Podcasts about Mordecai

This week, Pastor Will Plonk closes out our series in Esther with chapter 10, focusing on the often-overlooked role of Mordecai.In just three verses, we see a powerful picture of middleship

Esther was unsure if Xerxes would extend favor to her, but God is already extending His favor to you even before you approach Him. He wants to turn your grief into joy. Check out the video version of this podcast.  The story of Esther and her adoptive father Mordecai is an amazing story of God's provision! Check out the full sermon from which I took this clip. I also shared a whole series of message on God's favor, which you can check out here. ►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

When Esther's words were reported to Mordecai, he sent back this answer: 'Do not think that because you are in the king's house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this

Today, on Karl and Crew, we were knee-deep in our analysis of the Book of Esther as we discussed how God took what was meant for evil and made it good because of Esther’s faith. Esther took a leap of faith when she went before the king to advocate for her people, risking a potential death sentence. Esther had to stand up for her people because Haman, the king’s advisor, convinced the king to persecute all the Jews because a God-serving Jewish man, Mordecai, wouldn’t bow down to him. Esther turned to the Lord and relied on Him when taking this risk, and the king showed her favor. Are you turning to the Lord when taking risks? We also had some heartfelt laughter with our weekly segment of Ally Thinks It’s Funny. You can hear the highlights of today’s program on Karl and Crew Showcast.Donate to Moody Radio: http://moodyradio.org/donateto/morningshowSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When God Seems Silent When God Seems Silent... But Is Secretly Setting Everything Up. Just when it looked like the end for Mordecai, God was already working behind the scenes to flip the entire story upside down. In this message from Lead Pastor Steve Garcia at Sunrise Church, we unpack Esther Chapter 6—a chapter that will make you rethink every moment God seems silent. From divine insomnia to shocking plot twists, this isn't just history… it's hope for your life right now.

