Podcasts about guarding

Before Jesus began His ministry, He faced the full force of Satan's temptations. In Part 3 of our Matthew study, we look at the third temptation—how the enemy uses doubt, distortion, and deception, and how Jesus shows us the way to overcome. [Full Description Below ⬇️] Description (Full): In this week's message, *Messiah's Temptation from the Father of Lies | Part 3*, we continue our deep study in Matthew by examining the third temptation of Jesus. Before beginning His ministry, the Messiah faced direct attacks from Satan. These temptations reveal timeless truths about how the enemy works—and how we can stand firm in God's strength. Pastor Brandon unpacks the spiritual battle behind temptation, showing us that whenever we step out in faith and obedience, we should expect pushback. Satan's tactics—doubt, denial, distortion, and deception—are still at work today. Yet, Jesus shows us how to overcome: by clinging to God's Word, refusing compromise, and worshiping God alone. We also explore practical applications for our lives: - Recognizing spiritual attacks when we step out in ministry. - Understanding the pattern of temptation that affects families, marriages, and churches. - Guarding against covetousness and idolatry by desiring God above all else. Jesus' victory over temptation assures us that He is our faithful High Priest who sympathizes with our struggles (Hebrews 4:15). He overcame so that we might overcome in Him.

DescriptionRichard and Johanna from Data Guardians Network (D-GN) join Sam to discuss building a decentralized data infrastructure for AI training. They explain how D-GN turns human input into high-quality, traceable datasets, pays contributors in stablecoins, and solves the cost, quality, and bias problems plaguing AI. They also dive into scaling challenges, community building, and the future of AI + Web3.Key Timestamps[00:00] Intro & founders' journeys into Web3 + AI.[00:03] What D-GN is: decentralized, ethical AI training data.[00:04] The gap: expensive, slow, low-quality AI data pipelines.[00:06] Why stablecoins (USDT) over a volatile native token.[00:10] Diversity of contributors = less bias in AI models.[00:12] Customer base: enterprises, gov contracts, customizable datasets.[00:14] Guarding against synthetic data contamination.[00:17] Real-world missions: localizing driverless car data.[00:20] Risk: scaling into new industries fast enough.[00:22] North Star: contributors annotating data; goal of 1M+ by year-end.[00:26] Moat: network, enterprise pipeline, gamified contributor system.[00:28] Predictions: AI + blockchain integration will explode.[00:31] Overhyped trends: meme coins, GambleFi, early-stage hype cycles.[00:33] Quantum computing will reshape the industry.[00:38] Asks: partners aligned on vision, top talent hires, industry expansion.Connecthttps://www.dataguardians.network/https://www.linkedin.com/company/data-guardians-network/https://www.linkedin.com/in/johanna-cabildo-1217b4113/https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardjohnson10/DisclaimerNothing mentioned in this podcast is investment advice and please do your own research. Finally, it would mean a lot if you can leave a review of this podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share this podcast with a friend.Be a guest on the podcast or contact us - https://www.web3pod.xyz/

In this insightful episode of Chuck's Chat Hub, host Chuck Tuck sits down with relationship experts and authors Orna and Matthew Walters to discuss their transformative book, Getting It Right This Time. Together, they unpack the powerful concept of the Love Imprint—the unconscious patterns shaped by our childhood experiences that influence how we approach love and relationships in adulthood.From dating with intention to understanding the five stages of relationships, this conversation offers practical strategies for cultivating emotional intelligence, building lasting emotional connections, and navigating the complexities of modern romance. Orna and Matthew also share how effective communication can turn conflict into deeper intimacy, and why self-awareness is a game-changer for lasting love.Key Takeaways:Your Love Imprint begins in your family of origin.Chemistry is only one piece of the love puzzle.Dating should be purposeful, not just casual.Emotional intelligence is crucial for relationship success.Understanding the five stages of relationships helps you grow together.Communication skills can turn disagreements into stronger bonds.Guarding your time may be a hidden way of avoiding love.You can't control others—focus on your own emotional state.Whether you're single, dating, or in a long-term partnership, this episode offers the tools and insights you need to break unhealthy patterns, deepen your connections, and truly get it right this time.

What threatens the church more than persecution? In this episode of Light + Truth, John Piper opens Acts 6:1–7 to show how neglecting the word endangers the church's health and mission.

SummaryIn this powerful conference sermon, Built to Be Sent, discover why God's blueprint for your life must never be neglected. Drawing from John 20:21, Pastor challenges believers to hold fast to the ancient landmarks of faith, resist drift, and live sent with boldness and urgency. Learn how the peace of Christ fuels your mission, why relationship with the risen Lord changes everything, and how to guard your calling for future generations.Whether you're a pastor, disciple, or new believer, this message will stir your faith and call you to action.Chapters0:00 – Introduction: The Southern California wildfire without water3:55 – Neglecting the blueprint leads to disaster6:35 – John 20:21 – Peace to you, I send you9:20 – The peace of salvation in the midst of trials13:40 – Jesus appears to the fearful disciples17:35 – Peace as a posture, not a feeling21:20 – Three essentials for mission: relationship, identity, faith25:55 – Faith over results: resisting drift from the blueprint30:35 – Guarding ancient landmarks of the Gospel34:30 – The drift of Harvard University from its mission37:50 – Fellowship convictions and generational faithfulness41:05 – “I also send you” – The Great Commission44:10 – Living sent with courage and urgencyShow NotesALL PROCEEDS GO TO WORLD EVANGELISMLocate a CFM Church near you: https://cfmmap.orgWe need five-star reviews! Tell the world what you think about this podcast at: • Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://apple.co/3vy1s5b • Podchaser: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/taking-the-land-cfm-sermon-pod-43369

National Guard troops are now patrolling the streets of the nation's capital. And leaders in other blue cities are bracing for similar tactics. How do they fight back? One Democratic mayor joins the show to discuss.  Also on this morning's show: As anticipation builds for the Trump-Putin war summit, why is the White House downplaying expectations? ... If Trump's pro-MAGA pick to head the BLS is confirmed, can we count on the data we get from him? ... How self-described Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani has opened up a huge lead in the race for NYC mayor.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Watch our services live at http://wcfav.org/ Free Downloads of Pastor Shane's E-books at https://westsidechristianfellowship.org/free-ebooks/ Donate to Westside Christian Fellowship here: https://westsidechristianfellowship.org/give/ Westside Christian Fellowship is a non-denominational Christian church that meets every every Sunday at 8:30 am & 11:00 am in Leona Valley, California (9306 Leona Avenue). For more info, or to read our statement of faith, visit westsidechristianfellowship.org/about-wcf/statement-of-faith/

 Mama, it's Back-to-School Time! New seasons bring new opportunities to refresh the rhythms in our homes. Join me for a special Mothering with Deb mentoring session where we'll talk about how to create life-giving routines that bring peace to your mornings, connection to your evenings, and joy to your days—even in the middle of homework, carpool lines, and after-school activities.We'll cover: Setting a joyful tone in the mornings After-school connection moments Sweet and intentional dinner & bedtime routines Guarding your calendar so there's time for rest and play

0900 AM-Legacy-Guarding and Giving the Gospel - Dallas Guidry - 08.10.25

In his farewell to the Ephesian elders, Paul urges believers to “pay careful attention” first to their own spiritual health and then to the well-being of those God has placed in their care. Guarding our souls and shepherding others isn't optional—it's essential for the sake of Christ and His Church, bought with His own blood.

Sunday School Recording

Pastor Bobby Schuller teaches on being led by the Holy Spirit in all aspects of life, especially in the media we consume. Learn to guard your heart and mind, with today's message: “Don't Let It In: Guarding Your Mind with God's Thoughts.”

Sermon from 8/3/2025 at Church of Our Saviour in Jacksonville, FL.

Brendan Jamieson, a pastor of our community, preaches on sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time.Readings from Sacred ScriptureEcclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-23 | Psalm 49:1-9 | Colossians 3:1-11 | Luke 12:13-21Intro for Sermon Podcasts Outro for Sermon AudioWe are a community hoping to live the Jesus-way in our city as a people of God's hospitality, God‘s restoration, and God's shalom. Learn more about All Souls Charlottesville: www.allsoulscville.com

With the Fleadh in full swing, Sergeant Eddie Wilde joins us to talk through the Gardaí's policing operation for the festival, how to spot and avoid a new banking scam doing the rounds, and a reminder about road safety across Wexford—especially with busy towns, beach traffic, and distracted driving on the rise.

