we expect God to answer prayer that we can access God for ourselves and for others. (As Phoebe told me, shes seeing a lot of people saying, Id vote for Jesus; Im not a Christian, but I would vote for Jesus. I love what Jesus stands for. I completely agree imagine what incredibly compassionate policies we might see! But people often dont realize that Jesus also talked about the weirdest stuff: Connect with God. Pray. Expect God to answer. Know that God is a good Father and will give you everything you need.) So as much as we might say Jesus would have great social policies, the truly distinctive thing about Christianity is that we expect that God will answer prayer that we can access God for ourselves and for others. Conclusion This year were calling ourselves to Start Right. God wants us to know that His Word is powerful, and that we are to treasure what we have to soak ourselves in the Word as much as we can, to talk about it, and to talk to God about it. And as we are planted in Him, we must use our words rightly, noticing how we speak to each other here and moving beyond just avoiding the negative. Its not only about saying, Im not going to say bad things, but actually making a positive contribution: Im going to speak truth. Im going to speak hope. Im going to speak grace. Im not going to grumble. And finally, were going to talk to God. Prayer is really the only thing. Im pretty good at making things on Canva and keeping spreadsheets (though updating them and keeping my files consistent not so good). But without prayer, what do those efforts amount to? To quote Pete Greig again: Without prayer, Alpha is just advertising a religious product. Without prayer, church planting is just rolling out outlets for a franchise for the religiously inclined. Without prayer, our works in social transformation are just (lets be honest) second-rate social work. Without prayer, we might feel religious, but we dont have a relationship an interactive encounter with the living God. So this year, as we seek to have people know (and for ourselves to know) that God is really among us, it comes down to this: involving God in every single aspect of our lives. Talking to Him, listening to Him, praising, seeking help, and getting others to help us in prayer as well. Now, Im going to pray for us, and as the band comes up I want to ask you to consider whether you would like God to give you a greater hunger for prayer this year. Only you know if thats something you need. Im not going to ask anyone to stand up or raise a hand, but I am asking you to make a commitment to God that youre seeking a greater hunger, and that if He gives it to you, you will act on it. So lets pray. Almighty God, Your words are powerful, and we always want to respond to them. For those of us who need to respond in this way, Lord, we ask that You would see us and our great desire to involve You to have an interactive, encountering relationship with You through prayer. For those of us making that commitment, Lord, we now ask that Your Holy Spirit give us a greater hunger for prayer in 2025. And Lord, where You pour out Your Spirit and give us a hunger for prayer, may we not ignore or abuse that gift, but act to slake that thirst and meet that hunger by praying. May it be our gift to the world, to ourselves, to this church. And may we find ourselves so deeply in love with who You are our faith refreshed and our confidence in Your power immensely grown this year. Amen.

Pastor Josef teaches on expecting the promises of God in every area of our lives.

**Thank you for supporting this ministry, I lovingly refer to as "The Little Green Pasture." Click here: PayPal: http://paypal.me/JoanStahl **Please prayerfully consider becoming a ministry partner: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/joaniestahl **Contact Email: jsfieldnotes@gmail.com **Subscribe to me on Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-534183 Weariness is always a part of our journeys. There is no doubt that Jesus was weary in His earthly journeys though there is only one reference of it. "Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour." John 4:6. As soon as He sat down on Jacob's well, the encounter with the woman of Samaria would never have happened. He was humanly thirsty, and she was spiritually thirsty. Both were able to give water to each other. However, He said to her, "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw." (vs. 14-15). Here we see Jesus Christ the "Well of Salvation, sitting down upon "Jacob's well," and "a well of water springing up unto eternal life," entered into the woman. We never read any where else that Jesus drank of that well, but perhaps was satisified spiritually the same as her. Do not be afraid to let go of all the spiritual business when weariness happens. Instead sit down. Do not be surprised to realize that this is a very real place. The same as places of weariness that Jesus had, and Paul and John the Revelator experienced when in prisons wrote all the letters to the churches. Expect God to do things you would never expect, and you will drink of the artesian wells of eternity and be refreshed and strengthen to continue on your own journeys to the Heavenly Mount Zion, "The City whose builder and Maker is God." "We have looked up. We have seen the lovely radiance of that upper air. But our feet must walk the ways of the earth down that dreary hill past those somber trees, and into the valley, before we can press up through the mist and stand under shining skies." ~ Amy Carmichael.

