Podcasts about in faith

If you've ever felt like your emotions are “too much,” this episode is for you.In Faith for the Feelers, Shelby Frederick speaks directly to the leaders, creatives, caregivers, and sensitive souls who love deeply—and sometimes carry emotional weight that feels overwhelming.You'll learn how to:*Feel deeply without spiraling*Stop bottling up what God invites you to pour out *Set emotional checkpoints instead of building emotional dams*Use Spirit-led tools to process, protect, and heal “Pour out your hearts before Him…” – Psalm 62:8This is your invitation to stop suppressing and stewarding your emotional life gracefully.Tune in. Take a breath. You're not broken—you're building resilience.Grab your Build Checkpoints, Not Dams sheet here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Wdo7HeKsjXVx-icHeKKTY1KLjYunWEzv/view?usp=sharing

Overview What does true faith look like? In Faith and…

Overview What does true faith look like? In Faith and Works – Part Two, we continue our study in James 2:21-26, where James points to Abraham and Rahab as examples of how genuine faith is demonstrated through works. The Big Idea of this sermon is: Gospel works are the evidence of living faith, and dead…

The preteen years are hard for everyone—parents and kids! Learn how to navigate these years with grace and love.The preteen years can be perilous. More than ever kids are bombarded with messages that threaten their emotional health, spiritual growth, and faith. And while the market is flooded with resources for raising children, it's remarkably scarce on help for navigating difficult preteen days. Parents can feel alone and at a loss as to how to connect with and guide their growing kids.In Faith that Sticks, Tricia Goyer and Leslie Nunnery share five real-life discipleship building blocks for raising preteens. The book's five key areas—prayer, Bible reading, family relationships, conversation, and service—provide a clear roadmap for parents who feel overwhelmed or unequipped. Using personal stories and examples, Tricia and Leslie's relatable experiences acknowledge that while the journey isn't always easy, it's always worth it. They offer creative and practical ideas and activities that parents, caregivers, or mentors can implement in each of the five key areas, helping them feel more confident in their spiritual roles.If you want to connect with your preteen on a deeper level and watch your kids grow in their faith, you will find Faith that Sticks the encouragement and direction you need!Purchase a copy of A Faith that Sticks here.Connect with Leslie Nunnerywebsite | Facebook | Instagram | PodcastIf you are enjoying the show, I have a quick favor to ask! If you haven't yet hit the subscribe button and left a rating and a review on iTunes, please take a moment and do so! I love reading your reviews and it keeps the algorithms happy so new listeners can find the podcast as well!

James 1:5-8, if we need wisdom, we simply ask God. That's the way to do it. But, you must ask in faith not doubting. Doubting is the same as being double minded, and that person should not expect anything of God. So, whatever you face, whatever wisdom you need, ask God. In Faith.

Life is contrary to your calling. In "Faith," Pastor David Grobler teaches us that comfort is not a measure of God's call on your life and that we should reflect on what we go through to determine what lies on the other side.

Faith is the ability to trust God. In "Faith," Pastor David Grobler shared a profound message on faith and that it is the foundation of our Christianity.

In Faith and In RebellionDec 17, 2023 - 9:30 AM Worship ServiceChrist Memorial Church, Holland MIMatthew 2:1-12Rev. Dr. Jill Ver SteegPresident/CEO Evergreen Ministries

Faith is applied in Adversity.  Maybe we could even say, faith is ONLY applied in adversity.  It is the difficult circumstances that faith is actually applied.Faith is to have a long-view duration even unto death.  Let's let it be said of you: "She died IN FAITH. At the end, she was FOUND IN HIM."We have ENOUGH to have faith in:  We have the promise-Maker. We have the Promise-Speaker. We know enough about these promises to greet them from afar. We are on our HOMEBOUND Journey to a BETTER country than we are now.  We have the Home-Preparer.  God's been busy preparing us a place.Come back tomorrow easily by subscribing at bewithme.us or Apple Podcasts or Spotify or Audible.

Happy Spooptober! This year to celebrate, the boys are playing the most horrifying game they've ever experienced! In Faith: you play as John Ward, an ex-Roman Catholic priest and exorcist. When an exorcism ends in ways that are not ideal, John is forced to grapple with the consequences of his actions, which leads him into a wretched hive of scum and villainy. Not to outer space, but where much, much darker. Check out Wendigoon's thorough explanation and walkthrough of the game Here, and his interview with the creator of the game, Airdorf, Here. And you can also join us over on social media! We're on Facebook, Twitter (or X, whatever), Instagram, and Discord. You can also email us at thebacklogbreakdown@gmail.com. And if you'd like to support us, you can visit our Patreon. If you want to get more personal, you can find Nate on PSN at Nate_McKeever or on Twitter, Facebook, and GG and Josh on PSN at Broccolope or on Twitter, Facebook, and GG. The Backlog Breakdown is a proud member of the Play Well Network, a network of podcasts that seek to approach recreation in a more thoughtful manner. Until there is a rabbit trail to follow. Check out all of the other amazing Play Well podcasts Here. Get PWNed, scrubs.

How do Redwood trees grow tall? Well, they don't grow in isolation. In FAITH we can stand tall because we are not alone! What would happen if you took a step towards TOGETHER today?

