Podcasts about may god

An elderly woman lies unconscious on a hot sidewalk after a terrible fall. Several people stop to help. One calls 911, another gently places a coat under her head. Others put towels under her arms, and still another holds an umbrella over her head until paramedics arrive. As the person who posted the video writes, it’s an especially heartwarming scene because those who stopped included a wide range of age and ethnicities—all working together to help someone in distress. When an expert in God’s law asked Jesus who his neighbor was (Luke 10:29)—that is, who he was obligated to show love to—Jesus responded with a story of a man badly beaten by robbers, lying near death by the side of the road (vv. 30–31). A Levite and then a priest approached, but both passed by on the other side. Finally, a Samaritan stopped to help. What made this so unusual was that Jews and Samaritans had a history of scorn for the other. Yet it was the Samaritan who stopped (v. 33). After telling this parable, Jesus asked which was a neighbor to the fallen man. The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him” (v. 37). Jesus told him—and us, “Go and do likewise.” May God help us see that everyone we meet is our neighbor, another human created by Him and deserving of our aid.

I was inspired while reading a historical fiction account of the life of Mary McLeod Bethune, founder of Bethune-Cookman college. The stories of her determination and care for others led me to read more about her. One account tells how in the early 1900s she “described” the buildings at her school for young African American women to a wealthy businessman. But when he visited the “campus,” he found only one building. She’d described her dream to him, hoping that he would invest in the school. Her faith and vision worked together to secure funding. Her school eventually became—and still is—a four-year college. Bethune is credited with saying: “Without faith, nothing is possible. With it, nothing is impossible.” Her quote is similar to what Jesus told the astonished disciples who were asking questions about salvation. They were trying to figure out how people could “enter the kingdom of God” or heaven (Matthew 19:24). They wanted to know “who then can be saved?” (v. 25). Jesus shared with His followers that faith in God was the only way; because “with God all things are possible” (v. 26). Faith is rooted in a belief in God and His abilities. Faith prompts us to believe in the possibility of things we don’t see yet—like a dream of a school for the underprivileged or an eternal home for those who accept Christ. May God help us see what He sees.

Jeff Durbin -1 Corinthians 1:18-31- I want to thank our Lord for the blessing, honor, and privilege have had in preparing and delivering messages from the Book of Proverbs these last few years. This sermon series was so challenging to me, personally. It was challenging in at least two ways: 1. Preaching through Proverbs is a very different preparation, process, and delivery than other types of books and letters in the Scriptures. Many Pastors have told me they have avoided preaching through it because of the unique challenges it presents in delivering weekly expositional messages through the book. 2. The content in this marvelous book is so cutting, convicting, and transforming it had to always be preached to myself before I ever dared bring it to you. I've been changed. And 1 am so grateful. Today, we are on the final summary message on the Wisdom from Above: Christ is the true Wisdom of God. May God bless us all to see this incredible truth.

The homilies of Msgr. Stephen J. AvilaPastor, St. Joseph, Guardian of the Holy Family Parish, Falmouth, MAThanks for listening! May God's Word find a home in you.

Hello and welcome to the program Retornando a la Palabra. In today's sermon originally recorded on June 21, 2015, we listen to the founding pastor of Centro Cristiano Internacíonal, Pastor German Ballesteros. I'd like to encourage you to pull out your bible and continue listening to today's sermon.        We hope this message has encouraged you to seek the voice of God. We encourage you to discover the nature of God through his word the Bible. If you'd like to download this episode or share with someone you know remember you can do so by subscribing to the podcast which you can find by searching retornando a la palabra or ccichurchsa on your favorite podcast listening device.Thank you again for spending this time with us and until next time we'd like to leave you with a quote from our founding Pastor the late Pastor German Ballesteros, “Cambia tu mundo con Cristo en tu corazón.” May God bless you.    

In this message, Pastor Caleb discusses the battle for one's mind that takes place on a daily basis.  May God's people understand this battle and win with the weapons God gives His people.  Send us Fan MailSupport the showFor more information for our church visit AGCSparta.org.  

In this message, Pastor Caleb discusses the battle for one's mind that takes place on a daily basis.  May God's people understand this battle and win with the weapons God gives His people.  Send us Fan MailSupport the showFor more information for our church visit AGCSparta.org.  

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260621dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. 2 Timothy 4:2-5 A Cure for That Itch Mosquito bites. Athlete’s Foot. Poison Ivy. If you’ve ever had to deal with these itchy ailments, you know they are no fun and very hard to get rid of. You try this lotion and that spray, but the itch doesn't seem to go away. Time and patience are about the only answers that make the itch go away. As the apostle Paul wrote these last words to his dear friend Timothy, Paul was preparing Timothy to deal with a situation far worse than bug bites and skin rashes. False teachings, lies about the faith and salvation, and personal religious opinions were infesting and infecting the hearts of people. Such things go beyond irritation; they hurt and kill saving faith. Paul knew that a time was coming when people would no longer desire to hear what God has to say in the Bible. Paul’s words are quite prophetic for us since we are still living in similar times. Some books promote Jesus as a mere teacher of moral living. Others claim that Jesus was not and never claimed to be God. Why all the promotion of these and many other false teachings? Because people who don’t want to believe the Bible have an itch—an itch against God. They don’t want to feel accountable to God or live their lives according to his Word. So, the only way to calm that itch is to reduce God to nothing more than a lucky rabbit’s foot or a curse word. What is the salve for this itch? “Preach the Word!” the apostle Paul encourages. Preach and proclaim the Bible—the whole Bible. Let God work through the Word to do the rebuking and correcting. Let God set the record straight. And even if people will not listen, God still calls us to be faithful to the Word and proclaim it “in season and out of season.” May God strengthen us to do this always! Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to always faithfully proclaim your word for your Word is truth and life. Amen. Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

As you are about to hear in this week's PODCAST, the wait is finally, blessedly over. All of the puzzle pieces of End Times prophecy are now falling into place. Hallelujah! As I do each week, I sincerely thank you for listening and for sharing this podcast with your family and friends. May God bless you abundantly as you listen!