New Year's resolutions often set us up for disappointment by focusing on our efforts. The same can be true for Christians resolving to be "better" through more prayer, Bible study, or church attendance. This year, instead of self-dependent resolutions, we need ones that rely on God. Using Psalm 135, Rich Crosby offers an alternative vision for spiritual growth: allowing, celebrating, and expecting God to be God.Support the show

This is Dr. Pete Norris from The Beauty of Grace Podcast. We would love to hear from you. Support the show

This is Dr. Pete Norris from The Beauty of Grace Podcast. We would love to hear from you. Support the show

Have you ever wondered how to bring the Lord into your work, expanding your prayer life beyond personal devotion? In this episode, we explore missional prayer—prayer that aligns our hearts with the Holy Spirit, focusing on the transformation of our parishes and neighborhoods. It's about moving beyond inward devotion to intentional, outward-facing prayer for mission and evangelization. Discover how coming together as a community to seek God's guidance and power can bring about renewal and fruitfulness in our mission. Learn to pray with a purpose, trusting that God wants to work through us to reach those who don't yet know Him. Join me as I talk with Hannah Vaughan-Spruce, Executive Director of Divine Renovation UK, who shares her insights on: [01:50] Hannah's Faith Journey [06:25] Introduction to Divine Renovation [15:43] Mission Inspired Prayer [28:25] The Role of Prayer in Parish Meetings [31:53] The Importance of Expecting God to Speak [36:14] Unique Features of Missional Prayer [45:33] Implementing Missional Prayer in Parishes [50:04] Building a Culture of Prayer in Parishes Check out the Genesis Compass (https://compass.divinerenovation.org/)! For more practical advice and experiences from real people sharing their mission with the world, go to https://equip.archomaha.org/podcast/. A Production of the Archdiocese of Omaha Editor: Taylor Schroll (ForteCatholic.com)

One thing I ask of the LORD, and this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and seek Him in his holy temple.” (Psalm 27) Welcome to worship! Scripture Reference: Malachi 3:1-4, 2 Peter 3:1-18 12/8/24

A Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings!  The text Luke 1:5-25. Dive In discussion questions are below for further reflection! To see this sermon in the context of the worship service it comes from, find it here on YouTube.  Or, head to our website to connect with the worshiping community of Immanuel CRC: immanuelministries.ca What do you want for Christmas? What does God want to give? Do you expect anything from him? On a scale of one to ten, where would you put your level of doubt. Do you believe that God can use you despite your doubt. As you travel through this advent, keep your eyes open to the joy that God gives. Expect God to use you to bring joy to other people.

In this sermon, Pastor Andrew Staggs continues through Psalm 23, as we look at God's grace & mercy. He encourages us to examine our perceptions of God and challenges us to embrace His ever-present mercy and love. He articulates the distinction between grace and mercy, emphasising that God's love isn't merely theoretical but tangible. Finishing the message with the final thought that we should eagerly expect that God's goodness and mercy will follow us.

This week Pastor Justin talks about what we bring to the house and presence of God!   You can now see on our Youtube Channel by following this link: Expect (Bring It Pt. 6)   Important Points: I can Expect God to Move in Miracles!   Important Scriptures (NLT version unless stated otherwise):   Matthew 9:22 Luke 17:17-19 Luke 18:35-43 Matthew 15:2 Matthew 10:8 Luke 9:1-2

As we conclude our Season series, God's Word will teach us how to thrive in Times of Transition. Through the muck and mayhem, God has miracles for your life and your family. Expect God to open up brighter days in every step of faith you take in your spiritual journey! We invite you to share your thoughts and connect with us on social media. You can find us on Facebook by searching for Core Church Tampa and liking our page, or on YouTube by subscribing to our channel. You can also reach us by emailing connect@corechurchtampa.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

This is Dr. Pete Norris from The Beauty of Grace Podcast. We would love to hear from you. Support the show

Expect God to rescue you.

