Podcasts about ephesians

Today on Bold Steps with Pastor Mark Jobe … we’ll learn how to face the issues that are holding us back. Nobody likes to be around a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. But why do we have such a hard time shaking our old man off? Our current series is called, When You Believe, Everything Changes, and Mark is going to show us why we can’t keep living in the past and holding on to our old lives if we’ve become a new man in Christ. Today’s message … from the book of Ephesians chapter 4 is titled, Putting on the New You. Bold Step Gift: ENVY: A BIG PROBLEM YOU DIDN'T KNOW YOU HADBecome a Bold Partner: https://www.moodyradio.org/donateto/boldstepsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Once we put on the armor of God described in Ephesians 6 the apostle Paul admonishes believers to pray. In today's episode learn why prayer is so important when it comes to overcoming spiritual warfare and how to use the power of prayer to proclaim the victory that is yours in Christ. Resources Mentioned in This Podcast:Download Christina's Free 5 Day Prayer Guide to help you put into practice the powerful habit of prayer. https://www.belovedwomen.org/prayer-guide/Stand Firm Bible Study: https://www.belovedwomen.tv/stand-firm-bible-study-series Connect with Christina Paterson: https://www.belovedwomen.orgStudy the Bible with Christina and Beloved Women by downloading the Beloved Women app:  https://www.belovedwomen.org/joinScriptures in the Podcast are from ESV, NKJV, NIV. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Hello Friends! I love to hear from you! Please send me a text message by clicking on this link! Blessings to You!In this episode, Dr. Jori discusses with her listeners the description of the Lord Jesus in Daniel's prophecy.Scripture References: Daniel 7:14; Hebrews 1:1-4; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Daniel 1:1-7; Matthew 5:14-16; Daniel 7:1-14; John 3:35-36; 1 Corinthians 15:27-28; Ephesians 1:20-22; Philippians 2:9-11; Hebrews 12:28-29 Scripture translation used is the Legacy Standard Bible.  “Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.comFIND DR. JORI ON OTHER PLATFORMS https://linktr.ee/drjorishafferCHECK OUT THE DWELL AUDIO BIBLE APP:Click this link for my unique referral code.  I use this frequently. Such a wonderful audio bible app. https://dwellapp.io/aff?ref=jorishafferBIBLE STUDY TOOLS DR. JORI USES:Note: These contain  Amazon affiliate links, meaning I get a commission, at no extra cost to you,  if you decide to make a purchase through my links.LSB Single Column Biblehttps://amzn.to/4g9C47oESV MacArthur Study Biblehttps://amzn.to/3C1cpQwInk Joy Penshttps://amzn.to/3EaZ8oRMr. Pen HighLightershttps://amzn.to/3PE20x8Mr. Pen Bible Journaling Kitshttps://lvnta.com/lv_PTrHSCogbRim4yhEDnhttps://lvnta.com/lv_mkaMOuGe6m4oHR88uqhttps://lvnta.com/lv_dgvsxOc99t663A628z  JOIN DR. JORI IN DEVOTIONAL JOURNALING IN 2025Check out this 9 min YouTube Video outlining her journaling strategy! Don't Forget to subscribe to the YouTube Channel! https://youtu.be/lqe9TO7RSz4 BOOKS OF BIBLE COLOR CHARTI made this chart as a helpful tool for grouping the collections of books or letters  in the Holy Bible.  The colors in the different sections are the ones that I use in my journals.  Books of Bible Chart (color) (4).pdf - Google Drive    LOOKING TO RETAIN MORE OF WHAT YOUR PASTOR IS TEACHING?              CHECK OUT DR. JORI'S SERMON REFLECTION JOURNALS! Sermon Notes, Reflections and Applications Journal/Notebooks by Dr. Jori. Click the links below to be directed to amazon.com for purchase. Or search “Dr. Jori Shaffer” on Amazon to bring these up.  https://amzn.to/418LfRshttps://amzn.to/41862EyHere is a brief YouTube video that tells about the Journal/Notebooks as well:https://youtu.be/aXpQNYUEzds   Email: awordforthisday@gmail.comPodcast website:  https://awordforthisday.buzzsprout.com  Support the show

What's the most powerful number in Scripture? In this kickoff message to our new series, The Power of One, Pastor Jeff Maness unpacks the surprising impact of the number one—not just in Scripture, but in our lives, our church, and our faith. Through a powerful story, a deep dive into Ephesians 4, and a reminder of the value God places on every individual, we're invited to live, love, and move as one—reflecting the power of the One who gave everything for us. Don't miss this encouraging message that reminds us how much one life truly matters. Message Notes: https://notes.subsplash.com/fill-in/view?page=BJy7mNgIgeDiscussion Questions: https://storage2.snappages.site/.../files/ThePOO1SGQ.pdf5-Day Devotional: Coming SoonFind us on:YouTube: YouTube.com/TheHarborInstagram: Instagram.com/TheHarbor_lifeFacebook: Facebook.com/TheHarbordotlifeWebsite: https://www.TheHarbor.lifeWatch/listen on The Harbor AppNew episode every week!

Pastor James continues our series, Identity, walking through the book of Ephesians. This week we looked at Ephesians 5:15-21 and saw that in light of our identity, we must walk carefully.

The 16th chapter of Matthew shows the incapacity of the nation's rulers to see what was happening in their midst. This is followed by a treatise on the deception contained in corrupt teachings; whose pervasive influence rapidly permeates like leaven. Next comes the greatest confession by Peter, upon which rock-like foundation the entire ecclesia is built - namely, that "Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God" (see John 6verses 68-69; Ephesians 2 verses 20-21). Our Lord Jesus next explicitly explains to his Apostles his coming sufferings, death and resurrection on the third day. Our Lord Jesus Christ's resurrection was the sign of the prophet Jonah. That prophet spent 3 days in the belly of the whale which in Jonah's prayer is called the belly of hell: Jonah 2 verses 1-2. The Apostle Paul says that this proved the Lord Jesus Christ's divine Sonship: Romans 1 verses 4; Ephesians 1 verses 15-22. The Apostle Peter reminds us of the same matter: Acts 2 verses 22-36. The chapter concludes with a final appeal to each believer to take up our stake - Greek "staurus" - and follow our Lord through suffering even unto death should that be our lot.

Psalm 123 Psalm 124 Ephesians 1:3-10 James 4:11-12 Prayer Requests to psp@sqpn.com

Topics: When Did the New Covenant Begin, Reading Old Testament Contextually, Tithing Context, Malachi 3:10 Tithing for Levitical Priests, 2 Corinthians 9:7 Giving Freely, Levitical Priests and Sin Debt, Old Covenant Not for Christians, Romans 7:12 Law is Perfect, Hebrews 8:8 God Found Fault with People, New Covenant from Judah, Hebrews 7:22 Jesus a Better Covenant, Jesus from Tribe of Judah, Matthew 26:28 My Blood of the New Covenant, Hebrews 9:19 Blood for First Covenant, God Requires Blood, 1 Timothy 2:5 One Mediator Jesus, Hebrews 4:15 High Priest Who Empathizes, Hebrews 5:3 Even the Priests Sinned, 1 Peter 2:9 Royal Priesthood, Lord's Supper Remembrance, Hebrews 9:22 Blood Cleanses, Law Required Blood, Hebrews 10:1-4 Animal Blood Covered Sins, Poor Interpretation of Scripture, Ephesians 2:8-9 Grace Through Faith, John 3:16 and Jesus' Final Sacrifice, Matthew 27:51 Veil Torn, Hebrews 10:18-22 Access Through Blood, Psalm 103:12 Sins Banished, Hebrews 7:3 Jesus Not Bound by Time, John 8:58 Jesus Before Abraham, Hebrews 10:4-5 Impossible for Blood of Animals, Hebrews 10:9 Sets Aside First Covenant, John 1:29 Lamb of God, Hebrews 8:12 Sins Remembered No More, Religious Sins, Romans 3:11 Unbelief and Law, Hebrews 10:26-29 Unforgivable Sin Unbelief, John 13:34-35 New Commandment Love, 1 John 3:23 Believe and Love, 1 John 5:3 Jesus' Commandments Not Burdensome, Isaiah 53 Messiah Freedom, John 8:36 Son Sets You Free, Matthew 22:36 Greatest Commandment in Law, Deuteronomy 4:2 Every Commandment Important, Galatians 3:10 Cursed by Law, God's Love Poured Out, 2 Corinthians 5:17 New Creation, Romans 5:5 Holy Spirit Poured Out, Hebrews 12:2 Joy Set Before Jesus, Receive Benefits of PerfectionSupport the showSign up for Matt's free daily devotional! https://mattmcmillen.com/newsletter

In a culture obsessed with fixing weaknesses, Whitney Hopler invites us to shift our focus to our God-given strengths. Drawing from Romans 12:6-8, this devotional encourages believers to identify, celebrate, and use their unique spiritual gifts and talents instead of dwelling on flaws. Embracing your natural strengths not only aligns you with God’s design but also empowers you to serve more confidently and effectively in your personal and professional life. Highlights Many people spend too much time trying to fix weaknesses, losing sight of the powerful strengths God has given them. Formal strength assessments or simple reflection can help you discover your unique spiritual gifts and natural abilities. Romans 12:6-8 encourages using your strengths faithfully rather than obsessing over weaknesses. God’s purpose for you is best fulfilled when you lean into what you’re naturally good at, making a greater impact for His kingdom. Focusing on your strengths leads to greater confidence, wise decisions, and freedom to be your true self in Christ. Strengths-based living helps overcome weaknesses without becoming paralyzed by them.

In this sermon, we explored Paul's use of exaggerated contrast in Ephesians 4:17-24 to highlight the difference between the old life without Christ and the new life in Him. Using vivid examples from both Scripture and everyday life, we saw how futile thinking, darkened understanding, and a hardened heart lead to spiritual emptiness and disconnection from God. The sermon emphasized that the world's attempts to fill the void—through pleasure, achievement, or self-justification—are ultimately futile because we are created for communion with God. The only hope is to “put on” the new self, which comes through learning Christ, embracing His truth, and daily choosing to live out our new identity. The message closed with practical encouragement to feed our spirits with God's truth, reject the junk of the old life, and walk in the freedom and transformation Jesus offers.

It is THE question that haunts me every minute of Every. Single. Day. Thank you for listening to this PODCAST, and for sharing this message with others!!! Please remember that depending upon your web browser and connection speed, it may take up to 60 seconds for this podcast to begin to play. God bless you richly as you listen.

John Bevere reminded us of the awe of God found in holiness. Preaching from Ephesians 1:4 and 1 Peter 1:14-15, he shared that we are called to live set apart, not just in position but in our daily conduct.

Ephesians 5:3-14

In this Spirit-led night of worship and word, Pastor Andy Cass shares a powerful message on prayer as the 7th piece of a warrior's armor from Ephesians 6:18–20. Expect a kairos moment—an encounter with God that calls for boldness, surrender, and fearless confidence. Text: Ephesians 6:18–20 – "Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers..."

Ephesians 4:29-32 (NIV)

Ephesians 2:1-3 How do we recognize and respond to our sin? Know you are in free fall. Know your enemy does not want you to know this.  Know you need to pull the chute. 