This guide covers the readings appointed in the Revised Common Lectionary for the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 8), Year A, falling on June 28, 2026.This Sunday closes the four-week arc of Jesus' sending discourse in Matthew 10. The shape of that arc is worth holding in view as you prepare. Four weeks ago, Jesus called Matthew the tax collector from his table. Three weeks ago, he sent the twelve out with empty hands. Two weeks ago, he warned them about the cost of being sent. This week, the discourse closes with three short verses about welcome — a cup of cold water, a household opening its door, a small kindness that Jesus says is received as if it were given to him. After the heaviness of last week, the gentleness of this closing is itself part of the message: found, sent, warned, now received.The Old Testament tracks pull in very different directions. Track One brings us Genesis 22 — the binding of Isaac — paired with Psalm 13's repeated cry of “how long.” This is one of the hardest texts in all of Scripture, and the guide says so plainly. Some preachers will choose to preach it, and the guide tries to help them do so with care. Some will choose not to, and that is a legitimate decision; the cautions section makes the case that the choice should be made with information rather than avoidance. Track Two brings us Jeremiah's confrontation with the false prophet Hananiah, paired with Psalm 89's exuberant praise. The Epistle continues in Romans 6, where Paul presses the practical implications of having been freed in baptism.The ReadingsGenesis 22:1–14First Reading (Track One) — The Binding of IsaacSummaryThis is one of the most difficult passages in all of Scripture. Without warning, the narrator tells us that God is going to test Abraham, and then God asks him to do something unspeakable — to take his beloved son Isaac, the long-awaited child of the promise, and offer him as a burnt offering. Abraham rises early the next morning, says nothing to anyone, and sets out with two servants and the boy. On the third day, he leaves the servants behind. He places the wood on Isaac's back. Isaac, walking beside him, finally speaks the question that shatters the silence of the scene: “Father, the fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham answers, “God himself will provide.” At the place of sacrifice, Abraham builds an altar, binds his son, places him on the wood, and reaches out his hand for the knife. At the last possible moment, an angel calls his name. Do not lay a hand on the boy. Abraham looks up and sees a ram caught in a thicket. He calls the place “The Lord will provide.”Key Ideas for Preaching* Three times in this chapter, Abraham answers with the same word — “Here I am.” Once to God, once to Isaac, once to the angel who stops him. The same single-hearted availability that gets Abraham into this terrible scene is also what lets him hear the voice that stops him. What might it mean for your congregation that the posture of being fully present to God includes the readiness to be interrupted?* The line “God will provide” is spoken by Abraham before the ram appears. He does not say it after the rescue, looking back; he says it on the way up the mountain, before he knows how. What might it look like for your people to speak the provision before they can see it — not as denial of the situation, but as honest trust in the character of God?* The ram was caught in the thicket the whole time. The provision was already there. Abraham had to keep climbing to find it. Where in your congregation has the help they are pleading for actually been present all along, waiting to be seen rather than waiting to be made?* The story ends with a name: “The Lord will provide.” Generations of pilgrims will later climb that mountain remembering not the test but the providing. What might it mean for your congregation to name the places in their own lives the same way — not by what almost happened, but by what God did?* Some preachers will choose not to preach this text, and that is a legitimate decision. The text is genuinely painful, and the work of holding it carefully is real. If you do preach it, what would it look like to let your people feel the horror of the scene rather than rushing past it toward a moral?Significant Cautions* This text has been used to argue that faith requires the suspension of ordinary ethics — that whatever God commands, however terrible, must be obeyed without question. That is a dangerous reading, especially in a world where people have committed real violence claiming divine instruction. The story actually ends the practice of child sacrifice in its ancient context; it does not bless it.* The text has often been read as a kind of preview of God's giving up his own Son on the cross. There are echoes worth noticing, but pressed too hard, this reading turns God into someone who almost kills children. That has done real damage in a hospital room or beside a grave. Handle the connection gently if you make it at all.* “God tested Abraham” can land cruelly on people whose suffering has been described to them as a test. The text does not offer a general theology of suffering as divine examination. Be careful not to extend the scene into a blanket explanation for any congregation member's grief.* Sarah is entirely absent from this chapter. Some Jewish tradition has heard her cry in the silence, and her death in the very next chapter has been linked to this scene. Be honest about her absence rather than papering over it.* The story has been used to bless the harm of family members in the name of religious obedience. Be especially careful that nothing in your sermon could be heard that way — particularly in light of the kinds of misuses we noted last week in Matthew 10.Psalm 13The Psalm (Track One) — How Long?SummaryThis is one of the shortest psalms in the Bible — six verses — and one of the most concentrated. It opens with the question “how long” asked four times in two verses: how long will God forget? how long will God hide? how long must the psalmist bear pain? how long will the enemy be exalted? Then a brief, urgent prayer for God to look and answer. And then, unexpectedly, a turn. “But I trusted in your steadfast love. My heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.” The lament does not erase itself, but it ends in trust.Key Ideas for Preaching* “How long” appears four times in two verses. There is no embarrassment about the repetition. Where in your congregation are people quietly afraid that their “how long” prayer has gone on too long, and what would it free in them to hear that the Bible knows that prayer by heart?* The turn at the end of the psalm is not a resolution. The problem has not gone away. What has shifted is who the psalmist is remembering. How might this teach your people what to do when their situation has not changed but their grip on God needs steadying?* Read alongside Genesis 22, the psalm gives voice to what Abraham, and perhaps Isaac, and perhaps Sarah could not say out loud. How might pairing the two texts honor the unspoken cry inside the more famous story?Significant Cautions* “I will rejoice in your salvation” can be turned into a command to feel better. The psalmist arrives at that line; he does not start there. Be careful not to use this psalm to shame those who are still living in the “how long” verses.Jeremiah 28:5–9First Reading (Track Two) — The Test of a ProphetSummaryThis is part of a longer scene. Jeremiah has been prophesying that the Babylonian exile will be long — a generation or more. Hananiah, another prophet, has been promising the opposite: that the exile will be brief and that God is about to break the yoke of Babylon quickly. The selected verses give Jeremiah's reply. He says, in effect: I would love for your prophecy to be true. May God do what you say. But the prophets who came before us prophesied war and disaster and pestilence; the prophet who promises peace is recognized as a true prophet only when the peace actually arrives. The test of a true word from God is whether it bears out in time.Key Ideas for Preaching* Jeremiah does not dismiss Hananiah out of hand. He says, in effect, “amen — may the Lord do as you have prophesied.” Then he names the harder truth. What does it look like for your congregation to take seriously the appeal of every comforting message, including the ones that turn out to be false?* Jeremiah's test of a true prophet is whether the word comes to pass. That is a slow test. It does not yield quick certainty. Where in your congregation has the desire for fast answers led people toward voices that sound encouraging but do not bear out?* The bigger backdrop is that the people of God are being asked to live faithfully through a long, hard time — not to expect a quick rescue. What might it mean for your congregation to hear that some of the most pressing questions of faith are about how to live well inside a hard season, not how to escape it?Significant Cautions* This text has been used to demand that anyone with a hopeful word be dismissed as a false prophet. Jeremiah does not say that. He says that some hopeful words turn out to be false. He does not say all of them are.* Be careful with the implication that suffering and hardship are always the more spiritually credible message. That framing has its own pastoral dangers, especially in contexts where genuine deliverance is in fact what God is bringing.Psalm 89:1–4, 15–18The Psalm (Track Two) — Of Your Steadfast Love I Will SingSummaryA hymn celebrating God's steadfast love and faithfulness. The opening verses promise to sing God's praise forever, and remember God's covenant with David — the promise to establish his line. The second set of verses turns to the people: happy are those who know the festal shout, who walk in the light of God's face. Their strength is from God; their joy is in God's name. The lectionary selects only the praise sections of a longer psalm that, by its end, becomes a sustained complaint about whether God has kept the very promises being celebrated here.Key Ideas for Preaching* “I will sing of your steadfast love forever.” The opening commitment is to a long song, not a passing feeling. What does it look like for your congregation's praise to be the kind of thing they intend to keep singing for a long time, regardless of how a given week has gone?* “Happy are the people who know the festal shout.” That suggests there is a kind of joy that has to be learned — practiced, taught, shouted out loud. Where might your people need permission to practice praise rather than wait for it to arrive on its own?* Paired with Jeremiah's hard-eyed realism, this psalm reminds us that honest realism about difficulty and unembarrassed praise are not opposites. Both belong. How might your sermon hold these two together?Significant Cautions* The lectionary's selection omits the long complaint that closes Psalm 89. If you preach the praise alone, be honest with your congregation that this is one voice within a longer, more complicated prayer — not the whole of the psalm.Romans 6:12–23The Epistle — Wages and GiftSummaryPaul picks up where last week left off. The argument has been that baptism unites us with Christ in his death and frees us from the rule of sin. Now Paul presses the practical implications. Do not let sin reign in your bodies. Do not present yourselves to sin as instruments of wrongdoing; present yourselves to God as people alive from the dead. Then he reaches for a metaphor that lands uncomfortably on modern ears: you were once slaves of sin, now you are slaves of righteousness. Paul acknowledges that the metaphor is limited — “I am speaking in human terms,” he says, “because of your natural limitations.” The passage closes with one of his most famous lines: the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.Key Ideas for Preaching* Paul assumes that we are always under some kind of authority — and that the question is not whether we will serve something, but what we will serve. Where in your congregation might it be freeing to hear that the choice is not between independence and submission, but between two very different kinds of belonging?* The “wages of sin is death” line has often been preached as a scare tactic. But Paul sets it next to a contrast: the free gift of God is eternal life. Wages are earned. Gifts are not. What might it shift in your people to hear that what God offers is fundamentally not a paycheck?* Paul says he is speaking in human terms “because of your natural limitations.” He admits openly that the metaphor he is using is imperfect. What does it look like to preach with the same kind of humility — using the words available while admitting that they cannot quite contain what is being said?Significant Cautions* Paul's slavery language is rough. It was uncomfortable in its own century, and it is much more so now, in a world where actual chattel slavery has shaped enormous suffering. Be honest that the metaphor has its limits and has been misused.* “The wages of sin is death” has been wielded as a threat. The structure of the verse actually points the other way — the news, the good news, is the free gift on the other side of the comma.* “Slaves to righteousness” should not be flattened into a demand for moralism. Paul's freedom is freedom from a set of destructive authorities, not freedom into a list of rules.Matthew 10:40–42The Gospel — A Cup of Cold WaterSummaryThis is the close of the long sending discourse, and after the difficult sayings of last week, the tone here is unexpectedly gentle. Jesus speaks of welcome — how those who welcome the disciples welcome him, and how those who welcome him welcome the One who sent him. Then he names the smallest possible kindness: even a cup of cold water given to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple will not lose its reward. The whole sending speech, which began with sober instructions and warnings, closes here on what almost sounds like a warm afterthought — but an afterthought that turns out to carry real weight.Key Ideas for Preaching* The discourse closes not with grandeur but with the smallest possible act of hospitality — a cup of cold water. Where in your congregation has the imagination for “real” ministry crowded out the small kindnesses that Jesus actually names here?* Jesus says that welcoming a disciple is welcoming him. That goes both directions. It promises something to your people when they are welcomed — they carry Christ with them. And it asks something of your people when they are the welcomers. How might this two-way welcome shape your congregation's sense of both being received and receiving?* This is the fourth and final Sunday of the Matthew 10 arc. Three weeks ago, the disciples were sent with empty hands. Two weeks ago, they were warned that the road would be hard. Today, the discourse closes with the promise that the smallest welcome is not lost. How might your sermon let your people feel the shape of the whole arc — and the unexpected tenderness of its close?Significant Cautions* “These little ones” is a tender phrase, but it has sometimes been preached condescendingly, as if the speaker were the welcomer and someone else were the recipient. In this passage, the disciples are the little ones. Be careful which direction your sermon casts the metaphor.* The “reward” language is easy to flatten into transactional thinking — do this small thing and earn that big thing. Jesus is not running a points system. He is saying that nothing offered in his name goes unnoticed.* The cup of cold water has sometimes been used to bless the substitution of small charity for real engagement with the systems that produce thirst in the first place. Both the small act and the larger work matter. Do not let one be used to excuse the absence of the other.Thematic ConnectionsAfter three Sundays of increasingly difficult Gospel readings, the lectionary closes the Matthew 10 arc with three short, gentle verses about welcome. The four-week shape is worth holding together: found, sent, warned, received. The disciples who were called from their tables, then sent out with empty hands, then warned about the cost, are now placed inside a network of hospitality — disciples who carry Christ with them, and households who welcome them as Christ.The Old Testament tracks pull in very different directions, and the preacher's choice matters. Track One brings Genesis 22 alongside the brief Gospel — the agonizing test of Abraham paired with the small kindness of a cup of cold water. The contrast is severe, and the preacher has real work to do to make that pairing serve a congregation rather than overwhelm it. Psalm 13's repeated “how long” gives voice to the silence inside Abraham's obedience.Track Two brings Jeremiah's confrontation with false prophecy — the hard-eyed test of whether a word from God actually bears out — and pairs it with Psalm 89's exuberant praise. The combination invites a congregation to hold honest realism and unembarrassed worship together.Romans is on both tracks and continues to develop the question of what kind of life baptism actually launches. The wages-and-gift contrast at the close of the reading offers a clean line for a sermon on either track.The Gospel itself is short enough that it may not seem to carry an entire sermon, but its closing image — a cup of cold water — is worth a sermon in its own right. After the heaviness of last week, the smallness of this week's instruction is itself the good news. The disciples Jesus has been preparing are not asked to do impossible things; they are asked to receive and to give the smallest kindnesses faithfully — and to trust that those kindnesses are received as if they were given to him. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lectionarypro.substack.com/subscribe

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time AJune 21, 2026  Hello and welcome to the Word, bringing you the Good News of Jesus Christ every day from the Redemptorists of the Baltimore Province. I am Fr. Karl Esker from the Basilica of our Lady of Perpetual Help in Brooklyn, NY. Today is the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time.Our reading today is taken from the holy gospel according to Matthew. Jesus said to the Twelve: "Fear no one. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father."The gospel of the Lord. Homily In the gospel, Jesus says to his disciples and to all of us: “Fear no one.” He says this as he sends them out on mission, knowing that they will run into serious opposition, just as he did. Jesus was sustained by his unshakable faith in God his Father, but we often have more difficulty. We learn fear from an early age. In high school especially we learn to fear the opinion of others. What do they think of the way I dress, or the way I talk. What might they say? Am I going to belong? It is amazing the contortions we are willing to go through in order to fit in. And if we are not careful, we can lose our sense of self. Fear paralyzes us and can even keep us from doing what we know is right. That is why the media uses fear so much to get us to do what they want, even if it is against our own best interests. So, Jesus explains: Do not fear those who can kill the body but can do no more. Fear the one who can put both body and soul in Gehenna. This requires faith in the God who made us and gives us new life in Jesus. In the first reading we hear the prayer of Jeremiah, who stood up for God against the powers of his day because he believed that God was actively on his side. Down through the centuries the martyrs have cheerfully gone to their deaths, not because they believed in a worthy project, but because they believed in the promise of eternal life that Jesus had given to those who are faithful. God does not fail in his loving concern for us, Jesus assures his disciples. “Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” So why does Jesus tell his disciple to fear the one who can put both body and soul in Gehenna? In the Bible, the Fear of God is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and the Psalms tell us that the Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. That is because the Fear of God is something other than terror. We can stand terrified before the unknown or before some grave danger that threatens ourselves or a loved one. But God is no danger to us, God is the source of our life and the presence that brings joy and wholeness to our being.   Fear of God is not terror before the Almighty, it is reverence before the One who brought us into being and loves us more than we can possibly imagine. We want to avoid offending God, not because it will draw upon us the divine wrath in some sort of terrible punishment, but because we do not want to become like ungrateful children who do not recognize all the good that their Father or Mother does for them. The fear of God makes us want to become our best selves, and so honor the One who created and redeemed us. Because we want God's grace and loving presence in our lives, we avoid all that take us away from God. We take to heart Jesus' command to fear no one and nothing that would lead us away from God, and we seek to approach and imitate more closely Jesus Christ, because in him we have become children of God, to the honor of God the Father. May God bless you.   Fr. Karl E. Esker CSsR Basilica of our Lady of Perpetual Help Brooklyn, NY

Welcome to Real Life... Church for Everyone. As we gather this week both in-person and remotely, join us, with Jim Miller and today's message entitled, "Dads, Bacon, and the Purpose of Life?" TODAY'S MESSAGE "God has called us to life, and that means God has called us to purpose. There is a meaningful and robust life that God wants for everyone, and we find it by living for Jesus. Offering: Bacon is not free. Thank you for your generosity." WE WELCOME YOU... ...each week, join us via our Sunday Sermon podcast, on online broadcast on Facebook & YouTube every Sunday morning, or in person at Real Life | LA. Visit reallife.la to learn more, request prayer, or to connect directly with someone at Real Life. May God bless you in miraculous ways today!