Matthew 16:21-26 I. Jesus Came to Suffer and Die II. In Faith, We Also Follow Him Learn more about our church at www.abidingwordbg.com

In Faith

Kicking off a 3-part sub-series: Did God Really Say? (He usually did.) Today we answer the question: where does the Bible say to "invite Jesus into your heart and be saved"? That phrase isn't, but we can search through a number of other Scriptures to try to find the concept.Support the show

People like to remind religious folk that Jesus ate with sinners--but what do you think those dinners were like? What might have been some topics of discussion? Well, this week we take a look at five of the dinners recorded in the Gospels, who attended, and what reaction they had to sitting with Jesus and breaking bread.Support the show

Most Christians have encountered phony posts on our feeds meant to rile us up. But not everything we see on social media is so obviously absurd. As online spaces increase in importance, we urgently need to consider how to love our neighbors on the internet—and this includes sharing the truth.  So that's why we wanted to talk with Rachel Wightman, author of the new book "Faith and Fake News: A Guide to Consuming Information Wisely" Rachel I. Wightman has seen this problem firsthand as a librarian with over a decade of experience instructing students in information literacy. In Faith and Fake News, she shares her expertise with average Christians. This timely and essential guide explains the information landscape and its tendency toward thought bubbles, discusses techniques for fact-checking and evaluating sources, and offers suggestions on ways to engage with our neighbors online while bearing witness to Christ and the truth.Bio from our guest:I am a librarian, an educator, and a believer in finding the integration of faith and fact-checking. I am passionate about giving people tools to evaluate information and teaching others to understand our current online culture and landscape. I teach skills to help others be wise consumers of information. I believe it is especially important for Christians to understand and mindfully engage in online platforms in order to love our neighbors well and to be peacemakers in our culture.I have a masters degree in library and information science and have been a librarian for over ten years, specializing in teaching students to find and evaluate information in ethical ways. Currently, I live in the Twin Cities, MN and have worked at both a community college and private university. Prior to moving to Minnesota in 2012, I spent two years as librarian and missionary in Kampala, Uganda. Support the showTo learn more about the show, contact our hosts, or recommend future guests, click on the links below: Website: https://www.faithfulpoliticspodcast.com/ Faithful Host: Josh@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com Political Host: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com Twitter: @FaithfulPolitik Instagram: faithful_politics Facebook: FaithfulPoliticsPodcast LinkedIn: faithfulpolitics

What do we do when we realize we believe in a heresy? When someone else believes in one? When our pastor preaches one? There's no one-size-fits-all, but we'll take a look at a few key scriptures to help guide us.Support the show

How might Christians view tradition? The Pharisees were somewhat notorious traditionalists, and perhaps why the church tries to be so relevant today. But can we also shun tradition at our own peril--or, at least, a diminished experience in the body of Christ? Tune in to hear Scripture for and against Church tradition.Support the show

Is "Christian Supernatural" an oxymoronic genre? If you hear a book in that genre, do you think "how could a supernatural story be Christian, or vice versa?" This is the episode for you, potentially. Listen in for the briefest of dives into six Scriptures that remind us we're in a supernatural story whether we see it or not.Support the show

Today we look at a few key passages of Scripture as we consider how much value things on earth have. Is it worth fighting for? Getting into arguments over? Judging others for? Removing from our lives just for the sake of removing it? Or, by denying ourselves things, are we only writing a new law that God never gave us? Just three passages today, to maybe help us answer these questions.Support the show

When we're told to "bear much fruit" because it is "to God's glory" it is important to know what kind of fruit we should be bearing. Today we look at what we can expect, what we should expect, and what we should pray for and intentionally bear--no gardener simply throws out random seeds. Neither should we only haphazardly cultivate crops within our character and our souls.Support the show

Fate...freewill...someone should write a fantasy book exploring this idea...What is predestination? Are we able to choose salvation, or has God already determined it beforehand? We start with each verse that uses the word to see some context, and then go all over the Bible to see where else it might pop up--or might not.Support the show

