Podcasts about isrealites

Your Daily Prayer

This Sunday Grace 242 celebrates God's faithfulness over the past year in our first-ever worship home. Deacon Karin Barnes brings us the message today about remembering God's faithfulness. Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 27:1-8

We say "Bless & Protect" alot in the work of the CL Thomas Fellwship, but why and where does this come from? In this episode, host Justin Thomas introduces the core mission of the podcast: to inspire Christians to provide for their families and communities with a Christ-like spirit. He also shares why the phrase "Bless & Protect" is at the core of providing like Jesus. The themes of blessing and protecting are based on a letter from his late father and the first recorded priestly blessing of the Isrealites. And this solo episode wraps up with how all of this relates to Jesus.  Stay connected by subscribing to our newsletter at www.clthomasfellowship.org and remember to bless and protect!

Today's Reading: Jeremiah 43 - 44, Judith 15 - 16, Proverbs 17: 17 - 20

This chapter highlights more miscellaneous laws from Moses to the Isrealites.

As you face new fearful challenges, recall his goodness, love, and faithfulness. Take time to grab his hand and walk forward with his peace.  SUBSCRIBE to our sister podcasts:Your Daily Prayer: https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-prayer/Your Daily Bible Verse: https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-bible-verse/ Full Transcript Below Perfect Love  By: Amanda Idleman 1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. Have you experienced God's perfect love in your life?  What did it feel like?  How did it change your situation or perspective?  God's love is the one and only force powerful enough to truly change us. To redeem us. To rescue us from our own sin, fear, and confusion. His love makes us perfect.  The primary quality of perfect love is that with this kind of love present fear is banished. When fear enters a situation, that means we aren't walking in God's perfect love. With that in mind, it's clear that we are not living in the full reality of God's love so much of the time.  I know that I, for one, live with fear and anxiety as my default approach more often than not. When an unexpected expense pops up my gut reaction is anxiety over how the extra bill will be paid rather than a peace that the God who knows every hair on my head will provide exactly what I need. If my child is struggling I immediately hop into Mom action mode trying to control the situation for their benefit rather than pausing to pray for wisdom. If I experience conflict in my marriage or with others I love, I fret endlessly over how things played out, instead of going to God in repentance and seeking His gracious understanding.  I live with fear and anxiety because I live by my strength not by his grace.  That's why we need to be reminded that this Christian life we have been gifted is not one about rules or measurements. It's a grand love story. When we are tempted to fear we are invited to recall our first love and all the ways God has so graciously provided for us.  Remember how the last time you felt a financial pinch, God provided! How he has held your marriage together despite both of your imperfections. How he gifted you that child and loves them even more than you do. His love is deep, wide, and relentlessly pursuing us.  When we grab onto that perfect love the voice of fear grows quieter and quieter until it is silenced because God's love casts out all fear. FEar and love cannot coexist.  This week I was convicted to practice what I preach. I felt anxiety well up in me as a child we know is at risk and I am not sure if or how I could be the one to help care for them. I am afraid of how my lack of action would impact the child and how my potential actions would impact my family. It feels like either way I'd be letting someone down or putting someone at risk. I am afraid.  Then I was reminded of this verse and how God loves this child that is being knit together in a womb and my first job is to pray for this child. His love and provision is big enough to give me wisdom and this child a hope and a future. I have to hold onto God's hand and rely on his peaceful guidance rather than fretting over the many unknowns that could unfold in this wild situation.  It amazes me that no matter how many times I have witnessed God's miracle working power in my life I still so quickly forget and doubt his loving sovereign work in my life. I am like the Isrealites, wandering and so quickly looking to my own self-made gods to solve the problems of my own wilderness journey, rather than looking to the one that promises to deliver me to the promise of Heaven. Thankfully God's love is patient and kind. He allows us to repent, to learn, and to return to Him over and over as we journey through life. For that amazing grace I am so thankful.  Intersecting Faith and Life Have you truly experienced God's life changing, fear banishing love? If not, take time to pray and ask God to show you how to fall in love with him. If you have, reflect on what God has done for you. As you face new fearful challenges, recall his goodness, love, and faithfulness. Take time to grab his hand and walk forward with his peace.  Listen to Do It Again by Elevation Worship this week as a way to remind your spirit that the God who did will for you will do it over and over again!  Further Reading  3 Dangers of Having a Controlling Spirit  Bible Verses about God's LoveHow to Understand and Internalize God's Deep Love for Us Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