Meek "You're blessed when you're content with just who you are-no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought." (Matthew 5:5) It must be said right from the beginning that meekness is NOT weakness. It takes a strong character to deliberately set aside their rights. For example Moses was the meekest man in all the earth (Number 12:1-3) and Moses was not a weak-willed character! Meekness is accepting God's dealings with us as good, without dispute or resistance. Meekness is effectively trusting God to be God! The meek person is somebody who claims no rights of their own, and who is willing to yield all possessions and personal rights to God. The meek person sees possessions as being loaned to them by God for His work & glory. We see this in the example of Jesus Christ (Philippians 2v5-6) and it was also in evidence in the early church (Acts 5v12). But why should Christians give up their rights? You do so because you belong to God, through your own volition. As a Christian, "You are not your own, you were bought at a price" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Contradictory to this, is the way of the world, which insists that every person has rights and that they have a right to use their rights! What do you gain by handing over your own rights to God? Amongst other things you gain inner satisfaction and peace (Psalm 22:26; 37:8-11) and an increased joy in the Lord (Isaiah 29:19) What steps can you follow which may help you be meek? 1. Firstly identify the areas, which tend to get you angry or worried. Allow your heart to be a workshop of the Holy Spirit and prayerfully think through each area and yield each one of them to Him, with no strings attached. These areas may include things like lifestyle; marriage; friendships; reputation; possessions; health; money or time. When these are yielded to God, God is then responsible for these areas of our lives and we can live on the basis of "Everything works for the good of those who love Him..." (Romans 8:28-29) 2. Expect God to test His rights. As each right is yielded, God will probably allow situations to occur which will deny you these rights. These are opportunities to see if the right was really yielded. It may be necessary once again to yield that right to Jesus Christ. 3. Finally, acknowledge you are God's possession and His responsibility (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) and thank God in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18) Right mouse click or tap here to save this Podcast as a MP3.

Does following God really make life easier? In week 2 of “Bad Theology”, Ryan unpacks a common misconception about the Bible and helps us understand how to have peace even when our life is far from peaceful.

God is a rule breaker, and loves to break the rules in your life.  He will do this to show you how much He loves you.  God's unexplainable peace, the undeserved favor of the Lord, and His amazing grace - are rule breakers in our lives.  Expect God to make exceptions for you and when He does let God use you!

Today's BIG Life Bible Study is “Guided By the Spirit” … literally.Once again, while studying this morning, I felt prompted to keep this one unscripted and simply study this word with you.Our scriptures for today are:• Psalms 32: 8-9• 2 Samuel 12• Galatians 5:25Do you EXPECT God's guidance today? Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamelaOr Facebook […]

Believers Voice of Victory Audio Broadcast for 7/05/2024. How can we lose if God is for us? Watch Believer's Voice of Victory as Kenneth Copeland and Jerry Savelle share why you can expect God to fulfill His promises. Begin to understand and believe that God wants His BLESSINGS and benefits manifesting in your life daily!

Believers Voice of Victory Video Broadcast for 7/05/2024. How can we lose if God is for us? Watch Believer's Voice of Victory as Kenneth Copeland and Jerry Savelle share why you can expect God to fulfill His promises. Begin to understand and believe that God wants His BLESSINGS and benefits manifesting in your life daily!