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260621dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. 2 Timothy 4:2-5 A Cure for That Itch Mosquito bites. Athlete’s Foot. Poison Ivy. If you’ve ever had to deal with these itchy ailments, you know they are no fun and very hard to get rid of. You try this lotion and that spray, but the itch doesn't seem to go away. Time and patience are about the only answers that make the itch go away. As the apostle Paul wrote these last words to his dear friend Timothy, Paul was preparing Timothy to deal with a situation far worse than bug bites and skin rashes. False teachings, lies about the faith and salvation, and personal religious opinions were infesting and infecting the hearts of people. Such things go beyond irritation; they hurt and kill saving faith. Paul knew that a time was coming when people would no longer desire to hear what God has to say in the Bible. Paul’s words are quite prophetic for us since we are still living in similar times. Some books promote Jesus as a mere teacher of moral living. Others claim that Jesus was not and never claimed to be God. Why all the promotion of these and many other false teachings? Because people who don’t want to believe the Bible have an itch—an itch against God. They don’t want to feel accountable to God or live their lives according to his Word. So, the only way to calm that itch is to reduce God to nothing more than a lucky rabbit’s foot or a curse word. What is the salve for this itch? “Preach the Word!” the apostle Paul encourages. Preach and proclaim the Bible—the whole Bible. Let God work through the Word to do the rebuking and correcting. Let God set the record straight. And even if people will not listen, God still calls us to be faithful to the Word and proclaim it “in season and out of season.” May God strengthen us to do this always! Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to always faithfully proclaim your word for your Word is truth and life. Amen. Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

We hope you are blessed listening to our podcast and we would love to hear from you. If you have a prayer request, please send to our page or write us a letter. Address is Fellowship Temple Church 300 Weldon Ave Madisonville, Ky. 43431. We would love to hear from you. We are on Facebook on Saturday nights and Sundays during our weekly service. Thanks so much for listening and May God bless you! Sis. Fay Rodgers singing(I'll be a Friend to Jesus)

Pastor Steven preaches from Romans 6:1b-11Let us know you heard the message. Send us a text!Welcome to Pastor Steven G. Lightfoot's Podcast. Sermons and homilies by Rev. Steven G. Lightfoot. Pastor Steven is an ordained elder in the Global Methodist Church and serves as Senior Pastor to First Methodist Church Splendora and Shepherd Methodist Church in Southeast Texas. Thanks for listening! Join us each week for a new message. May God bless you and keep you.

June 22 - In just 15-20 minutes a day, you can listen to the entire Bible read through in a year, and/or watch the Bible verses on the screen. Each day, you will hear some of the New Testament, some of the Old Testament, and some of Psalms or Proverbs. You will read through Psalms and Proverbs twice in the year. Today's reading is Acts 5:1-24; 1 Kings 5-6; and Proverbs 22. You can get through the entire Bible in a year listening to it on the way to and from work each day. The elderly with bad eyesight can now see the Bible verses in large print right on the screen. Little children, just learning how to read, can now read along by seeing and hearing each word pronounced. Imagine little children accomplishing something that many adults never do even once in their lifetimes--reading through the entire Bible. Get a free printed copy of the Bible Reading Schedule at LibertyGospelTracts.com. The Books are read in chronological order, which really helps you to understand the order that things happened. We offer free certificates at the end of the year, for those who read through the entire Bible. Just write to us to request one. May God bless you as you read through all that God has written for us.

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:  2 Kings 4-5, Psalm 83, 1 Timothy 2 Click HERE to give! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible for June 20th. On today's episode, the conversation focused on our continued journey through the Scriptures, reading from 2 Kings 4-5, Psalm 83, and 1 Timothy 2. Several points were raised, including the miraculous stories of Elisha—from the widow's jar of oil to the resurrection of the Shunammite's son and the healing of Naaman's leprosy—revealing God's compassion and power. The discussion explored the deeper meaning of these miracles as signs pointing to the ultimate mediator, Christ Jesus, who reconciles God and humanity. A key theme that emerged was the invitation to trust in God's provision and redemption, pray for all people, and embrace a life marked by gratitude and faith. The episode concludes with prayers for peace, guidance, and a reminder of God's unending love. TODAY'S DEVOTION: There's only one man who can make things right. The woman of Shunam knew this in her deepest places. She knew she needed God's man—Gehazi or anyone else simply would not do. She believed that somehow this one man could bring her boy back to life, could make things right in the face of loss and despair. Elisha goes to the boy, and in a strange, intimate act, lies upon him—face to face, hand to hand, eye to eye. It's as if the man of God is absorbing the boy's death into himself, pouring life back where there was none. In this moment, we catch a foreshadowing of another Man who would one day absorb death itself—not just for one boy, but for the whole world. This Man, Christ Jesus, would take on sin, death, and the grave, and through his own sacrifice, defeat death and pull us close to himself—face to face, hand to hand, eye to eye. God has come in the flesh. He has come to rescue us from death and draw us into life eternal. Jesus—the prophet of prophets, the Lamb of God, the Savior of the world—he alone can make things right in us, for us, and through us. Paul put it plainly: "For there is one God and one mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone." Death has been defeated. Through Christ, true life is offered. In him, we stand face to face with the one who brings us out of death and into resurrection life, even now. May God open our eyes today to see it—to see him, to trust him, and to live in the power and joy of his resurrected presence. That's a prayer for my own soul. That's a prayer for my family, for my wife and my daughters, and my son. And that's a prayer I have for you. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL  

In 1969, Dr. Dean Kenyon, then professor of biology at San Francisco State University, published a book that left him recognized as one of the leading evolutionary scientists. His book, Biological Predestination, tried to explain how simple living things could, over millions of years, become more complex, and finally evolve into human beings.When Dr. A.E. Wilder-Smith, a biochemist with a world-wide reputation and a creationist, wrote his book, The Creation of Life he carefully showed what was scientifically wrong with Dr. Kenyon's evolutionary explanation. One day, one of Dr. Kenyon's students gave him a copy of Dr. Wilder-Smith's book.After reading Wilder-Smith's scientific arguments, Dr. Kenyon said, “I found myself hard-pressed to come up with a counter-rebuttal.” This was a turning point in Dr. Kenyon's personal search, as he learned that, “It is possible to have a rational alternative explanation of the past.” Dr. Kenyon came to believe that creation better supported all the scientific facts. He eventually became an international spokesman for creationism.Too many people stand before the truth in silence, hoping they won't have to give up their own ideas. May God make all of us as honest with the truth as did Dr. Kenyon!1 Kings 18:21"And Elijah came unto all the people and said, “How long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow Him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people answered him not a word."Prayer: To be honest, dear Lord, there are indeed times when Your truth shakes some of my pet ideas too. I pray that You would grant me Your Holy Spirit so that I may always receive Your truth with thanksgiving, even when I must change my thinking. In Jesus' Name. Amen.Image: The books Biochemical Predestination and The Creation of Life. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1232/29?v=20251111

On today's Bible Answer Man broadcast (06/18/26), Hank talks about the joy of contagious giving—the giving of time, talent, and treasure for the sake of the Kingdom. Every breath we have is held in the hollow of God's hand. May God grant that we use His resources wisely.Hank also answers the following questions:Given that even the Bible mentions other writings, how is it that the 27 books of the New Testament were canonized? James - Dallas, TX (9:15)How are we as Christians to treat movies that take events out of the Bible, and yet present them in a secular way? John - Auburn Hills, MI (15:12)I was diagnosed with an incurable cancer. Years later my oncologist told me that I was cancer free! Is this a miracle? Margaret - CA (20:49)

Full Title Name: Cardinal Mueller's letter to four SSPX priests to be consecrated? Leo in Spain on migrants? Lady broadcaster on Starmer condemning Irish uprising in Belfast? Leo's Sodomal Church and Pride? Trump acknowledges humanity of in vitro embryos? "Forever war for ever more" mentality? Sacred Heart and human dignity. This episode was recorded on 6/16/2026. Our Links: http://linkwcb.com/ Please consider making a monetary donation to What Catholics Believe. Father Jenkins remembers all of our benefactors in general during his daily Mass, and he also offers one Mass on the first Sunday of every month specially for all supporters of What Catholics Believe. May God bless you for your generosity! https://www.wcbohio.com/donate Subscribe to our other YouTube channels: ‪@WCBHighlights‬ ‪@WCBHolyMassLivestream‬ May God bless you all!

Teach Us to Pray: Jesus' High Priestly Prayer In this episode of "Truth Worth Living," we delve deeper into the profound moments of Jesus' high priestly prayer as recounted in John 17:6-19. This prayer, uttered by Jesus in the upper room just before his crucifixion, reveals his deep concern and love for his disciples and, by extension, all believers. Let's explore the key themes and insights from this prayer. Jesus' Prayer for His Disciples Jesus' prayer in John 17:6-19 is a testament to his role as a steward of the disciples entrusted to him by God. Here, Jesus acknowledges: Revelation and Belief: Jesus begins by confessing that he has revealed God's truth to those given to him. These disciples have accepted and believed that Jesus was sent by God, recognizing his words as the source of eternal life. Stewardship: Jesus views his mission as that of a steward, caring for his disciples as a gift from God. A steward in biblical times was responsible for managing the master's household and resources, ensuring everything ran smoothly and profitably. Similarly, Jesus faithfully passed on God's truth and created an environment for his disciples to thrive in their mission. Protection and Unity: Jesus prays for the protection of his disciples, asking that they may be united just as he is with the Father. He highlights that while he will no longer be physically present, the disciples will remain in the world and need divine protection. Distinctiveness of Believers A significant part of Jesus' prayer is his explicit distinction between believers and the world. He states: Selective Prayer: Jesus mentions, "I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours." This statement underscores the unique relationship between Jesus and his followers, emphasizing their role in God's kingdom. Heresy of Universalism: Jesus' prayer challenges the notion that all will be saved regardless of belief. He distinguishes between those who accept him and those who do not, highlighting that only believers are destined for eternal life with God. The Role of a Good Steward Jesus' acknowledgment of his stewardship role provides a model for believers today. As stewards of God's message and mission, we are called to: Faithfully Share God's Truth: Just as Jesus imparted God's words to his disciples, we are tasked with sharing the gospel with others. Create Environments for Growth: It's essential to cultivate spaces where believers can grow in faith and prepare for missional living. Pray for Protection and Unity: In a world filled with challenges, praying for divine protection and unity among believers is crucial. Conclusion Jesus' high priestly prayer in John 17:6-19 offers profound insights into his love and commitment to his disciples. It reminds us of our role as stewards of God's truth and the importance of unity and protection in our faith journey. As we reflect on this prayer, may we strive to live by the truth Jesus imparted and be faithful stewards of the mission entrusted to us. Join us next week as we continue to explore this pivotal prayer and its implications for our lives today. May God's peace and blessings be with you.

Angel Studios https://Angel.com/TODDStorm the theaters on July 4 and help make Young Washington the #1 movie in America. Join the Angel Guild today for $15/month and receive two free tickets to see Young Washington this Independence Day.Absolute Ministries https://AMgive.org/TODDYour gift helps people overcome addiction, find hope and purpose, and experience lasting change through a Christ-centered system of care. Together, we can support sustainable transformation that goes far beyond temporary sobriety. Alan's Soap https://AlansSoaps.com/ToddHonor John's memory and the legacy he created for Ian and Alan with Alan's Artisan Soaps “John's Favorites” bundle.  Get one bar of each of his favorites for only $28.99. Bulwark Capital https://KnowYourRiskPodcast.comBe confident in your portfolio with Bulwark! Schedule your free Know Your Risk Portfolio review. Go to KnowYourRiskPodcast.com today. Renue Healthcare https://Renue.Healthcare/ToddYour journey to a better life starts at Renue Healthcare. Visit https://Renue.Healthcare/Todd Bonefrog https://BonefrogCoffee.com/ToddGet the new limited release, The Sisterhood, created to honor the extraordinary women behind the heroes.   Use code TODD at checkout to receive 10% off your first purchase and 15% on subscriptions.LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE at:The Todd Herman Show - Podcast - Apple PodcastsThe Todd Herman Show | Podcast on SpotifyWATCH and SUBSCRIBE at: Todd Herman - The Todd Herman Show - YouTubeI am struggling to not hate my enemies. May God have mercy on us and the UK…Keir Starmer: “I want to congratulate the Muslim community for their brilliant work and exemplary achievements in the UK.  Islamophobia is the problem in the country, and I'm utterly committed to eradicating it from society.”A minimum of 250,000 young White girls were targeted, groomed and then raped, trafficked, and tortured.The perpetrators of this evil followed the same patterns and behaviors; they pretended to befriend vulnerable girls, many of them as as young as eleven. They used with gifts, drugs, and alcohol before subjecting the girls to group rapes, beatinhs, blackmail, forced pregnancies, forced conversion it Islam, and ultimtately trafficking them.Many of the UK's “social pillar” institutions like the police, NHS, social services, schools, and politicians failed victims when they chose to like, deny the events happened and actively ignored reports. Perhaps worse was the criminalization of victims, mechanical destruction of evidence, and the blatant decision to value their concept of political correctness and fears of “racism” accusations over protecting the girls of the UK.This was a cime gang largely run by, and people by Muslims. 87–95% of convicted perpetrators in the cases of organized, gang-centric child sexual trafficking and exploitation cases were Muslim, most commonly Pakistani Muslim gangs. These gangs operated in 149 local authority districts. Groups from Somali, Iranian, Syrian, Turkish, and other Muslim origins were also involved.These were crimes reminscent of cartel and mafia violence. The criminals worked under a Muslim honour- and shame-based code; they treated the UK's non-Muslim girls, especially white working class girls, as chatel or property available for sexual use. Muslim rapists and enforced told the girls they're “White trash” who deserved punishment.The man that gave 13,000 suspected Muslim rape gang members & paedophiles warning letters instead of jail & deportation & that covered up the Muslim rape gangs says those speaking up against Muslim rape gangs & importing rape gangs are the problem.The Full Rape Gang Inquiry and Report: WARNING - This is incredibly hard to read!