God's Foolishness Is Wiser Than Human Wisdom1 Corinthians 1:25 “For God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength.”When I read this verse this morning I thought it was very interesting and so very true.  It is something I don't thing we often think about.  It is one of those things that when you hear it, you know it is true, but it might never have occurred to you.  I think it is pretty obvious that God is wiser than we are and we know he is stronger than us.  It would not be hard to find evidence to support this and yet I still don't know if I would have thought of it like this before.  His foolishness is wiser than human wisdom and his weakness is stronger than human strength.  When I find a verse to use, I try to look at the verses around it to get the context and too see what else God wants to tell us.  The verses right after this one are pretty good too.  1 Corinthians 1:26-31 says, “Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are,  so that no one might boast in the presence of God.  He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption,  in order that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” One of my favorite verses/sayings is that God's ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts greater than our thoughts.  God does not think like we do and He does not do the things that we would do.  If we really need a prayer answered, or a healing to occur, who do we tend to ask first?  I tend to ask my dad first, as I know he prays a lot and I feel his prayers are answered quickly.  I also tend to ask the ladies in my prayer group because again, I feel their prayers are heard.  Many would go to a priest first.  We tend to go to the people that we think are “holier” than we are.  When someone needs a healing, they tend to want a priest to pray over them as they are very “holy.”  We want the best of the best as we know the stakes are high for some of our prayers.  What I felt the holy Spirit tell me when I began this verse is that is not how the Lord thinks.  Jesus did not come to earth and ask all the teachers, or the priests at the time to be his apostles.  He was not looking for the best and the brightest.  He came and called many who were considered foolish, outcasts, or weak to the rest of the world.  Some of us may feel we have a calling and then we start to think about all the ways we aren't good enough to answer that call.  We aren't smart enough, we aren't strong enough, we aren't old enough, we aren't young enough, we aren't holy enough and so on.  We list all the reasons why we can't do the thing that God is calling us to do.  Did you hear that last part, the thing God is calling you too.  Why do we question our call when God is the one doing the calling?  Don't we know He is smarter than we are?  If he says we are good enough, then we are good enough.  If He says we aren't too young, too old, to foolish, to sinful, then we aren't.  It's crazy how if you asked us if God was wiser than we were we would say yes without any hesitation.  Yet, when we question our worthiness of the call He has given us we are saying the exact opposite.  We are saying that He must be wrong and that we know better than He does.  When we start to question our calling and when we start to think of all the ways we are not enough, we should stop and think about all those that came before us.  Were they the smartest people around?  Were they the most holiest people around?  Were they the ones you would have chosen?  St. Catherine of Sienna is a doctor of the church and yet when she was a child she had great difficulty learning to read and did not learn to write until she was an adult.  There were plenty of religious leaders at the time that Jesus came and yet He did not call the religious leaders to be his disciples, he called every day normal people like you and me.  He also called people like Matthew, who was a tax collector.  That is not someone any of the other apostles would have chosen.  God knows what He is doing.  He has placed a call on each and every one of us and it is a call He chose specifically for us.  It is perfectly suited for our strengths and weaknesses.  He knows us better than we know ourselves.  Trust in Him and his ability to know you and what you can and can't do.Right at the beginning of writing this episode I felt like the Holy Spirit was telling me that this is a two way street.  He wants us to believe in our calling and also to believe in other's calling as well.  The same things I just said about your calling apply to others as well.  Trust in the Lord's ability to call others as well.  Sometimes we may see a priest at the pulpit and we might thing they don't seem the most qualified to be giving a sermon, or we see someone on the street talking about God and we might think they are not qualified to be talking about God.  We might see our loved one volunteering at a soup kitchen and think they aren't qualified, or a friend who wants to be in a healing ministry and yet you know they aren't qualified. My question to you is, “who are we to judge their qualifications?” God gave them the calling, not us.  Why do we think we know better than He does?  I felt like the Holy Spirit was telling us not to dismiss the answer to our prayers because it didn't come in the package we thought it would.  For instance, a young kid makes a profound comment and yet you blow it off because he is too young to know what he is talking about.  A person in the line at the grocery store asks to pray for you and you say no because how powerful could her prayers be anyway.  Someone offers to pray over you for healing and they are not a priest so you say no.  God did not come to use the best of the best.  Yes, those he used did become the best of the best, but that was only after they agreed to be used by God for whatever He called them too.  The power of prayer, the wisdom, the strength that we have, that all comes from God.  This is what the verse is trying to tell us when it says, “God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are,  so that no one might boast in the presence of God.”  God chose the ones that He chose because that way all would know that it was Him and not the person.  If someone that is not well educated, has not gone to fancy schools, has not studied theology and yet they can speak eloquently, wisely and authoritatively about the church and its teachings, that person can not boast in their own abilities as those abilities are through the power of God.  If you want a greater example of this go back into the Old Testament and read Judges 7 about Gideon and His army.  Gideon was severely outnumbered with his army of 30,000.  However, God had Him send almost everyone home and just had him keep 300 men.  He wanted to make sure the Isrealites knew it was God who was winning the war.  If we rely on our own strength, wisdom and power, we would claim all the glory, that is our fallen, broken, nature.  However, if we have no power, no strength and no ability, then we know it was all God who accomplished the impossible thing.  All the glory goes right to God where it rightfully belongs!  The next time you need help, remember to turn to God first.  Also remember that He can send help through anyone.  Don't judge the person or the way God decides to help you.  Remember that God can use anyone at anytime for anything.  They don't have to already know how to do the thing, they don't have to be full of natural wisdom or talent.  One of my favorite sayings I ever heard is, “God doesn't call the equipped, He equips the called.”  If you say yes then God will give you all you need to succeed.  The same is true for every person that He calls. When He calls you don't worry if you are enough, He will give you all you need to be enough.  Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today.  Lord, we know you are wiser than we are and stronger than we are.  Help us not to forget it!  Help us to lean into you and to trust that when you call us to something we don't have to be afraid to say yes because you will be right there with us giving us all we need to succeed.  Lord, help us to look at others in the same way.  Help us to not judge others or to question their call.  We love you Lord, you are amazing.  I am seeing so many answered prayers around me and I am so grateful!! We ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus' holy name, Amen!Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus.  If you would like to purchase an autographed copy of my book there are still some available on my website.  I want to thank you all for your support and ask if you wouldn't mind sharing my podcast or my book with just one person over the next week.  It would really help me out.  I look forward to meeting you here again tomorrow.  Remember, Jesus loves you, and so do I!  Have a blessed day! www.findingtruenorthcoaching.comCLICK HERE FOR RETREAT INFOCLICK HERE TO DONATECLICK HERE to sign up for Mentoring CLICK HERE to sign up for Daily "Word from the Lord" emailsCLICK HERE to sign up for my newsletter & receive a free audio training about inviting Jesus into your daily lifeCLICK HERE to buy my book Total Trust in God's Safe Embrace

Connect with me here! Send me a text message! Today we talk a little bit more about overcoming fear in your life. We are going to learn from the Isrealites and work towards not making the same mistakes they made!!Hope this is an encouragement for you today!!Join the KD Collective and start growing in your faith by reading your Bible more!! >> https://stan.store/mrsangelapitnikoff/p/join-the-kingdom-daughters-collectiveGrab your downloadable scripture cards here>> https://stan.store/mrsangelapitnikoff/p/30-scripture-cardsBe encouraged, challenged and blessed today!!✨Come hang with me on IG- https://www.instagram.com/mrsangelapitnikoff/✨Join our FB sisterhood!- https://www.facebook.com/groups/kingdomdaughterssisterhood✨Be more amazing and leave a review!- https://lovethepodcast.com/LoHGyj✨Want some fun free resources? Click here- www.thekingdomdaughters.com✨ Connect with me! thekingdomdaughterspodcast@gmail.com ✨Get some KD Cuties- https://www.etsy.com/shop/KingdomDaughters✨Let's see if we are a good fit! thekingdomdaughters.com/coachingSupport the show

The story of the Isrealites crossing the Red Sea in their escape from Egypt becomes the central story of the Hebrew people. Join Pastor Jacob as he explores why the crossing is about so much more than Moses vs. Pharaoh or Israel vs. Egypt, and why it tells a story that the forces of oppression in this world will never prevail. 

Looking ahead to our Northwest Vineyard 10 year celebration, Pastor Scott Engebretson takes us back to Ezra when the Isrealites were returning from Babylon to show us how they were able to look to the future with hope by looking back at the joy and sorrow they had all endured.