Return of the Man-Child (5)  (audio)  David Eells – 4/2/25  We've been exploring what it means that everything that happened in the Gospels and in the Book of Acts is going to happen again, except it will be on a worldwide scale, and the cast of characters will be multiplied. So we've been looking at the characters to see what they will do in their corporate bodies in our day. We need prayer.   Father, in the name of Jesus, we ask You to be with us this day, to open our understanding, to lead us, to guide us, to give words of wisdom and knowledge that will reveal Your Will to us. Thank You so much, Father. You are our guide, our wisdom, and we thank You so much for leading us in this Bible study. Amen  Let's back up to where we left off. We saw that Herod, as a type of the Beast, was attempting to destroy the Man-child and actually did murder many “man-children” in Bethlehem (which means “the house of food”). We also saw that, as a type and shadow, the Lord told us, A voice was heard in Ramah, Weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; And she would not be comforted because they are not (Mat.2:18). When we were looking at the text in Jeremiah 31:15-20, the words “they are not” did not mean physical death. It meant spiritual death because Rachel's children had been taken into Babylonish captivity. They were in bondage to the Beast, and they were not serving God but serving the Beast. The Beast was their head and ruler; it was ruling over them. (Rom.8:13) For if ye live after the flesh, ye must die; but if by the Spirit ye put to death the deeds of the body, ye shall live. (14) For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. So spiritual death is definitely what is being pointed out here in this text. There was no physical death involved in the original text of Jeremiah. It's very interesting that, in all of our lives, the Beast has to die. If it does not die, we are not free to follow the Lord.  The very next two verses give us more clues. (Mat.2:19) But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, (20) Arise and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead that sought the young child's life. Notice again the word “they,” meaning more than one person. That may point to the fact that Herod represents in our day a corporate body, but we know from this that Jesus was ready to come out of His wilderness and start His ministry when Herod, the Beast who ruled, was dead. I believe that's a type and shadow for us in our day.   It goes on to say, And he arose and took the young child (Note that He is still being called a “young child,” the same as He was called when the wise men came.) and his mother, and came into the land of Israel (Mat.2:21). He had to come out of His wilderness to do that. He came from Egypt, a type of the world, through the Sinai Peninsula and the wilderness there, and into the land of Israel. And Jesus was coming out of His wilderness from Chapter 4:1 on down, where He came from His personal wilderness to His ministry. This may be the exact same type. We noticed that Moses, David, and Jesus all had a perfect parallel.   (Mat.2:22) But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither; and being warned [of God] in a dream, he withdrew into the parts of Galilee, (23) and came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophets, that he should be called a Nazarene. This is rather interesting. We've seen many revelations about a baby being born in a type of the Man-child, yet the baby was born very mature and alert and grew up very quickly. We've seen quite a few of those and I think we see in this text that this is true. It refers to a “young child” in verse 21, and it's still talking about that young child for the next two verses.  But immediately following this, it says, And in those days cometh John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea (Mat.3:1). That's intriguing; what happened to all those years in between? John the Baptist was only six months older than Jesus, so in Matthew 3:1, Jesus had to be almost 30 years old. You could not start your public ministry to the congregation until you were 30. That was the law. The text jumps from Jesus as a young child all the way to “in those days” with John the Baptist starting his ministry at age 30, and it makes you think, “Well, that Man-child must have grown-up very quickly.” Do you suppose this was a type and shadow of what is going to happen in our day? That the Man-child will be birthed and then immediately be caught up to the throne? In Revelation 12:5, the baby was born and then he was caught up to the throne of God; then he was leading the woman through the wilderness, which appears pretty fast. Clearly, God is shortening the time span that it takes because we don't have a lot of time for Jesus in the Man-child to grow up.  At any rate, John the Baptist's ministry was very short, starting when he was 30 years old. Six months later, Jesus was anointed to preach the Isaiah 61 anointing message, and He was 30 years old, so Matthew 3 is actually between when John the Baptist began his ministry and when Jesus began His. (Mat.3:1) And in those days cometh John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, saying, (2) Repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. That was proven by the great signs and wonders that God did in the midst of them, to show them that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand. In other words, the Kingdom where God rules and where He reigns over the curse, over the devil, and over the flesh was at hand. It's obvious where the Kingdom of God rules because He does signs and wonders.  John the Baptist had a relatively simple ministry, which was the preaching of repentance. It did not seem that he ever went into much deep doctrine. He preached, “turning from your sins,” yet he had a very anointed ministry and he was, according to Jesus, the greatest of the Old Testament teachers “born of women” (Matthew 11:7). Jesus also said he that is but little in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he (Mat.11:11), meaning John the Baptist was the greatest of the old order ministers before the former rain came. Jesus came with the former rain, and that brought the Kingdom. So John was the greatest born of women up until that time.  I believe that we have just such a corporate body of preachers coming right now, who will probably be considered the greatest from among the former rain, before the latter rain comes, because now the former rain is the old order and we're coming to the latter rain. Some of you are seeing this program down the road, and all this is history, but at the point we are now, this revival is starting with the John the Baptist ministry and is yet to happen. We're on the very brink of it, and it is going to be a corporate body of people around the world who are coming to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord. (Mat.3:3) For this is he that was spoken of through Isaiah the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make ye ready the way of the Lord, Make his paths straight. Obviously, without repentance, you cannot do that. If you want the Lord to live in you, it will not happen without repentance. John the Baptist was preparing hearts to receive the Lord Jesus and to receive the Man-child in our day. History is repeating.  (Mat.3:4) Now John himself had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his food was locusts and wild honey. (5) Then went out unto him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about the Jordan. This sounds like a great revival, doesn't it? I did learn that “all” was not all because the Lord said that the Pharisees and the Sadducees rejected for themselves the counsel of John, being not baptized of him (Luk.7:30). So “all” here means all of the elect, not all of the people. The Jews understood that very well because they believed in election. They believed that they were the elect people, the “chosen” (which is the same word, eklektos), people of God, and that God did not choose anyone outside of them.  Well, it's still the same today. (Mat.22:14) For many are called, but few chosen. God does call “many” unto Him, but not all are called, and of those whom He calls, He still chooses only those who bear fruit. The first thing people need is repentance, and I believe that we will see this preaching of repentance through some very anointed men of God, men who have the former rain anointing. And it's going to start a great revival, as in this passage where you see people coming out of their “churches” and going into the wilderness to meet John. (Mat.3:6) And they were baptized of him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. That's a good sign of repentance, when people confess their sins. Every great revival starts out that way, and a great anointing falls on people to be grieved over their sinfulness and to repent and confess their sins.  (Mat.3:7) But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said unto them, Ye offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? John was very hard on their preachers, wasn't he? That got him in a lot of trouble – and Jesus, as well. No doubt that the same exact thing is going to happen in our day because the leadership of the churches has been leading them astray for a long, long time. (Mat.3:8) Bring forth therefore fruit worthy of repentance: (9) and think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. Notice that it says we are to bring forth fruits. It hasn't been very long since I was confronted by a preacher who told me that he had repented of various abominable things that he was doing. He said that he had gone to God and asked God to forgive him, and he was forgiven. I said, “Well, that's fine, but that's not repentance because repentance is changing, and you're still in the middle of a crime spree.” So you have to change your mind because that's what “repentance” means; it means “to turn and go the other way.” That preacher didn't know what repentance was because he was not doing it. That's what John is saying here: “Bring forth fruit worthy of repentance.” There has to be fruit of repentance.  There has to be fruit showing in your actions that you are changing your mind, and John demanded that, even of these religious leaders. Obviously, some of them put on a show for the people. (Mat.3:10) And even now the axe lieth at the root of the trees … Amen! That was true in John's ministry, and it will be true in ministries today, that the axe is at the root of the trees. By Matthew 13, Jesus was saying that those religious leaders were reprobated, saying, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but unto them it is not given (Mat.13:11); and that He had blinded their eyes (Matthew 13:13). (Mat.3:10) And even now the axe lieth at the root of the trees: every tree therefore that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.  (Mat.3:11) I indeed baptize you in water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit and [in] fire. And Jesus did just that; He brought the baptism of the Holy Spirit and was the first one of the former rain to receive, according to type, the baptism of the Holy Spirit. In fact, He received it in the verses immediately following these that we're studying. (Mat.3:12) Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing-floor (The fan was used to blow away the chaff, which was useless, and to leave the heavier grain, which is the fruit that God was after.); and he will gather his wheat into the garner, but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire. The chaff represents the old man, the carnal man, the fiery trials that we go through to burn up the old man and leave nothing but the spiritual man. Notice that John preached to “make His paths straight” and here Jesus is cleansing the people.  There is a text that speaks of this differently. (Mal.3:1) Behold, I send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, will suddenly come to his temple (That represented Jesus, but it also represents the Manchild because this is a repetition of history. The word “temple” here means His body. (Heb.10:5) A body didst thou prepare for me.); and the messenger of the covenant, whom ye desire, behold, he cometh, saith the Lord of hosts. (Mal.3:2) But who can abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire (That is the fire to burn up the chaff.), and like fullers' soap: (3) and he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi. Remember, the sons of Levi were the only ones who did not bow to the golden calf, the image of the Beast. They were the true ministers of the sanctuary.  He also said that He had called us to be a kingdom of priests (Exodus 19:6), so really all of God's true people are priests because we have an offering of fire to bring forth and we present our bodies as a living sacrifice on that altar of the fiery trial. That is the crucified life. That is what Jesus called taking up your cross and following Him, for you to be His disciple (Matthew 16:24). (Mal.3:3) And he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi, and refine them as gold and silver; and they shall offer unto the Lord offerings in righteousness. (4) Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in ancient years. For our day, He's talking about New Testament spiritual Judah and Israel and the New Jerusalem.   (Mal.3:5) And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against the false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the sojourner [from his right,] and fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts. God is going to judge quickly those hanging around His people who are walking in their sinfulness. He will be very protective of His holy Church in these days with Ananias and Sapphira-like judgments on people trying to sneak in, acting as though they are Christians while they are not. So far, it's been difficult to keep that from happening, but the Lord says that He will put an end to it. Praise God! He is going to have a holy Church.  (Mat.3:13) Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to the Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. (14) But John would have hindered him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? (15) But Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer [it] now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffereth him. Obviously, we need to be baptized, or put to death, by the washing of the water of the Word (Ephesians 5:26), a crucifixion of the old man, which is what it's all about. It behooves us to do this. Jesus went through this before He came to His anointing, which is very important. (Mat.3:16) And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway from the water: and lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon him; (17) and lo, a voice out of the heavens, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Jesus was baptized in the Spirit here; He was anointed in order to start His ministry.   And we're also told this in (Luk.1:31) Behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. (32) He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: (33) and he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. So Jesus came to be anointed to take David's throne. That's what this anointing was about; it was the king's anointing. All the kings received this anointing when they took their position. Right after Jesus was filled with the Spirit and before going into His wilderness, it says, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, Because he anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor (Luk.4:18). Jesus was 30 years old when this happened. This anointing of the Spirit started His public ministry and goes right along with history.  Joseph was 30 years old, according to Genesis 41:46, when he stood before Pharaoh and received the kingdom, and David was 30 years old when he began his ministry, which is very interesting. All these types of the Man-child were 30 years old. (2Sa.5:3) So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and king David made a covenant with them in Hebron before the Lord: and they anointed David king over Israel. (4) David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. Forty is the number of tribulation. (5) In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months; and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years over all Israel and Judah. Jesus came to sit on David's throne. Jesus was anointed King of kings and He reigned over the true tribes of Israel. The apostate tribes did not recognize Him, but the true tribes did. Those who were born of God recognized Him immediately. He merely walked by His disciples and said, “Come, follow Me,” and they dropped their nets, left their business, left everything, and walked after Him. Now that's a strong calling! They just followed Him.  Well, what was the first thing that David did after he was anointed? (2Sa.5:6) And the king and his men went to Jerusalem … It wasn't called Jerusalem then. (1Ch.11:4) And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem (the same is Jebus); and the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, were there. It wasn't called Jerusalem until they conquered it. (2Sa.5:6) And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites (which means “to trample down” or “trodden under foot”), the inhabitants of the land, who spake unto David, saying, Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither; thinking, David cannot come in hither. Jerusalem had to be conquered before it could be called Jerusalem, before it could be Zion. It was in the hands of the pagans, in the hands of the old man, the Jebusite. We know from Revelation that Jerusalem is the Bride, but she did not start out as the Bride; she started out as a pagan, as an unbeliever, and was converted and became the Bride. Jerusalem, before David conquered it, was Jebus.  David's job was to take Jerusalem, to show his men how to conquer and take Jerusalem. With the coming of the Man-child ministry, which is also a Davidic ministry, the first thing that's going to happen is that they'll be conquering Jebus. They're going to raise up Jerusalem again – not old Jerusalem; they're going to raise up New Jerusalem. Paul spoke about it in Hebrews 12, but then there was a great falling away, and this place represented holiness, the place of safety, the Bride. It represented the only place the Beast could not conquer, and it represented the Philadelphia church because it was the only one that escaped the hour of trial from the Beast kingdom. Here, we see that the Jebusites were telling David, “You'd better get rid of the blind and the lame, or you can't come here.” In other words, nobody who is blind and lame can take Zion. It represents the Bride, who is not blind and lame. She is spotless and blemishless because she has overcome some things, especially being lame, which represents being crippled or not being able to walk right with the Lord. And she has overcome being blind, which represents not being able to see, understand, or discern the truths of God.  So they said, Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither; thinking, David cannot come in hither (2Sa.5:6). You know, some people do not think it's possible and, in fact, there are a lot of preachers right now who are saying that it's not possible for you to be an overcomer. They say that you just have to settle for being “a sinner saved by grace.” The old man does not think that it's possible for you to conquer him and have this place become Zion, the holy city. (2Sa.5:7) Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion; the same is the city of David. (8) And David said on that day, Whosoever smiteth the Jebusites, let him get up to the watercourse, and [smite] the lame and the blind, that are hated of David's soul … The lame and the blind represent the apostates. Of course, the Jebusite represents the old man, and David and his men represent the spiritual man who must conquer Zion. We've been called to do that, and David is telling them that the way to do it is to “get up to the watercourse and smite the lame and the blind.” Put to death the old apostasy in your life. Two rivers fed Jerusalem, and David's men used those rivers to get into Jerusalem.  The place of the watercourses was where the water drained out of Jerusalem, akin to the sewer system. Instead of scaling the walls, they could go up the sewer. They probably smelled pretty bad by the time they got in there to take their sword and go to work, but that's what he was saying. Though most of this was probably river water, they still had to go against the current that was coming out of Jebus, so they were “going against the flow,” so to speak. And that's the way it is with us. Everything we do is contrary to the world: what they think is the right way, we think is the wrong way; what they think is up, we think is down. If we humble ourselves, God will exalt us. At any rate, David was teaching them that the way to conquer the city and the lame and the blind was through the water. (2Sa.5:8) … Wherefore they say, There are the blind and the lame; he cannot come into the house.  (2Sa.5:9) And David dwelt in the stronghold, and called it the city of David. And David built round about from Millo and inward. He is talking about the ramparts of Jerusalem, so David built Jerusalem. He was the one who started building the “New Jerusalem” at that point. Jesus was doing the same thing. What Paul described with, ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem (Heb.12:22) … and to the spirits of just men made perfect (23), was what Jesus was building. I've shared with you a revelation the Lord gave me many years ago, where He showed me the tower in the midst of what was depicted as the New Jerusalem and He was giving it to me, revealing to me that my ministry was to build this tower. I found that Micah 4:8 spoke of Jerusalem as “the tower of the flock,” and it was the kind of tower that they actually built in those days in the midst of those cities to preserve them from invading beast armies. Jerusalem was just that; it was a place of safety where, if beasts invaded, whether from Babylon or Assyria, the people could flee into the broad walls and be protected.  David was building the tower of the flock here. (2Sa.5:10) And David waxed greater and greater; for the Lord, the God of hosts, was with him. I have found this language referring to only two people in the Scriptures, where it says, “waxed greater and greater.” It spoke of David, and it spoke of Mordecai, whose name means “little man” or “man-child.” Mordecai was the same type as David; both of them were the Man-child. Mordecai's job was to raise up the Bride, Esther, and save the people of God from the Beast, Haman. Basically, this is the same thing that David did. He raised up the Bride, Jerusalem, and defended the people from one of the Beasts, the Philistines. David's first job was to conquer the Jebusites and take their city away.  In thinking about this, I'd like to share with you a revelation we received concerning the same thing. This is Pamela Orr's revelation, and she received it in January 2010. My notes are in parentheses.  In a dream, I was in a house that is safe and secure. I have no desire or plans to leave this house. (Pamela is a part of our broader UBM Fellowship safe-house, but also, I believe that this is referring to Zion, and she had no plans to leave.) To my amazement, though, there are people leaving. … I'm given to know that there are many who do not return. (This is necessary because the sons of perdition and the Jezebels and the rest of the tares who have come in amongst God's people cannot be a part of this Zion, as I will show you shortly. The only people who entered Zion were the ones who conquered the lame and the blind, and it became Zion, the holy city, because they were the only people there. The Jebusites were driven out. The carnal Jebusites are leaving Jebus so that it may become Zion. They're being conquered. Zion is the Bride. Praise the Lord!   I remember her brother Mark Fritz, who is a part of our fellowship, asked the Lord when he first met us about the church he was currently attending. God answered that it was Pergamum, which was the third church of Revelation that was caught up in the Nicolaitan error. So Mark asked the Lord about UBM, and the Lord said, “The sixth church.” So he counted and found out that the sixth church was the Philadelphia church, which is the Bride, the one that escapes the hour of trial under the dominion of the Beast, and the name means “the love of the brethren.”)  There are locks on this house, a whole row of them, probably seven or more, but I didn't count them. (This is a very secure place, like Zion, which was called “the stronghold of Zion.” We're all supposed to be climbing Mount Zion to enter into the presence of the King. The throne is on Mount Zion; the Temple is on Mount Zion; His presence is there.) These locks are high up in the wall. We can't touch them or tamper with them; they are a fixture of the house. (The key to enter is high up with God. It is not with man.) Some, if not all, of these locks are specific to profiles. For example, there is the ‘age 18-and-over' lock. I'm given to know that when a certain lock turns over, then no one fitting this profile will ever again be allowed to enter the house. (I thought about that and felt that the Lord was saying that God gives more grace to the immature and innocent. He does not impute iniquity to them, but the further they go in their walk, the more they are held accountable. (Luk.12:48) to whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required, so when people become accountable and they do not walk in their accountability, then they will be out of there. They will not have a position in that house.)  As I watch these locks turn, as if of their own accord, I realize that when the final lock has been turned, no one else will be allowed to enter. (That's the way it is with spiritual Zion, folks. Many years ago, I saw in a vision our ministry starting in Pensacola as a Zion, the Tower of the Flock, the Bride. I know that this is going on around the world with people who are desiring earnestly to be obedient to the Scriptures, live the crucified life before their Lord, and walk in the grace of God. (Mic.4:8) And thou, O tower of the flock, the hill of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, yea, the former dominion shall come … When David took Jebus and it became the stronghold of Zion, the City of David, that was their stronghold. That was where the dominion started, right there. It said the former dominion was going to return to Zion, the Tower of the Flock, the Kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem. Note that the former dominion is not going to return to Jerusalem, but it's going to return to the daughter of Jerusalem or, in other words, to New Jerusalem. God is once again, in our day, going to raise up a David who will raise up Zion once more as the stronghold, the Bride.)  (In this New Jerusalem Zion, the wicked were not allowed, as Scripture says. (Isa.52:1) Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion (So it is coming to its former dominion.); put on thy beautiful garments (These garments are righteousness, purity and holiness.), O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean. A New Jerusalem is started that does not allow any of the wicked. You can only do that with a spiritual city. In any physical city, you're going to have all kinds of people there, some of them good, some of them bad. But in this spiritual city, there will not be anybody unclean. That's what these locks are all about; they're to find out who is walking in purity and to keep out the rest. As I said, with knowledge comes responsibility, so the further you go, the more that's expected of you. When David first became king as a type of the Man-child, he taught his overcomers how to take the stronghold of Jebus from the Jebusites, representing the old man. Then Jebus became Zion, the City of David, a type of the Bride following the Man-child at the beginning of the Tribulation.)  (Father is cleaning house and will keep the evil ones out of His safe-house. Praise the Lord! As John said, He that hath the bride is the bridegroom (Joh.3:29). Soon, many, by their own evil nature, will not want to associate with the righteous for fear of alienating their Beast associations. God is separating here, and He is going to make His heavenly Zion a place where only the righteous will want to go. They will have had to conquer the lame and the blind to get there. They will have had to overcome. David's mighty men were sent by David to take Zion, and they took it. Jesus did the same thing with the disciples He raised up, who were His mighty men. Praise God!)  Speaking of entering this safe-house, people are entering. (The righteous are entering because they are the only ones who can come into this safe-house, the New Jerusalem.) Others are trying to enter, but the “bad guys” don't seem to make it past the door. (Praise the Lord! That is awesome. This is just like Ananias and Sapphira; they tried to enter, but God took them out.) And each bad guy gets done-in by the next bad guy. The bad guys get progressively worse, too. (2 Timothy 3 speaks about how bad the Church is going to get in our day. Verses 1 through 6 are pretty rough, and then it says, But evil men and impostors (KJV: “seducers”) shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived (2Ti.3:13). This is true in the Church today because that's what he was referring to. He wasn't talking about the world.) The second-to-last bad guy is sort of a handicapped or perverted or dwarflike individual with short little legs like tree trunks. (Here is a perverted dwarf. I see one thing here, spiritually speaking: those who do not measure up to the stature of the fruit of Christ are not going to be permitted in Zion.)  This is where it gets awful. The final bad guy (the Beast) begins to compress, squeeze, or fold this dwarf-like individual until he murders him. (Spiritually speaking, those who have not yet experienced the crucified life will have help from the Beast to go to their cross and to manifest death-to-self. Those who do not measure up will need crucifixion in the world. How do we grow up into Christ? Jesus said, He that findeth his life shall lose it; and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it (Mat.10:39). You do not gain your life unless you lose your life, so growing up is a matter of the crucified life. If we do not accept it, we cannot grow up. If we do not accept it, we cannot put away the blindness and the lameness and cannot expect to go into Zion. Remember, we are told, for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean (Isa.52:1).) The evil nature of this final bad guy was beyond description. (That is the Beast.) I can only say that I could almost feel this individual's sick joy and satisfaction in pressing the life out of the other poor sucker. (She is talking about the apostate Christians, I believe. Many of the apostate Christians are going to be saved because of the crucifixion that the Lord puts them in. His fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing-floor; and … the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire (Mat.3:12), but He will have something in the midst of that which will be holy and precious.)   (Not everyone will be sanctified. Some people just get worse in tribulation. One thing that helps people to be able to come to Zion in the midst of tribulation is to know what God is doing. He is doing something for them. He is putting to death their old flesh, which cannot enter the Kingdom. By the Word of God, you learn how to cooperate with God, and then you see that this is a victory, not a failure. If the Church receives a lot of this prosperity doctrine and they do not believe that they are ever going to go through anything, any trouble, any tribulation, then these things come upon them as a shock, and they think that God has forsaken them. They are tempted to fall, and many do. So there has to be knowledge for the people to understand that God is doing a good thing with them and that they need to go through this, that they're privileged to go through this, and that they can have eternal life in the Kingdom. That's what the Man-child is coming to do; that's what Jesus came to do. Spiritually speaking, that's what David was doing. He was teaching men how to overcome the blind and the lame, teaching them how to take Jebus.) Even though I was horrified and sickened at the depravity, I was still safe in the (UBM) house. (Praise the Lord! Because God has a safe-house. He really does! I know that many people think that this is heresy, but that's not true. God has His safe-house.)  This same story is in 1 Chronicles. (1Ch.11:4) And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem (the same is Jebus); and the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, were there. (5) And the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, Thou shalt not come in hither. Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion; the same is the city of David. (6) And David said, Whosoever smiteth the Jebusites first shall be chief and captain. And Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first, and was made chief. (7) And David dwelt in the stronghold; therefore they called it the city of David. (8) And he built the city round about, from Millo even round about; and Joab repaired the rest of the city. (9) And David waxed greater and greater; for the Lord of hosts was with him.  Yes, and what was the next thing David did? He brought the Ark of the Covenant. (1Ch.13:3) And let us bring again the ark of our God to us: for we sought not unto it in the days of Saul. The Israelites had been following after the flesh of Saul. That's why they got destroyed, and that's why Saul died. But David said, “No, we have to follow the Ark of the Covenant.” (1Ch.15:1) And [David] made him houses in the city of David; and he prepared a place for the ark of God, and pitched for it a tent. The word for “tent” is the same word for “tabernacle.” (2) Then David said, None ought to carry the ark of God but the Levites … Absolutely! Who else can carry the presence of God but the priests of God who have offered their bodies as living sacrifices? They are the ones who are holy; they are the ones who are the temple of God.  If you read further, it says, And they brought in the ark of God, and set it in the midst of the tent that David had pitched for it (1Ch.16:1). We know that God said He was going to raise up again this tabernacle. (Act.15:14) Symeon hath rehearsed how first God visited the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. (15) And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, (16) After these things I will return, And I will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen; And I will build again the ruins thereof, And I will set it up: (17) That the residue of men may seek after the Lord, And all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called. So now we're talking about raising up a tabernacle of David, which represents the portable temple, for the wilderness, but also the portable temple of the Church. Once again, we see that there is a David coming for the Church, and that's the Lord Jesus Himself, Who is the Son of David, Who was sitting upon His throne.  But the Bible also says, David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel (Jer.33:17). There is a body in whom the Lord Jesus comes. The Son of Man came in the son of David 2000 years ago, and the Son of Man is coming in a spiritual Son of David today, a corporate Body called the Man-child ministry. Jesus is going to minister to His people, to raise up, once again, the Bride, the New Jerusalem. “He that hath the bride is the bridegroom,” as John said when he pointed at Jesus. He will raise up the Bride, the New Jerusalem, which is protected from the Assyrian Beast. When the Beast tried to conquer Jerusalem, God killed 185,000 of them and they left it alone (2 Kings 19:35). Folks, I tell you, the same thing is going to happen again. God is going to protect His Bride.  For instance, in the Book of Esther, there was the Bride, and there were also the people who were threatened by the Beast. Haman, the Beast, had been given authority to destroy the people of God (Esther 2:10-11), but Mordecai and Esther had been given authority to save the people of God (Esther 8:8). There were two contrary commands given, but they have their purpose and that is to make us decide whom we are going to serve, the Lord or the Beast.  Rachel's children fell into captivity of the Beast, and they were counted as dead, like the parable in Matthew 2:18, of the children of Bethlehem. It physically happened, but it was also a parable of things to come. In our day, many people are going to follow the Beast. They will take the mark of the Beast, which is a sign of his ownership, and these people will die. They will not bear the fruit of the Man-child, as Jesus did. Once again, we see that God is just going to repeat history, and Matthew 2 is going to be fulfilled, as well as Matthew 3. All the types of the Man-child are running in perfect parallel. Joseph was 30 years old, Jesus was 30 years old and David was 30 years old when they started their ministries, and they basically had the same job to do. It was shown in a slightly different parable each time, but it was the same job to be done.  Now the Man-child ministry is spiritually going to be 30 and it's going to start by building the New Jerusalem. Praise be to God! First, however, the Jebusites have to lose their grip and be conquered. And we need to know how to conquer this old man so that we can scale the heights of the City of God, the mountain of His holiness, and enter into His Presence. That is what the Word will do, and that is what the new anointed leadership is going to do for us. They are to teach us how to cooperate with God's work in our lives and be happy about it. Let's face it: if you don't know what God is doing, you're not happy about it. As soon as you get revelation, you can enjoy going through tribulation because you know that the Lord is getting you ready for His Kingdom, the manifestation of eternal life. Praise God!  Father, we thank You, in Jesus' name. Please open our eyes and make us joyful in cooperating with You in this process of sanctification, in becoming that holy, spotless, and blemishless Bride that You always wanted. Thank You, Father, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Be Bold & Do It AnywayEsther 4:14  For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”  I think we can all agree that the world is a pretty crazy place right now. In America, there is so much disagreement and arguing going on right now. I am not sure there has been a time when the country was more divided. Although, as I say that, I am reminded of the Civil War, and I think that was probably a time when this country was more divided. In the world, there are wars going on in several countries. There is famine; there are still 1 in 4 people who do not have access to safe drinking water. How is that possible with all the technology we have today?Thinking about how crazy this world is can lead us into an emotional spiral, especially if we feel there is nothing we can do about it. I want to encourage you not to get stuck in negative thoughts and to watch less news if you find yourself starting to spiral or getting stuck in those negative thoughts. If you read the stories of the Saints, you will see that all of them mention how the times they are living are the worst that they have ever been. I think we all feel this way because we live in a broken world, and when we compare that to the world God wants us to be able to experience, we see such a stark contrast.However, what if God has been preparing us for such a time?  There is a story in the Bible about Esther.  She was a young Jewish woman who found favor with the king and became the queen.  Her uncle Mordecai adopted her as his own when she was young, as both parents died.  Mordecai had told Esther before meeting the king not to reveal that she was Jewish, and she listened.  This story tells about how a powerful vizier to the king, named Haman, wanted to kill all the Jews living in the Persian Empire in one day.  He was angry because Mordecai refused to bow down to him.  Mordecai explained he only bows down to God and this angered Haman—who told the king that there were people living throughout his kingdom that did not obey the same laws of the king and that he should not tolerate them.  He convinced the king to issue a decree that would destroy the Jews, and upon doing so, Haman agreed to put ten thousand silver talents into the royal treasury.  When the Jewish people heard, they went into mourning with prayer and fasting.  Mordecai got word to Esther and explained the situation.  He asked Esther to talk to her husband, the king, and beg for the lives of her people to be spared.  Esther explained that if anyone goes in front of the king while he is in the inner courtroom without being summoned, they will suffer immediate death unless he offers them the end of the scepter.   Mordecai wrote back the following in  Esther 4:14: “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”.  Esther risked her life to go in front of the king, and because of her bravery, she saved her people, God's people.  We do not usually know why we end up where we end up or why we go through the things that we go through.  God is a mystery, and only he knows what he is doing.  He can see the whole picture: past, present, and future.   We can only see the past and present.  I once heard a quote that I liked and found comforting when I was going through some hard times.  The quote said, “You were assigned this mountain to show others it can be moved.”  I found it comforting to think that by making it through the situation, I would show others that they could make it through, too.  I also used the quote in reverse and thought, “Ok, then I just need to look for someone who has made it through this type of situation to show me that I could make it through as well.”  There is a song by Christina Perri that's called "I Believe."  In that song, she says, “I believe that you fell so that you would land next to me.”  Have you ever been in a situation where you can tell God arranged it?  Sometimes, we can tell what God is doing.  Sometimes, we can feel it in our bones that we are exactly where we were meant to be at that precise moment.  God placed us here in this moment, and what if everything we have done up to this moment has been getting us ready for whatever is going on in our lives right now?  What if all the scripture readings we have done, bible studies and prayer groups we have attended, and all the praying we have done were specifically to help us get through these tough times?  What if all those days at the gym, long walks, or yoga classes were to prepare us for the mental and physical challenges of these past few months?  What if all the past experiences we have had with friends, families, and coworkers were to prepare us for this extraordinary time in history?  Take a few minutes and think of all the experiences you have had in your life that have taught you persistence and resilience.  Can you see how they may have prepared you for all of this?  Consider your qualities, strengths, and what you have to offer in this difficult time.  If God placed you here and made you exactly who you are for this time, why did he do this?  What is it that you, with your unique background and experiences, can offer to others at this time?  Maybe you are great at reaching out to people and making sure they are ok, or maybe you write great poetry that can help give people hope and make them smile right now.  Maybe you are really great at praying for others and can hold us all in prayer right now.  I don't know what your circumstance is, but I do know that if we lean into God during this difficulty, he will lead us through it.  Look at the circumstances the Israelites were facing when God led them out of Egypt.  There are so many examples in the Bible of really hard times, yet God saved them when his people called. So, let's call out for him, and while we are waiting, let us ask ourselves why God has put us here at such a time.Dear Heavenly Father, I ask that you bless everyone listening to this podcast. Lord, we thank you for making us who you made us to be. We thank you for all of the training you've given us up until this point in everything you help us to learn in the future.  Lord, we ask that you show us what we are good at and what we can contribute in this difficult time. We ask that you be with everyone who is struggling right now.  Lord, we ask that you give us the strength and perseverance to keep going. We ask that you show us those who have come before us they have overcome similar circumstances and give us the knowledge that we too can overcome them. Lord, you are amazing, and we're so very thankful for all you do for us.  We love you, Lord, and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus's holy name, Amen.Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. We are starting a new series in mentoring tonight, “For Such A Time As This.” Have you ever wondered why you had to go through the things you have had to go through? Why does God put you in certain places at certain times? Or in certain people's lives at a certain time? We are going to explore that this month and see why God made us “For Such A Time As This” and what we have to bring to the table. I pray you will join us and see if mentoring is a good fit for you. I look forward to meeting you here again tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I! Have a blessed day!Today's Word from the Lord was received in September 2024 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today's Word from the Lord is, “My little one. My children come and stay for just a short time only. I give you much to do, but I support you every step of the way. You are my mighty ones. I rely on you every day.” www.findingtruenorthcoaching.comCLICK HERE TO DONATECLICK HERE to sign up for Mentoring CLICK HERE to sign up for Daily "Word from the Lord" emailsCLICK HERE to sign up for my newsletter & receive a free audio training about inviting Jesus into your daily lifeCLICK HERE to buy my book Total Trust in God's Safe Embrace