Every day you are writing your story. You are the author; the world is your audience. Write the plot that you want printed. In this message, Pastor Jamie Nunnally shares the story of Adam and Eve.  Adam & Eve - Genesis 3:1-6 Temptation is a progression: Desire, Doubt, Deception, DisobedienceDesire: The devil doesn't fight our desires—he hijacks them by exploiting our sinful nature.Romans 8:6 Desire isn't the problem—desire management is. Deal with your desires. Doubt: Satan asked, "Did God really say..." then he proceeded to misquote God. James 1:16-17  If the devil can shake your trust in God's goodness, he can sell you sin as a solution. Don't fall for it. Deception: Satan often lies to us through partial truths that make bad things look good to us.Ephesians 6:11 ESV Disobedience.We've all disobeyed, but there's good news—you can overcome temptation!1 Corinthians 10:13  Genesis 3:8-13         2. Hiding never brings healing.When confronted with your own sin, you may cover yourself with the fig leaves of excuses, blame, isolation, or judgmentalism.Hebrews 4:13 NLT You can't hide from God—He heard you think it before you did it!You can't heal what you won't reveal, so go to God when you mess up.  Genesis 3:14-19          3. Sin brings a curse with it, but Jesus reverses the curse.The curses for women:1. The process of childbirth is harder.2. You will desire man: Women will have a cursed-fueled tendency to get their self-worth from what men think.  3. He will rule over you:Sin has corrupted both the willing submission of the wife and the loving headship of the husband.  The curses for men:1. The ground will be cursed.Romans 8:20-22 Natural disasters are not an act of God; they're the curse of sin!2. Work will be harder.Men will have a curse-fueled tendency to get their self-worth from their job. You can win at work and still lose in the living room if you confuse the two.3. Death. The good news is Jesus reverses the curse of sin.Romans 5:17-18 NLT  Genesis 3: 20-24Then the man—Adam—named his wife Eve, 3. When God says no, it's for a good reason.God immediately began working on their redemption and the first things he had to do was say no. Adam and Eve's removal from the garden was mercy, not punishment.Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT God's "no" is protecting you, not punishing you. Adam and Eve proved we can ruin a garden in a single bite. Jesus proved He can grow a garden even out of our worst mistakes. Drop the fig leaves, come out of hiding, and meet the God who still walks in the cool of the evening calling, 'Where are you?' Are you learning the lessons from Adam & Eve's story?

This week, our church building was the target of arson. In this raw and honest episode, we unpack what happened, how we're feeling, and where we go from here. Whether you're angry, sad, afraid, or numb—whatever you're feeling, it's okay... we will move forward together. Through the lens of Ephesians 6, we explore how to stand strong in the Lord when life feels like it's gone up in flames—literally. This isn't just about rebuilding a building; it's about resisting darkness with faith, hope, and the armor of God. You'll hear real stories, practical spiritual practices, and a reminder that what the enemy meant for harm, God can use for good. Tune in to be encouraged, equipped, and reminded: God is wit us.

Sunday school class on The letter of Ephesians by Pastor Andrew Dionne. Part 17. Chapter 4:1-13. July 13, 2025.  

In the kickoff to our Unoffendable series, Joe tackles the topic of anger—its inevitability, its dangers, and the freedom found in releasing it. Drawing from Ephesians 4 and James 1, he challenges us to stop justifying our anger and instead surrender it to God, who alone can bring true justice. With biblical truth and personal stories, this message invites us to choose kindness, forgiveness, and a Spirit-led life over bitterness and offense.