Our souls benefit from daily practice of gratitude for the seemingly small to the wondrous and everything in between. We must remind ourselves that God is GREAT! He is able to do more than we could ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20)!  SUBSCRIBE to our sister podcasts:Your Daily Prayer: https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-prayer/Your Daily Bible Verse: https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-bible-verse/ Full Transcript Below: Remember the Wonders By: Amanda Idleman    1 Chronicles 16:12 Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced, Have you found that as an adult your memory isn't as good as it once was?  So many times a friend asks how my weekend was on Monday and it feels like every detail of what had just passed just fell out of my head! I joke that it's because my brain is too full, new memories no longer stick as easily. The same is true of us as believers! How quickly do we forget the great things God has done for us and for those that we love? We proclaim to be people of faith but often behave in the same way as the faithless. We expect the worst forgetting that we have access to the power of God everyday to meet all our needs both big and small. The wandering Isrealites that God led out of captivity in Egypt with the help of his leader Moses had the same memory problem that we do. God showed up to redeem them, save them, provide for them, and guide them over and over again yet they consistently forgot, disobeyed, doubted, and reacted out of faithless fear. This pattern became such a problem that God sentenced them to life wandering the desert and only brought the next generation into the promised land (Deuteronomy 1:35). Are you stuck in the desert because of a lack of faith? Have you forgotten his wonders, miracles, and judgements? We are more like the doubting and forgetful Israelites than we often want to admit. We have to be intentional about taking note and giving God all the glory for what he has done for us! His miracles range from ones we take for granted like giving us breath in our lungs today from bending the rules of the universe to showing us his love. Our souls benefit from daily practice of gratitude for the seemingly small to the wondrous and everything in between. We must remind ourselves that God is GREAT! He is able to do more than we could ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20)!  Living with gratitude creates in us a posture of expectation so when we have a need our automatic response is one of faith. We remember that God is the one who provides all we need. God honors our faith. He tells us that all it takes is the faith of a mustard seed to see anything that we need happen (Matthew 17:20). Faith is key to seeing God's miracle working power unlocked in our lives.  Remembering what God has done to bring us to the place we are in the moment encourages our hearts when the going gets tough.  My husband and I have five kids and two of them have joined our family through foster care and adoption. Sometimes being parents of all these kids is hard. All five of them come with their own personalities, needs, and I can begin to doubt God's good plan in placing us altogether on those very hard days.  But then I remember all that he has done! He did so many miracles to put our family together in such a special way. Remembering encourages my heart, reminding me that I am exactly where God wants me to be. The hardness of this role does not mean I'm in the wrong place. God placed me where I am on purpose with a purpose. Remembering his miracles reminds me I am just where he wants me to be.  Intersecting Faith and Life  Take time to remember all God has done for you. What miracles have you observed in your life? How have you seen his wonder at work around you?  Pause for gratitude. Write down what you are grateful for as a daily practice.  Repent of faithless living. How have you doubted God's ability and goodness? Let him know you are sorry for not remembering how great a God he is!  Further Reading  Exodus 15:22-18:27  Does God Still Perform Miracles Today? Mini-Miracles Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

This chapter highlights how the Isrealites were to deal with leprosy.

This chapter highlights the instructions to the Isrealites related to childbirth.

Confession is confidence that God will provide a way out. For the Isrealites in Nehemiah 9, they confessed their sins corporately among a trusted circle of other believers. It's in this prayer from the Levites that we learn the power of humble confession and a righteous response to our sin. www.impactchurchmd.com

Esau admits that the main goal of the super elites is to merge man with machine via microchip & neuro technology. A CNBC article lays out the details on just how they plan to bring this into fruition. Also wicked ass 2/3 negros are scoffing the men of the Lord and calling Israelites bums. But the Lord is about to bring judgment and destruction to these people. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/israelitereport/message

Miracles Do Happen!Joshua 3:13 “When the soles of the feet of the priests carrying the ark of the Lord, the Lord of the whole earth, touch the waters of the Jordan, it will cease to flow; the water flowing down from upstream will halt in a single heap.”This is a story that I don't remember from the Bible. I have gone through the Bible in a year twice with Father Mike, so I am sure I have heard it; I don't remember it, so I thought we would take a look at it today especially because I know a lot of people who need some reassurance that miracles do happen. God will take care of you no matter what circumstances you find yourself in. God is not surprised you are in these circumstances. He knew you would be in them, and He has prepared you for them. He has a plan to help you through them. Trust Him.This verse is taking place when Joshua is trying to get the Isrealites to cross the Jordon River to go into the promised land. Let me read to you this part of the story so you can see how it all unfolded. Remember Moses led the people out of Egypt but was not able to live to lead them into the promised land. This was left to Joshua as He was faithful and trusted God could conquer the people who occupied that land currently. I will read you Joshua 3:7-17 “Then the Lord said to Joshua: Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.  Now command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant, “When you come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, there take your stand.” So Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord, your God.”  He continued: “By this you will know that there is a living God in your midst: he will certainly dispossess before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites. The ark of the covenant of the Lord of the whole earth will cross the Jordan before you.  Now choose twelve men, one from each of the tribes of Israel. When the soles of the feet of the priests carrying the ark of the Lord, the Lord of the whole earth, touch the waters of the Jordan, it will cease to flow; the water flowing down from upstream will halt in a single heap.”The people set out from their tents to cross the Jordan, with the priests carrying the ark of the covenant ahead of them. When those bearing the ark came to the Jordan and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were immersed in the waters of the Jordan—which overflows all its banks during the entire season of the harvest— the waters flowing from upstream halted, standing up in a single heap for a very great distance indeed, from Adam, a city in the direction of Zarethan; those flowing downstream toward the Salt Sea of the Arabah disappeared entirely. Thus the people crossed over opposite Jericho. The priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood on dry ground in the Jordan riverbed while all Israel crossed on dry ground until the whole nation had completed the crossing of the Jordan.”Wow, the Israelites crossed on dry ground again! Remember, these are the ancestors of those who crossed the Red Sea on dry ground. These people were not actually there, but I am sure they heard all about it. So, why do you think God needed to show them again? Why do you think God parted the Jordan River for them to cross? It says above that it was to show the people that God was with Joshua the same way that He was with Moses. This miracle, like many others, is a testament to the power and faithfulness of our God.  It amazes me how often we can see signs and wonders and yet still doubt the Lord will come through. The Israelites had seen miracle after miracle while they were in the desert. Their food miraculously showed up each morning. When they complained about not having meat to eat, Quail miraculously showed up. They walked across the Red Sea on dry land, and this is to name a few of the big ones.So, why would they need to see another miracle? I think it is because we sometimes think it is the person doing the miracle instead of God doing the miracle through those people. God knew the Israelites knew God was with Moses because He was the face of most of the miracles they had received. However, God also knew they weren't sure if God was with Joshua. He was young and new to leading them. God understood that these people would need a sign to show them that He was with Joshua.How many times have we been like this? How many times has God called us to cross our own Jordan Rivers, and we have been hesitant because we don't know that He is with us? How many times has He given us a sign, and yet we require another one? If we look back upon our lives, I bet we can all see how the Lord has been right here with us in each of the hard times. If we can see this, why do we still doubt He will be with us in this hard time? I am sure we have all seen miracles in our lives. If we haven't, then we are not looking hard enough because the Lord is working in each of our lives.The news doesn't like to talk about the good stuff going on in the world as that doesn't sell as much as the bad stuff. However, you don't have to look too far to find the good things going on in this world if you want to. You can find articles and videos on the internet. We can actually be a beacon of light to those around us. If you see someone you know struggling, you can give them hope and peace in Jesus Christ. If someone you know needs a miracle right now, relay this one to them. Relay other ones from the Bible. Look on YouTube for testimonies from others who have been healed from what they have or gone through what they have gone through.Sometimes, seeing is believing, so pray for God to show them a miracle. Pray for a miracle in your life. Miracles are not reserved for certain people. They are not reserved for perfect people, people who pray a lot, or those whom God loves the best. Miracles come to those who ask for them, those who seek them, and those who believe they will happen. We believe, Lord. Help our unbelief.Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening today. Lord, we love you, and we know you are there with us in the hard times. We are sorry we sometimes forget. We ask you to be with all those struggling in a special way today. We ask you to give each one of us a renewed sense of awe and wonder. We ask that you give us a renewed faith and belief that miracles are not only possible but that they will happen in our lives. Open our eyes to the miracles that are happening in our lives every day! We love you, Lord, and we ask all of this in accordance with our will and in Jesus's holy name; amen!Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. Tonight is week 3 of our topic, “Come As You Are.” I hope you will join us live this evening on Zoom at 8 EST. If you haven't joined yet, there is a link in the show notes. I also want to remind you that I send out a daily email with the words of prophecy included at the end of the episodes. I don't include the words of prophecy on the Witness Wednesday episodes, and I don't do weekend episodes, so if you are not receiving the emails, you are missing out on some of the words of prophecy. If you want to sign up for that, the link is in the show notes. I look forward to meeting you here again tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I! Have a blessed day!Today's Word from the Lord was received in January 2024 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today's Word from the Lord is, “There is no more time for looking back. Look only to what is ahead. Look up, and you'll see the glory of God.” www.findingtruenorthcoaching.comCLICK HERE TO DONATECLICK HERE to sign up for Mentoring CLICK HERE to sign up for Daily "Word from the Lord" emailsCLICK HERE to sign up for free audio training about inviting Jesus into your daily lifeCLICK HERE to buy my book Total Trust in God's Safe Embrace