FINDING POWER OVER ERRORACTS 13:1-12 I.      The Desperate Need: Power in Gospel Outreach A.    Truth decay and the reality of spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6:10-18) B.    Handling opposition in evangelism and apologetics C.    Finding spiritual power for the proclamation and defense of the gospel II.     The Spreading Flame: The Acts of the Holy Spirit A.    The birth of the church through the work of Jesus Christ, Lord of all. B.    Jesus: “You will receive power from the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:8; John 14:16-17) C. Beginning of great gospel adventures—and conflicts (Acts 14:22) III.     Preparation for Ministry (Acts 13:1-3) A.    Prophets and teachers: Spirit-empowered ministry positions B.    Multi-ethnic ministry (Galatians 3:26-28) C.    Fasting and prayer before God and with the church (Acts 2:42; 3:1; 4:24; 6:4; 10:31; 14:23; 28:8) D.    Prayer and fasting in the ministry of Jesus (Matthew 4:1-2; 6:16-18; 9:5) E.    God's corporate call for mission (Matthew 28:18-20; Luke 24:45-49: Acts 1:8) F.    Paul's individual call to mission (Acts 9:1-19; Galatians 1:11-24) His first excursion to the Gentiles G.    Power principle #1: We need a God-ward orientation to discern God's call to mission and to receive God's power over error. H.    Power principle #2: We need the wisdom of the church to discern God's call to mission and to receive God's power over error. IV.     Beginning the Mission (Acts 13:4-5) A.    The importance of Paul's first mission; door opened to the Gentiles B.    Sent out by the Holy Spirit (second reference to the Holy Spirit) C.    Proclaimed the Word of God by the Spirit (2 Timothy 3:14-17; Hebrews 4:12) D.    John was their helper (Romans 12:8; 1 Corinthians 12:28) E.    Power principle #3: We need to proclaim God's word to find power over error. F.    Power principle #4: Behind the scenes helpers are vital for powerful ministry. V.     The Power of Error: Enter the Sorcerer (Acts 13:6-8)     A.    Team traveled a long distance for the gospel; sacrifice (Matthew 10:37-38) B.    Bar-Jesus: Jewish sorcerer and false prophet (Deuteronomy 18:9-14, 20; Acts 8:9-11; Revelation 22:15) C.    Sergius Paulus: intelligent Roman political leader. Wanted to hear the Word of God. This is an open door for the gospel. Considering Sergius Paulus's authority, the mission team probably could not have refused his offer; that adds extra pressure.  D.    Elymas wants to shut the open door for the gospel. Conflict and controversy ensue.  E.    Power principle #5: The power of error opposes the truth of the gospel. VI.     Power Over Error: Enter Paul (Acts 13:9-11) A.    Saul, called Paul (Roman version of the Semitic Saul) B.    “Filled with the Holy Spirit” (third reference to the Holy Spirit) C.    Stared him down with condemning truth. He is a: 1.    Child of the devil (John 8:44) 2.    Enemy of everything right (Matthew 13:39) 3.    Full of deceit and trickery (Matthew 13:19) 4.    Paul's question…not answered by the sorcerer. 5.    Blinded, for a time (Isaiah 44:25-26) D.    Power principle #6: A Spirit-filled and biblical-informed Christian challenges error courageously. VII.     Power Over Error in Evangelism (Acts 13:12) A.    Sergius Paulus was amazed at God's truth and power; he believed B.    Miracles and teaching work together through the Holy Spirit, all backed by prayer and holy living. C.    Power principle #7: God's work in God's way finds power over error, but this does not eliminate hardships and setbacks in our mission (Acts 14:22). VIII.     Finding Power Over Error Today A.    Spirit-led and biblically informed mission generates opposition to its mandate.  B.    Prepare for spiritual opposition as you explain, proclaim, and defend the gospel. C.    Applying these seven power principles today 1.    Find godly fellowship (Acts 2:42) 2.    Seek God in prayer and fasting (Matthew 6:16-18) 3.    Study and share God's Word (Psalm 119; 2 Timothy 3:15-17) 4.    Expect opposition and controversy (Matthew 10:34-39) 5.    Find humble helpers—and be a humble helper 6.    Expose error courageously in God's timing (Joshua 1:6-9) 7.    Expect God to vindicate God's truth, but not without hardships. Recommended reading: 1.    Sharon Beekman, Silencing Satan (Wipf and Stock, 2012). Major academic study by one who understands the demonic world by experience and through study as a Christian. 2.    Mark Bubeck, Overcoming the Adversary (Moody Press, 1984). On spiritual warfare. An updated version is called Warfare Prayer.3.    Ajith Fernando. The NIV Application Commentary: Acts (Zondervan, 1998). Excellent and practical commentary. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Michael Warren is passionate about equipping fathers and mentors to guide young boys into manhood. His goal is to facilitate adventure moments that give sons an answer to the question, “When did I become a man?” In part one of this conversation, Michael describes how dads can define and model the timeless principles of manhood to their kids.      Key Takeaways   Fathers must communicate a clear definition of manhood.  Middle school is a strategic time to start calling boys up and out of the home—away from distractions like video games—and into learning led by dad.  A REAL man Rejects passivity, Expects God's greater rewards, Accepts responsibility, and Leads courageously.  REAL men have a work to do, a will to obey, a woman to love, and a world to serve.   Michael Warren   Michael Warren is a dad of four who is passionate about equipping fathers to lead their sons into REAL masculinity. He lives in Anchorage, Alaska, where he facilitates the Alaska Knights program at ChangePoint.   Key Quotes   17:38 - "The longevity that we've enjoyed has been tied to the fact that it's really transforming men's hearts and their families and the definition of manhood and the context that we teach, where that definition plays out are really transferable and in every season." 20:54 - "A real man, R-E-A-L, R, rejects passivity. A man rejects passivity. E, expects God's greater reward. A, accepts responsibility, and L, leads courageously. So, rejects passivity, expects God's greater reward, accepts responsibility, leads courageously. Expect God's greater reward, what does that mean? Well, that means delayed gratification. That is a principle that every man needs to entertain and think about. I'm going to make sacrifice now, but I know what I'm doing and why I'm doing it. I've got energy, I've got time, I have my purity. I have these things that are God given that once I spend them, I don't get them back. Those are the main principles, this R-E-A-L. What's important to mention is that we call them the four W's. The four W's are the contexts where you can directly apply the R-E-A-L. So the four W's arem a man has a work to do, a will to obey, a woman to love and a world to serve."   Links from Today's Conversation   Spring 2024 DadAwesome Accelerator Group: Email awesome@dadawesome.org to learn more   Raising a Modern-Day Knight: A Father's Role in Guiding His Son to Authentic Manhood by Robert Lewis 215 | Creating Ceremonies, Building Life-Changing Committed Friendships & Raising Modern Day Knights (Robert Lewis)   Connect with dadAWESOME   Make a Donation to dadAWESOME Join the dadAWESOME Prayer Team Receive weekly encouragement by texting "dad" to 651-370-8618  