Welcome to Real Life... Church for Everyone. As we gather this week both in-person and remotely, join us, with Jim Miller and today's message entitled, "Why Church." TODAY'S MESSAGE "The early Christians had a radical vision for their community, for their mission, and for life. The Church today carries on that mission by sticking to the vision we first received, the vision given to us by Jesus." WE WELCOME YOU... ...each week, join us via our Sunday Sermon podcast, on online broadcast on Facebook & YouTube every Sunday morning, or in person at Real Life | LA. Visit reallife.la to learn more, request prayer, or to connect directly with someone at Real Life. May God bless you in miraculous ways today!

Hello and welcome to the program Retornando a la Palabra. In today's sermon originally recorded on September 28, 2008, we listen to the founding pastor of Centro Cristiano Internacíonal, Pastor German Ballesteros. I'd like to encourage you to pull out your bible and continue listening to today's sermon.        We hope this message has encouraged you to seek the voice of God. We encourage you to discover the nature of God through his word the Bible. If you'd like to download this episode or share with someone you know remember you can do so by subscribing to the podcast which you can find by searching retornando a la palabra or ccichurchsa on your favorite podcast listening device.Thank you again for spending this time with us and until next time we'd like to leave you with a quote from our founding Pastor the late Pastor German Ballesteros, “Cambia tu mundo con Cristo en tu corazón.” May God bless you.    

You've perhaps heard of the 144,000 in the great Book of Revelation. Well now, in this week's PODCAST, you get to meet them. As I do each week, I sincerely thank you for listening and for sharing this podcast with your family and friends. May God bless you abundantly as you listen!

All Saints of North America and Antioch St. Matthew 4:18-23 On the Sunday of All Saints of North America and Antioch, Fr. Anthony reflects on how the same American instincts that often lead people to Orthodoxy can become obstacles to spiritual growth once they arrive. While habits of inquiry, comparison, and evaluation help many converts discover the Church, the Christian life requires a transition from constantly judging and analyzing to trusting the Church's proven path of formation. Drawing on examples from marriage, culture, and the lives of the saints, he argues that the Church has been making saints for two thousand years and invites us to relax into that process of transformation. --- In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Glory to Jesus Christ! This is the Second Sunday after Pentecost, which means we celebrate the saints. Now, some of you are thinking, "Father, wasn't that last Sunday?" Yes—but this Sunday we celebrate the saints who are the fruit of the Christian faith in particular places. Here in the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, we commemorate both the Saints of Antioch and the Saints of North America. Antioch is where the followers of Christ were first called Christians. North America is where that same faith has borne fruit in our own land. Today we celebrate what happens when the Holy Spirit takes root in a people and a place and brings forth holiness. The saints were not abstractions. They were not merely names in books or faces in icons. They had families, homes, occupations, and daily struggles. They lived in particular places and faced particular temptations, just as we do. Their lives remind us that holiness is not reserved for another age or another people. It is the calling of every Christian. I know some people who are jealous of Christians who lived in other times and places. I understand the temptation. We imagine what it must have been like to live in a culture where everyone was Christian, where theology, marriage, friendship, and worship were reinforced by the world around you. It can seem as though faith would come naturally in such a setting. But every culture has its own strengths and weaknesses. Every age has its temptations. Ours certainly does. This is one reason I often speak about the long, slow slog of salvation. It takes time for Christ to gain traction in our lives. It takes time for the Holy Spirit to draw us out of our sins, reorder our desires, and teach us to see the world according to the truth. As much as we may romanticize other places and times, the reality is that the whole world groans under the weight of sin. Consider the relationship between Church and state. Some Christians look with envy at times when governments openly supported the Church. One of my favorite examples is Saint Volodymyr of Kyiv. The church he built became known as the Church of the Tithes because he dedicated a tenth of his wealth to support it. That kind of patronage can be a tremendous blessing. It keeps the doors open. It provides a place where people can encounter Christ. But there is also a danger. If people do not intentionally offer themselves to the life of the Church, they can begin to take it for granted. Historians, sociologists, and political scientists have repeatedly observed that when the Church becomes too dependent on state support, participation often becomes passive. The buildings remain full, the clergy remain funded, but the active fellowship of the faithful can become hollowed out unless people are deeply intentional about their commitment. In modern language, we might say that people need some "skin in the game." Faith must become personal. It must become sacrificial. We cannot simply inherit it; we must offer ourselves to it. The same pattern appears elsewhere. My Greek friends often point out that Hellenistic culture provided many of the intellectual tools that helped people understand and articulate the Christian faith. Concepts such as the Logos and the philosophical vocabulary of the ancient world became powerful instruments in the service of theology. And yet those same intellectual strengths carried their own dangers. Some Christians were tempted toward Gnosticism. Others drifted into excessive rigorism. The very strengths of a culture can become weaknesses if they are not transformed by Christ. The same is true for us as Americans. There is much about our culture that I celebrate. We are approaching the 250th anniversary of our nation, and as a son of the American Revolution, I appreciate the freedoms we enjoy. The First Amendment protects our ability to seek the truth and worship God according to our conscience. Many of us found Orthodoxy precisely because we were free to look beyond the assumptions of our surrounding culture. But there is another characteristic of American life that deserves our attention: consumerism. Consumerism is not merely an economic system; it is a pattern of thought. It trains us to compare, evaluate, and choose. Every trip to the grocery store involves a series of cost-benefit analyses. We compare quality and price. We examine options. We decide which product best meets our needs. That habit of evaluation has actually helped many converts find Orthodoxy. Most of us arrived here because we became dissatisfied with something. We sensed that something was missing. We began asking questions. We read books, listened to lectures, watched videos, and compared alternatives. We weighed ideas the same way we weigh products. Eventually, we discovered Orthodoxy and recognized that it offered something we had not found elsewhere: a way of life capable of leading us into deeper communion with Christ. For many of us, that process was a blessing. Without it, we might never have escaped the assumptions we inherited from our surroundings. We might never have realized that another way was possible. Now here is the challenge. The same habits that helped many of us find Orthodoxy can become obstacles once we are inside the Church. Let me explain through an analogy. Think about the way Americans approach courtship today. We live in a culture of options. Dating apps, personality profiles, compatibility scores, and endless advice all encourage us to evaluate potential spouses through a kind of cost-benefit analysis. We compare possibilities and try to determine which person is the best match. Now, thank God, many people eventually find someone they love. They build a life together, get married, and begin a family. But what happens if they never leave behind that consumer mindset? What happens if they continue to evaluate their spouse the way they once evaluated potential spouses? Sooner or later they discover something unexpected. They find an imperfection they did not anticipate. They encounter a habit they dislike. They discover a weakness that was not apparent before. At that point the consumer instinct kicks in. Some begin looking around, wondering whether there might be something better. Others begin trying to "fix" their spouse, treating the relationship like a renovation project. After thirty-six years of marriage, I can tell you that my wife became much happier when she gave up trying to fix me. There are some things that simply cannot be fixed. More importantly, that is not how healthy relationships work. A good marriage is not built through constant evaluation. It is built through trust, commitment, patience, sacrifice, and love. At some point you stop analyzing the relationship from the outside and begin living it from the inside. You relax into it. You allow yourself to be formed by it. That does not mean you stop growing. It means growth happens through love rather than manipulation. The same principle applies to the Church. I celebrate the fact that many of us found Orthodoxy because we were willing to ask questions, compare alternatives, and search for the truth. Those habits served us well. But once we arrive, we must be careful. If you have ever been a catechumen with me, you have heard me say something that may sound strange: don't become a catechumen unless you are ready to trust. You do not have to know everything before becoming Orthodox. No one does. We make sure people understand the essentials. We address the major questions and objections. But eventually there comes a point where a person must decide whether this is a place where he can be formed. If we carry the spirit of consumerism into the Church, we begin treating everything the same way we treated products on a shelf. We evaluate constantly. We compare constantly. We judge constantly. Combined with the polarization that already infects our culture, this can become spiritually destructive. We begin dividing ourselves into camps. We become critics rather than disciples. Instead of allowing the Church to form us, we place ourselves above it as evaluators. Now, that does not mean we stop improving things. We are always working to improve parish life. We renovate buildings. We develop ministries. We solve problems. But there is a profound difference between building up and tearing down. One spirit seeks to serve. The other seeks to dominate. One spirit acts from love. The other acts from judgment. One spirit strengthens communion. The other undermines it. At some point we must surrender the very habit of analysis that helped bring us here, just as a husband and wife must eventually stop evaluating one another and begin living together in trust. Once you have given your life to Christ and entered His Church, relax. You are in the right place. This is not a pig in a poke. Most of my catechumens know that expression. For those who do not, a "poke" is an old word for a bag. If you were buying a pig at market, you always looked inside the bag before handing over your money. Otherwise you might discover later that someone had sold you something entirely different. Orthodoxy is not a pig in a poke. You have looked inside the bag. You have examined the evidence. You have read the books. You have asked the questions. You have seen what the Church is. Now trust it. The Church has been forming saints for two thousand years. It has done so in Syria and Lebanon, in Greece and Romania, in Kyiv and Moscow, in Alaska and North America. It has formed saints in every culture, every language, and every century. It can form saints here. It can form saints out of us. But only if we allow it to do its work. There are very few places left in modern life where we can lower our defenses, let go of constant evaluation, and simply receive. The Church should be one of those places. This is one reason our worship is so carefully ordered. The prayers have been tested by generations. The hymns have been handed down through centuries. The services have been shaped by the wisdom of the saints. The Church knows what she is doing. Now, I still tell my catechumens and students to keep a little filter active during the homily. The prayers have been vetted by the Church. The sermon comes from me, and I am still a work in progress. But the larger point remains. Let the Church form you. The Church has been creating saints for two thousand years. It is not a cookie-cutter process. Saint Nicholas, Saint Tikhon, and Saint John were very different men. Yet all were united in Christ. The Church knows how to confront our sins. It knows how to heal anger, lust, despondency, pride, and despair. It knows how to help us become more patient, more loving, more peaceful, and more faithful. You do not need a guru. You do not need another internet rabbit hole. You do not need endless searches for the next great spiritual secret. The saints have already shown us the way. Pray. Love sacrificially. Open yourself to God's grace in the sacraments. Love God. Love your neighbor. This is the calling of every human being. This is the vocation of the royal priesthood. This is the path walked by the saints of Antioch, the saints of North America, and the saints throughout the world. And it is the path set before us today. May God strengthen us as we walk it together. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

We hope you are blessed listening to our podcast and we would love to hear from you. If you have a prayer request, please send to our page or write us a letter. Address is Fellowship Temple Church 300 Weldon Ave Madisonville, Ky. 43431. We would love to hear from you. We are on Facebook on Saturday nights and Sundays during our weekly service. Thanks so much for listening and May God bless you! Bro. Chesley Rodgers singing"What a Day"

Holy Spirit Power in 2026, with Pastor AJ Swies, Sundays at Viewpoint Church.May God stir up our hearts to hear his voice through the pages of Scripture today. And may we align our hearts with His as we read the pages together as a family.As you sit down to read the Word daily, ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand it. Then join us as we walk daily together through the pages that will change our lives! ------------------------------------------ Whether this is your first time with us or you have been watching for a while, we would love to connect with you! https://www.viewpointchurch.org/connectWe would be honored to pray for you or someone you know. Our team prays for all the prayer requests we receive on a regular basis. https://www.viewpointchurch.org/prayer------------------------------------------STAY CONNECTED!➜ Website: https://www.viewpointchurch.org➜ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/viewpointchurch➜ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ViewpointChurch

Pastor Steven preaches from Romans 5:1-8Let us know you heard the message. Send us a text!Welcome to Pastor Steven G. Lightfoot's Podcast. Sermons and homilies by Rev. Steven G. Lightfoot. Pastor Steven is an ordained elder in the Global Methodist Church and serves as Senior Pastor to First Methodist Church Splendora and Shepherd Methodist Church in Southeast Texas. Thanks for listening! Join us each week for a new message. May God bless you and keep you.