This week Jes is circling back to Part 2 of our Names of God series as we dig deeper into JEHOVAH SHAMMAH, The Lord is There. The first time we see this name in the Bible is in the book of Ezekiel, when the prophet receives a vision of God– Jehovah Shammah– in the New Jerusalem. At this point, the Isrealites have been in captivity in Babylon for 25 years. The temple and city was in ruins, and yet this vision from God was a reminder that God is still there in the city and with His people– even when they are in captivity because of their sin. This name is a powerful reminder to the ancient Israelites that God has NOT forsaken them, He was there with them, and He will be faithful to fulfill His promises. This name is also a powerful reminder to us that wherever we are, whatever our circumstance, God is there. You are not forsaken or forgotten, no matter what you have done! Tune in to learn more! Click HERE for show notes>>>The Collected Podcast is now sponsored in part by BeautyCounter. Use this special link to shop for all of your clean beauty needs and 10% of the profit will go directly back to benefitting The Collected Podcast! Also, use code CLEANFORALL20 for 20% off of your first purchase. Shop BeautyCounter today and support the podcastCheck out the latest Collected Merch>>>Collecting stories that remind us of who God is and who we are in Him.To learn more about Collected Ministries email jes@collectedministries.org. For access to all episodes and show notes, please visit thecollectedpodcast.com.Follow us on Instagram!Collected @collectedpodcast Jes @jesbiondo for personal life and @sprezzafoundry for hand-letteringIf you believe in what God is doing through Collected, we would be so grateful for financial support! Go to collectedministries.org/donate to make a tax deductible gift. This episode of The Collected Podcast was recorded and edited by Jacob Early. Logo design by Ben Biondo.Click HERE for show notes

Support the show

In the book of Exodus, God appears to the biblical patriarch Moses in the form of a burning bush, and tells him he is to lead the Isrealites, enslaved by the Egyptians, to freedom. In the Bhagavad Gita, the source of all things, lord Krisha, appears to prince Arjuna as his charioteer and helps him understand his identity and potential on the eve of a major battle. These appearances by gods, however, are not reserved just for the spiritual heroes of old. Millions of people around the world report having similar religious experiences where they encounter God in a variety of ways, are gifted spiritual powers, or their souls are washed clean and they are made new again. What exactly is a religious experience? Under what circumstances do they occur? And what should their meaning be in our life? Can we even speak of them in any sort of meaningful way? Join us for this first in a two part series on religious experience. Sign up for our newsletter here! Open Door Philosophy NewsletterContact us via email at contact@opendoorphilosophy.com Open Door Philosophy on Instagram @opendoorphilosophyOpen Door Philosophy website at opendoorphilosophy.com

John 3:14-21“Just as Moses lifted up a serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him may not perish, but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. “Those who believe in him are not condemned, but those who do not believe are condemned already because they have not believed in the name of the holy Son of God. And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world and they prefer the darkness to the light because their deeds are evil. For those who do what is evil hate the light and do not come to the light for fear that their deeds might be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.” There's a story way back in the Hebrew scriptures, in the book of Numbers, that tells of a time when the Israelites were making their in the wilderness, after they'd been liberated from slavery in Egypt, on their way to the Promised Land. They were a miserable, lost, wandering, struggling people, complaining about their lot in life, in spite of having recently been freed from slavery and oppression under Pharaoh. They were hungry, unsure about their future, not happy with and doubts about Moses, who had helped to liberate them in the first place.And then there were snakes. Poisonous serpents. And the people perceived the serpents – as serpents were inclined to be perceived in Scripture – to be God's punishment upon them for all of their complaining. The snakes bit and killed so many of them that they begged Moses to do something about it. So at God's direction, Moses made some kind of a bronze snake on a pole – a sign and symbol of their affliction – so that whenever one of them got bit, they could simply look at the snake Moses had raised up on the pole, and they would be healed, and survive.When Jesus brings this up this ancient story – generations later, as we heard in this morning's Gospel – the connection is supposed to be obvious. “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life.” In other words, “look at that which plagues you and you will be made well.” “Face your fallen nature and let God raise you up.” “Look at the result of your sinfulness and watch what God will do with it.” “Lay eyes on those things that cause you such suffering, struggle, and strife, trusting that God's grace … in Jesus … is enough to conquer them.”For the Israelites in the wilderness, it was snakes. Generations later, it was – and is – the sins of humanity. For the Israelites in the wilderness, Moses gave them a snake on a pole. Generations later – it was Jesus, himself – on the cross, which we're invited to see, and through which we're encouraged to trust our healing to come. (This modern-day sculpture, on the top of Mt. Nebo, in Jordan, was created to bring all of this together in a beautiful way. Not only is it a bronze serpent, maybe something like Moses lifted up, but it's one in the shape of a cross and the crucified Christ, too.)Anyway, in the wilderness, with Moses, the Israelites were told to “look and live,” so they do and they did. And our invitation is the same, “look and live,” but I wonder if it always works for us, in the same way.See, I think the difference for us, too much of the time, is that we forget – or aren't encouraged often enough – to realize all of this is meant to happen in real time. When we hear about “eternal life,” it seems to me that popular theology has convinced us that that only applies to life after we're dead and gone from this life, as we know it. But that just isn't always or only the way Jesus talks about eternal life.Modern Christianity is obsessed with heaven and hell; with who gets in and who gets left behind; with how wonderful one is and how terrible the other will be. But Jesus came so that we could have life – and have it abundantly – right where we live. Paul preached about “being saved,” as a work in progress, as something that happens and that is happening to those who are trying to follow Jesus in this life – not just something that has happened or that will happen some day in the future.When the Israelites were out there in the wilderness, suffering with those snakes, God gave them the gift of the serpent on the pole for their healing in the moment. God didn't tell Moses to wait until they arrived in the Promised Land; until they made it out of the wilderness; until they suffered some more and struggled some more or until more of them died along the way. The command and the promise was that they should look at that bronze serpent, be healed, and live – right then and there.But for some reason, too much of the time, we get to Jesus on the cross, and think our salvation and new life is all or only about the other side of heaven; that when Jesus talks about “eternal life,” he's only talking about a gift we receive after we're dead and gone; after the snakes and our sinfulness have had their way with us in this life. But listen closely to what he says in today's Gospel. Much like Moses, his words are about what happens to us here and now, right where live, on this side of heaven, too.He says, “…those who do not believe … are condemned, already…” (Maybe you could say, “those who do not believe are already being condemned.”) And he says, “…this is the judgement, that the light has come into the world and people prefer the darkness to the light, because their deeds are evil. Those who do what is evil hate the light and do not come the light for fear that their deeds might be exposed.”In other words, our judgement isn't only waiting for us once we're dead and gone – in some kind of eternal Heaven or everlasting Hell, whatever that might look like. We also experience our judgment – much like the Isrealites in the wilderness – every day that we forget or deny or refuse to believe that God's love and grace have already come; that the light has already dawned; that our deliverance – our eternal life – has already begun, in Jesus.Those who do what is evil … those who commit sin and are slaves to sin … those who are plagued by shame, or troubled by regret, or saddled with sadness, or full of fear, or lacking faith … (do you know anyone like that?) … our judgment comes when any of that keeps us hiding in the darkness, sends us scurrying from the light, keeps us apart from God's desire and ability to love us on this side of Heaven.It's not a judgement that nips at our heels like so many snake bites… It's not a judgement that feels like punishment from on high… It's not a judgement that's waiting for us, either … scaring us with fear and dread for God's wrath in the afterlife.It's a judgement that impacts our life as we know it, now, simply because it keeps us from living lives infused with hope, fully in the grip of God's grace; lives liberated by the forgiveness, love, and mercy – already delivered – in Jesus Christ our Lord; the kind of “eternal life” that has already begun with his life, death, and resurrection.And God doesn't want any of this judgement for any one of us. And ours is a God who loves a visual aid.Whether that's a sculpture in the desert; a cross in the sanctuary; water in the font; bread and wine on the table; or a wall of grief on the altar during Lent, even, we need all the help and practice we can get looking at that which plagues us in this life, not fearing the darkness that surrounds us, seeing the source and result of our brokenness and that of the world, so that we can also look and live… see, acknowledge, and hope – with all the faith we can find – that God's love is bigger. That we are worth it. And that our eternal life is already underway.For God so loved the world … that we have this Cross and we have this Jesus … For God so loved the world … that we have been, we are being, and we will be saved …For God so loved the world … For God so loves the world …. That God didn't send Jesus to condemn the world, but in order that the world – all of it and all of us – would be saved through him.So let us see it and believe it and be changed by the blessing of this good news, so that we are not afraid to come to and live in the light of God's grace and goodness; …so that we aren't afraid to come to and live in and share that kind of light with the broken, hurting, scared and scary world around us;And so that the judgement of God is less like something that comes from a petulant, oppressive tyrant on the other side of eternity and more like something practical and holy – and something that can change us, here and now – thanks to a God who loves and forgives and cares for us, right where live, on this side of heaven, where eternity has already begun – on earth as it is in heaven – thanks to Jesus Christ our Lord.Amen

