Podcasts about his spirit

Christ came to seek and to save that which was lost. When we respond to Him, He comes to indwell us by His Spirit. He lives within to lend us His passion, give us His vision, and infuse a sense of mission into the very fabric of our lives. If Jesus Christ lives in you, it is His job to win souls.

Have you ever met someone and known that they followed Jesus from the first meeting? People will see that you are walking with God when they see the evidence, or "fruit," of His Spirit in your everyday life. People will see God in your love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. If you surround yourself with people who share this fruit in their lives, it grows even more in your own! That is what being "Sent Together" is all about. 

In this message, Pastor Bayless Conley wraps up his series on the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit, teaching about the working of miracles, the gift of special faith, and the gifts of healings. God gives these gifts to us as His Spirit wills. We can better position ourselves to operate in these gifts as He meets us according to the level of our desire. Learn what these gifts look like in operation as we go out and take the Gospel to a lost world.

Love and Torah – what's love got to do with it? This study series is based on the “Two Great Commands” – love Yahweh and love your neighbor.From the first nine verses of the book of John, chapter 14, Rabbi Steve Berkson shows us how Messiah Yeshua was the “ultimate expression of discipleship” under His Father. So we should, as followers of Messiah, be as such so that others will see Yeshua represented in us and ultimately see the Father.What did Yeshua do? He walked out the Torah-observant life perfectly. He invites us to do what He did, and He provides help in sending His Spirit.What's in a name? Yeshua says, “if you ask whatever in My Name…” Does this mean if His Name is invoked, like a magic genie He has to do one's bidding? Rabbi Steve clarifies what Messiah meant when He told us to use His Name.Rabbi Berkson once again dissects these passages so that you will have a deeper understanding of what Yah expects of you, so that you can do it and receive the blessings.Don't miss out on new teachings every week. Please click on the "LIKE" button if this podcast has been a blessing to you.For more information about MTOI (Messianic Torah Observant Israel), visit our website, https://mtoi.org.Join us on Social media!  Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mtoiworldwideFollow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mtoiworldwide/Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mtoiworldwideWe are located in Cleveland TN. If you would like to know more about us, we would love to hear from you! Feel free to visit us on our website, https://mtoi.org, email us at admin@mtoi.org or call us at 423-250-3020. Join us for Shabbat Services & Torah Study LIVE Streamed on our Main YouTube Channel every Saturday at 1:15 pm (EST) and every Tuesday for Torah Study Live Stream at 6:30 pm (EST).

Continuing his series on Katharsis, Theoria and Theosis, Pastor Kong Hee touches on the second key to having spiritual union with God—Theoria. Theoria means “to see; to have a vision of God; to have an encounter with Him; to tangibly experience Him.” Encounters with God show us He is real and that, in turn, transforms our lives. How can one experience encounters with the Lord? By having the right spiritual temperature of walking in God's light (righteousness), in God's love, and in His power. The evidence of God's saving grace in us is a life of righteousness, in that sin no longer reigns in us. Holiness comes with we walk in the love of Christ and take on His Spirit and nature. Finally, as believers, our ministry must operate with the demonstration of God's power. So let us walk in God's light, love and power, that may we encounter God and experience spiritual union with Him!

Mysteries Revealed “But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God” (1 Corinthians 2:10). The Holy Spirit reveals Jesus Christ. The Spirit of God is the Spirit of Jesus Christ, the Spirit of the Father. A great man of God calls the […] The post Mysteries Revealed…Jesus is God…He is Alive! Amen! appeared first on Wonder & Reality.

 When Israel complained yet another time in the wilderness, the Lord gave them what they wanted...but with a cost. In contrast to all the people standing in their tents complaining, He told Moses to gather 70 consecrated men to His Tent of Meeting, where He put His Spirit on them. He responded to Moses' self-sufficient thoughts by asking, "Is My power limited?". This was a call to an intrepid faith, characterized by a resolute fearlessness and endurance. When we trust the Lord in that way, it not only offsets feelings of doubt and defeat, it also elevates our faith so we begin to expect the Lord to work in extraordinary ways.  Video of this service is available:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTH9nV7Rxsc

We are not alone. God gave us His Spirit to fellowship with day in and day out. If we get this reality set in our minds, it will change our every situation.

Colossians 2:7 declares that we are abounding in thanksgiving. In Psalm 107:21, (ESV), it says to let us thank the Lord for His steadfast love. The Hebrew word for thanksgiving holds three specifics in its definition. It means to not only be in thanksgiving, but to praise, and have our confession be of Him and His word. It reveals we are to have an attitude of gratitude, as we offer Him thanksgiving. We are to offer our worship and praise individually and in a congregation of worshipers, and we are to show our adoration through our confession of His word, His blessing, and His promises. As we embrace His Spirit of thanksgiving, we will experience the flow of God as a River, and as a flower coming to full bloom. May this podcast refresh you to embrace His Spirit of “Thanksgiving & Praise”.

Gifts of the Holy Spirit Matthew 16:18 (ESV)“I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” 1 Corinthians 12:1 (NIV)“Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed…” 1 Corinthians 12:7 (NIV)“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” “A spiritual gift is an ability that is empowered by the Holy Spirit and used to bless and equip other believers, to witness to unbelievers, to destroy the works of Satan and to highlight and give glory to the work and person of Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 4:10 (NKJV)“As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” Ephesians 4:12 (NIV)“For building up the body of Christ…” Numbers 11:29 (NIV)“I wish that all the Lord's people were prophets and that the Lord would put His Spirit on them!” Joel 2:28-29 (ESV)“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out My Spirit.” The church was given the power and gifts of the Holy Spirit to finish what Jesus started.  1. Jesus came to undo what satan and sin had done to humanity. Luke 4:16-19 (ESV)“He (Jesus) stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to Him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.'” 1 John 3:8 (ESV)“Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” Matthew 10:7-8 (ESV)“The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons.” 2. The power and gifts of the Holy Spirit are to equip the church to carry out its ministry until Jesus returns. 1 Corinthians 1:7 (ESV)“You are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 14:12 (ESV)“Since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.”1 Corinthians 14:1 (ESV)“Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts.”

Jesus trained and equipped his disciples to shake off any residue of trauma and to keep moving forward. He has poured out His Spirit on His church and throughout history, the fire of the Spirit has been burning and is increasing. We enter into His invitation to burn like never before and to be filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. We were created to thrive in times like these.

What's something you're hopeful for right now? Maybe it's something trivial, like a victory for your favorite sports team or the season finale of the newest binge-worthy show. Or maybe it's something weighty like hoping for a family member to recover or searching for a new job. We're all wired to hope for - and in - something. The problem is, we often put our hope in the stuff and things of this world that bring nothing more than a shot of short-lived satisfaction. Join us for our new series, Unstoppable: Bound in His Love. Freed by His Spirit., as we venture through Romans 8 to uncover God's invitation into an infinitely better perspective. Today we'll discover how to have hope in the midst of suffering as we're filled with expectation of what's to come. Listen with us to our newest message, A Cosmic Glory, and take hope that your present sufferings will give way to future glory!

Sunday, 14 November 2021   whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it. Acts 2:24   Peter has been describing the work of Christ, including His crucifixion and death. With that noted, he now notes the second half of this greatest even in human history. There was the cross-death and there was the triumph over it. Peter says, “whom God raised up.”   The resurrection isn't just an event where God bypassed the normal course of human events. Nor was it a miracle of restoring life, such as occurred with those Jesus brought back from death as is recorded in the gospels. It was the necessary and logical outcome for Jesus, as will be explained. For now, the words, “whom God raised up,” are referring to the working of each member of the Godhead. Paul states in Romans –   “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” Romans 6:4   However, Jesus had already referred His own hand in the resurrection in John –   “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. 18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.” John 10:17, 18   And yet, Paul again ascribes the resurrection to the Holy Spirit in Romans 8 –   “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” Romans 8:9-11   In these and other verses, we are shown that each member of the Godhead participated in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It was this immense and intentional power of God that was directed to bring the human body of Christ back to life, as Peter says, “having loosed the pains of death.”   The word translated as “loosed” signifies exactly that. When a donkey or ox is untied, it is loosed. When laces are untied on one's shoes, they are loosed. Jesus said that “the Scripture cannot be broken” in John 10:35. It is firmly bound, and it remains binding. Death is a bind upon human beings. When the body dies, the soul is left bound in that state. Without an external force, it cannot be unloosed.   But even before death, the soul is bound to death. The animation of the body is not a permanent thing. Rather it continues until the body dies, but the binding of the soul does not change. This is evidenced in Christ's reanimation of the bodies of the son of the widow of Nain recorded in Luke 7. It is evidenced in His raising of Lazarus in John 11. Such instances of restoring the body to life were not permanent as it is understood that both eventually died again. If they didn't, they would be a sensation wherever they travelled to, even to this day.   The reason these things are true is because, as Paul says in Romans 6:23, “the wages of sin is death.” What this is clearly and unambiguously saying is that human beings die as payment for sin. It is the earned wage of it. But this then is understood to include every human at every age, and thus the Bible implicitly refers to the doctrine of “original sin.” This is explained by Paul in Romans 5:18 –   “Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation.”   It is explicitly stated by David in the 51st Psalm –   “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me. 6 Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.” Psalm 51:5, 6   This is why when babies die, they do not resurrect. And it is why child sacrifice is so abhorrent to God. The sin of our first father, Adam, has been transmitted to all human beings because the human species has a terminal infection in it. That infection is passed from father to child, and it ultimately ends in the death of the body. But that infection is tied to the soul which is bound to the sin of Adam, and which separates man from God. Christ Jesus came to correct this in human beings.   It is in this work of God in Christ that the “pains of death” are loosed. Vincent's Word Studies explains the word translated as “pains,” saying –   “The meaning is disputed. Some claim that Peter followed the Septuagint mistranslation of Psalm 18:5, where the Hebrew word for snares is rendered by the word used here, pains; and that, therefore, it should be rendered snares of death; the figure being that of escape from the snare of a huntsman. Others suppose that death is represented in travail, the birth-pangs ceasing with the delivery; i.e., the resurrection. This seems to be far-fetched, though it is true that in classical Greek the word is used commonly of birth-throes. It is better, perhaps, on the whole, to take the expression in the sense of the A. V., and to make the pains of death stand for death generally.”   Whatever the sense of the word, the pains center on death, and the loosing of death is the key point to consider. But this is only speaking of the physical body of Christ, as will be explained. For now, and with that understanding, Peter remarkably tells his audience that the pains of death were loosed from Him “because it was not possible that He should be held by it.”   This is the key point of the entire outcome of the birth, life, and death of Christ. But it must be understood from what has already been stated.   Abraham was given the covenant of circumcision in Genesis 17 –   “This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; 11 and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.” Genesis 17:10, 11   The Lord noted that circumcision is a “sign.” A sign is something that points to something else. Jews consider circumcision as the thing itself. They point to their circumcision and say, “Because I am circumcised (signifying being a Jew), I am righteous.” This is incorrect. The “sign” does not call attention to itself, but rather points us to the fulfillment of the sign.   The implication in cutting the male organ is that the sign anticipates the cutting of sin. It tells us that sin travels from father to child. As every person has a father, it means that sin is inherited by every person (as noted in Psalm 51 above).   After the giving of the sign, the Lord eventually gave Israel the Law of Moses. This was His standard by which Israel was to live. And, in fact, He promised – explicitly – that life would be given if a man could perform the law –   “You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them: I am the Lord.” Leviticus 18:5   It is a promise of the law. The man who does the things of the law will live. To live is to not die. It is an explicit statement that speaks of righteousness leading to life, because “the wages of sin is death.”   When Christ came, He did not come to the Japanese. Nor did He come to those in Germany. Rather, He came as a descendant of Israel after the giving of the law. Thus, He was born under the law. However, He had no human father. Thus, no sin was transmitted to Him. The “sign” of circumcision was fulfilled in His coming. The line of sin was “cut” because His Father is God. As such, He was capable of living by the law, something no other person had done – proven by their deaths. Every person born under the law for the previous 1400+ years had died because “the wages of sin is death,” and all of them had sin and committed sin. Peter will further explain this in the verses to come.   In the virgin birth, Christ was born without sin. But being born under the law, Christ had to live without sin in order to fulfill the law. This is what the gospels were given to show. Christ not only was born sinless, but He lived perfectly before His Father without sinning –   “Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? 47 He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.” John 8:46, 47   The record of Christ's sinless life is documented, the book of Acts speaks of it, and the epistles explain it. But the resurrection proves it. Peter said “it was not possible that He should be held by” death. If the wages of sin is death, and if Christ was born without sin and lived without ever sinning, then it was indeed impossible for death to hold Him. In Him was life, the life was never cut because of sin, and therefore the life remained in Him.   Therefore, and because of this, the power of God was brought to bear on the lifeless human body of Christ in fulfillment of the words of the law, “which if a man does, he shall live by them: I am the Lord” (Leviticus 18:5). The promise of the Lord (Yehovah) is fulfilled in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.    Life application: Because the promise of the Lord found in Leviticus 18:5 is fulfilled in the resurrection of Jesus, it signifies that the law is fulfilled in Him. As such, in Him is life. From this point, the gospel of Jesus Christ says that if you believe in this fulfilled work of Jesus, you will be imputed His righteousness. The fulfillment of the law will be reckoned to you.   As it is law by which sin is imputed (see Romans 5:13), and as a person who believes in the work of Christ is now “in Christ,” it means that sin is no longer imputed to that person –   “that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.” 2 Corinthians 5:19   This then means, exactingly and unambiguously, that a person who is saved is saved forever (eternal salvation). If we who are in Christ are no longer imputed sin, and if “the wages of sin is death,” then those who are in Christ can never die again. However, this is not referring to physical death, but the rebinding of the soul. These physical bodies will either die, or they will be cast off at the rapture as explained by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15.   The words of Peter today dispel two lines of incorrect theology/doctrine taught within the church. The first is that a person can lose his salvation. This is as impossible as it was for death to hold Christ. The second is that we are obligated to the Law of Moses in part or in whole (Hebrew Roots, Seventh Day Adventists, et al). If we were bound to the law, sin could be imputed. Paul says that is not the case in so many ways that it is incredible that people hold to this heretical doctrine.   Grace has been granted to those who call on Christ. Do not be anxious that it can be taken away, and do not put yourselves again under the yoke of bondage which is the Law of Moses. Be sound in your doctrine and be firm in your faith – to the glory of God who redeemed you through the perfect and pure shed blood of Christ!   Lord God. How incredible it is what You have done through Jesus Christ our Lord! Amen.