We are today's disciples and Jesus calls us to go on mission.  (Go Into the World - Tom Booth)The homilies of Msgr. Stephen J. AvilaPastor, St. Joseph, Guardian of the Holy Family Parish, Falmouth, MAThanks for listening! May God's Word find a home in you.

Are you struggling right now? Are you listening to this while gripping the steering wheel, wondering how you're going to go on? 1 Thessalonians 5:23 says, “May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ.”He has a purpose for you; He really does. God wants to use you for things no one else can do. And He wants you to do these things with a spirit of peace in your heart. Maybe your biggest dream died a really spectacular death. Like—one that everyone saw and still talks about. That doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is that you call on Jesus to comfort you and show you the way. Ask Him to do that right now, right where you are. He wants you to be whole and healthy. And if you ask Him to help you live a holy life, He will cleanse your spirit, leaving you squeaky clean inside and out.This is very personal. You might feel that you don't have anyone to turn to; that's a lie. Your Savior and your champion says otherwise. Turn to Him right now.Let's pray.Lord, thank you for making us completely whole. Complete people, capable of sharing the Good News with everyone we come into contact with. 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.

Reagan Kramer reflects on five years of Revelation's Podcast, sharing personal stories, spiritual insights, and encouragement for believers to deepen their faith and understanding of God's purpose and calling.  THANK YOU to all of our guests and listeners for your prayers, encouragement and support as we continue to seek God in all He has for this show!  We are deeply grateful for this community and excited for what's to come as we share more about what God is doing in the world and through peoples intimate and raw stories of redemption. Be sure to subscribe to our website www.therevelationspodcast.com so you can receive our newsletter and easily find episodes!  May God continue to give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him (Ephesians 1:17)! Resources: More from the Revelations Podcast hosted by Reagan Kramer: Website | Instagram | Apple Podcast | Youtube Become Part of Our Mission! Support The Revelations Podcast: Your support fuels our mission to share transformative messages of hope and faith. Click here to learn how you can contribute and be part of this growing community!   This Episode is brought to you by Advanced Medicine Alternatives Get back to the active life you love through natural & regenerative musculoskeletal healing: https://www.georgekramermd.com/   Chapters 00:00Celebrating Five Years of Revelation's Podcast 03:08The Journey of Faith and Personal Growth 05:58The Importance of Community and Local Church 08:56The Power of Prayer and Spiritual Warfare 12:13Understanding the Holy Spirit and Our Calling

When we read a passage like this from St. Isaac, it is tempting to focus on the warnings. We notice his words about passions, distraction, worldliness, anger, vainglory, and talkativeness. We see the severity of his language and immediately begin examining ourselves. Yet I do not think that is where Isaac wants us to begin. He wants us first to behold the beauty. Again and again throughout his writings, Isaac speaks as one who has glimpsed something almost too wonderful for words. He has seen what a human being becomes when Christ reigns in the heart. He has seen the Kingdom hidden within. He has seen the glory for which every man and woman was created. Listen to his words. The country of the pure soul is within. The sun shining there is the Holy Trinity. The air breathed there is the Holy Spirit. Christ Himself is the joy, life, and happiness of that realm. Isaac is describing nothing less than the transfiguration of the human person. So often we think of the spiritual life as self-improvement. We focus on our weaknesses, our failures, our habits, our mistakes. We become preoccupied with ourselves. Even our repentance can become a subtle form of self-absorption. But Isaac speaks of something infinitely greater. He speaks of a life so united to Christ that the human heart becomes a dwelling place of divine glory. He speaks of a man whose deepest identity is no longer found in his wounds, his history, his successes, his failures, or even his struggles. His identity is found in Christ who dwells within him. This is why Isaac can speak of the soul beholding its own beauty. At first this sounds strange to modern ears. We are accustomed either to pride or self-hatred. We know how to admire ourselves and we know how to despise ourselves. We know very little of seeing ourselves truthfully. The saints do not admire themselves. They behold Christ shining within them. They see the image of God being restored. They see the Holy Spirit at work. They see what humanity looks like when it becomes transparent to divine life. And this vision fills them with wonder. To glimpse this beauty is enough to make one weep. Not sentimental tears. The kind of tears that come when one suddenly realizes what God intended from the beginning. The tragedy is that most of us live far beneath this reality. We spend our lives fascinated by lesser things. We cling to distractions. We become consumed with opinions, arguments, comforts, entertainments, possessions, ambitions, resentments, and anxieties. All the while a kingdom lies hidden within us. This is why Isaac's words become so mournful near the end of the passage. “I know not what to say of him,” he writes concerning the man bound to worldly consolations, “except to weep with inconsolable cries of lamentation.” Why such grief? Because Isaac is not merely lamenting moral failure. He is lamenting blindness. He sees human beings starving while seated before a banquet. He sees heirs of the Kingdom living like beggars. He sees those created for divine glory settling for distractions. He sees men and women called to become children of God nursing themselves instead upon the passing consolations of the world. The image that perhaps strikes me most deeply is the one with which he concludes. The man born of God is nursed by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit Himself becomes his nourishment. The Spirit Himself becomes his life. The Spirit Himself becomes his joy. What extraordinary words. Isaac is saying that the Christian life is not ultimately sustained by ideas, techniques, achievements, accomplishments, or even religious activity. It is sustained by communion. The soul learns to live from God. It receives its life from Him as naturally as an infant receives life from its mother. This is the true vocation of every Christian. Not merely to behave better. Not merely to become more religious. Not merely to avoid sin. But to become a living Jerusalem. A dwelling place of the Trinity. A soul illumined by the light of Christ. A child nourished by the Holy Spirit. And once we see this, two kinds of tears appear. The first are tears of wonder. The second are tears of repentance. Wonder because of the beauty for which we were created. Repentance because we have spent so much of our lives looking everywhere except where the Kingdom has been hidden all along. “The Kingdom of God is within you.” Isaac spent his entire life trying to convince us that these words are true. The saints believe them. May God grant that we do as well. --- Text of chat during the group: 00:29:55 Ryan Ngeve: Father I have heard different interpretations of Christ's words in Luke 17. The kingdom of God is “within” you vs “among” you. How does one fit the latter into Isaac's words here 00:34:57 Jessica McHale: That is why some of the most "fallen" men who do experience a conversion and turn totally to Christ make the very best priests. For God and outward toward others. 00:37:47 Jessica McHale: It's not even embraces others in struggles, it's right praise to GOd that inspires the people 00:37:57 David Swiderski, WI: Interesting in the Greek the word is used in Matthew as the inside of the cup-.ἐντὸς (entos) — 2 Occurrences Matthew 23:26 Adv GRK: πρῶτον τὸ ἐντὸς τοῦ ποτηρίου NAS: clean the inside of the cup KJV: first that [which is] within the cup Luke 17:21 Adv GRK: τοῦ θεοῦ ἐντὸς ὑμῶν ἐστίν NAS: the kingdom of God is in your midst. KJV: of God is within you. 00:43:43 Erick Chastain: How do you ignore and undervalue all beautiful things outside us as st Isaac says? 00:43:53 Erick Chastain: (Practically) 00:45:28 Jessica McHale: I think it's simple: God is first, everything else is beautiful, great, wonderful and to be enjoyed but it's not God. 00:46:19 Julie: Or seeing God in everything who is all Love 00:48:12 Bob Cihak AZ: I've learned most about Christ from other people who humble me in their more Christly life in some aspect. So, I haven't yet experienced God alone or only. 00:48:22 Jessica McHale: What it IS like. You still are. A priest. (you said "was") 01:12:29 Sr Barbara Jean Mihalchick: Would Isaac counsel a monk-priest not to accept appointment as a Bishop since he must be in frequent involvement with all kinds of people? 01:15:04 Joan Chakonas: The best evangelists are these monks because they took the huge step( to civilians like me- so unimaginable) of separation from the world- to live in a monastery- and share this priceless wisdom- I am in awe. 01:15:40 Eleana Urrego: Reacted to "The best evangelists..." with ❤️ 01:19:28 Ryan Ngeve: Father Isaac says the “youth should…..pay heed to himself”. To what degree is he to do this as opposed to obedience to a spiritual father 01:20:02 Art: Reacted to "The best evangelists..." with

At first reading, Isaac's words can sound severe, even shocking. He speaks of idle speech as fornication, unhealthy attachments as adultery, and certain forms of companionship as idolatry. Yet behind these warnings lies something far deeper than moral anxiety. Isaac is not obsessed with sin. He is consumed with the preservation of desire for God. The entire homily is built upon a single conviction: the human heart was created for divine communion, and anything that captures its attention, dissipates its energy, or redirects its longing away from God becomes a threat to its deepest purpose. For Isaac, impurity begins long before outward acts. It begins when the heart loses its simplicity. When affection becomes possessive, when companionship becomes emotionally intoxicating, when curiosity about others replaces watchfulness over oneself, the soul gradually drifts from its center. The danger is not merely moral failure. The danger is fragmentation. This is why Isaac speaks so strongly about particular attachments and associations. He understands that the heart cannot be divided indefinitely. Every affection shapes desire. Every conversation leaves a trace. Every companionship either strengthens recollection of God or weakens it. His concern is especially acute regarding spiritual relationships because these can easily disguise passion beneath the appearance of virtue. A person may speak about holiness while secretly seeking emotional gratification, admiration, dependence, or control. One may appear spiritual while feeding hidden desires. This is why Isaac repeatedly returns to self-deception. The greatest danger is not obvious sin but the passions clothed in religious garments. Against this, Isaac presents another image: the elder who has guarded his heart through silence, purity of thought, humility, and disciplined speech. Such a person no longer seeks particular people to satisfy hidden needs. He loves everyone equally because his heart has become free. Compassion has replaced possession. Love has become universal because it no longer springs from lack. This is the perfection Isaac describes. The issue, then, is not whether one has relationships. It is whether one's relationships nourish the fire of God or extinguish it. For Isaac, solitude is not an end in itself. Silence is not a technique. Withdrawal is not misanthropy. All of these exist to protect a flame. The Holy Spirit has kindled a fire within the heart, and that fire is delicate. Excessive familiarity, endless conversation, emotional entanglements, and worldly distractions scatter the mind and cool the soul. Yet Isaac is careful to make one exception. There are companions who do not extinguish the fire but increase it. There are friendships rooted in God. There are conversations that awaken the soul, expose the passions, deepen humility, and enlarge desire for divine things. Such communion is not a distraction from the spiritual life but one of its greatest supports. The test is simple: after leaving someone's company, does the heart burn more brightly for God or less? Everything in this passage revolves around that question. Isaac's warnings are not expressions of fear. They are acts of protection. He sees the heart as a sanctuary and desire for God as its most precious treasure. Therefore he urges vigilance, not because human relationships are evil, but because divine love is so extraordinarily precious. The entire passage can be reduced to a single plea: Guard the fire. Choose companions who increase it. Flee whatever diminishes it. And allow your love to become so purified that it belongs to everyone because it belongs first to God. --- Text of chat during the group: 00:09:26 James Hickman: Father, I was away for about a year…moved across the county and my faith formation role was on Wednesday evenings 00:09:50 James Hickman: I have loved The Watchful Mind…love your recommendation…summer break 00:11:05 Fr. Charbel Abernethy: https://www.philokaliaministries.org/post/nazareth-and-the-hidden-life 00:12:21 Anna: 91 in GA right now 00:13:28 Anna: My grandpa had his first class relic 00:16:38 Fr. Charbel Abernethy: https://www.philokaliaministries.org/post/nazareth-and-the-hidden-life 00:16:54 Bob Čihák, AZ: P 206, #11, last paragraph, Fr. A said we should get back to the 2nd sentence. 00:31:04 James Hickman: “…his heart is grievously injured.” Is Isaac speaking of the older monk, ie the one at fault? If so, I like Isaac's compassion to warn against the danger the offended faces. We don't want anyone's heart injured, whether a potential offender or a potential victim. 00:37:51 Bob Čihák, AZ: The double negative in the last sentence of the paragraph tends to confuse my weakening mind. 00:42:37 David Swiderski, WI: It is interesting the human brain only matures after 25 years old. I think most parents can capture this as the entire idea of consequences does not develop till after that. That is why around the world to rent a car you need to be 25. I see people below this age as children still developing but I see others that year to live again in a world without consequences. 00:43:05 Anna: Too often we run to therapy versus running to Christ in prayer and confession 00:44:03 una: Can you speak to how to have a solid spiritual friendship between consecrated people or with priests/monks 00:46:14 Nypaver Clan: Reacted to "It is interesting th..." with

