Podcasts about jesus christ himself

October 23, 2025We began by reflecting on the meaning behind a name—Stephen Paul Hensley—and its connection to early Christian figures: Stephen, the first martyr, and Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles. This opened a conversation about divine identity, purpose, and how God's timing shapes our journeys.We shared gratitude for spiritual breakthroughs and the ways God turns painful experiences and even false teachings into growth and maturity. Through surrender, responsibility, and faith, we recognized how every challenge can serve God's purpose when approached with humility and dependence on Him.The discussion turned toward the simplicity of the gospel and the beauty of free will—God's refusal to coerce love but His constant invitation to trust. We considered how true shepherding begins with Jesus Christ Himself, who knows each of us individually and provides gentle, patient guidance.As we reflected on the role of pastors, teachers, and local assemblies, we acknowledged that while they nurture our growth, Christ remains the true Shepherd who never fails. The meeting ended in thanksgiving for God's loving presence and care, recognizing that His shepherdship brings rest, maturity, and unity in the body of Christ.Themes:Divine purpose and timing in personal growthThe simplicity and freedom of the gospelGod's use of trials to bring maturityJesus as the true and personal ShepherdThe role of shepherding and teaching in the churchFree will and surrender as paths to spiritual growthGratitude for God's presence and loveReflection Question: How am I allowing Jesus, the true Shepherd, to guide my growth through life's challenges instead of trying to lead myself?

TO BE A SERVANT OF GOD (Acts 6:1-7) As a Christ follower we are all servants of our Lord Jesus.  We are all expected to serve to meet the needs of the church, both the local church, and the church that is made up of all true followers of Christ. I believe that when properly qualified, and Holy Spirit called, people are chosen to perform the duties of a servant, then they can have a powerful affect on the unity of the church. Spiritual service is the major emphasis of the Christian life. Anything we do in obedience to God's Word is service. In that sense we are all in the ministry.  In no sense do we find in the Scriptures that Pastors, church staff, teachers, elders or deacons, serve and everyone else watches. There isn't a leadership level made up of pastors, a service level made up of deacons, and a spectator level made up of all other believers.  There is no audience in the church; we are all in the ministry. We have all been called to submit ourselves to the Lord Jesus Christ. We are all His servants. We are under orders. Christ is our Lord and master. He has called us into spiritual service. We serve Him by obeying the Word of God, following the promptings of the Spirit of God, coming under the authority of the church, and meeting the needs of those around us.  It is one thing to say, "I'm proud to be able to serve my country," or "I'm proud to have served this great cause." But that doesn't even come close to being able to say, "I have been called into service by the King of kings and Lord of lords-Jesus Christ Himself."  That is our high and holy calling, it is the vocation to which we are called.  Click on the link below to hear a message on what it means to be a servant of God.  All hell cannot stop a church that will keep its eyes on the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank God for a growing church. I know where there's life, there's growth. Where there's growth, there are problems. Where there are problems, there are solutions. And where there are solutions, there's greater growth.  This is a live recording of The Master's Class Bible Study at LifeChange Church Wichita, KS. Amen.

Step into one of the most profound mysteries in Scripture with this week's Comprehensive Bible Study — “Melchizedek: The Eternal Priest-King and His Prophetic Connection to Christ.”From the pages of Genesis to the revelation of Hebrews, discover how this ancient king-priest of Salem stands as a divine shadow of Jesus Christ Himself. Journey with us through Abram's encounter after the battle of the kings, explore the prophetic symbolism of bread and wine, and uncover the eternal priesthood that transcends the Law of Moses.You'll see how Melchizedek's name—“King of Righteousness”—and his city—“Salem,” meaning peace—mirror the very nature and ministry of Christ, the Prince of Peace. Together we'll examine the eternal order declared in Psalm 110, fulfilled in the New Covenant, and awaiting its final completion when Christ returns as Priest and King of all nations.This powerful episode reveals how every detail of Melchizedek's story points forward to Jesus—the true and everlasting Mediator between God and man. Perfect for believers hungry for deeper biblical understanding and prophetic insight into God's eternal plan of redemption.

Step into one of the most profound mysteries in Scripture with this week's Comprehensive Bible Study, “Melchizedek: The Eternal Priest-King and His Prophetic Connection to Christ.”Video available at 6:00pm Central athttps://youtu.be/1RrUjxg2GMgFrom the pages of Genesis to the revelation of Hebrews, discover how this ancient king-priest of Salem stands as a divine shadow of Jesus Christ Himself. Journey with us through Abram's encounter after the battle of the kings, explore the prophetic symbolism of bread and wine, and uncover the eternal priesthood that transcends the Law of Moses.You'll see how Melchizedek's name, “King of Righteousness”, and his city “Salem,” meaning peace. Mirror the very nature and ministry of Christ, the Prince of Peace. Together we'll examine the eternal order declared in Psalm 110, fulfilled in the New Covenant, and awaiting its final completion when Christ returns as Priest and King of all nations.This powerful episode reveals how every detail of Melchizedek's story points forward to Jesus. The true and everlasting Mediator between God and man. Perfect for believers hungry for deeper biblical understanding and prophetic insight into God's eternal plan of redemption.@highlight

Step into one of the most profound mysteries in Scripture with this week's Comprehensive Bible Study — “Melchizedek: The Eternal Priest-King and His Prophetic Connection to Christ.”From the pages of Genesis to the revelation of Hebrews, discover how this ancient king-priest of Salem stands as a divine shadow of Jesus Christ Himself. Journey with us through Abram's encounter after the battle of the kings, explore the prophetic symbolism of bread and wine, and uncover the eternal priesthood that transcends the Law of Moses.You'll see how Melchizedek's name—“King of Righteousness”—and his city—“Salem,” meaning peace—mirror the very nature and ministry of Christ, the Prince of Peace. Together we'll examine the eternal order declared in Psalm 110, fulfilled in the New Covenant, and awaiting its final completion when Christ returns as Priest and King of all nations.This powerful episode reveals how every detail of Melchizedek's story points forward to Jesus—the true and everlasting Mediator between God and man. Perfect for believers hungry for deeper biblical understanding and prophetic insight into God's eternal plan of redemption.

Step into one of the most profound mysteries in Scripture with this week's Comprehensive Bible Study, “Melchizedek: The Eternal Priest-King and His Prophetic Connection to Christ.”Video available at 6:00pm Central athttps://youtu.be/1RrUjxg2GMgFrom the pages of Genesis to the revelation of Hebrews, discover how this ancient king-priest of Salem stands as a divine shadow of Jesus Christ Himself. Journey with us through Abram's encounter after the battle of the kings, explore the prophetic symbolism of bread and wine, and uncover the eternal priesthood that transcends the Law of Moses.You'll see how Melchizedek's name, “King of Righteousness”, and his city “Salem,” meaning peace. Mirror the very nature and ministry of Christ, the Prince of Peace. Together we'll examine the eternal order declared in Psalm 110, fulfilled in the New Covenant, and awaiting its final completion when Christ returns as Priest and King of all nations.This powerful episode reveals how every detail of Melchizedek's story points forward to Jesus. The true and everlasting Mediator between God and man. Perfect for believers hungry for deeper biblical understanding and prophetic insight into God's eternal plan of redemption.@highlight

This Podcast is from the series titled Spiritual DNA This is Pt.3 with Pastor Travis from Sept 21st 2025.What is DNA ? DNA carries the code that determines who we are, our traits, family line, and inheritance. 2 Peter 1:3 (NLT)3  By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.New creation traits we Covered1) Boldness2) Faith3) BuildingEphesians 2:19 (NKJV)19  Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,Ephesians 2:20 (NKJV)20  having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,Ephesians 2:21 (NKJV)21  in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,Ephesians 2:22 (NKJV)22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.2 Corinthians 1:22 (NKJV)22  who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.These are some of the other scriptures that were referenced in the sermon: Matt 18:20 (NKJV) , Acts 2:1-4 (NKJV), Psalm 133:1-3 (NKJV), 1 Cor 3:16 (NKJV).The 12 Tribes with Traits1. Reuben – Unstable Passion2. Simeon – Fierce Justice3. Levi – Priestly Service4. Judah – Royal Leadership5. Zebulun – Prosperous Trade6. Issachar – Steady Wisdom7. Dan – Keen Judgment8. Gad – Courageous Warrior9. Asher – Abundant Blessing10. Naphtali – Joyful Freedom11. Joseph (Ephraim/Manasseh) – Fruitful Increase12. Benjamin – Victorious StrengthThank you for listening and join us next time for more great teaching from the word.If you feel led to give towards this podcast ministry you can do so through the same ways that you give your tithes & offerings by writing Podcast ministry.

Crystal Rivers | Word for Now | Oct 13, 2025 The Book of Revelation reveals profound truths about spiritual identity that transform how scripture should be understood, particularly concerning the 144,000 mentioned in Revelation chapter 7. This number is not a literal count of people who will be sealed, but rather a NAME—specifically, the name of Jesus Christ Himself—that applies to all who receive the seal of the living God on their foreheads. Just as 666 represents Satan's identifying number, 144,000 represents the name of God's people, because Revelation 3:12 declares that God will write upon overcomers the name of God, the name of the city of God (New Jerusalem), and Christ's new name, which are all the same name. This understanding requires embracing Judeo-Christian numerology, where biblical mathematics operates as Spirit-inspired truth rather than simple counting—similar to how the number 10,000 in Hebrew culture doesn't mean ten thousand individual units but refers to "the throne of God" or "the chariot of God," representing divine presence among assembled communities. The mathematical formula embedded in scripture shows 144,000 equals 12 tribes multiplied by 12 (representing union within each tribe) multiplied by 10 multiplied by 100 (representing fullness). This reveals that God's creation operates through angels who govern elemental forces—water, fire, wind, earth—using measurements, weights, spans, and mathematical principles woven into the fabric of existence, as seen in Job 38 and Isaiah 40. Understanding these spiritual principles clarifies that God doesn't punish arbitrarily but reveals consequences already present from sinful actions, with His longsuffering working to mitigate destruction until rejected, as demonstrated in the Egyptian plagues and throughout Old Testament judgments. The goal of studying Revelation through this lens is to properly understand the Melchizedek order of priesthood and function effectively within it, recognizing that Jesus Christ represents the visible manifestation of the invisible God, and that name encompasses both the Savior Himself and the city of God formed by His people. This knowledge equips believers to move beyond archaic interpretations that portrayed God as vengeful, instead revealing through Christ's example—who wept for Jerusalem even as they crucified Him—that divine judgment flows from partnership with evil spirits and rejection of God's protective mercy, not from God's desire to harm. The mathematical and angelic dimensions of creation demonstrate that spiritual realities operate through hive-mind principles where communities host God's presence beyond individual capacity, much like honeycomb structures reveal divine architecture, and this understanding should drive believers toward humility, prayer, and the meekness that allows God to speak without human pride creating excuses or resistance. Zoom every weekday : http://www.caveadullam.org/zoom

In our exploration of 2 Peter 2:12-17, we uncover the dangerous traits of false prophets and how to guard against their influence. The passage warns us about those who let sin run unchecked in their lives, valuing their opinions over Scripture and twisting God's word to justify their actions. We're reminded that truth isn't defined by our feelings or culture, but by Jesus Christ Himself. The remedy for a corrupted mind and hardened heart? Immersing ourselves in God's Word, allowing it to cleanse our thoughts and soften our hearts. This message challenges us to examine our own lives: Are we aligning ourselves with God's truth or justifying our sins? It's a powerful call to renew our minds through Scripture and apply its wisdom to our daily walk. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1425/29

Sermons Archive RSS John 2:13-22 Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. 15 When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables. 16 And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!” 17 Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.”18 So the Jews answered and said to Him, “What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?”19 Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”20 Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?”21 But He was speaking of the temple of His body. 22 Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.Psalm 69:9 Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up,And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.Leviticus 26:11-12 I will set My tabernacle among you, and My soul shall not abhor you.12 I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people.Colossians 2:9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;Colossians 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.Ephesians 2:19-22 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

Send us a text In this episode, recorded in London, England, Reverend Ben Cooper delivers a deeply challenging and prophetic message under the theme “No Flag but Jesus.” Drawing from the powerful words of Deuteronomy 8, this devotional takes listeners into the heart of God's reminder to His people during their wilderness journey.For forty years, Israel was humbled, tested, and refined in the desert. They experienced hunger, but God provided manna that no one had ever seen before. Their clothes did not wear out, and their feet never swelled. Through every trial, God was teaching them one fundamental truth: “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”Centuries later, Jesus Christ Himself echoed these words in Matthew 4:4 when He was tested in the wilderness. Hungry and physically weak, He resisted temptation by declaring that His life was sustained not by earthly bread but by the eternal Word of God. This connection reveals an unchanging truth: God's Word is the ultimate source of life, strength, and victory.The title “No Flag but Jesus” captures the heart of this message. Nations may raise flags, movements may demand allegiance, and cultures may try to define identity, but for the follower of Christ, there is only one kingdom worth living for and only one King worth serving. No political system, no ideology, and no earthly banner can bring salvation or eternal hope. Our allegiance belongs to Christ alone.Biblical Foundation:Deuteronomy 8:1–8 – God's discipline, provision, and promises during the wilderness journey.Matthew 4:4 – Jesus Christ's declaration that man lives by God's Word.Joshua 1:8 – The call to meditate on the Word of God day and night.Psalm 119:105 – The Word of God as a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.Episode Highlights:The wilderness as God's testing ground for His people.The lesson of manna: God's provision teaches trust and dependence.The unchanging Word of God as the foundation of life.The danger of forgetting God in seasons of blessing and prosperity.Why Christians are called to place their allegiance solely in Jesus Christ.What it means to live daily under the banner of No Flag but Jesus.Life Application: Every generation is faced with the same question: Who will you serve, and where will you place your loyalty? The world waves its flags—nations, ideologies, and identities that compete for our devotion. Yet all these symbols are temporary. They fade, they fall, and they fail. The Kingdom of Christ is eternal.To declare “No Flag but Jesus” is to proclaim that our allegiance is to Him above all else. It means trusting God in the wilderness, remaining faithful in seasons of testing, and remembering Him when life is abundant. It is a call to obedience, humility, and daily surrender. True life is found not in worldly symbols but in the Word of God that nevSupport the showThank you for listening! For more inspiring content, visit our main site at RBChristianRadio.net. Explore our ministry services and celebrations at LifeCelebrant.net. If you'd like to support our work, you can now Buy Me a Coffee and help us keep spreading the word. Every bit makes a difference! God bless and see you in the next episode.