God rescued Israel from slavery in Egypt, but just two months later they're following Moses through the wilderness, somewhere on the Sinai peninsula and they're hungry. Even though they'd witnessed God's saving power, five times in this chapter alone they “grumble, complain, whine” against God. Despite this, God gives them the food that they need. Day after day, week after week, year after year in the inhospitable desert, they were learning to trust God. We, like the Isrealites, often look at where we are and what we have and grumble about it. We want more. More money, a better job, a better home, a better marriage. One of the benefits of observing a regular sabbath rhythm of rest is that it helps teach us to transfer the hope we have in Christ's resurrection into the way we live. Even in Exodus, the Sabbath was described as the Lord's gift to the people.  When we accept that gift, when we stop, when we pull our heads out of the sand and look around, we might be able to better see the manna God has for us today.  When we hold all the things we want loosely, with open hands, a posture of surrender and reception, we're choosing to trust the goodness of God.

In this teaching we will learn more about Saul and David.  Saul had two daughters, Miram and Michael (we call her Michael instead of MiChal). At the time, Israel had a problem with the philistines. They did not like Isreal or the Jewish people.  One day the army of the Philistines were camped on one hill and the Isrealites were camped on the other.  It was a standoff. The Philistines had a clever little plan, they ha a giant of a man, eight or nine feet tall. He was more than likely twice the size of any man at the time. The Philistines had a big idea to go down to the middle of the valley and they told the Isrealites to send their best guy to fight their best guy.  This fight will determine who should win.  We know that the young David shows up to deliver food to his brothers who were in the army. David is appoled at this vile person who is down in the valley making fun of his people.  The Israelites said it was the philistine giant.  Saul, the King of Isreal, had promised the hand of his daughter in mariage to anyone that would go down and beat the giant Philistine.Saul was sure that someone was going to go down there and fight the giant philistine because his daughters were beautiful. No one showed up to take on this challenge until David showed up. But David wasnt fighting for the girls hand in marriage, he was fighting for his God.  Well we know what has happened.  David was indeed victorious, and now he had earned the right to marry Miram the oldest of the two daughters.  One day Saul hears the common people singing the praises of this young man that had defeated the giant. He was extremely jealous, he thought, “am I going to have a son-in-law that people are going to sing praises about?” So Saul promises his older daughter to another. This would leave Michael available for David.  This was OK with David because he preferred Michael.  Saul thought he knew his daughter better than David.  This will be where Pastor Harris's teaching picks up today.Support the show

Here's the scoop:  Saul sends messengers to Jabesh Gilead to tell them he was on his way The Jabeshites blindly listen to Saul and put their lives on the line Why the Isrealites didn't have the same faith in God Why it's dangerous to trust in people to save us Saul has a massive victory over the Ammonites   Hey! Look at this other P40 content! YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hnh-aqfg8rw Ko-Fi - https://ko-fi.com/p40ministries  Website - https://www.p40ministries.com Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/p40ministries  Contact - jenn@p40ministries.com  Books - https://www.amazon.com/Jenn-Kokal/e/B095JCRNHY/ref=aufs_dp_fta_dsk  Merch - https://www.p40ministries.com/shop  YouVersion - https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/38267-out-of-the-mire-trusting-god-in-the-middle    This ministry is only made possible due to your generous support https://ko-fi.com/p40ministries   Support babies and get quality coffee with Seven Weeks Coffee  https://sevenweekscoffee.com/?ref=P40 

Levititcus 20:7-27       PROSTITUTION WITH MOLECH  The punishment was to be death via stoning by the community and then they will be cut off from their people  Defiled the Lord's sanctuary and profaning the holy name If you looked the other and do not put the person to death then you would be cut off and the Lord would turn against you.   If you turned to Mediums/Spiriti prosititue himself God would turn against that person and  cut off    1 John 4: 1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.   PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP/RESPONSIBITILY  The Lord already sanctified the Isrealites now he is asking them Consecrate yourselves   Holiness Be holy for I am the Lord your God Obedience Keep my statutes and do them..I am the Lord wheo sets you apart PUNISHMENT  Then there was the list of sins that would cause Death  Do not curse your parents = death the oppositie of honor Commit adultery with  Neighbor Mother in law Daughter in law  Man with Man (homosexuality) Man marries a woman/ her mom=burned  Man or woman sex with animal =death  Sister =bear inquity  Man slept with a woman on her period=cut off from people Sex with aunt his blood line =bear iniquity  His bro wife=childless being childless was form of death sentence for them  Keep all my statues and ordinaces  Do them so that the land I'm giving you will not vomit you out  Must not follow the statutes of the other nations that I am driving out before you. They did all these things —- I abhorred them (Canaanites were deeply involved)    PROMISE Promised a land of milk and honey  I am the Lord your God who sets you apart from the people    V26 Be holy to me because I, the Lord am holy and I set you apart from the nations to be mine V27  A man or a woman who is a medium/spirittist must be put to death via stoning. Their death is their fault     Digest How have you found a new understanding in the practices of infants being sacrificed to Molech? How does it relate to abortion in our generation?   Are you consecrating yourself before the Lord with holiness and obedience?   When God states I set you apart to be Mine? How does that impress you to have deeper relationship with Him?   The Chew   To receive the promises of God we must have a personal relationship with God. One that sets us apart from the rest of the world. One that is filled with obedience and holiness. With obedience we receive blessing and with sin he gives punishments. He is a just God. Forgiveness is available in Jesus 

