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17 episodes with it's biblical
9 episodes with it's biblical
4 episodes with it's biblical
2 episodes with it's biblical
On Culture Friday, free speech wins in Finland while life loses in the UK; new installments in the Hunger Games and Trolls movie franchises fail to inspire; and a classic Advent resource for families who enjoy reading stories aloud together. Plus, Word Play with George Grant and the Friday morning newsSupport The World and Everything in It today at wng.org/donate.Additional support comes from Covenant College, pursuing knowledge transformed by faith with a Christ-centered community that equips students for their callings and careers. More at covenant.edu/WORLDFrom Samaritan Ministries. It's Biblical, affordable health care sharing with no network restrictions. More at: samaritanministries.org/worldpodcastAnd from Ambassadors Impact Network. Helping entrepreneurs with a purpose find the support they need to thrive with faith-aligned financing options. More at ambassadorsimpact.com
State laws protecting children from transgender procedures face legal challenges that might end up at the Supreme Court; the nine justices of the Supreme Court release a code of ethics that fails to please critics; and special needs sports. Plus, popular pet names, commentary from Cal Thomas, and the Thursday morning newsSupport The World and Everything in It today at wng.org/donate.Additional support comes from Ambassadors Impact Network. Helping entrepreneurs with a purpose find the support they need to thrive with faith-aligned financing options. More at ambassadorsimpact.comFrom Covenant College, pursuing knowledge transformed by faith with a Christ-centered community that equips students for their callings and careers. More at covenant.edu/WORLDAnd from Samaritan Ministries. It's Biblical, affordable health care sharing with no network restrictions. More at: samaritanministries.org/worldpodcast
On Washington Wednesday, funding the government ahead of Friday's deadline; on World Tour, news from Somalia, South Africa, Europe, Honduras, and India; and a community gathering aimed at building cross-cultural friendships in a town that used to practice redlining. Plus, croc bites man and man bites back, commentary from William Inboden, and the Wednesday morning newsSupport The World and Everything in It today at wng.org/donate. Additional support comes from Samaritan Ministries. It's Biblical, affordable health care sharing with no network restrictions. More at: samaritanministries.org/worldpodcastFrom Ambassadors Impact Network. Helping entrepreneurs with a purpose find the support they need to thrive with faith-aligned financing options. More at ambassadorsimpact.comAnd from Covenant College, pursuing knowledge transformed by faith with a Christ-centered community that equips students for their callings and careers. More at covenant.edu/WORLD
Israeli forces move forward with fighting Hamas forces in Gaza City; the risks of recreational marijuana outweigh the benefits in Ohio; and a pastor in Washington reflects calls for leading with clarity on Biblical sexuality. Plus, losing a toolbag in space, commentary from Hunter Baker, and the Tuesday morning newsSupport The World and Everything in It today at wng.org/donate.Additional support comes from Covenant College, pursuing knowledge transformed by faith with a Christ-centered community that equips students for their callings and careers. More at covenant.edu/WORLDFrom Samaritan Ministries. It's Biblical, affordable health care sharing with no network restrictions. More at: samaritanministries.org/worldpodcastAnd from Ambassadors Impact Network. Helping entrepreneurs with a purpose find the support they need to thrive with faith-aligned financing options. More at ambassadorsimpact.com
On Legal Docket, due process when police seize vehicles in drug raids; on Moneybeat, America's creditworthiness and oil prices; and on the World History Book, Jim Jones' cult followers in Jonestown commit mass suicide 45 years ago. Plus, the Monday morning newsSupport The World and Everything in It today at wng.org/donate.Additional support comes from Ambassadors Impact Network. Helping entrepreneurs with a purpose find the support they need to thrive with faith-aligned financing options. More at ambassadorsimpact.comFrom Covenant College, pursuing knowledge transformed by faith with a Christ-centered community that equips students for their callings and careers. More at covenant.edu/WORLDAnd from Samaritan Ministries. It's Biblical, affordable health care sharing with no network restrictions. More at: samaritanministries.org/worldpodcast
Join Jeremy and Cam as they discuss the biblical connection and relation to "Israel" of the Bible and the current Nation of Israel.
TyGreen --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aei-leon/message
As we often say, there are only four things you can do with money: Live, Give, Owe, Grow. Dessert lovers can picture this as a pie. Do you remember when you were a kid and your sibling took a bigger piece of a pie? The same thing happens with money. When one area of money allocation takes a bigger slice, another area must shrink. Now, most often the world makes money decisions or “cuts up their pie” in this order: Live, owe, grow, give. God's order is different. Have you noticed that His ways tend to be the opposite of the world's ways in every area of our lives? His Word even tells us this. Isaiah 55:8 reads, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.”God's order for money decisions is: give, grow, owe, live. HOW IS GIVING DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHER THREE MONEY DECISIONS?Even though when we talk about finances, giving is expressed as an amount, giving is actually an indicator of the heart. Giving breaks the power of money in our lives. But it can become legalistic if the focus is on the amount and not on the attitude.So let's talk about the heart.The purpose of wealth is giving. 2 Corinthians 9:8 tells us that God is able to bless you abundantly SO THAT you can be generous and share with others. The whole purpose of our wealth is to be generous and share. Next, we need to understand the purpose of the tithe. There are four things that the tithe does. Deuteronomy 14:23 tells us, Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and olive oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the LORD your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name, so that you may learn to revere the LORD your God always.Tithing also helps us to discipline ourselves to put God first and give Him our best. Thirdly, tithing can be a meaningful guideline to help us as we make decisions on our giving. And then finally, tithing gives a roadmap or a pathway on how to give so that you may learn to revere the LORD your God always. HOW DOES GIVING RELATE TO OTHER USES OF MONEY? Let's talk about those four things you can do with money. We'll start with “Live.”LIVE: First of all, lifestyle decisions can actually hinder your giving when you have a lack of margin, time, and money. Those are your two greatest barriers to giving.And here's a practical tip: Take the big three assessment at FaithFi.com/live to determine whether your living expenses might be limiting your giving opportunities.OWE: We know that the Bible tells us the borrower is slave to the lender. Proverbs 22:7 tells us that when you're over-committed to debt, your hands are tied in giving decisions. So your money has to go to the lender instead of the option of giving to others.GROW: You might wonder how your saving can hinder your giving. Well, first of all, saving is important. It's Biblical, but … are you relying on your savings more than God? Are there times when He might call you to actually give from your savings? So the bottom line is, the order matters. Give first, whatever is left until the last is going to receive the leftovers. And if you leave giving to last, it gets leftovers and we certainly don't want to do that. On today's program, Rob also answers listener questions: How should you balance investing with paying down your mortgage? What is the best way to save and invest for a child's future? When does it make sense to take a pension in a lump sum? How can you choose the right financial advisor for you? When does it make sense to cash out a life insurance policy to cover expenses? RESOURCES MENTIONED:Sound Mind Investing Remember, you can call in to ask your questions most days at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on the Moody Radio Network as well as American Family Radio. Visit our website at FaithFi.comwhere you can join the FaithFi Community, and give as we expand our outreach.
TONIGHT:-TRUMP ARREST IMMINENT -DIGITAL GOLD COINS AND GOLD BACKED CRYPTO ON DECK -MICHAEL YON AND OPERATION BURNING EDGE - A SOUTHERN BORDER EXPEDTION-MELISSA REDPILL THE WORLD ON RFK JR AND HIS CONCERN THAT THE COVID 19 BIOWEAPON WAS DESIGINED TO ATTACK CAUCASIANS AND BLACKS. SPECIAL GUESTS:MICHAEL YON https://givesendgo.com/burningedgeMELISSA REDPILL THE WORLD https://freedomforce.livePlease consider supporting Operation Burning Edge: https://givesendgo.com/burningedgeOPERATION BURNING EDGE:Famed war correspondent, Michael Yon, and I are organizing a Southern border Expedition from Texas to California for the month of August. We have the top of the line gear and security for this entire trip filled with migrant encounters, helicopters, fixed wing aircraft, Law Enforcement, Customs and Border Patrol, Congressman and more who all want to learn from the intel gathering we will be doing in the field. Live reporting daily from the field with the latest on the invasion and who is behind it along with who is REALLY TRYING to stop it.HELP US COVER THE INVASION:- Top of the line Military Grade Communications, Gear, and Accommodations - Military Grade Communications Gear for ground-to-ground, ground-to-air, and satellite comms.- Starlink for broadband communications and broadcasting- Various sensors, including $500,000 cooled thermal camera attached to an $80,000 fifty-foot mast.- Image intensifiers, handheld thermal scanners, high quality low-light optics including the most modern optics platforms.- IR spotlights & detectors- Helicopter coverage- Multiple aviation options including helicopters and various fixed wing aircraft allowing for video capture and real-time thermal imaging.- Advanced drone technology with FAA certified Drone pilots.- Advanced audio and video equipment for discreet and overt audio/video capture - Multiple vehicles, RVs, and staff with military trained securityFollow Michael & Ann on Twitterhttps://twitter.com/Michael_Yonhttps://twitter.com/annvandersteelLIVE: BRIGHTEON.TV 8PM ETSPONSORED BY:SATELLITE PHONE STOREhttps://ANN123.comGOLDCO – get $10,000 of FREE SILVER when you open a GoldCo IRAhttps://Goldco.com/rightnowLIGHTS OUT BEEFhttps://LightsOutBeef.comLIBERAL TEARS COFFEE COMPANYhttps://liberaltearscoffeeco.comALIAS IDhttps://AliasID.comGLOBALTEK MD for all Telemedicine Needshttps://globaltekmd.com/STREAMING 9PM ETRUMBLE https://Rumble.com/c/AnnVandersteelGETTR https://gettr.com/user/annvandersteelCLOUTHUB https://clouthub.com/c/gyFG3mMSFACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/ann.vandersteelYOURNEWS.COM https://yournews.com/area/videos/TWITTER https://twitter.com/annvandersteelEMAILRightNowAnn@protonmail.comSNAIL MAILAnn Vandersteel℅ P.O. BOX 386Palm City, Florida [34991]SPONSORS:https://ANN123.com [Satellite phones, backup power supply, faraday go dark bags & more]https://lightsoutbeef.comhttps://ann123.com Satellite Phone Storehttps://AliasID.com Promo Code AVhttps://zstacklife.com Promo FOUNDATIONhttps://www.mypillow.com/ Promo AVhttps://www.ftwproject.com/ref/470/Transform the harmful wireless fields from; cell towers, smart meters, smartphones, internet router and your television, into more beneficial energy for you and your plants and petsBECOME A CITIZEN JOURNALISThttps://yournews.com/become-a-yournews-citizen-journalist/FOLLOW & SUBSCRIBE:https://twitter.com/annvandersteelhttps://truthsocial.com/@annvandersteelhttps://gettr.com/i/annvandersteelhttps://t.me/AnnVandersteelTruthhttps://annvandersteel.locals.comhttps://app.clouthub.com/#/users/u/AnnVandersteel/postshttps://gab.com/AnnVandersteelhttps://facebook.com/annvandersteelFAIR USE NOTICE These pages may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, such material has been referenced to advance understanding of political, human rights, ecological, economic, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues. This constitutes a "fair use" of any such material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law.Show less7 Comments
Pastor Tenola Oliver, MBA Performance & Intimacy Coach sermons and comedic podcasts
Behavior Scientist responds to a biblical reference concerning the necessity of being baptized. To this day I believe one of my mentors left his denomination because of my convictions concerning the necessity of being baptized for salvation. To order the book "OUTLIERS" A Lived Research Case Study on Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson https://checkout.square.site/merchant/E1N5EN2C7A7WV/checkout/KVDYKXE5OB2LOVOYAZNLPEQT To Book Tenola Oliver, MBA tenola.oliver@electleadershipacademy@gmail.com To order from the Bakery: www.TheCandyShoppe.Club To sow a seed into research & Development $SaltRoom Five Day Budget Intensive workshop to register: https://checkout.square.site/merchant/E1N5EN2C7A7WV/checkout/KSLUGZSB6HK2NYADSQNFBLTN --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tenola-oliver/message
Kirk Martin is joining us again today, as we look specifically at how to stop defiance, disrespect and meltdowns without yelling or ruining your relationship with your child. This is a really practical discussion that you don't want to miss. Meet The Guest:Kirk is the founder of Celebrate CALM and the host of the Calm Parenting Podcast. Through the years, he has shown almost 1,000,000 parents how to stop the yelling, defiance, and power struggles with the most strong-willed children. He's known for very practical strategies and scripts delivered with humor and compassion and helping parents learn how to get your kids to listen the first time while building a close, trusting relationship. Kirk will be joining us at our homeschool conference in Pigeon Forge, TN May 4-6. Secure your ticket HERE to see Kirk Martin in Pigeon Forge.Podcast Sponsor:Today's episode is brought to you by Samaritan Ministries. Samaritan Ministries connects hundreds of thousands of Christians across the nation who care for one another spiritually and financially when a medical need arises. As a member, you choose the doctors, treatments, and hospitals that are right for your family. Afterwards, your medical bills are sent to Samaritan Ministries, and they notify members to pray for you and send money directly to you to help you pay those bills. It's Biblical, affordable, and you can join today. When the Body of Christ comes together to pray, encourage, and provide for one another, burdens are lifted, and God is glorified. This applies to all areas of life, including health care. Learn more at teachthemdiligently.net/samaritanministries. Topics Covered in This Episode:1) What is the root of much of the defiance parents experience with more strong-willed children (i.e. anxiety, frustration, broken relationships, attachment issues)? 2) How can you turn defiance into a bonding opportunity with your child? 3) Can you give examples of how "motion changes emotion" can be used to help calm a child when melting down? 4) Why does using intensity often calm an upset child who is already intense?