**Thank you for supporting this ministry, I lovingly refer to as "The Little Green Pasture." Click here:PayPal: http://paypal.me/JoanStahl **Please prayerfully consider becoming a ministry partner: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/joaniestahl **Contact Email: jsfieldnotes@gmail.com **Subscribe to me on Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-534183 Helping people by praying for them and giving them what they need is at the center heart of God. The Bible is full of stories, outcome testimonies and promises that are for all circumstances in life, and for extreme cases. We believe and rely on them and have expectation.The believer that is made alive in the Lord is always ready to help and pray. Giving is always joy and it makes us feel full of the power of God's love to perform it.However, I want to mark out how there are certain individuals that we come across that are very desperate, in dire straits, facing impossible situations. We spring into action because we love them and want them delivered. But there is a problem. Many times there is frustration because as much intense prayer, and working with them, teaching, sharing the word, they are never better. There is never any change.I have experienced this many times in my life. We are never to be weary in well-doing, but there are things God has to teach us, and show us. Therefore, we are to go through these things ultimately to trust God and Him alone completely for them. This is not a compensatory saying but one of wisdom. We must learn that there is no one more merciful than Jesus Christ Himself. We have to learn to bow and give them up to the Lord with as much joy we had when we first started to believe for them."A whole lot of what we call 'struggling' is simply delayed obedience." - Elisabeth Elliot

THE SECRET TO HOLY BOLDNESS (Acts 4:1-20) Today, I want to talk about The Secret to Holy Boldness, or the secret to witnessing for Christ, even in the face of persecution.  I believe that we need an epidemic of Holy boldness from believers in our world today.  And, if you are one of those who wish that you had more courage to testify and witness for Jesus, then I want you to pay attention. I am convinced that many of us want to share our faith, and want to tell others about our Savior, but we have been intimidated by our lost friends and family, and society as a whole.  We are more concerned about their reaction to our witnessing for Christ, than we are about their eternal life and destiny.  And that makes us cowardly Christians.  And I believe that there are a lot of people who when they go out to testify for Jesus.  On the one hand, their loyalty makes them go, but on the other hand, their fear makes them slow, and they just are not the vibrant testimony for Jesus that they ought to be. Listen to me, if there is one message that the Church needs to preach today, it is that Jesus is the only way of salvation. Now, if you think that is narrow-minded, then don't argue with me, go argue with God, because that is what He says in His Word.   If I cannot teach that Jesus Christ is the only way to Heaven, then I am not going to teach at all, because if Jesus Christ is not the only way to Heaven, then Jesus Christ is none of the ways to Heaven.  If Jesus Christ is not the only way to Heaven, then the Apostle Peter is a liar. Peter said in Acts 4:12, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”  Amen? If Jesus Christ is not the only way to Heaven, then Jesus Christ Himself is a fake, a fraud, and an imposter, for He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).  Holy boldness is saying, “Lord Jesus, If You are for me, then who can be against me? Lord Jesus, if You want to use me, then use me Lord. And I trust You to take care of me. And Lord, if You choose—if You choose to let me be put in jail—then I'll rejoice that I am counted worthy to suffer shame for Your name. If you choose, Lord Jesus, that I suffer bodily harm, then Lord, nothing will come to me that will not come through You first. And Lord, You are my Commander-in-Chief, and Lord, I submit myself to you, and I will speak at Your command.”   Click on the play button to hear a message on the secret to Holy Boldness. This is a live recording of The Master's Class Bible Study at LifeChange Church Wichita, KS. Amen.

Galatians is a critical Bible book that shows how the gospel of grace is easily corrupted by the intrusion of works. Its emphasis on the grace of the gospel is one reason why Martin Luther called this book his "Katherine," who was his wife. In chapter 1, the Apostle Paul expresses his surprise and concern at how the readers had so soon been corrupted from his gospel to a different gospel. He argues that he received his gospel from Jesus Christ Himself. He did not change his message to win the approval of others. This message is needed today because the gospel of grace is still in danger of corruption by those who teach works or the law is a necessary component of salvation. #Galatians #SimplybyGrace #GraceLifeMinistries

Every Monday we pray together to kick off our week and this week is a prayer time you DON'T want to miss!!  I have a super special announcement coming first to my email list so make sure you are on it HERE   Today's Declaration  I decree and declare by proclamation of Jesus Christ Himself that I am called, chosen, gifted, and anointed.  Favor finds me everywhere I go.  I bring the ever-expanding Kingdom of God with me as I advance His purposes on the Earth.  I am bold.  I do not shrink back.  And I declare every obstacle in my way will either serve me or get out of my way.  I decree and declare that abundant finances are my birthright.  I declare by proclamation of the true Lord Jesus that the money assigned to me comes to me now, without delay.  I declare that I am a million dollar giver and a billion dollar earner.  Ideas for great wealth come to me and generosity flows through me.  I declare that my investments and assets are protected because they belong to Jesus.  I declare blessing and increase over my bank accounts. I fall out of agreement with every demonic spirit, in Jesus' name. Amen!

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Sunday morning, the 24th of August, 2025, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We start in the Book of Psalms 32:8. “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.” Then we go to Psalm 34:11: “Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.” Fear of the Lord - meaning reverence, respect. I want to say to you today, we need to listen to old people. I am talking to young men and young women. They will show you where the potholes are in the road. They will show you about the cul-de-sacs, the one-way streets that you go down, having to turn around and go back again, wasting valuable time. They will show you the right direction. Remember, shortcuts are not always the quickest way home. A lot of young people don't understand that. I was one of them and it cost me dearly, many times.When I go into the rural areas of Africa, one thing that has always amazed me and endeared these precious people to my heart is that they have a great respect for age. You will go into a village where they don't have much and there will be an old man there with white hair and when he wants to talk to the people, they will gather around him in one of the huts and they will put a chair in the middle of the room, and they will all sit around him and listen to his advice. Folks, we need to understand something. We think we are clever - we are not that clever. If we had to do away with cell phones, iPads, one that I am using at the moment, and computers, some young people are struggling with basic arithmetic! Take away that calculator and they cannot add a simple sum together. They need to calculate, but an old person doesn't need that. My wife, Jill's dad, was an incredible mathematician. He could take his pen and run from the top to the bottom, six figures, and add them all up without making a mistake! We battle to get one column together and get it right. We need to respect older people.You know, Thomas? We always call him “doubting Thomas” I want to stand up for Thomas today. Thomas always enquired of the Lord. I don't think he was a doubter, I think he just wanted to know. He said in John 14:5-6: “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way,…”Today, don't despise and don't have little patience for senior people. They have so much information and so much wisdom to give you. Just give them a chance to talk to you, and most of all, the greatest of all, Jesus Christ Himself, He is waiting to hear from you today. Jesus bless you and goodbye.

Todaywe are talking about the riches that we have in Christ Jesus. Sometimeswe think of the wealthiest people on earth such as Elon Musk being worth over$430 billion and Jeff Bezos, the owner and founder of Amazon, over 200-plusbillion dollars, and other wealthy people. The top five billionaires in theworld altogether—their wealth is over a trillion dollars—and we go, wow,wouldn't we like to have that? Well, my friend, I am telling you, you havesomething better than that. You have eternal riches.  Thefact that Paul is writing about wealth would be significant to his readers,because Ephesus was considered the bank of Asia. One of the seven wonders ofthe world, the great temple of Diana, was in Ephesus, and was not only a centerfor idolatrous worship, but also a depository for wealth. Some of the greatestart treasures of the ancient world were housed in this magnificent building. Inthis letter, Paul will compare the church of Jesus Christ to a temple and willexplain the great wealth that Christ has in His church. Paul is saying to us, "BE RICH!" Thatis what Paul says in verse three: “Blessed be the God and Father of our LordJesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlyplaces in Christ.” Our riches are not in a passing world, a temporaryworld, the temporary wealth of this world. Our riches are found in the eternalperson of Jesus Christ Himself. We have His riches. We are co-inheritors withHim of all the riches of God. Our Father in heaven owns it all.  TheHoly Spirit is mentioned many times in this letter, because He is the one whochannels our riches to us from the Father, through the Son. Not to know anddepend on the Holy Spirit's provision is to live a life of spiritual poverty.No wonder Paul began his Ephesian ministry asking some professed Christians ifthey really knew the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:1-7). We might ask professedChristians today, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? Ifthe answer is no, then you are not saved." "Now if any man havenot the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His" (Romans 8:9). Unless youhave the witness of the Spirit (Romans 8:15-16), you cannot draw on the wealthof the Spirit. Inthese first verses of this chapter one of the guarantees that we're going tosee of our salvation and our eternal inheritance in Christ is based on the factthat we have been given the Holy Spirit (vv.11-14). In the Old Testament,promises were made to Israel that they would be blessed with prosperity, withwealth, with land, with material things. But my friend, the blessings that arepromised to the believer are eternal blessings. We're not called to be blessedwith riches physically. The prosperity gospel preachers are deceitfullymisleading many today to believe that God has promised us material wealth now.Actually Jesus promised us poverty and suffering now if we truly follow Him.  Ourriches In Christ are not in the sweet by and by. We are rich and blessed inChrist spiritually speaking right now! In Philippians 3, Paul said, "Icount all things but loss for the glory and the riches that I have in ChristJesus… that I might know Him and the power of His resurrection." Ourriches are found in the fact that we have the promise that “our God willsupply all our needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians4:19). “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians4:13).  Myfriend, today we have the power, the ability, and the desire to please God forheavenly riches, heavenly things, and heavenly results. You can't take yourmoney to heaven with you, but you can take people to heaven with you that youinfluence and impact with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Today,you are rich in Christ. You've been born into tremendous wealth in Christ. Youare seated with Him in the heavenlies even right now. GodBless!