Last episode we talked about David and his big battle with the Amalekites in the Negev.  While that was going on with him, the exact opposite was going on with Saul. Saul was encountering Israel's old enemy the Philistines.  They had amassed a massive army and to this point the Isrealites had been successful in defeating them by fighting them off as they had always engaged them in mountainous terrain. But the Philistines had pushed and manipulated the battle so they could fight at the Valley of Jezreel which was flat land.  This was beneficial to the Philistines because they had iron chariots. Any military strategist would say that it looks as if the Isrealites would be slaughtered.  The reason this battle was so crucial and that Saul had to fight it, was because they were at a place called Beth Shan and if the Philistines were to take this location they would cut Israel in half. This location was too crucial, and Saul was forced to take the Philistines on in open combat, in flat terrain, taking on their iron chariots. It seemed suicidal, God had abandoned Saul for David.  So Saul turned to a medium.  Saul himself had outlawed the use of mediums. It was outlawed in the law of God, but Saul was driven to the very brink of his insanity by havinfg to hold things together by the giant adversity that faced him having to fight the Philistines.  When he saw this medium, he disguised himself because he knew if the medium recognized him as King Saul that the medium would not consult upon evil spirits.  We know today that spirits guided through mediums are not through the Holy Spirit but are evil spirits. To Saul's dismay the medium conjures up the spirit of Samual the great profit.  Although Samual had been dead for many years he spoke truthfully  to the situation at hand.  He said that Saul would in fact fight this battle, and Saul, his sons and many of his army would suffer a very tragic defeat.  Saul's dilemma was over, he looked into the future, the future was clear there was only disaster and death for him and his kingdom. Meanwhile David waited back at Ziklag unaware of what was going on.  This is the topic of Pastor Harris's teaching in this episode.  The death of Saul and the ramifications of that day.Support the show

Pastor Marc delivered the ninth and final sermon from the Joshua series based on Joshua 6:1-27. Pastor Marc discussed the Isrealites battle to take Jericho. Through it all we are to remember that following God's plan and direction always leads to victory.

Questions answered include: How many times did God tell Moses He was giving them the promised land or land of Canaan? When the Isrealites entered Canaan, why weren't the Isrealites not allowed to eat the fruits of the trees of Canaan the first 3-4 years (Leviticus 19:23-25)? Is Sabbath-keeping really necessary? If yes, then can someone help me explain the meaning of the scriptures at Colossians 2: 13 - 16, especially at verse 16. In john 3:13 Jesus says, ""No one has ever gone into Heaven except the one who came from Heaven - the Son of Man. Where then have believers gone who died, both before Christ and subsequent to Christ? The angels guarding the gates of New Jerusalem - who are they there to keep OUT? [If Satan and all denying Christ have been eradicated]

In today's episode Pastor Michael gets down to the point on the most important precept on dating. He encourages singles, especially young singles, with Scripture on who they should date.

We are coming together to read the bible in a year.  We are using the Bible App to guide us through reading the bible in less than a year.  If you are interested hop on and see what we have going on.  We are a welcome place for everyone of all faith levels.

Hey, friend! Welcome back to the show. You're probably familiar with the concept of having favor with God, but do you know that you can have massive favor with God during difficult times, including in the midst of family estrangement from your adult child? When God parted the Red Sea, the Isrealites were experiencing favor between the water walls, and you can have the same kind of experience. The devil hopes you don't wrap your mind around this so that you stay stuck in feelings of despair. Why would we ever give the enemy of our soul what he wants? In this episode I'm going to tell you 5 ways to activate favor in hard times. Let's talk about it.  . Next Steps: 1) Schedule your free consultation (or or get on the waitlist to be among the first to know when an appointment opens up): www.theestrangedmomcoach.com/schedule   ⬇️ 2) Access your audio meditation to help you cast your anxieties and worries about estrangement at the feet of Jesus: https://www.theestrangedmomcoach.com/meditation  ⬇️ 3) Join the free Facebook support community for Christian estranged mothers: https://www.facebook.com/groups/christianestrangedmothers   ⬇️ 4) Download Your Free Guide Of What To Do When Your Adult Child Estranges: bit.ly/estrangementguide

3 ways many churches are going seriously wrong The Israelites have no leadership and the consequences are clear The Isrealites integrate into Canaanite culture Other Israelite tribes put Canaanites into forced labor Jenn shares a warning with any church leader listening to today's episode   Get your Seven Weeks Whole Bean Coffee here:  https://sevenweekscoffee.com/?ref=P40   Here's more good stuff for you:  YouTube - https://youtu.be/qKqhPoz55n8  Out of the Mire on YouVersion - https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/38267-out-of-the-mire-trusting-god-in-the-middle  Website - https://www.p40ministries.com Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/p40ministries  Contact - jenn@p40ministries.com  Books - https://www.amazon.com/Jenn-Kokal/e/B095JCRNHY/ref=aufs_dp_fta_dsk  Merch Store - https://www.p40ministries.com/shop 

Welcome to the TFC Biblecast! Start your day off right and join us as we take the next 10 minutes to dive into God's word. Today's verses are from Exodus 12:31-51. If we can pray for you, email us at biblecast@tfc.org.

The Isrealites jump to conclusions and throw gossip around about the altar The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manassah defend themselves for building the altar Phineas and all the Isrealites are satisfied and return home Jenn explaines unity in the church - how gossip is the opposite of unity    Love Life? Get your Seven Weeks Whole Bean Coffee here: https://sevenweekscoffee.com/?ref=P40   Out of the Mire on YouVersion: https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/38267-out-of-the-mire-trusting-god-in-the-middle    After you're done with that, check out these websites:  YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hnh-aqfg8rw Out of the Mire on YouVersion - https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/38267-out-of-the-mire-trusting-god-in-the-middle  Website - https://www.p40ministries.com Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/p40ministries  Contact - jenn@p40ministries.com  Books - https://www.amazon.com/Jenn-Kokal/e/B095JCRNHY/ref=aufs_dp_fta_dsk  Merch Store - https://www.p40ministries.com/shop 