God Will ProvideHebrews 11:17-18 “By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”This morning I saw something that I hadn't seen before.  Almost every paragraph in Hebrews 11 begins with two words, “by faith.”  I also didn't realize how many different people the chapter talks about.  I am not sure I will cover all of them, but I will do a few more.  I also discovered, when reading most of the chapter this morning, that the chapter begins with a definition of faith.  I thought this would be a good thing to share with you as well.  The definition can be found in Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” I think this is particularly important when we talk about today's verse.  God asked Abraham to offer Isaac, his only son, the one that God promised Abraham and Sarah they would conceive, even though Abraham was about 100 and Sarah was about 90.  God had said to Abraham, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” Yet, God is asking Abraham to sacrifice Isaac now.  This must have been confusing to Abraham.  Let me read you Genesis 22:1-19 “Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”  Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.  He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.” Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together,  Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together. When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.  But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.  So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.” The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time  and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,  I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies,  and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”  Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together for Beersheba. And Abraham stayed in Beersheba.”I know that was a lot to read and yet I thought it was important for everyone to know the story of how Abraham was tested because we might all have times when we are tested.  Has God ever asked you to do something and you really didn't understand why?  Has He asked you to do something which seemed to contradict something else He already told you?  God told Abraham that he was going to use Isaac to build a nation of Abraham's descendants and then God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac.  That must have been confusing, and yet as you see above in Genesis 22:8 Abraham says to Isaac, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.”  Abraham had faith that God would provide a lamb for the burn offering.  He had faith even though God told him his son was to be the burnt offering.  He had faith even though he didn't have any idea what was going to happen on top of that mountain.  Abraham had faith that He and Isaac would both be coming back down that mountain and yet he wasn't sure what he was going to experience on  that mountain.  He told the servants in Genesis 22:5 “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.” He didn't say I will come back to you, he said we will come back to you.  I think this is amazing.  I wonder how Abraham could be so sure that God was not going to take his son.  Then when I think about it I realize that Abraham was able to have that trust in God because of two reasons.  First, he knew God.  I mean really knew God.  He was close with God, and he knew the kind of God he is.  Abraham knew that God was against child sacrifice.  He knew he did not agree with other god's requiring child sacrifice.  Second, Abraham knew that God always keeps his promises.  He knew that if God said that through Isaac his offspring would be reckoned then it would happen just as God said. This must have been how Abraham knew they would both come back down the mountain.  However, that doesn't mean that Abraham knew he wouldn't have to sacrifice his son.  He might have thought he had to sacrifice him and then God would bring Isaac back to him.  We don't know what Abraham was thinking from moment to moment.  This story of Abraham and Isaac is the third type of faith I wanted to talk to you about this week.  This is a faith that God will find a way through even when you don't see one.  I am sure Abraham did not understand how he could sacrifice Isaac and yet Isaac would still be alive to have all these offspring.  He didn't see a way and yet he trusted their was one.  The same can be true for us.  We don't have to understand how it will happen.  We don't have to know the plan, we just have to be obedient to what God is calling us to do and God will work the rest out.  I feel it is important to remember that God may test us.  He asked something of Abraham that was big and required a lot of faith.  Maybe he is doing the same to you.  What if we looked at each challenge in our lives as a test of faith?  How would you look at things differently if you thought like this?  Would it change how you viewed the situation?  For instance, if you have a loved one in the hospital, or at home and yet they are very sick.  Would it change how you prayed if you looked at the situation as a test.  Remember the definition of faith is “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” I love this definition.  Can we be confident in what we hope for even when we don't see a way to get it?  Can we be assured it will happen when we don't see how it will happen?  I have been told that hope is not as easy as I think it is.  I know hope is not easy and yet, what is the alternative?  Do we just give up on our dreams so that we don't get disappointed?  Do we stop believing it will happen because it hasn't yet, because it seems hopeless, because it hurts less to not hope?  I don't know, only you can answer that.  For me, I am going to have hope.  I am going to keep hoping even when it hurts because what if this is the test?  What if God just needed me to have hope for one more day and I gave up a day too early?  I don't know if that is a thing, but what if Abraham had said no.  What if he had hope and faith until he got up on that mountain and then when it was time to put Issac on the wood he said no?  We don't know what would have happened, only God knows that.  We don't know because Abraham didn't say that.  He kept the faith the whole time.  You can too.  I know it is painful when we hope for things and they don't happen, and I don't have an answer for that.  I hoped, I had faith, I prayed for my friend Iris to be cured of cancer while she was here on earth and yet God healed her in heaven instead.  I prayed, I hoped, I had faith that God would raise my friend's husband after he passed and He didn't.  I know it can hurt to have faith and hope and then not get what we hoped for.  I also know so many more instances where I had confidence in what I hoped for and assurance in what I could not see and God did come through.  I had hope, even though it was hard, and God worked his miracles in ways I will never understand.  When you are struggling to have hope, look to Abraham.  When things don't make any sense, when you are confused, when things look impossible, look to Abraham and have faith in God anyway.  God is for you, not against you.  He can find a way, He can make a way.  Nothing is impossible for God.  Move forward In Faith!Dear Heavenly Father I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today.  Lord, we want to have faith, please help us.  Help us to have the faith of Abraham.  Help us to know you in the deep and intimate way that Abraham knew you.  Help us to trust the lives of our loved ones in your hands just as Abraham did.  Give us the strength, the courage and the faith to say yes when you ask us to do things that don't make any sense to us.  We love you Lord, we know you are good.  We know you are for us and not against us.  Help us to say yes more often.  Help us to have hope, even when its hard.  We are so grateful for all you do and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus' holy name, Amen!Thank you for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus.  I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow.  Remember, Jesus loves you, and so do I! Have a blessed day!

What do you consider sin? Is it doing something bad? And if we are destined for Hell because of our sins--then do we just need to stop doing bad things? What about people who are mostly good? Or, at least, aren't evil?Or do we need to think of sin differently? Listen in for a slant on this idea you may not have considered before.Support the show

This week was a busy week, and I did not have the time I need to fully prepare for a discussion on predestination. So instead we're talking about red flags--when is a behavior or action a red flag, versus something we can either overlook or work through? When can we sit in uncertainty, and when should we run? Let's take a look at an interesting real-world example to help us understand how to better tell people about God.Support the show

It feels like sometimes, so much emphasis is put on coming to Christ, on being saved, that the "by faith not works" starts to bleed into the walk with Christ. Or the walk with Christ is largely ignored--that as long as you are saved, you've done the most important thing. And while it is a critical first step, it is still just the first step. In today's episode we look at why there is so much more to look forward to between salvation and heaven.Support the show

Today we're answering this question--is salvation easy, or hard? What do we have to do to be saved? What is the actual process? Do I just say a prayer? Do I have to do anything first?All this and more!Support the show

Does the Old Testament still apply? Or are the promises of Jeremiah 29:11 only for ancient Israel? Tune in to find out--or to encourage yourself of what you already know.Support the show

Psalm 1:3--does the tree planted by streams of water bear fruit each season? Every season? Should we as Christians see the ripened fruits of our labor constantly? And what about "everything we do prospers"--does that mean something specific to Americans, perhaps?So much to answer and discuss--listen in to learn more.Support the show