Episode 454 - Show NotesI'm sure that in your life right now you need to make a decision, or maybe several decisions. Perhaps you are deciding about your future, your work, your family, where you live, or a parenting decision. Do you feel that uncertainty about the decision you need to make? Are you struggling with some stress and anxiety because you want to be sure to make the right decision?Like Solomon, you can ask God for wisdom. In fact, God has promised to give it to you if you would simply ask him.It's not just major companies that have consultants. You and I have them too. We have family members, close friends, work colleagues, neighbors, and even social media followers that all love to share their opinions about what we should or shouldn't do.While we are grateful for the advice from trusted family members and friends, we cannot neglect asking God what He would have us to do. A simple challenge for us would be: Have we asked God about it?So much wisdom can be gained from the pages of the Bible. If we read it in Scripture, we don't have to wonder if it's right for us. We know it's his will for us because it is in his word. I love the old saying, “Don't say God is silent if your Bible is closed.”Remember, the Bible teaches us that God is not the author of confusion. If you are confused, if the path forward is unclear, know this is not God's will for you. His Spirit wants to bring clarity, guidance, and direction.2 Chronicles 1:7-10 - “God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”  Solomon answered God, “You have shown great kindness to David my father and have made me king in his place. Now, Lord God, let your promise to my father David be confirmed, for you have made me king over a people who are as numerous as the dust of the earth. Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?”James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”5MinuteDiscipleship.comThe 5 Minute Discipleship Journal

Are you HARDCORE devout convert?  Are you a super-Jew? If so, then Jesus is your guy.  You killed Him, but you can and should KNOW FOR CERTAIN He is God.How? Well, you are such good Old Testament scholars, that let's use that source.  And David is your hero? Well, he talks about Jesus too. Let me interpret correctly Ps 16 and Ps 110 for you. And what about the craziness of this loud, fire representing, wonders-of-God-proclaiming miracle you have seen in the Galilean visitors? Oh, the prophet Joel talked about that 800 years ago.You killed Him 6 weeks ago but He came back for 40 days, left again, but now sends His SPIRIT.  What are you gonna do about it? You, of all people, CAN KNOW FOR CERTAIN.Obviously, please come back tomorrow.  It is just starting to get good.  Meantime, like, share, post, reply, grieve, be struck, comment, subscribe.  Don't just sit there.  Start with 7 minutes of listening.  It is close to 8 minutes today, but worth it.

The emphasis of Paul's incredible prayer is the life and love of Jesus Christ demonstrated and experienced in the depths of every believer. The heart of the prayer is found in the phrase “strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man.” In this expositional message, Nathan Johnson explores this profound and essential concept of which the rest of the prayer flows from. As Christians, we must be strengthened and empowered by the Spirit of God in our inner being (our mind, heart, will, emotions, and conscience) if we desire to practically live the life of a Christian. --------------------- Deeper Christian Bible Study in Ephesians • Study 75 Download the study notes for this episode and get other Christ-centered teaching and resources at: https://deeperchristian.com/ephesians-study-075/ (deeperchristian.com/ephesians-study-075/) Support this podcast

My heart has been heavy with a compelling need to open the eyes of believers to the unconditional welcome we have been given to meet with the Most High God face-to-face as one meets with a friend. Listening to the previous two episodes of this podcast will prove my point. Over the last two weeks, I have focused on the accessibility and availability of God. As believers in Jesus, we have been invited into the throne room. Yes, the indwelling presence of God never leaves us as believers, so we are never apart from God's presence. But we can magnify the glorious presence of God, and can be empowered by His Spirit in greater ways. Isaiah wanted the people of God to take notice of this, that's why he wrote the words I read in today's episode: Arise, shine, for your light has come. I picture Isaiah shaking the shoulders of a sleepy church and shouting, Arise! Shine! You already have the light within you! I can relate to the darkness making us want to close our eyes. We just changed our clocks by pushing them back one hour. I see the darkness out my window well before bedtime, and it makes me want to crawl under the covers and go to sleep. In the same way, the darkness of our culture makes us want to turn away, but Isaiah's words won't let us close our eyes. He wrote, “See! darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but…” That word “but” discounts everything in front of it. It's like Isaiah is saying, “I know you see the darkness. I know it's all around you. I know it's hard to see in the dark, BUT you have what you need to shine. The light of the Lord has risen upon you and his glory appears over you. Therefore, the darkness cannot overcome you.” Christ's light radiates from you, my friend. So, wake up! Arise and shine to believe and speak today's declaration into the darkness. This week's scripture: Isaiah 60:1-2   Discover the healing power of Psalm 139 in my book, Longing to Belong: Discovering the Joy of Acceptance. Available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart.com, Booksamillion.com and Christianbook.com. Also available as an audiobook from Audible, and as a digital download to your Kindle or from the Apple store for your iBooks app. Take the 10-day journey with me and let Scripture heal your heart. Look for the Longing to Belong Reading Plan on your mobile device via the YouVersion Bible app.

The good Lord is POURING out His Spirit. However, the target of this generosity is the very prickly humanity.  He pours on imperfect, uncooperative flesh.  It is a good thing.  Perfect people don't need a Savior.But there is a time limit.  We have during the "last days" to receive it.  The "last days", from a Biblical view have an expiration date of the moment He comes back.  The disciples enjoyed the first of the last days.  We may be living the last  "last day".  How long will we have?  I don't know.  What I do know is you should not wait.  Wait to do what?  CALL on Him.  Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.  Not just a particular nation, or gender, or color, or only people from Minneapolis. It is everyone who calls.What if you only got ONE WORD to call?  What if you only got a single word to say to Jesus when He picks up the other end of the telephone? I was thinking about some possibilities: HELP! AGREE (with You about wrong and Jesus)! Sin! Sorry! or the choice: JESUS!  He POURS, we CALL.  It is not just for people from Minneapolis. After you call on Him, subscribe at Apple Podcasts or write at bewithme.us@gmail.com