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

Ephesians 3:14-21

Jesus Delivered Us (4) (audio) David Eells – 7/13/25 Saints, I'm going to continue speaking about how Jesus has delivered us and begin by talking about the spirit of fear. The great shakings coming across the world in these days, including America, are being used by the devil to try to bring fear upon God's people. He likes to use things that we see and hear to bring fear upon us. It's as if the devil or demons of fear stand right there until something happens, then immediately pounce on us. Have you ever felt the spirit of fear come over you just like a blanket? Don't pacify it. You are meant to make war against that. Fear is another one of the devil's big guns. We previously studied skorpizo spirits, the “scorpion” spirits whose job it is to penetrate and to put to flight. Scorpion spirits cause a person to be fearful or anxious and to flee from the devil. And we know that when this happens, that person is no threat against his kingdom, but the Bible says, (2Ti.1:7) For God gave us not a spirit of fearfulness; but of power and love and discipline. (The Greek word there is sophron, meaning “sober-minded, self-controlled.”) God did not give us a spirit of fearfulness, however, if a person is walking in willful disobedience, it is hard to fight off fear because (1Jn.3:21) … if our heart condemn us not, we have boldness toward God. The only righteous fear is the fear of the Lord. But, if a spirit of fear comes upon you, you know that you are not to accept it. You should not give in to it, or pacify it, or even think about it. If you do, it's going to conquer you by penetrating your “armor” and putting you to flight. (Eph.6:16) Withal taking up the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil [one]. God describes it in so many different ways. Let me share now a portion of “The Testimony of John G. Lake During the Bubonic Plague.” Now watch the action of the law of life. Faith belongs to the law of life. Faith is the very opposite of fear. Faith has the opposite effect in spirit, and soul, and body. Faith causes the spirit of man to become confident. It causes the mind of man to become restful, and positive. A positive mind repels disease. Consequently, the emanation of the Spirit destroys disease germs. And because we were in contact with the Spirit of life, I and a little Dutch fellow with me went out and buried many of the people who had died from the bubonic plague. We went into the homes and carried them out, dug the graves and put them in. Sometimes we would put three or four in one grave. We never took the disease. Why? Because of the knowledge that the law of life in Christ Jesus protects us. That law was working. Because of the fact that a man by that action of his will, puts himself purposely in contact with God, faith takes possession of his heart, and the condition of his nature is changed. Instead of being fearful, he is full of faith. Instead of being absorbent and drawing everything to himself, his spirit repels sickness and disease. The Spirit of Christ Jesus flows through the whole being, and emanates through the hands, the heart, and from every pore of the body.  During that great plague that I mentioned, they sent a government ship with supplies and corps of doctors. One of the doctors sent for me, and said, “What have you been using to protect yourself? Our corps has this preventative and that, which we use as protection, but we concluded that if a man could stay on the ground, as you have, and keep ministering to the sick and burying the dead, you must have a secret. What is it?” I answered, “Brother, that is the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. I believe that just as long as I keep my soul in contact with the living God so that His Spirit is flowing into my soul and body, that no germ will ever attach itself to me, for the Spirit of God will kill it.” He asked, “Don't you think that you had better use our preventatives?” I replied, “No, but doctor, I think that you would like to experiment with me. If you will go over to one of these dead people and take the foam that comes out of their lungs after death, then put it under the microscope, you will see masses of living germs. You will find they are alive until a reasonable time after a man is dead. You can fill my hand with them and I will keep it under the microscope, and instead of these germs remaining alive, they will die instantly.” They tried it and found it was true. They questioned, “What is that?” I replied, “That is the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. When a man's spirit and a man's body are filled with the blessed presence of God, it oozes out of the pores of your flesh and kills the germs.” Suppose, on the other hand, my soul had been under the law of death, and I were in fear and darkness? The very opposite would have been the result. The result would have been that my body would have absorbed the germs, these would have generated disease and I would have died. You who are sick, put yourself in contact with God's law of life. Read His Word with the view of enlightening your heart so that you will be able to look up with more confidence and believe Him. Pray that the Spirit of God will come into your soul, take possession of your body, and its power will make you well. That is the exercise of the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. Amen! Saints, the only fear we should have is the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10), and if we fear the Lord, we will depart from unrighteousness. (2Ti.2:19) Howbeit the firm foundation of God standeth, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his: and, Let every one that nameth the name of the Lord depart from unrighteousness. Any other fear, including the fear of man, brings a snare. Our Lord Jesus said in (Mat.9:29) … According to your faith be it done unto you. Fear is negative faith. Fear is faith in the curse, faith in the devil, faith in failure. Look what Job said in (Job 3:25) For the thing which I fear cometh upon me, And that which I am afraid of cometh unto me. Our fears come to pass just like our faiths come to pass, but the Bible tells us in (Rev.21:7) He that overcometh shall inherit these things… The Lord is speaking of the new heaven and the new earth and all the great blessings that He has provided for His people, and He's implying here that if you don't overcome, you are not going to inherit these things. Some people don't think we have anything to overcome. They say, “Jesus overcame it all,” which is true, but Jesus overcame so that we could overcome as we learn to abide in Him by faith. And as we abide in Him, we'll see our works of faith manifested because, according to the Bible (Jas.2:26) … faith apart from works is dead. Overcomers are sons of God; they will inherit the Kingdom. (Rev.21:7) He that overcometh shall inherit these things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. (8) But for the fearful, and unbelieving (The words “fearful” and “unbelieving” are related to each other, because if you are fearful, you are unbelieving. Notice also that you are not an overcomer unless you have overcome these very opposite things.) and abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part [shall be] in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone; which is the second death. Fearfulness and unbelief are grouped right in there with really abhorrent sins. Many people consider fear to be just a weakness and so they pacify it, but as we've seen, (2Ti.1:7) … God gave us not a spirit of fearfulness… Fear is more than a weakness; it's a sin. It's called (Heb.3:12) … an evil heart of unbelief, in falling away from the living God. Fear is something all of God's people need to learn to make war against whenever we feel its presence or have those thoughts. Fear will cause us to give up the fight of faith and run from the devil. It causes us to lose ground. We just read that the fearful and the unbelieving are listed among the wicked. There's a part in every one of us that's wicked; it's that “old man” that we want to overcome (Romans 6:6; Colossians 3:9; Ephesians 4:22-24). The Bible says in (Gal.5:17) For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are contrary the one to the other; that ye may not do the things that ye would. The flesh and spirit war against one another. This is a war that's going on in every one of us, and we can win the war through faith in the overcoming victory that Jesus had at the Cross. (1Co.15:22) For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. When Christ was resurrected, we received His resurrection life. And when He overcame, we also overcame. We were crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20), and even the old man was put to death with Christ (Romans 6:6), but we have to hold on to our faith to see it manifested in the physical realm. It has been given unto us and we can overcome to receive. In Job 15 we see this awesome revelation again; he says the man who is fearful is being wicked. We should know that we need to fight against this spirit. (Job 15:20) The wicked man travaileth with pain all his days, Even the number of years that are laid up for the oppressor. (21) A sound of terrors is in his ears; In prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him. What are the words we hear the most nowadays? They are “terror” and “terrorist.” It's interesting that in these last days, these are very common words. Terror is coming upon the prosperous. (Job 15:22) He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness, And he is waited for of the sword. The wicked are in terror, not believing that they will return out of darkness. The Gospel, the Good News, is that we are delivered out of the power of darkness and into the Kingdom of the Son of His love (Colossians 1:13). That's the Good News that we're supposed to believe, but the wicked don't believe this. They live in terror. (Job 15:23) He wandereth abroad for bread, [saying,] Where is it? He knoweth that the day of darkness is ready at his hand. (24) Distress and anguish make him afraid; They prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle. The wicked are conquered by fear. The devil conquers and rules them. If you are ruled by fear, if you act according to your fear, then you're submitting to the devil's kingdom. You are not submitting to God because He has not given us a spirit of fearfulness (2 Timothy 1:7). If you are ruled by fear, you are not ruled by God and you are in idolatry because you are having faith in the devil. Why does fear come upon the wicked? (Job 15:25) Because he hath stretched out his hand against God, And behaveth himself proudly against the Almighty. Fear comes because they are acting against God, and so He has delivered them over to this fear. It's part of the judgment that comes upon them. God turns over to the devil those who walk in sin, even Kingdom people. We discovered earlier that Jesus said (Mat.18:35) … if ye forgive not every one his brother from your hearts, … His Father would deliver you over to the tormentors (Matthew 18:34). The wicked world is already delivered over to the devil and they live in fear and anxiety under the tormentors, but the righteous are supposed to be coming out of darkness. They are believing God to come out of the kingdom of darkness. The wicked do not believe this, so they live under the tormentors. We are told in (1Jn.3:21) Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, we have boldness toward God; (22) and whatsoever we ask we receive of him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing in his sight. If we have a clear conscience with God, we are bold; we don't have fear. God is not going to permit fear to come upon a person who has a clear conscience. If it does come, it comes to be a trial unto you, and your boldness is the very thing that will vanquish it. (Pro.28:1) The wicked flee when no man pursueth; But the righteous are bold as a lion. Fear is natural and normal to the wicked. Who are the wicked? They are those people, Christians or not, who sin. If a person is walking in sin, they are wicked, and they will not have any boldness toward God and His benefits because their conscience condemns them. If you want a defense against fear in the days to come, you must have a clear conscience. When you see or hear things that are fearful, that's usually when the devil pounces. He wants to overcome you so that all you can do is keep running from him. Jesus told us that if we are not plundering the devil's kingdom, we are going to be running from him. Guilt is also a demon, and guilt can deliver you over to fear. That's what happened to Adam. (Gen.2:16) And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: (17) but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Adam had only one commandment to keep but he broke it, and then what happened? (Gen.3:7) And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. “Naked” here represents the guilt of sin. They did not know they were naked until they partook of the knowledge of good and evil, but now they were made sinners because they knew they had broken God's law, so guilt was the first thing they received here. (Gen.3:7) And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig-leaves together, and made themselves aprons. They were attempting to cover their guilt with self-works, yet, as we know, without the shedding of blood, there is no covering for our sins (Hebrews 9:22). (Gen.3:21) And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife coats of skins, and clothed them. So God slew animals for their covering. He didn't accept their works to alleviate their guilt. (Gen.3:8) And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. Many people are hiding because of their guilt. They don't want to face God. They don't like to read the Word because it condemns them. They don't know the great sacrifice the Lord has made for them in order for them to be given grace to overcome. Without this knowledge, they feel bad when they face themselves. They feel bad when they face the Word. They're hiding from God because of their guilt, and even many Christians are doing the same thing. (Gen.3:9) And the Lord God called unto the man, and said unto him, Where art thou? (10) And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. Guilt brings fear. If you don't want to be overcome by fear, you need to confess your sins. (1Jn.1:9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We need to repent and confess our sins. We need to have faith that Jesus has given us authority over this old flesh. I'd like to point out here that if you don't know what the Gospel says, you can have what I call “false” guilt. For instance, if you don't know that your sins are covered, you may feel guilty about something from your past, from before you were saved. Of course, the devil will try to use that false guilt against you, but he will fail if you get in the Word and stand in faith on the promises. This is another one of his tactics to keep you from God and finding out the truth about your salvation and the authority you've been given over the devil. The real Good News is that the Lord wants to live the Christian life in us. Many people are living under the bondage of guilt, although there's no reason to do so because the real Good News is that He has already set us free. But if you have guilt, the devil can use that. He can bring fear upon you to conquer you because you don't have that boldness toward God. Sometimes the Lord just lets the devil take advantage of us until we're so far down that we're finally willing to look up, until we're finally willing to get our eyes on Him and to have faith in what He has accomplished at the Cross. Faith that brings obedience gives us victory over fear. Here's a good example: (Lev.26:13) I am the Lord your God, who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt (Spiritually speaking, “Egypt” represents the world. As Christians, we've been delivered from bondage to the world and from bondage to the “old man,” who is the Egyptian.) that ye should not be their bondmen; and I have broken the bars of your yoke, and made you go upright. This is basically the Gospel, isn't it? We have been delivered from bondage; we have been made free from sin (Romans 8:2-3). We are no longer in bondage to the old man, but so many people are constantly plundered by the devil because they are rebellious against God's Word. (Lev.26:14) But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments (Now notice how many times He repeats the same thing.); (15) and if ye shall reject my statutes, and if your soul abhor mine ordinances, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but break my covenant; (16) I also will do this unto you: I will appoint terror over you (God delivers people who are rebellious against His Word over to fear.), even consumption and fever, that shall consume the eyes, and make the soul to pine away; and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. (When people are delivered over to fear, they have no boldness to come against the devil. They don't understand why they are devoured by the devourer, as Malachi 3 talks about.) (17) And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be smitten before your enemies: they that hate you shall rule over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you. Also, (Pro.28:1) The wicked flee when no man pursueth; But the righteous are bold as a lion. God appoints terror over the rebellious, both His rebellious people and those of the world. They are ripe for it. Terror happening in these days is something that God has loosed through the devil to motivate people to run to Him. He wants us to run to repentance and faith in boldness, so that we may be delivered of these things. Fear brings us back into bondage. Fear is bondage to the devil. Fear will bring us right back to bondage in Egypt. The Bible speaks of this. (Deu.28:64) And the Lord will scatter thee among all peoples, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth… Many people don't realize that everything that happened to Israel in the natural happens to the Church in a spiritual way. The Church was called to be one holy nation. (1Pe.2:9) But ye are an elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for [God's] own possession, that ye may show forth the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: (10) who in time past were no people, but now are the people of God: who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. We were grafted into the olive tree called “all Israel” (Romans 11:17-26). We are one people, but we have been divided and scattered. The Lord speaks against the shepherds who scatter the flock (Jeremiah 23:1-4; Ezekiel 34:1-10). We've been brought into bondage to the nations of the world and now God is calling us out of those nations to our one holy nation of spiritual Israel. We have been called out from among them (Isaiah 52:11; Jeremiah 51:45; John 10:3; etc.), but when we rebel against God, He brings us under the spirit of fear and we go back into bondage. (Deu.28:64) And the Lord will scatter thee among all peoples, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou nor thy fathers, even wood and stone. The root word there for “gods” means “mighty” or “mighty ones.” Who are the Church's “mighty” ones? If you want to know what “gods” a church is serving, stop and think about it. Much of the Church, by their own actions, prove that they trust in their government, they trust in their military, in their doctors, and in their bank accounts. The churches trust in these “mighty ones” because they are in bondage to the nations of the world, instead of being the nation of spiritual Israel. God has called us out of that bondage. He delivered us out of Egypt that we might be His holy nation. (Deu.28:65) And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, and there shall be no rest for the sole of thy foot: but the Lord will give thee there a trembling heart (When you're living in the world, He's going to give you fear. God says this over and over. We need to fear “living in the world” and “living like the world” because there is no eternal life there. We are not of this world and we've been chosen out of the world (John 15:19). Nothing but the curse is there.), and failing of eyes, and pining of soul; (66) and thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear night and day (It's obvious this is coming to pass in these days.), and shalt have no assurance of thy life. (There is nothing but fear, just fear.) (67) In the morning thou shalt say, Would it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would it were morning! for the fear of thy heart which thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see. (Deu.28:68) And the Lord will bring thee into Egypt again… Do you know what brought God's people into Egypt the first time? It was because most of Jacob's sons were not obedient to their father. They didn't like that Joseph was sent to