When you find work that gives you joy, criticism arises: well, it must not be hard work (and hard work is the only work that counts); that's great you have that, but when are you getting a real job?; and, with your education and experience you should be able to get a good job, not this...whatever you're doing.But are those things important? Will God only call you to do the most difficult things? What constitutes a "real" job? And isn't working for the kingdom "good"?Answers to all this and more in today's episode as we continue to look at work, redefined.Support the show

When God said: "Six days you shall work, but on the Seventh you must rest," was it one command? Or two? That is, do we only work because we must? And only rest because we must? Or was this commandment put in place because without it, we would love work so much as to do it every day? My guess is most of us would take any any time off from our jobs that we could--but I don't think that's what God intended when He "prepared good works in advance" for us to do. Listen in as we try to re-imagine a life of working for God.Support the show

Plenty of preaching tells us to desire what God desires; and we please Him when we do what He desires. But what is it, then, that He desires? Join me on a journey through Old and New Testament as we explore 39 verses telling us just that.Support the show

"Fishers of Men" What are we called to do in a world like this? In Faith we step out with God's Word.

Season 4 Episode 4 IN THE LIFE OF A NOVELIST AND HOW MUSIC PLAYS A VITAL ROLE Hello Everyone. Sidney St. James. Today is a fun broadcast and one where I go back a decade and cover some of my best selling novels and how each one has a dramatic scene that I could never have written without the help of music. About five years ago, Amazon sent me an invitation to write the screenplay for FAITH – Seventy Times Seven. Well, the truth of the matter, I am on my fourth pass of writing it as it is actually far more difficult to write than one of my stories. In FAITH, a three-hundred and sixty-five page novel, it was important that I write the screenplay in under one hundred pages. Much easier said than done. Writing a scene in one of my novels which is usually one of the last scenes that the entire book worked up to, required my finding a song, and closing my eyes, and playing the song and the words come out of my mind like that in watching any love story that brings water to your eyes. Kinda like the tv series, “Signed, Sealed and Delivered.” Watch one of those episodes and be honest and tell me you don't get a tear in your eye at the end. So, today, I will share my secret song for how I got the inspiration for each one of three best selling novels. Again, thanks for joining me. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sidneystjames/message

LIVE AS AN EXAMPLE OF JESUSKEY VERSE: BE AN EXAMPLE TO THE BELIEVERS IN WORD, IN CONDUCT, IN LOVE, IN SPIRIT, IN FAITH, IN PURITY. 1 TIMOTHY 4:12 