Jesus Is The Way - Humility To Glory (5)  (audio)  David Eells – 3/30/25  I'm going to continue with our study on Jesus is the Way – Humility to Glory and talk with you today about who and what is blessed of God and what it truly means to be blessed.   Father, in the Name of Jesus, we ask that You open our understanding. Help us, Lord, to retain the things that You say to us. We need the Holy Spirit to bring to our remembrance everything, Lord, to protect us, to guide us, and to give us wisdom in the days to come. We hold fast to that promise because we need so much, Lord, that Your Spirit will bring these things to our remembrance again. Thank You, Lord, for blessing our minds. We know that our minds were created to be much more useful than they have been under the curse. We also know that according to Galatians 3:13, Jesus bore the curse for us and, therefore, Lord, we know that You're working to restore our minds today. We thank You for that, Lord. Father, we want to understand what Jesus did for us. We want to be able to exercise faith in Your Will. And in order to know Your Will, we need to have knowledge, Lord, so we ask You to open our knowledge and give us understanding, in Jesus' Name. Thank You, Father! Praise You, God!   Now some people may be wondering, “David, what does that word ‘blessed' actually mean? What is it to be ‘blessed?'” So let's go first to Deuteronomy 28 because the first 14 verses speak of that, and we can translate these into what they mean for us in our day.   (Deu.28:1) And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God (“Hearken” there is the Hebrew shama meaning “to hear and obey.” Not just be hearers of the Word but be doers of the Word {James 1:22}.), to observe to do all his commandments which I command thee this day (We know that the Lord has given us commandments in our Covenant, too. We need to be diligent to study them and obey them, and we know that by faith, God's Grace gives us power to do just that.), that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all the nations of the earth. This not talking about our physical nation where we live; this is talking about our spiritual nation. We are the nation of Israel. We who have been born again and believe in the sacrifice of Christ, according to Romans 11, have been grafted into the olive tree called “all Israel.” So we are Israel, not physical Israel, but spiritual Israel.     (Deu.28:2) And all these blessings shall come upon thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God. (3) Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. (4) Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy beasts, the increase of thy cattle, and the young of thy flock. (5) Blessed shall be thy basket and thy kneading-trough. That was very important to them in those days, and this could translate into a few different things for us today, but basically, this was their livelihood and their food.    (Deu.28:6) Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. (So whether you're coming or whether you're going, meaning just about everywhere you are, you're going to be blessed.) (7) The Lord will cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thee… Now, we know that our enemies are both natural and spiritual, and Paul tells us this in (Eph.6:12) For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual [hosts] of wickedness in the heavenly [places]. The Lord has promised us victory if we will “hearken” diligently unto His Voice, meaning if we will keep His commandments.     (Deu.28:7) The Lord will cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thee: they shall come out against thee one way, and shall flee before thee seven ways. In the midst of the trial, “hearken” unto the Word. Accept the good report, and the devil won't know what to do with you, and neither will your physical enemies (Numbers 13:30). Our physical enemies come against us as persecutions and a matter of crucifixion, so the best thing to do is lay down your life. Stop trying to save yourself by man's methods. Put your trust in the Lord and “hearken diligently” unto His Word.    (Deu.28:8) The Lord will command the blessing upon thee in thy barns, and in all that thou puttest thy hand unto; and he will bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. (9) The Lord will establish thee for a holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee; if thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways. (10) And all the peoples of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the Lord; and they shall be afraid of thee. Wow! That certainly doesn't sound anything like Psalm 2, where we are told all the nations are going to come against God and against His people. Let's look at that.     (Psa.2:1) Why do the nations rage, And the peoples meditate a vain thing? (2) The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the Lord, and against his anointed, [saying,] (3) Let us break their bonds asunder, And cast away their cords from us. And it's a far cry from what Jesus said in (Mat.24:9) Then shall they deliver you up unto tribulation, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all the nations for my name's sake. Instead, the Lord says the nations will fear you if you hearken unto His Voice.     (Deu.28:11) And the Lord will make thee plenteous for good, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers to give thee. (12) The Lord will open unto thee his good treasure the heavens, to give the rain of thy land in its season, and to bless all the work of thy hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. That's certainly contrary to what a majority of people believe about the Will of the Lord nowadays: “thou shalt not borrow.” The Lord says you'll lend, but you won't borrow, and that's part of the blessing, saints. If you hearken unto His Voice and believe what He says, He will provide your needs.     (Deu.28:13) And the Lord will make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if thou shalt hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do [them,] (14) and shalt not turn aside from any of the words which I command you this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them. “Other gods” there is the word elohim, and many, many people today choose to follow another “Jesus” of their own making.  Paul complained about that even back in his day, didn't he? (2Co.11:3) But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve in his craftiness, your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity and the purity that is toward Christ. (4) For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we did not preach, [or] if ye receive a different spirit, which ye did not receive, or a different gospel, which ye did not accept, ye do well to bear with [him]. And if we follow after something other than the commands of God, He's not making any promises about blessing here. The blessing comes from our finding the Will of God in the Word and then walking in it through faith.    So who is it that receives the blessing of God? Let me remind you of the text we were studying last time in Matthew 5. (Mat.5:1) And seeing the multitudes, he went up into the mountain: and when he had sat down, his disciples came unto him: (2) and he opened his mouth and taught them, saying … (4) Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Evidently, the people who are obedient “to the Lord thy God,” who do His Will, and seek to be submissive to His commandments, are a people that mourn. Now how could that be? In what way is mourning righteous and just? The thought that comes to my mind is that the first thing we need to mourn about is our own life. As David said, “I will not be satisfied until I awake in thy likeness” (Psalm 17:15). The first thing we have to mourn about is not manifesting the Life of Christ.   James also speaks about this. (Jas.4:6) But he giveth more grace. Wherefore [the scripture] saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble. Grace is all we need to walk with the Lord. We've learned that grace is His favor in our life; His favor makes us able. He's putting in us the desires that we need and giving us the power that we need. Grace is all we need, and God says He gives it to the humble.     (Jas.4:7) Be subject therefore unto God; but resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (8) Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded. (9) Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. (10) Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall exalt you. In whatever ways the Lord reveals to us that we're walking contrary to His commandments, that we're not hearkening unto His Voice, that we're not representing Jesus Christ to the world as true Christians, we have something to mourn about. And it should be grievous to us to not walk in His Steps because that's what it is to “abide in Christ” (1 John 2:27- 28; 2 John 1:9; etc.). It should be grievous to us to be anything contrary to the Will of God.    Of course, repentance always precedes faith. Faith alone won't overcome our own lack of repentance, and repentance is what mourning is all about. However, after we mourn what the Lord shows us about ourselves, we need to be careful not to spend too much time in condemnation. We confess our sin to the Lord, He forgives us, and then He cleanses us from it. (1 John 1:9) We need to go from there to faith. We need to reckon ourselves to be dead unto sin but alive unto God (Romans 6:11). So you repent and you mourn because of what the Lord shows you in your life, but He doesn't reveal everything all at once, or He would overwhelm us with grief. Thank God, it's “line upon line; here a little, there a little” (Isaiah 28:10). Otherwise, we probably would never come to faith because we would be overcome with condemnation. So He's very merciful. He leads us through our promised land to conquer one enemy at a time.     This reminds me of a vision my wife received in which she and her sister were standing underneath an apple tree, and worms were hanging out of the apples, just eating away at them. So my sister-in-law got a can of pesticide spray and started broadcasting it over the whole tree, but my wife said, “No, that won't work.” She took the can from her sister and told her, “This is how you do it.” She sprayed each one of those worms in the mouth, and as she did that, she realized that they were all little serpents, not worms. And, of course, that's what we have to do. We attack these things one at a time as the Lord shows them to us, and the first thing we have to change is our mouth as we're told in (Rom.10:10) for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. We have to put that wickedness to death. We have to use the Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:17).    And what does God promise us if we humble ourselves in His sight, if we cleanse our hands and are afflicted and mourn concerning this problem, and turn our laughter into mourning? He says that He will exalt you. Humbling ourselves is the first step. Yes, we can be grieved over other people's sins, and there's a place for that, but first, we need to get the board out of our own eye, so we can see clearly to get the mote out of our brother's eye (Matthew 7:3-5; Luke 6:41-42). Certainly, we can cry out to the Lord to give us the grace to humble ourselves, because working in us to will and to do of His good pleasure is something that comes from Him, too (Philippians 2:13). It's not a case of picking ourselves up by our bootstraps. We're not deceiving God by mourning over something that we don't feel. He knows if our repentance is sincere or not. The Lord wants to give us a conviction of sin. He wants to put that mourning in our hearts concerning sin. He wants us to hate sin as He hates sin (Psalms 1:5,5:5-6; Romans 1:29- 32; etc.)     Needless to say, there is a place of mourning because of the persecutions and the tribulations that come upon us through the wicked people around us. Jesus told us in (Luk.6:21) Blessed [are] ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed [are] ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh. (22) Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you [from their company,] and reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. We don't see that as a blessing, but it's listed here as one of God's blessings because when we're hated of the world, that means we're loved of God. If we weep because of what we're giving up in the natural, because of persecutions that we're suffering and enduring for Christ's sake, persecutions that we endure because of the crucified life, this is good.  The Lord is going to bless us for this.   Going on, He says (Luk.6:23) Rejoice in that day, and leap [for joy]: for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for in the same manner did their fathers unto the prophets. (Luk.6:24) But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation. (25) Woe unto you, ye that are full now! for ye shall hunger. Woe [unto you,] ye that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep. It's better to weep and mourn now, while the world is rejoicing, while the world's been given the high hand, so to speak.     We're heading into a time when, other than the judgments that are falling upon them, the world is going to think they have everything going their way. They will be given authority over the saints to bring them to their crosses. You and I are going to be hated; we're going to be ostracized. They will cast out our names as evil, and God says we can certainly mourn over that, but He also says to rejoice because your names are written in the Lamb's book of life (Luke 10:20; Revelation 20:12,15; etc.) and your reward is great in the Kingdom of Heaven. Hallelujah!    (Luk.6:26) Woe [unto you,] when all men shall speak well of you! for in the same manner did their fathers to the false prophets. There is a time coming of much weeping and mourning, but He also commanded us in the midst of that to rejoice and leap for joy because, when the world hates you, that means God loves you. You're on His side, and you're on your way to His Kingdom. When we're loved of the world, and we love the world, then we're departing from God.     Let's look at another good example of what God considers to be righteous mourning. (2Pe.2:6) And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, having made them an example unto those that should live ungodly (God's judgment is coming upon the wicked, but, at the same time, He will save those who are His.); (7) and delivered righteous Lot, sore distressed by the lascivious life of the wicked… If we're not grieved by and mourning over the wicked life of the people around us, it's because we don't have the conviction of God in our hearts. The Lord Jesus wept over Jerusalem. (Luk.19:41) And when he drew nigh, he saw the city and wept over it, (42) saying, If thou hadst known in this day, even thou, the things which belong unto peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. He was grieved at the hardness of heart in the people to not receive His Words from the Father.     It's right for us to be grieved because of the people around us who won't listen, won't submit to God, and who won't be convicted of sin, just as Lot was “sore distressed by the lascivious life of the wicked.” “Lasciviousness” is their license to “unbridled sensuality and excess.” Basically, it's their license to do what they want to do, and even among Christians, this is common. Their doctrines that promote lasciviousness and permit a person to live any way they want to live while still thinking that they are a disciple of Christ and are going to heaven are common. This is a strong delusion among major portions of Christianity, and it's just not the Truth. It's a deception that comes to people who are living after their own lusts and being bribed by self-will to please their flesh. Lot was sore distressed seeing this in the people around him, and we should be grieved today over people who call themselves “Christians” yet who walk in this way with the Lord.    (2Pe.2:7) And delivered righteous Lot, sore distressed by the lascivious life of the wicked (8) (for that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed [his] righteous soul from day to day with [their] lawless deeds): (9) the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment unto the day of judgment… That is so true! People wonder why they're living under a curse, and it's because they have turned the grace of God into lasciviousness (Jude 1:4).     They're living the way they want to live, and they're paying the penalty for their unrighteousness because the blessings come upon the people that “hearken to,” that “hear and obey,” the “voice of the Lord thy God.” The blessings come upon the people who are diligent to keep His commandments. This should be highly motivating for us to get into the Word to find out what the Will of God is and come out from under the curse. Yet, sadly, multitudes of people have insulated themselves with lascivious doctrines that permit them to live the way they want.    We know that Jesus wasn't talking about what we loosely call “Christians”; He was talking about “disciples,” which means “learners and followers.” We need to lead people into discipleship, but if they desire to live in the lusts of their flesh, they will believe and promote these flesh-pleasing doctrines. And I tell you, the “Lots” in this world will be grieved. They will mourn. They will be distressed over these kinds of things. The text says that it “vexed [his] righteous soul,” but the Greek basanizó translated as “vexed” is actually “tormented, tortured.” It tormented Lot's soul to see the “lascivious life of the wicked.”     The lasciviousness being spoken about here is not referring to the wicked because we know that's how the wicked live. It's talking about those who are promoting the lifestyle among Christians, and the rest of the text agrees with that. (2Pe.2:9) The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment unto the day of judgment; (10) but chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of defilement, and despise dominion… The Numeric Bible states the word here for “dominion” is “lordship.” These people “that walk after the flesh” despise anybody ruling over their lives. They just want to do what they want to do, which is why they despise dominion, whether it be the dominion of those whom God has sent to be leaders or the dominion of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. They would rather make up their own mind about what the Scripture says and their own “Jesus” that smiles upon their lifestyle.    (2Pe.2:10) But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of defilement, and despise dominion. Daring, self-willed, they tremble not to rail at dignities: (11) whereas angels, though greater in might and power, bring not a railing judgment against them before the Lord. These self-righteous people, here, are the ones that are going to persecute the saints. They're self-righteous in their religion, and they rail at people who are dignities. The Greek word dóksa, translated there as “dignities,” actually means “glories; majesties; brightness.”     And who are the glories being spoken of here? (2Co.3:18) But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit. As we manifest Christ to a greater and greater degree, we grow from glory to glory: from star glory to moon glory, to sun glory. Paul pointed out the three different bodies that are given to the people who manifest the different glories (1 Corinthians 15:35-49). We grow into these glories, and the closer you get to Christ and manifest His life, the more that religious people will rail at you and come against you. But remember this: the fact that some people hate you is a good sign, and the Lord says to “leap for joy.”     (2Pe.2:12) But these, as creatures without reason, born mere animals to be taken and destroyed, railing in matters whereof they are ignorant, shall in their destroying surely be destroyed, (13) suffering wrong as the hire of wrong-doing; [men] that count it pleasure to revel in the day-time, spots and blemishes, revelling in their deceivings while they feast with you… Some people are actually trying to deceive us. They're “pretend Christians.” They live in the world because they love the world, but they like to “talk the talk” when they're among Christians. They're sons of perdition hidden in the midst (John 17:12; 2 Thessalonians 2:3) whom the Lord is going to reveal for what they truly are.     And they love the hire of wrong-doing because they've been bribed by their flesh, which they love to please. (2Pe.2:13) Suffering wrong as the hire of wrong-doing; [men] that count it pleasure to revel in the day-time, spots and blemishes, revelling in their deceivings while they feast with you; (14) having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; enticing unstedfast souls; having a heart exercised in covetousness; children of cursing; (15) forsaking the right way (We can see here that he's talking about people who profess Christianity.), they went astray, having followed the way of Balaam the [son] of Beor, who loved the hire of wrong-doing… Yes, just as Balaam did, these people love the pay, love the advantage gained by wrong-doing.    So, whom did Jesus cry over? It was God's people because they wouldn't come to Him (Luke 19:41). He grieved over them, saying, (Luk.13:34) O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that killeth the prophets, and stoneth them that are sent unto her! how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen [gathereth] her own brood under her wings, and ye would not! Much of our grief, too, is for Christians. It's for lost loved ones that we've prayed for to come into the Kingdom. It's like the grief that Lot felt about the people being led astray around him. If we have a holy heart and we are seeking to be pleasing unto the Lord, then we will be convicted by the Word of God, and we will feel the same thing.     (2Pe.2:15) Forsaking the right way they went astray, having followed the way of Balaam the [son] of Beor, who loved the hire of wrong-doing; (16) but he was rebuked for his own transgression: a dumb ass spake with man's voice and stayed the madness of the prophet. (17) These are springs without water, and mists driven by a storm; for whom the blackness of darkness hath been reserved. (18) For, uttering great swelling [words] of vanity, they entice in the lusts of the flesh, by lasciviousness, those who are just escaping from them that live in error… That's very true. Many so-called “pastors” preach wonderful words, but they're enticing people with lascivious doctrines. They're full of greed for tithes and offerings, but they're just filling churches with tares, as Peter says. (2Pe.2:3) And in covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose sentence now from of old lingereth not, and their destruction slumbereth not.    We've studied and taught a lot about sanctification. We've been given warnings that there is a great falling away coming for those who are enticed away by lasciviousness (2 Thessalonians 2:3; 1 Timothy 4:1). Nothing will be able to stand above the water in the flood that's coming except for those that are righteous. They are walking with the Lord, and they have grace and faith. Nothing else is going to preserve God's people in the days to come.    (2Pe.2:18) For, uttering great swelling [words] of vanity, they entice in the lusts of the flesh, by lasciviousness, those who are just escaping from them that live in error; (19) promising them liberty, while they themselves are bondservants of corruption; for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he also brought into bondage. Multitudes of Christians are in bondage in Babylon! They may think that, through their knowledge of Christ, they've come out of the world and they've escaped the corruption in the world, but in reality, they've just been brought into bondage again with something that is not Christianity.     (2Pe.2:20) For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein and overcome, the last state is become worse with them than the first. When people come back into bondage and they stay there, they become worse than the people in the world. They still walk in wickedness, yet they justify themselves because now they're self-righteous. They have knowledge but they're rejecting that knowledge. They're worse in God's eyes than the people in the world, and they're going to suffer greatly.     (2Pe.2:21) For it were better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after knowing it (So these people have knowledge.), to turn back from the holy commandment delivered unto them. When somebody has knowledge and yet they continue to do the things that are contrary to that knowledge, they're a deceiver. We just read, “their deceivings while they feast with you” (2 Peter 2:12). These people are deceivers, and the Bible says, (Jas.4:17) To him therefore that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.    (2Pe.2:22) It has happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog turning to his own vomit again, and the sow that had washed to wallowing in the mire. This is heartbreaking! Great judgments are coming to the nations soon, and it's going to take away multitudes of people who consider themselves to be Christian. And because they don't have the mark of God, multitudes of Christians are going to take the mark of the beast.     (Rev.13:16) And he causeth all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free and the bond, that there be given them a mark on their right hand, or upon their forehead; (17) and that no man should be able to buy or to sell, save he that hath the mark, [even] the name of the beast or the number of his name. (18) Here is wisdom. He that hath understanding, let him count the number of the beast; for it is the number of a man: and his number is Six hundred and sixty and six. However, we also see the people that have the mark of God in (Rev.14:1) And I saw, and behold, the Lamb standing on the mount Zion, and with him a hundred and forty and four thousand, having his name, and the name of his Father, written on their foreheads.     Ezekiel also talks about God judging who is righteous and who is not righteous, based on whether they mourned and were grieved over the ungodliness that they saw around them. Let's look at that text first. (Eze.9:4) And the Lord said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry over all the abominations that are done in the midst thereof. Again, we see this is not talking about the sin in the world, but the sin in the church. And the people that are marked in the forehead because they “sigh and cry over all the abominations,” are the people that are going to escape the wrath of God, the judgment of God, that's coming.     