Listen to Chuck Pierce speak on "Adar II: Expect God! See Past Your Limitations!"

Charlie and Nathan have discussed prayer before. On this episode they engage a specific nuance of the conversation: when should we expect God to answer our prayers? And when should we pray specifically, with persistence?

Psalm 31 1 In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness. 2 Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me. 3 Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me. 4 Free me from the trap that is set for me, for you are my refuge. 5 Into my hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth. 6 I hate those who cling to worthless idols; I trust in the LORD. 7 I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul. 8 You have not handed me over to the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place. 9 Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and my body with grief. 10 My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak. 11 Because of all my enemies, I am the utter contempt of all my neighbors; I am a dread to my friends - those who see me on the street flee from me. 12 I am forgotten by them as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery. 13 For I hear the slander of many; there is terror on every side; they conspire against me and plot to take my life. 14 But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, "You are my God." 15 My times are in your hands; deliver me from my enemies and from those who pursue me. 16 Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love. 17 Let me not be put to shame, O LORD, for I have cried out to you; but let the wicked be put to shame and lie silent in the grave. 18 Let their lying lips be silenced, for with pride and contempt they speak arrogantly against the righteous. 19 How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you. 20 In the shelter of your presence you hide them from the intrigues of men; in your dwelling you keep them safe from accusing tongues. 21 Praise be to the LORD, for he showed his wonderful love to me when I was in a besieged city, 22 In my alarm I said, "I am cut off from your sight!" Yet you heard my cry for mercy when I called to you for help. 23 Love the LORD, all his saints! The LORD preserves the faithful, but the proud he pays back in full. 24 Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD. (NIV 84) FROM THE LESSON Shaquille O'Neal has some of the biggest hands in the history of the NBA. His hands are 10.25 inches in length and 12 inches in width. Jeremiah used the phrase "terror on every side" six times in his writings: Jeremiah 6:25, 20:3, 20:10, 46:5, 49:29, Lamentations 2:22. The "cross trilogy" in the Psalms is made up of Psalm 22, Psalm 31, and Psalm 69. These three psalms uniquely bring us close to the heart of Jesus when he was on the cross.  The Hebrew word translated as "spirit" in verse 5 literally is the word for breath. Jesus is entrusting his every breath into the hands of His Father.  Wisdom about suffering: "I will never get over this sadness, but I trust the Lord will carry me through it."  DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 1. Icebreaker (optional): Use a measuring tape or ruler to see who has the largest hands in your group. Length is measured from the bend of the wrist to the top of the middle finger and width is measured from your outstretched pinky to your outstretched thumb. 2. The Psalms are an incredible resource for the church. This collection of prayers and songs have given us words to say when we don't know what to say; words to pray when we don't know what to pray. Can you think of a time in your life when the psalms have blessed you in this way? Share with your group.  3. The phrase from Psalm 31 that Jeremiah repeats six times in his writings is from verse 13, "terror on every side." Read verses 9 and 10 of Psalm 31. Highlight the words that David used to describe his circumstance. Can you think of a time in your life when you have felt similar to David in these verses, like you are surrounded on every side by suffering? Share with your group.  4. Jesus' final words on the cross are taken from Psalm 31:5, "Father, into your hands, I commit my spirit." How might this prayer specifically minister to someone who is suffering? 5. This bit of wisdom about suffering was shared with me this week, "I will never get over it, but I trust the Lord will get me through it." Discuss this perspective on suffering with your group.  6. The final verse of Psalm 31 in the Message reads, "Be brave. Be strong. Don't give up. Expect God to get here soon." I summarized Eugene Peterson's words in this way: "Don't give up. Expect God to show up." How might this message encourage someone in their suffering? Discuss with your group.