watch over them (Gen.37:2) … and Joseph brought the evil report of them unto their father. They also persecuted the righteous Joseph (Genesis 37:4,14). So God sent them into Egypt where they spent four hundred years in bondage. (Deu.28:68) And the Lord will bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I said unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again (God's command is that we never go back to Egypt, never go back into bondage to the old man {Deuteronomy 17:16}.): and there ye shall sell yourselves unto your enemies for bondmen and for bondwomen, and no man shall buy you. He sends fear when men go back into bondage to the old man and then instead of trusting in God, they take control themselves. Who is “self”? It's the old man. When “self” is ruling, the old man is ruling and you are back into bondage once again. The Egyptian who once ruled over the Israelite is now ruling over him again. Fear is one of the devil's big guns in order to bring you into bondage. People will do many things when they fear. Even Christians can be brought to killing their fellow man because they have a fear of death, so they do what is totally contrary to the Word of God. We are to rest, to trust, in God. We are to believe that He has healed and delivered us. Fear causes people to go back into bondage where they have no strength to stand and so they run from their enemies, but God delivered us from this. We are not in bondage anymore. We believe the Gospel and we need to believe it in order to come out of darkness, as we just read here. Somebody who has fear doesn't believe that they can come out of darkness because they don't believe the Gospel. Somebody who has fear believes the devil's lies; they believe the curse. We believe that God has separated us unto Himself to protect, heal, deliver, and provide for us, contrary to the rest of the world. The devil is making war on the people of God by using the things that they see and hear in order to bring them into bondage, but the devil cannot get a foothold if we walk by faith in obedience. That's our greatest strength. The Lord asks, (Pro.1:22) How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? (He's talking negatively here about being simple in the knowledge of God, simple in the knowledge of the Word.) And scoffers delight them in scoffing, And fools hate knowledge? (This is the simplicity part; they hate knowledge.) (23) Turn you at my reproof: Behold, I will pour out my spirit upon you; I will make known my words unto you. The two things we desperately need are the Word of God sown in our heart, which brings forth the fruit of Christ, and the Power of God's Spirit. He's offering us tremendous gifts here, yet sometimes we're not interested and sometimes we wait too long. (Pro.1:24) Because I have called, and ye have refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man hath regarded; (25) But ye have set at nought all my counsel, And would none of my reproof: (26) I also will laugh in [the day of] your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh (He didn't say “if your fear cometh,”; He said, “when your fear cometh.” If you continue to reject His Word and Spirit beyond the time of God's patience, this fear will come upon you.); (Pro.1:27) When your fear cometh as a storm (We are going to see this in days to come. Multitudes of people of the earth are going to be swayed this way and that way because of fear, and they will be moved to do terrible things because of fear.), And your calamity cometh on as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish come upon you. (28) Then will they call upon me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently, but they shall not find me: (29) For that they hated knowledge, And did not choose the fear of the Lord. The Bible teaches us in (Pro.16:6) … And by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil. You cannot have fear of the Lord and fear of the devil at the same time. If you fear the Lord, that's a good fear because if we fear the Lord, we will serve Him. If we fear the devil, we cannot serve God because we're too busy serving the devil and that's why fear is part of the devil's plan. God says, (Pro.1:30) They would none of my counsel; They despised all my reproof. (31) Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, And be filled with their own devices. (32) For the backsliding of the simple shall slay them (Notice that no man slays him. His own backsliding slays him.), And the careless ease of fools shall destroy them. (Pro.1:33) But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell securely (If we are seeking to be obedient to the Lord with our faith in Him, trusting in His grace, He empowers us to obey. That's a place of security.), And shall be quiet without fear of evil. The Lord promises this to those who are obedient because of their faith, and obedience is the fruit of faith. (Jas.2:17) Even so faith, if it have not works, is dead in itself. These are not our works; these are God's works in us and they are the fruit of faith. He says, (Pro.1:33) But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell securely, And shall be quiet without fear of evil. Those who are obedient because of their faith will be without fear. This is because they have received grace through their faith to be so, but the rest will go under a spirit of bondage. Fear is a spirit of bondage. Let's look now at (Rom.8:12) So then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh: (13) for if ye live after the flesh, ye must die; but if by the Spirit ye put to death the deeds of the body, ye shall live. (14) For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. (15) For ye received not the spirit of bondage again unto fear; but ye received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Jews railed at Jesus for calling God His Father. Jewish scholars say that no servant would dare call the head of a household “Abba,” or “Father.” This is the cry of somebody who has a father-child relationship, and so He says, (Rom.8:14) For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. (15) For ye received not the spirit of bondage again unto fear; but ye received the spirit of adoption. The word “adoption” here is huiothesias, and it means “son-placing.” When we are adopted, we are “placed” as sons. God adopts children who are servants. Apostle Paul told us in (Gal.4:7) … thou art no longer a bondservant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God. A child is a servant, but God adopts them as sons. We are growing into sonship. We are bearing the fruit of the Son, Jesus Christ, and as the Son, Jesus Christ, comes to live in us, we progressively manifest our sonship. You are either submitted to the Spirit of God as a son, or you are under the spirit of bondage unto fear. Fear is bondage. Fear rules and reigns in people who have it. They cannot get control of themselves; terror causes them to run mindlessly before the devil, who is ruling over them. We are going to see very crazy things happen in this world because of fear, and that includes seeing Christians not behaving as Christians because of fear, yet all that God asks us to do is a minor thing. He wants us to walk by faith. It is something that has already been paid for by the Lord; in (Col.1:13) who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love. And if we walk by faith in Him, we will be able to cast down fear. Faith gives us the power to walk the walk. The Lord came to deliver us from the power of death. (Heb.2:14) Since then the children are sharers in flesh and blood, he also himself in like manner partook of the same; that through death he might bring to nought him that had the power of death, that is, the devil (There it is; we've been delivered.); (15) and might deliver all them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. Worldly people do the things they do because of bondage to the fear of death, but Christians are not supposed to be in that bondage. Read that verse again. (Heb.2:14) Since then the children are sharers in flesh and blood, he also himself in like manner partook of the same; that through death he might bring to nought him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; (15) and might deliver all them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. Jesus came to deliver us from the fear of death, so that we wouldn't be subject to bondage all of our life. He came to deliver us from the fear of death and He accomplished that deliverance when He bore our sins upon Himself. Years ago I was on my roof, working on the second story of my house when it started to rain and I started to get down and stepped on the ladder, which was now resting on the wet deck. I fell sideways so fast and hit the deck. I immediately reached for my right shoulder, which felt like a limp bag of broken bones. I had a terrible pain in my side. An angel told me later that I had injured three internal organs. Michael heard me and came out and prayed for me. I was due to preach a broadcast. I believe it was adrenalin that caused me to get up and go do it. I didn't know at that time how bad I was hurt. I had broken three ribs, which caused great pain when I moved my rib cage and muscles. The saints came and prayed for me. My heart began to do strange things and skipping beats. When I realized I was dying, the thought of meeting the Lord gave me great joy and expectation. By the grace of God I never had fear. I joked with the saints who were looking at me wide-eyed.  I cried, “My father, my father, the chariots and horsemen of Israel!” 2Ki. 2:12, as though I could see them coming to get me and take me to heaven. When I saw they were taking me seriously, I laughed.  Long story short, they prayed me through and I had to stay. I raised my arms in praise when I knew my crushed shoulder would not permit this and it began to come together with everything else. God's grace is wonderful. We've seen from Revelation 21 that fear is sin. He bore the sin of fear and now you don't have to put up with fear anymore because He delivered you from that darkness. He bore upon Himself that curse. We have authority over fear because of what Jesus did at the Cross. We can say, “No!” to fear. Many of you have experienced this. You have rebuked fear. You have denied, and have refused to listen to fear. We have total authority over fear. When fear comes upon us, it is to bring us into bondage and cause us to serve it. Many times the fear of death causes us to do things we would not normally do. When my oldest son was being born at home, and it came time for birth, we discovered that he was breech, one foot was coming out first. When I saw that little toe come out first, it was like the devil was just waiting for me to see it and to jump on me with the spirit of fear. You know, the devil tells you everything bad that's going to happen unless you go back to trusting in man or doing it the way of the world, but the Lord wanted me to have a lesson of trusting in Him. So when I saw that little toe and felt the spirit of fear come in that room, I said, “No! We are going to stop right here and we are going to pray. We bind you spirit of fear and cast you out.” We commanded that demon to “Go, in the Name of Jesus Christ!” and it did. Then we were no longer in bondage because of this fear of death. And so our son was born. The fear of death can be more than just the fear of physical death. Many people fear death to self. They fear giving up their old life, so the devil is able to keep them in bondage. Through the fear of death, he keeps us running to the world and its ways and methods. Jesus came to set us free from fear of death, and since we know that He did set us free from fear of death, now we have authority over fear. That's not the case if you're walking in sin, because then you have no boldness. You won't be able to deny fear; it will overcome you. If you're walking by faith in God, you have authority over fear and you can cast it down. It will have to submit to you because of what Jesus did. He gave you authority over all the power of the enemy. (Luk.10:19) Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall in any wise hurt you. One thing we do to conquer fear is refuse to listen to it. Returning to when our first son was born, he was born a footling breech, the doctors do not believe God can deliver a baby that has one foot up and one down and wrong side up. Some people don't even know it's possible because they always do a Caesarean section in these cases. After we ran off the spirit of fear, I commanded that baby to “Come out in the Name of Jesus!” and that baby was born a footling breech. God can do anything! Glory be to God! His Power is awesome, but if you have fear, you don't have faith in God. Instead, your faith is in the devil. You have faith in the curse and God's power is not going to be manifested for you. We have to learn not to listen to the voice of the devil. (Psa.55:3) Because of the voice of the enemy, Because of the oppression of the wicked; For they cast iniquity upon me, And in anger they persecute me. (4) My heart is sore pained within me: And the terrors of death are fallen upon me. (All these things are true.) (5) Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, And horror hath overwhelmed me. These awful things had happened because he listened to the voice of the enemy. Just don't listen! We should pray that God will always bring to our remembrance the things that He has said unto us (John 14:26). (Isa.26:3) Thou wilt keep [him] in perfect peace, [whose] mind [is] stayed [on thee;] because he trusteth in thee. We hold fast to the Word so that when fear comes, we recognize that it's a spirit because it says in (2Ti.1:7) for God gave us not a spirit of fearfulness… We can say, “God has not given me a spirit of fear; this is the devil. I can stop this. I can take authority. I can have victory over this. I do not need to listen to this, as though it were me, because it is not me.” We cast down these thoughts. The Bible tells us that we can fill ourselves with thoughts that give us peace. (Php.4:8) Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true (When the spirit of fear comes, we know it's the devil's telling us a lie, something contrary to Scriptures. We're not supposed to listen to it.), whatsoever things are honorable, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Remember what happened when 10 of the 12 men who were sent to spy out the Promised Land brought back a bad report (Numbers 13:1-24). Their report caused the people to fear the giants and made the people's hearts to melt (Numbers 13:25-33; 14:1-4). Well-meaning people can bring us a bad report, but if something is contrary to God's Word, we need to cast it out and cast it down. Be wary if you've made somebody your god. Be wary if you've made medicine or doctors your god. Be wary when they bring you the bad report. Remember, (1Pe.2:24) … by whose stripes ye were healed. How can you be sick? You can't be sick because you were healed, so cast that thought down. Cast that bad report down, because if fear causes you to accept that, then that's what you'll have. Jesus said, (Mat.9:29) … According to your faith be it done unto you. When they bring that bad report, what happens is that fear comes into your being. The devil is sitting there, just waiting for you to hear what this guy has to say, and when you accept it, fear jumps on you. The devil knows that you're going to have a testimony if you stand fast in your faith. He's attacking you to keep you from being delivered from this curse, from being delivered out of this darkness. He's attacking you to keep you from walking by faith in the Lord. What does the Word tell us to do instead? (Php.4:8) … If there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. (In other words, take account of these things.) (9) The things which ye both learned and received and heard and saw in me, these things do: and the God of peace shall be with you. He's the God of peace. Scripture talks about our warfare. It tells us to cast down (2Co.10:5) … imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. Bring every thought into captivity to Christ, because if we will learn to do this and be consistent, fear will never have a foothold. We will conquer it. God is omnipotent. (Php.2:13) For it is God who worketh in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure. We do not have to give in to the thoughts of the devil. We can cast them down. Remember what God said about the voice of the enemy. (Psa.55:3) Because of the voice of the enemy … (4) … the terrors of death are fallen upon me. That is the devil when he comes to you. We do not have to put up with this. Some of you have listened to things and read things that are bringing fear into your life. They're not building faith in you for the days to come. You should not read or listen to the voice of the devil. He'll use people to give you things that put fear into your heart, but don't listen to or look at the devil's lies. (Isa.8:9) Make an uproar, O ye peoples, and be broken in pieces; and give ear, all ye of far countries: gird yourselves, and be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and be broken in pieces. A great tumult is coming over the world in these days, saints. (10) Take counsel together, and it shall be brought to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for God is with us. Immanuel is with us. It's not our power; it's His Power in us! (Col.1:27) which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Let's go now to (Isa.8:11) For the Lord spake thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me not to walk in the way of this people, saying, (12) Say ye not, A conspiracy, concerning all whereof this people shall say, A conspiracy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be in dread [thereof]. I know Christians who study conspiracies all the time and it's filling their hearts with fear. They don't have any faith or boldness toward God. Why? They are afraid of the things that are coming upon the world because they are being disobedient. It doesn't matter who's behind the things that are coming upon the world. Ultimately, the Lord is behind it all. The Bible says God is the One (Eph.1:11) … who worketh all things after the counsel of his will. God was behind what came to Job. Looking at Job's situation, we see that we should not fear because God Almighty is in control. If you study these conspiracies and conclude that men or the devil are out to do you in, you're wasting your time. It's God Almighty Who is behind everything, and His purpose for you is good. His purpose is to bring you to repentance and to faith in Him. So if you're studying men, worried about what they might be doing, and thinking that you have to do something, you can get into works of the flesh. And it's all because you studied the conspiracies. Well, here's God's Word on conspiracies: (Isa.8:12) Say ye not, A conspiracy, concerning all whereof this people shall say, A conspiracy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be in dread [thereof]. (13) The Lord of hosts, him shall ye sanctify; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. We should fear the Lord because, as we read, He is the One, ultimately, Who is in control and not the world, not the wicked, not the Illuminati, or anybody else. Don't study the conspiracies. God is in control and remember that (Pro.16:7) When a man's ways please the Lord, He maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him. The Lord has absolute control over our enemies. He has absolute control over our lives and He said we would be in safety and He said we would not fear. We need to put our trust in God. We need to cast down these things when our sight is on men. The Bible says, (Pro.29:25) The fear of man bringeth a snare, But whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe. (26) Many seek the ruler's favor; But a man's judgment [cometh] from the Lord. If you are afraid of man, you are going to be back in bondage again and be trapped again. “The fear of man bringeth a snare, but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.” Study what God has to say. Study what He will do to provide for you in the days to come, and don't fear the things that are coming upon the world. Fear is for the devil's children, but it's also for the wayward people of God to bring them to repentance and trust in God. Now let me share this testimony:   Cast Out Fear by J.R.T. Our son, Caleb, has always been a fearful child. He was scared of loud noises, deep water, the drive-through car wash, thunderstorms, etc. He would cry uncontrollably whenever we went through the car wash or when thunder would strike during a storm. Recently, when storms popped up and he would become afraid, my wife would sing this song with him: “I am your God. I am your God, who holds your right hand, who holds your right hand. And I say to you, ‘Do not be afraid, for I will help you.'” One day I came home from work and my wife told me there had been a thunderstorm earlier and