Chapters 5, 6, 7, and 8 repeatedly mention the “abomination” and the “desolation,” all leading up to chapter 9 and the mark of God. In chapter 8, we even see the image of the beast. And notice, when we read these chapters, how we don't find the theology that we hear in Christianity nowadays. In every case, the “abomination of desolation” described is God's people walking in the flesh in the Temple. They are the flesh man, and they are the beast ruling in the Temple of God. This is what God calls an “abomination.” And what does He give them for that? Desolation. The holy people of God grieve for them; they grieve for these people who walk abominably before the Lord.    (Eze.8:1) And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth [month]… Notice that these chapters are leading up to a time that's identified with six-six, and in the next chapter, six men come with their slaughter weapons in hand. That's six-six-six. And what does this identify? It identifies the end time, the time of the beast, the time of the abomination of desolation (Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15; Mark 13:14). Now remember, in the New Testament there is no temple made with hands that God is interested in or concerned about being holy (Job 4:19; Matthew 26:61; Mark 14:58; etc.) It's the Temple “made without hands” that God requires and expects to be holy (Acts 7:48; 2 Corinthians 5:1; Hebrews 9:11; etc.), and this is the only temple that can have an abomination of desolation.   Only the Temple of the Body of Christ can have an abomination that “maketh desolate,” because every other temple out there is desolate. God has departed from them. He will never again dwell in temples made with hands, and so they are desolate (Acts 17:24). But we are the New Testament temple; we can become desolate, “twice dead, plucked up by the roots” (Jude 1:12). That's the temple we need to be concerned about.     Paul told us, (Php.2:12) So then, my beloved, even as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; (13) for it is God who worketh in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure. And Peter exhorted, (2Pe.1:10) Wherefore, brethren, give the more diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never stumble: (11) for thus shall be richly supplied unto you the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It should be the Lord Jesus Christ Who lives in us and Who manifests His holy Life in us.     Returning to our text in Ezekiel, God asks him (Eze.8:6) … Son of man, seest thou what they do? (All throughout these texts, it's always “what they do” and that's the abomination.) even the great abominations that the house of Israel do commit here (So the “beast” in the Temple is the corporate body of these people that walk in the flesh and are in rebellion against God.), that I should go far off from my sanctuary? (Or, in other words, “leave it desolate.”) but thou shalt again see yet other great abominations. (7) And he brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold, a hole in the wall.     (8) Then said he unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and when I had digged in the wall, behold, a door. (9) And he said unto me, Go in, and see the wicked abominations that they do here. (10) So I went in and saw; and behold, every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts… This is just as Solomon said in (Ecc.3:18) … It is because of the sons of men, that God may prove them, and that they may see that they themselves are but as beasts.    Peter was given the same revelation. (Acts 10:11) And he (This is Peter.) beholdeth the heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending, as it were a great sheet, let down by four corners upon the earth: (12) wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts and creeping things of the earth and birds of the heaven. (13) And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill and eat. (14) But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common and unclean. (15) And a voice [came] unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, make not thou common. Then Peter was given the understanding that God was speaking to him of the Gentiles, because all lost people are beasts, and so he preached the Gospel to Cornelius and his family (Acts 10:34-48). So we can see clearly from these texts that the “abominable beasts” in the Temple of God are these people who walk in the flesh.    Back to (Eze.8:10) So I went in and saw; and behold, every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, portrayed upon the wall round about. (11) And there stood before them seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel; and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, every man with his censer in his hand… Those 70 men are the Sanhedrin. They were the corporate body of the false prophet that ruled over the people of God in Jesus' day, and God calls this the “abomination.” (12) Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in his chambers of imagery? (There's the image of the beast in the Temple.) for they say, the Lord seeth us not; the Lord hath forsaken the land. (13) He said also unto me, Thou shalt again see yet other great abominations which they do. Again, notice there is no individual man.     There is a corporate body committing these abominations that make desolate, and that body is not only the priests; it's also the people. (Eze.8:14) Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the Lord's house which was toward the north; and behold, there sat the women weeping for Tammuz. (Tammuz was a false “Jesus” worshiped by Babylon. God is saying that in the midst of the Temple are those who worship “another Jesus” {2 Corinthians 11:4; Galatians 1:6}.) (15) Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen [this,] O son of man? thou shalt again see yet greater abominations than these. Well, this chapter goes on to speak of abomination after abomination, all committed by the people of God in rebellion against the worship of the true God. In their idolatry, they were creating gods after their own liking and in their own image.    (Eze.9:1) Then he cried in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause ye them that have charge over the city to draw near, every man with his destroying weapon in his hand. (2) And behold, six men… That's the third six. This represents the beast, and all throughout history, the Lord has given the beast charge over God's people when they were in rebellion. Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece, and Rome each had authority over God's people in their day. Today we have a revival of Rome and, just as the Lord gave those earlier beasts authority over His people, He is going to do that again because the beast is in the Temple and there has to come a desolation.   In 70A.D. God brought the Roman armies into Jerusalem to slaughter those who hadn't already slaughtered each other. Multitudes of the Jews were so full of the beast that they were killing each other off, and when the Romans came into Jerusalem, they just finished the job. [Editor's Note: Referenced from The Works of Josephus, translated by William Whiston, Hendrickson Publishers, 1987.] But, once again, it was the corporate body of the wicked in the Temple that was an abomination to God, and so He destroyed both them and their Temple.    (Eze.9:2) And behold, six men came from the way of the upper gate, which lieth toward the north, every man with his slaughter weapon in his hand… The Hebrew word for “slaughter weapon” is also translated “battle-ax,” and who does God call His “battle-ax”? Let's look at that. (Isa.10:5) Ho Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, the staff in whose hand is mine indignation! (6) I will send him against a profane nation (This is Israel.), and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. (7) Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy, and to cut off nations not a few… (Well, the Assyrian beast thought this was their great idea to plunder Israel, but God says, “No, no, I put it in their hearts,” and He called these people His “ax.”) (15) Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith?… The Assyrians thought it was by their own might, but God says, “No, I gave you the strength to do this, and I sent you against these vain, abominable people, to judge them and bring them to their cross and, hopefully, to repentance.”     Truly, we're going to see a repetition of history come upon us in our day, although people with their lascivious doctrines teach that this is something which is only going to happen to little Israel far away from them. They refuse to understand that Christians are New Testament spiritual Israel. They are blind to the corporate beast body coming upon Christianity.     (Eze.9:2) And behold, six men; and one man in the midst of them clothed in linen… I believe this is Jesus in the Man-child. Revelation 12 tells us the man-child ministry is coming in the end times, and it's coming again like Moses, like Jesus, to show God's people the correct way. What the Man-child teaches is going to separate the sheep from the goats. It's going to define who is going to be judged and who is not going to be judged.     (Eze.9:2) And behold, six men; and one man in the midst of them clothed in linen, with a writer's inkhorn by his side. And they went in, and stood beside the brazen altar. (3) And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon it was, to the threshold of the house: and he called to the man clothed in linen, who had the writer's inkhorn by his side. (4) And the Lord said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem (So notice that He is not bringing judgment upon the world. He's bringing judgment upon God's house, upon those who profess to be His people.), and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry over all the abominations that are done in the midst thereof. Does it grieve you that God's people have been so led astray, so deceived by their leadership, and so lured into sin by their own self-will? Now listen, nobody can be deceived by another man if they don't first have a lust to live in that way and accept these false and lascivious doctrines.    People are going to be self-deluded and self-deceived because, just like Balaam, they love the hire of wrong-doing. They love to please their old flesh. And they're being bribed by the flesh to accept a doctrine, a teaching, a lifestyle that is permitting the old man to live. Saints, we're here to live the crucified life (Matthew 10:38; Mark 8:34; Luke 14:27; Hebrews 13:13), and if we don't lose our life, we won't gain our life (Matthew 16:26; Luke 9:25).    (Eze.9:5) And to the others he said in my hearing, Go ye through the city after him, and smite… He is speaking to the beast here, the six men. Six is the number of the beast, and six is the number of man. In fact, the sixth chapter of the sixth verse of the sixth book in the New Testament talks about the old man. (Rom.6:6) Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with [him,] that the body of sin might be done away, that so we should no longer be in bondage to sin.    (Eze.9:5) And to the others he said in my hearing, Go ye through the city after him, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity; (6) slay utterly the old man, the young man and the virgin, and little children and women; but come not near any man upon whom is the mark … Now the mark being spoken of here is the mark of the Lord, and it identifies those who are members of the body of Christ, just as the mark of the Beast identifies those who are members of the body of the Beast. Jesus said there are only two men in the earth, Christ and anti-Christ (Matthew 24:40; Luke 17:36). The truth is that people love to identify themselves as “Christian”, but these marks will prove in the coming days who really are Christians and who are not.     (Eze.9:6) Slay utterly the old man, the young man and the virgin, and little children and women; but come not near any man upon whom is the mark: and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the old men that were before the house. (In other words, they've lived longer, and they know more, so they're more guilty than anyone else.) (Eze.9:7) And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. Great destruction is coming against Christianity because it doesn't reflect what was given to us through Jesus Christ. We are to (Jud.1:3) … contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered unto the saints. The faith of our day won't count because religion has turned people away, through their own lustful desires, from true discipleship. (1Jn.2:6) He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk even as he walked. “Discipleship” is walking in the Master's Steps, and that means a disciple studies their Master to walk as He walked.    (Eze.9:7) And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and smote in the city. (Eze.9:8) And it came to pass, while they were smiting, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said, Ah Lord God! wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel in thy pouring out of thy wrath upon Jerusalem? Well, we know this is coming again because it says in (Ecc.1:9) That which hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. The Israelites were types and shadows of the end time, and a great falling away will happen just as the Bible says (2 Thessalonians 2). And notice this is old Jerusalem receiving judgment. This is the old city and the people that belonged to it. This is not born-again Jerusalem.    Then in (Eze.10:2) And he spake unto the man clothed in linen, and said, Go in between the whirling [wheels], even under the cherub, and fill both thy hands with coals of fire from between the cherubim, and scatter them over the city… In other words, he brings judgment. The Man-child ministry is coming to bring judgment upon the city of God. These judgments are going to cleanse it of the goats and cleanse it of the tares. The Lord Jesus Himself spoke words that separated the goats from the sheep, separated the wheat from the tares. His Words brought judgment in His day, and the ministry of the Manchild will do the same in these days, but the people that will escape are the people who have been, and are going to mourn. They are the ones that are blessed, according to Jesus. While the world is rejoicing, they will mourn because of the great wrath and the judgment of God upon the people that call themselves “Christians.” They will mourn because of the great falling away of the people who had no faith.     We need to see and understand that the judgment that's coming is going to prove who has faith and who does not have faith. The judgment that's coming is going to prove who is a believer and who is not a believer. The wilderness tribulation for Israel was to prove whether they had faith or not. And, of course, Joshua and Caleb, who had faith, went to the Promised Land (Numbers 32:12). They didn't have to die in the wilderness because they had faith. They believed in the Lord. They spoke His Word, and they didn't die like the men who spoke the bad report, they spoke against the Lord and died in the wilderness (Numbers 26:65). Once again, today we are coming to a “wilderness” that God is going to use to prove who is truly of Him and who is not. The Word of God is going to separate the sheep from the goats. We need to put the Word in our hearts so that we have the conviction of Jesus Christ, so that sin is sinful to us, so that the rebellion of rebellious people grieves us.     Father, in the Name of Jesus, we're asking You, Lord, that You convict those “Christians” who have created a religion and a doctrine that pleases them because they don't have to give up anything. They don't believe they have to live a sacrificial life; they don't have to deny themselves; they don't have to take up their cross. Lord, we ask that You convict them mightily and that You bring them to You, Father, in the Name of Jesus. Thank You so much, Lord. Amen.  Now, I'd like to share some other scriptures about the blessings that will come from the Lord for those who have mourned, as we've been discussing. When the Man-child ministry begins, Jesus is coming with His reward!  Zion, the Bride, has gone through their time of mourning and warfare to get rid of their sins and their enemies within. To get rid of the leaven. Jer.9:17 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, Consider ye, and call for the mourning women, that they may come; and send for the skilful women, that they may come: 18 and let them make haste, and take up a wailing for us, that our eyes may run down with tears, and our eyelids gush out with waters. 19 For a voice of wailing is heard out of Zion, How are we ruined! we are greatly confounded, because we have forsaken the land, because they have cast down our dwellings. 20 Yet hear the word of Jehovah, O ye women, and let your ear receive the word of his mouth; and teach your daughters wailing, and every one her neighbor lamentation. 21 For death is come up into our windows, it is entered into our palaces; to cut off the children from without, and the young men from the streets. 22 Speak, Thus saith Jehovah, The dead bodies of men shall fall as dung upon the open field, and as the handful after the harvestman; and none shall gather them.     23 Thus saith Jehovah, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches; 24 but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he hath understanding, and knoweth me, that I am Jehovah who exerciseth lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith Jehovah. 25 Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will punish all them that are circumcised in their uncircumcision: 26 Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon, and Moab, (All of the faction) and all that have the corners of their hair cut off, that dwell in the wilderness; for all the nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in heart.    Zec.12:10-11 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplication; and they shall look unto me whom they have pierced; and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his first-born. 11 In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.  Psa.35:11-17 Unrighteous witnesses rise up; They ask me of things that I know not. 12 They reward me evil for good, To the bereaving of my soul. 13 But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I afflicted my soul with fasting; And my prayer returned into mine own bosom. 14 I behaved myself as though it had been my friend or my brother: I bowed down mourning, as one that bewaileth his mother. 15 But in mine adversity they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together: The abjects gathered themselves together against me, and I knew it not; They did tear me, and ceased not: 16 Like the profane mockers in feasts, They gnashed upon me with their teeth. 17 Lord, how long wilt thou look on? Rescue my soul from their destructions, My darling from the lions.  The sorrow of persecution and crucifixion is now turning into joy for those of the remnant Bride. Est.4:1-3 Now when Mordecai knew all that was done, Mordecai rent his clothes, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and cried with a loud and a bitter cry; 2 and he came even before the king's gate: for none might enter within the king's gate clothed with sackcloth. 3 And in every province, whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.   Est.9:20 And Mordecai wrote these things, and sent letters unto all the Jews that were in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, both nigh and far, 21 to enjoin them that they should keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same, yearly, 22 as the days wherein the Jews had rest from their enemies, and the month which was turned unto them from sorrow to gladness, and from mourning into a good day; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor. (Down goes the DS and religious factions.) Isa.40:1 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. 2 Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem; and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she hath received of Jehovah's hand double for all her sins.    Psa 30:2 O Jehovah my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me. 3 O Jehovah, thou hast brought up my soul from Sheol; Thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. (Like Joseph, who came out of prison to the lies that were told about him by the harlot, to rule and preserve the people through the tribulation famine.)    4 Sing praise unto Jehovah, O ye saints of his, And give thanks to his holy memorial name. 5 For his anger is but for a moment; His favor is for a life-time: Weeping may tarry for the night, But joy cometh in the morning. (Here is the joyful saints again) 6 As for me, I said in my prosperity, I shall never be moved. (But through much tribulation shall we enter the Kingdom) 7 Thou, Jehovah, of thy favor hadst made my mountain to stand strong: Thou didst hide thy face (As in the crucifixion of Jesus the Man-child type.); I was troubled. 8 I cried to thee, O Jehovah; And unto Jehovah I made supplication: 9 What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth? 10 Hear, O Jehovah, and have mercy upon me: Jehovah, be thou my helper. (Been there)    11 Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing; Thou hast loosed my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; 12 To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O Jehovah my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever. (Joy of the David's and the Bride.)    Joh.16:20-24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, that ye shall weep and lament (Because Jesus was crucified), but the world shall rejoice: ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. (Because He is coming again in the Man-child reformers.) 21 A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow (This is the Woman Church in Revelation 12 in our day.), because her hour is come: but when she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for the joy that a man is born into the world. 22 And ye therefore now have sorrow: but I will see you again (in the Man-child reformers of Rev.12), and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no one taketh away from you. 23 And in that day ye shall ask me no question. Verily, verily, I say unto you, if ye shall ask anything of the Father, he will give it you in my name. 24 Hitherto (Meaning until this time) have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be made full.    Psa.30:1-12 A Psalm; a Song at the Dedication of the House. (Representing the true house of God, not that of Babylonish captivity) A Psalm of David. I will extol thee, O Jehovah; for thou hast raised me up, And hast not made my foes to rejoice over me. (This is the David Man-child but also Joseph the Man-child was resurrected from prison, like Jesus the Man-child was, to rule those who lied about him.)  Isa.61:1 The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon me; because Jehovah hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; 2 to proclaim the year of Jehovah's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; 3 to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them a garland for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of Jehovah, that he may be glorified…  6 But ye shall be named the priests of Jehovah; men shall call you the ministers of our God: ye shall eat the wealth of the nations, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves. 7 Instead of your shame ye shall have double; and instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess double; everlasting joy shall be unto them. 8 For I, Jehovah, love justice, I hate robbery with iniquity; and I will give them their recompense in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. 9 And their seed shall be known among the nations, and their offspring among the peoples; all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which Jehovah hath blessed.  10 I will greatly rejoice in Jehovah, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with a garland, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. 11 For as the earth bringeth forth its bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord Jehovah will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.     Isa.51:3 For Jehovah hath comforted Zion; he hath comforted all her waste places, and hath made her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of Jehovah; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.  Isa 51:11 And the ransomed of Jehovah shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. 12 I, even I, am he that comforteth you: …    Isa.57:15-18 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite. 16 For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth; for the spirit would faint before me, and the souls that I have made. 17 For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote him; I hid my face and was wroth; and he went on backsliding in the way of his heart. 18 I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners.      Isa.66:10-14 Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn over her; 11 that ye may suck and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory. 12 For thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream: and ye shall suck thereof; ye shall be borne upon the side, and shall be dandled upon the knees. 13 As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem. 14 And ye shall see it, and your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like the tender grass: and the hand of Jehovah shall be known toward his servants; and he will have indignation against his enemies.    Isa.12:1-6 And in that day thou shalt say, I will give thanks unto thee, O Jehovah; for though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away and thou comfortest me. 2 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for Jehovah, even Jehovah, is my strength and song; and he is become my salvation. 3 Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. 4 And in that day shall ye say, Give thanks unto Jehovah, call upon his name, declare his doings among the peoples, make mention that his name is exalted. 5 Sing unto Jehovah; for he hath done excellent things: let this be known in all the earth. 6 Cry aloud and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion; for great in the midst of thee is the Holy One of Israel.    Rev.21:2-4 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of the throne saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he shall dwell with them, and they shall be his peoples, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God: 4 and he shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more; neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more: the first things are passed away. 