Full Title Name: Apologetics: Compelling case for Catholicism. USCCB to consecrate USA to the Sacred Heart? Jesse Ridgeway rebuked for killing son. Every Democrat votes against protecting children. LA election: mail-in-mayor! "Disclosure Day" - space aliens now live among us. Murder of Henry Nowak, seizing of children: where are the men? True manhood requires true faith: don't compromise manhood, don't compromise Faith! This episode was recorded on 6/9/2026. Our Links: http://linkwcb.com/ Please consider making a monetary donation to What Catholics Believe. Father Jenkins remembers all of our benefactors in general during his daily Mass, and he also offers one Mass on the first Sunday of every month specially for all supporters of What Catholics Believe. May God bless you for your generosity! https://www.wcbohio.com/donate Subscribe to our other YouTube channels: ‪@WCBHighlights‬ ‪@WCBHolyMassLivestream‬ May God bless you all!

In the world of leaders who have investigated and informed citizens everywhere about the malevolent intentions behind the COVID pandemic, one of the most effective has been lawyer Reiner Fuellmich, who continues to be silenced and imprisoned in Germany after one of the most bizarre and abusive “trials” ever to occur in a modern courtroom in the Western World.  The German administration should be genuinely ashamed for exposing themselves as puppets of the Globalist cabal who are silencing dissenters who revealed the true nature of the COVID policies and practices. Reiner Fuellmich began his professional career with a doctorate in law. His first focus was on medical and pharmaceutical law at the University of Gottingen, where he worked as a research assistant. This background would prove invaluable when he began in 2020 to investigate and expose the COVID conspiracy and the hidden hands of the elite internationalists manipulating the shuttering of national economies and installing control of whole populations. As a consumer protection and trial lawyer in Germany and in California, Reiner opened his own law firm in 1993. He may have been best known for his successful work in representing consumers who were sold Volkswagen vehicles with defective emissions devices. His background included consumer law related to international banks, including Deutsche Bank, and investor protection suits representing victims of “junk real estate” investments. But Dr. Reiner Fuellmich was just getting started in his advocacy. As with so many others in the “new freedom leadership,” Reiner and his wife recognized the authoritarianism embedded in the early 2020 COVID pandemic lockdowns, other mandates, and sudden legal declarations. People were ordered to stay home; no public gatherings were allowed; masks were required when going out; and all small businesses were closed, except for a few. Children were ordered to stay home from school to “learn remotely.” All these interventions, along with their draconian enforcement by law enforcement, were a red flag. So he and his wife left California and returned to their home country, Germany, where he could gather more information. The Corona Investigative Committee was the immediate result of Reiner's return. Over the next 2 years or so, Reiner and colleagues conducted approximately 400 interviews with physicians, scientists, medical specialists, economists, historians, investigative journalists, and others seeking answers to the unprecedented shutdown of the world. Reiner was the primary member of the task force, and Dr. Breggin was one of his key witnesses. The Corona Investigative Committee was so successful that it was an enormous threat to the globalist overlords. The committee members saw other groups and individuals around the world having bank accounts seized or frozen, including the fundraising account for the COVID-19 protesting Truckers in Canada. They agreed with legal documents to disperse the funds within the leadership to be held securely until such time as the threat of seizure was passed. In 2022, Reiner traveled to the US to participate in a speaking tour titled “Crimes Against Humanity,” and while he was out of the country, the other primary member of the committee removed Reiner from the group. There was a general “disruption” among the four members of the original investigative committee (which we have seen happen often when an organization begins to have an impact) Reiner was forced to go to and remain in the US and then Mexico, where he began another investigative committee: the International Crimes Investigative Committee. Reiner's first formal interview for the new committee was conducted with expert journalist Naomi Wolf, psychiatrist Peter Breggin, and Prof. Dr. Sucharit Bhakdi and his wife Prof. Dr. Karina Reiss. That seminal first interview explored the vital issue of “stunning personality changes” caused by mRNA covid vaccines. Despite everything, Dr. Fuellmich was undeterred in his international investigation of the globalists and the United Nations/World Health Organization/World Economic Forum efforts to capture control of the free world. Germany brought criminal charges against Dr. Fuellmich for taking the protective measures that had been taken to protect CIC funds. Dr. Fuellmich was accused of embezzlement. Reiner was marooned in Mexico after being denied visa entry again into the United States. His passport disappeared, and when he went to the German embassy in Mexico to collect a new passport, he was captured, held, and transported back to Germany. Arrested by German authorities, Dr. Fuellmich was transported to the maximum-security prison in Rosdorf. He has remained incarcerated by German authorities to this day. Dr. Fuellmich directly addressed the various rumors and whispers about his legal case on March 10, 2026, in his “Press Release – ICIC. law—The History of Dr. Reiner Fuellmich's Kidnapping.” Dr. Reiner Fuellmich declared: Here I have once again put together the story of my kidnapping from Mexico in the context that is relevant from my point of view, so that anyone who has already heard a little about the case – “embezzlement, he screwed everyone over, but somehow something is really fishy” – can immediately see that this is certainly not a criminal case being pursued, but rather a political case that has been fabricated. The Fuellmich trial was a mockery, bleeding on for over a year, before and during which Reiner was subjected to shocking neglect and abuse within prison. The outcry about the false imprisonment, massive trial manipulations, and human rights violations committed while holding Dr. Fuellmich before and after trial are covered in detail by our guest this week, Seba Terribilini. She is a Swiss activist. She has followed Reiner's work, dedicated the past two and a half years to attending the entire trial proceedings, and is now trying to raise awareness of him. She has also visited him three times in prison. Film director and investigative journalist Philippe Carillo, along with Seba Terribilini, is currently working on a documentary about Reiner's persecution. The trailer for the Free Reiner film is here. We greatly admire and heartily support Reiner Fuellmich as well as Seba Terribilini for her efforts to increase public awareness of Dr. Fuellmich's plight and his need for justice. May God bless both Fuellmich and Terribilini. ______   Learn more about Dr. Peter Breggin's work: https://breggin.com/   See more from Dr. Breggin's long history of being a reformer in psychiatry: https://breggin.com/Psychiatry-as-an-Instrument-of-Social-and-Political-Control   Psychiatric Drug Withdrawal, the how-to manual @ https://breggin.com/a-guide-for-prescribers-therapists-patients-and-their-families/   Get a copy of Dr. Breggin's latest book: WHO ARE THE “THEY” - THESE GLOBAL PREDATORS? WHAT ARE THEIR MOTIVES AND THEIR PLANS FOR US? HOW CAN WE DEFEND AGAINST THEM? Covid-19 and the Global Predators: We are the Prey Get a copy: https://www.wearetheprey.com/   “No other book so comprehensively covers the details of COVID-19 criminal conduct as well as its origins in a network of global predators seeking wealth and power at the expense of human freedom and prosperity, under cover of false public health policies.”   ~ Robert F Kennedy, Jr Author of #1 bestseller The Real Anthony Fauci and Founder, Chairman and Chief Legal Counsel for Children's Health Defense.  