Jesus Delivered Us (8) (audio) David Eells – 8/3/25 Saints, I'm going to continue our teaching on how Jesus delivered us and gave us authority over demons.   I want to begin by sharing this testimony with you by C.J. Set Free From Gossip and Slander by Confession The message called “Addressing Factious Criticism” is one of the best I have heard in a long time. A while ago the Lord revealed to me that I was just the person described in that message. I was controlled by a strong gossiping and slandering spirit. He also showed me that I was a user of “unjust scales.” I would repent of this over and over, but I just kept falling back into these sins. Finally, I got so frustrated that I asked the Lord, “Why can I not get free from these sins?” What He said changed my life dramatically. He said that I would not be free from the spirit of gossiping and slandering until I stood before a body of believers and asked their forgiveness. He explained to me that gossiping, slandering, and using unjust scales are sins against the entire body of Christ. Therefore, they require corporate forgiveness. I was desperate to be set free from this bondage, so I asked the Lord, “Where do I go?” I had been out of the church system since the early ‘90s and did not belong to any group. He put in my heart the name of a church here in the village where I lived. So I went to that church. At a designated open-sharing time, I stood up and confessed these sins before the body of Christ. It was interesting to watch in the spirit how the people were responding to my public confession. At first, there was an uncomfortable, tense silence. It was like they were horrified, which then gave way to condemnation and judgment, that I was confessing my sins out loud before everyone. But I was determined to get deliverance from these strongholds in my life, and I didn't care how embarrassing or humiliating it was for me. So I pressed on and shared God's words of knowledge that He had given me. I then sat down to wait upon the Lord. That pastor stood in front of the church, totally flabbergasted at what I had done, and didn't know how to respond. So he just continued on with the church's bulletin agenda. I felt hurt and disappointed because I was convinced that if I would humble myself before the Lord and His people, He would be faithful and just to forgive my sins. I asked the Lord about this in my heart when an elder in the church stood up. He politely interrupted the pastor and said, “This young woman came here today and confessed her sins before this body and asked for our forgiveness. We, as a body, need to forgive her.” So the pastor requested the assembly to stand and asked, “Do you forgive this woman of her transgressions?” As one, the church responded, “Yes.” The pastor then prayed and thanked the Lord for the example I set. As the church spoke their corporate forgiveness over me, I saw this vision coming down out of lower heaven: a black umbilical cord was attached to my stomach when I saw a huge pair of silver scissors appear and sever the cord. I felt myself literally jerk as the strongholds left. Since that day, I have been wondrously and gloriously set free! For all those out there who know you have a problem with these sins and haven't been able to break free of them, go find a corporate body of Christ and stand before the assembly and confess your sins. He will set you free! I didn't even attend this church, yet God used them. (Jas.4:7) Be subject therefore unto God: but resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (8) Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded. (9) Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. (10) Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall exalt you. (11) Speak not one against another, brethren. He that speaketh against a brother, or judgeth his brother, speaketh against the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judgest the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. (12) One [only] is the lawgiver and judge, [even] he who is able to save and destroy: but who art thou that judgest thy neighbor? (Joh.8:34) Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Every one that committeth sin is the bondservant of sin. (35) And the bondservant abideth not in the house for ever: the son abideth for ever. (36) If therefore the Son shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. Praise the Lord! You know, it's a humbling thing to stand before a body of believers and confess our sins. Many do not practice this in churches today, but as we can see here in this testimony, it has its place, and this person became free from this bondage and the demons. Now, here's another testimony and a revelation I'd like to share with you about the subtle ways the devil works to deceive us.   Forgiven and Freed From Condemnation by (Name Withheld) One day not long ago, I was sitting on my couch meditating on things. I was wondering why my prayers weren't reaching the throne and seeking why I wasn't having bold power with God. Then I heard a voice say, “Your heart condemns you.” I often remembered David Eells' teaching on (Jas.5:16) Confess therefore your sins one to another, and pray one for another that you may be healed. I thought about that verse. I had confessed all my sins after I came back to God about nine months earlier, or so I thought! Then I remembered how, when I had gotten divorced, I felt a lot of anger, bitterness, and unforgiveness towards people who were involved in that process. I would take it out on God. I would curse Him. This is not a sin I'm proud of admitting. I went into an empty room, sat on the floor, and started confessing to God my sin of cursing Him with my lips. I had tears rolling down my face and I felt very ashamed. As I was kneeling down by the bed, I was permitted to hear this conversation that took place between two entities. One was the devil or a demon, saying to another person who was either Christ or His representative, “You heard him. You heard what he did and what he said.” Then, in such a kind and compassionate tone, this person replied, “Well, I forgive him.” I was so humbled! Then the angel of the Lord or His representative came over to me. I couldn't see his face, just an outline of his shape. He said to me, “He will bother you no more.” I perceived that accuser to be a demon of condemnation or guilt. After this happened, I praised the Lord, got up from the bedroom floor and felt great! All week long I have felt great. I've had no condemnation for my past sins and failures. What a merciful God we serve! I deserved all the punishment I was getting. Praise the Lord! We need to be careful not to fall for the devil's tactics. This revelation sounds so much like something we read in Zechariah, where the characters are the Angel of the Lord, Satan, and the one being condemned. (Zec.3:1) And he showed me Joshua (This is also the New Testament name for Jesus.) the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to be his adversary. Satan is the accuser of the brethren, and so he's accusing Joshua, or Jesus. And I've shared with you in the past how the Lord spoke to me that Joshua here, or Jesus, represents the body of Christ. Here we see Satan accusing the body of Christ to the Angel of the Lord, standing at His right hand to be His adversary. (Zec.3:2) The Lord said unto Satan, the Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; yea, the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee… What did Jerusalem have to do with the body of Christ? The manifest body of Christ is the Bride, and according to the Book of Revelation, that's Jerusalem (Revelation 21:2); this is a parallel here that He's showing us. (Zec.3:2) The Lord said unto Satan, the Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; yea, the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? Praise the Lord that we are guiltless! We are not under the condemnation of this world. We're not under the curse of this world. We've been “plucked out of the fire.” (Zec.3:3) Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the angel. Those “filthy garments” represent our unrighteousness, our failure, our sins. They signify our not being dressed up in Jesus Christ. (Rom.13:14) Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to [fulfil] the lusts [thereof]. We come short many times, but we have a Sacrifice, an Offering: Jesus Christ. And because of His sacrifice, the Lord sees us as cleansed. Praise the Lord! (Zec.3:3) Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the angel. (4) And he answered and he spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take the filthy garments from off him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with rich apparel. Remember, that's what the Lord says; He has caused our iniquity to pass away. He will clothe us with “rich apparel,” which is putting on the Lord Jesus Christ and manifesting His Word. “Rich apparel” is the manifestation of being the Body of Christ. Praise the Lord! This is God's promise. He says it, speaking the end from the beginning, and it is so (Isaiah 46:10). We believe and stand on it. We …calleth the things that are not, as though they were (Rom.4:17). When we pray, we believe we have received (Mark 11:24). Don't forget that faith is accounted as righteousness. If you look in the mirror and see your old sinful self, there's no righteousness there, no covering, no faith. But if you look in the mirror and see Jesus, then you know that reconciliation is already made. He has taken off our filthy garments and replaced them with His rich apparel. We see it by faith, and when we see it by faith, that faith is accounted as righteousness. And we're told in (Rom.8:1) There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. How are we in Christ? We're in Christ by faith. Praise be to God! This is God's goodness. (Zec.3:5) And I said, Let them set a clean mitre upon his head. So they set a clean mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments; and the angel of the Lord was standing by. A “clean mitre” symbolizes the renewed mind. The Lord has blessed us with the Mind of Christ. All these things that He's given us, including the Mind of Christ, we first accept by faith, and because we accept them by faith, God brings them to pass. While we're accepting them by faith, even though we haven't as yet seen them manifested, we are accounted righteous. However, if a spirit of condemnation or guilt manages to slip in, it can be a catastrophe because if you have condemnation, you don't have faith. You can't have both faith and condemnation at the same time. I want to share with you that years ago, the Lord showed me a window in my house located right over the head of my bed. It was like a window into the heavenlies, and when I looked through that window, I would see visions. Other people have had dreams about my house or me and they, too, saw that window where there is no window. It was the Lord showing us the supernatural. God said He would open the windows of heaven, giving vision into heavenly things (Isaiah 24:18; Malachi 3:10). Well, I work long hours; I don't get a whole lot of sleep. When the Lord started giving me visions, it was kind of disconcerting being awakened in the middle of the night. And as if He didn't already know, I told Him, “Lord, I need my sleep. I don't get many hours.” The Lord answered me, “Really? Why do you need your sleep? Man doesn't live by bread alone. He doesn't live by sleep alone, either, but by every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” (Deuteronomy 8:3; Matthew 4:4; Luke 4:4) For a while, I was a little frustrated because I wasn't getting sleep, but then I realized, “Wait a minute! I need what the Lord's telling me at this time of the night, too. I need to hear this.” And I began to enjoy what the Lord was showing me. He would show me revelations or visions, explanations of what was happening in the spirit. He would speak to me and show me solutions for problems, which did not necessarily involve seeing a vision. He would reveal enemy tactics and show me what to do about them. This would happen between 2:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. The Lord had been doing that to me for a long time, when one night, He started speaking to me about demons and their functions. He told me about their doings and some of the problems they bring. He explained how certain demons will open the door for other demons and what they do in people. I jumped out of bed and grabbed a piece of paper and started writing a diagram of what the Lord was showing. He showed me how common it is for the spirit of “self-condemnation” to attack people. From there, the Lord showed me that the spirit of self-condemnation would open the door for the spirit of “rejection.” This spirit of rejection, in turn, would open the door for the spirit of “self-justification”, and this spirit of self-justification in turn, would open a door for the “spirit of retaliation”. Each of these main demons mentioned here has a subset of lesser demons, too, and the main demons open the doors for them. The very first one He showed me was the spirit of self-condemnation, and I think that was because, just a few days earlier, we had received the brother's revelation, which I just shared with you. When the Lord woke me up that morning, I started thinking and meditating on it as I was drawing a diagram. You know, the more you meditate on something, the more the Lord can show and speak to you. Now, there is a time and purpose for condemnation. It has a ministry to people who are willfully disobedient. It has a legal right to them when they're bitter and unforgiving towards their brothers because, in that case, they get turned over to the tormentors. Jesus gave us this parable in (Mat.18:33) Shouldest not thou also have had mercy on thy fellow-servant, even as I had mercy on thee? (34) And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due. Condemnation is one of those tormenters. Its job is to torment people until they learn to forgive and forget, until they give up their bitterness and anger and so on. Condemnation can come as a result of any kind of willful disobedience. (Heb.10:26) If we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more a sacrifice for sins (Jesus doesn't pay the penalty for the curse that willful sin brings. You end up paying for it. You end up getting a “whipping” and these tormentor demons are the ones that carry this out.), but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and a fierceness of fire which shall devour the adversaries. The “adversaries” referred to here are in you. There are things in you that don't belong, things that are not friendly to God or the spiritual man, so there is a good ministry of condemnation, but condemnation has no legal right to you when you have confessed your sin to God and forsaken it. Once you put that sin under the Blood of Christ, it's under the Blood. It's a bad ministry of condemnation if you're doing your best to walk away from that sin, yet you still feel condemned, because confessing and forsaking sin has nothing to do with your emotions. It's believing what the Bible says that counts. Learn to overcome your emotions and walk by what “thus saith the Lord.” If God says He's forgiven you when you've confessed your sins, that's what you believe. Don't pay attention to any demonic spirit that says otherwise. If you do listen to some spirit, it's because you're giving in to an emotion. Remember that the devil will try to give you illegal thoughts, and if you listen to them instead of casting them down, it will affect your emotions. Our emotions are supposed to be submitted to your spiritual man and the Word of God in you. We get all out of whack when we fall into sin, and we start being ruled by our emotions, our lower nature, our old man. That's just the opposite of what is supposed to be. You're supposed to be ruled by your spirit, which is in submission to the Word of God. We need to learn not to listen to emotions that are contrary to God's Word, and condemnation is one of those feelings that can come over you. The apostle Paul said, (Rom.7:19) For the good which I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I practise. (20) But if what I would not, that I do, it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwelleth in me. In other words, “If I don't do the good that I want to do or I will to do, but instead I do the evil that I don't want to do and I don't will to do, then it's not me that does it. It's the sin that dwells in me.” God is separating you from the sin. He's saying, “You're okay, but that sin's gotta go.” This is true because you're not supposed to receive condemnation for failures. If it's failure and not a willful disobedience where you're purposely sinning against God with your will, you confess your sin, and He forgives you. As with failure, the same goes for ignorance. In the Old Testament, according to the Law, you sinned whether you knew it or not, and after you found out about it, you had to bring a sacrifice. (Lev.5:17) And if any one sin, and do any of the things which Jehovah hath commanded not to be done; though he knew it not, yet is he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity. 18 And he shall bring a ram without blemish out of the flock, according to thy estimation, for a trespass-offering, unto the priest; and the priest shall make atonement for him concerning the thing wherein he erred unwittingly and knew it not, and he shall be forgiven. But the New Testament says in (Jas.4:17) To him therefore that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. This is a good deal! God is not imputing the finer points of the Bible against you, in the event that you don't understand that you're out of His Will. It's like children as they're growing up. They do a lot of things that an adult wouldn't do, but you don't really impute iniquity to them unless they do something you've told them not to do, but they're doing it anyway. They're being self-willed and insolent and arrogant, and that's when you spank them, but normally, if they do childish things, you let that go. That's just the way we train up our children, and that's the way God trains up His children. (Jas.4:17) To him therefore that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. That's when God imputes sin to you. You're not supposed to be condemned for things that you've done in ignorance or in failure. You're supposed to be condemned only for things that you do wrong willfully. Remember what Paul said, (Rom.7:19) For the good which I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I practise. He did not will to do something wrong. “And the evil which I would not (or ‘willed not'), that I do!” He was lamenting the fact that he was falling victim to something he hated, and God said, “Well, then it's not you that does it, it's the sin that dwells in you. It's the old man.” What do we do with the old man? (Rom.6:11) Even so reckon ye also yourselves to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus. We reckon the old man's dead and gone. We account ourselves to be dead unto sin, and the Lord does, too. If you reckon it, He reckons it. As Jesus said, (Mat.9:29) … According to your faith, be it done unto you. There is a time for condemnation, but there's a time when you shouldn't receive condemnation, such as when it's a demon coming to take advantage of you because you may not understand that … I have caused your iniquity (That's the “filthy garment.”) to pass from thee… (Zec.3:4) The Lord said that it's already done. He has delivered us. Another demon that the Lord showed me is called “self-justification.” It appears that self-condemnation is almost the opposite of self-justification. With one, you're justifying yourself, and with the other, you're condemning yourself. You would think that a person couldn't have both of them at the same time, but yes, they can, and I've seen it. The Lord showed me that first, there's one other demon that has to come in the middle there; he's called “rejection.” When that demon comes in the middle, it makes it possible for a person to have both self-justification and self-condemnation. After condemnation takes hold, it can open the door to rejection. Sometimes condemnation is a spirit that speaks in your mind, but quite often, condemnation speaks through other people condemning you. If you hear enough condemning, the door can be opened to rejection. Many times, children come into this spirit of rejection when they receive enough criticism and condemnation from others. Rejection is a feeling that God has rejected you or that people have rejected you. It puts a wall between you and other people. Rejection is a nasty spirit that often companies with a spirit called “fear of rejection,” and fear of rejection, basically, is one of those spirits that pushes people around. It makes them do things because of fear, because they don't want a certain thing to happen to them; that thing is rejection. They do things, or don't do things, because they're afraid it might cause people to reject them. They're always being moved by this fear, instead of the fear of the Lord (Job 28:28; Proverbs 1:29,9:10,15:23; Revelation 15:4, etc.) You can't serve rejection or fear of rejection and the Lord at the same time; it's impossible; you just can't do it. A person having this fear of rejection receives a hatred for correction, or “reproof,” as the Bible sometimes calls it. If you try to help someone by bringing correction to them, even ever so gently, like “charming the serpent,” they'll bite you like a serpent. (Ecc.10:11) If the serpent bite before it is charmed, then is there no advantage in the charmer. Trying to get around the flesh of a person who has rejection in order to help them, without that old flesh rearing up, is very hard to do. They'll strike out at you because they've received that hatred for correction, which is common to people who have a spirit of rejection. After rejection, it's the next demon that's let in. So people with spirits of condemnation and rejection also have this hatred for correction. And boy, is that a trap! If nobody can correct you, you're in for some very big problems! (Pro.15:5) A fool despiseth his father's correction; (That “father” can be your natural parent, or that “father” can be your spiritual father on earth as in 1 Corinthians 4:15, or that “father” can be our Heavenly Father.); but he that regardeth reproof (This is somebody who pays attention to correction and takes it to heart.) getteth prudence. The Bible also says, (Eph.4:31) Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and railing, be put away from you, with all malice… “Let… anger…be put away from you.” (Ecc.7:9) Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry; for anger resteth in the bosom of fools. So, this is saying that if you have anger, you're being a fool. If you don't like correction, or somebody laughs at you, and so forth, the next thing that comes in is anger, and that means you're being a fool. So we see that one of these spirits just opens the door to the next, until it's a grievous situation. Hating reproof or correction is a very dangerous place to be. Our Father will correct us because He loves us and wants us to repent for sin. But there are many people who will become angry with God when He corrects them because they don't yet know His love. 1Jn 4:18 There is no fear in love: but perfect love casteth out fear, because fear hath punishment; and he that feareth is not made perfect in love. There's that “fear of rejection” and not being able to accept correction. But God is treating you as a son. Heb 12:6-8 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, And scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 7 It is for chastening that ye endure; God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father chasteneth not? 8 But if ye are without chastening, whereof all have been made partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. The testimony of the brother I related to you above fell into that trap where he blamed God. In the first part of his testimony, he confessed that he had gotten angry with God, but it's a good thing that God doesn't give us our way. God stops us, putting up roadblocks here and there. He even lets demons come in to hinder us. This is to prevent us from doing something that He doesn't want us to do, or that He won't permit us to do because of our sins. And so, people will get angry. If you're going to bring any form of correction to them, you have to be very careful. You have to really charm the serpent, but even then, no matter how careful you are, sometimes they'll still bite you. You may know people like this, or you may be experiencing this happening in your life right now. You may be wrestling with these demons that are trying to bring you into an ultimate, no-escape, terrible trap of hatred for correction. Father, in Jesus name, we ask that You reveal to the brethren how the demons may be using any of these tactics against them, and as they confess their sins, we know that You hear them and are faithful to forgive them. We thank You for the Blood of Jesus and forgiveness for our sins of failure and mistakes. We command spirits of condemnation, rejection, and the fear of rejection, and fear of correction to go now! You demons no longer have authority over us because we've been forgiven and set free from all the powers of darkness and translated into the Father's Kingdom of the Son of His love! Hallelujah! A person with these spirits we've already mentioned doesn't want to hear correction because correction causes them to feel emotional pain. They read any kind of correction as rejection, which is very painful to them, and so the next thing that comes along is a spirit of self-justification. Self-justification in a person describes a person who, in their own eyes, never does anything wrong. That's another terrible trap because when self-justification is present, you can still call yourself a Christian while self-justifying practically any kind of sin. We've seen people do this. While committing terrible sins, while they're lying, cheating, stealing, slandering, holding unforgiveness, fornicating, and on and on, these people call themselves “Christian.” They consider themselves to be right in what they're doing, yet they will judge you. Their conscience has been defiled; it's been seared. And as they self-justify, they become (1Ti.4:2) … men that speak lies, branded in their own conscience as with a hot iron. Self-justification will let in a great many kinds of sin and demon spirits, such as lying, cheating, stealing, slandering, false prophesying, or, usually out of anger, even receiving false revelation. They've become completely deceived by this demon. A person can become so self-justified that they think they're not doing anything wrong, even as the demons and sins of all kinds just start flooding in and taking over. Any worldly person would look at them in this circumstance and say, “They're crazy! They say they're Christian, so how can they do that?” Well, the conscience of a self-justified person is defiled, meaning it doesn't talk to them anymore, and people with self-justification can be the biggest hypocrites around. While they sin, they'll condemn you and never give it a second thought. When a person's conscience becomes defiled, that person becomes separated from the Word of the Lord, separated from being convicted by the Word of the Lord. Someone can give that person the Word, and it just won't affect them. Of course, the Word is Jesus Christ Himself. You can't be separated from His Word without being separated from Him. Self-justification is a very vicious trap. If you are justifying yourself, the one thing that you must do in order to receive deliverance is to confess your sin. (1Jn.1:9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Unrighteousness is the foothold that demons use to take advantage of us. Remember Jesus said, (Joh.14:30) I will no more speak much with you, for the prince of the world cometh: and he hath nothing in me… There was nothing that the devil could get a grip on. Jesus didn't have unrighteousness, so these devils failed to be able to make Him do what they wanted. Ultimately, if you're caught in this terrible trap of self-justification, you're going to fall into all these sins and corruption. You're going to be a hypocrite. You're going to end up with a defiled conscience to where the Lord won't be able to convict you of sin, and all the while you'll be thinking, “I'm okay because God's on my side,” but He's not. It ends in chastening or, without repentance on your part, in destruction. The