Kirk Martin is joining us again today, as we look specifically at how to stop defiance, disrespect and meltdowns without yelling or ruining your relationship with your child. This is a really practical discussion that you don't want to miss. Kirk is the founder of Celebrate CALM and the host of the Calm Parenting Podcast. Through the years, he has shown almost 1,000,000 parents how to stop the yelling, defiance, and power struggles with the most strong-willed children. He's known for very practical strategies and scripts delivered with humor and compassion and helping parents learn how to get your kids to listen the first time while building a close, trusting relationship. Kirk will be joining us at our homeschool conference in Pigeon Forge, TN May 4-6, and I hope you're making your plans to join us there as well. If you do, you'll find not only incredibly helpful homeschool helps and information, but even more importantly, you'll be able to take advantage of a lot of teaching about parenting, marriage, discipleship, and more—because we know that homeschooling is a LOT more than just an academic pursuit! Learn more about our upcoming event, including pre-conference opportunities specifically for those who are new to homeschooling or homeschooling high school at teachthemdiligently.net/events. Today's episode is brought to you by Samaritan Ministries. Samaritan Ministries connects hundreds of thousands of Christians across the nation who care for one another spiritually and financially when a medical need arises. As a member, you choose the doctors, treatments, and hospitals that are right for your family. Afterwards, your medical bills are sent to Samaritan Ministries, and they notify members to pray for you and send money directly to you to help you pay those bills. It's Biblical, affordable, and you can join today. When the Body of Christ comes together to pray, encourage, and provide for one another, burdens are lifted, and God is glorified. This applies to all areas of life, including health care. Learn more at teachthemdiligently.net/samaritanministries. Topics Included In Today's Podcast: 1) What is the root of much of the defiance parents experience with more strong-willed children (i.e. anxiety, frustration, broken relationships, attachment issues)? 2) How can you turn defiance into a bonding opportunity with your child? 3) Can you give examples of how "motion changes emotion" can be used to help calm a child when melting down? 4) Why does using intensity often calm an upset child who is already intense? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On this episode, Tyler Peters and Melisa Ferreira talk about how important Unity in the Body of Christ is. It's Biblical and it is important that all Christian's follow this Biblical teaching. Join us and make an impact in the Body of Christ by pursuing unity among the people of God.
Today Nathan and Andrea dig into one of the most insidious killers of marriage and relationship to ever plague mankind - unforgiveness. But today they talk not about an individual's own unforgiveness, but rather the way that unforgiveness can be picked up by those around us and carried for generations - even after the original people have long since forgiven each other! It's Biblical! Let's get into that! Marriage By Design is a channel dedicated to digging into God's design for marriage and family - as well as talking practically live that out in our marriages and families. Our goal is to leave you encouraged that you CAN do marriage and family by God's design and to give you HOPE that God IS FOR YOUR MARRIAGE AND YOUR FAMILY!!! Want to respond? Holler at us at any of the social spots below! Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / YouTube Want to support us financially? Click below!
Art. It's Biblical. From the inspired people tapped to create and construct the Tabernacle to so many other references to art, and the countless examples of the Bible inspiring art. Did you ever wonder how one overlays the Bible, to living in the Land of Israel, and working as an artist? Ronnit Barzel, Nicole Friedman, and Yael Harris Resnick share their truly inspiring and inspired insights overlaying spirituality to their trade, and as judges for the WhatIsraelMeanstoMe.com art contest. Connect with the Genesis 123 Foundation at www.Genesis123.co FB - www.facebook.com/Genesis123Foundation Twitter - @Genesis123F IG - Genesis_123_Foundation Find out how you can be part of Run for Zion and bless Israel with every step at www.RunforZion.com. Connect with Ronnit, Nikki, and Yael Art with Neshama, www.artwithneshama.com Nicole Friedman Studio, www.etsy.com/shop/nicolefriedmanstudio Yael Harris Resnick, www.yaelharrisresnick.com
Do you know your Word for 2023? It's not too late to ask God for one! In today's episode, you'll hear: 1. Why I find having a God-given Word for the Year so helpful 2. How I had fun making my first ever vision board 3. What Intuitive Eating and a vision board have in common 4. What my Word for 2023 (and 2022) is and how I'm practically making plans to going about my goals 5. How making a vision board doesn't have to be "woo woo" but actually can be seen as a Biblical practice Past episodes mentioned: Caroline Foster episode on handling success with humility: Listen here My solo episode all about what I've learned about Sabbath. Listen here Connect with Nyla: Website IG Nyla's Christian Business Podcast "Her Holy Hustle"
On Culture Friday, what can be expected for those who hold to a traditional view of marriage now that President Biden signed the “Respect for Marriage Act” into law; Collin Garbarino reviews James Cameron's Avatar sequel; and on Word Play George Grant dives into the meaning behind a well-loved Christmas carol. Plus: the music of Advent, and the Friday morning news. Support The World and Everything in It today at wng.org/donate. Additional support comes from the Missions on Point podcast, 15 minutes every Friday, providing practical, biblical insights for your world missions ministry through your local church, available wherever you get your podcasts From Samaritan Ministries. It's Biblical, affordable health care sharing with no network restrictions. More at samaritanministries.org/worldpodcast And from Children's Hunger Fund—delivering food and the hope of the gospel to children in need around the world. Learn more at ChildrensHungerFund.org.Nearly 80 million meals distributed.Just 25¢ can provide a meal for a hungry child.Serving in 30 countries, including the US.Since 1991, Children's Hunger Fund (CHF) has come alongside the local church in 30 countries, including the US, to deliver food, aid, and the hope of the gospel. To date, 96% of total contributions—over 1 billion dollars in food and other aid—have been distributed through programs serving more than 20 million children across America and around the world. CHF has consistently received a four-star rating from Charity Navigator. CHF has distribution centers in San Antonio, Frisco, and their Los Angeles headquarters.
A new initiative in New York City seeks to provide mental healthcare to the city's homeless population; a pro-life OBGYN addresses some common myths about pregnancy and abortion; and how Mississippi's state auditor has been preparing for the role for a long time. Plus: Mr. Grinch, commentary from Cal Thomas, and the Thursday morning news. Support The World and Everything in It today at wng.org/donate. Additional support comes from the Missions on Point podcast, 15 minutes every Friday, providing practical, biblical insights for your world missions ministry through your local church, available wherever you get your podcasts And from Samaritan Ministries. It's Biblical, affordable health care sharing with no network restrictions. More at samaritanministries.org/worldpodcastNearly 80 million meals distributed.Just 25¢ can provide a meal for a hungry child.Serving in 30 countries, including the US.Since 1991, Children's Hunger Fund (CHF) has come alongside the local church in 30 countries, including the US, to deliver food, aid, and the hope of the gospel. To date, 96% of total contributions—over 1 billion dollars in food and other aid—have been distributed through programs serving more than 20 million children across America and around the world. CHF has consistently received a four-star rating from Charity Navigator. CHF has distribution centers in San Antonio, Frisco, and their Los Angeles headquarters.
On Washington Wednesday the potential impact of Kyrsten Sinema's decision to leave the Democratic Party; the latest international news on World Tour; and how the tradition of decorating Christmas trees with ornaments got its start. Plus: a sound from space, commentary from Joel Belz, and the Wednesday morning news. Support The World and Everything in It today at wng.org/donate. Additional support comes from Samaritan Ministries. It's Biblical, affordable health care sharing with no network restrictions. More at samaritanministries.org/worldpodcastAnd from the Missions on Point podcast, 15 minutes every Friday, providing practical, biblical insights for your world missions ministry through your local church, available wherever you get your podcastsNearly 80 million meals distributed.Just 25¢ can provide a meal for a hungry child.Serving in 30 countries, including the US.Since 1991, Children's Hunger Fund (CHF) has come alongside the local church in 30 countries, including the US, to deliver food, aid, and the hope of the gospel. To date, 96% of total contributions—over 1 billion dollars in food and other aid—have been distributed through programs serving more than 20 million children across America and around the world. CHF has consistently received a four-star rating from Charity Navigator.