Do you view God as being small and manageable or do you view God as being big, having both control over the universe and also capable of having a near, intimate relationship with you? This week, Nate Miller continued in our Joshua series with the story of the Isrealites' victory over five Canaanite kings with a miraculous intervention from God. Joshua knew God to be a big God who listens to the prayers of his people and responds with supernatural power. The result is defeat of the inhabitants of the land and rest from war. While Joshua leads God's people well, thousands of years later, we see Jesus enter the scene as the better Joshua who will defeat the ultimate enemies and deliver his people into peace and rest.Joshua 10-11You can join our OneLife Sunday morning gatherings via livestream at 9am and 11am CST every Sunday morning. Or if you're local to the Bay Area of Houston, we'd love to have you join us in person Saturdays at 5pm and Sundays at 9am and 11am!Subscribe to our YouTube channel to join us live on Sunday mornings: https://www.youtube.com/@onelifechurch381Listen to more messages from OneLife Church at https://www.onelifehouston.com/messagesIf you would like to give to OneLife Church, you can do that here: https://www.onelifehouston.com/giveAt OneLife, we want to be and make disciples of Jesus who love God, one another, and our world. We are God's people making much of Jesus in everyday life for the good of the neighborhoods in the Bay Area of Houston and beyond.For more information about us and our gatherings, visit https://www.onelifehouston.comConnect with us over social media!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onelifehouston​Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onelifechurch

Do you view God as being small and manageable or do you view God as being big, having both control over the universe and also capable of having a near, intimate relationship with you? This week, Nate Miller continued in our Joshua series with the story of the Isrealites' victory over five Canaanite kings with a miraculous intervention from God. Joshua knew God to be a big God who listens to the prayers of his people and responds with supernatural power. The result is defeat of the inhabitants of the land and rest from war. While Joshua leads God's people well, thousands of years later, we see Jesus enter the scene as the better Joshua who will defeat the ultimate enemies and deliver his people into peace and rest.Joshua 10-11You can join our OneLife Sunday morning gatherings via livestream at 9am and 11am CST every Sunday morning. Or if you're local to the Bay Area of Houston, we'd love to have you join us in person Saturdays at 5pm and Sundays at 9am and 11am!Subscribe to our YouTube channel to join us live on Sunday mornings: https://www.youtube.com/@onelifechurch381Listen to more messages from OneLife Church at https://www.onelifehouston.com/messagesIf you would like to give to OneLife Church, you can do that here: https://www.onelifehouston.com/giveAt OneLife, we want to be and make disciples of Jesus who love God, one another, and our world. We are God's people making much of Jesus in everyday life for the good of the neighborhoods in the Bay Area of Houston and beyond.For more information about us and our gatherings, visit https://www.onelifehouston.comConnect with us over social media!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onelifehouston​Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onelifechurch

God's Foolishness Is Wiser Than Human Wisdom1 Corinthians 1:25 “For God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength.”When I read this verse this morning I thought it was very interesting and so very true.  It is something I don't thing we often think about.  It is one of those things that when you hear it, you know it is true, but it might never have occurred to you.  I think it is pretty obvious that God is wiser than we are and we know he is stronger than us.  It would not be hard to find evidence to support this and yet I still don't know if I would have thought of it like this before.  His foolishness is wiser than human wisdom and his weakness is stronger than human strength.  When I find a verse to use, I try to look at the verses around it to get the context and too see what else God wants to tell us.  The verses right after this one are pretty good too.  1 Corinthians 1:26-31 says, “Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are,  so that no one might boast in the presence of God.  He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption,  in order that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” One of my favorite verses/sayings is that God's ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts greater than our thoughts.  God does not think like we do and He does not do the things that we would do.  If we really need a prayer answered, or a healing to occur, who do we tend to ask first?  I tend to ask my dad first, as I know he prays a lot and I feel his prayers are answered quickly.  I also tend to ask the ladies in my prayer group because again, I feel their prayers are heard.  Many would go to a priest first.  We tend to go to the people that we think are “holier” than we are.  When someone needs a healing, they tend to want a priest to pray over them as they are very “holy.”  We want the best of the best as we know the stakes are high for some of our prayers.  What I felt the holy Spirit tell me when I began this verse is that is not how the Lord thinks.  Jesus did not come to earth and ask all the teachers, or the priests at the time to be his apostles.  He was not looking for the best and the brightest.  He came and called many who were considered foolish, outcasts, or weak to the rest of the world.  Some of us may feel we have a calling and then we start to think about all the ways we aren't good enough to answer that call.  We aren't smart enough, we aren't strong enough, we aren't old enough, we aren't young enough, we aren't holy enough and so on.  We list all the reasons why we can't do the thing that God is calling us to do.  Did you hear that last part, the thing God is calling you too.  Why do we question our call when God is the one doing the calling?  Don't we know He is smarter than we are?  If he says we are good enough, then we are good enough.  If He says we aren't too young, too old, to foolish, to sinful, then we aren't.  It's crazy how if you asked us if God was wiser than we were we would say yes without any hesitation.  Yet, when we question our worthiness of the call He has given us we are saying the exact opposite.  We are saying that He must be wrong and that we know better than He does.  When we start to question our calling and when we start to think of all the ways we are not enough, we should stop and think about all those that came before us.  Were they the smartest people around?  Were they the most holiest people around?  Were they the ones you would have chosen?  St. Catherine of Sienna is a doctor of the church and yet when she was a child she had great difficulty learning to read and did not learn to write until she was an adult.  There were plenty of religious leaders at the time that Jesus came and yet He did not call the religious leaders to be his disciples, he called every day normal people like you and me.  He also called people like Matthew, who was a tax collector.  That is not someone any of the other apostles would have chosen.  God knows what He is doing.  He has placed a call on each and every one of us and it is a call He chose specifically for us.  It is perfectly suited for our strengths and weaknesses.  He knows us better than we know ourselves.  Trust in Him and his ability to know you and what you can and can't do.Right at the beginning of writing this episode I felt like the Holy Spirit was telling me that this is a two way street.  He wants us to believe in our calling and also to believe in other's calling as well.  The same things I just said about your calling apply to others as well.  Trust in the Lord's ability to call others as well.  Sometimes we may see a priest at the pulpit and we might thing they don't seem the most qualified to be giving a sermon, or we see someone on the street talking about God and we might think they are not qualified to be talking about God.  We might see our loved one volunteering at a soup kitchen and think they aren't qualified, or a friend who wants to be in a healing ministry and yet you know they aren't qualified. My question to you is, “who are we to judge their qualifications?” God gave them the calling, not us.  Why do we think we know better than He does?  I felt like the Holy Spirit was telling us not to dismiss the answer to our prayers because it didn't come in the package we thought it would.  For instance, a young kid makes a profound comment and yet you blow it off because he is too young to know what he is talking about.  A person in the line at the grocery store asks to pray for you and you say no because how powerful could her prayers be anyway.  Someone offers to pray over you for healing and they are not a priest so you say no.  God did not come to use the best of the best.  Yes, those he used did become the best of the best, but that was only after they agreed to be used by God for whatever He called them too.  The power of prayer, the wisdom, the strength that we have, that all comes from God.  This is what the verse is trying to tell us when it says, “God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are,  so that no one might boast in the presence of God.”  God chose the ones that He chose because that way all would know that it was Him and not the person.  If someone that is not well educated, has not gone to fancy schools, has not studied theology and yet they can speak eloquently, wisely and authoritatively about the church and its teachings, that person can not boast in their own abilities as those abilities are through the power of God.  If you want a greater example of this go back into the Old Testament and read Judges 7 about Gideon and His army.  Gideon was severely outnumbered with his army of 30,000.  However, God had Him send almost everyone home and just had him keep 300 men.  He wanted to make sure the Isrealites knew it was God who was winning the war.  If we rely on our own strength, wisdom and power, we would claim all the glory, that is our fallen, broken, nature.  However, if we have no power, no strength and no ability, then we know it was all God who accomplished the impossible thing.  All the glory goes right to God where it rightfully belongs!  The next time you need help, remember to turn to God first.  Also remember that He can send help through anyone.  Don't judge the person or the way God decides to help you.  Remember that God can use anyone at anytime for anything.  They don't have to already know how to do the thing, they don't have to be full of natural wisdom or talent.  One of my favorite sayings I ever heard is, “God doesn't call the equipped, He equips the called.”  If you say yes then God will give you all you need to succeed.  The same is true for every person that He calls. When He calls you don't worry if you are enough, He will give you all you need to be enough.  Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today.  Lord, we know you are wiser than we are and stronger than we are.  Help us not to forget it!  Help us to lean into you and to trust that when you call us to something we don't have to be afraid to say yes because you will be right there with us giving us all we need to succeed.  Lord, help us to look at others in the same way.  Help us to not judge others or to question their call.  We love you Lord, you are amazing.  I am seeing so many answered prayers around me and I am so grateful!! We ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus' holy name, Amen!Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus.  If you would like to purchase an autographed copy of my book there are still some available on my website.  I want to thank you all for your support and ask if you wouldn't mind sharing my podcast or my book with just one person over the next week.  It would really help me out.  I look forward to meeting you here again tomorrow.  Remember, Jesus loves you, and so do I!  Have a blessed day!