 Psalm 37:3-5,NKJV- Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. This is why Paul reminds us, “Don't focus on things that are seen, but on things that are unseen. Because things that are seen are temporary, but things in the unseen are eternal.” The reason time in God's word is so important for the born again is because in our new lives we're built to live different. Seriously, don't focus on things that are seen… but things that are unseen??? This is where Trust, Delight, Commitment come into play. Think about it, according to the apostle Peter, we're a chosen generation of royalty. We are the seed of Abraham and heirs according to the promise. What promise? Genesis 12:2-3,NKJV- “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” As the seed of Abraham, we are the people of God. That being said, we cannot overlook the reality that Jesus told us; everything about the Kingdom works according to seedtime. Here's a perfect example,  Psalm 139:16,NLT- You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. This is whyTrust, Delight, Commitment are absolutes. Consider this, according to Psalm 139, He saw this day, just as clear as the day He formed us. Which means, He's got a life laid out for each of us. This is that Romans 8, predestined life. Is it possible that our Heavenly Father is patiently waiting for each of us to take the next step in the life He's already seen we could have. Here's a couple of my favorite scriptures that help me process this inspired life Jesus died for. Ephesians 1:4-5,NLT- Long before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ.  Ephesians 1:11,MSG- It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, He had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose He is working out in everything and everyone.  A Here's the deal, none of us will ever discover this new life, this inspired living, passively waiting for the Lord to perform one of His miracles, while we continue doing life the way we've always done it. It may sound over simple, but it all comes down to this one truth, Jesus said, follow Me and I'll make you… Y'all have heard me say this for years, watching Jesus while we do our own thing isn't following Him. And without a doubt, following Jesus requires Trust, Delight, Commitment. Remember, As the seed of Abraham, heirs of God, He's got a life waiting to be discovered. So live inspired. Genesis 12, “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.” You gotta love how God prophesied Abraham's life to him. And it all started with God giving Abraham one simple step of faith, “go where I'm telling you.” One step at a time, one day at a time, one inspired life at a time. Here's what's crazy, He's already seen our lives, and He's still asking you to follow Him. As a matter of fact, Jesus tells us, "You did not choose Me, I chose you that you should go and bare fruit."Mark 3:13-14,NKJV- And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him. Then He appointed twelve, 1. that they might be with Him 2. that He might send them out to preach Remember what Paul told us in Ephesians, "It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we're living for." God gave us three simple principles for success in the "In Christ" Trust, Delight, Commit. Make today one of those days you discover something He saw in you the day He formed you. The Apostle Paul said, " Be wise and make the most of every opportunity." God knew we wouldn't be able to control every circumstance, but we can control our commitment. Coach John Wooden would always say, "You've got to apply yourself every day to be better, it won't just happen." We all need to leave here today with this reality, our Father is patiently waiting for each of us to take the next step in the life He's already seen we could have? And the greatest part is, He's given us His Spirit to inspire, direct, empower. Romans 8:11,NLT- The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, He will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. What if today is the day God takes you out of your routine, by simply asking you to take a step of faith towards a life He laid out before we took our first breath. But by design, He gave you the power of choice. Deuteronomy 30:19,NLT- “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!" Today's question is; Have you grown comfortable in your routine, in the securities of your day-to-day, not even considering that the God might be waiting on you to take your next step of faith. So what if today is the day God is gonna send someone your way to change the course of your life? Or He sends you to do the same to someone? Live Inspired. One of my favorite stories is Elijah and Elisha. Elisha was a regular guy going through his same old routine, with no idea Elijah is about to show up in his life. Living inspired means staying open, refusing to settle in behind the plow where our view of what we see everyday gets in our way of seeing something new. So sometimes God will send one of His faithful into you life to give you a little nudge. One reason I love this story so much is, Elisha shows is what God can accomplish through everyday people, willing to take a step of faith. Willing to live inspired. What's crazy is Elisha went so far as to burn everything that could hold him back for his God opportunity. Maybe a little plow burning is exactly what some fo us might need. Think about it, what are you gonna do when Jesus shows up and drops His mantle on you? Psalm 37:3-5,NKJV- Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.

Rev. Dustin Beck, pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Warda, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Ezekiel 36:16-38. The LORD tells His people that their idolatry has defiled them and profaned His name among the nations. Their uncleanness has made them unfit to enter into His presence for worship, and their profaning of His name has led the nations to speak poorly of the LORD. The LORD promises that He will act to remedy both situations--not because His people deserve it, but for the sake of His own name. He will vindicate Himself before the nations by bringing His people back to their land. He will cleanse His people from their defilement by washing them clean, giving them new hearts, and placing His Spirit within them. This will have effects on the land as well; the once desolate places will flourish once more. This text points to the LORD's fulfillment in Jesus Christ, who showed the holiness of God's name in His death and resurrection so that we might have new hearts by being cleansed in the water and Word of Baptism. “The Faithful Watchman” is a mini-series on Sharper Iron that goes through the book of Ezekiel. Just when Ezekiel should have begun his service as priest in the temple in Jerusalem, the LORD called him to be a prophet in exile in Babylon. Through fantastic visions and attention-grabbing action prophecies, the prophet Ezekiel is a faithful watchman who proclaims the word of the LORD to bring people to repentance over their sins and to faith in the coming Savior, Jesus Christ, the glory of the LORD made flesh.

November 07, 2021 Preparation for Worship Time for Gathering Opening Hymn “Blessed Assurance” 1 Blessed assurance Jesus is mine O what a foretaste of glory divine Heir of salvation purchase of God born of His Spirit washed in His blood This is my story this is my song praising my Savior all the day long This is my story this is my song praising my Savior all the day long 2 Perfect submission perfect delight visions of rapture now burst on my sight Angels descending bring from above echoes of mercy whispers of love [Refrain] 3 Perfect submission all is at rest I in my Savior am happy and blest Watching and waiting looking above filled with His goodness lost in His love [Refrain] Prayer of Praise Song of Worship Prayers of the Church Offering and Doxology Love Gift for Mo & Margie White (Write Mo on check or envelope) Scripture Lesson John 10:7-18 Page 819 Sermon Our Shepherd Sacrament of the Lord's Supper Closing Hymn “My Tribute” How can I say thanks for the things you have done for me Things so undeserved yet You give to prove Your love for me The voices of a million angels could not express my gratitude All that I am and ever hope to be I owe it all to Thee Refrain: To God be the glory to God be the glory To God be the glory for the things He has done With His blood He has saved me with His pow'r He has raised me To God be the glory for the things He has done Just let me live my life Let it be pleasing Lord to Thee And should I gain any praise let it go to Calvary With His blood He has saved me with His pow'r He has raised me To God be the glory for the things He has done Benediction: Sunday Prayer: Sundays @ 9:30 AM in the Sunshine Room and via Zoom. Mtg. ID: 937-7770-4424 Passcode: 962669 Issues Hour: Wednesdays @ 11:00 AM in the Sunshine Room and via Zoom Mtg. ID: 964-4262-3653 Passcode: 790381 Bible Study: Wednesdays @ 4:00 PM in the Sunshine Room and via Zoom Mtg. ID: 990-7080-9257 Passcode: 994434 Ladies Luncheon: Thursday, Nov. 11 th @ 12:30pm-@ Bistro La Baguette on 3560 Tamiami Tr. East Thank you to Mary Diamond Miller for providing the cookies --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/naplescommunitychurch/message

On this episode of Awaken Podcast, Michael Lombardo concludes his series on Jesus' most famous sermon found in Scripture, the Sermon on the Mount. Here, Michael closes with Jesus' exhortation on laying a firm foundation in our lives so we can stand firm against the storms and trials of life. It is vital that Christ is our foundation and we ground ourselves in His Word, His Spirit, fellowship and other biblical essentials. Tune in for wisdom, revelation, and impartation. For more information on Michael's ministry, go to www.lifepouredoutintl.org Grab a copy of his book, “Immersed in His Glory,” here: https://www.amazon.com/sk=immersed+in+his+glory&ref=nb_sb_noss_2 Follow Michael on Social Media: Facebook: www.facebook.com/michaellombardolpo Instagram: www.instagram.com/michaellombardolpo

Monday, 8 November 2021   And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy. Acts 2:18     “And on My menservants and on My maidservants.” The Spirit will come upon the Lord's people regardless of sex. Any who believe in Christ Jesus will receive the Promise. In the Hebrew of Joel that Peter is citing, it says, “And also upon the menservants and upon the maidservants.” Instead of “My” it simply says “the.”   In the Hebrew, the words of Joel are qualifying the previous verse of Joel. It had said, “I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh.” And so, to say, “And also upon the menservants and upon the maidservants,” it would be understood that they were included in the term “all flesh.” The Lord was obviously speaking to the people of Israel, and so “My” would be understood.   However, Peter now makes a distinction by saying “My” – “My menservants and on My maidservants.” As some people there were speaking in tongues while others were not, it defines who “My” is referring to, meaning believers. Thus, anyone not having the Spirit poured out on them is not included in “My.” It is a subtle way of saying, “This is what God is now doing. We are what Joel prophesied of and we are now the people of God.” To remedy this for those listening, Peter will later say –   “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” Acts 2:38, 39   For now, Peter continues citing Joel, saying, “I will pour out My Spirit in those days.” The idea of the pouring out of the Spirit is more than just coming upon a prophet for the purpose of witnessing to Israel, but of coming upon all people, as noted in the words “all flesh” of the previous verse (in both Joel and Acts). It is an all-inclusive pouring out upon any who belongs to the Lord. Further, these words now tell us that “those days” that Joel was referring to are now “these days.” The promised pouring out of the Spirit had arrived. With this gift, Peter next says, “And they shall prophesy.”   These words are not found in either the Hebrew or the Greek OT. However, Peter stating them now is probably an indication to the people that what he is saying, and what he will continue to say, is to be considered as prophetic utterances of the Lord. Thus, they are to heed Peter's words just as if they were heeding the prophets of the past. To not do so would be to reject the word of the Lord.   And more, there are times where those who are believers are said to prophesy later in Acts, such as in Acts 11:28, 19:6, and 21:9. Thus, the Spirit is shown in Acts to come upon believers in fulfillment of Peter's words now.   Another obvious point to be gleaned from Peter's words is to be seen in what is stated now in Acts. First, who is speaking in Joel 2 when it says, “I will pour out My Spirit?” It is obviously the Lord God (Yehovah). However, Peter – who is quoting those verses from Joel – clearly shows that it is Jesus who is pouring out His Spirit –   “Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.” Acts 2:33   Therefore, Peter is clearly, precisely, and unambiguously stating that Jesus is the Lord God (Yehovah) of their Scriptures. This is an important point that will help establish doctrine later in this chapter and it will explain why certain things occur as they do here (toward Israel) that are not later expected of new believers later in Acts.   Life application: It is necessary for us to remind ourselves that the verses being reviewed in Acts 2 are merely describing what occurred at that time. They do not prescribe anything, and they do not establish any ongoing precedent. In other words, just because something occurs here in Acts, it does not mean that it will occur again.   Fire came down on the sacrifices at the tabernacle and then later at the temple to show the Lord's approval of those edifices. But that did not occur again. The one demonstration of approval was all that was needed to confirm that He was among His people and had accepted what was built.   Likewise, the Lord demonstrates in the book of Acts His approval of His followers and of various conversions of people in an outward manner in order to demonstrate that He has accepted their faith. But this does not set a new precedent that will reoccur later. We should not expect to have a “Charismatic style” conversion when we receive Jesus. In fact, it is contrary to the prescriptive words of Paul elsewhere to expect that. We are to have faith in the Lord Jesus without any external display of His approval, and with that, He will be pleased.   Lord God, Your word says that if we believe the gospel, we will be saved. It also says that when we do, we are sealed with Your Spirit as a guarantee of our salvation. Help us to trust this and to not waffle in our minds as to whether this is true or not. We have demonstrated faith, Your word says You are pleased with that, and we are saved. Thank You for the surety Your word provides. Amen.

Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God: Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever: (Psalm 146:5-6) 28 Do you know, that body that you're living in this morning, was here ten thousand years before one speck of life ever laid on the earth. When God had this old missile hanging out yonder, turning it around the sun and revolving it around this a way, and was creating in there calcium, potash, and petroleums, and so forth, He had in His great mind then that you'd set at this table this morning. Oh, hallelujah, He's the infinite God. When a carpenter goes to build a house, how does he do? Lay out all of his lumber first. He's got in his mind just what he's going to build. God had, before the world was ever had a speck of life on it, He had your body laying right there. If it didn't, where did it come from? That's the reason He was twisting it, and rolling it, and turning it. He would have it to the sun this way and it'd make potash, and He'd turn it back this way, and it'd make calcium. He'd turn it back this way, it would make petroleum. Oh, blessed, be His holy Name. 29 What we got to fear about? We should be the freest and happiest people there is anywhere. And we don't have to guess about it; God's in our midst and proves it. That's right. And it's according to His Word and His Spirit. Now let's take it. Our bodies, before there was even the earth was finished being formed, our bodies that we're living in right now, was laying on the earth: potash, calcium, petroleum, so forth. Now, let's take a little picture so we won't miss it. And after the earth had been shaped and all of it laying there just a—a bleached desert, never had life on it, never was nothing called life, but all the material was laying there to make our bodies. And I can hear God say to the great Holy Spirit, “Go forth now and brood over the earth.” Now, we know the word “brood” is “to—to mother, like the hen her brood, or—or to coo like a dove calling to its mate.” “Go brood over the earth.” 30 Now, we'll have to use a imagination here as to make a drama. Then the great Holy Spirit went forth, and spread forth His wings over the earth, and begin to brood for a purpose. And that was to bring forth something to project what God was. As I said the other night, “Which was first, a sinner or a Saviour?” What's all this about anyhow? Which was first a—a Healer or sickness? Why, certainly a Healer, cer… Well, why did—why did we ever become sinners then? It had to be that way. If God is a Saviour, He had to have something to save. So there's nothing wrong; it's just all working His way. Now, I don't—couldn't say this to sinners; I'm saying it to ministers (See?) and children of God. It's all working all right, no matter what we do, or do not do; it's going to come out all right. 'Cause what God foreknew He ordained. Now notice, then as It's a moving around, as—as—as it is. It's coming out all right, there's no need of us worrying, because it's going to be okay. 58-0619b - "Ye Must Be Born Again" Rev. William Marrion Branham ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Order your own copy of the Family Altar at http://store.bibleway.org Appreciate what we do? Consider supporting us: https://anchor.fm/ten-thousand-worlds/support --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ten-thousand-worlds/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/ten-thousand-worlds/support

The difference between victory and defeat in your life rests on this: knowing WHOSE you are! In this message, Pastor Andy Williamson teaches us something we tend to so easily forget… That difficulties aren't there to be avoided at all costs. They are there for us to learn and grow from as our Savior walks through them with us! So why do we so often let challenging circumstances break us down? Because we take our eyes off Jesus and who He's told us we are in Him: sons and daughters of the most high KING! Through the promise of scripture, Pastor Andy reminds us that in the midst of our challenges, we are to run to a Savior who is MORE than enough! He has taken the curse of sin upon Himself so that we may claim our inheritance and receive the promise of His Spirit! So with our eyes open and fixed on the One who‘s over it all, we run toward the life of victory we're called to… One that rests on knowing we are HIS!

God has given me His Spirit so that I may live in the victory of Jesus Christ.

Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted. (Hebrews 2:14-18) 87 Jesus was completely, totally man. He could cry like a man. He could eat like a man. He could be tired like a man. He was completely, totally man, in His physical being. And in His Spirit, He was completely, totally God, so He made His flesh submissive to the Spirit that was in Him. You see, He was tempted in all manners like we are. He was man, not an Angel. He was a man. He had desires and temptations, just like we do. The Bible said He did. He was a man, not an Angel above temptation. Hebrews 1 said, that, “He was…” Hebrews 1:4 said, “He was made lower than the Angels.” He was man, completely man; that God took a complete man, to bring total deliverance, and He filled Him with His Spirit. The Holy Ghost was in Him, without measure. And He was tempted like we were. And He was completely God. He proved it when He raised the dead, when He stopped nature, the roaring seas and the mighty winds. When He spoke to the trees, and so forth, they obeyed Him. He was God, inside. And He could have been man, for He was man, but He totally and completely delivered Himself (as a man) into the hands of God, for the service of God. 88 And He is our example. We are men and women. We're also Christians. If He's our example, let us completely deliver ourselves into the hands of the Holy Ghost, that we might be subjects of the Kingdom of God. 89 He was totally man; He was totally God. But He surrendered His natural parts to His…and His physical parts, and His own thinking, and His own doing, and His own cares, and, “I do only that which pleases the Father.” There you are. Totally delivered from human beings. The priests come to Him, the great men, and said, “Rabbi, so-and-so,” and tried to bribe Him into their affiliations and denominations. But He was totally delivered because He trusted in God. 90 Did not the Psalmist say, “Thou will deliver Him, for He has completely trusted in Me”? See? “I will deliver My Darling from the dogs, because He has trusted in Me.” 91 Some hour when we come to the end of life's journey, I want it for mine. I know you want it for yours. I want Him to say, “I'll deliver him out of the jaws of death, for he's trusted in Me. I will deliver him from the grave, on the resurrection morning, totally deliver him, both soul, body, and Spirit, because he has trusted in Me.” 59-0712 - "A Total Deliverance" Rev. William Marrion Branham ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Order your own copy of the Family Altar at http://store.bibleway.org Appreciate what we do? Consider supporting us: https://anchor.fm/ten-thousand-worlds/support --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ten-thousand-worlds/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/ten-thousand-worlds/support

“You have eyes—can't you see? You have ears—can't you hear?' Don't you remember anything at all?” ~ Mark 8:18 (NLT) There are two words which spark my ire as a historian (I actually have multiple degrees in history), “revisionist history.” Now, let me explain. Revisionist history isn't going back and fixing historical inaccuracies in our understanding of an event, time period, social movement, or even conflict. Instead, revisionist history seeks to rewrite what actually happened to help further one's opinions or politics. This type of history ignores solid, factual documentation, and instead relies upon less trustworthy sources, words taken out of context, and trying to read into it a 21st century worldview even though the event(s) happened in a different era with different customs, ethics, and social norms. Prime examples of revisionist histories that are happening right now are some far-flung efforts to deny the holocaust ever happened, that Abraham Lincoln was homosexual, and that the earth is flat, not round. All of these theories, of course, fly in the face of a ton of historical information which gives definitive proof otherwise. It drives me nuts. Of course, the chief revisionist historian is Satan. He loves to rewrite histories – even those of the disciples. Check out our verse today, “You have eyes—can't you see? You have ears—can't you hear?' Don't you remember anything at all?” These are the words of Jesus to his disciples who had totally forgotten that Jesus fed over 5,000 people with a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish – never mind the fact it had just happened. He wants us to forget the power, miracles, mercy, compassion, grace, and love of God. Satan goal is to rewrite what we've experienced with God (or forget it all together) so that we lose track of truth. The reality is that we fall for these revisions to our spiritual history. In our own lives, we forget the amazingness of God. We chalk His miracles up to chance or coincidence. We forget the joy we felt when His Spirit entered into our life for the first time. We forget the sacrifice He made on the cross and His offer of salvation to everyone. So, today, and every day, spend a moment reflecting on what God has done for you. If you're a writer, journal it. Things tend to stick more when we write them down. And, as you remember them, thank God for His faithfulness, His truth, and His history.

We come hungry and thirsty. We come with an expectation. Knowing what God has promised He is also able to perform. God is moving by His Spirit and we are about to see the Hand of God and a fresh outpouring of His Spirit, and He's about to do Great things in your life. Don't look in the natural but keep your eyes on the Word, on God and His promises, and see what He will do! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/revivalUSA/support

About this Episode: In this week's episode, Coach T talks about the Bible and how it exposes this worlds brokenness and how God's Son, Jesus, came to restore what sin has stolen. * The Lick (message) of the week: God uses His word and His Spirit to transform our lives. * Drip (word/attribute) of the week: Guide * Key Verse: Matthew 4:4 Music- My Section by 1K Pson Instrumental: “Phat” by Paven Melody (Paven Dis Shid Crank)

Deborah is next up in the Women of Faith Series. Preparing for this episode encouraged my own faith!    There is so much to unpack in Deborah's story! She left us such a powerful example, as have the others in this series, that if we allow the Lord, through His Spirit, to shape us we can effect change in the world around us!   I'm excited to connect with you again this week! Push that play button and let's begin!   You can learn more about Susan and her ministry, She Rises, at https://www.sherisesmn.org/ You can find her on Facebook and Instagram at Susan Vandenheuvel.

These days, most of us live in a nonstop state of busyness and distraction - and we have endless reasons to justify our lifestyle. But, deep down, could it be that the reason we distract and entertain ourselves every waking moment is to keep from feeling inadequate with the true purpose of our lives? Maybe you feel desperate for something to change. Perhaps you're longing to live the life you were created for, instead of the shallow, overly-stimulated existence of today. Join us for our new series, Unstoppable: Bound in His Love. Freed by His Spirit., as we venture through one of the most well-know chapters of the Bible: Romans 8. In the pages of Scripture, you'll encounter God's power to completely transform your life, and will uncover a more enduring purpose than anything this world has to offer. Listen with us in our first message of the series, No Condemnation!, as we discover that, in Christ, we are freed, sin is condemned, and we walk in the Spirit! 

Throughout history, God has entered the physical realm of earth and time to speak to us, to walk with us, and to guide us. When God entered our world as Jesus, He opened the door for us to enter eternity. From the moment we believe the truth of who Jesus is and trust Him, we are given a new role. Now we have access to God in eternity because His Spirit is with us in Time. Here we live, but there we reign. Daylight Meditations is a daily podcast from CFO North America. Please visit CFONorthAmerica.org to learn more about our retreats, and online courses. If you are encouraged by this podcast, please consider supporting us. Contributors: Michelle DeChant, Adam Maddock, Joy Peyton and Phil Reaser

Living in sin is living in death. We don't have to live in death! God has made a way of escape through the resurrection power of His Spirit.

When Jesus casts out a mute demon, peoples' willingness to accept what God is doing in Him is all over the board. Jesus implies that the "new Moses" has come into their midst and anything other than being on-board with God's plan through Him will result in scattering. He is cleaning the house and if it is not filled with His Spirit, it will be filled with many demons. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/eatscripture/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/eatscripture/support

When Jesus casts out a mute demon, peoples' willingness to accept what God is doing in Him is all over the board. Jesus implies that the "new Moses" has come into their midst and anything other than being on-board with God's plan through Him will result in scattering. He is cleaning the house and if it is not filled with His Spirit, it will be filled with many demons. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/eatscripture/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/eatscripture/support

Spend a minute or two and just glance over the headlines of today. Disease. Disaster. Defiance. Doom and gloom. Certainly it doesn't make you think "What a wonderful world!" Do you feel safe, despite the dangers? Do you trust God has it under control? "Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come." - 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 GO DEEPER: Psalm 121:3-8