Community members in a small Idaho town are trying to bring healing after an unknown assailant killed four university students, how a growing alliance between Russia and Iran might impact the war in Ukraine, and the rise in family-friendly streaming services. Plus: permission for a pet, commentary from Steve West, and the Tuesday morning news. Support The World and Everything in It today at wng.org/donate. Additional support comes from the Missions on Point podcast, 15 minutes every Friday, providing practical, biblical insights for your world missions ministry through your local church, available wherever you get your podcasts And from Samaritan Ministries. It's Biblical, affordable health care sharing with no network restrictions. More at samaritanministries.org/worldpodcast Nearly 80 million meals distributed.Just 25¢ can provide a meal for a hungry child.Serving in 30 countries, including the US.Since 1991, Children's Hunger Fund (CHF) has come alongside the local church in 30 countries, including the US, to deliver food, aid, and the hope of the gospel. To date, 96% of total contributions—over 1 billion dollars in food and other aid—have been distributed through programs serving more than 20 million children across America and around the world. CHF has consistently received a four-star rating from Charity Navigator. CHF has distribution centers in San Antonio, Frisco, and their Los Angeles headquarters.
On Legal Docket, a First Amendment fight over the right not to speak, on Moneybeat, listener questions about inflation, debt, real estate, and the Twitter take-over, and on History Book, a notable speech from President Ronald Reagan. Plus: the Monday morning news. Support The World and Everything in It today at wng.org/donate. Additional support comes from the Missions on Point podcast, 15 minutes every Friday, providing practical, biblical insights for your world missions ministry through your local church, available wherever you get your podcasts And from Samaritan Ministries. It's Biblical, affordable health care sharing with no network restrictions. More at samaritanministries.org/worldpodcastNearly 80 million meals distributed.Just 25¢ can provide a meal for a hungry child.Serving in 30 countries, including the US.Since 1991, Children's Hunger Fund (CHF) has come alongside the local church in 30 countries, including the US, to deliver food, aid, and the hope of the gospel. To date, 96% of total contributions—over 1 billion dollars in food and other aid—have been distributed through programs serving more than 20 million children across America and around the world. CHF has consistently received a four-star rating from Charity Navigator. CHF has distribution centers in San Antonio, Frisco, and their Los Angeles headquarters.
Patriots Perspective - Today’s News Behind the Government’s Facade
Sheila Holm-Daughter & Author of The One and Only Father, Satan's Worst Nightmare Meet The Lady Without an Identity, With ONLY the Father's Will, She's Been Meeting Kings, Queens, Princes - All On Divine Appointments and His Dime. Meet Satan's Worst Nightmare as She Authored the For The Sake of America Book Series Where He's (Point Up) Exposed The Demonic Agenda One Truth At a Time! Ladies & Gentleman, Turn Off Your Distractions and Hang on to Every Word of this broadcast with Sheila Holm. Sheila's Books: https://amzn.to/3UQy7Ll Sheila's Website: https://hisbest.org Hair Regrowth Treatment: https://amzn.to/3rbP8lP Hair Regrowth System: https://amzn.to/3y08AFQ Avoid Censored News - Subscribe to US News Behind The Facade: https://patriotsperspective.com Donate To Help Fund Truthful Journalism Support Directly - https://patriotsperspective.com/support-independent-journalists-researchers/ Buy Me A Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/newsbehindtruth Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/patriotsperspective PayPal: https://paypal.me/patriotsperspective or @PatriotsPerspective Mail To: Patriots Perspective - 150 SE 25th RD 12-K Miami FL 33129 Listen to our Podcasts for Free: https://patriotsperspective.com/podcast Follow Patriots Perspective Blog: https://patriotsperspective.com FOLLOW US AND WATCH ON: Website: https://PatriotsPerspective Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-1445051Telegram: https://t.me/patriotsperspectiveFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/PatriotsPerspective/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patriotsperspectivenews/Bitchute: https://www.bitchute.com/channel/patriotsperspective/ Truth Social: https://truthsocial.com/@patriotsperspective YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/PatriotsPerspective Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@patriotsperspective2 Banned Video: Hello Alex Jones! We can't upload - do you know how? Gab: Gettr: https://gettr.com/user/patriotnew Twitter: https://twitter.com/newsbehindtruth Parler: SafeChat: BrighteonTV: https://www.brighteon.com/channels/patriotsperspective PODCAST: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/patriots-perspective-todays-news-behind-the/id1629136116 Podbean: https://patriotsperspectivenews.podbean.com/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0x9njQQSIF7HRQIlRk615o iHeart: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/338-patriots-perspective-today-98175893/ Contact Pamela re: Food Mentioned: MIAMIFREEDOMFOOD.com
Crypto Assets are the future! Start your journey today! https://www.mydigitalmoney.com Investigative journalist and author William Ramsey returns to SGT Report to talk about the child murdering death cult which includes the big pharma vaxxers AND the pizzagate/pedogate cabals which are responsible for abominations and crimes against children going back centuries. WATCH this one HERE: https://rumble.com/v1obwyu-its-biblical-child-murdering-death-cult-william-ramsey.html Find William Ramsey's work here: https://www.williamramseyinvestigates.com/
Self-care is not selfish it's biblical! - Part One Abundant health (mind, body & Spirit) is part of God's plan required for you to reach your greatest potential. The enemy (self, society, satan) wants you to believe that caring for yourself is somehow selfish. That your "too busy" That your to-do list is the priority. "but I HAVE to get this done... or else..." That serving others in family, community and business is the badge of honor... WRONG! YES those are great things, YES keep rockin your servant's heart and leaving your mark for God's glory... AND ALSO, consider God's truths... When you are not prioritizing your health (mind, body and spirit). You are not able to BE at your best and therefore you can not experience or GIVE the best He's planned for you. (You might be thinking, I know this... then sis, why aren't you living it? What is keeping you from taking the daily actions that reflect it as a truth in your life?) Let's; -Look at God's word for the truth about prioritizing self care -Talk about practical strategies to work self care habits into a busy schedule -Discuss your challenges and how to over come them I would love to connect with you click here to join us in our private Facebook community Healthy Living and Weight Loss for Christian Women Entrepreneurs
A brand new homeschool year is upon us, and now is a great time to start implementing some new discipleship and parenting strategies that will help you make the most of every opportunity you're given this year. Learn practical ways and helpful ideas for teaching your children diligently, both from a discipleship and academic perspective as David and Leslie Nunnery explore teamwork in homeschooling. As the parents of four children, three of whom have already graduated, David and Leslie have seen God work in their lives and their children's lives through the years as they have sought His face in their parenting, discipleship, and homeschooling endeavors. Today, they'll share several of the things they have learned with you in hopes that their ideas will prompt a whole bunch of your own! This episode was previously recorded and pulled from the podcast vault. We trust it will be a great help and encouragement to you . Podcast Sponsor: Samaritan Ministries As parents we know how quickly a medical need can arise. That's where Samaritan Ministries comes in, connecting Christians across the nation who help pay one another's medical bills. There are no networks. You choose the health care providers that best meet your needs. Medical bills are sent to Samaritan Ministries, and they notify members to pray and send money directly to you to help pay those bills. It's Biblical, affordable, and you can join today. Click here to learn more. Additional Resources: Pick up a copy of the Teach Them Diligently Book. Teach Them Diligently: Raising Children of Promise is a solution-focused, easy-to-read guide that is parent-centric and sets out to make the point that Christian discipleship—as commanded in the Great Commission—starts in the home. Enroll In Heart School. Heart School is the premier class offered by Teach Them Diligently. In it, Leslie will walk you through how to homeschool for the heart, and you'll see the countless ways that will benefit your children. Join Teach Them Diligently 365 is the world's largest, perpetually-running online homeschool convention, and it brings all the amazing workshops and a touch of the fellowship and camaraderie of Teach Them Diligently events straight to your home all year long. The more well-equipped you are each and every day, the easier it will be to stay on mission and have more good days than frustrating and discouraging ones. Attend a Teach Them Diligently Event to find a refined vision of your own mission as a homeschooling family. You will also get equipped and encouraged to pursue that mission with more passion and confidence. It could make all the difference in the world in your resolve to stay the course. Family Devotions and Discipleship Guide. We are all called to teach our children diligently and help them learn to love the Lord their God with all their hearts, souls, and minds. Many of us just aren't quite sure where or how to start, though, so we wanted to share this reading plan that our family used when our children were younger to help give some structure to your family devotions times.
On today's podcast, we are joined by a Teach Them Diligently favorite! Todd Wilson of The Familyman Ministries is a favorite among moms and dads every time he joins us! With a heart for family and homeschooling, Todd brings the fun where ever he goes! He has a heart for encouraging parents as they cultivate long-lasting and deep relationships with with their kids! We KNOW you will be encouraged by today's episode! Meet the Guest:Todd Wilson, is a dad, grand-dad, writer, conference speaker, and former pastor. Todd's humor and down to earth realness have made him a favorite speaker at homeschool conventions, retreats, and churches across the country. He is also the founder of Familyman Ministries. Today's episode is brought to you by Samaritan Ministries. As parents we know how quickly a medical need can arise. That's where Samaritan Ministries comes in, connecting Christians across the nation who help pay one another's medical bills. There are no networks. You choose the health care providers that best meet your needs. Medical bills are sent to Samaritan Ministries, and they notify members to pray and send money directly to you to help pay those bills. It's Biblical, affordable, and you can join today. Learn more at SamaritanMinistries.org/TeachThemDiligently. Additional Resources: Find more from Todd Wilson at The FamilyMan and The Smiling Homeschooler.
Exhausted by a week of testimony in the trial over Terri's feeding tube, Michael and the Schindlers wait for a verdict. But the fight isn't over yet.Lawless is made possible by listeners like you. Additional support comes from Samaritan Ministries, a community of Christians who, through prayer, encouragement, and financial support, care for one another when there's a medical need. It's Biblical, affordable health care sharing with no network restrictions, and new members are welcome anytime of the year. More at samaritanministries.org/worldpodcast.
For a week, both sides present witnesses, evidence, and expert testimony in the trial over Terri's feeding tube. Michael and the Schindlers are exhausted, but the fight isn't over yet. Judge Greer's ruling kicks off a new era of legal moves and countermoves, and sets the Schiavo case on a path to the highest levels of American government.Lawless is made possible by listeners like you. Additional support comes from Samaritan Ministries, a community of Christians who, through prayer, encouragement, and financial support, care for one another when there's a medical need. It's Biblical, affordable health care sharing with no network restrictions, and new members are welcome anytime of the year. More at samaritanministries.org/worldpodcast.
In January of 2000, Michael and the Schindlers head to court. At the center of the fight: Terri's wishes. Did she want to live or did she want to die? And before her 1990 brain injury, had she made those wishes known?Lawless is made possible by listeners like you. Additional support comes from Samaritan Ministries, a community of Christians who, through prayer, encouragement, and financial support, care for one another when there's a medical need. It's Biblical, affordable health care sharing with no network restrictions, and new members are welcome anytime of the year. More at samaritanministries.org/worldpodcast.
In January of 2000, Michael and the Schindlers head to court. At the center of the fight: Terri's wishes. Did she want to live or did she want to die? And before her 1990 brain injury, had she made those wishes known?Lawless is made possible by listeners like you. Additional support comes from Samaritan Ministries, a community of Christians who, through prayer, encouragement, and financial support, care for one another when there's a medical need. It's Biblical, affordable health care sharing with no network restrictions, and new members are welcome anytime of the year. More at samaritanministries.org/worldpodcast.