Slideshow for this message is available Introduction Well we are in a new series on the book of James. And if you remember from last week it is James, the brother of the Lord, who is the author of this book. And he's writing this book about a decade after the resurrection to a group of persecuted believers who are scattered over the Roman empire. And we thought a lot about James' unique perspective in penning the book. According to John 7, he did not believe the claims of Jesus during his earthly ministry and according to Mark 3 he wanted to pull him off the streets believing his older brother to be out of his mind. So how do you go from actively opposing your brother and writing him off as a lunatic to writing a NT book of the Bible and then dying a Martyrs death because you are unwilling to deny the divinity of your brother? Well the answer is the resurrection. According to 1 Cor 15, Jesus personally appeared to James in a post resurrection appearance. And that resurrection life-changing experience gave James a message. James says, I thought I knew saving faith but I didn't. My faith was worthless. So I want to tell you about true saving faith. True faith is a faith that works. True faith will betray itself. It will leave behind traces. The evidence of true faith is a certain kind of working. Let me show you what that faith looks like. Last week we looked at one of these evidences. He said, one of the evidences of true saving faith is that you will mature in trials. Trials are inevitable. The fact that trials come upon us is a universal reality. Nobody escapes. But what is not universal is the type of response. Some people wilt and die and some people grow and flourish. The heat of the trial merely reveals what kind of faith was already there. Was it a saving faith that flies to Jesus or was it some sort of counterfeit faith that falls away. Now today we are going to continue on in verses 5-8. And it's really important, as we begin, to see that our passage this week is a continuation of last week and NOT something new. Here was last week. James 1:2 begins, James 1 So what's the subject? Trials. Now drop down to verse 12. Now what is the subject of verse 12? Trials. So just observe that this entire thing is one block of thought Verses 1-12 is a unit that is speaking about trials and what to do when you experience them. Why do we point this out? Maybe you felt last week that, man, that's a tough message. I'd like to believe that all this difficulty is for my good but, if I'm honest, I'm struggling with that. Well James isn't done with his instruction. So let's read verses 5-8 and carefully remember the context of trials as we do. And then we read… So notice right away this is not talking about wisdom in general. This is not talking about prayer in general. It's not talking about faith and doubt in general. He's talking about praying for wisdom in the midst of trials. In other words, James is identifying our greatest need in suffering. Maybe you are suffering right now in some horrific way. And someone comes along and asks you, “What is your greatest need?” If you were suffering from cancer, you'd probably identify your greatest need as healing from cancer. If you were suffering financially, you'd probably identify your greatest need as more money. If your suffering from relational strain, then you'd probably say your greatest need is to work that stuff out. But as many have pointed out, there is sometimes a very great distance between what we perceive as our greatest need and what is actually our greatest need. James is trying to retrain our thought patterns. He's saying, listen: when we suffer, our greatest need is not to remove the painful circumstances. Our greatest need is wisdom. Because it's wisdom that allows us to face suffering properly. It's wisdom that allows us to see the hand of God in it. It's wisdom that says, “Why would I want to remove something from my life that God says is for my good?” It's wisdom that allows us to learn quickly so that the trial can have its full effect. Trials teach us something we can never learn in times of prosperity. Let me just give you an insight into the self-centered way our hearts work. In prosperity we say, I made a lot of good decisions to get me to this point of success. We give ourselves the credit. Good job, me. We are like Nebuchadnezzar. “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” That's essentially what we say when stuff goes our way. **But if you are suffering, what do we say, “I can't believe God would allow this to happen to me?** How could God be good and allow this?” If it's blessing we get the credit. If it's trials, it's God's fault. That's the opposite of wisdom. That's foolish thinking. Because the truth is God was just as present in the success as he was present in the trial. Isn't that what Job WISELY confesses. The Lord gives and the Lord takes. Blessed be the name of the Lord. I guarantee you that confession of Job was an answer to Job's prayer for wisdom to perceive his trial correctly. What did Job learn in his trial? He learned the same thing we learned in our study of Colossians. Jesus + nothing = everything. Now let's key in on the specific promise. There is a promise here in the text. A promise from God. And what is that promise? God promises that if you ask, he will help you to see your trial appropriately. He will give you WISDOM to perceive it the way God does. Notice, it does not say, "If anyone is in a trial and he asks God to remove it, God will answer that prayer." That's not what it says. It says, if anyone lacks wisdom, in other words, if anyone is struggling to believe that this trial is for my good, is struggling to believe that God could possibly work all things out for my good - if that describes you - you need to say, "God give me your eyes. Give me your perspective. Help me believe what you say is true." God will answer THAT prayer. Do you hear how cool that is? God PROMISES to give you that perspective! Now let's summarize what that perspective is. When the light bulb comes on, what is realized? When all of the sudden God's wisdom touches down in your mind, what will you now see? Here it is: Beautiful Purpose. Wisdom is understanding that our suffering has beautiful purpose. Having a perspective change like that gives great power to endure trials because it changes trials from swords that are killing us to scalpels that are curing. Purpose in pain changes everything. That's why the message is entitled Power to Endure Trials because so much of the reason trials are so difficult is because we don't have wisdom. We truly believe that the trial has no meaning. This pain is without purpose. We lack wisdom. The trial is like a mosquito that buzzes around us and annoys the heck out of us and it's only purpose is to stick it's little stinger in our soul and suck the joy from our life. If that's what you think, then of course trials are going to be torturous and terrible. Of course you can't have joy. Foolish thinkers experience trials as infinitely more painful than wise thinkers. Why because wisdom looks to purpose and purpose makes almost any amount of pain bearable. Paul Brand writes a tremendous book in this regard called the gift of pain. He's a medical doctor and he was talking about this phenomena that giving a suffering patient purpose is one of the most effective pain killers known in the medical industry. With a great enough sense of purpose, almost any pain can be tolerated. And to illustrate this, he pointed to several examples in WWII where soldiers heroically rushed into battle saved lives but were severely injured to the point where legs were amputated. But these wounded soldiers so believed in the cause, and they were so happy to help their fellow soldiers, and they were so proud of their accomplishments, that they experienced virtually no pain even when limbs had to be amputated without antiseptic. They looked on their injuries with pride. It just illustrates our need for meaning when we suffer and illustrates how purpose can change our experience of suffering. Can you imagine if you could look on your trials in that way? Maybe you