sad truth is that when a person has this spirit of self-justification, they're afraid to confess sins because people might reject them, and since they also have this spirit of rejection, they can't confess their sins. I have tried and tried to get them to confess their sins, telling them, “Hey, look at this verse! Look at this awesome promise here!” (1Jn.1:9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (10) If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. But people with this spirit of self-justification will just point their finger everywhere else. “No, it's your fault! It's all your fault; you did it. It's not me. Nope, nope, nope.” This is the terrible trap of self-justification. If you continue this path and you're caught, you'll split hell wide open without God's mercy to confess and repent of your sin. Now, I want to explain to you that there is a difference between a covering and a cleansing of the Blood of Christ. The Lord says in (Psa.32:1) Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered. The Blood of the Lamb is covering the sin of this person who has faith in Him. This person's failures are covered and their ignorance is covered. They're walking as a child of God. (Psa.32:2) Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity… When a person is not walking in willful disobedience, God won't impute iniquity to them because they're walking by faith. The only thing that gives you this benefit, even in your ignorance and failures, is faith in the sacrifice of Jesus. The Blood of Jesus is the only covering that gives you this benefit, but this covering that the Lord gives us is not the end. It's a means to an end. The Lord expects there to come a time when you don't have to be covered because you have become obedient in that particular area. God covers a person until they come to the place of sanctification and obedience. Then they don't need that covering anymore. You may have other things that need to be covered, but if you've been sanctified in that particular area, you don't need a covering for something that is not sin. (1Jn.1:7) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanseth us from all sin. First, there's the covering of the Blood, and then there's the cleansing of the Blood. When you receive the cleansing of the Blood, you don't need the covering of the Blood because you don't have that sin anymore. You don't have that problem anymore. It's gone. We may know of places in our life where we're not tempted at all by things in which we used to be tempted. That's because we've been sanctified and we've been washed in the Blood. We don't need a covering in that area anymore, but when He says, “Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity,” it's because of a Blood covering there. He is describing somebody who's walking by faith. The sin that they did is not imputed to them because it was not willful but done in ignorance or failure. Willful sin is when you know it's wrong, but you're going to do it anyway because you're headstrong. Continuing with (Psa.32:3) When I kept silence, my bones wasted away Through my groaning all the day long. Your life comes from your bones. Your blood comes from the bone marrow. The Bible says, (Lev.17:11) For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh atonement by reason of the life. So what does he mean by “When I kept silence”? He's saying that when he didn't confess his sins, the curse was on him. I try to get to the root of a person's problem. Usually, that root is that they need to confess sins in order that they might be cleansed by the Blood from all unrighteousness. If you want to minister to people, it is helpful to find the root of the problem and deal with that, so the demon has nothing to hold on to. This way, you give people something that will actually last. There was a certain brother I had prayed with some years ago, and there had been a good change in his life, but it didn't last. Then the Lord directed us to the root of the problem, which was that he was holding on to unforgiveness. Unforgiveness kept letting the demons back in to trouble him, causing him to do things that he didn't want to do. Jesus said in (Mat.18:35) So shall also my heavenly Father do unto you, if ye forgive not every one his brother from your hearts. The good effect that came from our prayer some years before didn't last, and the problem had returned because we hadn't dealt with the root. “Self-righteousness” is another name for “self-justification.” If you can't get a person to confess their sins, it is because of this spirit of self-justification or self-righteousness. When a person considers that they're righteous, although everybody else around them can clearly see they're not, this is the spirit of self-righteousness. If they continue to “keep silence,” if they don't confess their sin, they'll live under the curse. The person in Psalm 32, the man to whom the Lord won't impute iniquity, is somebody who is confessing their sins. (Psa.32:3) When I kept silence, my bones wasted away Through my groaning all the day long. (4) For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me (God's chastening was upon him.): My moisture was changed as with the drought of summer. (He was drying up.) Selah (5) I acknowledged my sin unto thee, And mine iniquity did I not hide: I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; And thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah. The great benefit is that if He forgives you, you're no longer under the curse! You're not being chastened any longer. You're no longer seen as a foolish person who is leavening the whole lump (1 Corinthians 5:6; Galatians 5:9). We have to confess our sins. (Pro.28:13) He that covereth his transgressions shall not prosper: But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall obtain mercy. Some people think they can have mercy without doing this. They think they can have the blessings of God and that they can be accounted as righteous without doing this, but it's a deception. A person needs to call out to the Lord for His mercy. (Psa.66:17) I cried unto him with my mouth, And he was extolled with my tongue. (18) If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear. What does “If I regard iniquity” mean? It means if you're not going to confess it, but instead, you're going to hold onto it and be led by it, then the Lord is not going to hear your prayers. (Psa.32:6) For this let everyone that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: Surely when the great waters overflow they shall not reach unto him. In other words, you can wait too long, and it will be too late. The judgment of God can catch you. You had better do it while you can because some people become so hardened in their consciences that they never come back to the Lord. If a person reaches that point, they don't deserve to come back to the Lord, yet still He is merciful. Through the prayers of others, He does things that we don't deserve, but there are many who don't ever come back to the Lord. So He says that if you will do this, if you'll pray to Him in a time when He can be found, then when the flood, the great waters of judgment, overflow, “they shall not reach unto him” because that person will be in the “Ark.” (Psa.32:7) Thou art my hiding-place; thou wilt preserve me from trouble; Thou wilt compass me about with songs of deliverance. What is it to be … in the secret place of the Most High Shall … under the shadow of the Almighty? (Psa.91:1) It is to be in a right relationship with Him because you have confessed your sins. Some people believe that they have this because of some other reason, but there is no other way to be there. If you have any sin, you have to confess it in order to be forgiven and hidden. The Lord showed me that “retaliation” is the next demon. It comes after condemnation, rejection, and self-justification. If a person is self-justified or self-righteous, hating correction and continues to walk in unforgiveness, or in any of these other sins, then the next thing that happens is retaliation against the person who has corrected or offended them. One time, I had a disagreement with a man who had some people who were taking his side in his little assembly. Two prophets from among them prophesied my death. One of the prophecies was for the next day. I said, “Okay, I'll see you tomorrow.” He prophesied that I was going to die, that I wouldn't be around the next day. I emailed him the next day and said, “I'm still here.” I knew I hadn't sinned. This other man had sinned. These people were just angry because I wasn't going to put up with it. Then there was a second man who prophesied my death in three days, but in three days, I was still there. Then he said he had meant three months, but at the end of three months, I was still there. Their anger was causing them to prophesy falsely. Retaliation can come in many forms, such as false speaking, slander, and false prophecy, or false revelations against the offending person. Retaliation's spinoffs can open the door to wrath and indignation and other negative emotions because demons can manifest as fallen, corrupt emotions. Do you know what it is in us that stirs up emotions? It's our thoughts. For example, when somebody wants to know how to not be overcome by lust, I ask, “Well, what are you thinking about? What are you looking at?” If a person is not going to quit doing that, then they're not going to give up the lust. Every other emotion works the same way: It's what you think about; it's what you look at; it's what you listen to. Every sin your carnal man, the old sinner, falls into is because you are feeding your carnal senses and being led by them. That means if you want to stop sinning, then you have to stop following your emotions, and if you want to stop the emotions, then you have to stop thinking about things that stir up your emotions. And returning to our example, in order to stop thinking about it, since your carnal senses are what feed your thoughts, don't go looking at it. If you don't want to give in to lust or let that emotion overtake you, don't look at pornography. Now let's go to (Heb.5:14) But solid food is for full-grown men (The Greek word there is teleios and it means “perfect … complete in all its parts.”), even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern good and evil. These “senses” are born-again senses that are “exercised” by the Word of God. We can look at the parable about David going through the stream to pick up his five smooth stones so that he could make war on Goliath. Those stones were “exercised” by that water. They were smoothed by that water. They were perfected by that water, which represents the Word of God. The Word of God tells us how to see, hear, and feel. It's the Word of God, not our emotions, that is supposed to be ruling in us. If your emotions are ruling you, you're going to be very unstable. If you're not going to be ruled by the Word of God, but by emotions, the devil's got you. You can't say, … the prince of the world cometh: and he hath nothing in me (Joh.14:30). We need to be fed by the spiritual senses, the born-again senses. Why does the Bible tell us in so many places, “Seeing therefore...”? It's because in the Bible, God tells us how and what He wants us to see. Here's one we can use to “exercise” our spiritual senses. (2Pe.1:2) Grace to you and peace be multiplied in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord (This is knowledge of the Word.); (3) seeing that his divine power hath granted unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that called us by his own glory and virtue; (4) whereby he hath granted unto us his precious and exceeding great promises; that through these ye may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in that world by lust. He tells us what to see here, which is that God has already given these things to us. He's already granted them unto us. That should give you rest. You don't have to beg God, because He's already done it for you; He just wants you to accept and believe it. He's given you His righteousness. He's given you His Son. He's given you His forgiveness. He's given you His sanctification. He's given you “all things”! And He gives it to you “through the knowledge of Him that called us by His glory and virtue.” The Word tells us how to see. The Word tells us what to hear. Jesus said, (Mar.4:9) … Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. Hear what? He's talking about hearing His Word. We've been given these born-again senses to strengthen the spiritual man. However, we also have these carnal senses that strengthen the carnal man, and if you don't want to stir up the carnal man to live in sin, stop feeding him through these carnal senses. Do you want to be holy? Don't feed your carnal man because he will conquer your spiritual man. For instance, don't sit in front of the television all day or watch a bunch of videos on the internet. We want to feed the spirit man, not the carnal man. The input from the carnal senses causes the carnal man to grow and the input from the spiritual senses causes the spiritual man to grow. When somebody is ruled by their emotions, they're all over the place, bouncing around like a pinball machine going ping-ping-ping. Instead of basing everything on the Word of God, they don't have anything stable; they have no rock. Jesus was never moved by what He saw or felt in the world. He wasn't moved by what people said or did to Him, but any person who's being ruled by their emotions is easily offended. They're not being ruled by the Word of God, and they do not forgive. We don't have any right to get offended all the time. Dead men don't have rights, and we died with Christ. We died to sin and those carnal emotions, and as we begin to get things right, we decide that we don't care about what other people say. We decide that we don't care about what's happening around us. We think, “I'm going to obey what ‘thus saith the Lord,'” which is (Joh.14:15) If ye love me, ye will keep my commandments. That makes a person secure and steadfast in the Word. You're able to turn the other cheek when they insult you. That's a good way to die-to-self quickly. God gave us these rules so that we would be able to die quickly, so that we wouldn't be in bondage to the old man, our old flesh, for the rest of our lives. (1Pe.4:1) For as much then as Christ suffered in the flesh, arm ye yourselves also with the same mind; for he that hath suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin (If your flesh is suffering, it's because you're not giving in to it. If you're not giving in to it, you are not sinning.); (2) that ye no longer should live the rest of your time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. It shouldn't take a lifetime for us to get this right. He's saying that you have to suffer in order to get to that place, but the old flesh doesn't want to suffer through your denying it the right to be moved by the external stimuli and do whatever it wants. We're supposed to be moved by our spiritual, born-again senses that are washed with the Word of God to know what's right and wrong. Our spiritual senses, not our carnal emotions fed by fleshly stimuli, are supposed to be ruling our lives. (1Pe.4:3) For the time past may suffice to have wrought the desire of the Gentiles, and to have walked in lasciviousness (That means a license to do whatever you want to do.), lusts, winebibings, revelings, carousings, and abominable idolatries: (4) wherein they think it strange that ye run not with [them] into the same excess of riot, speaking evil of [you] (If you don't want to join in their sins with these self-justified people, you'll be the bad guy.): (5) who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the living and the dead. (6) For unto this end was the gospel preached even to the dead, that they might be judged indeed according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. This sequence of events from condemnation to rejection to self-justification to retaliation of some sort, is quite common for a person who is trapped by the devil. There's only one way to holiness, and that's repentance and confession of sin. This person may want sanctification, but they're not willing to pay the price for it. “Repentance” means “a change of mind.” No matter what it may be that we need from God, He tells us to (Jas.5:16) Confess therefore your sins one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. No matter what kind of benefit you want from God, first you have to make sure everything is right between you and God, and between you and your brother. He tells us, (Mat.5:23) If therefore thou art offering thy gift at the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee, (24) leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way, first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. If you really want to deal with the cause in order to permanently change the effect, that's what you have to do. You can try and just deal with the effect, but the problem will be back because you haven't done anything eternal. You must first deal with the root cause. Otherwise, there won't be anything lasting there. If you want God's righteousness, then you have to confess your sins to be cleansed of them. Now I'm going to share with you the following true story and testimony of Pastor Daniel Ekechukwu.   In Hell for Unforgiveness by Pastor Daniel Ekechukwu This is the true story of Pastor Daniel Ekechukwu in Nigeria, who was raised from the dead in front of a multitude of witnesses. Pastor Daniel died after a traffic accident. His body was in a mortuary for three days. He came back to life when his wife convinced others that his time was not yet because of previous promises God had given her. He still has his death certificate, written by a hospital doctor. In the movie, he recounts his experiences with amazing computer-generated images of both Heaven and Hell. The angelic voices that are heard in Heaven are actual angelic voices recorded at a small church in South Africa. The actual footage of the coming back to life of Pastor Daniel is shown in the movie. Pastor Daniel is personally interviewed in the movie. The narrative that follows is a transcription of a short clip of the video, “The Lazarus Phenomenon” by Johan Sturm, Eternal Productions. You can watch “The Lazarus Phenomenon” for free online. This account begins with Daniel dying on the ground. Daniel: “Suddenly, I had some feelings for me to look up. I saw two angels.” Narrator: When Daniel saw the two angels, he wanted to let his wife know, but the angel indicated that he should keep silent. Immediately, Daniel's power of speech was taken from him. Nneka, his wife, began to cry, fearing that Daniel would die. The angels took Daniel by his shoulders and lifted him out of the ambulance. Suddenly, Daniel found himself in another place with one of the angels. Angel: “Daniel, I have a lot to show you.” Narrator: As he looked out, Daniel saw a place where a multitude of people gathered. Their appearance was like that of the angels. Their color was pure white and their bodies seemed to glow with radiance. Because of their similar appearance, Daniel thought he was seeing a gathering of the angels. Angel: “This is not the gathering of the angels, Daniel. This is the gathering of the saints.” Narrator: The differences between the saints and the angels were subtle. Their color is a pure, brilliant white from their hair down to their feet. The difference is that the angels have wings, while the saints do not. The saints were worshipping God. They worshipped God with one voice and raised their hands as they were singing. Daniel heard the sound of many instruments. The sounds were like nothing he had encountered before. He longed to join these people and moved over towards them, but the angels stopped him. Angel: “Daniel, don't go. I have a lot to show you. Take this file and record everything you see.” Narrator: The multitude that Daniel saw were all looking at a bright light that shone like the sun. It was a source of all the light there. Daniel: “A very thick, heavy light coming upon them there. Now, they were all looking at that light as if they were seeing something there. But to me, I cannot look at that light. I cannot look at that light because it's so dangerous for my eyes. So I tried to budge to look through. They were looking through, but to me I cannot look through.” Angel: “Let's visit the mansions Jesus prepared for His people.” Narrator: Immediately, Daniel was in a new place with radiant mansions as far as the eye could see. It was incomparable to anything he knew on Earth. Though the appearance resembled buildings, the structure was unusual, not made of any earthly materials. They seemed to be alive, moving. Angel: “Daniel, Jesus has finished his work. The mansions are ready, but the saints are not ready.” Narrator: There was a sound of beautiful singing and worship. It seemed to come from all around. Daniel wondered where the singing was coming from because he could see no people there. Angel: “Daniel, the worship song you're hearing is being sung by the flowers.” Narrator: As he looked, Daniel saw the flowers swinging in response to the music. It actually seemed as if they were clapping their hands, shouting and praising God. Angel: “They are waiting for the saints. We are now going to visit Hell. Can you see the gates of Hell?” Narrator: The angel raised his hand, and as he brought it down, the gates ripped open with a great noise. Daniel could hear the crying and wailing of many people, but he could not see any of them. And then a light shone from the angel's body into the darkness so that Daniel could see more clearly. There were many people there, but unlike the souls in Heaven, the appearance of these people was as it had been on Earth. They were from every race, culture and nationality. Every person seemed trapped in their own personal torment, a torment that would go on for eternity, and they could not communicate with others. The sounds of crying and wailing were almost deafening. Suddenly, they all seemed to become aware of Daniel and started crying to him for help. And they called to Daniel only, as if they could not see the angel. A Pastor in Hell: “Please, help! I'm a pastor. I stole money from the church and I lied. Help me, please! I'm ready to repent. Help!” Narrator: Immediately after the pastor made the statement, the force that was tormenting him seemed to increase. The people had flesh, but no blood. And they almost seemed to be on fire, although no flames could be seen. There was a group of people who were eating their own flesh. They would vomit what they had eaten, and their flesh grew back. This carried on in an endless cycle of torment. Angel: “Those people you see eating themselves…they practiced witchcraft while they were on Earth. They specialized in eating human flesh and now they'll eat themselves forever. They are reaping what they sowed.” Daniel: “That place is not good for any human being created by God to go. God did not make that place for human beings; He made that place for the devil and his agents. But stubborn human beings who will disobey God, like the devil, will also go there. God has no mind to put any human being in Hell. It's a dangerous and deadly place He meant for the devil and his people.” Narrator: What was to follow was an earth-shattering statement by the angel. Daniel couldn't have imagined in his wildest dreams that he would hear the judgment. Angel: “Daniel, if the book of your life were to be closed today, this would be your portion.” Daniel: “No! I'm a pastor! I'm a child of God; I'm born again. I preach all over this country I'm in, the country that I'm in. This country. No. No. This can't be!” Angel: “Enough! Daniel, on your way to the first hospital, you were asking God to forgive you. But you would not forgive your wife, and your sins have not been forgiven. It is a matter of reaping what you sow. You cannot sow unforgiveness to your wife and reap forgiveness from God.” (My note: Those who die with unforgiveness go to Hell. (Mat.6:14) For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. (15) But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Those who live with unforgiveness are delivered to tormenting spirits and go to Hell with tormenting spirits, if they do not repent. (Mat.18:32) Then his lord called him unto him, and saith to him, Thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou besoughtest me: (33) shouldest not thou also have had mercy on thy fellow-servant, even as I had mercy on thee? (34) And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due. (35) So shall also my heavenly Father do unto you, if ye forgive not every one his brother from your hearts.) Daniel: “Oh! I knew He made that statement. My spirit convinced me that what the angel told me of the judgment on me is true. So he said to me that I didn't forgive my wife, that I'm not forgiven. So while I was crying, crying, crying, shouting and shouting, I was not crying that, I will only say, see how I destroy my soul, look at how I destroy my soul. While I was shouting and crying, I was afraid. Tears were all over me. I was panicking because that place is not good for anyone. The way everything was looking, if God wanted to put me inside Hell, nothing would prevent Him, because while we were discussing, some group of people, thousands of people, were being sent into Hell.” Narrator: People started praying for him, praying for resurrection. Daniel: “Then the angel said to me that he's sending me back to the world – to go and warn this nation because this is going to be the last warning to this generation.” Nneka: “As prayers were going on, then his heart began to pant, life began to come into his heart. We continued praying and praying, we are praying. As all these things were going on, he began to breathe gradually, but his body was still stiff.” Daniel: “I saw myself being held by a lot of people. I was naked and put on my dress. I saw a crowd of people, more than 20,000 people. I looked to my left, right, everywhere. People were shouting, crying everywhere. Some were praising God, some were crying. I was looking around. I couldn't understand what was happening, because to me I was falling down. And I fell into fear, and to me, when I opened my eyes, I saw all hands were grabbing me. They said to me that I jumped up. I saw this big cathedral, a very big cathedral. I looked to my right, my left, my front and my back. Everywhere was full of people. Some people were shouting, some were saying ‘coffin;' some said ‘mortuary;' some said, ‘three days.' I couldn't understand because my experience was not more than fifteen minutes. So I don't know what they call about three days. To me there was no night, there was no day; it was only that moment I was into. By now I asked my wife, ‘What is happening?' She said I should keep quiet until we get to the house. They brought me back to my house, this place, with my wife.” (Note from Barbara Arroyo: I first heard about this many years ago. My former pastor, David Servant, went to Nigeria and met Pastor Daniel Ekechukwu. Yes, that was an incredible story! I guess this happened back in 2002. Pastor Servant went to Nigeria and investigated this story, and he even actually interviewed the doctor and mortician, and also Daniel himself! There is more information on Pastor Servant's website.) Jesus said that He was sent to proclaim release to the captives (Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:18). He also said that if you do not make things right with your brother, you would be thrown into prison until you pay your debt. (Mat.5:23) If therefore thou art offering thy gift at the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee, (24) leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way, first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. (25) Agree with thine adversary quickly, while thou art with him in the way; lest haply the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. (26) Verily I say unto thee, thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou have paid the last farthing. And Jesus warned us in the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant, that they (Mat.18:34) … delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due. Your debts, your sins, are what is “due.” If a person does not forgive, that person is not forgiven. (Mat.6:15) But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Can you be saved and not be forgiven? No, you cannot be saved and not be forgiven. The most dangerous sin is unforgiveness because it opens up a trap that gives a person over to demons.

Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” This means that Jesus never changes. For our faith to be firm and unshakable, and attracts thing of the spirit , it must be anchored in something that is constant and unchanging — the Word of God, which is Jesus Christ Himself. What is the foundation of your faith?

Delivered by Vivian from the Parish of Saint Thomas the Apostle in the Archdiocese of Jakarta, Indoensia. Genesis 41: 55-57; 42: 5-7a.17-24a; Rs psalm 33: 2-3.10-11.18-19; Matthew 10: 1-7.LOST SHEEP Our meditation today is entitled: LostSheep. We do not feel strange or out of context about sheep often mentioned inthe scriptures, or expressed by Jesus Christ Himself, that refers to all of usas His followers. Even now, the intention is broadened to include all thebelievers living in this world as the sheep of the Lord. What God desires toall is that none of these all be lost. There is a fish in a pond that islonely, and has never joined other fish. He tends to hide behind rocks. Hispresence is unknown to others. A turtle passed around the rock and rebuked thefish: "You are a lost sheep. You are in here, but you make yourself lost,so you are alienated of this world." This simple illustration wants to giveus a hint about the loss and alienation of people in this world, even thoughthey are actually in the world, especially among those who love them. Suchlosses, in the understanding of living togetherness and social life, are oftenreferred to the marginalized or abandoned people in our society. The Scripturesand Jesus Himself say that they are the lost sheep. They must be sought, foundand brought home to the loving kindness of God the Father. In a particular point of view, theMother Church is very concerned and sad about her lost sheep. The universalchurch, the Local Church of the Dioceses, the territorial Church of theparishes and the most basic Church of our families, feel how painful suchlosses of their members. There are sheep who are lost because of the manychoices and offers of worldly manifestations directing them to the wrong paths.There are sheep who are excluded because of their evil behavior towards othersand are denied being part of the Church. There are sheep who abandon theirfaith and enter into other beliefs. There are sheep who deliberately andquietly move away or disappear from togetherness and brotherhood in the Church. What the Lord Jesus revealed in Histime about lost sheep, then the apostles were sent to bring them home, is areality that is very relevant to our situation. Each of us is supposed to carryout that mission. We take that responsibility with the aim of bringing back thesheep that have been away and lost. A disconnected relationship because of sinand evil that disowns one another, must be rejoint, as exemplified by Josephthe son of Jacob who was in Egypt, reunited with his family from Canaan. Let's pray. In the name of theFather ... O generous and kind Father, kindly look at us and restore us fromthe sins that alienate us from each other. Hail Mary full of grace ... In thename the Father ...