that she and Caleb had sung this song. I started to sing the song, thinking he would like it. But just the association of the song with the storms caused Caleb to cry and appear upset. Without even thinking, I picked him up and prayed, “Spirit of fear, I rebuke you in Jesus' Name and command you to leave Caleb. The Lord has not given us a spirit of fear. We do not want you here.” There was no immediate change. But the Lord impressed me not to dwell on the fact that I saw no change; rather, just believe His Word. The next weekend we were in Pensacola for Mother's Day. Once we got back to Georgia, we realized several things had changed. The whole family rode through the car wash over the holiday weekend. Caleb hadn't fussed a bit. He even later commented that the “wind” (noisiest part) was his favorite part of the car wash. Normally, as soon as he sees that we are at the car wash, he starts talking about wanting to get out of the vehicle. When lightning and thunder started during a storm over the weekend, Caleb didn't cry or run to mommy or daddy; rather, he walked right to the front glass door to look outside. We spent part of the weekend with my wife's family on the beach. Caleb went out farther than normal. He even fell in the water a few times, and breathed in a little water. But he did not get upset – he kept playing. I praise the Lord for putting in me what was needed to deliver Caleb from fear…Thank you, Lord. Amen! Awesome testimony. We have this authority, too, saints. Now, are there times when God's people cannot be released from demons? Paul, by the Spirit, turned a man over to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, and he did that for a good reason. (1Cor.5:3) For I verily, being absent in body but present in spirit, have already as though I were present judged him that hath so wrought this thing, (4) in the name of our Lord Jesus, ye being gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus, (5) to deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Our carnal minds think it's always good for people to get delivered of demons, but no, it's not always good. You see, God has a purpose for demons. If not, He would have wiped them out a long time ago, but He has a good purpose for them. The Bible says that God has vessels of honor and vessels of dishonor. (Rom.9:21) Or hath not the potter a right over the clay, from the same lump to make one part a vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor? The demons are His chief vessels of dishonor and He uses them to chasten and teach. Paul turned a man over for a chastening “that his spirit might be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus”, but there's another example where Paul delivered Hymenaeus and Alexander over to Satan that “they might be taught not to blaspheme” (1 Timothy 1:18-20). The devil is God's messenger to chasten and teach people. When you get out from under the Blood, the devil jumps on you like a mad dog. It doesn't matter whether or not you are a Christian. The people who are not Christian are already under bondage to the devil, and so sometimes, the devil does not want to “rock the boat” for them. There is no advantage for him in revealing himself to them because they're already caught, but for you, it's a different story. When you step out from under the Blood, he is waiting for you. He is waiting to “chew” on you a little bit until you'll say, “Hey, it's a lot safer back there under the Blood! I repent, Lord! I obey!” But until you get back under the Blood, the devil is there to motivate you to live in obedience as a disciple of Jesus Christ. We have examples all through the Bible where God turned over His people to the devil and there was no one who could cast the demons out of them. If you won't repent, don't ask for deliverance. If you are not willing to confess your sins and repent of them, do not ask for deliverance from the demon who preys upon the sin. He is there for a purpose; he is there to make your life miserable until you repent. I am speaking from experience. I've tried casting demons out of people, yet the demons would come back. Finally, I figured out what the problem was. I was out there doing my own thing and so I was getting out of God's Will. A good example of that from the Old Testament is where God ordained Saul (1 Samuel 10:1). He filled him with the Spirit and even had him prophesy (1 Samuel 10:6), but when Saul rebelled against God and did his own thing, then (1Sa.16:14) … the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him. (15) And Saul's servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee. A lot of people think this is false doctrine, but it's truth. As the Lord pointed out to me one time, (Php.2:13) … it is God who worketh in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure. Salvation is so great! The way God saves you is that He puts in you a desire to do what is right. It's so simple and it's so easy. Through repentance and through faith, you receive the desire to do what is right. This is what salvation is all about. Did you know that God uses vessels of dishonor to work in you, just as He uses vessels of honor? God did this with the devil, who didn't have any interest in Job until God brought him to the devil's attention. (Job 2:3) And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job? for there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God and turneth away from evil… That was like dangling a carrot before a donkey. The devil was ready to jump on Job, but God put strict conditions on what he could do in (Job 1:12, 2:6). (Job 2:4) And Satan answered the Lord, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. (5) But put forth thy hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will renounce thee to thy face. (6) And The Lord said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thy hand; only spare his life. Many times the devil is being used as the “left hand” of God when he brings a curse or a chastening. (Job 2:9) Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still hold fast thine integrity? renounce God, and die. (10) But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips. Job did speak the truth there because God cannot be Sovereign if He controls only good and doesn't control evil. The devil is here to be one of God's “hands” or else he would have been wiped out back there at the Garden of Eden. Since Jesus was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8), why did we need a Savior before Adam ever fell? God is not making any mistakes here; what we are going through is creation and the devil is a part of this. It was God Who turned Abimelech and the men of Shechem over to devils in (Judges 9:23). They got in there and divided the men because they killed the sons of Gideon in (Judges 9:5). God sent those evil spirits between the Israelites to divide them, just as God turned Saul over to a demon spirit because he was in rebellion. God did this quite often in the Old Testament, and another example is when Samuel was rebuking Saul for not obeying God. (1Sa.15:23) For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft… The Hebrew word translated as “witchcraft” there is qesem, and it means “divination.” A spirit of divination is a spirit of false prophecy. It prophesies for the devil, and so Saul had a demon spirit because he had a spirit of divination. (1Sa.18:10) And it came to pass on the morrow, that an evil spirit from God came mightily upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as he did day by day. And Saul had his spear in his hand; (11) and Saul cast the spear; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall. And David avoided out of his presence twice. (12) And Saul was afraid of David, because The Lord was with him, and was departed from Saul. I don't know what spirit, divination or otherwise, God was talking about when He said (1Sa.16:14) … an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him, but I do know that Saul had a spirit of divination because he became a false prophet. Whether this “evil spirit from the Lord” was the spirit of divination, I don't know and Scripture does not say, but it was tormenting him. Here was a man who at one time had the Holy Spirit in (1 Samuel 10:6) and yet still became tormented by a demon spirit, and as we see here, possibly two demon spirits. The apostle Paul also had a demon tormentor. He said in (2Co.12:7) And by reason of the exceeding greatness of the revelations, that I should not be exalted overmuch, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, that I should not be exalted overmuch. I am not stating that there was a demon inside of Paul, but an angel of Satan was tormenting him. The word “messenger” in the Scriptures, 181 of 183 times, is translated as “angel,” so an angel of Satan was sent to buffet him, and the word “buffet” means “to beat or strike repeatedly.” Paul was not talking here about an infirmity or sickness; only the KJV says that Paul's “thorn in the flesh” was an “infirmity.” No Bible derived from the ancient manuscripts has this translation because that's not the word “infirmity”; it is the word “weakness.” Scripture says that Christ was crucified through weakness. (2Co.13:3) Seeing that ye seek a proof of Christ that speaketh in me; who to youward is not weak, but is powerful in you: (4) for he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth through the power of God. This same Greek word asthenes translated as “weakness” in 2 Corinthians 13:3 by the King James, is what the King James in 2 Corinthians 12:9 claims is “infirmity.” Paul did not have an infirmity; this is a lie because the Bible says, (Psa.103:2) Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all his benefits: (3) Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; Who healeth all thy diseases. God does not change His Word and say, “No, Paul, you keep this disease. It's good for you.” This is not our God. What you have there is a schizophrenic “god.” A messenger of Satan is the one who was bringing all of these troubles against Paul, and he made a list of all the places where he said he was “weak.” The word is the same word, asthenes, as used in Chapter 12. (2Co.11:23) Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as one beside himself) I more; in labors more abundantly, in prisons more abundantly, in stripes above measure, in deaths oft. (24) Of the Jews five times received I forty [stripes] save one. (25) Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day have I been in the deep; (26) [in] journeyings often, [in] perils of rivers, [in] perils of robbers, [in] perils from [my] countrymen, [in] perils from the Gentiles, [in] perils in the city, [in] perils in the wilderness, [in] perils in the sea, [in] perils among false brethren; (27) [in] labor and travail, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. (29) Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is caused to stumble, and I burn not? Who was “buffeting” Paul in all of these ways? A messenger of Satan was bringing Paul through all these tribulations. When Jesus was led of the Spirit into the wilderness in (Matthew 4:1; Luke 4:2), it was the devil who tempted Him, so don't think that you are not going to be faced with demons. If you are in the wilderness, you are going to be faced with demons, but you have every right and every power from God to overcome them. When Paul was faced with demons, God did not say that He was going to take away that angel from Satan. It says (2Co.12:9) And he hath said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for [my] power is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. God said, “My grace is sufficient for thee.” He did not say, “My grace is this infirmity that I am putting on you, and you're going to have to keep it.” That's crazy; it's not what the Bible says. It says, (1Pe.2:24) … by whose stripes ye were healed. You were healed. There is no condition put on this except you repent and believe. As we just read, Paul professed that those things listed in 2 Corinthians 11:23-27 were his “weaknesses.” A demon was bringing Paul into positions of weakness. And when he got into these positions of weakness, Paul put his trust in the Lord, and in every instance, the Lord saved him. (Psa.34:19) Many are the afflictions of the righteous (In most cases, these afflictions come from the devil.); But the Lord delivereth him out of them all. This is what you have to believe. This is the Gospel, and if you do not believe it, you do not get it. The devil has a purpose in all of this. He is used by God to chasten and to bring under curses those who are in rebellion against God. He is used by God to give you teaching and understanding (1Ti.1:20) … that they might be taught not to blaspheme God. The devil is used by God to humble you, and he is used to help you see the power of God. When the devil puts you into a situation where you are weak, this is where you get to see the miracle. You do not get to see the miracle when you have all you need, or when all your problems are solved, and you are walking in the anointing and power. The power of God comes when you are in a position where you cannot do anything. The power of God comes sometimes when you refuse to do anything about a weakness, and you just put your trust in God and His Word. The power of God comes when you believe what the Bible says. When the children of Israel rebelled, God sent demons to them. (Psa.78:49) He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, Wrath, and indignation, and trouble, A band of angels of evil. Wrath, indignation, and trouble are demon spirits. It was God's purpose to deliver the Israelites over to these demons for torment because they were in rebellion. God is the One Who delivers a person over to demons, and God is the One Who turns people over to a “reprobate mind,” too (Romans 1:28; 2 Timothy 3:8). The Bible talks about “doctrines of demons.” (1Ti.4:1) But the Spirit saith expressly, that in later times some shall fall away from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons, (2) through the hypocrisy of men that speak lies, branded in their own conscience as with a hot iron. I was once delivered from a doctrine of demons and I was shocked, not knowing it was a demon at all. At the time, I had a real gift to speak the Oneness doctrine, but it was not the truth. It was a demon spirit and when it left, it went straight out of the top of my head. I'd had to humble myself to what the Lord said. What delivered me was when I decided, “I am going to put my doctrine down for just a minute, and humble myself to this Word, and see what It says.” When I did that, “Poof!” The demon went out from the top of my head and was gone because Oneness is a doctrine of demons. There are demons whose job it is to bring people into bondage to false doctrines, and they actually do enter your body. I am living proof of this, delivered from that doctrine quite some years ago. Sometimes you can't recognize when people are demon-possessed because they're being ruled by that spirit. You understand that something is wrong with them, but you may not recognize it in their flesh. Most often though, people are oppressed, rather than possessed. If a demon is in your flesh, just abiding in the flesh and not reaching into the soul, he can oppress you from the flesh, but when he reaches into your soul, which is your mind, will, and emotions, then this is what the Bible calls being “possessed.” We've been taught wrongly that when demons are on the outside, it is oppression, but when they are on the inside, that is possession. No, the demons can be in your flesh and never leave your flesh, so then they can oppress you from the flesh. Or they can reach into the soul and possess you, while at other times, they will back off into the flesh and be dormant. When they do that, you will not even know they're in there until they're faced with some stimulus from the outside that causes them to come up and manifest themselves. And when that stimulus or that temptation is gone, the demons draw back into the flesh, becoming dormant once again. For instance, people with a spirit of anger (a demon) are not angry all the time. They are only angry when they're tempted, but if you try to deal with it as though it were only a lust of the flesh, you're going to fail because it's more than that. Many people, possibly all people, have demons when they come to Christ, but God doesn't drive them all out all at once according to (Exodus 23:29-30; Judges 2:22-23). I've heard people say that it's okay to be angry as long as you don't sin, but this is a false doctrine, and they get it from a false interpretation of Scripture. The Bible says, (Ecc.7:9) Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry; for anger resteth in the bosom of fools. If you have anger in your heart, it is going to make you a fool. If you say, “Wait a minute...I thought I could be angry, but just not sin?” Anger is wrong because anger is unforgiveness and anger is bitterness. I admit the Holy Spirit can be angry; the Holy Spirit can even manifest anger through you. I have felt the anger of the Lord move through me, but He can do this legally. The Holy Spirit can speak through you and judge, but you cannot judge. If you judge, you are going to be judged, as it says in (Mat.7:1) Judge not, that ye be not judged. (2) For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured unto you. You must know the difference between the Holy Spirit moving through you for the sake of God and when you are being tempted by the lusts of your flesh. (Eph.4:25) Wherefore, putting away falsehood, speak ye truth each one with his neighbor: for we are members one of another. (26) Be ye angry, and sin not… Originally, there was no punctuation in this verse, because in the ancient Greek they did not have punctuation or capital letters. The punctuation was added in later by theologians, but the Lord told me there is supposed to be a question mark after the word “not.” Can you be angry and not sin? No, and I can prove this to you, because the rest of the verse says, (Eph.4:26) Let not the sun go down upon your wrath (In other words, “Do not let that stuff stick around.”): (27) neither give place to the devil. If you are angry, you are “giving place to the devil.” When you are angry, it's because you're in unforgiveness, but we have to forgive everybody, all the time, forever. The very foundation of salvation is forgiveness, and so if you don't forgive, then God doesn't forgive you. Truly “anger resteth in the bosom of fools.” (Eph. 4:31) Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and railing, be put away from you, with all malice (He's not saying, “It's okay to be angry, just do not sin.” He's saying, “Get rid of it!” And if you're having trouble doing this, sometimes it is a demon.): (32) and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, even as God also in Christ forgave you. Let's go now to (Pro.4:7) Wisdom [is] the principal thing; [therefore] get wisdom; Yea, with all thy getting get understanding. The more understanding you get, the less anger you are going to have. (Rom.8:28) And we know that to them that love God all things work together for good, [even] to them that are called according to [his] purpose. If you believe that all things work together for good to those who love God, then you're not going to be angry at situations, you're not going to be angry at your circumstances. If my dog came into this room right now and did something that dogs do, it would be foolish for me to become angry at that dog, because he's a dog and he's not going to do anything different. He is a dog; he can't be anything different. When your children are toddlers and they stumble and fall, you don't become angry with them, because that's what children do. Children stumble and fall. Life is this way, so would it make sense for you to get angry at the devil for doing what he normally does? That would be a waste of time. He is the devil; he does what he was created to do, and his demons do what they were created to do. Everything that happens around us has a purpose because God is Sovereign. Do not become angry about anything that happens around you, because if you're angry at the circumstances around you, you are angry at God. He is the One who ordained the circumstances around you. He is the Sovereign God (Eph.1:11) … who worketh all things after the counsel of His will. And we read that (Joh.3:27) … A man can receive nothing, except it have been given him from heaven. Do you believe this? If it comes from heaven and you become angry, then you are being angry at God. Don't claim that anger from your lusts of the flesh is righteous indignation; that's just bologna! Be at peace! God doesn't want you to have anger; He wants you to be at peace. So, what about the anger of the Lord? If the Lord moves through you in anger, it is not a personal thing because it is not your anger. The Bible says in (Mar. 3:5) And when He had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved at the hardening of t