What if your relationship with God isn't about performance but about intimacy? In this fresh and authentic message, Suné Bruwer shares at GraceLife Rondebosch on what it means to guard your intimacy with God in a world that constantly distracts us. Whether you feel distant, burned out, or just longing for more this message will remind you that Jesus didn't save you into religion, but into real friendship. Discover how grace-filled rhythms like community, the Word, and prayer are not religious duties, but powerful safeguards that help keep your heart burning with love for Jesus.

Canon Jonathan describes what greed can look like in our everyday lives and how to guard against it. The problem is not what we possess, but where we put our trust. When we turn to money to make us happy or keep us safe, this is idolatry. But Jesus invites us to trust our Father in heaven who cares for us and releases us from the worry of sustaining ourselves.

Jealousy is saying - “God, I like the gift that you gave to this other person better than the gifts that you gave to me.” Fr. Michael Van Sloun unpacks how easily we can fall into the various forms of greed, and how to remedy it.

This week, we continued in 2 John by exploring verses 9–11, where we looked at John's warning to the church to stay rooted in the truth of the gospel and to guard against drifting from sound doctrine. Abiding in Christ means living in Him, drawing life from Him, and bearing the fruit of obedience- not to earn salvation, but as evidence of it. John's strong caution against welcoming false teachers is not about rejecting unbelievers, but about protecting the gospel from distortion. In a world still filled with subtle lies, we’re reminded that abiding in Christ also means abiding in truth, and it's both our joy and responsibility as a church to defend that truth with love.

Throughout the New Testament, God's people are warned against following the teaching of Balaam. What does he have to do with you and me?

Records include: Who's On First by Abbott & Costello, The Man On The Flying Trapeze by Spike Jones, Guarding the Gasworks by Stanley Holloway, Casey At The  Bat by Jerry Colona and Bugs Bunny Meets Elmer Fudd by Mel Blanc.

Dallas native and longtime police officer Joe King joins Ryan and Shawn for a candid conversation about mental health in law enforcement, the evolution of officer wellness programs and how his top-ranked podcast is helping bridge the divide between the badge and the community.As a 28-year veteran of the Dallas Police Department and a leader in the Assist the Officer Foundation, Joe is on the frontlines of culture change — challenging stigmas, expanding trauma-informed care and building a support system for officers and their families. He also shares reflections on July 7, 2016, and how that moment continues to shape his mission.Interview begins @ 11:55Key Topics:The evolution of the Dallas Police Department's Officer Wellness UnitHow ATO's confidential counseling services are breaking generational stigmasThe mental toll of critical incidents — and why proactive outreach mattersLessons learned from July 7, 2016, and the path forward for officer supportBuilding a nationally recognized podcast that gives voice to untold storiesMore on Joe King & ATO:

Pastor Bobby Schuller teaches on being led by the Holy Spirit in all aspects of life, especially in the media we consume. Learn to guard your heart and mind, with today's message: “Don't Let It In: Guarding Your Mind with God's Thoughts.”