Delivered by Nia from the Parish of Good Shepherd in the Diocese of Surabaya, Indonesia. Isaiah 66: 10-14a; Rs psalm 66: 103a.4-5.6-7a.16.20; Galatians 6: 14-18; Luke 10: 1-12.17-20.THE SACRED NUMBER The title for our meditation today is:The Sacred Number. In the scriptures there are many numbers that are used toindicate important meanings about God's plan and work. One of them is number 70(or 72 according to other tradition). In the holy Gospel this Sunday, it issaid that Jesus Christ appointed and sent 70 of His disciples. Their duty wasto become servants of the Word of God. The number 70 was also used by Moseswhen he chose 70 elders to assist him in leading and taking care of the peopleof Israel during their wandering in the wilderness. The body of Sanedrin, theleadership of Israel as a nation, is a composition of council with 70 members.In Jesus' time, this number of 70 was a symbol to indicate that in this worldthere were 70 nations. Therefore Jesus sent the 70 disciples to each nation asapostles of the good news of God to them. The assignments for the mission wereindeed given priority to the 70 discipels. But we need to be honest that thecontents of the mission in the form of Jesus' commandments also apply to us. Inevery commission rite of the Eucharistic celebration and worship services, weare always sent to our Christian missions. The contents of the mission are inthe form of instructions on how we can carry out tasks as messengers of theLord. A messenger of Jesus must be a person who uses smartness andintelligence. This element requires that each messenger must have basicknowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and the teachings of the Church that havebecome our sacred traditions. A messenger must equip himself withthe fullness of love, a form of selfless love, so that in every form ofself-sacrifice, he truly presents Jesus Christ Himself. The messenger is willedby God as a peacemaker, because it is a way to achieve a common living togetherwhere there is a life that is just, harmonious and solid. A messenger isexpected not to depend his life on mere worldly facilities and goods, such asmoney, clothes and food. All that, according to the Lord Jesus, is alreadyavailable in places and people to whom the messengers associate in theirmissions. Therefore the messenger needs to prioritize a simple lifestyle,meaning he depends entirely on divine providence. In essence, a messenger works not forprofit, but for saving souls and for the glory of God. But Jesus emphasizesthat if people do not accept all the preaching, ministry and work of themessengers, they are actually provide punishment for themselves and their ownlives. Let's pray. In the name of ...O most loving God, may we grow and renew ourselves as your trusted messengers.Hail Mary full of grace ... In the name of the Father ...

Galatians 1: Gospel Clarity, Conditional Love, and Personal Theology In this episode of the Exploring More Podcast, Michael Thompson and SJ Jennings continue their series through the book of Galatians, focusing on Paul's bold defense of his apostleship and the uncompromising unity of the gospel. Writing with passion and urgency, Paul confronts distortions introduced by the Judaizers—reminding the Galatians that his commission comes not from man, but from Jesus Christ Himself. The conversation moves from historical context to personal reflection, as Michael and SJ examine how cultural expectations, church upbringing, and performance-based faith can cloud our understanding of grace. They explore how many believers, knowingly or not, come to believe that love must be earned—when in fact, the gospel declares it's freely given. This episode also introduces Zoweh's Base Camp, a new online resource hub offering devotionals, podcasts, and discussion guides to support deeper connection with God and others. Whether you're exploring Galatians in a group or on your own, this resource is a companion for your healing and restoration journey. Listeners are encouraged to reflect on their own personal theology and motivations: What's driving your faith—grace or performance? What version of love did your story teach you to believe? We hope you enjoy this episode and invite you to connect with us!

Join us for a thought-provoking discussion with Pastor Ben Carlson as he dives into one of the Old Testament's most intriguing figures: the Angel of the LORD. In this episode, Ben presents compelling scriptural evidence and theological insights to explain why he believes the Angel of the LORD is none other than a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ Himself. From the burning bush to Gideon's encounter, we explore key passages where this mysterious figure appears, examining the profound implications for our understanding of God's character and the continuity of His redemptive plan throughout history.   Below are the links for Pastor Ben's four part blog series on the Angel of the LORD: https://cbtseminary.org/what-does-the-angel-of-the-lord-mean/ https://cbtseminary.org/where-is-the-angel-of-the-lord-found-ben-carlson/ https://cbtseminary.org/who-is-the-angel-of-the-lord-ben-carlson/ https://cbtseminary.org/why-is-the-angel-of-the-lord-important-ben-carlson/   For more information about CBTS visit: https://cbtseminary.org  

Join us for a thought-provoking discussion with Pastor Ben Carlson as he dives into one of the Old Testament's most intriguing figures: the Angel of the LORD. In this episode, Ben presents compelling scriptural evidence and theological insights to explain why he believes the Angel of the LORD is none other than a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ Himself. From the burning bush to Gideon's encounter, we explore key passages where this mysterious figure appears, examining the profound implications for our understanding of God's character and the continuity of His redemptive plan throughout history.   Below are the links for Pastor Ben's four part blog series on the Angel of the LORD: https://cbtseminary.org/what-does-the-angel-of-the-lord-mean/ https://cbtseminary.org/where-is-the-angel-of-the-lord-found-ben-carlson/ https://cbtseminary.org/who-is-the-angel-of-the-lord-ben-carlson/ https://cbtseminary.org/why-is-the-angel-of-the-lord-important-ben-carlson/   For more information about CBTS visit: https://cbtseminary.org  

What is the last Day? Is there a last day upon the earth. Was Jesus speaking of a physical last day when He told them, recorded in John, He would raise them up IN THE LAST DAY. Here is another view of that. While there was a last day of the Old Covenant and the things that pertain to it, I believe Jesus Christ Himself is the last Day. When we come into Him, we come into a new day. This is not a natural day, and it doesn't require natural light to see, but we see in this day through the light of HIs Revelation.

https://media.blubrry.com/winning_with_the_word/content.blubrry.com/winning_with_the_word/J2025_06_21_Jesus_Christ_Is_Coming_Back_Soon_.mp3 June 21, 2025Hello and Happy Day! This is Dr. MaryAnn Diorio, Novelist and Life Coach, welcoming you to another episode of Winning with the Word. Today is Saturday, June 21, 2025, and this is episode #9 in Series 2025. This episode is titled, “Jesus Christ Is Coming Back Soon!" If you are at all in tune with world events, you very likely have heard mention of an event called the Rapture. If not, let me explain to you what the Rapture is.The Rapture is an event predicted in the Bible whereby Jesus Christ Himself will appear in the air and gather together from the four corners of the earth all those who follow Him. It will be a sudden event and will leave those who are not raptured reeling in shock as to what happened.Let me read to you directly from the Bible as it describes this cataclysmic event in 1 Thessalonians 5: 1-3:"Now about the times and seasons, brothers, we do not need to write to you. For you are fully aware that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, 'Peace and security,' destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape." (1 Thessalonians 5: 1-3)Did you catch the words "peace and security"? Have you noticed that those words are being uttered all over the news every day and are being pronounced continually in meetings at the United Nations?Friend, Jesus Christ made this prediction over 2000 years ago, and we are now seeing it being fulfilled right before our very eyes. Should this not cause us to pause and consider?You may be saying, "Well, Dr. MaryAnn, I don't believe in the Rapture. In fact, I don't even believe in Jesus."I would say to you, "You are free to believe what you choose. But what you believe does not change the truth."For example, you could say to me, "Dr. MaryAnn, I'm going to climb up on my roof and jump, but when I do, I will go up instead of down."I would say to you, "I don't think you will go up when you jump off your roof. I think you will go down and possibly get hurt. There is a law of gravity that will cause you to go down when you jump. So, if I were you, I would reconsider my belief. But, of course, you are free to believe whatever you want to believe."But know this, my friend, whatever we believe has consequences. So be prepared to face the consequences of your belief that when you jump off your roof, you will go up.The same is true about the Rapture and the Bible in general. The Bible is God's inspired word. He directed different people in different centuries to write His Word. Despite the fact that those people for the most part didn't know one another and lived centuries apart, they all wrote the same truth expressed in different ways. Doesn't that tell you something?Bottomline, we will believe what we want to believe. But we had better make sure that what we are believing is the truth. Otherwise, we will end up where we don't want to be.There are numerous signs in the Bible of the Rapture. Some will say that the word "rapture" is not in the Bible. Actually, it is. It is found in the Latin Vulgate translation as the word "rapturo." "Rapturo" means "a catching away," which is exactly what the Rapture will be—a catching away of the people of God by Jesus Christ Himself.Lest you think this is far-fetched, so is the concept of aliens far-fetched. Yet, people have no trouble believing in alien invasions. Over the decades, the world has been programmed through movies and books to believe in aliens. In fact, once all Christ-followers have left the earth, their sudden departure will be attributed to an alien abduction of inferior creatures of a lesser consciousness. (As an aside, aliens are fallen angels who rebelled against God with Lucifer, now known as Satan.)Other signs of the imminent Rapture are the world's current focus on Israel and the M...

We appreciate you being here with us on the Unchanging Word Bible Broadcast. Revelation chapter 8 verses 6-12 will be the center of our attention in this lesson.The conditions of our present generation are not much different from the days of which Dr. Mitchell spoke. Is there hope for us in these days? There is indeed.God hears our prayers and being a just and righteous God will answers the weakest of us who know Him. Add to this the fact that Jesus Christ Himself and the Holy Spirit also intercede for the believer, we have great hope.Dr. Mitchell then goes on to speak of the seven trumpet judgements. In this lesson we cover the first four of the seven trumpets which the seven angels sound.Let's open our Bible and join Dr. Mitchell in Revelation 8 verse 6.

My wife has recently painted these words on a wall in our house as a reminder to us both: “Mightier than the waves of the sea, is His love for us!” (Inspired by Psalm 93:4). Please remember this. Mightier than the tempest you are facing is His love for you! - Chris Eyte Daily Meditation When life crashes over us like an impossible wave—unexpected illness, personal crises, or spiritual darkness—it’s easy to feel utterly hopeless. In this moving devotional, Chris Eyte shares his miraculous journey from the brink of death to full recovery after a brain bleed. His story is a testament that God truly makes the impossible possible. Rooted in Matthew 19:26, this reflection reminds us that even when our own strength fails, the “J Factor”—Jesus Christ Himself—steps in. His name, “God With Us,” is a promise that no situation is beyond His power or love.