I'm Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) I was never good at fasting. I tried it off and on for years and never had what I thought were good results. I'd make the commitment, “I'm not eating anything from this time to this time. I'm really going to seek God and dedicate myself.” I gave it the old college try, and then would just feel cranky and hungry and scattered. My work suffered. Probably my family suffered, and for what? I saw other Christians fasting, seemingly successfully, but I felt no fire in it, no visitation, no moving of God. That's not required of course, but to me, fasting felt like a wasteland, without value or fruit. Then we moved to Tallahassee at the end of 2005 and went to a church that declared a fast to start the year 2006 – but it was a different kind of fast, a “Daniel fast.” Surely I had heard of that before, but I don't recall it. I thought there was just one way to fast, and that was to eat no food, none. So this Daniel fast was a new idea to me, where your eating was limited, but not eliminated. So the church announced this Daniel Fast, but we had just moved to a new city and I had my hands full. I didn't want to mess with a new fast right then, but I said, “If they do it next year, I'll do it.” Then I had the idea for a different kind of fast, so I went on a shopping fast. What does that mean? It means I bought nothing for myself, no clothes or shoes or toys or electronics or whatever. Yes, I bought necessities like food and deodorant, but nothing extra. And I did that for two years. It was humbling, and brought discipline and strength of mind, and turned my heart even more to God saying, “You are my provider.” And I learned one big thing about myself: it's hard for me to pass up a good deal! For example, I would see a shirt I liked, and hey, it's 50 percent off! It's 75 percent off! IT'S 90 PERCENT OFF! But no, I couldn't buy it because I was on a shopping fast. Like all fasting, it was hard at first, but then I learned and grew and became a better, stronger person. And it was the first fast in my life that truly felt satisfying, like it mattered, it worked, it had value, and God was in it. Then January, 2007 rolled around, and the church once again called for a 3 week Daniel fast, and I was in. Then I found out that there really isn't one set way to do a Daniel fast, but the overall goal is to deny yourself certain pleasant foods and drinks. I wanted my Daniel fast to be easy to figure out, where I wasn't getting nitpicky about ingredients, so I came up with these 5 guidelines: --drink only water --eat no meat --eat no bread --eat no sweets --eat nothing fried. I don't know what I had been doing to my body before this, but I was quickly plunged into a dull, yucky headache. I wasn't particularly prone to headaches, but I did get them sometimes, and this one was constant. It didn't even go away after I slept. Now listen to this. While I was in the middle of that headache, probably a sugar and caffeine withdrawal, I felt God rise up in me and say, “Do it all year.” And in my foggy-headed headache I said, “Yes, I will do this all year.” Eventually the headache went away, and listen to this. It was YEARS before I had another headache of any kind, and to this day I never get headaches like I got them before I went on the Daniel fast. The Daniel fast was hard at first, because I cut out those certain foods, but I didn't have good replacement foods. I lost weight to the point where my wife was like, “You're clothes aren't fitting right.” But it was an exciting journey! I spent a lot of time hungry, but unlike a no-food-at-all fast, I was free to eat and get nourishment, just from a limited number of sources. One thing I really learned about myself was that, even though I didn't have one big monster sin or problem that had its hook in me, it was like I had a thousand little hooks in me, jerking me this way and that, meaning I didn't really have full control over myself. It was like, “Oh, M and M's, yes! I need some.” “Oh, a Big Mac and fries. I need that.” “You know what I really need right now? A Coke! Better go get one.” “You know what sounds good right now? A HOT FUDGE SUNDAE!” I realized that I had spent most of the days of my entire life being jerked this way and that by every appetite, every whim and desire. And this Daniel fast was slowly cutting all those fishing lines and setting me free from their hooks. Now I'm thinking of Philippians 3:19 where it says, “…their god is their stomach…” The New Living Translation says, “…their god is their appetite…” I was there, man, with every little appetite acting like my god and telling me what to do, and I was doing it! “I need some chips and dip, right now!” In Matthew chapter 6, Jesus says that when we fast, our Father will reward us. I did that Daniel fast for 3 years, and the Father truly rewarded me. In the middle of that 3 years I felt His Spirit rising up within me and calling me to get locked back in to Bible memorization, so I started memorizing one verse per weekday, and you know what? I'm never going to stop. And that is just one amazing product of that Daniel fast. Jesus said in Luke 9:23, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” The question is, what are we denying ourselves? So often the answer is, “Nothing.” It almost seems un-American to deny ourselves anything! But to follow Jesus there must be self-denial, and one obvious form of self-denial is fasting. “God, I'm giving this up because I'm so hungry for more of You.” I'm fasting secular music. I'm denying myself whatever pleasures that might bring in order to set my mind on things above. I'm currently on what I call a “frontline soldier beverage fast.” Yes, now I'm making up my own fasts. But I'm praying, “God, I'm denying myself all beverages except water and black coffee because I'm so thirsty for You. As the deer pants for the water, so my soul longs after Thee.” A while back our church once again called for a 3 week fast to start the year, but it was open-ended. You pick what you want to fast. So I prayed, “God, what should I fast?” And I left it there. I didn't want to conjure up something to fast. I wanted God to tell me what to fast, if anything. I was willing, but I wanted Him to tell me. It didn't happen right away, but at some point it suddenly popped into my mind, “Fast breakfast.” So I started fasting breakfast on normal workdays, and within the first few days I really felt like God had given me a gift. Yes, I was hungry, but I was going to eat after noon anyway, so it was very doable. And I did something different. I did not pick an end date for the breakfast fast. I just renew it day by day. No promises. No commitments. Just, “Today, I'm doing it. I'm fasting breakfast today.” And I've been doing it for years now, with no plans to stop. Like I said, it really feels like God has given me a gift, a blessing! And that's how I now feel about fasting. It's a gift. A blessing! What I formerly would have called “The Tortures of Fasting” I now call “Adventures in Fasting.” My early years felt unprofitable, even negative. But these later years have been a true joy, an exciting adventure in denying myself in order to follow Jesus every day as closely as I can. And I pray that you will, too. May God bless you today. I'm Doug Apple.