Introduction: Guard Your Heart… (Proverbs 4:20–27) With the WORD OF GOD (Proverbs 4:20–22) Psalm 119:9–11 (ESV) – How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Because it BRINGS TRUE LIFE (Prov 4:22a) Because it BRINGS LASTING HEALING (Prov 4:22b) With UNWAVERING VIGILANCE (Proverbs 4:23–27) Luke 6:45 (ESV) – The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. By Watching WHAT YOU SAY (Prov 4:24) Proverbs 13:3 (ESV) – Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin. By Controlling WHAT YOU FOCUS ON (Prov 4:25) By Directing WHERE YOU GO (Prov 4:26–27) 1 Kings 11:2–4 – ...for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love... For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods... Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! Small Group DiscussionRead Proverbs 4:20-27What was your big take-away from this passage / message?How do you guard your heart with the Word of God? How would you describe your devotional life and the ways it needs to improve?What does it look like to be vigilant in guarding your heart? How have you been lazy in guarding your heart in the past?What actions steps do you need to take moving forward?BreakoutPray for one another. AUDIO TRANSCRIPT The Lord saved me at a young age, but my relationship with Him wasn't really deep until I was a senior in high school.At that time, I became a serious student of God's Word and I bought myself a nice new Bible.Do you want to see that nice and new Bible 16 years later?Alright, thanks. I'll show Jay. Jay wants to see it.Here's how it looks now. How's it look?Some of you get it. Yeah, it does look good in some ways. It doesn't look great in other ways, though, does it?You may be wondering, did you get run over by a lawn mower or something while you were reading it?Nothing as dramatic as that, but for years, this Bible went everywhere with me.It took it to Haiti, twice to Kenya, all the missions, trips I led as a youth pastor.I preached a lot of sermons and taught a lot of lessons from this Bible.When I first bought it, I protected it. I guarded it. I kept it in the box. It came in whenever I put it into my backpack or went on a trip.But as years went by, I stopped protecting it with the box and I just hoped for the best.And I kept getting more worn out, kept getting more beat up.With each passing year, I kept looking worse and worse and worse and worse.It really bummed me out to look at this Bible and what it had become.Other people would comment on it as well, like, "Do you need to buy a new Bible or get it rebounded?"It's going to fall apart any minute.So I eventually took people up on that and I bought a nice leather-bound Bible.And I learned my lesson with my old Bible because I still have the box for the new one.And I still keep it in there all the time whenever I travel or put it into my backpack.I am resolved to guard this copy of God's Word moving forward.It has immense value to me. It is precious to me.So I want to take care of it by any means necessary.According to God's Word, there is something of immense value within youthat you often fail to consider and guard properly.Your heart. Your heart should be precious to youand you should want to take care of it by any means necessary.Over this past year, we have focused on one major theme from Scripture.God wants your heart.God wants your heart.But what if you don't want God like you used to?What if you don't want to give God your heart like you used to?This is the final week of our latest series, Heart Problems.What to do when you don't want God?Every single person in this room has a heart problem of some kind.It could be apathy and prayer, spiritual laziness and gratitude,unrepentant sin in your life.Thankfully, God has solutions to every single heart problem you can experience.Over the past few weeks, we've discovered three of God's solutionsto these heart problems.Evaluating your heart. Confessing sin from your heartand giving thanks with your heart.Maybe at this point you're thinking, "Well, Taylor, I'm good to go.I've done all those things. I've evaluated my heart.I've confessed sin from my heart. I've given thanks to my heart.Time to move on from this series and go back to the Sermon on the Mount.Thanks so much. I'm done with this."Well, not so fast.You are missing one important piece of the puzzle,and that is guarding your heart.Because if you fail to guard your heart,you will lose all the progress that you've made over the past few weeks.And all the old heart problems that you had will return and intensify.New heart problems will pop up and spiral out of control.You must protect yourself from this danger.You must do your best to resolve these heart problems when they first pop upinstead of ignoring them and leaving them undoubt with.We'll spend the rest of this message talking about what it looks liketo guard your heart in action.I want you to walk out of this series with a confidencethat you can resolve heart problems right when they appearthrough God's power and with God's methods.So before we continue, let's go to the Lord in prayer.Please pray for me, and I will pray for you.Father, we come to you with a sense of weightiness.But we all have a heart problem of some kind right now.None of us can say that we don't.I pray that we can be honest about it this morning.Bring those things to you that you can change us,that you can convict us, that you can build us up.Lord, I can do none of those things.All I can do is share your word,and you are the only one who can use your word to change lives.And I ask that you would do that this morning.I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.So over the past two Sundays,we spent a lot of time with King David in the Psalms.This morning we're going to spend some timewith King David's son Solomon in Proverbs chapter 4 verses 20 through 27.So if you have a Bible with you,you can turn to Proverbs chapter 4 verses 20 through 27.And as you turn there,let me give you a quick crash course on King Solomon.At a young age, this man was given a blank check by God himself.Name what you want, and I'll give it to you.You ever think about how awesome that is?Just imagine that.What do you think you would ask forif God gave you that blank check?Well, Solomon didn't ask for what was expected.He didn't ask for riches, for honor, or the ability to fly.That would be really cool though.No, what does he ask for instead?Wisdom.Wisdom, which is the ability to apply God's wordto every situation you experienceand every decision that you make.Wisdom is knowledge and action.And God was so pleased with this answerthat he still gave Solomon all the stuffhe didn't ask for minus the superpower flighthe didn't get that.But Solomon was blessed with so much material stuff,most importantly, with wisdom from God.And he used this wisdom to accomplish a lot of great thingslike building the first temple,but later in life, he squandered that wisdom,which we'll talk about at the end of this message.But the first nine chapters of Proverbsare written from the perspectiveof a father speaking to his son.Solomon is addressing his own son,but he's also acting like a fatherly figureto anyone who listens to what he has to say.His wise words should not be ignored.They should not be forgotten.They should be treasured.And in these chapters, Solomon tells his sonthat wisdom is the most valuable thing.It's better than silver, gold, or precious jewels.He's seek after wisdom and get it.He also warns his son against many thingsthat he should not do.But our main focus this morningis Solomon's words of wisdom about his son's heart.That is the thing that Solomon is most concerned aboutbecause if your heart is wrong,it doesn't really matter what else you get right.Solomon gives his son and everyone who readsProverbs 4, 20 through 27 the same command,guard your heart.So on your outline,guard your heart with the word of God.Guard your heart with the word of God.Let's read verses 20 through 21."My son, be attentive to my wordsand climb your ear to my sayings.Let them not escape from your sight.Keep them within your heart."These verses remind me a lot of conversationsI had with my dad when I was younger,when he made it very clear that I should listento what he had to say and not tune him out.I have very similar conversations with my own sonthat vary in their level of effectiveness and success.In those moments, I want my son, Sam, to close his mouth,open his ears, and heed my warningsto listen to what I have to say.But you have to remember that this instructionfrom an earthly father isn't the only thinghappening in this passage.Remember, this is the authoritative word of God.It's not just the end of the Andy Griffith Show.When Sheriff Andy sits down with Opieto give the major moral lesson,no, your heavenly father is sitting you downto give you commands and instructions.God himself is calling you to be attentive to his words,to incline your ears to his sayings,to not let them escape your sightand to keep them within your heart.That sounds very similar to Psalm 119-11.How can a young man keep his way pureby guarding it according to your word?With my whole heart I seek you.Let me not wander from your commandments.I have stored up your word in my heartthat I might not sin against you.You cannot guard your heart, fight sin,and lead a pure life apart from significant time in the Bible.It's just not possible.It's like trying to build a deck on the back of your housewithout any tools or any supplies of any kind.You can have the best of intentions,but you will get nowhere fast.It's not enough just to read the Bible.You need to keep it stored up in your heart.How do you do that?You push out other things to make room for it.You kill the bad habits in your life.You let go of those hobbies that hold you backand that vie for your attention.You make room for God's word by memorizing it.I know what some of you are thinking,"Taylor, I can't memorize stuff. I have a horrible memory."Let me share a universal truth with you.You memorize what you care about.If you love sports,you have a ton of information about players,games, teams, write your fingertips at all times.If you love golf in this room,you have a lot of informationdownloaded into your brain about the perfect golf swing.All the courses you want to play at in the world,if you're a movie freak,you have film knowledge, directors, actors,write in your brain,what is the focus of your memorization?What do you make the most room for in your heart?John Bunyan, the man who wrote one of the best-selling books of all time,The Pilgrim's Progress, hundreds of years ago,was described in this way."This man is a living Bible.Prick him anywhere and he will bleed the Bible.The very essence of the Bible flows from him.He cannot speak without quoting a textfor his very own purpose.He cannot speak without quoting a textfor his very soul is full of the Word of God."Is that description true of you?I wish I fit this description far more than I do.But this can describe you.It can describe me if we grab ahold of the right motivations.And let me tell you this morning,I have no desire to guilt youfor spending more time in the Bible.Do you want to know why?Because that motivation won't last beyond the end of this week.You may be diligent in studying, reading, praying this week,but it won't last any longer.You need the motivation only God can provide.You need to believe that this book is far more importantthan anything else you can set your mind toor fill your time with.Truly be convinced from your heart that reading this book,studying it, living it, applying it,blesses and benefits you in every wayand in every area of life.My yelling, my nagging, my pesteringmay make you feel like a shame dogpopped on the nose with a rolled up newspaper.But those tactics will not make you lovethe instructions of your heavenly mastereven one bit more.So let's talk about two motivationsthat will inspire you to guard your heartwith the Word of God.So on your outline,guard your heart with the Word of Godbecause it brings true life.Because it brings true life.Let's check out the first half of verse 22."For they are life to those who find them."You are only as healthy as what you consume.As the old saying goes, "You are what you eat."That is true both physically and spiritually.Your physical well-being cannot rise abovewhat you put into your body.Your spiritual well-being cannot rise abovewhat you put into your heart.When he was tempted by Satan and the wilderness,Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 8.3,"Man shall not live by bread alonebut by every word that comes from the mouth of God."Maybe you are spiritually starving this morningbecause you have never feasted on the Word of God.You have never tasted the goodness of Jesus Christin the gospel.Listen, nothing and no one can satisfy your longingsand cravings apart from Jesus Christ.Stop poisoning yourself with the junk food of this world.That diet will do nothing but make you sick,hurt your heart, and kill your eternal soul.Life is offered to you today in the Word of God.Let go of the junk food of this worldand grab a hold of Jesus Christ who suffered,died, and rose again so that you can have eternal lifethat starts now and lasts forever.Grab a hold of Christ by faith and you will have that life.Guard your heart with the Word of Godbecause it brings true lifeand because it brings true healing.Because it brings true healing.Let's read all of 22."For they are life to those who find them in healingto all their flesh."The Word of God provides a remedy for every ailment.It provides a solution to every heart problem.This book is like the ultimate Swiss army knife.It is multifaceted, multi-purpose,and useful for every situation.It is a genuine lifesaver.I can't guarantee you much,but I guarantee you there is no trial,there is no discouragement,there is no relational issuethat you cannot come to the Word of Godand find wisdom for.There is no issue, you'll come across and be like,"Well, the Bible can't help me with this.Time to buy a self-help book or watch that lifetime movie.Maybe that'll help me."No.The healing help you are looking for is in the Word of God.It's right at your fingertips.You can have access to it every single secondof every single day.And the Lord has brought me so much healing personallyby praying through Scripture,especially through the Psalms.The Psalms provide you a vocabularyfor how to pray to Godas you experience every emotion.Anger, fear, frustration, confusion, sadness,excitement, joy.Do you pray through Scripture?If you don't, let me teach you how to do it.This is very complex.Are you all ready for this?All right, really pay attention.Read a verse and then pray about it.Read the next verse and then pray about it.Read the next verse and then pray some more about it.Rinse, wash, and repeat.Can you do that?You can do that.Pray through God's Word.Pray through the Psalms.Are you overwhelmed right now?Are you at the lowest point that you've been in a long time?Are you in need of healing?Push out what the world has to say about you and your issues.Make room for what God has to say about you and your issues.Guard your heart with the Word of Godand you will experience the healing and the lifethat you are so desperate for.Guard your heart, secondly, with unwavering vigilance.With unwavering vigilance.Verse 23 is the centerpiece of this entire passage.It is one of the go-to verseswhen it comes to the importance of your heart.Solomon writes this,"Keep your heart with all vigilancefor from it flow the springs of life."After a year of repetition,you may be tired of hearing it,but I'm going to say it again,your heart is who you really are on the inside.Your heart is like a spring or a fountain.Everything that you think, say, and do flows from it.Most fountains only pour out what they are filled with.If a decorative fountain is filled with contaminated water,it will only pour out unclean water that you shouldn't drink.If a fondue fountain is filled with cheese and chocolate,you shouldn't be surprised when it only pours out cheese and chocolate.Your heart is a fountain that will only pour out what it is filled with.Have you ever come across a person who is rude in every situationand constantly rags on everyone?And then someone comes along to defend this person."Oh, well, you know, they might be rough around the edges,but deep down, he or she really is a nice and kind person."What do we think about that?Is that true?Incorrect.What is in that person's heart spews out of their mouth.Their heart is full of resentment and disrespect,so it comes out in how they talk to everyone.I can't put it any better than our Lord when He said,"The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good,and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil.For out of the abundance of the heart, his mouth speaks."You show who you really are by what you say and by what you do.And with that essential truth in mind, Solomon says,"Keep your heart with all vigilance."Vigilance.Do you know who I think of when I hear that word?McGruff the crime dog.Does anyone remember McGruff?He was a character in the '80s who was created to increase personal safetyand awareness of crime.He was a bloodhound in the trench coatwho had a really deep and intimidating voice.Does anyone know what his tagline was?Anyone remember?"Take a bite out of crime."McGruff set his sights on important issues like bullying, drug use, home invasion.And he would just be so emphatic that you have to defend yourself.You have to have alarm systems. You have to have a deadbolt on your door.McGruff wants you to be constantly aware and unwaveringly vigilantin order to guard your loved ones and yourself from the crime that wants to take a bite out of you.Well, God himself wants you to be constantly aware and unwaveringly vigilantin order to guard your heart from the sin that wants to take a bite out of you.You cannot take breaks or vacations from this vigilance.Heart security is infinitely more important than home security.Spiritually, your head needs to be on a swivel at all times.You must be circumspect, not careless, cautious, not casual.So what should you be on the lookout for?How should you guard your heart with unwavering vigilance?What should you be focused on your outline?Guard your heart with unwavering vigilance by watching what you say.By watching what you say.Let's read verse 24."Put away from you crooked speech and put devious talk far from you."Crooked speech and devious talk, what does that mean?It's not about trying to be honest, it's about trying to be honest.It's about trying to be honest.It's about trying to be honest.It's about trying to be honest.It's about trying to be honest.It's about trying to be honest.It's about trying to be honest.It's about trying to be honest.That is a stupid thought that you and I both fall for.We've already established that you show who you are on the insideby what you say on the outside.So let's run that through.If you lie to others on the outside, who does that make you on the inside?That makes you a what?A liar.It's that simple.You cannot call yourself a lover of the truthif you constantly indulge in one of the activities that God hates the most.Elsewhere in Proverbs it says, "Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord."So should you mess around with something that is described so harshly?No, we really shouldn't.The pathway of Christian speech is straight, not crooked.You need to walk the straight highway of God's truthinstead of stumbling down those side roads of deception.Put away crooked speech and devious talk by fessing up to how you've been deceitful.Sit that person, sit those people downto unravel every single lie that you've told.Those conversations sure won't be fun,but they sure will set your heart free.Put away crooked speech and devious talk by entering into tough conversations,by praying to God, "God, I know I'm going to be tempted to be dishonest.I know I'm going to be tempted to stress the truth.Guard my heart.Help me to only say what is true, even if it costs me."Put away crooked speech and devious talk by diving into Proverbs that talk about how you speak.Proverbs like the one we're studying this morning, or Proverbs 13.3,"Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life, he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin."Be vigilant in guarding your heart by guarding your mouth.Be vigilant in what you say and what you don't say.Guard your heart with unwavering vigilance by controlling what you focus on.So Solomon moves from what you say to where you look in verse 25."Let your eyes look directly forward and your gaze be straight before you."Where you look is where you'll end up.Where you look is where you'll end up.Imagine that after church, I take a nice long walk,I find myself on a road with a really steep embankment.And for some reason, I stop looking directly aheadand my eyes start to wander to the embankment.Keep looking at it, keep looking at it, keep looking at it.If I keep doing that, where am I going to end up?Smashing into the guardrail or through the guardrailand rolling down the entire road.Smashing into the guardrail or through the guardrail and rolling down the embankment.I will most likely get in a very serious accident.I could have avoided that if I had kept my eyes looking directly forwardwhere I should have been looking.Where are you looking right now?Are you looking where God wants you to look?Or are you looking where the enemy wants you to look?Where the world wants you to look?If you keep up with watching those corrupting movies and shows,you'll end up with those movies and shows rewriting your thinking.If you keep up with mindlessly, endlessly scrolling on social mediaall hours of the day, you'll end up as a spiritual zombie.As an undisciplined slacker who doesn't give his or her familythe time and attention that they deserve.If you keep up with that pornography addiction,you will end up feeling very aloneand ruining the good connection that you have with your spouse.You become what you behold.Be vigilant in guarding your heart by controlling where you lookand what you focus on.Finally, guard your heart with unwavering vigilanceby directing where you go.By directing where you go.Let's wrap up with verses 26 through 27."Ponder the path of your feet, then all your ways will be sure.Do not swerve to the right or to the left.Turn your foot away from evil."Staple this truth to your brain and never forget it.You are one decision away from life-shattering disaster.You can destroy all the trust that you've worked so hard to build up in an instant.You can tear your reputation to shreds with one choice.You can do serious damage if you're not careful of where you go.Don't do what feels good.Don't do what feels right.Do what is good.Do what is right."Ponder the path of your feet.Direct yourself to where you should go."But here's the thing.You can't ponder the path of your feet on your own.You will go to the right or to the left if you isolate yourself.You will not turn your foot away from evil if you try to go this way alone.Direct yourself towards worshiping with God's people every single week.Direct yourself towards intentional Christian community in small groups.Direct yourself to honest and accountable relationships in the body of Christ.If you've been on the outskirts of this church for weeks, months, or even years,I want to encourage you to dive in.Take a risk.Be vulnerable.Listen, you may have been hurt in the past by a church,and I in no way want to nullify that or minimize that pain.But that pain will not go away if you don't get involved in this church.It will only get worse and worse and worse.To truly be in community, to be truly known, to truly know others,it's always a risk.It always requires you being vulnerable.Take that step in faith and trust the Lord.Trust that He will direct you to where you should go.That He will direct you towards greater maturity and connectedness in the body of Christ.Please know that we love you and we want you here.Be vigilant and guard in your heart by directing where you go.At the end of this message, you may be thinking, "Well, Taylor,all this stuff that Solomon is saying is very obvious.I already know all this stuff. It's not complex."You're right.Keeping your heart, guarding your heart is not complex,except when it comes to actually doing it.When theory becomes reality, when rubber meets the road,when your worldly desires experience a head-on collision with your godly affections.Before we close a curtain on this series,I want to give you a word of warning from Solomon himself.It's actually a warning from his own life,because Solomon didn't listen to his own words.As time went on, he didn't guard his heart with the word of God.He didn't guard his heart with unwavering vigilance.He was told, "Time and time again,don't marry foreign wives from pagan nations who worship other gods.If you do that, they will cause you to not be faithful to the Lord."Solomon knew that, but he didn't listen.Which leads to one of the saddest passages in the entire Old Testament.Solomon clung to these in love.He had 700 wives who were princesses and 300 concubines.And his wives turned away his heart.For when Solomon was old, his wives turned away his heart after other gods.And his heart was not wholly true to the Lord, his God,as was the heart of David, his father.What a heartbreaking end for Solomon.What a serious warning for you and for me.Solomon knew it all.He knew what the right thing to do was, but he didn't do it.He didn't guard his heart.It's tempting to think, "Well, my heart seems like it's fine right now."But then you fail to think,"Well, I'm going to have heart problems moving forward."You may not think that you have heart problems right now,and that you're free from them.But what about tomorrow?What about next week?What about next month?What about next year? Are you ready?Evaluating your heart is not a once in a lifetime appointment.It is a daily appointment with the Lord.Confessing sin from your heart isn't something you just do once at your conversion.No, it is a daily acknowledging and repenting of your sin.Giving thanks with your heart isn't something that you just do in Novemberwhen you're eating turkey with your family.It is a daily discipline that shapes how you view Godand how you view your own life.Guarding your heart isn't just something you do when you have the time.No, it's something you do 24/7, 365 days a year.Guard your heart with the Word of Godbecause it is the only source of help, encouragement, and strength that you can find.Guard your heart with unwavering vigilancefor from it flow the springs of life.Your heart problems can only be solved by God's solutions.Let's pray.Father, we come to you.And we acknowledge that there is something going on within all of us.Whether it's doubt, severe anxiety, constant complaining,a sin that we don't think anyone knows about, but you do.What help us to lay all those things at your feet,help us to seek after you for help, for encouragement, for strength.Lord, we don't have the energy in ourselves to guard our hearts.We don't have the passion that's needed within ourselves, but you do.Give us your strength, give us your encouragement, give us your passionso that we can guard our hearts, not just today, but every day moving forward.We ask all these things in Jesus' name. Amen