don't think that way. Well, pray for it. God promises to answer it. God, help me to become excited to see what you do with this trial. What great thing will be birthed in me or in our church? What disease in my heart are you trying to cut out such that I will be healthier in the end. Do it, Lord. I bear this scar with pride. As terrible as this is, zap these painful cancer cells. Destroy these painful viruses that are killing me. You see, that kind of perspective gives pain meaning. This is not pointless. This isn't random. This is surgical precision from the hand of a loving father who never takes a wrong stroke. That's the wisdom for which we need to pray. Now to illustrate how transformational this kind of thinking can become, let's contrast a secular thinker, a pagan thinker, and a Christian. Secular Thinker Let's start with the secularist: If you are a secular thinker, and again, that means that you have factored God out of the equation, then what is the purpose of trials? Trials cannot have purpose because purpose implies design. Purpose implies intelligent intent. If I show you a saw, and say what's the purpose of this? Because there is a designer you can answer the question. It's purpose is to cut. But if there is no designer, then there cannot be objective purpose. Trials, for the secular thinker, can be nothing more than just random acts of bad luck. Genetic disease, the hurricane in Florida, COVID, the financial collapse of markets, these are all just meaningless bummers, buzzing mosquitos, and something that we need to work hard to try to remove. These things are just drains on our happiness. Trials do nothing but rob us of the joy that we would otherwise experience. Trials cannot have meaning. And so what we see from the secular thinker is this frantic, desperate, attempt to make the universe SUBMIT to our will. There's this worship of technology because it's our only HOPE in reversing the ills of society. And all of us are just infected with that secular thinking. If I have a desire to have kids but can't have kids, then I'll get some Dr. to do artificial insemination. Or conversely, we don't want to have any more kids so we will use birth control to manipulate the natural order to fit my will. Now I'm not making moral assessments of those decisions. I'm talking about a way of thinking. We are infected by it. It so rarely even enters our mind that maybe the natural order is the order God wants and he's using that trial to shape us. Pagan Thinking. So that's secular thinking. By contrast, ancient cultures that were theistic in their thinking, approached the natural world and trials in completely opposite way. Instead of trying to make the universe SUBMIT to our will. They instead they tried to SUBMIT their will to the objective reality of the universe. If it doesn't rain, that's not random. There's a reason. The reason is the god of rain is angry at us. If the cows aren't multiplying it's because the fertility god isn't pleased. Instead of making everything about being safe, we just accept that the world is dangerous and that God ultimately controls who gets injured and who escapes and he has purposes in that. The instant assumption is we are out of alignment with God in some way and this trial is alerting us to that fact. We need to get back into alignment with God. Do you see the difference. The secular thinker and the pagan thinker, locate the problem of suffering in two different places. IS the problem that: The world is broken and the purpose is for us to restore the broken world. (secularism) Or is the problem that: We are broken and the purpose is for the broken world to restore us? (paganism) Christianity is both. A Christian can't lose. God is using us to undo the sin and brokenness in the world, but he's also using the brokenness in the world to undo the sin in us. And what that does is create deep security. It's a win-win. If we eliminate brokenness from the world, then we experience the kingdom as God intended it unstained by sin and pain, but if we can't eliminate the brokenness, no big deal because God is using the brokenness to refine his children. Do you see how awesome it is to be a Christian? Do you see how much peace is available to you? This totally changes your perspective. I don't need to change the difficulty in the world so that I feel better. I feel better when I accept that any difficulty I can't remove is not a failure but a grace to change me. Do you believe that? I don't need to change my circumstances so that I can finally be happy. I can be happy knowing that all my circumstances I can't change are God's grace to change me. I don't need to change my difficult marriage, difficult kids, difficult relationships so that I can finally experience peace. I can experience peace by knowing that no matter how difficult or easy my relationships are, it's God's instrument of grace on my life. If trials have no purpose then the goal is obvious. Remove trials because they are barriers to joy. But if trials have purpose then the goal is obvious in an inverse manner. Embrace trials because they are the gates through which we must enter to experience the fullness of God. Do you see how different this is? This is Christian thinking. This is wisdom. What makes suffering bearable is what you believe about God. What you believe about yourself. What you believe about trials. Let's return now to the passage: “If you don't have that perspective. If you don't have that wisdom, pray for it. God promises it to you. It's a promise. It's yours. Just pray for it.” I tried to think of really smart, winsome, compelling, intelligent ways to make that point but I can't because it's just stupid simple. If you don't feel that way, then pray. God promises to answer that prayer. Done. So why not just do it right now. Let's just pray. This prayer has been prayed by so many through the ages, so I thought we could pray the prayer from the book Valley of Vision which is a collection of Puritan prayers. And this particular prayer is the prayer from which the book is named. Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly, Thou has brought me to the valley of vision, where I live in the depths but see thee in the heights; hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold Thy glory. Let me learn by paradox that the way down is the way up, that to be low is to be high, that the broken heart is the healed heart, that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit, that the repenting soul is the victorious soul, that to have nothing is to possess all, that to bear the cross is to wear the crown, that to give is to receive, that the valley is the place of vision. Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from deepest wells, deepest wells, and the deeper the wells the brighter Thy stars shine; Let me find Thy light in my darkness, Thy life in my death, Thy joy in my sorrow, Thy grace in my sin, Thy riches in my poverty Thy glory in my valley. How We Get It? What do we need in suffering. We need wisdom. We need valley vision. Now how do we get that vision. How do we get this vision that we need? We are told to pray, but we are to pray in a specific kind of way. Now remember how we said James is kind of like stepping on a rake. It just hits you between the eyes when you aren't expecting it. This is one of those times for me. I mean let's just be real about the flow of thought here. When I read this, it feels heartless. God is saying, “If you are struggling with your faith, if you are struggling to believe that this trial is for your good then I want you to ask me for wisdom.” But then he says… “Oh, and by the way, don't even bother asking if you doubt, because I don't honor flaky faith; don't expect to receive anything, you double minded wimp.” In other words, the only way you can ask for faith is with faith that you don't have. Dang. That's kind of harsh. Does anybody else kind of feel that way? That's not really what he's saying, but if you don't understand what he means it can kind of feel that way. Here's how to simplify what is being said. There are really two prayers here. 1st prayer: Grant me wisdom Answer: Trials are for your good. 2nd prayer: Increase my faith Here's what he's warning against. 