After Palm Garden nursing home blocks Michael's attempt to end Terri's life, a judge declines to remove him as guardian. Michael seems to move on with his life and for the Schindlers, the legal battle seems to be over. Then they get a letter in the mail that changes everything: Michael is asking a judge to let him remove Terri's feeding tube, to dehydrate her to death. Eight years after her brain injury, Michael says Terri told him that's what she would have wanted.Lawless is made possible by listeners like you. Additional support comes from Samaritan Ministries, a community of Christians who, through prayer, encouragement, and financial support, care for one another when there's a medical need. It's Biblical, affordable health care sharing with no network restrictions, and new members are welcome anytime of the year. More at samaritanministries.org/worldpodcast.
Just weeks ago, Michael Schiavo and the Schindlers stood arm in arm, united in their desire to care for Terri. But after the Valentine's Day fight, their relationship is in pieces. And Terri's meticulous care—the manicures, the walks, the therapy—it all vanishes.Lawless is made possible by listeners like you. Additional support comes from Samaritan Ministries, a community of Christians who, through prayer, encouragement, and financial support, care for one another when there's a medical need. It's Biblical, affordable health care sharing with no network restrictions, and new members are welcome anytime of the year. More at samaritanministries.org/worldpodcast.
Just weeks ago, Michael Schiavo and the Schindlers stood arm in arm, united in their desire to care for Terri. But after the Valentine's Day fight, their relationship is in pieces. And Terri's meticulous care—the manicures, the walks, the therapy—it all vanishes.Lawless is made possible by listeners like you. Additional support comes from Samaritan Ministries, a community of Christians who, through prayer, encouragement, and financial support, care for one another when there's a medical need. It's Biblical, affordable health care sharing with no network restrictions, and new members are welcome anytime of the year. More at samaritanministries.org/worldpodcast.
Just weeks ago, Michael Schiavo and the Schindlers stood arm in arm, united in their desire to care for Terri. But after the Valentine's Day fight, their relationship is in pieces. And Terri's meticulous care—the manicures, the walks, the therapy—it all vanishes.Lawless is made possible by listeners like you. Additional support comes from Samaritan Ministries, a community of Christians who, through prayer, encouragement, and financial support, care for one another when there's a medical need. It's Biblical, affordable health care sharing with no network restrictions, and new members are welcome anytime of the year. More at samaritanministries.org/worldpodcast.
Strapped for cash, Michael Schiavo and the Schindlers are desperately looking for a way to fund Terri's rehab. They set their sights on winning a malpractice lawsuit against Terri's former doctor, hoping the settlement will take care of all their money problems. But you know what they say about money: it changes everything.Lawless is made possible by listeners like you. Additional support comes from Samaritan Ministries, a community of Christians who, through prayer, encouragement, and financial support, care for one another when there's a medical need. It's Biblical, affordable health care sharing with no network restrictions, and new members are welcome anytime of the year. More at samaritanministries.org/worldpodcast.
Strapped for cash, Michael Schiavo and the Schindlers are desperately looking for a way to fund Terri's rehab. They set their sights on winning a malpractice lawsuit against Terri's former doctor, hoping the settlement will take care of all their money problems. But you know what they say about money: it changes everything.Lawless is made possible by listeners like you. Additional support comes from Samaritan Ministries, a community of Christians who, through prayer, encouragement, and financial support, care for one another when there's a medical need. It's Biblical, affordable health care sharing with no network restrictions, and new members are welcome anytime of the year. More at samaritanministries.org/worldpodcast.
Strapped for cash, Michael Schiavo and the Schindlers are desperately looking for a way to fund Terri's rehab. They set their sights on winning a malpractice lawsuit against Terri's former doctor, hoping the settlement will take care of all their money problems. But you know what they say about money: it changes everything.Lawless is made possible by listeners like you. Additional support comes from Samaritan Ministries, a community of Christians who, through prayer, encouragement, and financial support, care for one another when there's a medical need. It's Biblical, affordable health care sharing with no network restrictions, and new members are welcome anytime of the year. More at samaritanministries.org/worldpodcast.
The south is known for its southern hospitality. As the people of God, we should be a people of hospitality not because it is the practice of the south but because it is the instruction and expectation of our God. Hospitality isn't just southern! It's Biblical!
Terri Schiavo survived her traumatic brain injury. But when she wakes from her coma, she isn't the same. Michael Schiavo now faces a bewildering future as caregiver for for his disabled wife. Doctors recommend a bevy of treatment options. Rehabilitation. Therapy. The emotional and financial toll is steep. As Michael and the Schindler family work together to care for Terri, tensions rise, tempers flare, and secrets begin to surface that might destroy the family.Lawless is made possible by listeners like you. Additional support comes from Samaritan Ministries, a community of Christians who, through prayer, encouragement, and financial support, care for one another when there's a medical need. It's Biblical, affordable health care sharing with no network restrictions, and new members are welcome anytime of the year. More at samaritanministries.org/worldpodcast.
Terri Schiavo survived her traumatic brain injury. But when she wakes from her coma, she isn't the same. Michael Schiavo now faces a bewildering future as caregiver for for his disabled wife. Doctors recommend a bevy of treatment options. Rehabilitation. Therapy. The emotional and financial toll is steep. As Michael and the Schindler family work together to care for Terri, tensions rise, tempers flare, and secrets begin to surface that might destroy the family.Lawless is made possible by listeners like you. Additional support comes from Samaritan Ministries, a community of Christians who, through prayer, encouragement, and financial support, care for one another when there's a medical need. It's Biblical, affordable health care sharing with no network restrictions, and new members are welcome anytime of the year. More at samaritanministries.org/worldpodcast.
Terri Schiavo was 26 years old when she suffered a brain injury in her apartment just before dawn. She had no significant medical history. No known health concerns.But when the sun rose that day in 1990, doctors weren't sure if Terri would live another 24 hours. And no one knew what had happened.Everyone was looking for answers. Terri's husband, Michael. Her family. The doctors. Even the police. Because something didn't add up. After all, a perfectly healthy 26 year old doesn't collapse for no reason.Lawless is made possible by listeners like you. Additional support comes from Samaritan Ministries, a community of Christians who, through prayer, encouragement, and financial support, care for one another when there's a medical need. It's Biblical, affordable health care sharing with no network restrictions, and new members are welcome anytime of the year. More at samaritanministries.org/worldpodcast.
Terri Schiavo was 26 years old when she suffered a brain injury in her apartment just before dawn. She had no significant medical history. No known health concerns.But when the sun rose that day in 1990, doctors weren't sure if Terri would live another 24 hours. And no one knew what had happened.Everyone was looking for answers. Terri's husband, Michael. Her family. The doctors. Even the police. Because something didn't add up. After all, a perfectly healthy 26 year old doesn't collapse for no reason.Lawless is made possible by listeners like you. Additional support comes from Samaritan Ministries, a community of Christians who, through prayer, encouragement, and financial support, care for one another when there's a medical need. It's Biblical, affordable health care sharing with no network restrictions, and new members are welcome anytime of the year. More at samaritanministries.org/worldpodcast.
You may remember the Terri Schiavo case as a bitter public feud over a severely disabled woman's right to die…or right to live. As Terri's husband, Michael Schiavo, sought to end her life, the case ignited a national firestorm that pulled in Congress, the American president, and even the Pope.By March 18, 2005, Terri had lived alone in a dark, tiny hospice room for four years. That morning, she was sitting up in a chair, unhooked to machines of any kind. Her aunt and sister were visiting. As Terri listened to them talk, she smiled. She had no idea that the State of Florida was about to dehydrate her to death.Lawless is sponsored by Samaritan Ministries, a community of Christians across the nation who care for one another through prayer and financial support when a medical need arises. Samaritan members have the freedom to choose the doctors, treatments, and hospitals that are right for them. It's Biblical, affordable health care sharing, and new members are welcome anytime of the year. Are you ready to set your health care free? More at samaritanministries.org/worldpodcast.
It's Biblical. This week, in part 1 of our "We Missed a Week and Are Desperately Trying To Stay on Schedule" Double Feature, it's time to hit the court! In this episode, we talk "He Got Game" and our burgeoning appreciation for sports! Intro and Outro Music: "He Got Game" by Public Enemy. Follow the show on Instagram: @stargazing_podcast Follow us on Twitter: @CremeensKellin @skkkrtt
A Friend of Medjugorje gives a power-punched broadcast sharing the moment of history we are living at this time. This is a broadcast to rejuvenate and renew your “yes” to Our Lady.
It's application time! Now that you've listened to Episode 38: Calling Something “Biblical” Doesn't Mean It's Biblical; How the Term Is Used to Discredit Those Who Don't Agree, it's time to pause so we can think and pray. *** If this podcast has blessed you in some way, please consider leaving me a written review on Apple Podcasts. These reviews help more women find the show AND they let me see how God is using this podcast. Thanks! *** Connect: -Email: podcasterkatherine@gmail.com -Instagram: @revivalpodcastforwomen Music: -Twisterium by Pixabay -TattooedPreacher by Pixabay
I know, I know. It's a common term. And oftentimes used correctly and innocuously. But the more I research, the more and more I'm seeing the term "Biblical" used as a weapon, tool, and defense to silence and discredit those who don't agree. So let's talk about it. And become more aware of how it's being used, by others as well as ourselves. Key Bible Verses: Matthew 23 *** If this podcast has blessed you in some way, please consider leaving me a written review on Apple Podcasts. These reviews help more women find the show AND they let me see how God is using this podcast. Thanks! *** Connect: -Email: podcasterkatherine@gmail.com -Instagram: @revivalpodcastforwomen Music: -Twisterium by Pixabay
This Week Pastor Micah Harp teaches on God and Country.
Her Soul Purpose Show: Sharing Jesus & Tough Topics of Womanhood
Have you ever been to a wedding reception where the bride and groom assigned what table you would sit at? I have! Of course the bridal table is for the bride and groom's extremely close family and friends, the people who they do life with and who are a close part of their relationship and community! The idea of assigning people to the proper place in your life seems unfriendly but it's quite the opposite. It's YOUR responsibility to keep relationships in their rightful place. It's BIBLICAL to use discernment in your everyday relationships! Tune in for more on this topic and how to keep proper boundaries in relationships and family dynamics! Don't forget to register for our upcoming workshop! https://www.braided.faith/launch-registration --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/braided/support
It's okay to ask for help but often times, we ask those that have the same issue.
Hello, hello, hello! Welcome to episode 4 my lovelies! Today we guide you through episodes 7 & 8 of The Challenge season 10 (Inferno 2), because despite the loss of our Great Gay Karamo, we must persist. And right off the bat, we have a call to action because we believe that the queers have to come together and reclaim the Q from Qanon #reclaimtheQ #QueersAgainstQanon. We also have a special bonus for our devoted fans, we present to you; The Challenge Me Daddy Drinking and/or Smoking Game (please play at your own risk). On this episode we continue to Stan Dan the Man with the Plan, we continue to make DEEP drag race references, and we continue to smother Tonya in the warm embrace of our love. And we go back to a time before we knew the answer to where all the Gay Graphic Tees are coming from!!!!!!!!! (Check out our insta {@challengemedaddy} for the SCOOP). So turn off your Dell 42-inch flat-screen and tune in for another amazing episode of your favourite Queer challenge recap podcast. Stay homo xoxo.