Main point: 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 presents three lessons that we must grasp so that we place our confidence in God and not in ourselves.

The Bible, particularly the book of Proverbs, emphasizes the importance of guarding one's heart, as it is the source of life and influences all actions. Protecting your heart means being mindful of what influences your thoughts, feelings, and desires.

Scripture: VariousSermon Series: What Does the Bible Say About #6Sermon Notes: https://churchlinkfeeds.blob.core.windows.net/notes/43173/note-240733.htmlSermon Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4I9Y5MaTW4

In this episode of The Chorus in the Chaos, Blake and Jack tackle the Ninth Commandment: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” But as they quickly uncover, this commandment isn't just about lying—it's about gossip, slander, exaggeration, and the thousand subtle ways we undermine truth in daily life. Jack opens with a vivid personal illustration of a leaky ceiling and how unchecked deception functions like a drip—slowly saturating and eventually destroying. The conversation moves through scripture, theology (featuring insights from Kevin DeYoung and Thomas Watson), and practical application with the Heidelberg Catechism guiding the way.  

guarding one's tongue / Guest Muhammad Zahab

Most affairs don't begin in a hotel room—they start with unnoticed compromise and poor decisions in the workplace. In this episode of More Than Roommates, Derek, Gabrielle, and Scott discuss the sobering reality of workplace temptation and offer practical, biblical strategies to protect and strengthen your marriage.Scriptures:2 Corinthians 12:9Matthew 5:27-301 Corinthians 10:12 Resources:Jordan Raynor Newsletter - 85% of affairs start at work. Here are 3 ways to stay pure. Questions to Discuss:1. Are there any boundaries we need to revisit or establish when it comes to work relationships with the opposite sex?2. How do we communicate when one of us has to travel or work closely with someone of the opposite sex?3. In what ways can we invite community into this area of our lives for prayer and accountability?4. What “commitment devices” or proactive safeguards could we put in place to protect our marriage?