June 7, 2026: May God's words be spoken, may God's words be heard. Amen. Sometimes the life of a priest is about prayer, worship, pastoral care, and all the other things many people think about when they wonder what clergy do. Often it is also about boilers, budgets, broken pipes, roof leaks, personnel issues, or paperwork. But once in awhile, it offers a special little gift to this priest – the joy of children in our Nursery School on the day of graduation. This past Friday, my dog Lexi and I participated again in our preschool graduation ceremony, bidding farewell this year to 11 children heading off to Kindergarten, including Sophia Reynolds. Professor Lexi, in her cap and gown, not only leads the procession, but offered up a few words of advice to the graduates: “do not be afraid to snag the treats and be sure to take time for belly rubs.” She then helped to clean up the floor of all the cake and icing that happened to fall. Thankfully, I stopped a child from sliding her a whole cookie. So, while following the call of Christ into ordination isn't always what one expects, it is always filled with far more joy than we could ever imagine. Call is like that – it begins with a willingness to enter into the unknown. And, these kids are leaving behind the teachers and friends they have come to know so well to begin a new adventure too. Based on the test scores our students achieve when they graduate, I know they are, as they sang in their song “Ready to go!” Today we hear about some other call stories – the one of Abram and Sarai in Genesis, that of Matthew in the gospel, and perhaps some others that will emerge for us as we do a deeper dive. And today, I want to focus on the passage from the 9th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew. In the first part of the text we just heard, Matthew is sitting in the tax booth when Jesus walks by and says “Follow me.” While the text doesn't say it, tax collectors in those days were not the beleaguered public servants of our day. They were ones who collected the taxes due to the emperor– and then some – lining their own pockets. So, as you can imagine, they aren't particularly well liked in the community. Was Matthew one of those crooked types who got rich off the backs of others? The text doesn't say. Yet when Jesus invites him, he leaves that booth and becomes a disciple. Apparently, so did a few other tax collectors, as the text tells us. What must that have been like for them? They would lose all their income. They did not really know what lay ahead for them – neither, for that matter, did any other follower of Jesus. I mean, imagine if Jesus just walked into some CEO's office, said “follow me,” and they got up – leaving laptop and everything else behind, and walked out the door with him? That sounds crazy, right? Well, that is what Matthew did. But there is more going on here, because people like Matthew were understandably considered traitors of the people. Imagine if that CEO had been in charge of a pharmaceutical company that profited off the opioid addiction and death of millions. Jesus, what are you thinking? Well, that is what Jesus did. But wait, there's still more… Matthew and others like him – tax collectors, other pharma CEO types, and the like, end up having dinner with Jesus too. And – here's what we sometimes miss – this isn't in some town far away where Jesus is traveling. This is in his hometown, in his own home. The opening of the chapter begins in this way: “…and after getting into a boat he crossed the sea and came to his own town.” This Matthew may have been the very guy who ripped off Jesus and his family through the years – who profited on the backs of his friends and relatives in town. It kinda puts the next part in perspective. The local religious leaders were not happy about this and question Jesus about it (I have to wonder if there were more than just those Pharisees who thought that way too). And to them Jesus says “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.” Now, this is where it pays to actually read the text, not just hear it. When he says “Go and learn what this means,” he isn't referring to what he just said – that bit about “Those who are well have no need of a physician…”. He is referring to what he is about to say: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” One thing I have to note here before I continue is that this is not Jesus condemning Judaism as a faith. In today's context, he would say the same thing to many, many, Christian leaders, to be sure. That absurd antisemitic reading of the passage aside, a better translation might be this: “I desire mercy, not purity,” which makes the next part more understandable: “For I have come to call not the righteous, but sinners.” And folks, that's a good thing for us all. Because if Jesus didn't eat with sinners, he'd be eating alone! The same is true for all of us. If folks are looking for perfect people, they better look elsewhere, because they sure as heck won't find them in a church. And the truth is – they won't find them anywhere else either. God didn't create perfect people, but God become incarnate to dwell among us that we might come to know that perfection isn't what God desires of us. We aren't meant to be perfect – we are meant to love – radically and unconditionally. And that leads us to the rest of the story, because that type of love is what Jesus was offering in that moment, and it opened doors even he did not expect. As he walked along, a temple leader came begging him to revive his daughter who had just died. With the same words that were used for Matthew, Jesus got up and followed him. As he walked along, “a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak.” She did this because, as the text says, she believed that just by touching something that touched him, she would be made well. And – she was. But more than that, Jesus turned to her, looked at her, and affirmed her. There is a lot packed into these twin stories, but one thing that needs to be understood is that these two people are different in more than just their gender and situation. The man had agency to come right up to Jesus, the woman did not. A woman in that time and culture who was bleeding was considered impure. She would have been kept out of the temple those 12 long years, and most likely pushed to the margins of society. It was a brave thing for her to do – going into a group of people on the chance of touching even just the fringe of Jesus' cloak. Bravery born of desperation – for inclusion, for grace, for mercy, for love – but maybe she also heard about the radical welcome Jesus had given to Matthew and the others in his own home. Perhaps we can hold these two stories – of Matthew and this woman – in our hearts and minds in these difficult days. Let's give her a name though, she deserves one. Let's call her Leah, a Hebrew name which can mean weary or grieved, for she was certainly that, not only from her physical ailments, but by the marginalization it brought her. Matthew and Leah are two different call stories – both are the story of the church today. Matthew is all of us – flawed people, who have erred along the way, hurt others intentionally or not, and perhaps have been deeply hurt ourselves. Jesus called to us and we followed. Jesus welcomes us to this table, and we eat. Leah is called to Jesus too, for healing and for love, but approaching him seemed dangerous – the doors of the church have not always felt like a welcome place for her. She is the trans teen, the gay man, the addicted executive, the immigrant or refugee, the homeless woman, the elderly WWII vet with PTSD, the child with autism who is louder than some think they should be, the lonely, the infirm, the lost, and the last of our society. They are in our hometown too, as Leah and Matthew were in Jesus', yet sometimes it is hardest to see clearly what is too familiar to us; or, even more likely, they have been pushed into the shadows so we don't see them at all. As for their call and ours, Matthew certainly was not worthy of the call of Jesus – none of us are. That's when we need to remember this quote by the late and great Bishop Barbara Harris: “God doesn't call those who are worthy. God makes worthy those whom God has called.” And like Leah, our healing by Christ, here at this table, will give us all that we need to lead the life he calls us into when we leave these doors. Which is a good thing, because Jesus is saying to each of us today the very thing he said to Matthew: “Follow me.” He is turning to affirm our desire for grace and love as he did with Leah that we may be healed and live into our lives as his followers. And, when Jesus calls us – it isn't into a life of safety, but of dangerously prophetic witness. When Jesus calls us – it isn't into a life of ease, but of discomfort with injustice. When Jesus calls us – it isn't into a life of purity, but of unconditional love born of redemptive grace. When we answer the call of Jesus to follow him, it means we leave from here – from this table – to seek him out in the world. In this very gospel, he told us where he could be found – and it was in all those society and the church has for so long cast aside. We must, as Jesus did, search to find the Matthews yearning for a new path. We must turn toward the marginalized who seek healing and affirm them with love as he did with Leah. Today that means we hear the cries of those in concentration camps like Delaney Hall, and call for their immediate release. It also means we see the Matthew there too. I remember standing just about 15' from the federal agents outside of that horrific facility and looking directly at each one of them. This was in the hours before that close contact was cut off. I prayed for a turning of their hearts, and for a change in the nation toward compassion and mercy. Perhaps these agents believed in what they were doing. Perhaps they were in need of the signing bonuses our government was offering to enlist them. Just like with Matthew, we will never know. Just like with Matthew, I will pray that they hear the call of Christ toward a change in life. And inside the cells we will find Jesus, from where we will hear him call to us to follow him. For it is Christ himself who is given rotted and infested food. It is Christ himself who is, like Leah, in need of medical care and suffering for so long. He is reaching out from those cells in the hope that we will see him and hear his call to offer love and grace to the suffering inside. And we will answer that call and stand in solidarity with them, their families, and against our nation's hateful and oppressive acts. We will stand too with LGBTQ+ people in this Pride Month, that they may know deep within that we see them, we affirm them, we love them, and we welcome them. We will stand with people of color across our nation whose voice is being eradicated by new Jim Crow voting maps. This after fighting and dying through decades upon decades for the rights our nation's highest court has now stripped away from them, and whose history of oppression our nation's leaders want to eradicate. We will not allow them to be pushed aside so that white people can feel more comfortable. We will not stand by while they are stripped of their voice. We will stand with women and listen to them as much as we have listened to powerful men. We will hear their stories of being victimized, assaulted, abused. We will not allow convenience or political expediency to privilege men's voices over theirs. We will turn to them, affirm them, and offer grace to them. And when others, particularly the ones who seek to align Jesus and our country with power and wealth and whiteness – the so-called Christian Nationalists – come to us denouncing what we are doing, we will say: “Go and learn what this means, ‘Jesus desires mercy, not sacrifice.' For Jesus wants us to welcome the immigrant, love the oppressed, and heal the brokenhearted. What part of that did you not understand? We will say, “Go and learn what this means… For Jesus came to call not the righteous but sinners,” and you, my brother or sister, might want to consider which of those two categories you find yourselves in right now, as we pray deeply for you. We will say, this is what it means to follow Jesus! This is our faith, our baptism, our call, our life! And we are ready to go! Come and follow him with us – it is not too late. It never is. Amen. For the audio, click below, or subscribe to our iTunes Sermon Podcast by clicking here (also available on Audible): Sermon Podcast https://christchurchepiscopal.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Sermon-June-7-2026-1.m4a The Rev. Diana L. Wilcox Christ Church in Bloomfield & Glen Ridge June 7, 2026 The Second Sunday After Pentecost – Year A/Track 1 1st Reading – Genesis 12:1-9 Psalm 33:1-12 2nd Reading – Romans 4:13-25 Gospel – Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26

Hello and welcome to the program Retornando a la Palabra. In today's sermon originally recorded on June 12, 2011, we listen to the founding pastor of Centro Cristiano Internacíonal, Pastor German Ballesteros. I'd like to encourage you to pull out your bible and continue listening to today's sermon.        We hope this message has encouraged you to seek the voice of God. We encourage you to discover the nature of God through his word the Bible. If you'd like to download this episode or share with someone you know remember you can do so by subscribing to the podcast which you can find by searching retornando a la palabra or ccichurchsa on your favorite podcast listening device.Thank you again for spending this time with us and until next time we'd like to leave you with a quote from our founding Pastor the late Pastor German Ballesteros, “Cambia tu mundo con Cristo en tu corazón.” May God bless you.    

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Now that you have heard of them, courtesy of this PODCAST, it is time to meet them. As I do each week, I sincerely thank you for listening and for sharing this podcast with your family and friends. May God bless you abundantly as you listen!

Welcome to Real Life... Church for Everyone. As we gather this week both in-person and remotely, join us, with Anthony Prince and today's message entitled, "The Danger of Being Fine." TODAY'S MESSAGE "When everyone in the room thinks they know who doesn't belong, Jesus tells a different story. This week we discover why the greatest spiritual danger isn't being broken. It's being convinced you're fine." WE WELCOME YOU... ...each week, join us via our Sunday Sermon podcast, on online broadcast on Facebook & YouTube every Sunday morning, or in person at Real Life | LA. Visit reallife.la to learn more, request prayer, or to connect directly with someone at Real Life. May God bless you in miraculous ways today!

Romans 16:26 - But now as the prophets foretold and as the eternal God has commanded, this message is made known to all Gentiles everywhere, so that they too might believe and obey him.Romans 1:6-7 - And you are included among those Gentiles who have been called to belong to Jesus Christ. 7 I am writing to all of you in Rome who are loved by God and are called to be his own holy people. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.The Gospel Realities1. A New Master 2. A New Identity 3. A New Mission 4. Grace and Peace 

We hope you are blessed listening to our podcast and we would love to hear from you. If you have a prayer request, please send to our page or write us a letter. Address is Fellowship Temple Church 300 Weldon Ave Madisonville, Ky. 43431. We would love to hear from you. We are on Facebook on Saturday nights and Sundays during our weekly service. Thanks so much for listening and May God bless you! Sis. Kay Williams singing"I see a Bridge"

If we were to ask of God, "Do You Love Me?" All we need to do is look to the Eucharist for our answer.  (Do You Love Me? from Fiddler on the Roof )The homilies of Msgr. Stephen J. AvilaPastor, St. Joseph, Guardian of the Holy Family Parish, Falmouth, MAThanks for listening! May God's Word find a home in you.

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:  Proverbs 25-27, Romans 15 Click HERE to give! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible, where we journey together through the pages of Scripture each day. On this June 3rd episode, Hunter guides us through Proverbs 25-27 and Romans 15, reflecting on wisdom, patience, encouragement, and the centrality of Christ in the Christian life. As we read and pray together, we are reminded that the Bible points us not to itself, but to Jesus—the true living Word and source of hope. Join Hunter for insight, encouragement, and a time of prayer as we discover anew how grace takes the pressure off, and how God's love is the motivation for all we do. TODAY'S DEVOTION: The Scriptures teach us and give us hope and encouragement. It's easy for us, as followers of Christ, to misunderstand the role of the Bible in our lives. We can become so enamored with Scripture that we risk turning it into an end in itself, forgetting its primary purpose: to direct our hearts to the living Word, Jesus Christ. The Bible is not the Savior; Jesus is. And as Speaker A points out in Romans 15, "Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us, and the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God's promises to be fulfilled." What is this hope? What is this encouragement that God is giving? Speaker A references back to Romans 14, where Paul reminds us that the kingdom of God is not about arguments over religious practice or culture—what we eat or drink, or even the observance of days—but about a life marked by goodness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. It's so easy to get lost in our religion and miss the point entirely: we can argue and hurt each other over differences, missing the heart of the gospel. The invitation of the kingdom is greater; it's about being transformed, healed, and empowered to serve and love—even our enemies. This kingdom life is about reflecting Christ to the world—a life of loving one another, of patience, of hope, of encouragement, of finding our identity not in religious observance or perfection, but in the abiding presence of God's Spirit within us. The fruit of this life is not fear, not anxiety, not striving to earn favor, but the freedom that comes from grace and the confidence that comes from being God's beloved. Let the Scriptures remind you and teach you that all of this—patience, hope, encouragement, peace—these are gifts from God. The Bible points us to Christ, the source of our courage and confidence. The kingdom is bigger than anything we imagine—a life richer than anything religious practice alone could provide. The best is yet to be revealed. That's a prayer for Speaker A's soul. It's the prayer for his family, his wife, his daughters, his son. And it's the prayer for you: May God give us, this day, hope and encouragement as we fix our eyes on the One who is the source, the One who invites us to live in the joy and freedom of his kingdom life. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL  

This episode was recorded on 6/2/2026. Our Links: http://linkwcb.com/ Please consider making a monetary donation to What Catholics Believe. Father Jenkins remembers all of our benefactors in general during his daily Mass, and he also offers one Mass on the first Sunday of every month specially for all supporters of What Catholics Believe. May God bless you for your generosity! https://www.wcbohio.com/donate Subscribe to our other YouTube channels: ‪@WCBHighlights‬ ‪@WCBHolyMassLivestream‬ May God bless you all!