When we are so busy being moms and wives, sometimes the term 'self care' can be a laughable concept. Even if we had the time for such nonsense, there's an enormous amount of guilt around that selfish term. It's absolutely true that Christians can find all of the rest we need in Christ. But, let's not forget that God can provide that refreshment and rest through things we enjoy. What an awesome God He is! Even Jesus took times of rest away from the business of ministry. When we neglect caring for ourselves, we're not serving to our greatest capacity. Make a decision today to care four your wellbeing—physically and emotionally.
Episode 22 features David N. Robinson author of the upcoming book “It's Biblical, Not Political” from Lansing, MI. We talk about the inspiration behind the book, Black Lives Matter, political agendas and whether or not Christians should be involved in politics. To purchase your copy of “It's Biblical, Not Political” send an email to itsbiblicalnotpolitical@gmail.comLink to One Faith Social Media & Podcast Streaming Platforms: https://linktr.ee/onefaithFollow David N. Robinson on social media:Facebook: David N. RobinsonInstagram: @davidnrobinson--- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/tj-mcknight/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/tj-mcknight/support
May God speak to your heart and heal you through this open letter to my Narcissistic Mother originally published at https://onlinediscipleshipforwomen.com/an-open-letter-to-my-mother It's a forgiveness decree setting my mother free from the debt she owed me and liberating me from the curse of narcissistic abuse. Dear Mom, I am writing this letter to acknowledge everything that happened between us and to let you know that I forgive you. Not only that, mom, but also, I understand you. I understand that you gave me everything you could, everything you had. I wanted more but you didn't have it. It's just that simple. I wanted you to love me with compassion, care, and wisdom, but the truth is, mom, your mother didn't raise you with love, compassion, and wisdom. You abused me, it's true, but it's also true that you were abused. You were angry. You were cruel. You were abusive. It's true, and I was so hurt. Yet, it's also true, that you were raised surrounded by angry, cruel, and really abusive people. You were suffering from the people who were suffering from the people who were suffering from the people who were also suffering. You told me once that our family was cursed. I believe in the generational curse, which is caused by our mind, what we choose to believe, think, and do. It's Biblical and real, because of our brain's neuroplasticity. Generational curses are embedded in the DNA but can be reversed by choosing different beliefs, thoughts, and actions. Yes, we were cursed. But that curse has no more power. What I choose to believe is this: God created in me in His image and made me a part of your family to stop the curse. What I choose to think is this: you did the best you could under the circumstances. What I choose to do is this: I forgive you, mom, once and for all. You are free, and so am I. This letter symbolizes the end of my lifelong suffering. The generational curse of narcissistic abuse is over, it ends this day. My heart is filled with love and compassion for you, and all I want for you is hope, peace, and joy. My heart is filled with hope, peace, and joy. I love you. Mom, you hurt me, you traumatized me, you damaged me, you abused me, you violated me, you humiliated me publicly, you bullied me, and you inflicted so much pain on me. You broke my heart, mom. You distorted my identity. Mom, you were supposed to love me. But instead, you abused me. You are the one who had the responsibility to protect me, nurture me, teach me, prepare me for life, show me what respect and honor look like in a woman's life, and equip me to be a functional adult. Yet, you chose to teach me promiscuity, adultery, alcoholism, and suicide. Dysfunction, addictions, anger, jealousy, violence, adultery, cheating, hatred, sarcasm, cynicism, doubt, depression, and rage – that's what you consistently taught me, over and over again. Most importantly, you taught me to hate and despise myself. You taught me that I am a nobody, that I do not matter, and that my dreams and aspirations are delusional. You taught me that life is not for me, that I'm an outsider in this life, that my reality is an illusion because I was not supposed to be born, that I was a mistake, and that I don't deserve to live. Mom, you chose to shatter my identity and persuade me that I am worthless, useless, unwanted, unloved, ugly, stupid, and crazy. You taught me to believe wholeheartedly that I do not belong in life, that I need to be dead, that I am no match for actual human living. The truth is this: you delivered me here but you did not make me. I came here not from you, mom. I came here through you from God. God made me. I was made by God, mom, I am precious, worthy, loved, and alive for a purpose. God brought me here for His divine purpose. You have no power over my mind anymore, mom, no more suicidal ideation, no more self-hatred, no more self-doubt, no more self-harming, no more feeling like I am your servant. Mom, I have a purpose for my life, there's a big plan, and God made me a part of it. I choose life. I am liberating myself from the curses of the cruel abuse, the countless lies, the profound hatred, the traumatic impact, and the negative influence of your family's generational curse. The curse no longer has any power over me. From this day forward, I am walking with God in the power of Christ and my heart is filled with love. And I love you. My desire for a genuine relationship with you is still alive but I do recognize and accept that we can't have a safe relationship. This is a hard truth to deal with but I trust God and I am following in the steps He ordained for my life. I know that God will make every wrong thing right. I always wanted to have a good mother-daughter relationship with you. It never happened. I've grieved my losses. And I forgive you, mom. From this day on, I choose life. I choose God. I am His, and He made me alive, precious, special, and wonderful. God gave me a new identity. I am a child of God. Mom, I forgive you. I forgive you because of Jesus Christ, my lord and savior. You are forgiven, mom. I am leaving right here the heavy burden of my bitterness and resentment. I am setting myself free right now. I am liberating my soul right now. I am choosing to live. I am excited about my future. I am filled with peace and joy. I like who I am. I respect and honor myself. And I accept your choices. Mom, you don't owe me anything anymore. I'm releasing you from the debt, and this is your debt-free decree. I love you and I will honor you as my mother by staying away from your abuse and hatred, by being a functional and productive adult, by serving God and His kingdom, and by sharing my story of God's glory to encourage and empower other survivors, the daughters like me of mothers like you. I choose to set you free. I choose to also liberate myself and be free. Mom, you are released from being indebted to me, and I am released from being in bondage with you. I pray for your peace and salvation. I love you, mom. I pray that you will find joy and contentment. I pray for your healing. As for me, I pray that I will continue to choose life every day and make this world a better place by being in it – alive. In Jesus' marvelous holy name I pray. Amen.
Glorious Promises in Unfamiliar Territory I'd like to commend to you that you open your Bibles to Isaiah 41. I think, especially as we move out of Isaiah 40, which is very familiar I think to any that are regularly reading the Bible and we go ahead now into Isaiah 41 and beyond that into other chapters, I guarantee we're going to go into some unfamiliar territory. And just because it's unfamiliar, doesn't mean that it's not a rich blessing. Actually in some ways it's even better that way, isn't it? We're going to be discovering some incredible things in the word of God, but I just am following section by section through the chapters. And so, it'll just mean more to you, if you're able to see it right on the page and be able to link the things I'm saying to what you're reading in the text, so I just commend that to you. Before I begin, I just want to summarize the message in a simple word right now, just a simple summary. What we're going to find in Isaiah 41 is that God who takes on the idols on a specific issue, what you just heard, read for us, he's going to take on the idols and say, He can do something that no one else can do. He is able to foretell the future. And we're going to see the reason He's able to do that is because He has decreed the future, He is the King over the universe, and He is able to predict the future not only at a smaller detailed level of Cyrus coming and destroying the Babylonian Empire, and allowing the Jews to return, but bigger than that he has decreed a savior, who for us now is in the past, but in Isaiah's day was in the future and His fulfillment of all of that points to a bright and glorious future for all of us. And so, my final application is not just to marvel that God knows the future and can predict it, and no one else can. But in verse 10, that this same God wants to comfort you in your own fears about the future, because you don't know what's around the next corner, and it's so easy to be afraid. You are wise enough and old enough to see the kinds of tragedies that suddenly befall people, even brothers and sisters in Christ, and you may be shrinking back from that and wondering, "What is my future, what's going to happen to me?" I'm going to kind of end up at Isaiah 41:10. Do not be afraid. I am with you. I have already been to the future. More than I have just been to the future, I've decreed it, and it is a good place for you. So be filled with hope and I'm going to get you there. I'm going to hold you by my righteous right hand, and I'm going to bring you straight through to a glorious end. So there it is. So now you may wonder why even do all the details? I'll tell you why, because the details are glorious, and so, I yearn to just unfold Isaiah 41 for you and we're going to have to keep a strong pace. Okay, I'm going to just take a minute now and tell you something that happens regularly at my kitchen sink, alright? You may wonder what in the world does this have to do with anything? I'm not even sure why I'm telling you this, but we have a little soap dispenser there of kitchen soap. And I regularly make the same mistake over and over, I pour too much of the liquid in there and it just pours out and gets wasted. I have a feeling that my wife may be talking to me about this, that probably never happens to you, but I just... It just pours out and I have to rake it in the sink, and it goes down the drain. Don't let that happen to you today. I'm going to be pouring out Isaiah 41 in you. Expand your capacity and let's take the whole chapter in. Let's not waste any of all that God wants to tell us. So just pick up with me and track. And now, as I begin, I want to tell you I... My initial thought on this, I go to the end of the chapter, and you've already heard beautifully in Isaiah 41 how God boasts over the idols his ability to predict the future. And he says, he's the only one that can do it. This is something that sets him apart from the idols. What Makes Christianity Unique? Now, many of us wonder, as we stand at this place in time in this pluralistic country of ours, a country that embraces and loves all kinds of diversity, some of it is good diversity that God made, some isn't. As we stand here at this juncture of time, we are again and again being asked to make a defense for Christianity from the unbelieving, the skeptical, the culture despisers of Christianity saying, "How do you know that your religion is any better, any different than anyone else's? How do you know that Christianity is the one true religion in the world? How can you tell?" We are called on by God to be the light of the world, we're called on to shine radiantly in a dark place. Peter tells us that we should always be prepared to give an answer to anyone who asked us to give a reason for the hope that we have. So, my desire is to preach towards that hope. So, you're radiant and hope start there, but now I want to go beyond that and give reasons for it. I want you to be able to give a reason defense for Christianity to skeptics and atheists and other people who may ask, "What makes Christianity different?" And even more importantly, "How do you know that Jesus Christ is truly the Savior of the world, the only savior there is?" For me, personally, ultimately, it all comes down to this book, the Bible, the uniqueness of the Bible as it testifies to the uniqueness of Jesus Christ, that's the difference between Christianity and every other world religion. Now, skeptics may claim other religions have sacred writings, other religions have their sacred books. For example, Buddhism has various collected sayings of Buddha called the Buddhavacana. Hinduism has the Vedas and the Upanishads, and the Bhagavad Gita, and different holy writings. Of course, Islam has the Quran. Shintoism has the Kojiki. Scientology even has a book Dianetics by L. Ron Hubbard. Mormonism of course, has the Book of Mormon, so how do we know that Christianity is different? How can we know the Bible is unique in this crowded field of spiritual writings, holy books revered by millions of people around the world? Now, there are many answers to this as I've already said, the greatest answer is the way the Bible testifies to Jesus Christ and Jesus of the Bible is utterly unique and could not have been concocted by human ingenuity. The person and work of Jesus Christ claiming to be God incarnate, sinless, claiming to be sinless, teaching in ways that no one had ever taught before or has taught since, doing astonishing signs and wonders and miracles, raising the dead, cleansing those that had leprosy, speaking to the wind and the waves and it obeyed Him. And then of course, the greatest miracle of all, His own resurrection from the dead