Guest speaker Robert Chapman preaches a message from Esther chapter four.  The highlight of the dramatic narrative comes in verse 14 when Mordecai tells Esther, "For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish.  And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"

Acts 17:1-5 (ESV)Matthew 10:34-36 (ESV)Acts 17:6 (ESV)Proverbs 3:27-28 (ESV)Matthew 5:14-16 (ESV)Colossians 3:23-24 (ESV)Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)Galatians 6:9-10 (ESV)Acts 17:6-9 (ESV)Acts 17:10-11 (ESV)Genesis 3:15: Jesus was the Seed of the woman that bruised the serpent's headExodus 12:21: Jesus was our Passover Lamb sacrificed for us.Leviticus 16:21-22: Jesus was our scapegoat who bore our sins on the cross.Numbers 21:8: Jesus was lifted up on a pole like the bronze serpent.Deuteronomy 18:15: Jesus was the prophet like Moses who God raised up.Joshua 5:14: Jesus was there as a Commander of the Lord's army.Judges 6:22: Jesus was there as the Angel of the Lord, encouraging.Ruth 4:6: Jesus, in His incarnation, became our Kinsman Redeemer.1 Samuel 2:10: Jesus is the Horn of Salvation that God raised up for us.2 Samuel 7:12: Jesus is the Son of David, prophesied to rule as King.1 Kings 8:27: Jesus is the answer to the question, “But will God indeed dwell on the earth?”2 Kings 4:43: Jesus is a prophet similar to Elisha who multiplied loaves.1 Chronicles 17:14: Jesus is the Son of David whose kingdom would last forever. He is both Priest and King.2 Chronicles 9:22: Jesus was typified as a “Greater than Solomon” in His wisdom.Ezra 9:2: The preservation of the Holy Seed matters, because the lineage of Jesus matters.Nehemiah 13:8: Nehemiah foreshadows Jesus cleansing the temple.Esther 10:3: Jesus was typified by Mordecai's exaltation from persecuted Jew to the highest position.Job 19:25: Jesus is our Living Redeemer who stood on the earth.Psalm 22:16: Jesus was the One whose hands and feet were pierced on the cross.Proverbs 30:4: Jesus was the Son of God who descended from heaven to save us and ascended to be our advocate.Ecclesiastes 12:11: Jesus was the Good Shepherd who taught us the truth.Song of Solomon 2:4: Jesus' love for His church was typified in Solomon's love for his bride.Isaiah 53:5: Jesus was prophesied to be the One to take our sin's punishment.Psalm 22:1, 7-8, 14-19 (ESV)Isaiah 7:14 (ESV)Acts 17:10-15 (ESV)Matthew 9:36-38 (ESV)

Join Janie as she takes on a deep dive of a familiar scripture, Jeremiah 29:11-14. She shows us the special connection this passage has with Esther and Mordecai!Scripture Memory Begins at 29:38Bible Verses Referenced:Jeremiah 29:11-14Jeremiah 6:13-14Jeremiah 29:4-10Psalm 35:27Joshua 2:18Matthew 6:33"It Is Well With My Soul" by Bradley KnightSisters with Swords is produced and edited by Holly Knight. Original music by the Minister of Funk and husband of the year, Bradley Knight, can be found here. You can find Holly's book Stubborn Obedience on Amazon! And don't forget to visit Janie's restaurant, The Biscuit Bar, if you're in the DFW Area. Please like, subscribe, and share this episode with your friends and follow us on Instagram! We are so grateful for you, sister, and are cheering you on as you wield your sword.@sisterswithswords@heyhollyknight@janiejoburkett

Through the "Dog Food Incident," I learned that helping my dad around the house was a privilege. At the last extended time, I was able to observe my day, after I had moved from home, I was able to remind him that he was my hero and that I was privileged to be his son. That last salute to my dad had unforeseen eternal results. Thank You, Jesus!The book of Esther teaches us not to take for granted what God has called us to do, and in no way is it less than a privilege to be in the king's presence"Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, 16 "Go, assemble all the Jews who are found in Susa, and fast for me; do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maidens also will fast in the same way. And thus I will go in to the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish." Esther 4:15-16"Now it came about on the third day that Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king's palace in front of the king's rooms, and the king was sitting on his royal throne in the throne room, opposite the entrance to the palace. 2 And it happened when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, she obtained favor in his sight; and the king extended to Esther the golden scepter which was in his hand. So Esther came near and touched the top of the scepter. 3 Then the king said to her, "What is troubling you, Queen Esther? And what is your request? Even to half of the kingdom it will be given to you." Esther 5:1-3Devotional MeditationPsalm 84:10"For a day in Thy courts is better than a thousand outside. I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God, Than dwell in the tents of wickedness. 11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly."The King is due our respectful conversation, at all times. Brethren, let's pray for one another."What a man is on his knees before God, that he is and nothing more." Robert Murray M'Cheynee Donation link:https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=G9JGGR5W97D64Or go to www.freerangepreacheronprayer.com and use the Donations tab.Assistant Editor: Seven Jefferson Gossard.www.freerangepreacheronprayer.comfreerangeprayer@gmail.comFacebook - Free Range Preacher MinistriesInstagram: freerangeministriesAll our Scripture quotes are drawn from the NASB 1977 edition.For access to the Voice Over services of Richard Durrington, please visit RichardDurrington.com or email him at Durringtonr@gmail.comOur podcast art was designed by @sammmmmmmmm23 InstagramSeason 007Episode 028