Pastor Greg finishes up his message on "Guarding What God Has Given."

Are you swimming with culture's current or against it? The Apostle Paul tells Timothy there are 4 keys to swimming against the cultural current. Learn why your calling will push you upstream and how to finish strong.

The heart/soul is the seat of who we are. The Bible uses these words interchangeably to refer to the person's will or where the self resides. Guarding your heart means intentional choosing what you trust, what you value, what path you take. The book of proverbs shares the wisdom we need to follow God well and guard our hearts.

Balak hires Balaam to curse Israel, but God turns every curse into a blessing. Even when the enemy plots in secret, God is still in control. But while Balaam couldn't curse Israel from the outside, Israel fell to sin from within. This portion reminds us that no weapon formed against us can prosper unless we open the door. Guarding our hearts and walking in obedience is our strongest defense.PinchasNumbers 25:10-29:40Who Are You Willing to Offend?Stay ConnectedLinktree: https://linktr.ee/jacobstentWebsite: https://jacobstent.org/Facebook: @jacobstentfellowship Instagram: @jacobstent Download Our App: https://jacobstent.org/appGiving: https://jacobstent.org/giveEmail Signup: http://eepurl.com/g-YpcDJoin us for our Shabbat service with Bill Cloud and the Jacob's Tent Family!If you are enjoying this live stream, PLEASE consider sending in an offering, tithe, or donation to help us continue spread the gospel free from Jacob's Tent. We work hard to make sure this is an enjoyable experience to our online community, but it doesn't come without a price.Give online via the Jacobs Tent app, our website, or text any amount to 84321 to support this ministry. Yahweh bless you and keep you! Shalom.

On this episode of Mother Earth News and Friends, Catherine O'Brien, an AKC Bronze Breeder of Merit, discusses with Kenny Coogan the unique temperament, intelligence, and care of Anatolian Shepherd Dogs, highlighting their role as effective livestock guardians. She shares insights on breeding for instinct and sound temperament, as well as practical advice for new owners on training and integrating these powerful dogs into a farm environment . More from Mother Earth News and Friends

10 Assets That Destroy Your Retirement SecurityIn this video, the host identifies 10 specific assets that can undermine retirement security, even for those who have saved over a million dollars. The discussion covers why the traditional milestone of $1 million is no longer sufficient, citing factors like inflation, longer retirements, and higher cost of living. The video delves into the financial pitfalls of expensive primary residences, vacation homes, luxury cars, RVs, boats, high-fee investments, structured products, jewelry, country club memberships, and living in costly cities. The host provides actionable strategies to defend against these wealth-destroying assets, emphasizing the importance of liquidity, strategic location choices, cutting unnecessary fees, and aligning lifestyle with a fixed income. Viewers are encouraged to fill out a questionnaire for personalized advice on optimizing their retirement plans.00:00 Introduction: The Million Dollar Retirement Myth00:45 The Erosion of Retirement Savings02:42 Asset #1: Expensive Primary Residences03:25 Asset #2: Vacation Homes and Timeshares04:09 Asset #3: Luxury Cars04:44 Asset #4: RVs and Boats05:34 Asset #5: High Fee Investments05:58 Asset #6: Structured Products and Whole Life Insurance07:02 Asset #7: Jewelry and Collectibles07:38 Asset #8: Country Club Memberships and Concierge Services08:15 Asset #9: Living in Expensive Cities08:55 Asset #10: Expensive Lifestyle Expectations09:39 Wealth Preservation Strategies11:34 Conclusion and Call to Action11:54 Disclaimer8138141.1