on the third day. Focused, especially on Christ, His atoning death and His bodily resurrection witnessed by over 500 people. But along with this, is the Bible's testimony to Christ, especially in the issue of prophecy, things that were written about Jesus and about the world long before they happened. The Bible contains dozens of prophets who speak with amazing clarity about future events. One scholar has counted, listen to this, over 2000 prophecies in the Bible covering every nation within 1000 miles of Jerusalem. In Isaiah alone, there are dozens of very specific prophecies about the nations of His day, Israel, Judah, Egypt, the Philistines, Moab, Ammon, Syria, Assyria, Babylon, Greece, etcetera, specific prophecies, about the nations of his day, and what was going on in that time. But not only Isaiah, Jeremiah, specifically predicted the fall of Babylon, exactly when it would happen, and exactly how it would happen, by the diversion of a river enabling soldiers to crawl under a wall and then slay those who were drunk in their sleep and then open the doors, the gates of Babylon so the city could be destroyed, that specific 70 years before it happened. The Book of Daniel very specifically predicts the coming of Alexander the Great, the king of Greece, who with astonishing speed destroys the Persian Empire, and reaches a height of power scarcely to be imagined, but at the height of his power, cut off, his kingdom divided and broken into four sections, exactly what happened to Alexander the Great. The Book of Ezekiel describes the destruction of the City of Tyre, a prosperous port city by a series of conquests, one after the other, including Alexander the Great, centuries before any of it happened. And even more amazingly that the city of Tyre would never be rebuilt, though, it was just perfectly situated as a port city. But the most overwhelming body of prophecy in the Bible focuses on the person and work of Christ, that same scholar accounted over 500 specific prophecies focused on Jesus. And I believe all of it ultimately points to Christ, ultimately. God isn't ultimately wanting us to be amazed that Cyrus the Great was predicted a century and a half before he was even born and just be amazed that Cyrus had some kind of a kingdom at some point, that's all gone, it's dust. Nobody even... Barely even knows him. And the Medo-Persian Empire is gone. Was that the whole point? No, that was not the whole point. Rather that Jesus Christ is the savior of the world, and his kingdom will never pass away. That's the whole point that we're moving towards. Now, by contrast, I went with the kind of confidence that comes from a Bible believer, reading the themes of Isaiah 41 and later in this section of Isaiah, clearly God saying, He's the only one that can predict the future and make it come to pass. I went with great confidence to Google and searched phrases like Islamic prophecies and had a wonderful time. My very biased conclusion is, there are none. Now, you can read. There's one website where they talk about how in the Quran, the use of fingerprints and fighting crime is predicted, then you go to the Quran and read it, just have a good time with it, because there just aren't any Islamic prophecies. There were some immediate oracles about some of the nations that surrounded during Muhammad's time. Go ahead and read and come to your own conclusion. Buddhism and Hinduism doesn't even try. It's kind of like floating above all of the earthly events and just up there in enlightenment-ville. And so, they're not trying to make predictions about the nations, it's just not what they do. There are a few of them that talk about general sinfulness of the human race, but it just is not compelling at all. Any prophecies there are in some of the cults are borrowed, I think, from the Bible. And so ultimately, there just aren't any fulfilled prophecy, and we shouldn't be surprised, because God's the only one that can do this. So let's dig in and look. I. The Lord Challenges Idols... and Defeats Them! And in this chapter what we're going to see is that God specifically is challenging idols and defeating them. In Isaiah 40, we've already seen the awesome God of Isaiah 40, now He's moving out in Isaiah 41, to comfort and strengthen and save His people. That's what's happening as we move from Isaiah 40 to 41. Isaiah 40, what a great chapter, how from the beginning, God comforts His people with the message that their sins are forgiven by an ample atonement, ultimately in Christ. The same God who moves out over a desert road and levels the mountains and raises the valleys and no obstacle can stop Him. The God who reveals His glory to all mankind and the entire human race will be able to see the glory of the Lord. The God who declares that all humanity is flesh and all their glories, like the flowers in the field and the grass withers, and the flowers fall, but the Word of our God stands forever. This is the God who proclaims a message of good news to Zion and to the ends of the Earth. And the center piece of that good news is, behold your God. The astonishing range of this God who tends His people like a gentle shepherd with His lambs. But at the same time, holds the waters of the Earth in His cupped hand, and with the breadth of His hand marks off the heavens. The God who says of the nations, they are a drop from the bucket and dust on the scales. The God who sits enthroned above the circle of the Earth, and all of its people are like grasshoppers, this God rules over all of human history, He is sovereign over the nations. Now why does God take on idols and idolatry which He clearly does in this chapter? You look at verse 7, and it talks there about the idol maker, who is smoothing gold with his hammer and nailing it down, so it won't topple. He's dealing with idolatry and idols here. Well, it's because of idolatry that the exile to Babylon, which hasn't even come yet is going to come. And so, God is challenging the idolatry of His people. But let's go above the immediate circumstances, because every single human being struggles with a choice between worshipping idols or worshipping the true and living God. So we struggle with idols every bit as much as they did. And so God is challenging the idols of our hearts in every generation. Now, Israel's punishment would be exile to Babylon, God's remedy then is to challenge the idols, take them on, fight them. He wants to control history and use his sovereign control of history to orchestrate a salvation for His people. So God takes on the idols. And we're going to see this again and again in these 10 chapters, Isaiah 40 to 49, God is going to take on the idols, he's going to challenge them. And we see in this the jealousy of God. God is jealous over our hearts, he's jealous like a husband over the affections of his wife. The church is called the bride of Christ. Israel was portrayed in similar language as the wife of Yahweh. And so, he is jealous. He even says His name is jealous. He says in the 10 Commandments, "Do not make any idols, for I the Lord, your God, am a jealous God." The Psalmist said, they made idols and so provoked God to jealousy by what their hands have made. So God is jealous and He's going after our heart affections and He's challenging His rivals, He's taking on His rivals, see what they can do. And He's going to defeat them. And so, the battle ground he chooses here. [chuckle] So let's do this, bring in your idols and let's see if you can foretell the future, and that's going to be the challenge. Let's see if you can do that. So ultimately He's going to win. And so, God is challenging the issue of the foretelling of the future. Now, in order to understand that, we have to understand what we know already basic facts of nature of the physics of the world we live in. And the linear progression of time, the sequencing of events is basic to the world we live in. Look at verse 4, it says, "Who has done this and carried it through calling forth the generations from the beginning." I mean, that should recall even the very beginning of the Bible. In the beginning God created the heavens and the Earth. So there's a beginning, that means there's a beginning, a middle, and an end. There's a linear view of history being taught in the Bible, not the big circular thing with karma and all that being taught by Eastern religions. But there's a linear view beginning, middle, end. It's Biblical, a linear view of history. First this, then that, then the other. A then B, then C, then D. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end, there's a linear sequencing here. One, two, three, four. You see it in Genesis 1. There was evening and there was morning, the first day. There was evening and morning, the second day. There's a sequencing here and the thing builds on it, you can't have beasts and people made of the dust of the Earth if there is no dust or Earth yet. And so, first you have to have Earth with dust and then you can have beasts and people made from it. So there's a sequencing here and it makes sense to us. So it is in redemptive history. First, you have the promise to Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky when he was just a solitary man at that point. That must precede the Exodus, don't you see that? It must precede his numerous descendants being rescued out of Egypt. And so, the sequencing of those things they must become slaves in Egypt before the Exodus can happen. There's a sequencing in redemptive history. God has ordered all the details of human history before He created the universe, the Bible tells us that God had, and let's use a very human expression, figured all this out before the world began. Now, don't go there, because God doesn't figure anything out, He knows. It's not like God ever said, "Aha, I got it." That means a moment before that, He didn't get it yet. So God doesn't figure anything out. I'm just saying, He knew everything about history before the world began. But more than that, the Bible teaches He decrees that history, He decrees it, like a sovereign king, He chooses that history. Then beyond that he sends forth special individuals, prophets, who declare certain details of that history... Is it still there? No, it fell. Sorry about that. I don't move around much. Should I? Is this better? Over here? No, I'm not doing that. God then declares certain details of that redemptive history that he had predicted in the Prophets. He declares it before it comes to pass, then he executes His plan down to the tiniest detail to achieve His final ends. And the centerpiece of all of this, is the saving work of God in Christ for sinners like you and me. That's what He's doing. And so, we are looking today at the astonishing power of predictive prophecy. No created being really knows the future. None of us. No human being and no angel or demon. No one. Why is that? Because God decides what finally is going to happen? Think about what it says in Proverbs 19:21, "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it's the Lord's purpose that prevails." You make all your plans, all the plans you want, but if God says no, that's it. So a king may say, "I'm going to invade my neighboring countries." If God says, "No, you won't." He doesn't. Read about it in Isaiah 7, when one king decided they're going to come into Judah and topple the Davidic King and God said, "No, you won't, it will not take place." And so, it didn't take place. Satan may say, "I'm going to ascend to Assyria and Assyria is going to wipe out Jerusalem," and God says, "No, you won't." And so, Satan doesn't know the future, he's got to wait on God to find out what He'll permit, because God is the sovereign King. So the ability the prophets have to declare the future shows that they're speaking for Almighty God. We should not imagine therefore that God is just a good guesser or a very astute student of the human heart. None of the above. God's not a good guesser, God doesn't do any guessing. God decrees and makes it happen. It's the ultimate, as I've said, self-fulfilling prophecy. He makes the prophecy and then He fulfills it. And His ability to do this sets Him apart from all the Gods of the nations. In this chapter therefore, in several places in the series of chapters, we're going to see this again and again, God highlights his ability to predict the future events. Look at Verses 26-27. "Who told of this from the beginning, so we could know or beforehand, so we could say he was right? No one told of this. No one foretold it, no one heard any words from you [Speaking to the idols]. I was the first to tell Zion, look, here they are. I gave to Jerusalem a messenger of good tidings." And along with that He exposed the idols for the false Gods they are. Look at verse 24, speaking to the idols again. "You are less than nothing, and your works are utterly worthless. He who chooses you is detestable." In Verse 29, "Behold, they are all false. Their deeds amount to nothing, their images are but wind and confusion." Now, the specific focus here, the immediate focus of this prediction is the rise of Cyrus the Great, one from the east, we're going to see in verse 2, one from the east. He's not mentioned here, there's lots of debates about this one from the east. But by the time we get to Isaiah 44-45, he's mentioned by name Cyrus. In those chapters, Isaiah 44-45 are clear, and so therefore, I think it's reasonable to see the actions of this same Cyrus here, why is he important? Because Cyrus is the one who's going to destroy Babylon and allow the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild it. But that's just the detail. Big picture is, God can do this all the time, this is what God does. And so, as I said, I'm bringing you ultimately to verse 10, saying, "Do not be afraid of the future for God is with you. He's already seen the future, he's already decreed the future, he knows that for you in Christ it's bright." And he wants to encourage you about that. So this is just evidence of the stunning uniqueness of Christianity, the uniqueness of the Bible, this issue of predictive prophecy. No other religion has it. So when you're on the college campus, when you're in the workplace, when you're talking to unsaved relatives and they say kind of, this kind of thing to you, "How do you know that Christianity, your religion is different than any other religion in the world?" Now you have an answer. You've already had it before, perhaps, but focus on this. Fulfilled prophecy specifically, as it points to Christ, that's the difference. That's why... How we know that Christianity is different than any other religion there is in the world, this is something they cannot do. II. The Lord Stirs Up a Conqueror to Do His Bidding (vs. 1-7) Now, let's look at the chapter section by section, first verses 1-7. The Lord stirs up a conqueror to do his bidding. In verses 1-7, he begins by giving a summons to all the Earth. Verse 1, "Be silent before me you islands. Let the nations renew their strength, let them come forward and speak, let us meet together at the place of judgment." Well, you heard Ira say this so beautifully. "The God of the Bible is not just the God of the west, he's the God of the whole world." Wasn't that beautiful when you heard that? I was so blessed by that. This is the God of all the Earth, even the distant coast lands, or the distant islands, and he has the authority, the power to summon them to a place of judgment. So here it's metaphorical, for, let's bring them together and let's have a debate, a discussion on me versus the idols. But it's foretaste of the real assembling of the nations that's going to happen at the end of the world, what the Bible calls Judgment Day. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is the only God there is, and He's the God of all the Earth, and He is going to summon all nations, and they will all be gathered before Jesus and Jesus, the judge of all the Earth will separate the people into two categories, the sheep and the goats, believers and unbelievers, the righteous and the wicked. This is coming. And at that time, on that day, we'll have to give an account to God, the judge for every careless word we have spoken, Judgment Day is coming. So, verse 1 is a foretaste of the time when the judge of all the Earth will assemble all the nations, and they will have to give an account to Him, so He brings them together. God’s Claim: He Orchestrates Human History Now God makes a claim in verses 2-4 that He orchestrates history, He rules it, he runs it. It's not random, it's not an accident. Things are going according to God's plan. Look at verses 2-4, "Who has stirred up one from the East? Calling Him in righteousness to his service, he hands nations over to Him and subdues kings before him. He turns them to dust with his sword to wind blown chaff with his bow. He pursues them and moves on unscathed by a path his feet have not traveled before. Who has done this, and carried it through calling forth the generations from the beginning? I the Lord with the first of them and with the last." That's a huge statement. I am He. God is the God of every generation. This Isaiah prophecy is a prophecy for every generation. God will be with every generation right to the end of time, with every one of them. But more specifically, He's with every massive powerful conqueror who builds an empire on Earth. He's with the first of them, and He's with the last. He's the one that does it. This one from the East as I say I think is Cyrus, he's coming from the east and God says, who stirred him up to do it? The implication is that God did that. God stirred up Cyrus and moved him out. Well, how did you do that? Well, God controls human history by controlling human minds and hearts. He has the power to do that. God actually has the right to invade your mind and do what He wills with. It doesn't make us robots, that's way too simplistic. What it means is that God controls people's hearts and the king's heart is like a water coursing, the hands of the Lord, he directs it whichever way he pleases. God can do that. Well, He doesn't just direct kings' hearts, he also directs common people's hearts and all that. So how does an individual become king in his tribe among his nation? How does he rise up above his brothers, the competing princes? How does one of them get identified as the leader of his own nation first? That's long before anybody ever heard of Cyrus. But the Meads and Persians identified him and began to follow him. Why? More intelligence, better leadership qualities, certain breaks along the way, it's God that orchestrates all of these things. Who did this? Who raised him up and called him in righteousness to his service. Now, it's interesting that individual in most cases, doesn't even acknowledge the God who's doing all these things, doesn't even know that He exists, but God's doing it. There's not a square inch in God's world that He's not ruling over actively. He doesn't... He's not an absentee ruler and so, He's doing this on nations all over the Earth, all the time. And he raises them up. And He does it in righteousness. You see, the man's motives may be thoroughly wicked and corrupt and God will judge him for those motives. But God's motives are righteous. He knows what he's doing in redemptive history, and he's raising up guys, like Cyrus and giving them kingdoms for his own purposes. He is one from the east, and he's given a gift of military conquest. By his sword and his bow, he turns his enemies into dust. But he himself moves on unscathed it says. He's not touched, he's not wounded, he's certainly not killed. Great leaders frequently expose themselves to great danger on the battlefield. They do so with an arrogant sense of their own immortality, or invincibility, for that attitude God will judge them. But it happens time and time again, these great military leaders just seem to be completely fearless. You see this again and again, if you know anything about military history. Alexander The Great did this, he jumped over a wall into a fortress alone and fought by himself, because he was disgusted by his own soldiers who weren't following his lead. He was ready to die at that moment. Shamed, his other soldiers followed and saved his life. He was severely wounded. But he never died from battlefield wounds. At one battle George Washington's coat was filled riddled with bullet holes, but he wouldn't come off the battle, battlefield. Douglas MacArthur landed, and there were just still snipers, it was still dangerous and there were bullets around his feet kicking up sand. Now, it could be argued if they get knocked off we'd never hear about him. True, good point. They die early in their military career, we never hear about them. They don't make it into the Encyclopedia Britannica. But they... This, it clearly says, Cyrus moves on unscathed by a path his feet have not traveled before. He came from the east and went over and conquered Lydia and its wealthy king Croesus got all his gold and then moved from the north down to conquer Babylon. So both of these things are fulfilled in verse 25, both directions. Look at verse 25. "I have raised up one from the north, and he comes, a one from the east who invokes my name." Which is it? Is he from the north or from the east? From both. He originally came from the east, he moves across conquers Lydia and then comes down from the north to conquer Babylon. But in all of this God's activity is highlighted. Who did this? It's God who does this. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, He is the one who stirs up and give them victory. God hands nations over to him. The fear of the nations is there in verse 5, "The islands have seen it in fear, the ends of the Earth tremble." And they turn to their idols for courage. Verse 5-7, "They approach and come forward, each helps the other and says to his brother, 'Be strong.' The craftsman encourages the goldsmith, and he who smooths with his hammer spurs on him who strikes the anvil. He says of the welding, 'It is good.' He nails down the idol, so it won't topple. Good thing, don't want your idols to topple. I mean, the God of the Bible doesn't grow weary. He has infinite power, he doesn't need to be nailed down so he won't topple. And so, God's clearly mocking these idols here. So, oh, Israel, oh my people, do you not see how foolish and worthless idols are? Worship the true God of the Bible. III. The Lord Defeats Israel’s Enemies (vs. 8-16) Next section, in verses 8-16, we see the Lord defeating Israel's enemies, there's a clear contrast between the pagan idolatrous nations who turn to their idols for strength and help, and Israel, who is descended from Abraham, God's friend. Look at verses 8-16. Start at verse 8-9, "But you, O Israel, my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham, my friend, I took you from the ends of the Earth, from its farthest corners I called you, I said, 'You are my servant'; I have chosen you, and have not rejected you." God's unconditional election of Israel sets them apart from the other pagan nations of the world. Sets them apart. So they're turning to their idols for help, Israel turns to the true and living God for assistance. Isn't it beautiful in verse 8. He calls them the Jews. You descendants of Abraham, my friend. Isn't that amazing? The God of the Bible, the God who measures the Cosmos with the span of His hand, calls Abraham who's he, flesh and blood calls him His friend. He says, concerning Sodom and Gomorrah, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I'm about to do?" He involves Abraham in what He's doing. He draws him into an intercessory relationship. He draws him into a loving relationship. This is fulfilled for us in Christ, isn't it? Doesn't that say in John 15, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends, if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have call you friends, for everything I learned from the Father, I have made known to you." We were created to be an intimate relationship with the Eternal God of the universe. He in Christ calls you and I, His friends. Actually though in the resurrection, after the Resurrection, Jesus goes even beyond that. He says them to go and tell the brothers that he is going to go ahead of them in Galilee and there they will see him. Calls them brothers, so we are his brothers and sisters, we are members of his family, adopted sons and daughters of the living God. How beautiful is that? And so, the application in verse 10 is plain. Do not fear, in the verse 10. "So do not fear for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God, I will strengthen you and help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." How easy it would be for Israel in exile to think that God has forsaken them? How easy it would be? But he said, "Do not be afraid for I am with you, and I will strengthen you and I will uphold you by my righteous right hand." Jesus has put it plainly in this way, "I will never leave you, nor will I forsake you." And so, whatever God has planned for you and it might involve great pain, you know that, don't you? God uses pain to sanctify us, but whatever he wants to bring you through he's going to hold you by His righteous right hand, and never leave you or forsake you. And so, God has made this commitment to crush Israel's enemies by transforming Israel from the core of their being. God’s Commitment: To Crush Israel’s Enemies by Transforming Israel Look at verses 11-16, "All who rage against you, [speaking about Israel] will surely be ashamed and disgraced. Those who oppose you, will be as nothing and perish. Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who war against you will be as nothing at all for I am the Lord your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, do not fear, I will help you." Verse 14, "Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob, oh little Israel, for I myself will help you declares the Lord your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel." Verse 15, "Behold, I will make you into a threshing sledge, new and sharp with many teeth, and you will thresh the mountains and crush them and reduce the hills to chaff. You will winnow them and the wind will pick them up and the gale will blow them away. But you will rejoice in the Lord in glory, in the Holy One of Israel." So here, God takes on Israel's enemies. So I'm going to crush your enemies. I'm going to take on your enemies and I'm going to defeat them and there will come a time oh Israel that you will search for your enemies and you won't be able to find any of them. There will be none. They'll all be gone, that's what He says in these verses. Well, if you look at the history of the Jewish people from the time of the Babylonian invasion, until this very day, has been what Jesus called the times of the Gentiles. They've been under Gentile domination and even in the promised land, up to this present time. So these words have not been fulfilled, there's really no stretch of time in which Israel could say, "You will look... They looked for their enemies, they couldn't find any of them, they're all gone." That has not happened to this present day. So what is it talking about? Dear friends, I believe this is immediately talking about the sacrifice of Christ on the cross and His resurrection, and beyond that, the coming new heaven and new Earth, and the kingdom of God in which we will look for enemies, and not find any. And the gates of the new Jerusalem will stand open forever, because there's no threat. And all of the wicked that would not love God or serve him or believe in Christ will be removed separated like chaff from the wheat. And so the image here is of Israel being made into a threshing sledge, new and sharp, what is that? I have no idea. So I looked it up. Threshing sledge is used for threshing. What's that? Threshing is the separation of the wheat that you can use from the chaff that you can't use. And so, the sledge is this heavy thing with like, metal discs or something that's dragged across the wheat and pulverizes it, and then it can be threshed and separated. So Israel becomes in human history the separator, the separator of wheat from chaff. How does that work? Well, what Jesus said to the Samaritan woman, salvation is from who? The Jews. And in Christ comes the fork in the road for the human race. And in Christ alone comes the separation from