In Esther Chapter 4, we witness a life-changing moment—Esther is faced with a terrifying choice: stay silent and protect herself or risk everything to save her people. Was she placed in the palace by accident—or was this God's greater plan?  Join Pastor Carlo Mendoza as he unpacks Esther's defining moment and challenges us to step into God's greater purpose for our lives! Here's what you'll learn: How Mordecai's plea challenged Esther to embrace her purpose Why God's providence is always at work—even in difficult situations The power of fasting & prayer in making bold, faith-filled decisions How to find your greater purpose through God's direction The famous words: “For such a time as this”—and what they mean for YOU today APPLICATION FOR TODAY: Your greater purpose is connected to God's providence—He's moving even when you don't see it. Courage isn't the absence of fear—it's trusting God in the face of fear. God invites YOU to be part of His greater plan—are you ready to say yes? Key Scriptures: Esther 4, Ephesians 2:10, Philippians 2:13, Genesis 50:20, Jeremiah 29:11 #Esther #GodsPlan #Faith #Purpose #BibleStudy #Christianity #SunriseChurchCA #PastorCarloMendoza - NEXT STEPS  Looking to take your next step?  We want to help! Text the word NEXT to 909-281-7797 or visit sunrisechurch.org/nextsteps. - GIVE TO SUNRISE CHURCH Imagine what God can do through our giving. You can give today at sunrisechurch.org/give  - FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SunriseChurchCA  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunrisechurchca  Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/SunriseChurch 

https://TakingTheLandPodcast.comSUBSCRIBE TO PREMIUM FOR THE FULL EPISODE:• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe for only $3/month on Supercast⁠: https://taking-the-land.supercast.com/⁠• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe for only $3.99/month on Spotify⁠: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/taking-the-land/subscribe⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• ⁠Subscribe for only $4.99/month on Apple Podcasts⁠: https://apple.co/3vy1s5b⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SummaryIn this message, Pastor Mitchell focuses on themes of evangelism, discipleship, and the often-overlooked contributions of unsung heroes in the Christian faith. He emphasizes the importance of recognizing those who serve quietly and the dangers of seeking celebrity status within the church.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Wayman Wednesday02:50 Prison Ministry and Impact06:06 The Apostle Paul: A Study of Unsung Heroes09:01 The Drive for Celebrity in Christianity11:55 The Role of Unrecognized Contributors14:50 Satan's Exploitation of Recognition18:13 The Importance of Eternal Perspective22:08 The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier26:00 God's Record of Unsung Heroes29:55 Conclusion: The Power of Weakness in God's HandsTakeawaysThe prison ministry offers tremendous opportunities for outreach.Many individuals in ministry are unsung heroes whose contributions go unnoticed.The Apostle Paul's early life illustrates the importance of support from others.Celebrity culture can distract from the true mission of serving others.Recognition is often exploited by Satan to create division and discontent.God keeps a perfect record of all acts of service, known and unknown.The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier symbolizes the appreciation for unrecognized sacrifices.Many biblical figures made significant impacts without receiving recognition.The story of Mordecai shows that God remembers those who serve faithfully.God's purpose is fulfilled through weak people in the hands of a great God.Show NotesALL PROCEEDS GO TO WORLD EVANGELISMLocate a CFM Church near you: https://cfmmap.orgWe need five-star reviews! Tell the world what you think about this podcast at:Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://apple.co/3vy1s5bPodchaser: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/taking-the-land-cfm-sermon-pod-43369

Paul Harvey - Mordecai Brown 

The Prophetic Significance of Purim in 2025: A Call to Courage and Awakening • Friday Service Website: www.PastorTodd.org To give: www.ToddCoconato.com/give As we approach Purim in 2025, we must recognize that this is not just an ancient Jewish holiday—it is a prophetic message for this very hour. The story of Esther, Mordecai, and Haman is more than history; it is a blueprint for the spiritual battle we face today. The enemy has set traps, decrees, and wicked schemes against God's people, but Purim reminds us that divine reversals, supernatural intervention, and bold faith will lead us to victory. God is calling His remnant to rise up like Esther and Mordecai, to recognize the times, and to stand against the Haman spirit that seeks to destroy faith, truth, and righteousness in our day. Purim is a call to courage, fasting, discernment, and action. Let's dive into the Word and uncover why this moment in 2025 is critical for believers to understand and walk in the spirit of Purim. 1. Recognizing the Times: The Battle of Light and Darkness Esther 3:8-9 (NKJV) “Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, ‘There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from all other people's, and they do not keep the king's laws. Therefore it is not fitting for the king to let them remain. If it pleases the king, let a decree be written that they be destroyed…'” 2. The Call to Boldness: You Were Born for Such a Time as This Esther 4:14 (NKJV) “For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” 3. Fasting and Prayer Release Breakthrough Esther 4:16 (NKJV) “Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!” 4. Divine Reversals: What the Enemy Meant for Evil, God Turns for Good Esther 9:1 (NKJV) “On the day that the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, the opposite occurred, in that the Jews themselves overpowered those who hated them.” 5. The Scepter of Favor: Authority in the Courts of Heaven Esther 5:2 (NKJV) “So it was, when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, that she found favor in his sight, and the king held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther went near and touched the top of the scepter.” 6. The Haman Spirit Will Hang on Its Own Gallows Esther 7:10 (NKJV) “So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king's wrath subsided.” 7. The Call to Celebrate and Remember Esther 9:28 (NKJV) “That these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city, that these days of Purim should not fail to be observed among the Jews, and that the memory of them should not perish among their descendants.” 8. No Weapon Formed Against Us Will Prosper Isaiah 54:17 (NKJV) “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me,” says the Lord.” 9. Be Strong and Courageous Joshua 1:9 (NKJV) “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” 10. The Lord Will Fight for You Exodus 14:14 (NKJV) “The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” This Is Our Purim Moment Purim in 2025 is a prophetic call to: • Wake up and recognize the times. • Fast, pray, and seek divine strategy. • Stand in courage and take action. • Believe in the power of divine reversals. • Walk in authority and favor.

Scott Howard3-16-2025Life Church MobileCheck out our app, Life Church Live:Available on Google Play & App StoresGiving: life-church.org/givingBaptism: https://www.life-church.org/ihavedecidedYouTube ChannelMobile Campus FacebookHurley Campus FacebookInstagram

3/16/25 message from Pastor Ralph Royea "The Original Cancel Culture" We won't Bow! We are The Original Cancel Culture. This is the week of Purim. Purim is a Jewish Holiday that highlights the remembrance of three main figures: Esther, Mordecai, and Haman. The Jews were in submission to the Persian Empire during this time. An evil man, Haman, rose in prominence and became an advisor to the king (Read Esther chapter 30). Haman wanted the Jews to bow and acknowledge evil. When Mordecai refused, Haman worked the king into making decrees that would force them to submit or die. Haman wanted to crush their faith, cause them to sin, humiliate them in front of man, and if not, annihilate them from the face of the empire. Mordecai refused to bow, and through his niece, Esther, he had access to the king, but not without risking her life. Esther refused at first, but in your reading, you'll see the results of her request. The enemy may be trying to curse you, crush you, cancel you, or cause you to submit your faith, but you have access to the King of Kings, and all that the enemy meant to harm you will be used to restore you. Romans 8:28 is coming to life. You were made for this day. Your Haman will be Cancelled!

Jewish Faith & Jewish Facts with Rabbi Steven Garten. Aired: March 16th, 2025 on CHRI Radio 99.1FM in Ottawa, Canada. For questions, email Rabbi Garten at rabbishg@templeisraelottawa.com For more CHRI shows, visit chri.ca

What could little Mordecai and Esther do when up against evil Haman and the power of the King? Through works of providence, God can deliver, provide and work all things together for the good. He will provide and protect his people in our personal lives and also on the world stage. 

The Scroll of Esther is a dramatic narrative set in the Persian Empire during the reign of King Ahasuerus in approximately 500 years BCE. It recounts how Esther, a Jewish woman, with the help of her cousin Mordecai, saves the Jewish people from an antisemitic plan to annihilate them. The sad news is that the spirit of Haman has risen again but this time in the terrorist organization, Hamas. Join us as we look the Haman-Hamas connection and Satan's ancient agenda to genocide the chosen people of God.

Ever wondered how to balance the joyful chaos of Purim with the serene preparation for Shabbos, especially when they collide on a Friday? We tackle this unique challenge head-on, offering practical strategies that start as early as Thursday night. Discover how setting the Shabbos table early and preparing challah on Friday afternoon can be both a logistical win and a spiritually enriching experience. We blend ancient wisdom with modern solutions, ensuring that you can celebrate Purim's mitzvot responsibly without compromising on the sanctity of Shabbos.Join us as we explore the timeless story of Esther and Mordecai, finding echoes of these ancient narratives in our contemporary lives. With the tradition of costumes and Mishloach Manot, we examine the hidden hand of Hashem and the powerful symbolism that persists today. Hear about the heartwarming community tribute to the Bibas children, and consider innovative ways to share Purim joy, like using delivery services for Mishloach Manot or choosing alternative drinks to wine. These stories and more shed light on how Purim traditions continue to build empathy and unity.Prayer and joy are at the heart of our discussion, highlighting their transformative power in shaping identity and divine connection. We reflect on the role of words and the sincerity of prayer, encouraging listeners to find personal dialogues with Hashem. As we journey through the themes of redemption, touching on the mystical link between Purim and Pesach, personal anecdotes like family engagements bring warmth and relatability. Whether you're preparing for Shabbos or seeking deeper spiritual insight, this episode offers inspiration and guidance for embracing life's seasons.In this episode of Ask Away we address these various topics:Preparing for Shabbos and when Purim falls on FridayThe Mitzvahs of PurimResponsible drinking and personal anecdote about safely enjoying celebrations.Celebrating Purim Traditions and MitzvahsThe Power of Prayer and Joy on PurimAnd much more ... Please submit your questions at askaway@torchweb.org_____________The Everyday Judaism Podcast is dedicated to learning, understanding and appreciating the greatness of Jewish heritage and the Torah through the simplified, concise study of Halacha, Jewish Law, thereby enhancing our understanding of how Hashem wants us to live our daily lives in a Jewish way._____________This Podcast Series is Generously Underwritten by Marshall & Doreen LernerDownload & Print the Everyday Judaism Halacha Notes:https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1RL-PideM42B_LFn6pbrk8MMU5-zqlLG5This episode (Ep. #24) of the Everyday Judaism Podcast by Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe of TORCH is dedicated to my dearest friends, Marshall & Doreen Lerner! May Hashem bless you and always lovingly accept your prayer for good health, success and true happiness!!!Recorded in the TORCH Centre - Levin Family Studio (B) to a live audience on March 9, 2025, in Houston, Texas.Released as Podcast on March 13, 2025_____________DONATE to TORCH: Please consider supporting the podcasts by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you!_____________SUBSCRIBE and LISTEN to other podcasts by Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe: NEW!! Prayer Podcast: https://prayerpodcast.transistor.fm/episodesJewish Inspiration Podcast: https://inspiration.transistor.fm/episodesParsha Review Podcast: https://parsha.transistor.fm/episodesLiving Jewishly Podcast: https://jewishly.transistor.fm/episodesThinking Talmudist Podcast: https://talmud.transistor.fm/episodesUnboxing Judaism Podcast: https://unboxing.transistor.fm/episodesRabbi Aryeh Wolbe Podcast Collection: https://collection.transistor.fm/episodesFor a full listing of podcasts available by TORCH at https://www.TORCHpodcasts.com_____________EMAIL your questions, comments, and feedback: awolbe@torchweb.org_____________Please visit www.torchweb.org to see a full listing of our outreach and educational resources available in the Greater Houston area!_____________#AskAway, #Halacha, #Jewishlaw, #Purim, #Shabbos ★ Support this podcast ★

Ever wondered how to balance the joyful chaos of Purim with the serene preparation for Shabbos, especially when they collide on a Friday? We tackle this unique challenge head-on, offering practical strategies that start as early as Thursday night. Discover how setting the Shabbos table early and preparing challah on Friday afternoon can be both a logistical win and a spiritually enriching experience. We blend ancient wisdom with modern solutions, ensuring that you can celebrate Purim's mitzvot responsibly without compromising on the sanctity of Shabbos.Join us as we explore the timeless story of Esther and Mordecai, finding echoes of these ancient narratives in our contemporary lives. With the tradition of costumes and Mishloach Manot, we examine the hidden hand of Hashem and the powerful symbolism that persists today. Hear about the heartwarming community tribute to the Bibas children, and consider innovative ways to share Purim joy, like using delivery services for Mishloach Manot or choosing alternative drinks to wine. These stories and more shed light on how Purim traditions continue to build empathy and unity.Prayer and joy are at the heart of our discussion, highlighting their transformative power in shaping identity and divine connection. We reflect on the role of words and the sincerity of prayer, encouraging listeners to find personal dialogues with Hashem. As we journey through the themes of redemption, touching on the mystical link between Purim and Pesach, personal anecdotes like family engagements bring warmth and relatability. Whether you're preparing for Shabbos or seeking deeper spiritual insight, this episode offers inspiration and guidance for embracing life's seasons.In this episode of Ask Away we address these various topics:Preparing for Shabbos and when Purim falls on FridayThe Mitzvahs of PurimResponsible drinking and personal anecdote about safely enjoying celebrations.Celebrating Purim Traditions and MitzvahsThe Power of Prayer and Joy on PurimAnd much more ... Please submit your questions at askaway@torchweb.org_____________The Everyday Judaism Podcast is dedicated to learning, understanding and appreciating the greatness of Jewish heritage and the Torah through the simplified, concise study of Halacha, Jewish Law, thereby enhancing our understanding of how Hashem wants us to live our daily lives in a Jewish way._____________This Podcast Series is Generously Underwritten by Marshall & Doreen LernerDownload & Print the Everyday Judaism Halacha Notes:https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1RL-PideM42B_LFn6pbrk8MMU5-zqlLG5This episode (Ep. #24) of the Everyday Judaism Podcast by Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe of TORCH is dedicated to my dearest friends, Marshall & Doreen Lerner! May Hashem bless you and always lovingly accept your prayer for good health, success and true happiness!!!Recorded in the TORCH Centre - Levin Family Studio (B) to a live audience on March 9, 2025, in Houston, Texas.Released as Podcast on March 13, 2025_____________DONATE to TORCH: Please consider supporting the podcasts by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you!_____________SUBSCRIBE and LISTEN to other podcasts by Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe: NEW!! Prayer Podcast: https://prayerpodcast.transistor.fm/episodesJewish Inspiration Podcast: https://inspiration.transistor.fm/episodesParsha Review Podcast: https://parsha.transistor.fm/episodesLiving Jewishly Podcast: https://jewishly.transistor.fm/episodesThinking Talmudist Podcast: https://talmud.transistor.fm/episodesUnboxing Judaism Podcast: https://unboxing.transistor.fm/episodesRabbi Aryeh Wolbe Podcast Collection: https://collection.transistor.fm/episodesFor a full listing of podcasts available by TORCH at https://www.TORCHpodcasts.com_____________EMAIL your questions, comments, and feedback: awolbe@torchweb.org_____________Please visit www.torchweb.org to see a full listing of our outreach and educational resources available in the Greater Houston area!_____________#AskAway, #Halacha, #Jewishlaw, #Purim, #Shabbos ★ Support this podcast ★

This week, we continue our series through the Book of Esther with Esther 6:1-14.In a moment of divine timing, King Xerxes' sleepless night leads him to discover Mordecai's past loyalty—setting off an unexpected reversal

Are you ready to separate from a counterfeit identity and embrace your true calling? In this episode of the Curt Landry Podcast, Rabbi Curt and Darrell Puckett discuss the significance of Purim 5785. In this hour, God is exposing self-appointed leaders and false prophets. He is strengthening the true prophet ministry and raising His people in the spirit of Mordecai to answer their call. To prepare and position for what is being released this Purim…Break free from any religious spirits and structures Ask God for a mental reset, to have the mind of JesusInvite Jesus into your emotional wounds and memories for healingJoin Rabbi and Darrell as they share the importance of being wholehearted, battle-ready, and walking in Kingdom purpose and identity for such a time as this.Resources mentioned–Emotional Healing Guide: https://curtlandry.com/recover Get the One New Man app: https://app.onenewman.com/