Christ promised them that He would send them His Spirit, who would recall His words to their minds as forgotten truths. He shall teach you all things," Christ said, "and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." John 14:26. The way the Jewish teachers explained the Scriptures, their endless repetitions of maxims and fiction, called forth from Christ the words: "This people draweth nigh unto Me with their mouth, and honoreth Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me." They performed in the temple courts their round of service. They offered sacrifices typifying the great Sacrifice, saying by their ceremonies, "Come, my Saviour;" yet Christ, the One whom all these ceremonies represented, was among them, and they would not recognize nor receive Him. The Saviour declared: "In vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." Matthew 15:8, 9. Christ is saying to His servants today, as He said to His disciples: "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me." But men are as slow now to learn the lesson as in Christ's day. God has given His people warning after warning; but the customs, habits, and practices of the world have had so great power on the minds of His professed people that His warnings have been disregarded. Those who act a part in God's great cause are not to follow the example of worldlings. The voice of God is to be heeded. He who depends on men for strength and influence leans on a broken reed. Depending on men has been the great weakness of the church. Men have dishonored God by failing to appreciate His sufficiency, by coveting the influence of men. Thus Israel became weak. The people wanted to be like the other nations of the world, and they asked for a king. They desired to be guided by human power which they -250- could see, rather than by the divine, invisible power that till that time had led and guided them, and had given them victory in battle. They made their own choice, and the result was seen in the destruction of Jerusalem and the dispersion of the nation. We cannot put confidence in any man, however learned, however elevated he may be, unless he holds the beginning of his confidence in God firm unto the end. What must have been the power of the enemy upon Solomon, a man whom Inspiration has thrice called the beloved of God, and to whom was committed the great work of building the temple! In that very work Solomon made an alliance with idolatrous nations, and through his marriages he bound himself up with heathen women through whose influence he in his later years forsook the temple of God to worship in the groves he had prepared for their idols. So now, men set God aside as not sufficient for them. They resort to worldly men for recognition and think that by means of the influence gained from the world they can do some great thing. But they mistake. By leaning on the arm of the world instead of the arm of God, they turn aside the work which God desires to accomplish through His chosen people. When brought in contact with the higher classes of society, let not the physician feel that he must conceal the peculiar characteristics which sanctification through the truth gives him. The physicians who unite with the work of God are to co-operate with God as His appointed instrumentalities; they are to give all their powers and efficiency to magnifying the work of God's commandment-keeping people. Those who in their human wisdom try to conceal the peculiar characteristics that distinguish God's people from the world will lose their spiritual life and will no longer be upheld by His power. -251- Our medical workers should never entertain the idea that it is essential to make an appearance of being wealthy. There will be a strong temptation to do this with the thought that it will give influence. But I am instructed to say that it will have the opposite effect. All who seek to uplift themselves by conforming to the world set an example that is misleading. God recognizes as His those only who practice the self-denial and sacrifice which He has enjoined. Physicians are to understand that their power lies in their meekness and lowliness of heart. God will honor those who make Him their dependence. The style of a physician's dress, his equipage, his furniture, count not one jot with God. He cannot work by His Holy Spirit with those who try to compete with the world in dress and display. He who follows Christ must deny himself and take up the cross. The physician who loves and fears God will need to make no outward display in order to distinguish himself; for the Sun of Righteousness is shining in his heart and is revealed in his life, and this gives him distinction. Those who work in Christ's lines will be living epistles, known and read of all men. Through their example and influence men of wealth and talent will be turned from the cheapness of material things to lay hold on eternal realities. The greatest respect will ever be shown to the physician who reveals that he receives his directions from God. Nothing will work so powerfully for the advancement of God's instrumentality as for those connected with it to stand steadfast as His faithful servants. The physician will find that it is for his present and eternal good to follow the Lord's ways of working. The mind that God has made He can mold without the power of man, but He honors men by asking them to co-operate with Him in His great work. -252- Many regard their own wisdom as sufficient, and they arrange things according to their judgment, thinking to bring about wonderful results. But if they would depend on God, and not on themselves, they would receive heavenly wisdom. Those who are so engrossed with their work that they cannot find time to press their way to the throne of grace and obtain counsel from God will turn the work into wrong channels. Our strength lies in our union with God through His only-begotten Son and in our union with one another. The surgeon most truly successful is he who loves God, who sees God in His created work and worships Him as he traces His wise arrangement in the human organism. The most successful physician is he who fears God from his youth, as did Timothy, who feels that Christ is his constant companion, a friend with whom he can always commune. Such a physician would not exchange his position for the highest office the world could give. He is more anxious to honor God and secure His approval than to secure patronage and honor from the great men of the world. Prayer Every sanitarium established among Seventh-day Adventists should be made a Bethel. All who are connected with this branch of the work should be consecrated to God. Those who minister to the sick, who perform delicate, grave operations, should remember that one slip of the knife, one nervous tremor, may cause a soul to be launched into eternity. They should not be allowed to take so many responsibilities that they have no time for special seasons of prayer. By earnest prayer they should acknowledge their dependence upon God. Only through a sense of God's pure truth working in the mind and -253- heart, only through the calmness and strength that He alone can impart, are they qualified to perform those critical operations which mean life or death to the afflicted ones. The physician who is truly converted will not gather to himself responsibilities that interfere with his work for souls. Since without Christ we can do nothing, how can a physician or a medical missionary engage successfully in his important work without earnestly seeking the Lord in prayer? Prayer and a study of the word bring life and health to the soul. The Lord is waiting to manifest through His people His grace and power. But He requires that those who engage in His service shall keep their minds ever directed to Him. Every day they should have time for reading the word of God and for prayer. Every officer and every soldier under the command of the God of Israel needs time in which to consult with God and seek His blessing. If the worker allows himself to be drawn away from this, he will loose his spiritual power. Individually we are to walk and talk with God; then the sacred influence of the gospel of Christ in all its preciousness will appear in our lives. A work of reformation is to be carried on in our institutions. Physicians, workers, nurses, are to realize that they are on probation, on trial for their present life, and for that life which measures with the life of God. We are to put every faculty to the stretch in order to bring saving truths to the attention of suffering human beings. This must be done in connection with the work of healing the sick. Then the cause of truth will stand before the world in the strength which God designs it to have. Through the influence of sanctified workers the truth will be magnified. It will go forth "as a lamp that burneth." -254- The World's Need When Christ saw the multitudes that gathered about Him, "He was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd." Christ saw the sickness, the sorrow, the want and degradation of the multitudes that thronged His steps. To Him were presented the needs and woes of humanity throughout the world. Among the high and the low, the most honored and the most degraded, He beheld souls who were longing for the very blessings He had come to bring, souls who needed only a knowledge of His grace to become subjects of His kingdom. "Then saith He unto His disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth laborers into His harvest." Matthew 9:36-38. Today the same needs exist. The world is in need of workers who will labor as Christ did for the suffering and the sinful. There is indeed a multitude to be reached. The world is full of sickness, suffering, distress, and sin. It is full of those who need to be ministered unto--the weak, the helpless, the ignorant, the degraded. Many of the youth of this generation, in the midst of churches, religious institutions, and professedly Christian homes, are choosing the path to destruction. Through intemperate habits they bring upon themselves disease, and through greed to obtain money for sinful indulgences they fall into dishonest practices. Health and character are ruined. Aliens from God and outcasts from society, these poor souls feel that they are without hope either for this life or for the life to come. The hearts of parents are broken. Men speak of these erring ones as -255- hopeless, but God looks upon them with pitying tenderness. He understands all the circumstances that have led them to fall under temptation. This is a class that demands labor. Nigh and afar off are souls, not only the youth but those of all ages, who are in poverty and distress, sunken in sin, and weighed down with a sense of guilt. It is the work of God's servants to seek for these souls, to pray with them and for them, and lead them step by step to the Saviour. But those who do not recognize the claims of God are not the only ones who are in distress and in need of help. In the world today, where selfishness, greed, and oppression rule, many of the Lord's true children are in need and affliction. In lowly, miserable places, surrounded with poverty, disease, and guilt, many are patiently bearing their own burden of suffering, and trying to comfort the hopeless and sin-stricken about them. Many of them are almost unknown to the churches or to the ministers; but they are the Lord's lights, shining amid the darkness. For these the Lord has a special care, and He calls upon His people to be His helping hand in relieving their wants. Wherever there is a church, special attention should be given to searching out this class and ministering to them. And while working for the poor, we should give attention also to the rich, whose souls are equally precious in the sight of God. Christ worked for all who would hear His word. He sought not only the publican and the outcast, but the rich and cultured Pharisee, the Jewish nobleman, and the Roman ruler. The wealthy man needs to be labored for in the love and fear of God. Too often he trusts in his riches and feels not his danger. The worldly possessions which the Lord has entrusted to men are -256- often a source of great temptation. Thousands are thus led into sinful indulgences that confirm them in habits of intemperance and vice. Among the wretched victims of want and sin are found many who were once in possession of wealth. Men of different vocations and different stations in life have been overcome by the pollutions of the world, by the use of strong drink, by indulgence in the lusts of the flesh, and have fallen under temptation. While these fallen ones excite our pity and demand our help, should not some attention be given also to those who have not yet descended to these depths, but who are setting their feet in the same path? There are thousands occupying positions of honor and usefulness who are indulging habits that mean ruin to soul and body. Should not the most earnest effort be made to enlighten them? Ministers of the gospel, statesmen, authors, men of wealth and talent, men of vast business capacity and power for usefulness, are in deadly peril because they do not see the necessity of strict temperance in all things. They need to have their attention called to the principles of temperance, not in a narrow or arbitrary way, but in the light of God's great purpose for humanity. Could the principles of true temperance be thus brought before them, there are very many of the higher classes who would recognize their value and give them a hearty acceptance. There is another danger to which the wealthy classes are especially exposed, and here also is a field for the work of the medical missionary. Multitudes who are prosperous in the world and who never stoop to the common forms of vice, are yet brought to destruction through the love of riches. Absorbed in their worldly treasures, they are insensible to the claims of God and the needs of their fellow men. Instead of regarding their wealth as a talent to be used for the glory of God and the uplifting -257- of humanity, they look upon it as a means of indulging and glorifying themselves. They add house to house and land to land, they fill their homes with luxuries, while want stalks the streets, and all about them are human beings in misery and crime, in disease and death. Those who thus give their lives to self-serving are developing in themselves, not the attributes of God, but the attributes of Satan. These men are in need of the gospel. They need to have their eyes turned from the vanity of material things to behold the preciousness of the enduring riches. They need to learn the joy of giving, the blessedness of being co-workers with God. Persons of this class are often the most difficult of access, but Christ will open ways whereby they may be reached. Let the wisest, the most trustful, the most hopeful, laborers seek for these souls. With the wisdom and tact born of divine love, with the refinement and courtesy that result alone from the presence of Christ in the soul, let them work for those who, dazzled by the glitter of earthly riches, see not the glory of the heavenly treasure. Let the workers study the Bible with them, pressing sacred truth home to their hearts. Read to them the words of God: "But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption." "Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth Me, that I am the Lord which exercise loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord." "In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace." But my God shall supply all your need -258- according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." 1 Corinthians 1:30; Jeremiah 9:23, 24; Ephesians 1:7; Philippians 4:19. Such an appeal, made in the spirit of Christ, will not be thought impertinent. It will impress the minds of many in the higher classes. By efforts put forth in wisdom and love, many a rich man may be awakened to a sense of his responsibility and his accountability to God. When it is made plain that the Lord expects them as His representatives to relieve suffering humanity, many will respond and will give of their means and their sympathy for the benefit of the poor. When their minds are thus drawn away from their own selfish interests, many will be led to surrender themselves to Christ. With their talents of influence and means they will gladly unite in the work of beneficence with the humble missionary who was God's agent in their conversion. By a right use of their earthly treasure they will lay up "a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth." They will secure for themselves the treasure that wisdom offers, even "durable riches and righteousness." Through observing our lives, the people of the world form their opinion of God and of the religion of Christ. All who do not know Christ need to have the high, noble principles of His character kept constantly before them in the lives of those who do know Him. To meet this need, to carry the light of Christ's love into the homes of the great and the lowly, the rich and the poor, is the high duty and precious privilege of the medical missionary. "Ye are the salt of the earth," Christ said to His disciples; and in these words He was speaking to His workers -259- of today. If you are salt, saving properties are in you, and the virtue of your character will have a saving influence. Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 6 pp. 249-258

When asked this question, most will respond with the answer, "Because He died on the cross for my sins" or "because of how He has always delivered me." Before I move forward, I want to say that these are all beautiful answers about God's character and willingness to go above and beyond for His creation. We should have hope in what God has done for us and will do for us, but this is not the basis for our worship.For instance, how would Christians in the Old Testament respond to this question? If Jesus hadn't died for them yet, what would be their reason for worshipping God? Yes, God delivered them out of Egypt into the Promised Land but their worship was deeper than that. They did in fact have to be reminded consistently that they had be saved and delivered over and over again in the story of the Old Testament, but what was the very root of their worship?What if we ask Adam and Eve before sin entered mankind (the Fall)? If they didn't need to be saved from sin yet, what was their reason for worshipping God?So many of us have a relationship with God that is heavily based on what we can do for Him and in exchange, what He can do for us. We'll read our Bibles, memorize and study Scripture, worship every week on Sundays, and give faithfully to our churches in our finances. Now before I go any further, these are all great habits to cultivate in our faith. But if we think that any of these things make God any happier with us, we are not only underselling God's holiness, we are also communicating implicitly that we are not in need of His grace.All of those things listed are not for God under any stretch of the imagination. They are all for us. These habits all gradually mold us into the image of His son over the course of our lifetimes. We can certainly draw nearer to God, but it's important to remember that God is already as close as He can possibly be to us because He has given us His Spirit in us.This leads me to why we ultimately worship God. We don't worship Him for what we get out of the deal. We don't worship God for what He does for us or what He has done for us. We worship God because He is God. He is the Creator of the Universe and is completely and totally worthy of all of our worship.

God has one request of you: Get alone with Him—your spirit with His Spirit in the Holy of Holies! Join Pastor Paula and Jon as they take you into the Holy of Holies in this detailed study focusing on The Table of Showbread.

It's easy to be preoccupied on the wrong thing, to marinate too long on that thought or simply be distracted by 'good things' that they wear us out. Consider this, a person can be so preoccupied serving or volunteering at their local church that they accrue to their 'God time' but yet have little time for their own personal Bible study or prayer. But true time spent with God IS that time of separation with Him, His Word and His Spirit; seeking His face, listening and speaking to Him in prayer and receiving what He has for you! With such an example, isn't it time for us all to recalibrate and 'Seek first the Kingdom of God' (Matthew 6:33) just as the Word says? I think you'll agree this is a message we all should occupy our mind to. Thanks for tuning in, don't forget to subscribe for more On Demand content!

Octubre 27: Un deseo ardiente por Dios.Salmos 42:1‭-‬11 RVA2015:Como ansía el venado las corrientes de las aguas, así te ansía a ti, oh Dios, el alma mía. Mi alma tiene sed de Dios, del Dios vivo. ¿Cuándo iré para presentarme delante de Dios? Mis lágrimas han sido mi alimento día y noche mientras me dicen todos los días: “¿Dónde está tu Dios?”. Recuerdo estas cosas y derramo mi alma dentro de mí: cuando pasaba con la muchedumbre, guiándolos hasta la casa de Dios, con voz de alegría y de acción de gracias de la multitud en fiesta.¿Por qué te abates, oh alma mía, y te turbas dentro de mí? Espera a Dios, porque aún le he de alabar. ¡Él es la salvación de mi ser, y mi Dios! Mi alma está abatida dentro de mí. Por esto me acordaré de ti en la tierra del Jordán y del Hermón, en el monte de Mizar. Un abismo llama a otro por la voz de tus cascadas; todas tus ondas y tus olas han pasado sobre mí. De día mandará el SEÑOR su misericordia; y de noche su canción estará conmigo, la oración al Dios de mi vida. Diré a Dios: “Roca mía, ¿por qué te has olvidado de mí? ¿Por qué he de andar enlutado por la opresión del enemigo?”. Mientras mis huesos se quebrantan, mis enemigos me afrentan diciéndome cada día: “¿Dónde está tu Dios?”. ¿Por qué te abates, oh alma mía, y por qué te turbas dentro de mí? Espera a Dios, porque aún le he de alabar. ¡Él es la salvación de mi ser, y mi Dios!Pienso que este es uno de los salmos más conocidos entre los cristianos porque muchos se identifican con los primeros versos de este capítulo. Una vez más, este salmo es una ilustración que usaron los hijos de Coré, comparándose con uno de los animalitos del campo. Así como David se comparó a una oveja en el salmo 23, de la misma manera los hijos de Coré se compararon con un ciervo o venado. El venado es un animalito que habita en el desierto y tiene que buscar entre los peñascos y las laderas rocosas de las montañas por alguna fuente de agua.Esta ilustración es muy íntima y muy sincera delante de Dios; pues está reconociendo el ardiente deseo por la presencia de Dios, está exponiendo esa pasión por sentir la gloria de Dios en su vida; así como la vida de un ciervo depende del agua, nuestras vidas también dependen del agua de vida, de Dios.Esa sed espiritual es muy común verla; la puede ver en las personas pero no con sus ojos, sino después de que hablas con ellos. Siempre que uno toca un tema espiritual a una necesidad del alma, inmediatamente las personas empiezan a hacer preguntas acerca de la Biblia, de Dios, de la obra de salvación, de Jesús, de la vida eterna, de las injusticias, etc. Son preguntas que el ser humano tiene en la cabeza porque quieren entender las cosas que son espirituales y también entender cuál es el propósito de sus vidas. Al final, siempre está esta pregunta sincera: “Si usted cree en Dios, ¿cómo hago yo para conocerlo?Esa es la sed de alguien que no conoce de Dios pero anhela conocerlo. Y después de que ha conocido al Señor, siempre va a tener esa necesidad continúa de beber de la fuente de agua eterna. No porque se haya olvidado de Dios, sino porque ya probó el agua y ahora sabe que Dios es el único recurso para todas sus necesidades. El agua de vida satisface nuestra sed espiritual y calma el calor del diario vivir causados por el ardiente sol de los ataques en contra de nuestra fe, las aflicciones, y afanes de este mundo. Cuando experimentamos injusticias o sentimos la soledad, cuando tenemos una necesidad del alma y sed de Dios, ahí es cuando clamamos por más. Más de Él, más de Su Espíritu, más de Su gloria, más de Su amor. Por eso, Jesucristo dijo: "El que tiene sed, venga a mí y beba". Tenemos que venir a Él; no esperar a que Él venga a nosotros. ¡Él es la fuente, tenemos que ir a la fuente! Tenemos que dar el paso de fe y buscarle intencionalmente con un corazón sincero, con entrega y sin vacilar, sin miedo. Pablo nos enseñó que Jesucristo es la misma peña en el desierto que brotó agua para saciar la sed del pueblo de Israel. Hoy, de esa Roca todavía sigue brotando agua para esos venados, esos ciervos que braman por agua. Considera:¿Estás clamando con entrega y pasión al Señor por Su presencia?Cuando lo necesitas, ¿esperas que Él llegue a ti o tú tomas la iniciativa y te acercas a Él?Soy tu amigo y hermano Eduardo Rodríguez. Que el Señor escuche tu oración y sacie tu sed espiritual.Te recomiendo escuchar dos canciones con el mismo título: "Como el ciervo", interpretada por Marcos Witt y la otra por Miel San Marcos.#HogaresDePacto #KingdomChurch #IglesiaElReino #IPUH #PastorCarlos #CarlosRodriguez#EduardoRodriguez #PoderCaster #salmos#salmo42========