1st prayer: Grant me wisdom Answer: Trials are for your good. 2nd prayer: I don't trust you. Do you see the difference? When the answer comes back, when the wisdom comes down from heaven and says, “Trials are for you good.” One runs to God and one runs from God. Here's another way to understand the heart of the double-minded man who does not ask in FAITH. According to James, the prayer is IN FAITH. What is the Bible's definition of faith according to Hebrews 11? Hebrews 11 Key in on that last part. The conviction of things NOT SEEN. So faith, by definition, is praying for A COMPLETE TRUST in something you can't verify with your eyes. So, your in a trial and you are praying, “Lord, give me wisdom to understand how this trial can be used for good even though I can't see it.” The double minded man who is unstable being tossed like a wave in the ocean is someone who does not pray IN FAITH. That means that the only answer he will accept is a SIGHT answer. The only answer he will accept is something he can see and understand. If you pray to God with that sort of demand, if you want an answer that makes sense to you. THAT MAN, should not expect to receive ANYTHING from the Lord. Because what he wants is his kingdom on his terms in his time and in his way. He doesn't trust Jesus. He trusts himself. He's after the wrong thing. He's double minded because he says, “I trust you God for an answer.” And then when the answer comes he says, “I don't like that answer. I don't trust you.” So your trust is contingent on your understanding which is not trust. That's double-mindedness. By contrast, the man who prays in FAITH is not asking for something to make sense. He's asking for increased TRUST in a God to whom this trial makes sense. And that is enough. That's the man, who should expect to receive something from the Lord. Do you see it? He would have thoughts like this: Well you are an all-powerful God. I would expect that the God of the universe would probably understand things differently than I would. And well, you've definitely demonstrated your love to me. So it would be wrong of me to conclude that you have some bad motive in this. So even though it doesn't go together in my mind, I believe. Now I know of no better passage to illustrate this then Mark 9. Now Mark 9 is so fascinating if you look at the way it unfolds. The entire chapter has to do with FAITH. It begins with the Mount of Transfiguration. Now at this point in the ministry of Jesus he's talking a LOT about his death and this begins to shake the faith of his disciples. So they have this mountaintop experience. Jesus is transfigured before them and Moses and Elijah appears. It's a bolstering of their faith. Now Jesus comes down from the mountain and he finds this argument going on between the scribes and the crowds. Mark 9 So they see Jesus and run to greet him. And this father who has a demon possessed son steps forward and says, So it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what they were arguing about. When you read this passage, what's the main question you are asking yourself: Why couldn't they cast out the demon? Of course. And I'm quite sure that is what they wondered too. I don't why? But who cares, almost certainly this was the point of argument. And everyone had a different theory for why this was. And I can imagine them just bickering about it. They were using their interpretation of the events as ammunition with which to shoot at one another. Jesus invades and says, “You FAITHLESS generation.” So presumably, everything that was going down, in JESUS' eyes, was evidence of faithlessness. Now he's going to teach a lesson about FAITH. Now look what Jesus does. So the father begs Jesus, if he can, to do something. Now look at Jesus' response: You can hear Jesus' tone. IF!? If I can help you? Are you kidding? I am the God of the universe. If I can help you? Of course I can help you. But just so you know there's a prerequisite before that help can be received. FAITH. Anything is possible if you have FAITH. Now zoom back out for a moment. We are in James not Mark 9. So why are we here? Because if we pay close attention this parallels very closely the apparent contradiction that is going on back in James. James says, if you lack wisdom (which is another way of saying if you lack FAITH that God is in control of your difficult circumstances), you need to ask God. But don't bother asking if you don't have faith because your a double minded wimp and you won't get anything from God. I need to ask for Faith with the Faith that I don't have. Same problem. Let's examine this father's faith. How strong is it? Well, in one sense, he certainly has some faith. The fact he is coming to Jesus is evidence of some faith. But there's also some evidence of doubt. He's not sure he has the power to heal. Maybe he can heal all the way. Maybe he can only help a little bit. If you can do anything I'd be appreciative. He's like a beggar on the street. ANYTHING helps. And the whole thing is under the banner of “if.” He's not even sure IF he can help at all. He has some faith but his faith is weak and yet Jesus says, “All things are possible to the one who has faith.” I need to ask for Faith with the Faith that I don't have. It's the same problem we see in James. So what do you do in situations like that? Well the man's answer is so instructive. That's honest, pure and beautiful in the eyes of God. Because what is he saying? I don't know where else to turn. I've surveyed all the options and even though I wish I had more confidence, I don't but I turn to you because I've gone all in with you. I don't have anything else. I don't have backup options. You are it, Jesus. It's like in John 6 when Jesus spoke the hard words and the crowds vanished and he turned to his disciples and said, “Are you going to leave too?” And they said, "To who else are we going to turn? You have the words of eternal life." In other words, yeah, that's hard. Yeah, I don't like those words or really even understand them. But where else do we go? If it's not you, it's nothing. Jesus, we are all in. Lord, I believe, because I know your God. Help my unbelief, because what's in front of me is really hard. Listen, that's our prayer. Communion And here's where all this is heading. You might be in a trial today that is far harder than you could have ever dreamed. And you don't know what to do with it emotionally. And you might want to trust Jesus but how? How can I trust him? You want to know how? Jesus has given us something we can do that helps us cast ourself at his feet and receive grace. It's called communion. It's our great way of saying, “I believe, help my unbelief.” And here's why communion is God's grace to us right now. Our souls are shaped by this. Let me show you how communion shapes our perspective of suffering. Trials/suffering tend to make us question God's love. God this hurts bad. Why would you allow it? I know your powerful which means you could remove it. But you don't. And that decision to let me suffer causes me to doubt your love. But when we turn to the communion table we are forced to reckon with the legitimacy of the claim that God does not love us. Really? Given what you know about God sending his Son into the world, is it fair to say that God does not LOVE us. John 15 John 10 1 John 3 Romans 5 John 3 1 John 4 As you look at the cross, can you really say that your trial is sufficient evidence to conclude that God does not love you? You know what communion does. It helps us go from the prayer of Mark 9, “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.” to a new prayer: “I believe, forgive my unbelief.” How could we ever doubt his love? If God could turn this great evil, the greatest evil in all of history into the greatest good, then God can take my lesser evil and redeem it as well. And so communion strengthens our FAITH. I believe you Lord. I believe you love me because you demonstrated it at the highest cost to yourself. I cannot see how this is for my good, but I believe it is. “Lord I believe, forgive my unbelief.”