It's Thursday, June 5th, A.D. 2025. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Jonathan Clark and Adam McManus Christian groups in India to speak out against persecution June 9 Christian groups across India are organizing a protest against persecution of Christians on Monday, June 9. The National Christian Front noted, “Our Christian brothers and sisters are enduring brutal attacks and growing intolerance from anti-social elements. This is not merely a Christian issue — it is a grave concern for humanity, for peace, and for the values enshrined in our Constitution.” Christians suffered over 600 incidents of violence and discrimination in India last year. The country is ranked 11th on the Open Doors' World Watch List of most difficult places to be a Christian. U.K. Christian groups calling for prayer on June 11 In the United the Kingdom, Christian groups are calling for a day of prayer on Wednesday, June 11 for protecting human life. This comes as lawmakers are considering bills to legalize assisted suicide.  Listen to comments from Ciarán Kelly, director of The Christian Institute.  KELLY: “This is a crucial time for our country. So, it's vital that Christians are asking the God, Who made Heaven and Earth, that He would overrule in all these things, to protect vulnerable people from this careless and callous bill.” In 1 Timothy 1:1-2, the Apostle Paul wrote, “I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.” Trump overturns pro-abortion Biden rule In the United States, the Trump administration rescinded a pro-abortion rule on Tuesday that came from the Biden administration.  The rule tried to force hospital emergency rooms to offer abortions even if the state restricted them.  Matt Bowman, Senior Counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom, said, “Doctors—especially in emergency rooms—are tasked with preserving life. The Trump administration has rolled back a harmful Biden-era mandate that compelled doctors to end unborn lives, in violation of their deeply held beliefs.” Trump raises tariffs on steel imports President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday to raise tariffs on steel imports. The order doubles tariffs on steel and aluminum coming into the country from 25% to 50%. The levy will affect steel exporters in Canada, Mexico, and many countries in Europe. However, the tariff on steel from the United Kingdom remains at 25% as the U.S. and U.K. work out a trade deal.  Dust from Africa's Saharan Desert hits America Over the weekend, a massive plume of dust made its way to Florida all the way from the Saharan Desert in Africa.  Such dust plumes are known as the Saharan Air Layer and typically cross the Atlantic each year. The current plume is the biggest one to reach the U.S. so far this season. It measures nearly 2,000 miles wide and 750 miles from north to south.  The dust can diminish air quality but also creates spectacular sunrises and sunsets.  Only 1 in 100 Evangelical pastors leave ministry annually A report from Lifeway Research found that only 1 out of 100 Evangelical pastors leave the ministry each year.  This low rate has remained steady for the last 10 years despite many pastors acknowledging their work is very demanding and even overwhelming.  Scott McConnell with Lifeway Research said, “The rate of pastors departing the pastorate is steady and quite low given the demands of the role. Many of those leaving the pastorate feel they are moving at God's direction to another role of ministry.” In 2 Timothy 4:2, the Apostle Paul wrote, “Preach the Word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.” The American Miracle movie shows God's intervention in U.S. The Left insists that there's nothing special about America. But a new docudrama contends that God inspired its founding.  The American Miracle – Our Nation is No Accident hits the silver screen in 1,000 theaters nationwide for 3 days only -- Monday, June 9th through Wednesday, June 11th. Inspired by Michael Medved's bestseller, this exciting, entertaining, and edifying motion picture experience was created in anticipation of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.  ‘ Medved appeared on The 700 Club. MEDVED: “America is no accident. All of our most important leaders, from Washington to Lincoln to Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt -- all of our leaders have understood that America has a divine purpose.” Consider God's protection of George Washington – the Father of our Country -- in a ferocious battle in 1755 during the French and Indian War. During the Battle of Monongahela, 69 of 70 officers were either killed or wounded. Washington was the only officer who was not shot off his horse.  In fact, two horses were shot from underneath him. Yet he lived. Even a Native American chief later said they couldn't touch Washington. Shockingly, after the battle, he found numerous bullet holes in his jacket and bullet fragments in his hair, but he was miraculously unscathed. No wonder they called him “Bulletproof.”  Visit the website https://americanmiraclemovie.com/, watch the trailer, click on Tickets, and type in your zipcode to get tickets for next week at a theater near you. Watch the trailer. Worldview listener in Florida speaks up On Wednesday, I was delighted to receive 23 emails at Adam@TheWorldview.com about what listeners enjoy about this newscast. Amy Cool from St. Cloud, Florida wrote, “I like that I can trust The Worldview newscast to report the truth from a Biblical perspective. I like the Scriptures referenced as they pertain to a particular story because it shows the relevance of the Bible to our life today. That's often hard for people to see when they haven't grown up in a home where the Bible was read or explained.” 14 Worldview listeners gave $1,420 to fund our $123,500 annual budget Toward this week's $30,875 goal to fund one-fourth of The Worldview newscast's annual budget by this Friday, June 6th, 14 listeners stepped up to the plate on Wednesday by 7:15pm Central last night.  Our thanks to Grace in Duncanville, Texas, Greg in Rochester, New Hampshire, Andy in Santa Barbara, California, and George in Carrollton, Missouri – each of whom gave $25. We also appreciate Jalynn in Sapulpa, Oklahoma, Jon in Granger, Indiana, and Steven in Jacksonville, Florida – each of whom gave $50. We're grateful to God for Nancy in Peabody, Massachusetts, Kevin in North Bend, Oregon, and Robert in Plano, Texas – each of whom gave $100. And we appreciate the generosity of Paula in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana who pledged $10/month for 12 months for a gift of $120, Dawn in Troy, Montana who gave $150, Amy in Seminole, Texas who gave $300, and Dawn in Smithville, Texas who pledged $25/month for 12 months for a gift of $300. Those 14 listeners gave a total of $1,420. Ready for our new grand total? Drum roll please.  (Drum roll sound effect) $6,352 (People clapping sound effect)  We missed our goal of 20 donors by just 6 donors. That means by this Friday, we still need to raise $24,523.    Whether it's Thanksgiving or Christmas, we churn out a weekday broadcast 52 weeks per year. It's a commitment we're glad to make, but we need help to cover the cost. Would you prayerfully consider investing $100 per month for 12 months into this ministry, helping to pay for the work of the six-member Worldview team?  If 20 of you made that pledge we would hit our Friday, June 6th goal one day early. Just go to TheWorldview.com and click on Give on the top right.   And click on the button that indicates a recurring donation if you want to give monthly. Thanks for investing your resources into this media ministry that champions the truth.  Our plumbline is Jesus Christ Himself. Close And that's The Worldview on this Thursday, June 5th, in the year of our Lord 2025. Subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com. Or get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

White smoke graced the sky over the Vatican. The catholic faithful and the world then knew that the successor to the deceased Pope Francis had been elected by the conclave of cardinals. The new pope was none other than:ROBERT PREVOST, 69 YEARS OF AGE.There was nothing remarkable or new about the election of this pope as there had been several hundred before him, except for one thing. Robert Prevost was an AMERICAN and consequently became the very first American pope in the history of the catholic church. That was a surprise to some, even shocking to others.Robert Prevost was from Chicago, Illinois. He grew up a baseball fan and his team was the Chicago White Sox. I wonder what he thinks of them these days, a sad sack of a baseball franchise, losers year after year. Prevost rose through the hierarchy of the church as priest, bishop, cardinal, special advisor to Pope Francis, and gained notoriety among the cardinals of the church throughout the world because of his close relationship with Pope Francis.Now, the world and the catholic faithful wonder what this man really believes, how he thinks, what his social and political values are, and whether or not he will continue the somewhat progressive policies and decision making of Francis or lead the church in a different direction. Conservative cardinals had called for the election of the new pope in the mold of John Paul II, a bold conservative pope, returning the catholic church to its roots, heritage, tradition, but those cardinals were very much in the minority. They indicated to the conclave of cardinals that they strongly felt:“We desperately need a man of the spirit.”That plea, however, fell on deaf ears.One cardinal eloquently stated that our culture (American) and the world at large is one SICK AT HEART. We are, said he:DIVORCED FROM THE MYSTERIOUS AND THE SACRED.The real power of the church, convincingly spiritual in nature, has been eroded, resulting in a church fragmented, attendance at mass down and the rituals and traditions in a state somewhat of disrespect and in some sense unnecessary. All of thatsuch vocal cardinals hoped would change with the election of the new pope, RobertPrevost, who will be known to the world as:POPE LEO XIVAnd more from the conservative element in the conclave of cardinals. Said one:“The last thing we need is for spirituality to be updated, modernized, maderelevant to our alienated souls.”Which of course means that the church needs to return to roots and not re-modernize.The roman catholic church and the long line of popes harken back in a line to Peter, aGalilean fisherman, who became a passionate disciple of our Lord Jesus Christ who, inPeter's conversion, told him that he would no longer fish for fish but that he wouldbecome a:FISHER OF MEN,And, Jesus said, that upon this rock I will build my church. It seems as though thissmall, minority group of cardinals was hoping and praying that the new pope wouldhave as a burning priority the call to all men that they, like Peter, would becomefishers of men, strong believers in the saving grace of Jesus Christ, the real head of thechurch, and the son of the Living God. Now, it is up to Pope Leo XIV to show the worldwhether that will be so.The first words of this new pope were encouraging. They were as follows:“PEACE BE WITH YOU! DEAREST BROTHERS AND SISTERS, THIS WAS THEFIRST GREETING OF THE RISEN CHRIST, THE GOOD SHEPHERD WHO GAVE HISLIFE FOR THE FLOCK OF GOD. I, TOO, WOULD LIKE THIS GREETING OF PEACE TOENTER YOUR HEARTS, TO REACH YOUR FAMILIES AND ALL PEOPLE, WHEHEVERTHEY ARE.”This new pope wants all humankind to believe in the:RISEN CHRISTAmen.Vatican experts however have said that Cardinal Prevost had very similar values toFrancis, having been made a cardinal by Pope Francis. Those priorities were thechampioning of the poor and more which others have said indicate a socialistic form ofbelief and frame of mind. Time will tell.President Trump congratulated Robert Prevost and hoped to meet the new pope, whileJD Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, also congratulated Leo XIV andoffered his prayers that God would bless him in his important work.Vatican experts have compared Pope Leo XIV's championing of the poor and themigrants, especially those who made their way to America illegally or not, to that ofPope Francis. Said one Vatican expert:“He's (Robert Prevost) right out of Francis' playbook.”If so, that will come as a disappointment to the conservative element in the catholicchurch and in the conclave of cardinals. It is very probable that Pope Leo XIV willfollow very much in the footsteps of Pope Francis.Vatican experts have also theorized that the church has long hesitated to name anAmerican pope because of the United States' status as a global superpower. They fearthe concentration of power. However, they do believe that Pope Leo XIV will have aglobal perspective and tend to the needs of the global church.Time will tell. The catholic church faces some pressing issues including migration,wars, climate change, inclusion of LGBTQ Catholics, women in church leadership, andthe Trump presidency which Pope Leo XIV eschews and has shown disagreement andeven disrespect for President Trump. He made a somewhat encouraging statementabout the western media as follows:“Extraordinarily effected in fostering within the general public enormoussympathy for beliefs and practices that are at odds with the gospel.”Leo XIV also said that he opposes ordaining women which will be disappointing tomore modern catholic elements.The bottom line of course, especially to evangelical and born-again Christians, is thatthe head of the church, the real church, is none other than:JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF.Everything that matters about Christianity comes from Him and is about Him,including the salvation process. Conservative Catholics want the church (and the newpope) to return to conservative principles, the real roots of the church, and to becomea spiritual force and not a political one. Today, say church experts, everything turnspolitical or becomes involved, and in the case of the catholic church, the real missionbecomes watered down. We should hope that this new pope will once again emphasizeand reprioritize the most essential belief in all of Christendom, and the church ofJesus Christ, that HE is the cornerstone, the rock, the central force in all ofChristendom.

By Victor T Hou - Ephesians 2:19-20 says: “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and the members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone.” In this message, we

In all the world, there are almost countless ways people try to find God. Some people are drawn to the mystical, while others chase after the practical. Does it work?God knew we would all look to fill the void in our spirits, the one put there when man first sinned. He also already knew what our escape route would be, the path back to Him.Romans 10:9–10 says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” The so-called “Roman Road” is in reality a face-to-face with the Living God. Jesus Christ Himself is our aim, and our benefactor. He loved us so much that He offered Himself as a sacrifice for sin. It's very simple really. God accepted the sacrifice and raised His precious Son from the dead. Now, it is there waiting for us to accept that great and priceless gift.Let's pray.Lord, we complicate things sometimes, but your salvation is a simple choice, and it is free. Blessed be your name forever and ever! In Jesus' name, amen. Change your shirt, and you can change the world! Save 15% Off your entire purchase of faith-based apparel + gifts at Kerusso.com with code KDD15.

In our study today we learn that Love is the bond between believers and the truth is the foundation for that bond. Jesus Christ Himself is the truth, God manifest in the flesh. Here is Dr. Mitchell to continue our study in 2John verses 2-6.

In episode 741: The Hidden War Beyond Sight, Brandon joins to share his extraordinary lifelong journey—one marked by eerie encounters, unseen forces, and a battle between darkness and light. From childhood encounters with shadowy figures that moved with eerie intelligence to sleep paralysis attacks that felt more like interdimensional assaults, his experiences defy simple explanation. The terror escalated with scratches, whispers, and the inescapable sense that something was always watching. Then came the stadium lights, impossibly massive, stretching across a nightmarish horizon. Were they beacons? However, Brandon's journey didn't end in darkness. He stumbled into astral projection, battled a shapeshifting entity masquerading as his daughter, and found himself face to face with a towering, radiant figure—Jesus Christ Himself. What message did He bring? From demonic torment to divine intervention, Brandon's story is one of spiritual warfare in an age where the veil is thinning. What happens when the supernatural refuses to stay hidden? And more importantly… what side are you on? Become a member for ad-free listening, extra shows, and exclusive access to our social media app: theconfessionalspodcast.com/join The Confessionals Social Network App: Apple Store: https://apple.co/3UxhPrh Google Play: https://bit.ly/43mk8kZ My New YouTube Channel Merkel IRL: @merkelIRL My First Sermon: Unseen Battles Sasquatch and The Missing Man: merkelfilms.com Merkel Media Apparel: merkmerch.com SPONSORS SIMPLISAFE TODAY: simplisafe.com/confessionals UNCOMMON GOODS: uncommongoods.com/tony GHOSTBED: GhostBed.com/tony CONNECT WITH US Website: www.theconfessionalspodcast.com Email: contact@theconfessionalspodcast.com MAILING ADDRESS: Merkel Media 257 N. Calderwood St., #301 Alcoa, TN 37701 SOCIAL MEDIA Subscribe to our YouTube: https://bit.ly/2TlREaI Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/theconfessionals/ Discord: https://discord.gg/KDn4D2uw7h Show Instagram: theconfessionalspodcast Tony's Instagram: tonymerkelofficial Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheConfessionalsPodcas Twitter: @TConfessionals Tony's Twitter: @tony_merkel Produced by: @jack_theproducer OUTRO MUSIC Joel Thomas - Otherside of The Sun YouTube | Apple Music | Spotify

By Jeff Lockhart - Eph 2:19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, Eph 2:20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone, Eph 2:21 in whom the whole

by Elder Chris McCool, Pastor (preached on March 2, 2025) Today we turn to another practice that is peculiar to the Primitive Baptists: the foot washing service. Jesus Christ Himself gave us this example when He knelt down after the institution of the communion service and washed the disciples’ feet. He tells us that we...

Jesus is ever the focus of our attention through His Unchanging Word.If you know you need the living savior, Jesus Christ Himself , begin a conversation with him now in prayer and thank him for dying for your sins and for his forgiveness. And tell the Lord Jesus you want to receive him as your own savior and ask Him to come into your heart, and He will. Jesus Himself said, "He that comes to me I will certainly not cast out!" He has never turned down anyone. Now let's continue in1Jn.3:2 with Dr. Mitchell as he once again focuses our attention on the love of the Savior.