This episode we continue with the Jinshin War.  This episode we follow Prince Oama on his dramatic escape to the east:  From Yoshino he dashed through the mountains, through Iga and over to Ise.  In so doing he secured both Suzuka and Fuwa--areas that would be important chokepoints throughout Japan's history.   For more information, check out our blogpost at: https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-130 Rough Transcript Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  My name is Joshua and this is episode 130: Jinshin no Ran, Part II:  Gathering Stormclouds.   The soldier on watch was doing his best to keep alert.  The night shift was never pleasant duty, and it was even less pleasant out here in the mountains.  There were plenty of sounds in the night—birds and animals out in the darkness—but rarely was there much actual action.  At least the sky was clear, with only the occasional cloud. Guarding a post station was hardly the worst duty in the world. There was a decent amount of traffic: after all, they were along one of the major routes between Ise and Yamato.  But at night, well, who wanted to try and navigate the mountain roads?  That was a great way to fall into a river and drown, or get lost in the woods, unable to find your way back to civilization. It must have been a shock when he saw a light in the distance.  There were almost always a few fires somewhere in the village, but most of them were out or covered at this time of night, with the exception of the odd torch.  But this was something more.  At first the guard thought it was just his eyes playing tricks on him.  And then he wondered if it was some kind of mountain spirit—he'd heard of ghost parades that could come and take people in the night.  He shivered, and instinctively checked his own torch to ensure that it was burning well and bright.  Indeed it was. It took him a little time for his eyes to adjust again to the darkness, but now, sure enough, he saw the torches coming—and not just one, many of them, and he could now hear the faint metallic clank of metal on metal.  He then heard a faint sound like a tight rope being suddenly plucked.  It only just started to dawn on him what was happening when the first arrows started to rain down on his position. They were under attack!   Welcome back.  This episode we are continuing with our coverage of the Jinshin no Ran—the Jinshin War of 672—and if you haven't already, I highly recommend you start with episode 129, where we talk about some of the background for what was happening.  That said, let's do a quick recap to bring us up to speed on where we are.  And then we'll dive into an account of an absolutely unbelievable journey, which is impressive for multiple reasons, but mostly for the speed at which it was able to take place. So as you may recall, Naka no Oe, aka Tenji Tennou, passed away at the end of 671 after months of illness.  After falling ill, the Chronicles tell us that he offered the state to his younger brother, the Crown Prince, Prince Ohoama, but Ohoama was warned that it was a trap, and as such, he turned down the offer.  Instead, he retired from his position to become a monk, and left for Yoshino, taking half of his household with him.  With Ohoama retired, Naka no Oe's son, the 23 year old Prince Ohotomo, took the throne. After Naka no Oe's death, Ohotomo effectively ruled Yamato from the Ohotsu palace in Afumi, running things along with the ministers of the left and right, Soga no Akaye and Nakatomi no Kane, and other high ministers.  Though the Nihon Shoki does not acknowledge it, Ohotomo is thought to have been a formal sovereign, in deed if not in name, at this point.  Much later, he would be given the posthumous name of “Koubun Tennou”. It would seem that Ohotomo and the Afumi court had misgivings about Prince Ohoama's promise to retire from the world and not challenge the throne.  The Nihon Shoki recounts that they began to make subtle preparations for a conflict, including levying men to build Naka no Oe's tomb, but issuing them weapons instead of tools.  They also set up checkpoints along the road from the court in Ohotsu down to Asuka—the main route to where Ohoama was residing in Yoshino.  And then, finally, someone told Ohoama that they were no longer allowing Prince Ohoama's people to cross the Uji bridge to bring him and his household supplies. Prince Ohoama was not going to sit idly by while the Afumi court gathered up enough forces to claim he was doing something treasonous and then march on him in Yoshino.  And so he sent one of his trusted vassals to the east to seek support.  Meanwhile, he himself was making ready to move.  There was just one more thing before setting out:  seeing if he could get posting bells.  This was sparked by the words of one of his advisors, who suggested that they should be careful.  They did not have many soldiers in Yoshino, and they had already sent out a general like Woyori to start raising troops in the East.  At the same time, if the Afumi Court was also maneuvering, it was likely that they would have sent words to the various post stations to bar the roads and prevent any movement. As such, Prince Ohoama decided to send several messengers to ask for Posting Bells, so that Ohoama and his men could make use of the official horses at the various post stations, allowing them to travel much more quickly and freely.  However, it was not clear if such orders had come and, if they had, where the local government officiallys might place their loyalty. Of particular importance was the case of Prince Takasaka, who was in charge of the Okamoto Palace, and thus the governance of the ancient capital. He would be the one to grant posting bells if they were to receive them.  If he provided the bells, then Ohoama and his party could assume they would have little to no trouble making their way East. And so Prince Ohoama sent his evnoys to the Okamoto palace.The messengers requested posting bells, but Prince Takasaka refused to issue them.  This sent a clear message to Prince Ohoama:  the Afumi court had no intention of letting him and his household have free access to the roads, and the local officials in Asuka were not going to provide any support.  In fact, Prince Takasaka now knew that Ohoama planned to travel, and if he wanted to, Takasaka could likely raise troops to try and stop Ohoama from leaving.  At the very least he would no doubt be sending a swift horse to Ohotsu to inform the Afumi court.  Ohoama and his followers would have to hurry if they wanted to do anything. And so, on the 24th of the 6th month, the same day that he got word back about the posting bells,  Prince Ohoama made the decision to move.  He and his entourage left quickly—he didn't even let anyone saddle a horse for him or prepare his carriage.  He just started to head out on foot on a journey to the East – and keep in mind that everything I'm going to describe in the next few minutes happened over the course of one night, truly an epic journey for Ohoama and all of those with him..  The Chronicles lists about 20 men and over ten women who originally set out with Ohoama from Yoshino, including his wife, the Royal Princess Uno no Sarara, daughter of Naka no Oe.  She wasn't walking, however—she followed a little behind in a palanquin, or litter, carried on poles.  I do wonder if those carrying the palanquin are among those mentioned, or were they servants or even enslaved persons who weren't considered worthy of note. The path they traveled wound its way through the mountains.  Streams and rivers had carved channels and valleys into these mountains.  People had settled these areas, and created paths through the wilderness.  Now, the valleys were fairly well populated, with roads connecting the communities that had grown up in the nooks and hollers. These facilitated trade through the mountain communities and between the eastern and western sides of the Kii peninsula, but even still, it was difficult terrain.  Unlike roads in the flat plains, the width of the roads in the mountains would have been constrained by steep mountainsides and the natural twists and turns of the valleys.  There may have been rope or wooden bridges that they had to cross, as streams constantly flow down the hill sides to the river below.  This route would make it much easier to avoid any official Afumi forces that might have been sent out, as those would likely be sticking to the main roads, but there were still government outposts along the way.  If these outposts proved loyal to the Afumi court, they could raise the alarm and send a messenger on horseback, who could likely flee much more quickly than Ohoama's men could follow.  And if Afumi learned that Ohoama was on the move, they could quickly mobilize their forces, secure key strategic points, and Ohoama's mad rush would be for naught.   The path Ohoama chose would lead from Yoshino, through the valleys, up through Iga, and then over to Suzuka, in Ise—modern Mie prefecture.  The journey was long and it wasn't going to be easy, but they needed to move quickly. Speaking of which, since Ohoama was traveling on foot, one of his men, Agata no Inukahi no Ohotomo, gave Prince Ohoama his own horse to ride.  Oh, and in case you are wondering: There are a lot of people named “Ohotomo” in the narrative, not just the Prince, Ohoama's nephew and rival for the throne.  Sorry, it was apparently a somewhat popular name AND it was also a clan, or uji, name as well.  I'll try to distinguish some of them in the podcast blog page. The party hadn't traveled far when Ohoama's own carriage—or possibly a palanquin, like his wife's—showed up for him, so I assume Ohotomo got his horse back, but they were still constrained to the speed of their slowest member, and I doubt that the mountain roads were all that wide and flat—most likely just the opposite. The group journeyed upstream along the Tsuburo river and eventually made it to Aki, in the area of Uda, due east of Sakurai and Mt. Miwa.  Here they were overtaken by two men, known as Ohotomo no Muraji no Makuda and Kibumi no Muraji no Ohotomo, both hurrying on from the Yoshino Palace. Makuda had been at the Afumi court, but word was starting to spread there that there was going to be some kind of move against Prince Ohoama, so he and his brother, Ohotomo no Fukei, had feigned illness and returned to their home in the Asuka region.  Once there, Makuda had made straightaway for Yoshino, only to find that Ohoama was already on the move.  Ohotomo no Fukei, on the other hand, chose to stay in the area of Asuka and see what he could do there.  He was looking to see what kind of forces he could raise in the ancient capital region.  We'll learn more about him, later. It was also in Aki, apparently, where they met Hashi no Muraji no Mate, who was from the Department of the official rice fields.  Even though he was a government official, he was a supporter of Ohoama and his cause, and so he supplied Ohoama and his people with food for their journey. Just north of the Aki fields they came upon Kammura—thought to be near modern Kaguraoka—where the Yoshino forces conscripted 20 hunters into service, almost doubling their numbers, and now they at least had some weapons with them.  Prince Mino, and presumably his men, also joined forces with Ohoama and his party—their ranks were starting to grow. In Uda, they were no doubt glad of any assistance, and at the government offices in the village of Uda itself, they were also warmly welcomed.  There they found 50 pack-horses that were laden down with rice meant for the hot baths at Ise.  The rice was discarded and Ohoama commandeered the pack animals so that his forces could ride, rather than walk.  Nonetheless, it was still a long way to go.  Indeed, night was approaching by the time they reached Ohono—likely the modern area of Muro-ohono and Ohonoji, along the Uda river.  They didn't want to stop, but it could be treacherous trying to navigate in the mountains in the dark.  What they needed was a light source.  And so we are told that they pulled down some of the fences of nearby houses and created makeshift torches to light their way.  Thus they were able to continue on until they reached the town of Nabari at approximately midnight. Nabari was not quite so friendly.  It was the home of a post-station, which had a duty to report things to the Afumi court.  Ohoama and his men arrived with their torches and in the middle of the night they attacked and set fire to the post station.  One can only imagine how surprised those manning the station must have been.  Presumably Ohoama's party took any horses and provisions, both for their own use and so that they couldn't be used against them.  To those members of the village that were woken up and who came out to see what was going on, Ohoama's entourage proclaimed that Prince Ohoama was heading east and that people should join them.  More specifically we are told that he said that the “Sumera no Mikoto” was on his way to the East Country. I want to pause here a moment, because there are some that say that this was the first use of the term “Sumera no Mikoto”, or, as we more commonly read the characters today, “Tennou”.  At the very least we believe that the term “Tennou” may have first used in this time period—though I do wonder about it being used in this particular instance.  I'll come back to this at the end, but for now, let's get back to the story.  So Ohoama announced to the people that he, the sovereign—for he had declared himself as such—was heading to the Eastern lands, and he invited anyone who wished to join him.  Nobody took him up on his offer, however.  It must have sounded crazy.  Ohoama had swept in at midnight, his forces carrying torches, and had attacked the post station, the symbol of the government in their midst.  I imagine that the people wanted little to nothing to do with any further conflict if they could help it. Continuing on in the darkness, Ohoama and his party came to a river—probably the Nabari River.  The Chronicle refers to it as “Yokokawa”, a term that shows up multiple times, and means something like “side river” and I suspect it was just the name for a river that ran alongside the fields or something similar.  As they were crossing, a dark cloud spread across the night sky for over 10 rods—about 100 feet.  Ohoama kindled a light and took a look at a geomantic rule to determine what it could mean.  This “rule” was possibly a type of stick or even a kind of compass-like device with a square bottom and round top, indicating the heavens and the earth.  He announced to everyone that the cloud was an omen that the country would be divided into two parts but, ultimately, their side would win out. One can only imagine how tired and worn out everyone was at this point, but apparently this urged them onward.  They reached Iga, where once again, they attacked and set fire to the posting station. Now getting through Iga must have had Ohoama's head on a swivel.  After all, Prince Ohotomo's mother was apparently from that region – he was the Iga Royal Prince, after all - so it would be understandable if people were loyal to him.  Fortunately, for Ohoama, he had his local supporters as well.  In fact, Joan Piggot points out in “The Emergence of Japanese Kingship” that Ohoama may have had a surprising amount of support from the various local elites.  Remember that the policies that Naka no Oe and the court had put into place had given power to court appointed officials at the expense of the traditional local elites.  So it may have been that those traditional local elites were more inclined to assist Ohoama against the Afumi Court, while those appointed officials, such as those who were managing the post stations, were more likely to swing the other way, since their positions and their stipends were directly reliant on the court's good graces.  This seems to have been the case in this instance, around Nakayama, in Iga, where we are told that they met with local district governors who had heard that Ohoama was on the move and who had raised several hundred men in support of his cause.  Now their ranks really had grown—compared with the relatively small group that had first set out from Yoshino the previous day, there were now hundreds of men on the march. Ohoama's forces finally arrived at the plain of Tara, or Tarano, by dawn, and with the sun coming over the mountains they briefly stopped for a moment to catch their breath and eat something.  