”May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.“ ‭‭Romans‬ ‭15‬:‭13‬ ‭ WHAT AM I BELIEVING? WHAT I'M BELIEVING FOR IS WHAT I WILL BE LIVING FOR IS OUR LEVEL OF EXPECTATION INDICATIVE OF OUR LEVEL OF TRUST IN GOD IS OUR HOPELESS OR DISCOURAGED OUTLOOK A REFLECTION OF OUR FAITH 5 AREAS WE EXPECT GOD'S BEST FINANCES  STEWARDSHIP GUIDANCE & INVESTMENTS FAVOR IN BUSINESS RELATIONSHIPS  CONNECTION IN MARRIAGE  SOLID FRIENDSHIPS  BODY EMOTIONAL & PHYSICAL HEALING RESILIENCE IN AFFLICTION SPIRITUAL  KNOWLEDGE OF HIS WILL GROW THE MINISTRY  WISDOM DIRECTION FOR KIDS PAY EXPERIENCE FORWARD

In this life changing message by Bishop Mark Brown talks to us about starting this new year 2024 in the right direction. Don't miss this life changing message by Bishop Mark Brown The Masters Will

https://youtu.be/vaiph0BvnEw Join us for an extraordinary sermon with Pastor Mike Walrond of FCBCNYC as he delves into the profound truths of Ephesians 3:20-21 (NRSV) and Ephesians 3:19-21 (MSG) in a message titled "I Expect God." In this powerful sermon, Pastor Mike unravels the paradox between expectations and expectancy. "Expectations disappoint, but expectancy creates the environment for God to blow our minds with what He is going to do, working through us, in us, and with us," he passionately shares. Discover the liberating truth that we shouldn't approach God with rigid expectations but with a spirit of expectancy. As Pastor Mike eloquently puts it, "When you release expectations, you are free to enjoy and experience things for what they are, not the way YOU think they should be!"

EXPECT GOD TO DIRECT YOU || light in the darkness SERIES

It's part three of [Formed.] and if you missed last week with Lee Cummings or earlier this week with Ian Simkins, listen as soon as you're finished with today's episode. Today, my good friend, Addison Bevere joins us to talk about what to do when it feels like you've been abandoned by God. We'll also talk about why we expect God to sound like the accuser, and what it takes to move from self-actualization to surrender. Here's a quick bio on Addison: he is the COO of Messenger International, an organization that impacts millions of people in over 150 countries through its various initiatives, and he serves as the co-founder of SonsAndDaughters.tv. Dive Deeper: If you enjoy this episode with Addison, I'm sure you'll also enjoy the following: 343: [Formed.] Lee Cummings on Self-Care vs. Self-Obsession, Spiritual Slow-Drift, and The Disciplined Pursuit of More 344: [Formed.] Ian Simkins on Developing Critical Thinking Skills, Why Echo Chambers Are Killing Us, Why Knowledge without Wisdom Leads to Arrogance, and the Importance of Embracing Mystery in Pain ++++++ Episode Links: Addison's Website | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter Subscribe to #WinTodayShow on YouTube. Join the conversation wherever hashtags are welcome using #WinTodayShow. Get the "Win the Week" email newsletter here. ************************** This week's show partners: Get LMNT and a free gift with your purchase here! **************************