Think for a moment of the piety of the Madonna when the angel told her that the Spirit would overshadow her. What sentiments of humility, confidence and courage! At the very moment when she understood that God had given her His heart, that is, His Son, she gave herself to God. Her soul was flooded with charity, so she could say with the sacred spouse, "...My heart trembled within me, and I grew faint when he spoke." [Sg:5:4] As far as we are concerned, we receive a similar grace in Communion, because not an angel but Jesus Christ Himself assures us that in it the Holy Spirit descends on us. Heavenly power covers us with its shadow and the Son of God really comes to us. He can say that He is conceived and born in us. Truly then, the soul can respond with the Madonna, "I am the servant of the Lord; let is be done to me as you say." [Lk 1:38] (Spiritual Directory, Art. 12) The post St. Francis de Sales Novena – Day 9 – Discerning Hearts Podcasts appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ (Joseph Smith History 1:1-26) with Dr. D. Todd HarrisonLast time we listened as God give powerful testimony that the early Christian Church fell away into darkness and apostatized from the Biblical truth. (This of course has always been very clear in multiple New Testament verses, and therefore should not have come as a surprise to anyone.) God further testified that He had called Joseph Smith to be His Prophet upon the earth, and gave to him a commandment to restore the original Christian New Testament Church. Following the reorganization of the Christian Church on April 6, 1830, God declared that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is "the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth." By true and living, God was saying that not only is the theology and doctrine as taught by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the most biblically accurate and correct when compared to that taught by all the other churches, but that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only "living" church that Jesus Christ is personally leading, guiding, and directing today through communication with His current prophets and apostles. Join us this week, as God continues His testimony. This week, God the Father, and His Son Jesus Christ command the Prophet Joseph Smith two times not to join any church that was then upon the earth in the year 1820 (10 years before the restoration of Christianity). Jesus Christ Himself declared that all churches in 1820 "were wrong." He then stated "that all their (non-biblical) creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: “they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.” God stated such important facts in a very clear and concise manner in which He did not wish to cause any confusion. Yet, we still see His great love for humankind. Notice, that while he did call all other churches "wrong," declared that all of their pastors, teachers, and leaders were "corrupt," and stated that "all of their (non-biblical) creeds were an abomination in his sight," He did not condemn all of their leaders, and all of their followers to Hell. Because of God's great love for us, His children, "He does not desire any to perish, but all to have everlasting life." That is the very reason why after so many centuries of darkness and apostasy, He choose to restore the Christian Church to the earth, so that all mankind can now participate in the covenants and ordinances that lead back to His heavenly presence.After watching this video with a sincere heart, and with a desire to want to learn more, I would invite those of you who have not yet become Christians by taking upon yourselves the name of Jesus Christ through baptism by those who hold the proper authorization or priesthood of God, to find out how you can exercise faith in Jesus Christ, and enter into a covenant with Him by clicking on the following link: https://www.comeuntochrist.org/requests/missionary-visitI know that God will bless you greatly if you will do so.

Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless. (Philippians 2:16 NLT) Of all of the people who went into the various portions of the Promised Land that God had allotted to the Israelites, Caleb was the only one who successfully drove out all his enemies. And he did it at the age of eighty-five. Caleb had a strength that never waned because he had a love for God that never waned. Caleb went to Joshua and said, “So give me the hill country that the Lord promised me. You will remember that as scouts we found the descendants of Anak living there in great, walled towns. But if the Lord is with me, I will drive them out of the land, just as the Lord said” (Joshua 14:12 NLT). He had asked for one of the most treacherous areas in the land, Hebron, which was known for its rugged terrain and fierce opponents. Yet the Bible goes on to say, “So Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave Hebron to him as his portion of land. Hebron still belongs to the descendants of Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite because he wholeheartedly followed the Lord, the God of Israel” (verses 13–14 NLT). Maybe there is another reason Caleb wanted Hebron. The very word Hebron means “love, fellowship, communion.” This was the place where Abraham met with God face to face. That is what Caleb longed for. While others longed for Egypt, Caleb longed for Hebron. While others looked back, Caleb looked forward. And while others wanted to please themselves, Caleb wanted to please God. That is a key to finishing well. You’re always moving forward spiritually, seeking to grow spiritually, and never looking back. Anyone who is running a race knows that you can’t look back. It’s hard to run while you’re looking over your shoulder. You’ll tend to stumble over your own feet. If you want to finish well, then you have to keep looking forward. Don’t look over your shoulder, and don’t look behind you. Keep moving forward. Every day we should be seeking to grow stronger spiritually and grow more and more like Jesus. Corrie ten Boom was a great woman of God who went through incredible suffering in a Nazi extermination camp for hiding Jews in her home. She said, "If you look at the world, you'll be distressed. If you look within, you'll be depressed. If you look at God you'll be at rest." That is the key. Keep looking forward. As Hebrews 12:1–2 encourages us, “And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith” (NLT). Jesus Christ Himself is watching us. He is the one who will give us the strength to finish this race. People will let you down, and circumstances will disappoint you. Keep looking to Jesus. He is the one you need to finish the race for. Keep going. Run the race of life. Don’t give up. Don’t slow down. We need to keep our focus and remember what our objective is. Let’s finish well. Invest in evangelism in 2025! — Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast Become a Harvest PartnerSupport the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

‘Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means “God is with us.”’ (Matthew 1:23 NLT) For some, Christmas isn’t the happiest time of year. It can be the most dreaded time of year, because it reminds them of something. It might be the loss of a loved one, or it might be another loss of some kind. But Christmas can be a lonely, painful time. Yet the essential message of Christmas is that Immanuel has come to us. And the name Immanuel means “God is with us.” We read in Matthew 1:23, “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us’” (NLT). That is really the essence of the Christian life: God is with us. Jesus knows what it is like to be lonely. When He walked this earth, He probably was the loneliest man ever to live. Yes, He constantly had throngs of people around Him. But on that final day, those multitudes were gone. Even His own, handpicked disciples deserted Him. And as Jesus hung on the cross, suspended between Heaven and Earth, God the Father momentarily turned away as Christ bore all the sins of the world. He cried out, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Matthew 27:46 NLT). Jesus will comfort us in our lonely moments. He says, “I am with you. I will never leave you or forsake you.” That is His promise to the children of God. We are never alone again. Without question, one of the most remarkable teachings in the Bible is that Jesus Christ Himself will enter and live in the human hearts of those who put their trust in Him. Jesus said, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them” (John 14:23 NLT). That is an amazing statement when you think about it. God the Father and the Son are saying they want to make their home with us. All other religions essentially say, “Do.” “Do this and maybe you will be more spiritual.” “Do that, and maybe you will get closer to God.” But Christianity can be summed up in one word: “done.” Why? Because it is God living His life through us. God is with us. Jesus said to His disciples, “And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20 NLT). He also said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you” (Hebrews 13:5 NLT). God is with you. That is the message of Christmas. You are never alone again. Maybe your marriage fell apart and you feel alone. Know this: God is with you. Maybe your children have forgotten about you in this Christmas season, and the pain is sharp. Know this: God is with you. Maybe you’re isolated and by yourself. Know this: God is with you. If you have put your faith in Jesus Christ, God is with you. Invest in evangelism in 2025! — Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast Become a Harvest PartnerSupport the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This Christmas, join us in celebrating the greatest gift of all: Jesus Christ Himself!

The beauty of the Good News is that when we receive the Savior of the world, we not only receive salvation but also Jesus Christ Himself.

Jesus replied, ‘All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them.' (John 14:23 NLT) Being a Christian isn't merely trying to follow the example of Jesus Christ. Being a Christian is having Jesus Christ Himself taking residence in our hearts and living inside us. It's what distinguishes the Christian faith from any other belief system. Jesus said, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them” (John 14:23 NLT). That is an amazing statement when you think about it. God the Father and God the Son are saying they want to make their home with us. And in Revelation 3, Jesus said, “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends” (verse 20 NLT). It's interesting that Jesus made this statement to the church of Laodicea. Jesus essentially was speaking to people who were probably in the church and going through the motions of Christianity, but for all practical purposes, they didn't have a relationship with Him. A few verses earlier, Jesus said to them, “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!” (verses 15–16 NLT). In other words, “Lukewarmness turns my stomach.” Thus, Jesus said, “I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.” It's hard for us to appreciate the significance of that statement in our fast-food culture. We are used to quick meals. In fact, we have developed into an art form the ability to eat while we're driving. But in Jesus' day, there was no such thing as takeout. A meal took much longer back then. Dinner was the main event of the evening, where you sat down with friends and family. You took your time to relax, share the events of the day, and bare your hearts to one another. So, when Jesus said, “I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends,” He was saying, “I want to have fellowship with you, and I want you to relax and be honest. I want to spend a lot of time with you.” Is Christ at home in your heart? The apostle Paul wrote, “I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong” (Ephesians 3:16–17 NLT). Is Jesus Christ an honored guest in your home, or is He a permanent resident? He wants to be the latter. Jesus doesn't just want to be home for the holidays. He wants to live in your heart all year. — Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast Become a Harvest PartnerSupport the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, Pastor Ken will be explaining how the Old Covenant was a shadow or copy of the better covenant to come. The lives of animals could never remove sin; the life of an animal is not a sufficient substitute for a human life. The blood of bulls and goats was a temporary appeasement until the final, ultimate blood covenant was made by Jesus Christ Himself – the God-Man. God's promise of eternal blessing is given only on the basis of faith in the saving blood of His Son, Jesus- which is the New Covenant.

Brian Davies joins host Elizabeth Pittman on this episode of The Concordia Publishing House Podcast to preview his new book, Captivating Conversations: How Christians Can Reclaim the Lost Art of Listening. During the episode, Brian talks about how we can use Jesus as our model for being good listeners and asking good questions as Christians in today's world. Pre-order the book at cph.org/listen. Available October 22. Show NotesAre you a good listener? Many people believe that they are but, when asked if they believe others are good listeners, the answer is usually no. Perhaps we all can learn to be better listeners. And there's no better model than Jesus Christ Himself. Listen to the episode now as Brian Davies talks about his new book where he takes readers on a journey of sitting back, opening your heart, and learning how to truly hear what others are saying. Brian discusses what it really means to be a good listener, how we can bring the Gospel to others by learning to really hear what they are saying, and more. About the GuestBrian Davies serves as pastor of Lord of Glory Lutheran Church in Grayslake, Illinois, and as chaplain for the Grayslake Fire Department. Rev. Davies graduated from Concordia River Forest (now Concordia Chicago) in 2002, studying communications and biblical languages, and then went on to earn his master of divinity at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. He and his wife, Beth, have three children: Kate, Megan, and Luke.

What would you do if you knew Jesus Christ Himself would speak at the next conference, but He didn't want you to travel there? Let's see what we can learn from 3 Nephi 19:3 today!  And grab study guides for the whole family here:  - To get Cali's scripture study guide for adults click here:  https://comefollowmestudy.com/shop/ Discount code: OMSS - To get Kristen's scripture study guides click here: Kids Study Guide, Teens Study Guide, Combined Teens AND Kids Study Guides: https://kristenwalkersmith.com/start-here-scripture-study-guides/ Get our 365-day Book of Mormon daily devotional book: https://amzn.to/4016Xob Music by Bensound License code: BPUQ9E5DYFPVAAQA  

In all the world, there are almost countless ways people try to find God. Some are drawn to the mystical, while others chase after the practical. Does it work?God knew we would all look to fill the void in our spirits—the one put there when man first sinned. He also already knew what our escape route would be, the path back to Him.Romans 10:9–10 says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”The so-called “Roman Road” is in reality a face-to-face with the Living God. Jesus Christ Himself is our aim, and our benefactor. He loved us so much that He offered Himself as a sacrifice for sin. It's very simple. God accepted the sacrifice and raised His precious Son from the dead. And now it is there, waiting for us to accept that great and priceless gift.Let's pray.Lord, we complicate things sometimes, but your salvation is a simple choice, and it is free. Blessed be your name forever and forever! In Jesus' name, amen.Change your shirt, and you can change the world! Save 15% Off your entire purchase of faith-based apparel + gifts at Kerusso.com with code KDD15.

Deacon Steve Greco joins us to talk about this amazing new film! Jesus Thirsts: The Miracle of the Eucharist takes viewers on a global journey to uncover the transformative power of the Eucharist. Through discussions with Catholic leaders and heartfelt personal narratives, the film unveils the Eucharist as Jesus Christ Himself, eagerly desiring to fulfill our spiritual thirst with His boundless love. --------------------------------- Visit the website and learn more about the film HERE: https://jesusthirstsfilm.com/ --------------------------------- PATREON - Help support this podcast by becoming a US Grace Force PATRON here: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=25398590 --------------------------------- PRAY THE ROSARY: The Joyful Mysteries: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMAR9MEN1pE&t=656s --------------------------------- The Sorrowful Mysteries: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHUkx66oAxE&t=311s --------------------------------- The Glorious Mysteries: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pg_JWsxS6EA&t=207s --------------------------------- The Luminous Mysteries: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVL5CqBr3CA&t=198s --------------------------------- The Full Rosary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44zL1kFIvP8&t=1765s --------------------------------- Join our US Grace Force Facebook group: https://usgraceforce.com/ --------------------------------- Be Ready Emergency Preparedness Course: Be prepared to Care for and Protect your Family in times of Natural Disasters, Emergencies, Civil Unrest, Economic Collapse, and more. Sign up for the course HERE: https://brcoalition.com/ --------------------------------- Go HERE to check out the BR Coalition and get great training Body, Mind & Soul! https://brcoalition.com/ Become part of one of the fastest growing online Catholic Membership sites. --------------------------------- Get your hands on some great US Grace Force T-shirts! https://us-grace-force.creator-spring.com/ --------------------------------- The seven promises given to St Bridget of Sweden for those who devote themselves to her Seven Sorrows. 1. I will grant peace to their families. 2. They will be enlightened about the Divine Mysteries. 3. I will console them in their pains, and I will accompany them in their work. 4. I will give them as much as they ask for as long as it does not oppose the adorable will of my Divine Son or the sanctification of their souls. 5. I will defend them in their spiritual battles with the infernal enemy and I will protect them at every instant of their lives. 6. I will visibly help them at the moment of their death—they will see the face of their mother. 7. I have obtained this grace from my divine Son, that those who propagate this devotion to my tears and dolors will be taken directly from this earthly life to eternal happiness, since all their sins will be forgiven and my Son and I will be their eternal consolation and joy.

Because it is Jesus Christ Himself who makes us more like Him, it is crucial to spend quality time with Him and in His Word. In this message, Adrian Rogers reveals five factors that go into a meaningful quiet time. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/135/29