They had just marched through the night—a distance of approximately 70 kilometers, or 43 and a half miles.  That included stops to attack and set fire to two post stations along the way, and much of the journey early on was done on foot.  During that march, their ranks had grown tremendously.  This is an incredible feat, especially with much of it being accomplished at night. Let's also quickly discuss those extra troops that had come to his banner.  Remember that prior to this, Prince Ohoama had sent messengers ahead to Mino and Owari to try and raise forces in those areas.  They had likely traveled these same roadways, and told  any allies they had to prepare.  So while the forces were raised quickly, there were no doubt some logistics that went into it. After a brief rest, the army was back on their feet, heading to Yamaguchi—modern Tsuge city.  Here Ohoama was greeted by his son, Prince Takechi, who had come from Afumi down through Kafuka—modern Kouka, aka Kouga.  He had brought several other men of his own, and presumably soldiers as well. The entire party crossed Mt. Miyama and into Suzuka, in Ise, where they were joined by the provincial governor, Miyake no Muraji no Iwatoko; Deputy Governor, Miwa no Kimi no Kobuto, and the magistrate of the famous hot baths, Tanaka no Omi no Tarumaro, among others.  That same morning, they set a troop of 500 soldiers to guard the pass.  After all, it would do them no good to have a government force suddenly appear behind them.  Also, you may recall that Ohoama's request to his allies in Mino was to take the Fuwa pass, in the north—the area more popularly known today as Sekigahara.  So now, with both the Suzuka and Fuwa passes under Ohoama's control, his forces controlled access to the Eastern countries.  The only other viable route, at least if you didn't want to get lost in the mountains, was to take the road to the north, through Koshi, and that was going to be a slog around or over the Japan Alps. So a garrison was left as a rear guard, but the troops who were not staying to guard the pass continued, turning northwards.  By sunset on the 25th day of the 6th month of 672, they had reached the foot of Kahawa Hill.  Here, Ohoama's consort, Princess Uno no Sarara, asked if they could take a break.  She was not exactly used to this kind of travel, and even riding on a palanquin, she was exhausted and fatigued.  As they looked to the sky, though, it was clear that dark clouds were gathering.  So they cut their rest short and pushed on, hoping to make it to the government offices at Mie—likely meaning modern day Yokkaichi city. Sure enough, as they continued to march, the heavens opened with a thunderstorm pouring down on them.  The entire army was soaked to the bone.  Cold and wet, when they did get to the government center or Mie district, they deliberately set fire to an entire building just so that the troops could try to warm themselves a bit.  Those who had set out from Yoshino had marched over 122km, or 75 miles, including over 700 meters of elevation up and 800 meters down.  Checking a map of the route, it suggests that a person walking it, today, without any breaks, would take around 28 hours to complete the trip, and indeed, Ohoama's took roughly one and a half days.  That includes time for their assaults on the various post stations, and a brief rest at the Tara fields.  Now, granted, they had procured horses for parts of that, and many of the soldiers had not necessarily been there since the beginning, but it is still an incredible feat, when you think about it.  I'm honestly surprised that it doesn't get more of a mention in various historical contexts.  Then again, we are still well before the age of the Samurai, which is the period most martial historians typically examine. So that night, as they were settling in at the Mie government center following their amazing dash across the mountains, word came from forces at Suzuka:  Prince Yamabe and Prince Ishikawa had apparently come to offer their allegiance to Ohoama.  However, as they weren't known to the men, they were held at the Suzuka barrier until someone could verify.  Ohoama sent Michi no Atahe no Masubito to go fetch them and bring them to him. The following morning, Ohoama worshipped towards Amaterasu on the banks of a river in the district of Asake.  Thinking about it, I'm not sure if they meant that he worshipped south, in the direction of Ise Shrine, or if he worshipped east, the direction of the rising sun.  The exact direction doesn't entirely matter, but I think we will come back to this, as it would have consequences later on. Later, Masubito returned from his errand, catching back up to the army, which was continuing on its way.  It turns out that it was not Princes Yamabe and Ishikawa that Masubito had found at Suzuka, but instead  Ohoama's own son, Ohotsu, who had come along to join his father.  I presume he had been traveling under a false name in case he ran into men loyal to the Afumi court.  He was followed by a number of others, including a list of names which I am not going to go over here because it wouldn't mean all that much.  Suffice it to say that the Chroniclers were doing their best to make sure that various families were remembered for what they did. Now just as Prince Ohotsu was joining the main force, Murakami no Woyori arrived with word that 3,000 Mino troops were mobilized and currently blocking the Fuwa Road.  You may recall that Woyori was the one that Ohoama had sent to Mino for just that purpose, scouting out the lay of the land. Ohoama sent Prince Takechi ahead to Fuwa to organize the forces there.  Then he sent two others to mobilize troops along the Tokaido region, and two others were sent into the mountains to levy soldiers from the Tousando region.  As a quick reminder: the Tokaido was the eastern sea highway, while the Tousando, the Eastern Mountain Road, went through the middle of eastern Honshu, through the more mountainous regions.  Together, these two routes would have pulled from the most populous regions of the east. As for Ohoama, he took up residence at the government center in Kuwana, where he spent some time resting for a bit. Now just as Ohoama was building up his forces, so, too, was the Afumi court.  As soon as word made it to the capital that Ohoama was on the move, chaos ensued.  Many people fled the capital, some heading to the East, perhaps to join Ohoama, while others went to hide in the mountains and marshes until all the chaos was over and the dust settled.  The young Prince Ohotomo asked the ministers what he should do, and they recommended that he immediately set out with cavalry to pursue Ohoama and catch him before he could assemble too many troops.  However, he decided not to heed their advice, instead opting to assemble an army of his own, to add to the soldiers that had already been levied.  He sent Ina no Iwasuki, Fumi no Kusuri, and Wosaka no Ohomaro to the East country, while Hodzumi no Momotari, his younger brother, Ihoye, and Mononobe no Hiuga headed to the Yamato capital—which is to say Asuka.  Ohotomo also sent Saheki no Wotoko to Tsukushi and Kusu no Iwate to Kibi, all with orders to levy troops.  He gave Wotoko and Iwate special instructions, since there was some concern that neither Tsukushi nor Kibi would be compliant, as they both had been supported by Ohoama and may feel ties to him.  So if the leaders of either of those areas were to resist, Wotoko and Iwate were authorized to execute them for treason. As Iwasuki, Kusuri, and Ohomaro headed east, they traveled around Lake Biwa and were headed to the Fuwa pass, not knowing that it was already controlled by Ohoama's forces.  Iwasuki, however, was cautious.  He realized that they might be ambushed, and so he held back from the main group.  Sure enough, he was right:  Kusuri and Ohomaro were ambushed and captured, at which point Iwasuki fled, barely escaping. The following day, Prince Takechi sent a note to his father asking him to move closer to Fuwa, so that they could better communicate with the front line.  Ohoama headed out, but left Princess Uno in Kuwana, which was well situated between Fuwa and Suzuka, and was likely far enough from the front lines to ensure that it wouldn't be disrupted by skirmishes at the passes.  As Ohoama then traveled through Wohari, the governor, Chihisakobe no Muraji no Sabichi, also joined him with a force of 20,000 men.  Ohoama had them divided up and set them on roads to various places as needed. Ohoama finally reached Nogami, just on the eastern edge of modern Sekigahara.  This is near where Tokugawa Ieyasu would eventually make his first camp as well, at his fateful battle here just under a thousand years later.  At Nogami, Ohoama would set up his headquarters, Nogami no Miya, or the Nogami Palace.  Meanwhile, Prince Takechi would handle the troops in the main part of the area near the pass, known as Wazami.  As Ohoama reached Nogami, Takechi came to conference with him.  He noted that there had already been an altercation—they had taken prisoners, who claimed that they were actually headed east to raise troops for Ohoama, but given that they didn't know who they were AND that Iwasuki had fled back towards Ohotsu-kyo suggested that this was not exactly the case. Following that incident, and a fair amount of speechifying, Ohoama eventually placed Prince Takechi formally in charge of the army, presenting him the gift of a saddle-horse.  Takechi went back to his camp at Wazami.  That night, a severe thunderstorm broke out.  Ohoama prayed that if the kami favored his case, they would make the storm abate, and immediately the thunder and lightning stopped. The next day, on the 28th, Ohoama traveled over to Wazami to review the troops and check on the military arrangements, before returning back to Nogami.  He likewise went out the following day, issuing commands through Prince Takechi, and then returned again to Nogami. At this point, soldiers were likely on their way from the Eastern provinces and elsewhere.  On the one hand, they wanted to wait and make sure that they had all the troops they needed.  But on the other hand, they didn't want to wait too long.  The Afumi court was likewise building up its forces, and the longer they waited, the greater the chance that they could dig in and entrench themselves.  Something would have to happen, soon. But that something will have to wait for the next episode.    Before we finish, though, I do want to come back to something:  the title “Tenno”, or “Sumera no Mikoto”.  Up to this point, evidence suggests that the term used for the sovereign of Yamato was not “Tennou” as we know it today, but instead was the term “Oho-kimi”.  “Oho-kimi”, or basically the “Big Kimi”—something like the primary lord—was the one lord of lords of Yamato.  But that was probably something based on local concepts of governance.  With the introduction of new ideas of governance, many based on the Han and Tang dynasty models, we see a shift in the terminology. There are poems that come from the era of Naka no Oe—Tenji Tennou—that use terms like “Huang” (皇) and “Di” (帝)—“Kou” and “Tei” in Japanese.  These are imperial terms from the continent.  At some point, however, we see that they use “Tian” (天) and “Huang” (皇).  “Tianhuang” becomes “Tennou” (天皇) when read in Japanese, and it critically utilizes the character “Tian” for Heaven.  Interestingly, this does not appear to be a term that was ever commonly used for rulers in the area of modern China.  I seem to recall that it was used here and there, but not with any frequency.  There is some thought that it may have been pulled from a term for the north star, or pole star, which sometimes used the term, I suspect referring to that star as the Heavenly Ruler—the star that the heavens themselves were focused on. For a variety of reasons, we see a particular emphasis on Heaven, and on Amaterasu, in the decades following 672, and it is thought that this is all connected.  And so it is generally from some time here, in the late 7th century, that we can probably start to refer to the sovereigns as “Tennou”. Although, it is unclear to me if the authors of the Nihon Shoki pronounced it like this or not, later glosses given for the characters in Japanese is “Sumera no Mikoto”, the kun'yomi, or Japanese reading.  The problem is that the Nihon Shoki projects this term back to the very beginning of the narrative, with “Jimmu Tennou” being the first.  However, we have some evidence that the earlier term was, as as I said before, “Ohokimi”.  For many years, there was an idea that the term “Sumera no Mikoto” first appeared in the era of Toyomike Kashikiya Hime, aka Suiko Tennou, probably because that is when Buddhism and continental studies really seem to kick off.  However, there really is no evidence of its use then, and it seems that more scholars today place its use in the late 7th or early 8th century. So there is the possibility that this title was first used by Ohoama, as some claim, when he declared that the “Sumera no Mikoto” or “Tennou” was heading to the Eastern countries.  Of course, that could also just be dramatic license by the Chroniclers, who were less concerned with what, exactly, he said and more concerned with the meaning of it all.  We've also known them to swap out older terms for those in use in the 8th century, updating the narrative. Regardless, I think that about this time we can start to refer to the sovereigns of Yamato—and eventually Japan, or Nihon, another somewhat controversial term—as “Tennou”, or “Sumera no Mikoto”, from about this period.  I'll probably still use the term “sovereign” in general, and I'll try to avoid the term “imperial” for anything prior to the 19th century, when it became a standard English translation.  After all, Empires were the rage—Chinese, Ottoman, British, Austrian, French, Spanish, you name it.  Everyone had an empire, and so Japan, following that model, must also have been an “empire”.  Even today, it is officially the “Imperial Household” and that is the official translation. However, I want to be cautious about using that translation too early, however.  The institution of “Tennou”, while modeled on the Tang dynasty, took on its own character.  As such, I think that it is best to avoid the term for now, because it really was its own thing, and I don't want to conflate too many foreign concepts of “emperor” with the idea of the Japanese ruler. As for the term “Sumera no Mikoto”—it does not appear to me that the etymology of this term is clearly known.  One explanation is that “Sumera” is related to the word “Suberu”, to rule.  “Sumera” is also defined as meaning something precious, though I'm not sure if that meaning existed before its use to refer to the sovereign.  “Mikoto” is simply an honorific referring to the sovereign, meaning “royal” or “imperial”.  I suspect that the term “Tennou” came over first, and later it became glossed as “Sumera no Mikoto”, which may have been an earlier term, but we don't have any clear evidence.  Variations do appear in the Man'yoshu, the collection of ancient poems, so the concept was clearly around by the 8th century. Anyway, I think that's enough.  We'll probably talk about it more when we get to the rise of the worship of Amaterasu.  Until then, let's continue with our series on the Jinshin War. Next episode we will kick off with some of the actual fighting and campaigns in Afumi, Iga, and in Yamato.  Until then, thank you once again for listening and for all of your support. If you like what we are doing, please tell your friends and feel free to rate us wherever you listen to podcasts.  If you feel the need to do more, and want to help us keep this going, we have information about how you can donate on Patreon or through our KoFi site, ko-fi.com/sengokudaimyo, or find the links over at our main website,  SengokuDaimyo.com/Podcast, where we will have some more discussion on topics from this episode. Also, feel free to reach out to our Sengoku Daimyo Facebook page.  You can also email us at the.sengoku.daimyo@gmail.com.  Thank you, also, to Ellen for their work editing the podcast. And that's all for now.  Thank you again, and I'll see you next episode on Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.