The Physician's Work for Souls Every medical practitioner may through faith in Christ have in his possession a cure of the highest value, a remedy for the sin-sick soul. The physician who is converted and sanctified through the truth is registered in heaven as a laborer together with God, a follower of Jesus Christ. Through the sanctification of the truth God gives to physicians and nurses wisdom and skill in treating the sick, and this work is opening the fast-closed door to many hearts. Men and women are led to understand the truth which is needed to save the soul as well as the body. This is an element that gives character to the work for this time. The medical missionary work is as the right arm to the third angel's message which must be proclaimed to a fallen world; and physicians, managers, and workers in any line, in acting faithfully their part, are doing the work of the message. Thus the sound of the truth will go forth to every nation and kindred and tongue and people. In this work the heavenly angels bear a part. They awaken spiritual joy and melody in the hearts of those who have been freed from suffering, and thanksgiving to God arises from the lips of many who have received the precious truth. Every physician in our ranks should be a Christian. Only those physicians who are genuine Bible Christians can discharge aright the high duties of their profession. The physician who understands the responsibility and accountability of his position will feel the necessity of Christ's presence with him in his work for those for whom such a sacrifice has been made. He will subordinate everything to the higher interests which concern the life that may be saved unto life eternal. He will do all in his power to save both the body and the soul. He -230- will try to do the very work that Christ would do were He in his place. The physician who loves Christ and the souls for whom Christ died will seek earnestly to bring into the sickroom a leaf from the tree of life. He will try to break the bread of life to the sufferer. Notwithstanding the obstacles and difficulties to be met, this is the solemn, sacred work of the medical profession. True missionary work is that in which the Saviour's work is best represented, His methods most closely copied, His glory best promoted. Missionary work that falls short of this standard is recorded in heaven as defective. It is weighed in the balances of the sanctuary and found wanting. Physicians should seek to direct the minds of their patients to Christ, the Physician of soul and body. That which physicians can only attempt to do, Christ accomplishes. The human agent strives to prolong life. Christ is life itself. He who passed through death to destroy him that had the power of death is the Source of all vitality. There is balm in Gilead, and a Physician there. Christ endured an agonizing death under the most humiliating circumstances that we might have life. He gave up His precious life that He might vanquish death. But He rose from the tomb, and the myriads of angels who came to behold Him take up the life He had laid down heard His words of triumphant joy as He stood above Joseph's rent sepulcher proclaiming: "I am the resurrection, and the life." The question, "If a man die, shall he live again?" has been answered. By bearing the penalty of sin, by going down into the grave, Christ has brightened the tomb for all who die in faith. God in human form has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. In dying, Christ secured eternal life for all who believe in -231- Him. In dying, He condemned the originator of sin and disloyalty to suffer the penalty of sin--eternal death. The possessor and giver of eternal life, Christ was the only one who could conquer death. He is our Redeemer; and blessed is every physician who is in a true sense of the word a missionary, a savior of souls for whom Christ gave His life. Such a physician learns day by day from the Great Physician how to watch and work for the saving of the souls and bodies of men and women. The Saviour is present in the sickroom, in the operating room; and His power for His name's glory accomplishes great things. The physician can do a noble work if he is connected with the Great Physician. To the relatives of the sick, whose hearts are full of sympathy for the sufferer, he may find opportunity to speak the words of life; and he can soothe and uplift the mind of the sufferer by leading him to look to the One who can save to the uttermost all who come to Him for salvation. When the Spirit of God works on the mind of the afflicted one, leading him to inquire for truth, let the physician work for the precious soul as Christ would work for it. Do not urge upon him any special doctrine, but point him to Jesus as the sin-pardoning Saviour. Angels of God will impress the mind. Some will refuse to be illuminated by the light which God would let shine into the chambers of the mind and into the soul-temple; but many will respond to the light, and from these minds deception and error in its various forms will be swept away. Every opportunity of working as Christ worked should be carefully improved. The physician should talk of the works of healing wrought by Christ, of His tenderness and love. He should believe that Jesus is his companion, -232- close by his side. "We are laborers together with God." 1 Corinthians 3:9. Never should the physician neglect to direct the minds of his patients to Christ, the Chief Physician. If he has the Saviour abiding in his own heart, his thoughts will ever be directed to the Healer of soul and body. He will lead the minds of sufferers to Him who can restore, who when on earth restored the sick to health and healed the soul as well as the body, saying: "Son, thy sins be forgiven thee." Mark 2:5. Never should familiarity with suffering cause the physician to become careless or unsympathetic. In cases of dangerous illness the afflicted one feels that he is at the mercy of the physician. He looks to that physician as his only earthly hope, and the physician should ever point the trembling soul to One who is greater than himself, even the Son of God, who gave His life to save him from death, who pities the sufferer, and who by His divine power will give skill and wisdom to all who ask Him. When the patient knows not how his case will turn, is the time for the physician to impress the mind. He should not do this with a desire to distinguish himself, but that he may point the soul to Christ as a personal Saviour. If the life is spared, there is a soul for that physician to watch for. The patient feels that the physician is the very life of his life. And to what purpose should this great confidence be employed? Always to win a soul to Christ and magnify the power of God. When the crisis has passed and success is apparent, be the patient a believer or an unbeliever, let a few moments be spent with him in prayer. Give expression to your thankfulness for the life that has been spared. The physician who follows such a course carries his patient to the One upon whom he is dependent for life. Words of gratitude may flow from the patient to the physician, for through God he has bound this life up with his own; -233- but let the praise and thanksgiving be given to God as to One who is present though invisible. On the sickbed Christ is often accepted and confessed; and this will be done oftener in the future than it has been in the past, for a quick work will the Lord do in our world. Words of wisdom are to be on the lips of the physician, and Christ will water the seed sown, causing it to bring forth fruit unto eternal life. We lose the most precious opportunities by neglecting to speak a word in season. Too often a precious talent that ought to produce a thousandfold is left unused. If the golden privilege is not watched for, it will pass. Something was allowed to prevent the physician from doing his appointed work as a minister of righteousness. There are none too many godly physicians to minister in their profession. There is much work to be done, and ministers and doctors are to work in perfect union. Luke, the writer of the Gospel that bears his name, is called "the beloved physician," and those who do a work similar to that which he did are living out the gospel. Countless are the opportunities of the physician for warning the impenitent, cheering the disconsolate and hopeless, and prescribing for the health of mind and body. As he thus instructs the people in the principles of true temperance, and as a guardian of souls gives advice to those who are mentally and physically diseased, the physician is acting his part in the great work of making ready a people prepared for the Lord. This is what medical missionary work is to accomplish in its relation to the third angel's message. Ministers and physicians are to work harmoniously with earnestness to save souls that are becoming entangled in Satan's snares. They are to point men and women to Jesus, their righteousness, their strength, and the health of their countenance. Continually they are to watch for -234- souls. There are those who are struggling with strong temptations, in danger of being overcome in the fight with satanic agencies. Will you pass these by without offering them assistance? If you see a soul in need of help, engage in conversation with him even though you do not know him. Pray with him. Point him to Jesus. This work belongs just as surely to the doctor as to the minister. By public and private effort the physician should seek to win souls to Christ. In all our enterprises and in all our institutions God is to be acknowledged as the Master Worker. The physicians are to stand as His representatives. The medical fraternity have made many reforms, and they are still to advance. Those who hold the lives of human beings in their hands should be educated, refined, sanctified. Then will the Lord work through them in mighty power to glorify His name. Christ's work for the paralytic is an illustration of the way we are to work. Through his friends this man had heard of Jesus and requested to be brought into the presence of the mighty Healer. The Saviour knew that the paralytic had been tortured by the suggestions of the priests that because of his sins God had cast him off. Therefore His first work was to give him peace of mind. "Son," He said, "thy sins be forgiven thee." This assurance filled his heart with peace and joy. But some who were present began to murmur, saying in their hearts, "Who can forgive sins but God only?" Then that they might know that the Son of man had power to forgive sins, Christ said to the sick man: "Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house." This shows how the Saviour bound together the work of preaching the truth and healing the sick. -235- Unity in our Work As the medical missionary work becomes more extended, there will be a temptation to make it independent of our conferences. But it has been presented to me that this plan is not right. The different lines of our work are but parts of one great whole. They have one center. In Colossians we read: "The body is of Christ. Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshiping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God." Colossians 2:17-19. Our work in all its lines is to demonstrate the influence of the cross. The work of God in the plan of salvation is not to be done in any disjointed way. It is not to operate at random. The plan that provided the influence of the cross provided also the methods of its diffusion. This method is simple in its principles and comprehensive in its plain, distinct lines. Part is connected with part in perfect order and relation. God has brought His people together in church capacity in order that they may reveal to the world the wisdom of Him who formed this organization. He knew what plans to outline for the efficiency and success of His people. Adherence to these plans will enable them to testify of the divine authorship of God's great plan for the restoration of the world. Those who take part in God's work are to be led and guided by Him. Every human ambition is to be merged in Christ, who is the head over all the institutions that God has established. He knows how to set in operation and keep in operation His own agencies. He knows that -236- the cross must occupy the central place because it is the means of man's atonement and because of the influence it exerts on every part of the divine government. The Lord Jesus, who has been through all the history of our world, understands the methods that should be invested with power over human minds. He knows the importance of every agency and understands how the varied agencies should be related one to another. "None of us liveth to himself." Romans 14:7. This is a law of God in heaven and on earth. God is the great center. From Him all life proceeds. To Him all service, homage, and allegiance belong. For all created beings there is the one great principle of life--dependence upon and co-operation with God. The relationship existing in the pure family of God in heaven was to exist in the family of God on earth. Under God, Adam was to stand at the head of the earthly family to maintain the principles of the heavenly family. This would have brought peace and happiness. But the law that none "liveth to himself" Satan was determined to oppose. He desired to live for self. He sought to make himself a center of influence. It was this that incited rebellion in heaven, and it was man's acceptance of this principle that brought sin on earth. When Adam sinned, man broke away from the heaven-ordained center. A demon became the central power in the world. Where God's throne should have been, Satan had placed his throne. The world laid its homage, as a willing offering, at the feet of the enemy. Who could bring in the principles ordained by God in His rule and government to counterwork the plans of Satan and bring the world back to its loyalty? God said: I will send My Son. "God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." -237- John 3:16. This is the remedy for sin. Christ says: "Where Satan has set his throne, there shall stand My cross. Satan shall be cast out, and I will be lifted up to draw all men unto Me. I will become the center of the redeemed world. The Lord God shall be exalted. Those who are now controlled by human ambition, human passions, shall become workers for Me. Evil influences have conspired to counterwork all good. They have confederated to make men think it righteous to oppose the law of Jehovah. But My army shall meet in conflict with the satanic force. My Spirit shall combine with every heavenly agency to oppose them. I will engage every sanctified human agency in the universe. None of My agencies are to be absent. I have work for all who love Me, employment for every soul who will work under My direction. The activity of Satan's army, the danger that surrounds the human soul, calls for the energies of every worker. But no compulsion shall be exercised. Man's depravity is to be met by the love, the patience, the long-suffering of God. My work shall be to save those who are under Satan's rule." Through Christ, God works to bring man back to his first relation to his Creator and to correct the disorganizing influences brought in by Satan. Christ alone stood unpolluted in a world of selfishness, where men would destroy a friend or a brother in order to accomplish a scheme put into their hands by Satan. Christ came to our world, clothing His divinity with humanity, that humanity might touch humanity and divinity grasp divinity. Amid the din of selfishness He could say to men: Return to your center--God. He Himself made it possible for man to do this by carrying out in this world the principles of heaven. In humanity He lived the law of God. To men in every nation, every country, every clime, He will impart heaven's choicest gifts if they -238- will accept God as their Creator and Christ as their Redeemer. Christ alone can do this. His gospel in the hearts and hands of His followers is the power which is to accomplish this great work. "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!" By Himself becoming subject to Satan's misrepresentations, Christ made it possible for the work of redemption to be accomplished. Thus was Satan to show himself to be the cause of disloyalty in God's universe. Thus was to be forever settled the great controversy between Christ and Satan. Satan strengthens the destructive tendencies of man's nature. He brings in envy, jealousy, selfishness, covetousness, emulation, and strife for the highest place. Evil agencies act their part through the devising of Satan. Thus the enemy's plans, with their destructive tendencies, have been brought into the church. Christ comes with His own redeeming influence, proposing through the agency of His Spirit to impart His efficiency to men, and to employ them as His instrumentalities, laborers together with Him in seeking to draw the world back to its loyalty. Men are bound in fellowship, in dependence, to one another. By the golden links of the chain of love they are to be bound fast to the throne of God. This can be done only by Christ's imparting to finite man the attributes which man would ever have possessed had he remained loyal and true to God. Those who, through an intelligent understanding of the Scriptures, view the cross aright, those who truly believe in Jesus, have a sure foundation for their faith. They have that faith which works by love and purifies the soul from all its hereditary and cultivated imperfections. Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 6 pp. 229-238