How do you discern if a person is a good gospel partner? Join us in Ephesians 5:22-33 to get into it!

Ephesians 5: 1-10 - Who Are You Partnering With? - Brian Clutter

This week's message is titled Bind Us Together and the scripture reference is Ephesians 4:1-3. If you would like to worship with us in person, we would love to have you.  Our address is:4103 W Texas St.Carlsbad, NM 88220 Sunday School starts at 9:30AMSunday Morning Service starts at 10:45.Wednesday Night Bible Study starts at 6:00PM. Additional Sermon podcasts can be downloaded by going to https://podcast.hvbcnm.org Thank you and God Bless!

Ephesians 1:11-14 Paul concludes this opening section of his letter by explaining the role of the Holy Spirit in our salvation. Pastor Rod Bunton elaborates on this third component, emphasizing that both Jews and Gentiles are made an inheritance through the indwelling of the promised Holy Spirit. The post To the Praise of His Glory: We are Sealed with the Holy Spirit appeared first on Grace Church of Tallahassee.

Pastor Stephen Brucker shares from Ephesians 4:25-5:2

Today we look at one of the wildest passages in the New Testament (Jude 8–10) where we meet the Archangel Michael locked in a supernatural dispute with the devil himself over the body of Moses. Why would God include this strange story in the Bible? Because your place in God's story matters more than you think. You've been born into a cosmic battle between good and evil—and whether you know it or not, you're in the middle of it. In this message, you'll learn: - What it means to “know your place” in the spiritual war - Why many today mock or ignore the spiritual realm - How fake Christianity is exposed by instinct over obedience - Why humility and confidence are both required in spiritual warfare - What it means to walk in the authority of Christ, not your own If you've ever felt spiritually apathetic, confused, or intimidated—this message will wake you up and equip you with clarity and courage. Scripture List: - Jude 8-10 - Ephesians 6.12 - Daniel 10.11-12 - Philippians 2.7-8

Join us in this powerful sermon that invites you to embrace the transformative power of God's grace in your life. Inspired by Apostle Paul's prayer in Ephesians, this episode explores the deep essence of grace, which is God's unearned gift of love and forgiveness. As we delve into the recurring theme of grace throughout the sermon, discover how it empowers believers to share the message of Jesus with boldness, even in the face of adversity. Through a deep dive into Acts chapter 4, we witness the bold faith of Peter and John amidst persecution and learn the significance of staying rooted in prayer and community. This sermon calls us to form and cherish 'grace groups' for spiritual support and accountability. Allow this message to come alive in you, helping you understand God's divine plan while inviting you to partake in His ongoing work through the Holy Spirit. Experience God's grace as a constant companion on this journey of faith.     LOVING GRACE IN ACTION Acts 4:23-31 Main Idea: The loving accountability (grace) of a covenant discipleship group provides the best grace-filled environment for being and making disciples. Witness the loving grace in action within the early Church Introduction: Believers are People of Grace! Consider their grace (Acts 4:23) “Peter and John went back to their own people” - fellow believers. Here they found: Emotional and spiritual support.     An inviting group that encouraged vulnerability. Partners in ministry. Consider their action plan (Acts 4:24-28). Prayer Confidence in God's Sovereignty Praise (v. 24) Scripture inspired by the Holy Spirit Testimony Consider the prayer requests (4:29-30). They simply prayed for: Renewed strength to preach the gospel message of Jesus with “great boldness” (v. 29). God to work in miraculous ways to magnify “the name of your holy servant Jesus” (v. 30). Conclusion: The Result of their Loving Grace in Action (Acts 4;31) The place where they were meeting was shaken. They received a new infilling with the Holy Spirit. They spoke the word of God boldly.   Action Step: Commit (or re-commit) yourself to a grace group – a Sunday School class, LifeGroup, midweek Bible Study group, men's, women's, youth, children's group, etc.   Find other Podcasts, Sermon Notes and the Bulletin here. https://www.mvcnaz.org/live Stay in touch with our Church Center App at https://www.mvcnaz.org/churchcenter Contact us through our CONNECT form at https://www.mvcnaz.org/connect With Pastor Mike Curry.

My name is Rev. Alvin Lewis of Power To Change Ministry. Thank you for sharing your day with us, we would love to hear from you, your feedback is very important.Ephesians 1:18-23 (CWSB)18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,23 Which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all.Power To Change Ministry Rev. Alvin Lewis Powertochangeministry@gmail.Com Powertochangeministry.org 973-583-7482

A new MP3 sermon from Grace Bible Church is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Boldness Through Faith in Christ Subtitle: Our True Source of Bravery Speaker: John Pittman Hey Broadcaster: Grace Bible Church Event: Sunday Service Date: 6/29/2025 Bible: Ephesians 3:9-21; John 17:22-26 Length: 38 min.

www.longviewbaptistchurch.org 1 Kings 3:6-15 Sunday, July 13th, 2025 1) Knowing we cannot do it alone is the picture of humility! 2) God honors a heart after His heart like none other! 3) God will do Ephesians 3:20 if you will only let Him be the Lord of everything!

Walk carefully!

TOPIC: KINGDOM ADVANCEMENT PRAYER: THE KEY TO THE WONDER DOUBLE BLESSINGS   SCRIPTURES: JOB 1:1-4, EZEKIEL 22:30, EPHESIANS 4:18, COLOSSIANS 4:12   KEY POINTS ABOUT KINGDOM ADVANCEMENT PRAYERS Prioritizing kingdom advancement prayers grants access to present and future blessings. Kingdom advancement prayers result in great blessings, even without requesting them. The kingdom of God must be on your heart for God to help you. KINDS OF PRAYERS DURING FASTING PERIODS Prayer of Worship (Thanking God; Hebrews 13:4). Praying in the Spirit (Jude 1:20, 1 Corinthians 14:4, Ephesians 6:18). Prophetic Prayer (Declaring the word of God). Supplication prayers (Presenting your needs). Kingdom Advancement Prayers. DOUBLE WONDER BLESSINGS Blessings that lead to more blessings. Access to noiseless and sweatless blessings. Blessings that impact both present and future (Matthew 6:33, Matthew 6:11). WHAT KINGDOM PRAYER ENTAILS Praying for the people of God. Praying for their faith to rise. Praying for the growth of the kingdom. Praying for the will of God to be done. CONCLUSION Kingdom advancement prayers are a powerful tool for accessing double wonder blessings. By prioritizing the kingdom of God, we can experience great blessings and impact both our present and future[Eternity].

Today on Bold Steps Weekend with Mark Jobe, you'll be learning how to be alive in the Spirit. From the book Ephesians chapter two, Pastor Mark dives right into this message from this series called When You Believe, Everything Changes.Become a Bold Partner Today: https://www.moodyradio.org/donateto/boldsteps-weekendSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Send us a textPaul's opening words to the Galatians pack a theological punch that resonates far beyond their ancient context. By declaring himself "an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ," he establishes the divine authority behind his message while simultaneously defining what true apostleship means.Contrary to popular misconceptions, apostles weren't merely influential religious leaders. They were directly commissioned by the risen Christ, spoke with divine authority, and performed miraculous signs to authenticate their message. This has profound implications for today's church: since the apostolic office required a post-resurrection calling from Jesus himself, the age of apostles ended with John's death. Anyone claiming apostolic authority now is, by definition, a false apostle.The foundation of our faith rests on what these apostles taught, alongside the prophets of old. Together, they represent God's complete revelation—the Old Testament anticipating Christ, the New Testament revealing Him. This unified foundation creates a unified people. As Paul explains in Ephesians, believers from every tribe and nation form one household of faith, with no distinction between Jew and Gentile in God's family.This unity extends to our fundamental understanding of salvation. Abraham, the father of faith, believed essentially the same gospel we embrace today—he simply looked forward to what we now look back upon. The sacrificial system God established through Moses served as spiritual training wheels, preparing His people to recognize Christ as the ultimate sacrifice. Every lamb slain pointed to the Lamb who would take away the sin of the world.When Christ declared "God so loved the world," He wasn't indicating universal salvation but rather demolishing national boundaries. His love extends without distinction to people from every nation who believe. His sacrifice was specifically for His church—those who would believe in Him from every tribe and tongue.Ready to deepen your understanding of these foundational truths? Join us as we continue our verse-by-verse exploration of Galatians, unpacking the transformative power of the one true gospel.Personalized Cancer Treatment Center in USAWe treat you—not just your illness—with personalized, integrative care, love, and support.Support the show