Growing In God Podcast Web Description: In the story of Esther, the king was not personally involved in delivering the Jews from the destruction imposed by Haman. However, his signet ring in the hand of Mordecai gave Mordecai all the king's authority and power to deliver the Jews as if he were the king himself. Likewise through the name of Yeshua (Jesus), we have been given the signet ring of God Himself. Let us accept who we are as His instruments and use His authority and power to bring Christ's deliverance to the earth.   Show Notes: In the story of Esther, King Ahasuerus gave his signet ring to Mordecai. Esther and Mordecai then used that ring to seal a decree against those who were attacking the Jews. Having the king's signet ring in those days meant having the power of the king himself. A decree sealed by the signet ring had to be obeyed and could never be revoked. As Christians we also believe in using the King's signet ring, the name of Yeshua (Jesus), to accomplish the will of God.   We need to acknowledge that this is how God moves. When He works to brings deliverance, as the king did with Esther and Mordecai, God uses human instruments to bring about His will. God did not come down and deliver Israel from Egypt by Himself. He used Moses as His instrument. Again, God did not redeem humanity on His own. The Father chose to move through His Son. Then after Christ had ascended to the right hand of the Father, He moved through the apostle Paul to fulfill the sufferings of His Body.   We live in a time when the world has a desperate need for God, and as the Body of Christ today we must begin to accept what we are. As He has done in so many ages, God is going to work through vessels that He chooses and who are willing to give themselves for that purpose. Open your heart to that which God wants to do through you. Be open to receive the signet ring of anointing and authority that God can place upon you to work through you for His purposes to bring about the conclusion of this age.   Key Verses:   •       Esther 8:2–8. “The king took off his signet ring … and gave it to Mordecai.” •       John 5:17–23. “Whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.” •       Colossians 1:13–24. “All things have been created through Him and for Him.” •       Colossians 1:29. “I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.” •       John 14:12. “He who believes in Me … greater works than these he will do.” •       Esther 4:12–14. “Who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?”   Quotes:   •       “What God was doing in bringing Christ forth in the flesh—bringing the Word into flesh—is He was manifesting Himself in humanity so that He would move in full power and authority through Christ as His human vessel and representative.” •       “We don't want the Body of Christ to be perishing in this time because we refuse to take our place in what God has called us to do.” •       “We may be facing threatening times. It may even seem like there is a decree of death and destruction on this age, on the Church, and on God's people—the Jewish people in Israel. But who knows whether we are not the ones who have come into this anointing and relationship with the Lord for such a time as this. Let's believe that God can work in us and through us to accomplish His will in this day.”   Takeaways:   1.    The king giving his signet ring to Mordecai represents an important aspect of Purim. When sealed with the signet ring, whatever Esther and Mordecai enacted had the full authority and power of the king behind it. When we act in the name of Christ, it is like having God's signet ring, bearing His authority, power, and presence. 2.    God chooses to move through human instruments just as the king did through Esther and Mordecai. We have examples of this in Moses, Yeshua, and Paul. If we want the authority and power of God to impact this age, then we need to be God's instruments. 3.    Haman once had the king's signet ring and had the power to destroy all the Jews. Their deliverance happened when the king took the signet ring from Haman and gave it to Mordecai. As ruler of this world, satan also had the authority to destroy mankind. But that authority has been removed from him and belongs to Christ. As instruments of Christ, using His authority, we can abolish the decree of destruction against mankind.  

Silence has never stopped evil - it only fuels it. We've seen it before. Nazi Germany. 9/11. Tehran, 1979.  And now, once again, the world is looking away. As thousands are slaughtered in Syria, as anti-Semitism spreads like wildfire, and as Israel faces existential threats, the silence is deafening. In this episode, we unpack the ancient and modern battle against the Jewish people - and why the story of Esther, Mordecai, and Purim is more relevant than ever.  The enemy's tactics haven't changed. Neither has the need for bold voices to rise up. Esther had a choice: speak up or stay silent. You have the same choice today. Key Takeaways Silence feeds evil. History shows that when the world stays quiet, the worst atrocities unfold. Israel is under attack - again. The enemies of the Jewish people are always calling for annihilation, and today is no different. The Book of Esther is about courage. God's name is hidden, but His hand is clear - just like today. Evil always overplays its hand. Haman thought he had won - until the tables turned. This is your Esther moment. Will you speak out, or will you look away? Chapter Markers [00:05] - Welcome to The Jewish Road Podcast [01:15] - Syria in Flames - And No One Is Talking About It [06:42] - The Media's Silence and the Rise of Anti-Semitism [11:30] - History Repeats: The Enemies of Israel Have the Same Goal [14:20] - The Story of Purim - A Battle Against Annihilation [19:15] - Esther, Mordecai, and the Power of Speaking Up [25:48] - The Chilling Words of Martin Niemöller - Why Silence Is Never Neutral [30:55] - The Biblical Chiasm in Esther - God's Hidden Hand [37:10] - Yarden Bebas' Bold Stand in Gaza - “I Was Born a Jew, I Will Die a Jew” [41:25] - The Call to Action - Will You Be Silent, or Will You Speak? Stand With Israel. Speak the Truth. This is no time for silence. The battle against the Jewish people is ancient, but the call remains the same: who will stand? Learn more and stay engaged. Visit TheJewishRoad.com for resources, events, and ways to get involved. Speak out. Share this episode. Tell the truth. Push back against the lies. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Evil thrives when good people do nothing. This is your time. Because if we don't speak now, who will?  

My friend, Vanessa Hidary. Vanessa Hidary is a cool person. She is a spoken word artist, an educator, and an advocate. She is a trail-blazer. Her work has had a profound impact on both the Jewish community and beyond. Recently, the ADL honored her as a "Hero Against Hate."  Vanessa embodies the bravery of Queen Esther, the pride of Mordecai, and a little bit of Vashti's attitude thrown in for good measure. She is a one woman megillah. How did we first meet? We were at a Jewish conference together – the Conversation, which was convened by the veteran Jewish journalist Gary Rosenblatt. At that conference, she did a performance of her signature poem, "Hebrew Mamita." It was a celebration of her diverse, proud, take-no-prisoners Jewish identity – as a daughter of the Syrian-Jewish diaspora. She challenged Jewish stereotypes.  I was overwhelmed. “Hebrew Mamita” became a classic. Vanessa performed it in New York City venues, and that was how she became a pioneering voice Jewish identity in the slam poetry scene. "Hebrew Mamita" was featured on HBO's Def Poetry Jam, where she openly discussed her Jewish heritage. She founded the Kaleidoscope Project, a narrative-arts initiative that amplifies the stories of Jews of color, Sephardic and Mizrachi Jews, and those with interfaith experiences. In the podcast, we talk about our responses to the murder of the Bibas children; what it means to be a Jew in the arts community, after October 7; and what it means to be politically homeless, after October 7. And, we talked about her spoken-word piece, "Bad Jew."

Perhaps you are here today, and you've failed to follow through in the past on something God has called you or even your family to.  Perhaps God, in His providence, has brought you here today to reveal to you that He is a God of the second chance. As he gave the descendants of Saul another opportunity, in the same way, He is giving us another opportunity to surrender to God's will and call for our lives. Perhaps today, like Esther, who heard God's invitation through her uncle Mordecai, you too hear His voice speaking to you through this morning's message. As did Esther, will you also submit to God's call and let Him use you in a way that will make an eternal impact that will not only be a blessing to you but also impact the people around you whom He cares for? Jim Elliott wrote: He is no fool who gives, what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose. For when you die the things of life you cannot take with you. But if you give your life to God. You will gain something you cannot lose, you will gain rewards in heaven, you will gain eternal life, you will also have the opportunity to gain those around you who will come to know God and again you are setting up yourself not treasures on earth were moth and rust corrupt, but treasures in heaven were moth and rust can never corrupt.      

In this episode, Chef Walter explores the Purim Holiday.Purim is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the saving of the Jewish people from a plot to annihilate them in the ancient Persian Empire, as recounted in the Book of Esther (Megillat Esther) in the Hebrew Bible. The story centers on Esther, a Jewish woman who becomes queen, and her cousin Mordecai, who helps thwart the plans of Haman, a high-ranking official who sought to destroy the Jewish population.The holiday is celebrated with a festive and lively atmosphere. Key traditions include:Reading the Megillah: The Book of Esther is read aloud in synagogues, typically twice—once on the evening of Purim and again the following morning. Listeners often use noisemakers (graggers) to drown out Haman's name as a symbolic rejection of his evil intent.Costumes: People, especially children, dress up in costumes, reflecting the theme of hidden identities in the story (e.g., Esther concealing her Jewish heritage initially).Festive Meal (Seudah): A joyous meal is shared with family and friends, often accompanied by singing and drinking. It's customary to drink alcohol until one can't distinguish between "cursed be Haman" and "blessed be Mordecai" (though moderation is also encouraged).Mishloach Manot: People send gifts of food or drink (at least two different types) to friends and neighbors, fostering community and goodwill.Matanot La'evyonim: Gifts or charity are given to people experiencing poverty, emphasizing generosity and support for those in need.Triangular Treats: A popular food associated with Purim is hamantaschen (meaning "Haman's pockets" in Yiddish), triangular pastries filled with poppy seeds, fruit preserves, or other sweet fillings. Some interpret the shape as representing Haman's hat or ears.Purim falls on the 14th of Adar II in the Jewish calendar (or Adar I in a leap year for specific communities), which usually corresponds to late February or March in the Gregorian calendar. In 2025, Purim begins at sundown on March 13 and ends at sundown on March 14.The holiday is both a celebration of survival and a reminder of resilience, often infused with humor and satire. It's one of the most joyous occasions in the Jewish year!More podcasts by Chef WalterFlavors + Knowledge Newsletter. Subscribe free.

In this session, we conclude the story of Esther and explore the hidden workings of God in her story. As the Jews face annihilation due to a Persian edict, Queen Esther courageously risks her life to protect her people. The narrative takes a dramatic turn, featuring a reversal of fortunes for the Jews and their enemy, Haman. Despite God's apparent hiddenness, we see His fingerprints in every event – from Esther's rise to power, Mordecai's honor, to the ultimate salvation of the Jews. We learn that even in God's hiddenness, He is always at work.Bible ReadingsEsther 6:1-14Esther 7:1-10Esther 9:18-28Acts 1:26Support the showRead along with us in the Bible Brief App! Try the Bible Brief book for an offline experience!Get your free Bible Timeline with the 10 Steps: Timeline LinkSupport the show: Tap here to become a monthly supporter!Review the show: Tap here!Want to go deeper?...Download the Bible Brief App!iPhone: App Store LinkAndroid: Play Store LinkWant a physical book? Check out "Bible Brief" by our founder!Amazon: Amazon LinkWebsite: biblebrief.orgInstagram: @biblelitTwitter: @bible_litFacebook: @biblelitEmail the Show: biblebrief@biblelit.org Want to learn the Bible languages (Greek & Hebrew)? Check out ou...

Daily Dose of Hope March 2, 2025 Day 1 of Week 49   Scripture: Esther 7-10; Revelation 3   Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading plan.  We are in week 49 of 52!  Good job, everyone.  We have almost read the whole Bible in a year.    Today, our Old Testament reading is finishing the book of Esther.  Let's start with chapter 7.  Esther was risking her life by approaching the king and she has no idea how the king will react. We know from previous chapters that he is prone to rash, angry decisions. First, the king does not know that she is a Jew. Second, Esther doesn't know if the king will choose her over Haman, his trusted advisor. If the king chooses to side with Haman, then Esther and her people will be killed.   But she must have courage and take the risk–the stakes are too high. God calls all of us to take risks. Let's hope our risks aren't quite as scary as Esther's but they might be! The reality is that the Christian walk was never intended to be comfortable and easy. The Holy Spirit is constantly prompting us to take risks: go talk to that person, volunteer for that organization, reach out to that neighbor, offer to pray with that person over there, give money here...you get the idea. The big question is are we listening and are we obeying?   Back to the Scripture...Esther again puts herself out there, asking the king one more difficult thing. The king had decreed that all Jews would be eliminated. Thus, another edict must be made that superseded the previous one. Esther knows this so she pleads with the king to overrule the horrible decree made by Haman so her people could be saved. The king basically allows Esther and Mordecai to create the new decree themselves and hands over his signet ring so they can seal it on behalf of the king. The new decree was strong. It guaranteed that the Jewish people could protect themselves, giving them the right to annihilate and plunder any group who tried to conquer or harm them. It even designated a specific date on which the Jews could attack their enemies.   In chapter 8, we read about Mordecai. He has the privilege of delivering the news of the new decree to the Jewish people. By this point, the roles have been totally reversed for Mordecai. No longer does he need to sit by the king's gate in ash cloth. No longer does he need to worry about his life or the fate of his people. He is the victor, but only because a young queen was willing to do the right thing and risk it all for the sake of her people. What is God calling you to do right now? What excuses are you making? How does this text inspire you to step out in faith?   As mentioned, the new decree, written by Esther and Mordecai, allowed the Jewish people a specific day on which to attack their enemies, the 13th of the Jewish month Adar. As you read through chapter 9, you find that is exactly what occurred. The Jewish men assembled and killed thousands of their enemies. Then, on the following day, they rested and feasted.   This was the beginning of an annual celebration for the Jews called Purim. Purim means “lots” in ancient Persian. The holiday was thus named since Haman had thrown lots to determine when he would carry out his evil scheme. Purim is still celebrated among devout Jews. On the eve of Purim, they read the book of Esther and then do so again on the following day. There is also much gift-giving. They are to send monetary gifts to at least two poor people and then two food gifts to at least one other person. There is also much feasting and celebrating.   I have to admit when I first read about this, it sounded a bit gory. Are they really celebrating the death of all those people? But I had to reframe it. The Jews had been oppressed. They had received a death sentence. And then, they were freed from it. They had the ability to protect their families. They knew God was with them. This was worthy of celebration.   Let's move to the final chapter in Esther.  Not unlike Joseph in an earlier Old Testament text, Mordecai moves from lowly and close to death to the king's right-hand man. While God isn't explicitly mentioned, we know that God acted extraordinarily to orchestrate the events of this story.   Today's chapter was short but it gave me pause to reflect on the book of Esther as a whole. What can we learn from this book? ·If you are a Christ-follower, God has a purpose for your life. You exist to love and glorify God AND to demonstrate his love and goodness to the world. •God didn't make a mistake where he has you today. God put Esther exactly where he needed and wanted her to be. God has you where you need to be as well. How might God want to use you right now? •Sometimes, living into your purpose means making big, difficult decisions but it is often lived out in the small, everyday decisions of life.   Our New Testament text is Revelation 3. Here, John continues to proclaim the visions that Jesus has given him about the churches. Chapter 2 focused on Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, and Thyatira. This chapter addresses the rest of the churches of Asia Minor, including Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. Since we focused on the structure and flow of the letters on Thursday, I wanted to highlight the message to one particular church today–Laodicea.   I think it is incredibly important for all of us who are part of the American church. Laodicea was a very wealthy city. It was on a main trade route and it had several prosperous industries. It was known for its banking. It was also known for a black dye that it produced which was used to make black wool, quite a luxurious commodity in those days. It also had a respected medical school which developed an eye medicine that was quite sought after. But despite its wealth, the one really big problem that Laodicea had was lack of a water supply. Its northern neighbor, Hierapolis, had these amazing hot springs. It's other close neighbor, Colossae, to the east, had a lovely refreshing cold water supply. As a result, Laodicea built an elaborate system to pipe the water from both those places into their city. But by the time it got there, it was not hot, nor cold, but simply lukewarm. Jesus has harsher words for Laodicea than any of the other churches. He says that just like their water, they are lukewarm! Hot water heals, cold water refreshes, but lukewarm water is useless. They are spiritually lukewarm; they are spiritually useless.   The thing is that they looked good on the outside. They went through all the motions. They worshiped, read Scripture, and sang hymns. But it was phony piety. Their hearts were far from God. There was no passion for Jesus. And they didn't even realize this. In fact, because of their wealth and prosperity, they thought they were doing quite well. Largely sheltered from the persecution that other Christian communities in the area experienced, they were free to do as they pleased.   And what they were doing was not pleasing to God. They were self-reliant, complacent, lazy, and passionless. Not good traits for a church. But despite their spiritual mess, Jesus loves them and still yearns for them. He stands at the door and knocks, waiting for them to answer it. He wants a real relationship with them. He wants them to be passionate for his love.   Think about the American church. Think about our church for that matter. Are we lukewarm? Do we resemble Laodicea. In which ways? I'm not saying this to be critical but because I'm convicted. Do we serve God with passion? Are we simply going through the motions? Have we become stagnant?   Rate your passion level based on the following: -Do you experience joy and excitement in your prayer life? -Do you read Scripture with expectancy of hearing from the Lord? -Do you have spiritual conversations with non-Christians? -Do you actively seek out relationships with non-Christians so you can demonstrate the love of Christ to them? -Do you look for ways to serve Jesus and reach out to those who are struggling/hurting in our community? -What's the last time you felt really excited about your spiritual walk with Jesus? -As a church, are we passionate about being disciples who make disciples?   Are our hearts close to God? I'll stop there but do take some time to let this all sink in a bit. God wants our whole heart and life, not just some of it. He wants us to be passionate as individual believers and a church.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

In this episode, we see that Haman ends up getting the same fate he wished on Mordecai.