Guarding and Guiding Your Heart and Mind

In today's message Pastor Greg challenges us to guard what God has given us.

Welcome to week four of our series, Head & Heart.Brian Becker

Balak hires Balaam to curse Israel, but God turns every curse into a blessing. Even when the enemy plots in secret, God is still in control. But while Balaam couldn't curse Israel from the outside, Israel fell to sin from within. This portion reminds us that no weapon formed against us can prosper unless we open the door. Guarding our hearts and walking in obedience is our strongest defense.Stay ConnectedLinktree: https://linktr.ee/jacobstentWebsite: https://jacobstent.org/Facebook: @jacobstentfellowship Instagram: @jacobstent Download Our App: https://jacobstent.org/appGiving: https://jacobstent.org/giveEmail Signup: http://eepurl.com/g-YpcDJoin us for our Shabbat service with Bill Cloud and the Jacob's Tent Family!If you are enjoying this live stream, PLEASE consider sending in an offering, tithe, or donation to help us continue spread the gospel free from Jacob's Tent. We work hard to make sure this is an enjoyable experience to our online community, but it doesn't come without a price.Give online via the Jacobs Tent app, our website, or text any amount to 84321 to support this ministry. Yahweh bless you and keep you! Shalom.

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Send us a textFor the One Who Needs Space But Longs to BelongShe was the quiet one, thoughtful, reserved, always observing. She kept her world small to protect her energy and stayed in her head to avoid being overwhelmed. But even with all the right answers, she still felt disconnected.If you've ever felt safest when you're at a distance…If connection feels like a risk, you're not sure you can afford…This story might feel familiar.Before her Enneagram Type is revealed, you'll walk in her shoes. Through the mental swirl, the emotional withholding, and the deep desire to be capable and safe.Then, you'll hear from Tara, a Wholehearted client and deep thinker, who shares how learning to trust God with her limitations led her to choose connection, ask for help, and live with more peace than pressure.

Late-night on South Dakota's plains, a tribal elder naps at a deserted rest stop—until three invisible voices speak Lakota just outside his window. Miles away, a lone driver picks up a silent hitchhiker whose purse turns into a coiled bull snake, and family dogs cower while a faceless, hat-wearing giant “dances” beneath a yard light, taunting them until dawn. Drawn from living reservation lore, these encounters blur the line between cautionary legend and flesh-and-blood terror. Are they spirits guarding sacred ground, the fabled Deer Woman hunting careless men, or something far older that still patrols the prairie after dark?   If you have a real ghost story or supernatural event to report, please write into our show at http://www.realghoststoriesonline.com/ or call 1-855-853-4802! Want AD-FREE & ADVANCE RELEASE EPISODES? Become a Premium Subscriber Through Apple Podcasts now!!! https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/real-ghost-stories-online/id880791662?mt=2&uo=4&ls=1 Or Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/realghoststories Or Our Website: http://www.ghostpodcast.com/?page_id=118