wheat to chaff. As John the Baptist said, he will clear his threshing floor, gathering up the wheat into his barn but burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire. Israel, though warm, though small, though weak will become the issue for the world, ultimately in the person of Christ. That's the best I can make out, of verses 11-16. If you have a different theory, let me know, but I think it harmonize with what's actually happening in Israel's history. But look forward to the day, think about this, the day when you, as a Christian will look around, in the new Earth, you'll walk around and you will not be able to find any enemies at all. They'll all be gone. No satanic enemies or demonic enemies, no human enemies, they'll all be gone. You will search for them, but you will not find them, that's coming in Christ. IV. The Lord Transforms Nature and Refreshes His People (vs. 17-20) And so in verses 17-20, The Lord will transform nature and refresh his people. "The poor and needy search for water, but there is none. Their tongues are parched with thirst, but I, the Lord will answer them, I, the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will make rivers flow on barren heights and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water and the parts ground into springs. I'll put in the desert, the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive. I will set pines in the wasteland. The fir and the Cypress together, so that my people may see and know, may consider and understand that the hand of the Lord has done this, the Holy One of Israel has created it." Well, let me summarize the image here. The image here is of desert conditions in which there's nothing growing, desert conditions, there's no water suddenly transformed by a flow of heavenly water that changes everything into a lush garden of Eden. That's what those words are talking about. So what is the desert? Well, I think it's both physical and spiritual. By the way, do you notice how often I do that again and again? It's both physical and spiritual, it's both physical and spiritual. I say that again and again with Isaiah. There is an immediate fulfillment that has to do with Israel in space and time, and then there's a spiritual fulfillment in Christ that has to do with the gospel. I think that's the only Christian interpretation you can do for these Old Testament prophecies. There is an immediate fulfillment. Israel, when Joshua entered with the Jews and they took over, was described in this way, a land flowing with what? Milk and honey. Joshua was told, Moses was told, "You know, the promised land is not like Egypt where you had to irrigate with a foot pump." Frankly, Egypt was known as a pretty lush bountiful place, it was constantly cranking out bread for Rome and other places. But you still had to irrigate. He said, "No, no, it's better than that. It drinks in the rain year round, it's lush, it's a land flowing with milk and honey." Yeah, but by the time the idolatrous Jews got done with it, it was like a desert. And God said, He would do this before they even entered. He said, "If you go in there and if you get dragged into the sins of the surrounding nations and you start worshipping Baal and Molech and all these other false gods, I'll tell you what I'm going to do." Deuteronomy 28:23 and 24, "The sky over your head will be bronze, the ground beneath you will turn to iron, the Lord will turn the reign of your country into dust and powder, it will come down from the skies until you are destroyed." If you look at a satellite photo of Palestine now, it doesn't look like a land flowing with milk and honey to me, I think it's under judgment. Isn't this the very thing that happened at the Garden of Eden? Don't you remember, when Adam ate the fruit and God judged him? He said cursed is what? The ground, because of you. And so, this whole Earth lies under a curse, this whole created order lies under a curse. Israel itself was turned into a desert physically. So what is God going to do? He's going to rain down water on it. Physical water? Sure. But I think of a better water than that. If you look at Isaiah 44:3, you can turn there or just listen. There he clearly links the pouring out of water as the giving of the Holy Spirit. Isaiah 44:3, he says, "For I will pour water on the thirsty land and streams on the dry ground, I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring and my blessing on your descendants." That's that Hebrew parallelism, pour out water on the dry land, I'll pour out Spirit on you. And so, yes, I believe that God, that this Earth after it's done with all its fiery judgments will be so resurrected and transformed, it will be lush, better than the garden of Eden. But even better, we will be transformed because we, in our sin, we are like in the desert. Do you know what I'm talking about? Have you ever felt that way? Things so dry for me spiritually. I feel so distant from God. I feel like I'm walking through the Sahara. And so David puts it in this way, in Psalm 63:1, he says, "O God, you are my God, earnestly, I seek you. My soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water." He is parched spiritually. The answer is redemption through faith in Christ, and the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. And He's going to pour out rain and refresh you. And he's going to give you foretaste of heaven. He is the deposit guaranteeing your future inheritance, your fellowship with God. And you can drink in the Spirit any time. That's what's going on in 17-20. And so Garden of Eden language means that paradise will be restored. Look at 19 and 20, "I will put in the desert the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive. I will set pines in the wasteland, the fir and the cypress together, so that people may see and know, may consider and understand, that the hand of the LORD has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it." And so, God will bring about a new heaven and a new Earth. V. The Lord Alone Determines and Declares the Future (vs. 21-29) Now, verses 21-29, we covered at the beginning. God alone determines and declares the future and we would add a third word, performs it. He does it, he determines it, decrees it as a sovereign King, and then he declares some of it through the prophets, not all, but just enough to know he's on the job and he knows what's happening and then he performs all of it. So verses 21-24, "'Present your case,' says the LORD. 'Set forth your arguments,' says Jacob's King. 'Bring in your idols to tell us what is going to happen. Tell us what the former things were, so that we may consider them and know their final outcome. Or declare to us the things to come, tell us what the future holds, so we may know that you are gods. Do something, whether good or bad, so that we will be dismayed and filled with fear. But you are less than nothing and your works are utterly worthless; he who chooses you is detestable.'" Well, we've covered this. Baal, Molech, Osiris, Isis, Iris, Isis, Jupiter, Zeus, Thor, all of these false gods don't exist, they are storefronts for demons. All of them. The idols are storefronts for demons, the demons do exist. And so, demons are god and goddess impersonators. 1 Corinthians 10:20 says the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God. But you know what, demons are just fallen angels and you know what, angels don't know the future. It says in 1 Peter, even angels long to look into these things, they're wondering what's happened. The good angels are celebrating when new things happen, like when Jesus was born, like, "Whoa, that's awesome." They're celebrating and they're wanting to know what's coming next. In the Book of Daniel Chapter 12. They're saying, "Okay, what's good? What's the outcome? What's happening?" They don't know. Only God knows and those who listen to what God says. Now, both past and future are inexplicable apart from God. The idols can't even tell us what the past things were. It's really hard to know the past. Any historian knows how hard it is to find out what really happened. Any trial attorney knows or judges know how hard it is to get the history of what actually happened. But even more than that, so what? All this stuff happened, what did it add up to? Tell us what the former things are so that we can figure out their final outcome. You can't do that. So, all of history lies under God to interpret for us. That's what these verses are saying, and we can't interpret it apart from the finished work of Christ on the cross. And so, God is acting in history to bring about His purposes, including raising up this conqueror, Cyrus the Great to come from the east and the north to destroy Babylon, verse 25. And God is the only one to foretell these events because he's the only one who ordained them and would bring them to pass, verses 26-28. No one else told it, no one foretold it, God alone predicted the future and made it happen. Why did he do this? So that we would believe in Him. Same thing as the miracles of Jesus, He did it so we would believe in Him. Jesus said it plainly in John 14-29, "I've told you this now before it happens so that when it does happen, you will believe that I am He." That's why predictive prophecy was given so that we would believe in God. VI. Applications So what application? First and foremost, come to Christ, that's the point of all of this. All prophecy leads to Jesus, not to Cyrus the Great. Friends, Cyrus the Great is dead. And it's really, really hard to find his mausoleum burial place. His empire is gone, it's been superseded by the Greeks, which have been superseded by the Romans. I don't need to continue. They're all gone, they're all dust in the wind. But Jesus is risen from the dead and lives forever. He came for sinners like you and me, trust in Him. But guarantee there's someone listening to me here in this vast assembly that is a non-Christian, that came in here, unforgiven under the wrath of God. I plead with you, trust in Christ. You don't need to do any good works. You just need to repent and believe and trust that Jesus is your savior and that God raised him from the dead. Secondly, dear Christian brothers and sisters, stand in awe at a God who controls history like that, who makes prophecies and fulfills. Just stand in awe of Him, worship Him, and stand in awe at His ability to predict the future. And proclaim it to skeptics. Go look for someone this week that says, "What's the difference between Christianity and all the other religions?" Say, "Fulfilled prophecy." There you go, just right away, just say, "Fulfilled prophecy," especially the prophecies of Christ. And just start with your own skeptical heart. Let's just start there, okay? If you're ever tempted to doubt, is it really true? Go to this? The Word of God is a miracle, fulfilled prophecy points to it. And then ultimately, if I could say, "Do not fear for God is with you." Look again at verse 10, I'd urge you to memorize it. If you're only memorizing individual verses, memorize the whole chapter, although after this sermon you're like, "No, I don't think so." 29 verses, it's a long chapter. So, just do verse 10, "Do not fear for I am with you. Do not be afraid for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." You don't know what the future holds, you don't know what's coming. It might be what you think is more than you can bear. God knows what you can bear. He's been ahead of you already, he knows the future and he is telling you in effect, you could picture him going out to the future and coming back from it and saying your future in Christ is infinitely bright. So do not be afraid of what's coming. You may hurt. You may weep. You may go through trials, but I have measured all of those trials and I've captured all of your tears in my bottle. Everything will tend toward your final salvation. Do not be afraid, I am with you. Close with me in prayer.
Today we look at some practical advice from the letter to the Ephesians about how we should behave, as Christians, with one another. Topic: Communication
This week, Pastor Jermaine continued on with our Take Me To Church series on the topic of Waypoint's call to be a multicultural and multi-ethnic church. Pastor Jermaine had three primary points about why seeking racial reconciliation is important: 1. It's Biblical. Too often we want to focus on righteousness in lieu of justice, when the two of them are Biblically inseparable. Too often we apply the Bible to our eternal destiny, but not to our modern, current circumstances. Too many people in the historical church have disconnected the message of the Gospel from the reality of living racially reconciled lives. This is problematic, and should not be. It's not good enough to have perfect orthodoxy (doctrine) and broken orthopraxy (action). The call of God on our lives is to have both our doctrine and our action in line with one another and the Gospel. 2. It's relational. The family of God is one marked by reconciliation on all fronts; including age, gender, and race. We are the Kingdom of God, and we should hurt when our brothers and sisters hurt. As the body of Christ we have a mandate to continue this journey of multiethnic reconciliation. 3. It's continual. This is a call that is going to cost all of us something, and it will be a continual journey. We need to all keep loving one another as we struggle. At some point we must rise above our earthly allegiances (to our denominations, our political parties, our nationalities..) and ascend with allegiance to the Kingdom of God. We must answer the call of God, whatever the cost. Waypoint has a call to intentional multi-ethnicity, which includes running to areas of pain, linking arms with our brothers and sisters who are different from us, asking the Lord to restore our compassion, and stepping out to care for one another practically. We are to take up the cause of Christ, even when it brings up tension and becomes uncomfortable. This is not a call that can be undertaken by one person, it requires the entire body of Christ. We need to make room in our lives and our hearts for those who are different from us.
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