In this session, we explore the dramatic story of Esther, a secret Jewess who becomes Queen of Persia. Amidst an existential crisis threatening genocide of the Jews, Esther must risk her life to save her people. We delve into the character of Mordecai, Esther's cousin, who uncovers a plot to assassinate the king, and Haman, the villain who holds an ancient grudge against the Jews.Bible ReadingsEsther 2:5-23Esther 3:1-15Esther 4:10-17Jeremiah 29:4-7Support the showRead along with us in the Bible Brief App! Try the Bible Brief book for an offline experience!Get your free Bible Timeline with the 10 Steps: Timeline LinkSupport the show: Tap here to become a monthly supporter!Review the show: Tap here!Want to go deeper?...Download the Bible Brief App!iPhone: App Store LinkAndroid: Play Store LinkWant a physical book? Check out "Bible Brief" by our founder!Amazon: Amazon LinkWebsite: biblebrief.orgInstagram: @biblelitTwitter: @bible_litFacebook: @biblelitEmail the Show: biblebrief@biblelit.orgOur sessions use various translations including the ESV, BSB, CSB, NASB,...

Daily Dose of Hope February 27, 2025 Day 5 of Week 48 Scripture:  Esther 4-6; Revelation 2 Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church Bible reading plan.  Our Old Testament Scripture for today is Esther 4-6.  In chapter 4, we get to the crux of the story. The fate of the Jewish people falls into the hands of the new Jewish queen. But wait, the king doesn't know she is a Jew! Mordecai implores her to approach Xerxes and plead for the safety of her people. But this isn't as easy as it sounds. One didn't just show up in front of the king. He was supposed to summon her and he had not done so for a while. If Esther approached him, she was literally taking her life into her hands. If it pleased the king, he might allow her to approach. If it didn't, well then things could get messy. But Mordecai tells Esther that just because she lives in the palace, there was no guarantee she would be spared. Could it be that God put her into this position for such a time as this? Could it be that God had strategically placed her there to do what was right and stand up for her people? Could it be that sovereign God had orchestrated all the pieces? Now, she simply had to respond with courage. Most of us have never been in such a dangerous and potentially deadly situation. That's probably a good thing! However, many of us have found ourselves in difficult or serious situations, possibly in the workplace, at church, or even in a family crisis. Have you ever found yourself in a position where you simply knew that God had you there for a purpose? You were there for such a time as this. How did you respond? In chapter 5, we get to see more of Haman's arrogance.  Haman is a piece of work! After being invited to Esther's banquet, he sees Mordecai and is enraged that Mordecai does not rise in his presence or show fear. I can't help but think what kind of man needs other men to be fearful in their presence. This is someone who is delusional about their own importance and/or has deep-rooted feelings of insecurity. Maybe both. Haman then calls together his wife and his friends to brag about how great he is. The only thing that bothers him, he tells this group, is that Mordecai is still sitting at the king's gate. Their solution is to have Mordecai impaled on a pole before Esther's next banquet so that Haman can fully enjoy it. The horror of their suggestion should not go unnoticed. Haman's own feelings of grandiosity (and his friends desire to please him) have become so inflated that nothing else matters. A gruesome public execution for a seemingly very small offense would serve to demonstrate to the world who has power and who does not. It would instill fear and keep people in line. As you can tell, there is little value placed on human life as well. They are living in the Persian Empire. There was no issue with slaughtering all the Jews, men, women, and children. Actually valuing human life is a Judeo-Christian concept. Jesus especially changed our thinking by demonstrating that all lives are valuable to God. Because all people are made in the image of God, every single life has value. God loves everyone. And our last chapter of Esther for today is chapter 6.  The king couldn't sleep so he has the record of his reign read aloud to him. This is a man who likes to hear about his own exploits. Regardless, he finally learns about the incident in which Mordecai uncovers a conspiracy to assassinate the king. The king realizes that Mordecai was never rewarded for this and so he asks Haman what should be done to a man who greatly pleases the king. Haman, totally self-obsessed, thinks the king is referring to him so he chooses a grand reward: wearing the a royal robe and being paraded around the city on one of the king's horses. Things are beginning to be turned upside down. While Haman was originally planning on killing Mordecai that day, he ends up being the one who parades him around the city.  Our New Testament reading is Revelation 2. John's first vision from the risen Lord includes messages to the seven churches of Asia Minor. We can think of these as “love letters” of sorts. Remember, Jesus knew the churches inside and out. He knew the pastors, the participants, the struggles, and the joys. He loved each church very much and wanted them to be effective and fruitful. Each church letter starts with this message, “to the angel at the church of...” Who were these angels? In the ancient Greek, the word angel is usually translated messenger. Who were the messengers? Most scholars agree that the messengers would have been the pastor of the church. As the shepherd of the flock, they were to bring the message to the people. The message itself was from Jesus. He is the one who holds the seven stars and walks among the lampstands (referring to the churches), he is the first and the last who came to life again, he is the one who has the sharp, double-edged sword, and he is the one whose eyes are blazing fire and feet are burnished bronze. These may not be typical images we have for Jesus but they give us another perspective of our Lord and Savior. Remember, he is the one who will return to defeat Satan and conquer evil forever. He is the lamb of God but he is also so much more. Each love letter to a church also lists the things the church is doing well (compliments) and things that are going wrong (criticisms). Remember, Jesus wants to encourage them but he also wants them to be who they are called to be. Kind of like our children, we want to see them grow and thrive and so discipline is important. We all need accountability. Without it, we will drift away from God. Because Jesus loved these churches so much, he provides them the remedy to fix whatever their problems were. At times, his words seem harsh. They need to be. This is a matter of eternal importance. It's urgent. The letters close with a commitment from Jesus. To those who have ears to hear, let them hear what the Spirit is saying to them. This means not simply hearing it, but heeding it. If they do, then Jesus gives them a promise. In this case, it's to eat from the tree of life, which means to have eternal life with God. The paradise of God could be thought of as heaven. Think of what the first hearers of this message must be experiencing. How they needed to focus on this promise! What about you? Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope February 26, 2025 Day 4 of Week 48   Scripture:  Esther 1-3; Psalm 139; Revelation 1   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope!  This is the devotional and podcast that goes along with the Bible reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida.   Let's start with our Old Testament reading in Esther.  It was in 539BC that King Cyrus of Persia conquered Babylon. A year later, he allowed the Jewish people to end their exile and return to Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 36). But not all of them went. They had lives and livelihoods and the journey to Jerusalem would mean picking up and moving after generations in Babylon/Persia. Esther and her family, who this book is about, for whatever reason decide to stay put. They give us a picture of what it looks like to be a faithful Jew in a foreign land.   In the first chapter, we meet King Xerxes, who ruled Persia from 485 to 465BC. It was a very large kingdom and Xerxes expanded its borders quite a bit, all the way to what it now Pakistan to the east and Ethiopia to the south. While he may have been a good military commander and strategist, he struggled in the “don't get drunk and mess up your marriage” area, as we can see in today's text. Xerxes had thrown a huge banquet with many diplomats and important people from all over the region. He flaunts his wealth and then wants to flaunt his wife.   Most Jewish scholars think that when Xerxes asked Vashti to display her royal crown, it meant that he wanted her to appear naked in front of this large group of inebriated men. Vashti, his wife, isn't having it. Women in those days had almost no say so in marriage, particularly if one was married to the king. And yet, something gave Vashti courage to say I'm not going to be paraded around like property before this group of drunk men. Maybe this had happened before. Regardless, it was a recipe for disaster and it would have been against custom of staying covered.   But Xerxes had unilateral power. To refuse a command of the king, especially in front of others, would most certainly have consequences. Vashti was willing to subject herself to them. She would rather lose her position in society than lose her dignity. She was brave, and while she knew it would mean something harsh, it was worth it to her. Sure enough, the king, probably under the influence of alcohol and without giving it much thought, decrees that Vashti is never to be in his presence again. Vashti has courageously served and now exited. God is making a way for someone else who will serve for a very specific purpose.   In chapter two, the search is on for a new queen. It's quite the process as well. Beautiful virgins from far and wide are brought into the palace for all kinds of exceptional beauty treatments. Esther is one of those women. Esther was a Jew. She didn't reveal her identity to anyone but she was part of the Jewish diaspora, the Jews who were spread outside of Jerusalem, trying to live faithfully in pagan lands.   She had been raised by her cousin, Mordecai, who we also meet in this chapter. He loves Esther like his own daughter and is filled with much advice for her. Esther is exceptionally beautiful and she catches the eye of the king more than any other woman. We also know that God is ensuring that she is chosen to be queen because there is something important that Esther will need to do for her people.   While God is not explicitly mentioned in the book of Esther, it is certainly a book that demonstrates the sovereignty of God. What does it mean that God is sovereign? It means that God is all-powerful and authoritative. He is ruler of the universe and is in all and over all. No matter the situation, God is present and God is at work. But unlike Xerxes, who uses his power selfishly, God uses his power in a moral, righteous way. He seeks what is best for his creation.   There is an interesting subplot at the end of the second chapter, in which Mordecai saves the king's life. This is a small but important piece to remember and tuck away for later in the book.   In chapter three, we meet Haman.  Haman is a real piece of work. He hears that Mordecai won't kneel down before him and he is enraged. Of course, we know that Mordecai is a Jew. He is only supposed to bow down before God. I'm thinking this plays in to Mordecai's refusal but it could be that Mordecai knows Haman is a royal jerk and he simply won't give him the pleasure. One can't help noticing the similarity between Mordecai and Vashti in this story. Both refuse to honor men who do not deserve to be honored and they do so knowing there will be consequences.   And there are consequences. Haman, who seems to be evil inside and out, decides he doesn't just want to punish Mordecai but his whole people group. He wants to ensure that all the Jewish people are killed. Let's think about the absurdity of this: Haman wants to kill all the Jews in the kingdom because one Jew, Mordecai, refused to kneel before him. Haman senses that Mordecai is a threat to his power and he wants to punish that threat mercilessly. Thus, Haman devises a plan. He presents this idea to King Xerxes. There is a “certain group” of people who contaminate his empire and it is not in his best interest to tolerate them. Haman has a ready-made plan for elimination and it even involves a monetary bribe. Xerxes either doesn't want to be bothered or is incredibly gullible. He basically passes his authority to Haman and says “do what you will” with an entire group of people.   Most of us will read this with a certain amount of horror. How appalling it is that a whole people group could be eliminated with nothing more than a flip of the hand. And yet, this scene, with different characters, has been repeated throughout human history over and over again. What is it about us as humans that we demonize whole groups of people? That we fail to value human life?   For our New Testament reading, we begin Revelation, one of the most difficult and misunderstood books of the Bible. It's going to be a great journey! The book was written by the apostle John, much later in his life, while he was exiled on the island of Patmos. Revelation was sent as a circular letter to the seven churches of Asia Minor, to be passed from church to church and read aloud. It was intended to address the real needs of real people. For some churches, it was a word of encouragement in the midst of terrible persecution to give them a bigger perspective; there was more going on in the world than they could see or imagine. To other churches, it was a word of conviction. But most of all, it was prophecy.   Let's be careful to not mix up prophecy with prediction. Prophecy is a divine message. Thus, Revelation is a word from God by his angel to John. It is God revealing that which was previously unknown. The beginning of today's chapter, verses 1-8, serves as a kind of prologue. It introduces the author and general theme of the book. Then, the book goes right into four visions that John received from the risen Lord.   In our culture and reading style, we tend to be very concerned with words. Revelation is really more about images. My encouragement would be to not get caught up in taking the words literally but focus more on the images that your mind sees as you read the passage. Remember, this was intended to provide a broadened perspective, a more eternal one, for people who were being harshly persecuted and even tortured for their faith. This book demonstrates that while evil may feel overwhelming, it will NOT have the final word. There is more to the world than that which we see with our human eyes. There is a battle going on. And in the end, Jesus wins.   One additional note for today. The Scripture says that those who read it will be blessed, as are those who hear it and take it to heart. First, try to imagine how those words must have resonated with the first hearers of this message. It was the end of the first century and Christians were very much harassed and oppressed in many of these areas. How encouraging it would have been for them to hear this word of promise and blessing. While we live in a different time and culture, the Scripture also applies to us. I trust that we will also be blessed by reading this book and blessed as we try to understand it and take it to heart. I ask that we all pray for open hearts and minds as we begin this journey into this exciting and complex book of the Bible!   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

In today's episode, we're introduced to the heroes of our story: Esther and Mordecai. Holly takes us through the history of the Israelites returning to Jerusalem from Persia and why Mordecai's presence in Persia was supernatural. Holly also shares more stories about the crazy teenage boys in her house. (Hint: Home Depot and baby bunnies.)Bible Verses Referenced:Esther 2:1-14Ezra 1:1-5Ezra 4:1-6Esther 2:15-23Sisters with Swords is produced and edited by Holly Knight. Original music by the Minister of Funk and husband of the year, Bradley Knight, can be found here. You can find Holly's book Stubborn Obedience on Amazon! And don't forget to visit Janie's restaurant, The Biscuit Bar, if you're in the DFW Area. Please like, subscribe, and share this episode with your friends and follow us on Instagram! We are so grateful for you, sister, and are cheering you on as you wield your sword.@sisterswithswords@heyhollyknight@janiejoburkett

When we left off the most unlikely of reversals had happened. Haman, who had shamed Mordecai and manipulated the king, using the royal signet ring to issue an edict to kill, to destroy, and to annihilate Mordecai's people, the Jews throughout the empire; that same Haman had to lead Mordecai through the city proclaiming his honor, and then his plot was exposed and Haman was hanged on the 75-foot-high gallows he had built. We will pick it up with Esther 8:1-9:16. In this section the reversal theme becomes even greater as we see a second edict issued using the signet ring of the king. The passage raises some important questions about the nature of justice, the differences between human justice and God's justice, and the ways that we are part of God's work of bringing justice to our city and our world. There are some difficult questions as well as we see what might look like retribution. Through it all we will see that even in the darkest of circumstance we can trust that true justice will triumph in the end, God's justice will be brought to bear in its fullness. The overarching theme of God's Sovereignty in the Silence continues in powerful ways this week. In that, God's Word meets us in perfect timing for the week we are walking through. God sees. God knows. God hears us. Even when it seems like God is silent, His sovereign hand is moving in powerful ways. 

Today on the 4:13, author and Bible teacher Kelly Minter invites you into the daring faith modeled by Esther and her cousin Mordecai—a faith developed over time, rooted in the goodness of God, lived out through extraordinary circumstances, and used to change the world.  Although our time looks different from Esther's, our God is just as active and faithful today, and He has called YOU for such a time as this. So, let's dive into this fascinating book of the Bible and discover how Esther's story can inspire our own.  SHOW NOTES: 413Podcast.com/337  Enter to win the GIVEAWAY and read the episode TRANSCRIPT in the show notes. Get my weekly email, Java with Jennifer, to be notified when a new podcast episode releases. Subscribe HERE.

Here's a podcast description:Alex Wilson delivers a sermon from his garage church in Kauai, Hawaii, exploring the biblical theme of how God chooses the unlikely to accomplish His purposes. Drawing from 1 Corinthians and the story of Mordecai and Haman from the Book of Esther, Wilson illustrates how God often uses those the world considers weak or foolish to demonstrate His wisdom and power. The message emphasizes that Christians don't need to prove themselves because they're already approved by God, concluding with a practical analogy comparing this truth to a Costco membership card. This sermon is part of the House Church series, aimed at encouraging spiritual growth within local church communities. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amenpodcast.substack.com