The Isrealites go successfully into battle God uses Israel's past mistakes for glory The Israelites are allowed to gain from the spoils of war (why this is important reagarding Achan)  Jenn sings a short song and provides encouragement for the weekend   Also check out these websites:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hnh-aqfg8rw Website - https://www.p40ministries.com Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/p40ministries  Contact - jenn@p40ministries.com  Books - https://www.amazon.com/Jenn-Kokal/e/B095JCRNHY/ref=aufs_dp_fta_dsk  Merch Store - https://www.p40ministries.com/shop 

In reflection of building Mosaic for the past 30 years, Mosaic Lead Pastor Erwin McManus dives into the core mission we have as a community of faith as we look forward to the next 30 years -- to continually step into the unknown as we discover the new that God has for us. Pastor Erwin builds his message on a scripture in Isaiah 43 where God compels the Isrealites to stop dwelling on what happened in the past and instead look forward to perceive the new thing that God was up to. He reminds us that often we think we want the new but in reality, embracing the new means everything we know will be shaken up. When Pastor Erwin and Kim moved to Los Angeles 30 years ago to build Mosaic, they left all uncertainty to follow a vision they had for a new kind of church in LA -- one that was built for those who have yet to know Jesus for themselves. Often we look to God to give us all of the steps when we ask for the new. But Pastor Erwin reminds us that God brings us into the new by asking us to embrace the unknown. He gives us the 'why' but not always the 'how.' As God transforms us from the inside out, we become new and bring that to the world around us. Are you ready to embrace the new thing God wants to do in your life? Don't miss this powerful new message in celebration of Mosaic's 30th anniversary!

Dissecting Deuteronomy and Joshua in this episode. Sharing what we learned, what confuses us, and what we find relatable. While the stories from the Old Testament seem so old, the more consistently we are in the Word, we are finding it relatable and are seeing God at work in the lives of the Isrealites. This podcast is brought to you by Lutheran Counseling Services in Winter Park, FL. @lutherancounselingservicesfl lcsfl.com @itsoktonotbeokpodcast

Moses speaks to the Isrealites one last time before his death A comparison of the blessings of Israel from Genesis 49 Moses' last words - why they were so important   Here's more good stuff for you:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hnh-aqfg8rw Website - https://www.p40ministries.com Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/p40ministries  Contact - jenn@p40ministries.com  Books - https://www.amazon.com/Jenn-Kokal/e/B095JCRNHY/ref=aufs_dp_fta_dsk  Merch Store - https://www.p40ministries.com/shop 

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26 The book of Numbers is chalked full of well, numbers, and a lot of laws. But it is also full of grace filled messages like this blessings. It can be easy to get caught up in all the law and death and almost harshness of God in this book but there is also a lot of love, grace and preparation for what the future holds for the Isrealites. Join in on the conversation as we continue to chat about our thoughts on our journey through Scipture focusing on the book of Numbers in this episode. This podcast is brought to you by Lutheran Counseling Services in Winter Park, FL. @itsoktonotbeokpodcast @lutherancounselingservicesfl lcsfl.com

Joshua chapters 2-6 mark a significant moment in Israelite history. They cross theJordan river into the promised land, and begin to take ownership of it. Some of the heroes along the way are the ones the readers would expect and others are some of the least likely characters in all of the Bible. Rahab, through her brief in the God of the Isrealites, stands as a pillar of faith, not just in her time, but through Hebrews 11 for all time. God is always moving on your behalf, just as he was in Joshua, Rahab, and the Isrealite's day

In this installment of the spiritual fire in fellowship series ORRA interviews Chaabar a man of the Most High from the BOCC who has an intruiging testimony on how he came to the faith in the Most High in Christ. From being born and raised into a Hebrew Isrealite family to going thru trials and tribulations in the streets of Brooklyn and having life changing experinces as a man on a journey to the everlasting truth of the Most High.

In this installment of the spiritual fire in fellowship series ORRA interviews Chaabar a man of the Most High from the BOCC who has an intruiging testimony on how he came to the faith in the Most High in Christ. From being born and raised into a Hebrew Isrealite family to going thru trials and tribulations in the streets of Brooklyn and having life changing experinces as a man on a journey to the everlasting truth of the Most High.

ORRA has an in-depth interview with Bam Lazarus Co-Founder of Nation of Kings and Priests (NOKAP). A man of The Most High building the foundation to a congregation in Tampa Florida. for more info: Website: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbrMlRhoQMqDDvueyM5qqwQFacebook link:https://www.facebook.com/KingBam360Instagram link:https://www.instagram.com/bamogram/Youtube link:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbrMlRhoQMqDDvueyM5qqwQ

In this edition of the Spiritual Fire in Fellowship Series ORRA interviews Dawad a man of the Most High who came from humble beginnings to build a good fruitful life thru the grace of the Most High in Christ.

ORRA has an in-depth interview with Ritchie Baez aka Lahmad a NYPD officer for over 20 years and part of "The Chosen 12" from the documentary film "Crime + Punishment". Lahmad breaks down the internal and external corruption in the NYPD.

- Moses continues his historical account of the first generation of Isrealites. - Why the great rebellion happened. - Jenn discusses fear and why it can definitely be a problem in our lives.    Contact Jenn: jenn@p40ministries.com  Join P40 Ministries on Facebook: www.facebook.com/p40ministries Check out the YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juuZIbmVuLo 

Through the Isrealites' example, we'll discover how to overcome our fears and choose faith instead.