Send us a textThe subtle ordering of Paul's greetings reveals a profound theological truth—grace must always precede peace. This isn't coincidental but reflects the spiritual reality that reconciliation with God begins with His unmerited favor before producing peace between the Creator and His creation. Like the formless void in Genesis awaiting divine illumination, we exist in spiritual darkness until God sovereignly declares "Let there be light" in our hearts.This conversation challenges popular notions about modern apostles and prophets through a careful examination of Ephesians 2, where Paul describes the church as being "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets." Since no building requires multiple foundations, this indicates the apostolic foundation has already been established. The biblical qualification for apostleship required direct appointment from Jesus himself, as exemplified in Paul's Damascus road experience, making modern apostolic claims highly questionable.At its core, Christian ministry serves one ultimate purpose—preparing people for death. Not in a morbid sense, but in the profound reality of readying souls to stand before God with peace and reconciliation. This preparation involves "dying here first" to self, sin, and worldly attachments so we might truly live in eternity. The substitutionary atonement of Christ, who "gave himself for our sins," guarantees this reconciliation isn't merely offered but effectively secured for those who are His.The discussion reveals how Scripture alone "thoroughly furnishes the man of God for every good work," challenging trends toward additional revelations, prophecies, or apostolic declarations. True believers recognize one another through their reverence for God's word and their desire for spiritual growth—not through claims of special authority or revelation. When we embrace the complete sufficiency of Scripture and the finished work of Christ, we find ourselves properly equipped for both life and death.Personalized Cancer Treatment Center in USAWe treat you—not just your illness—with personalized, integrative care, love, and support.Support the show

Study session scripture: Ephesians 1:3 - 14 (focus on 1:11-14)Study session topics: Understanding God's work according to the counsel of His willPurposed to be to the praise of God's glorySealed by the spiritReflecting on and understanding hopeStudy session audio:

Study session scripture: Ephesians 1:15-23Study session topics: Praying for fellow believersPraying for wisdom and revelation to know ChristPraying to know hopePraying to know the wealth of relationship with GodPraying to know the anointed king's power over death and other spiritual powersKnowing that Christ has ultimate powerThis powerful one is the head of the assembly of disciples who are filled with Christ as a bodyStudy session audio:

Jase gets unexpectedly convicted by a handwritten “Thou shalt not steal” note from a co-worker, while Zach wages war against a household rebellion centered around a broken toilet. The guys delve into an often-overlooked biblical discussion about fallen celestial beings and the cosmic battle between good and evil. They explore Genesis 6, the Nephilim, and how spiritual rebellion in the heavenly realms impacted human history. In this episode: Genesis 2, verse 10; Genesis 3, verse 15; Genesis 6; Genesis 9; Genesis 11; Genesis 12; Deuteronomy 32, verse 8; Numbers 13; 1 Samuel 17; Isaiah 14; Colossians 1, verse 15; Colossians 2, verses 12–15; Ephesians 3, verse 10; 1 John 3, verses 7–10 “Unashamed” Episode 1125 is sponsored by: https://meetfabric.com/unashamed — Join the thousands of parents who trust Fabric to help protect their family. https://myphdweightloss.com — Find out how Al is finally losing weight! Schedule your one-on-one consultation today by visiting the website or calling 864-644-1900. https://bravebooks.com/unashamed — Get Missy's book “Because You're My Family” and Jep and Jessica's book “Dear Valor” for free when you use code UNASHAMED! https://puretalk.com/unashamed — Get 50% off your first month when you make the switch! Listen to Not Yet Now with Zach Dasher on Apple, Spotify, iHeart, or anywhere you get podcasts. — Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Obedience” in marriage is a loaded word—what does it really mean? Are women expected to submit like servants? Is Christian marriage inherently unequal? Or is there something deeper, more beautiful, and profoundly mutual at play?Today I'm joined by Mary Stanford, who has spent her career unpacking this very paradox. How can a woman “submit” as described in Ephesians 5 and still be a full, free, and equal partner in marriage?Mary dives into the God-given differences between men and women—how our bodies and dispositions reflect distinct, complementary gifts—and how this complementarity can lead to deep unity and even fruitfulness, both literally and spiritually.This topic isn't without controversy. The line between holy submission and enabling harmful dynamics is razor thin. Join the conversation in the comments and help us wrestle with one of the most misunderstood teachings in Scripture.Obedience Paradox book: https://www.amazon.com/Obedience-Paradox-Finding-Freedom-Marriage/dp/1681926954Mary's faculty website: https://www.christendom.edu/academics/undergraduate-faculty/mary-stanford/NEW: Join our exclusive Rose Report community! https://lilaroseshow.supercast.com - We'll have BTS footage, ad-free episodes, monthly AMA, and early access to our upcoming guests.A big thanks to our partner, EWTN, the world's leading Catholic network! Discover news, entertainment and more at https://www.ewtn.com/ Check out our Sponsors:-We Heart Nutrition: https://www.weheartnutrition.com/ Get high quality vitamin supplements for 20% off using the code LILA. -Good Ranchers: https://go.goodranchers.com/lila Purchase your American Meat Delivered subscription today and get a free add-on of beef, chicken, or salmon! Use code LILA for $40 off! -EveryLife: https://www.everylife.com Buy diapers from an amazing pro-life diaper company and use code LILA and get 10% off!00:00:00 - Intro00:06:39 - Few people have parents as model relationships00:10:40 - Good Ranchers00:11:52 - Key successes in Mary's parent's marriage00:19:04 - What did fighting and resolution look like?00:23:11 - EveryLife00:24:11 - What is the Obedience Paradox?00:32:26 - Man as an instrument00:36:22 - We Heart Nutrition00:37:20 - What does submission mean?00:51:01 - The temptation for women00:54:30 - What are women's fallen traits?01:08:38 - Do's/Don'ts of Biblical Submission01:27:13 - Final thoughts

Pastor Leitu is teaching out of the book of Ephesians, He will teach on the tremendous power of our God on behalf of those who love Him, those who are called according to His purpose for their lives. It is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead.

[Season 5, Episode 12] Are you ready to receive more than you prayed for? In this faith-filled episode, we boldly declare: I AM receiving unexpected blessings. God is not limited by our imagination—He moves in ways that surprise, delight, and overflow.Join Erin Marie, @bwfwoman, as she walks you through a powerful affirmation inspired by Ephesians 3:20, Deuteronomy 28:2, and Isaiah 61:3. Through scripture, reflection, and spoken truth, this episode reminds you that miracles are unfolding, favor is flowing, and blessings are overtaking you—even now.✨He is doing immeasurably more. The blessings you're not expecting? They're already on the way.Support the showIf you enjoyed this episode, rate this podcast and subscribe! For inquiries, email info@manifestherdaily.com.Learn More About manifestHERdaily: https://www.manifestHERdaily.comFollow manifestHERdaily on YouVersion: https://bit.ly/MHDYouVersionWatch manifestHERdaily on YouTube: https://bit.ly/MHDonYouTubeStart Getting Erin Marie's Inspirational Texts: https://bit.ly/MHDaffirmationsFollow manifestHERdaily on Instagram: https://bit.ly/MHDInstagramJoin Erin Marie's Inner Circle: https://bit.ly/MHDComeCloser

NEW PATH WORSHIP - New Album Out Now Spirit-Led, Not Self-DrivenLetting go of control and following the Spirit's leadEpisode Title:Walking In Spiritual Authority: Stepping Into Who God Called You To BeWhy This Series Now?:You weren't saved to play small. You were called to walk in the authority Jesus paid for. In this final episode of the Spirit-Led series, we're going beyond passive faith into powerful, Spirit-filled living.Learn what real spiritual authority looks like (hint: it's not arrogance), how to overcome fear and self-doubt, and how to start taking ground in your life, family, and calling.If you're tired of survival mode and ready to step into Kingdom impact, this episode will challenge and equip you.Key Verse:  Luke 10:19 – “I have given you authority… to overcome all the power of the enemy.”Epsiodes In The Series:Flesh vs. Spirit: Who's Really In Control?Discerning God's VoiceSurrendering The TimelineWalking In Spiritual AuthorityFree 5-Day Bible Plan:It's called “Breaking Free from the Idol of Productivity”Each day is short, powerful, and Scripture-based—designed to help you walk in freedom and trust God again with your work.GET YOUR FREE DEVOTIONALTake time to think about this, pray about it, and take one small step in obedience. Remember, divine interruptions aren't just obstacles—they're opportunities for God to do something amazing in your life.Links to Connect with Ron:Website: www.newpathnewyou.comInstagram: @rcooljrFacebook: Ron CoolYouTube: New Path New YouDon't forget to subscribe and leave a review to help us reach more men seeking purpose! Share your stories of bold obedience with Ron on social media, and let's encourage each other on this journey.Find your Community: Men DiscipleshipBecome a NPNY Supporter! - Now Tax Deductible!One TimeMonthly For Married Couples! - The Abundantly Expectant Marriage Podcast - with Ron and Rachel Cool Website: AEMARRIAGE.com

Today on Bold Steps … we’re learning how to let go of the past as we take bold steps forward. Nearly 80% of people experience back pain of some kind … and doctors say that most of our aches and pains are caused by wearing old shoes! But what do old shoes have to do with our Bible message today? That’s what Pastor Mark Jobe will explain in our message titled, Putting on the New You, from our study in the book of Ephesians, chapter 4 … titled, When You Believe, Everything Changes. Bold Step Gift: ENVY: A BIG PROBLEM YOU DIDN'T KNOW YOU HADBecome a Bold Partner: https://www.moodyradio.org/donateto/boldstepsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“...and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power.” (Ephesians 1:19) There are a number of scriptural superlatives that... More...