Yesterday we studied the importance of becoming strong in the Lord before we try to armor up for battle against our enemy, the devil. Again, what good is the best armor in the world if the soldier has no strength to stand? God is strong and he wants his girl strong. God is strong and he's not raising weak daughters. Remember, how do you gain this strength? By supernatural infusion! It's our CONNECTION with Jesus that allows God's strength and power to flow in and through us. Now, the next 2 verses in Ephesians 6. Verses 11 & 12, “Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” Spending time with Jesus and growing in your relationship with him through connection then makes us ready for God's armor. Piece by piece, we will put it all on. But don't miss this – you are in a battle you cannot see, but you absolutely feel. Some of the pain you're carrying didn't start with a person – it started with a battle you couldn't see. All those wounds you carry in this life of struggles, hardships, broken relationships … that's proof of the unseen battle. Hurt people hurt people – but behind a lot of hurt people is a deeper enemy who has been wounding them for a long time. The devil and his demons have created a whole lot of hurt people who are now making real messes in real life. You see that mess, but you haven't see the real battle happening creating those messes. Colossians 1:16 tells us, “God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can't see.” It's foolish for us to deny the reality of all things just because we can't see them. I'm a strong 7 on the enneagram. I avoid all things negative, all darkness and all threats. I have a tendency to stick my head in the sand and pretend everything is okay. That makes me an incredibly fun person to be around … and potentially oblivious to the true threats happening on the daily. But God has made me aware of these things through personal encounters with the miraculous as well as the darkness. I've witnessed the hand of God and I've experienced the presence of evil. I've spent over 2000 episodes of this podcast generally avoiding the topic of evil, but what good does that do you when you're in a real spiritual battle with the unseen? I've avoided talking about evil for a long time – but avoidance doesn't make it less real. Scripture doesn't just acknowledge a spiritual world – it shows us active engagement on all sides. With God and with the devil. With angels and with demons. The Bible makes it clear that there is a real interaction between us and God. God promises when we draw near to him, he will draw near to us. (James 4:8). God says, “Call to me and I will tell you great and unknown things.” (Jeremiah 33:3). God is literally working within you. (Philippians 2:13). On the contrast, the bible also makes it clear there is real interaction between us and Satan. One of Jesus disciples warns us that the “devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8). Jesus tells Peter how “Satan has demanded to have you that he might sift you like wheat.” (Luke 22:31). That's real. He's here and he's roaming this earth actively. There are also real interactions between us and angels, God's agents sent on his behalf. In Psalm we read, “He will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” (Psalm 91:11). Lot is visited by 2 angels. Abraham is visited by 3 angels. The angel Gabriel speaks to Mary. The angel Michael fights for Daniel. An angel rescues Peter from prison. Girl, you have no idea how many times God has sent help you never saw. But even so, there are interactions between us and demons. Demons are the fallen angels that chose to follow Satan in his rebellion. Many believe scriptures are describing 1/3 of the angels in Heaven became Satan's demonic warriors. Yes, fallen spiritual beings opposed to God – and therefore opposed to us, his girls. Nope, I don't like it, but it's foolish of me to pretend it's not real. How will you battle what you won't even acknowledge as real? Here's the thing about these spirit forces – God, the devil, angels and demons – they are invisible to human eyes, but look around – their fingerprints are all over our world. We see the beauty and we see the distraction. We see the miracles and we see the evil. The wounds from the spiritual battle are felt in our lives and in our families. What if it's time to stop just surviving your spiritual life – and start walking in the strength God is actually offering you? Don't you think it's time you learn how to be the warrior God created you to be, stand on his side, and join the forces of good against this evil? There's an old saying, “All that is required for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” If we do nothing, darkness grows and consumes. Darkness grows not because it is stronger – but because light stays silent. We have a light within us that must be unveiled. DON'T HOLD BACK WHAT GOD HAS PUT WIHTIN YOU! Don't just walk by – shine your light. Don't settle for doing nothing – shine your light. Evil triumphs when God's girls do nothing about the darkness, the hurting, the suffering, and the evil around us. There was a time in my life where I did nothing about the darkness growing in my own family. I just made it look pretty on the outside and ignored the reality within. That darkness was given power because my light was silent. I played little. I don't do that anymore – how about you? Oh that God would open your eyes to see the real battle happening in the unseen places. May he make you SPIRITUALLY AWAKE AND AWARE. We've been sleeping, girls. Many of us have been spiritually dulled – distracted, overwhelmed, and constantly stimulated – while unaware of the deeper battles affecting our minds, our peace and our relationships. We've been hypnotized by our screens and lulled by TikTok. And you know what is happening … the enemy has been attacking our minds, making us depressed and anxious, making our families distant, twisting our desires to be all about our image and our imagined influence. Lord, WAKE US UP!!!!!!! In 2 Kings 6 there's a story of Elisha facing a battle where he and his soldiers are outmatched. Elisha's young servant boy was terrified at the sight of the enemy's great army with chariots and horses surrounding their city. But Elisha had such a connection with God, such an infusion of supernatural strength and power, that he knew about the UNSEEN. And this is what Elisha prays for his young servant who was afraid, “O Lord, open his eyes so that he may see.”. Then verse 17, “The LORD opened the young man's eyes, and then he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.” The army of God was already there – Elisha just had the spiritual awareness to know it. Heaven's army was there, fighting for them. Battles in the unseen heavenly realms. What do we have to be afraid of when we understand Heaven is literally on our side when we stand with God? Oh that our eyes of faith may be opened. Dare to believe there's MORE happening all around you! Here's what you have to know, while the devil and his demons are real, they are already defeated. Jesus defeated them at the cross. But the defeated Satan and his demons are still present trying to do their damage. It's a whole lot like this story: A little girl was riding in the car with her father. She cries out, “There's a bumble bee in the car!” The father grabbed the bee, got stun in the hand, and released the bee. The little girl cries again, “There's a bumble bee in the car!” But the father answered, “No problem, I've got his stinger in my hand.” Yes, Satan roams around like a roaring lion looking to kill, steal and destroy, BUT HE HAS NO TEETH. A lion with no teeth. Your Heavenly Father took away his bite. Satan is defeated – but he is not silent. He still roars, still pressures, still intimidates. But he is a lion without authority over those who stand in Christ. But here's the problem … when we don't connect with Jesus for our infusion of supernatural strength, then put on the full armor of God for the battle, we end up being gummed to death by Satan. He just chews away at us. He can't bite, but he sure can chew. That's what he does – he just chews away at you. He discourages you and wears you out. He roars and scares you into settling for a little life. He keeps you cornered and makes you play little. Even a toothless Satan is stronger than us when we don't use our divine resources to defeat him. Every single believer and follower of Jesus is involved in spiritual warfare to some degree. Every believer is powerless in this battle unless they rely on the resources God has given them. But every believer can achieve victory over Satan if we receive strength in our connection with Jesus and then put on the full armor of God. Every piece of armor is important and every piece is effective. You may not even realize how spiritually tired you've become. May God awaken your spirit – not to fear the battle, but to finally see it clearly. Up next in our series, we will study each piece of the armor. Gear up, Sis. The battle is real … but remember, he's a toothless lion! Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

In this episode you will gain powerful revelation of the ever present help you have from God. May your eyes open to see that He holds every victory and is fighting every battle for you. "May God arise, may his enemies be scattered; may his foes flee before him. May you blow them away like smoke—as wax melts before the fire, may the wicked perish before God. But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful." Psalm 68:1-4

Jesus consistently modeled dependence on the Father through prayer, obedience, and service. He came not to be served, but to serve others, ultimately giving His life for humanity. In the same way, believers are called to deny themselves daily, not through their own strength, but through the empowering work of the Holy Spirit. Through trials, hardships, and acts of service, God uses surrender to refine faith and produce spiritual maturity. This devotional reminds readers that sanctification is a lifelong process. Though dying to self is difficult, it leads to deeper fellowship with Christ, greater spiritual growth, and the abundant life Jesus promises to those who follow Him faithfully. Highlights Philippians 3:10 reveals Paul’s desire to become more like Christ through surrender. Following Jesus requires daily humility, sacrifice, and obedience. Selflessness in everyday life reflects Christ’s servant-hearted example. Jesus modeled dependence on the Father through prayer and submission. The Holy Spirit empowers believers to deny the flesh and choose God’s way. Trials and hardships can become opportunities for spiritual growth and sanctification. True life is found when believers surrender their lives fully to Christ. Do you want to listen ad-free? When you join Crosswalk Plus, you gain access to exclusive, in-depth Bible study guides, devotionals, sound biblical advice, and daily encouragement from trusted pastors and authors—resources designed to strengthen your faith and equip you to live it out boldly. PLUS ad free podcasts! Sign Up Today! Full Transcript Below: We Must Die Daily By: Emily Rose Massey Bible Reading: “…that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:10, ESV). As a mom and wife, I am given countless opportunities to set aside my own wants and to sacrifice my love, time, and attention to my husband and children's needs. Pouring yourself out like that on a daily basis can sometimes be physically exhausting; I find myself praying for supernatural strength often! Yet, at the end of the day, even though I am tempted to wonder where my “me time” is, my heart is always full. This is when I begin to see more clearly what the Apostle Paul meant when he said: “I die daily.” The Biblical principle of dying to yourself has always been true, but I didn’t always live it or even understand it. Becoming a stay-at-home mom has challenged me in more ways than I can count in the area of putting others before myself, and I am always learning and finding that it is truly more blessed to give than to receive. As Jesus’ disciples, we are called to follow Him. That was Paul’s mission in life – to imitate Christ. And it is what he and the rest of the apostles literally gave their lives to preach to the world through their words and actions. We may not ever get the honor to literally die for Jesus Christ because of our faith in Him, but by God’s grace, we can imitate His selflessness every day. The apostle Paul emphasizes his great desire to join Christ in His suffering and become like Christ in his daily dying of self: “…that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:10, ESV). Intersecting Faith and Life: To be able to imitate Christ and enjoy this kind of fellowship with Him, we must look to Jesus as our example. Even though Jesus was God in the flesh, He still leaned upon God the Father for everything He said and did while He walked this earth. Jesus would rise early to pray and seek God for His will for the day. In addition to seeking God in prayer, Jesus obediently submitted Himself to the will of the Father, even unto death. Each day, we are faced with the temptation to satisfy our flesh and go outside the boundaries of God’s perfect will. We discover what that will is when we read the Bible and study it for ourselves to learn God’s ways. We are not perfect, but thankfully, Jesus was, and because of His sacrifice on the cross, we have been given the precious gift of the Holy Spirit as born-again believers. The characteristics of Jesus’ death should be the characteristics of our lives: humility, sacrifice, and glory to God through disciple-making. Ultimately, Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve others (Mark 10:45). Jesus ministered to thousands upon thousands of people during His time here on earth. John 22 tells us that if all the things Jesus did were written down, the entire world could not contain the books that would be written! Dying daily definitely isn’t easy, but it is worth it because Jesus promises us that whoever loses his life will find it and find it abundantly (Matthew 10:39, John 10:10)! But remember, we cannot die daily in our own strength, friends. The Holy Spirit is who empowers us to choose God’s way through the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). With each passing day, by God’s grace, we mature and cultivate a life worth dying for, a life found in Christ alone! Living like Christ’s dying is a continual process of humility and sacrifice. May God empower us to die daily and choose others above ourselves. Our flesh wants nothing to do with denying it of anything. We don’t want to experience suffering. But it is in those moments of dying to self that you become more like Christ. What are the difficulties and trials you are currently facing? Ask the Lord to help you embrace those trials and sufferings so that you may grow closer to Him. Let us seek to look like Christ’s dying by learning how to be humble and sacrificial. Instead of resisting those difficult times, ask the Lord to help you to find great opportunities for sanctification to be conformed to the image of Christ Jesus and lean into His grace through the trial. Further Reading: 2 Corinthians 4:10-11 Luke 9:23-27 Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

That moment we pray for; that moment we long for; that moment that we so eagerly wait for — it all comes to pass in this week's PODCAST. As I do each week, I sincerely thank you for listening and for sharing this podcast with your family and friends. May God bless you abundantly as you listen!