Jesus tells us to bring the little children to Him for such is the Kingdom of God. In Faith parents were bringing their infants and little children to Jesus to touch them and bless them. Let us bring not only our children to Him, but let us come to Him with a child-like faith.Time:MorningMinister:Rev. Daniel VenturaTexts:Luke 18:15–17Series:Baptism

How often do we let the feeling of fear debilitate us from doing the "scary" thing? We question stepping out in faith because we do not know what will come next.   Esther knew how this felt. She knew the costs, which could have been her very life, yet stepped out in obedience and saved the nation of Israel.   To step out IN FAITH is to step UP to what God has for you. Is it time to step up in your life?

In order to manifest the power of God in our prayers we must pray IN JESUS, IN HIS WILL, & IN FAITH.

In this episode, we sit down with Hannah Nation, co-editor of Faith in the Wilderness: Words of Exhortation from the Chinese Church (released April 2022), to discuss both the book and the state of the Chinese house church.  ** About the book  For many Western Christians, the experience of persecution is remote. For Chinese Christians, on the other hand, suffering is a regular aspect of the Christian life. With a history of faithfulness under persecution and a rich theology of suffering, the Chinese house church movement has much to contribute theologically to the global church. In Faith in the Wilderness, editors Hannah Nation and Simon Liu pull back the curtain on the pastoral heart and eschatological hope behind the house church's remarkable faithfulness. These sermonic letters from Chinese leaders, some written under pseudonyms to protect the authors' identities, will awaken readers to the reality of the gospel—the ground of our hope—in the midst of darkness. Readers will be convicted, encouraged, and edified by the testimony of these fellow believers. Learn more about the book.  About Hannah Nation  Hannah currently serves as the Managing Director of the Center for House Church Theology and as Content Director for China Partnership. She is a graduate of Covenant College and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and is also the co-editor of XXX. Hannah is a frequent writer and speaker on both contemporary Chinese gospel movements and the history of women in the church, both academically and popularly. She has written for The Gospel Coalition, Christianity Today, Plough, byFaith, and Mere Orthodoxy, among other various platforms. Learn more at HannahNation.com. 

The first message in a series about the way in which believers should walk. Key Bible verses: Exodus 18:19-20; Galatians 5:6; 1 Corinthians 13:13 The post In Faith. In Love. In the Spirit. appeared first on St. Louis Family Church - Pastor Jeff Perry.

God promises to comfort his people. But he never promises to make us comfortable! In this episode, Abigail and Andrew have a conversation about the adventure of following Jesus and the connection between faith, taking risks, and trusting God. Our listener question is: "Do we over-spiritualize finding God's will?" In Faith & Culture they talk about recent mass shooting tragedies and how we should process and respond as believers. Subscribe to Abigail's newsletter: http://eepurl.com/hnt1lT Subscribe to Andrew's new Disciple Notes blog: https://jandrewstroud.substack.com/ Chapters (0:00) Intro (2:53) Listener Q: Do we over-spiritualize God's will? (12:04) Main Topic: Faith and Risk Taking (34:56) Faith & Culture: Recent mass shootings Notes Article: The Stones That Shape Our Identity Original Release Date: 6/2/2022 Want to suggest a question for us to cover on the show?

In the natural, when we arent hungry it is life threatening. In Faith, it is just as bad Today we discuss the power of hunger.

Abigail and Andrew describe how discipleship and accountability change as we get older. They discuss how to continue growing in your faith and how to avoid stagnation as the years pass, and they touch on why older mentors are rare as you enter the second half of life. Our listener question for today's show is: "How does your time spent with God change when you are going through a trial?" In Faith & Culture they talk about "The Great Resignation" and how it will affect the church as large numbers of pastors leave their positions in post-pandemic America. Subscribe to Andrew's new Disciple Notes blog: https://jandrewstroud.substack.com/ Chapters (0:00) Intro (3:19) Listener Q: How does your time spent with God change when you are going through a trial? (12:05) Main Topic: How discipleship changes over time (32:52) Faith & Culture: The Great Resignation and its impact on the church Notes Twitter thread - The Great Resignation: https://bit.ly/3LQMyu3 Original Release Date: 5/5/2022 Want to suggest a question for us to cover on the show?

In Faith & Doubt is a podcast that "normalizes" a messy faith and the ups and downs of the Christian life, which includes times of deconstruction. AJ and Nijay talk about how deconstruction can be very good and healthy (like shedding bad theology). In this episode, they dialogue about the boundaries of healthy deconstruction, and where it might go too far into damaging our relationship with God. 

It is quite possible to do the right thing, but still be in sin. Romans 14:23 says, “For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” So what does it mean to do something “IN FAITH”?

In this episode, Joseph Clair shares a conversation with author and teacher Nijay Gupta on citizenship and participation in society as Christians. What does the ancient Greek etymology of the word “politics” mean for Christians' role in our republic? How can we reconcile our dual citizenship in the Kingdom of God and our country of origin?Dr. Gupta teaches New Testament courses at Northern Seminary. He has been teaching for more than a decade, and is the author of the recent important study, Paul and the Language of Faith.Check out Living the King Jesus Gospel.Listen to Nijay's podcast with A.J. Swoboda, In Faith & Doubt.Our host, Joseph Clair, serves as the executive dean of the Cultural Enterprise at George Fox University, which encompasses the humanities, theology, education, and professional studies. He is also an associate professor of theology and culture. Before joining the George Fox faculty in 2013, he earned his PhD in the religion, ethics and politics program at Princeton University while also working as an assistant in instruction. Prior to Princeton, Clair earned an MPhil at the University of Cambridge as a Gates Cambridge Scholar. He also holds master's degrees from Fordham and Duke University, as well as a bachelor's degree from Wheaton College.These podcasts are also all video recorded and on our YouTube channel! You can also visit our website at https://georgefox.edu/talks for more content like this. 

In Faith by Ian Clayton