We are revived, restored, and given strength to become active and flourishing. His revival has quickened our lives, our hearts, and everything that concerns us. In Ephesians chapter 2 verse 1, it says we have been quickened and have been given life; life even more abundantly than we could ever ask or even think. He has revived us by the power of His Spirit and His word. As you listen to this podcast you will be refreshed to know you are restored, quickened, and you will find how amazing it is that, “You are Revived”.

I close my eyes and I pray Lord, fill my thoughts today When I open my eyes again Don't let me turn away Don't let me ignore you As I move forward with my day I want to be consumed Each moment as I move I want to be attuned I want each breath to be in you • Emily Acker • In Psalm 63, King David talks about earnestly seeking and longing for God, and David expresses confidence in God's faithfulness. Today's author also longs to remain in close connection with God, and they rely on God's help to do so. As Christians, how does Jesus give us the secure hope that we'll always be connected with God the Father? (John 10:14-18, 25-30) • As our relationship with God grows deeper, we long for Him more and more. Have you ever felt a longing to be close to God? What did you do? • Like this poet, we may realize that our best intentions at the beginning of the day often fall flat. We can do nothing apart from God. But through faith in Jesus, we can cling to Him, and He provides guidance and power through His Spirit, who lives inside Christians. Looking at Psalm 63, in what ways does David actively orient himself toward God? How does God make it possible for David to praise Him (verses 3, 7, 8)? Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. 1 Chronicles 16:11 (NIV)

Sermon Overview Scripture Passage: Romans 8:28-31 Salvation, from start to finish, is of the Lord. It is only by the grace of God that we can be sure of our salvation. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” There are five foundational facts on which our faith rests. The first fact is God's foreknowledge of our salvation. God knew we were going to be saved before we did. When God foreknows something, it is not an educational guess; He sees the beginning, middle, and end of everything, all at once. Second, we can be sure of our predestination to be like Jesus. “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:29). Adrian Rogers says, “God doesn't predestine some people to go to Hell, and God doesn't predestine some people to go to Heaven. God predestines every child of God, everyone who is born again, to be like Jesus.” God wants everyone to be saved, but in order for love to be love, it cannot be forced. So God gave us free will; whether we want to be saved or not is up to us. Third, we are sure that God foreknew we would be saved: “Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called…” (Romans 8:30). Whenever the Gospel is preached, God is calling people to salvation. Through His Word and His Spirit, God can make the spiritually blind see things they've never seen before. Fourth and fifth, we can be sure of our settled justification, and finally, our eternal glorification. “...whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified” (Romans 8:30). The basis of our justification is the blood of Jesus Christ; it becomes effective when we trust in Him. As a result, God no longer deals with us as sinners, but as servants. As servants, God already sees us in Heaven, in His heart and mind, settled and glorified. And what has been settled in Heaven cannot be annulled or undone in time. Apply it to your life Are you sure of your salvation? Adrian Rogers says, “If you'll put your faith where God has put your sins, on the Lord Jesus Christ, you can be absolutely sure.”

Episode Notes It is with great sadness that we think on the passing of Rob Skiba. Rob was not a teacher with whom I agreed with all the time, but he was a disciple of the same Messiah and brought many into God's Kingdom. What was especially striking to me was realizing the significance of Rob's last message to the world: It was not a message about the topics you may know him for. Rob didn't do the message he planned to do that day, instead he allowed the Holy Spirit to do something incredible. Could it be that the Father would like to teach us something through this about what He is asking all of us to do? To be led by His Spirit like never before.

Living in grace, in a grace resistant world, the beautiful message of Barnabas and Paul is God's grace through Christ. All people, Jew and Gentile alike, have been invited, included into the triune  life of God. This grace, in real life doesn't come through obedience to the law, personal piety, virtue, it simply comes through Christ. what he has done.  God's Messiah has offered himself on the cross as an answer to the problem of sin and death. And then he gives us His Spirit, that we might have his power to live this life now. The Holy Spirit living in you, this powerful message of grace, has real power to transform your life, my life, the life of every human being.  As powerful good and gracious as this message is it meets resistance, because  other powers and other messages that govern human life. But these are radically overturned by the message of Christ. In our own human sovereignty, if you will, we end up colluding with the world's lesser powers to survive in this broken world. But we survive as slaves when we do.    Once we are truly set free by the powerful message of grace and life in Christ, our inclusion into the life of Christ, we're set free, our eyes are opened to who he is, and who we are in him. and we are given power to live this life now in him. But make no mistake about it. This grace will be met with resistance. Acts 14:22 says, They encourage them to continue in faith, reminding them that we must suffer many hardships to enter the kingdom of God. This is a grace resistant world, but it's only grace, the grace of Christ His life, that will change it. It's only grace that will transform you and me. It's only him. Are you meeting resistance. Don't be surprised. Draw courage from the fact that Grace has met you has found you has included you. He's offered his life for you. So rejoice now. Rejoice in the powerful message of Christ. Let the powerful message of God's grace meet and comfort you and confront all the resistant parts in your life. So that he can transform you through and through by his love. And that's the prayer that I have for my own soul. That's a prayer that I have for my family for my wife, my daughter's my son. And that's a prayer that I have for you. up so

It's finally happened. Jesus has succeeded in everything he set out to do. And he will continue to succeed in restoring his kingdom here on Earth, as it is in heaven. He will succeed in the same way that he has succeeded in the life of Peter James john Andrew Philip R. Ptolemy, Matthew Thomas James son of alpheus. That is Simon the Zealot, Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, Sallie Mae artemus, and all of those who called on him for mercy. That includes you. I'm convinced of this, that God who began the good work within you will continue his work until it is finally finished. The day when Christ Jesus returns, he will succeed in you. Paul, in that passage I just quoted from Philippians says that it is God's work within you his very life resident in you abiding in you by the power of His Spirit, because of the resurrection will continue, will succeed by re inhabiting men and women, human beings created to be vessels of, of God's presence, temples of the Holy Spirit, He will succeed by continuing in this transforming work from the inside out one person after another. resurrection life is here, and it's now as he inhabits us with himself. A chain reaction happens of exponential proportions, and the kingdom advances and it grows 120 people jammed into an upper room, once cowering and afraid, we're united with power. People from all over the world began hearing and understanding their hearts were being transformed to set free forgiven. And that reaction continues. It hasn't stopped since this moment that we just read about right here. It continues on. And people all over the world are responding to this message. And to this person to Jesus Himself, the resurrection and the life. There is power, there is life, there is forgiveness available to all it's moving out into the highways and byways. It's reaching people of every nation and tongue and tribe. The gospel message is going forward. overwhelming victory is his and ours through him. Amazing message this is it's a journey of renewal. It's a journey of restoration, rehabilitation of hearts and minds as we look to him, so let's do that today. Let's walk in the light of what Jesus has done and who he is, and who you are in him. That is a prayer that I have for my own soul. And that's the prayer that I have for my family for my wife and my daughters and my son. And that's the prayer that I have for you. They be so