It's Friday, July 11th, A.D. 2025. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Adam McManus Nigerian Muslims gunned down pastor and Muslim convert to Christ During an evening worship service on Monday, July 7th, Islamic extremists gunned down a Baptist pastor and another worshipper and kidnapped a woman in Katsina State, northwest Nigeria, reports Morning Star News. About 15 to 20 gunmen with Fulani accents stormed Bege Baptist Church in Yaribori village, Kafur County, and shot the Rev. Emmanuel Auta and Gidan Taro, according to TruthNigeria. Church member Zakariya Jatau told Christian Daily International that the pastor was leading a worship service and Bible study when he was shot. He added, “Another member, a lady, was also kidnapped and taken away to an unknown place.” Congregation members said the slain Gidan Taro was a prominent convert from Islam, and that Pastor Auta had worked to reconcile the village's Muslim and Christian communities. Psalm 116:15 says, “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints."  Mount Rainer is rattled by more than 300 earthquakes More than 300 earthquakes have erupted at Mount Rainier in Washington State this week, beginning on Tuesday, reports USA Today. It's the largest earthquake swarm at the volcano since 2009. The largest earthquake so far was recorded at a magnitude of 2.3 on the Richter Scale on Wednesday, July 9. The Cascades Volcano Observatory said scientists do not have any concerns about the earthquakes, However, the fear is that one of the most dangerous volcanos in the United States could be waking up. President Trump floats “amnesty for illegals” trial balloon On July 3rd, President Donald Trump announced he's working on mass amnesty for potentially millions of illegal aliens working in farm, hotel, and leisure businesses, reports InformationLiberation.com. He cited a comment made by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins. TRUMP: “Brooke Rollins brought it up, and she said, ‘Uh. So, we have a little problem. The farmers are losing a lot of people.” That's when he proposed amnesty for illegals on the farms and in the hotel industry which he knows will alienate his base. TRUMP: “I got myself into a little trouble because I said, ‘I don't want to take people away from the farmers.'  We want all the criminals out. Everybody agrees. We're finding the criminals, the murderers, the drug dealers. “Some of the farmers, you know, they've had people working for them for years. We're going to, sort of, put the farmers in charge. If a farmer has been with one of these people that work so hard. They bend over all day. We don't have too many people can do that, and they know them very well. And some of the farmers are literally, you know, they cry. “If a farmer is willing to vouch for these people, in some way, [Homeland Security Secretary] Kristi [Noem], I think we're going to have to just say that's going to be good, right? Because we don't want to do it where we take all of the workers off the farms. We want the farms to do great, like they're doing right now. We're working on legislation right now. People that have hotels and leisure properties too “Serious, radical, right people, who I also happen to like a lot, they may not be quite as happy, but they'll understand, won't they? Do you think so?” Pediatrician suggested MAGA voters should die in Texas flood A Houston pediatrician has been fired over a vile post suggesting that the more than 119 killed in the horrific Texas floods — including dozens of kids from Camp Mystic — were President Trump supporters who got “what they voted for,” reports the New York Post. Dr. Christina Propst drew widespread scorn following the disparaging, since-deleted post under her old Facebook username, Chris Tina, according to Mediaite. In her now-deleted post, Dr. Probst wrote, “May all visitors, children, non-MAGA voters and pets be safe and dry. Kerr County MAGA voted to gut FEMA. They deny climate change. May they get what they voted for. Bless their hearts.” Ephesians 4:29 says, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion.” The Facebook post quickly went viral after a screenshot was shared by Libs of TikTok. Propst's employer, Blue Fish Pediatrics, initially said they suspended her  — before announcing that “the individual is no longer employed” there. The company said, “We strongly condemn the comments that were made in that post. That post does not reflect the values, standards, or mission of Blue Fish Pediatrics.” Kerr County, home to around 50,000 people, overwhelmingly voted for President Trump in the November election, with more than 76% of the county's votes going to the Republican presidential candidate, according to county data. After she was fired, Dr. Probst issued an apology in which she said, “I understand my comment caused immense pain to those suffering indescribable grief and for that I am truly sorry.” The number of people missing from the floods has risen to 170, reports the San Antonio Express-News. New Superman movie is woke and anti-Trump And finally, … TV NARRATOR OF ADVENTURE OF SUPERMAN (TV SERIES): “Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings at a single bound.” MAN 1: “Look, up in the sky." MAN 2: "It's a bird." LADY: "It's a plane." MAN 3" "It's Superman." NARRATOR: “Yes, it's Superman, strange visitor from another planet who came to Earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men, Superman who can change the course of mighty rivers, bend steel in his bare hands, and who, disguised as Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper, fights a never-ending battle for truth, justice and the American way.” Sadly, actor David Corenswet, who portrays the new Superman in the updated film debuting tonight on the silver screen nationwide told CBS News that he ditched the traditional “truth, justice and the American way” motto for something a bit more inclusive. This version of Superman will be about “truth, justice and all those good things.” One of those good things is certainly not honoring God since God's name is taken in vain nine separate times in the film. In addition, James Gunn, the writer-director of the new Superman has shoehorned his anti-Trump sub-plot into the film. He said, “Yes, Superman is an immigrant, and yes, the people that we support in this country are immigrants and if you don't like that, you're not American. We love our immigrants.” The film shows Superman being roughly treated when detained by the government and is told that, as an alien, he does not have human rights.  Christian talk show host Todd Starnes wrote, “Granted, but Superman is not an MS-13 gangbanger who's mooching off the American taxpayers. He spoke English and had a job – two jobs.” Besides, Starnes concluded, “MAGA supporters are not opposed to immigration. We celebrate those who want to come to this nation legally. We just have a problem with the drug cartels, human traffickers, and the terrorists who want to blow us to kingdom come. “It's not the first time that woke leftists have tried to destroy our beloved all-American superhero.” Close And that's The Worldview on this Friday, July 11th, in the year of our Lord 2025. Follow us on X or subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music, or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com.  Plus, you can get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

BURNT: The Sacred Center of Christ Leviticus 1 “All the offerings taken together give us a full view of Christ—as many mirrors arranged to reflect in various ways the figure of that true and perfect sacrifice.” —C.H.M. (C.H. Mackintosh)   A Story of Pure Devotion My mind recalls a young, dark-haired Canadian girl, whose beauty lay not so much in her features as in the quiet creativity of her words. She was a writer of poetry and prose, able to describe a moment with the grace of a Victorian novelist. My eyes would often drift to the tattered journal she carried—the weight of it owed not to its binding, but to the sheer volume of ink pressed upon its pages. She never parted with it. Its contents, I am certain, were treasures untold. One random Saturday turned quietly unforgettable when I asked why she had left her cherished treasury behind. “I burnt it,” she said. I gasped at the waste. “Why?” She looked directly into my eyes. “Some things,” she whispered, “are for Him alone.” The hours, thoughts, pains, sorrows, joys, and life lessons she penned rose to His eyes alone. Her ink became incense. Her intent was to give her most cherished work to Him—and this, she did.   What Is Burnt Is Gone When something is truly burnt, it passes beyond possession. It can no longer be handled, owned, or used. It is consumed. Surrendered to the flame, it becomes smoke ascending, curling upward— beyond the reach of man, beyond sight of man, beyond the control of man. It cannot be claimed by anyone but the heavens to which it ascends. This fully and finally.   The Burnt Offering Such is the burnt offering of old. It is an offering for God alone. Unlike the other sacrifices, it is laid upon the stones for one purpose only: to rise to God. It is the first of the offerings described in Leviticus. When the animal is burnt, it passes beyond possession. It can no longer be handled, owned, or used. It is consumed. Surrendered to the altar, it has become smoke—ascending, curling upward— beyond the reach of man, beyond the sight of man, beyond the control of man. It cannot be claimed by anyone but the God to whom it ascends—fully and finally.   Christ, the Sacred Burnt Offering This is a divine type and shadow, revealing to us the sacred center of Christ's heart— the sacred center of His manifold sacrifice. When Christ was laid on the altar of the cross, He could no longer be handled, owned, or used. He was, in a real sense, consumed by death. Surrendered to God, He became a sweet-smelling savor, curling upward— beyond the reach of man, beyond the sight of man, beyond the control of man. He could be claimed by none but His Father, to whom He ascended fully and finally. Christ, the final burnt offering—an obedience to God, just for God. Ephesians 5:2 — “…a sacrifice to God.”   Commentary from the Saints C.H. Mackintosh writes: “It was exclusively for God. God alone was the object of Christ in the burnt offering aspect of His death.” “Here is the deep-toned devotion of the heart of the Son presented to, and appreciated by, the heart of the Father.” In the burnt offering, Christ's charms shine bright through His unshakable devotion to His Father. Spurgeon notes: “The burnt offering was all for God. So was Christ. His death was above all things God-ward.” The Holy Spirit reveals to us in this shadow that Christ loved the Father before the church. What excellency! What beauty and perfection! Surely His love to the Father is sufficient to rouse love in our hearts. Mackintosh continues: “The true believer finds in the cross that which captivates every affection of his heart… There are heights and depths in the doctrine of the cross which man never could reach.”   Christ's Willing Offering The offering of Himself to His Father was voluntary. He was not forced or coerced. He revealed: “No one takes My life from Me. I lay it down of My own initiative.” (John 10:18) Matthew Henry writes: “Voluntary. What is done in religion, so as to please God, must be done by no other constraint than that of love.” His offering was not laborious duty but loving devotion.   The World Sees Waste—Heaven Sees Worship The natural mind calls this—not cooked but burnt—a waste. But Christ's loving devotion to His Father transforms what the natural man sees as waste into worship. John 14:31 — “So that the world will know that I love the Father.” The sacred center of His sacrifice was this public display of affectionate devotion to His Father. He didn't merely accept God's will—it was His intention, His motive, His reason. (See Hebrews 10:5–10; John 6:38–39; 10:17–18; Luke 22:42) John Owen describes it: “The free act of love to the Father.” Spurgeon echoes: “He came not with sigh but a song to do His Father's will.” Owen again: “The greatest demonstration of the love of Christ unto the Father is His giving Himself up to the death of the cross, to manifest what love and accomplish His will.”   The Burnt Sacrifice Was Innocent The burnt sacrifice, as the chapter foreshadows, had to be an innocent other. Christ was not only innocent—oh, much more—He was without defect. He fit the foreshadow perfectly. He alone is clean inside and out. Mackintosh: “No one had ever perfectly, invariably, from first to last, without hesitation, without divergence, done the will of God.” “It was no surface work with Him… The more the depths of His being were explored, the more clearly was it manifest that pure devotion to the will of the Father…”   Every Part of Him Aflame I mean to exalt Christ's burning love for God and His voluntary offering of Himself to God alone as the sacred center of our revelation of what Christ is actually like. Every part of Him aflame to God. Oh, how unlike us is Christ. By this, we know what love for God looks like: the surrender of our whole selves. Romans 12:1 — “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” Though our love is but the flicker of a faint flame, His sacred center quickens our hearts. For He exemplifies a love that stands apart from all others—ascending to God in fragrant flame. No portion eaten. No fragment withheld. No part left over. Every sinew of His sacred humanity—thoughts, deeds, motives, breath, blood— all offered up to God.   A Few Notes from Leviticus 1 The offering was made morning and evening. He is this both day and night. In the noonday sun and in the blackest night. No shade of life would alter His surrender. The offering could be an ox or a bird. He is this in the great and the small. No action was too small to be wholly surrendered to God. The bird was plucked and unsevered. Christ had His beard plucked in mockery—and yet His divinity was never severed from His humanity. He died as the God-Man. The sinner laid his hand upon the sacrifice, symbolizing imparted guilt and acknowledgment of deserved death. A foreshadow of the One upon whom the Lord laid the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53). The Subtle Trap of Looking to Ourselves Henry Martyn, a missionary to India, once wrote that when he tried to find comfort by examining his life and searching for evidences of grace, he actually lost the brokenness of spirit he longed to keep. The more he looked to himself, the less he could rest simply at the foot of the cross. Many of us try to find peace by measuring our own faithfulness: Have I prayed enough? Have I served enough? Have I conquered this sin consistently? We think that if we can point to enough evidence of our devotion, we will feel secure. But here is the irony: the more we look to our own performance, the more we lose humility, dependence, and the sweetness of simple trust in Jesus. It is a subtle trap. Even good things—prayer, ministry, obedience—can become props we lean on to feel worthy, rather than gifts that flow from grace. Martyn only found peace when he stopped searching for comfort in himself and began to pray as a dying man—helpless and needy—resting on Christ alone. This is the lesson: Our comfort never comes from our own faithfulness, but from Christ's faithfulness for us. Brokenness of spirit and assurance of love thrive best when we lay aside self-scrutiny and fix our gaze on the cross.   Christ in the Burnt Offering As a burnt ox – He gave all His strength and labor to God. As a burnt sheep – He meekly followed God to death, patient and quiet in suffering. As a burnt goat – Though sinless, He was thought to be a sinner, sent in the likeness of sinful flesh. As a burnt dove – He was pure, single-eyed, plucked, unsevered, and holy.   The Preacher's Duty The priests were to arrange the wood and position the sacrifice. John Gill sees this as a type of the preacher's duty: “Evidence given of Him in the gospel, in which He is clearly set forth in His person, nature, and offices.” Trapp agrees: “The minister must rightly divide and dispose the Word of God, and evidently set forth Christ crucified.” Trapp also writes of the fire consuming the sacrifice: “Typifying the scorching wrath of God upon Christ—or the ardent love of Christ to God.”   The Sweet-Smelling Savor In all this, we see the “sweet-smelling savor unto God.” Christ as the burnt offering: the perfect Man, without defect, pure in and out, in action and thought, motive and deed, great and small—voluntarily offering Himself in love and devotion to His Father. To miss this is to reduce the gospel to a scheme for man's relief. If we fail to see this, we are but a step away from shaping the gospel into a man-centered escape plan, robbing God of His rightful glory in the work of His Son. Spurgeon wrote: “Christ did not die out of mere pity for man, but first of all out of love for the Father.” The salvation of man was the love song of the Son to the Father.   Three Effects on My Soul Adoration of such a lovely individual A desire to receive Him as my own A longing to surrender myself As Matthew Poole writes: “To serve the Lord with all singleness of heart, without self-ends, and to be ready to offer to God wherein we ourselves should have no benefit.” God has graciously met our need— and may He give us an enlarged capacity to enter into and enjoy His provision.