Podcasts about New Covenant

Is the Old Testament Obsolete for New Covenant Believers? (Part 01) References: John 5:39 Luke 24:13-27 1 Chronicles 22:5-13 Haggai 2:2-9 Hebrews 12:26. Zechariah 6:12-13 2 Corinthians 3:7-11 Daniel 9:24-27   www.thesatisfiedgod.com Subscribe to our YouTube page - The Satisfied God Podcast YouTube Please like and follow our Facebook page - www.facebook.com/thesatisfiedgodpodcast Thanks for all your support in every way. Please share this Channel with your friends. We are available on every major podcast provider, including Podbean, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and Spotify. Also, please subscribe to be made aware of every new episode. Thanks for listening and feel free to contact me at rabonbyrd@gmail.com You may help financially in the following ways: Give via PayPal by clicking this link: www.paypal.me/thesatisfiedgod Give via Cash App - $RabonByrdTSG Give via Venmo: @RabonTSG Give via Zelle - rabonbyrd@gmail.com You may send financial support or other communications via U.S. mail to: PO Box 186 Marshall, AR 72650. Checks payable to Rabon Byrd. Memo: Satisfied God Podcast

“The end is coming!” Throughout the years, this short but terrifying sentence has sent shivers down the spines of believers, conjuring images of apocalyptic destruction and trials foretold by ancient texts. But should the faithful tremble at the thought of the book of Revelation, or is there a deeper understanding to be had?This is a question Jenny Mire was able to answer in her journey to understand the end times. In this episode of The Revelations Podcast, we take a deeper look into the Bible and human history. Jenny sheds light on Daniel's 70 Weeks prophecy, and why she believes that Jesus reigns in the present. She explains the Olivet Discourse and the relevance of the Old and New Covenant so we can better understand the meaning behind the book of Revelation.This episode will give you hope to continue Gods will in your life and peace to sustain you as you walk with Jesus!Here are three reasons why you should listen to this episode:Gain insight into the different major perspectives of the end times and Jenny's partial preterist, amillennialist view.Understand the Olivet Discourse and how Jesus' proclamations are fulfilled throughout history.Be freed from fear with a better understanding of the end times and the new covenant with our Lord, Jesus.Become Part of Our Mission! Support The Revelations Podcast:Your support fuels our mission to share transformative messages of hope and faith. Click here to learn how you can contribute and be part of this growing community!ResourcesMore from the Revelations Podcast hosted by Reagan Kramer: Website | Instagram | Apple Podcast | YoutubeSeason 4 Episode 4: The Rooted Truth of God's Word (ft. Jenny Mire)The Rooted Truth Podcast hosted by Jenny MireEpisode 92: Healing + Deliverance in the Church with Reagan KramerRemnant Rising by LoriThe Rooted Truth: Join the community | Get the app | Instagram | WebsiteThe 70th Week of Daniel free resource from The Rooted TruthThe Complete Works of Josephus by Josephus, translated by William WhistonBible Verses:Daniel 9Daniel 12:11Matthew 23; Matthew 23: 36 - 38Matthew 24; Matthew 24:2; Matthew 24:15Luke 21; Luke 21:22Isaiah 61Hebrews 8:13 Jeremiah 29Connect with Jenny: Instagram | WebsiteThis Episode is brought to you by Advanced Medicine AlternativesGet back to the active life you love through natural & regenerative musculoskeletal healing: https://www.georgekramermd.com/Episode Highlights[03:28] Jenny Explains EschatologyEschatology is the study of the end times or the end of the world as we know it. The Greek word “escha” means last or farthest away.There are many different views and words for this study. Specifically, Jenny views it as the “last days.”Like many others, Reagan and Jenny have been exposed to the fear of the end times that Hollywood and society have perpetuated.However, the book of Revelations isn't about fear. It is about the revealing of Jesus Christ. [06:55] Jenny: “Revelation is ‘the revealing of'… It means the revealing of Jesus Christ. It is about Jesus. When you look at Revelations with those lenses of ‘Where are we seeing him revealed?' your view starts to change.” It reveals the New Covenant and what that means for us, believers.[07:23] The Major Views of the End TimesThe dispensational view looks at Revelations at different times. From the growth of the Church to the 7-year peace agreement of the Antichrist and Jesus' return to reign and end all evil. The Church is raptured before, in the middle, or after the 7-year tribulationAmillennialism believes that Jesus reigns right now. There will be no rapture and the Church waits for Jesus' second coming and then eternity.A preterist view believes the Revelations were fulfilled in the first century. A partial preterist believes that it has mostly been fulfilled and only awaits the return of Jesus.Other views include historical, post-millennialism, futurism, and idealism. Listen to the full episode to gain a better understanding of the different views of the end times with Jenny.Jenny is a partial preterist with an amillennialist viewpoint. She believes that Jesus is reigning in the present. Once He comes back, he will bring eternity.[13:09] The Journey Into Studying the book of RevelationIn 2020, Jenny started questioning what other people told her about the end times. She started reading Revelations and felt uneasy about how some things didn't make sense.She discovered that the 7-year tribulation theology came from Daniel's 70 Weeks prophecy. Jenny started reading the Book of Daniel and listened to different viewsJenny started studying the Hebrew writings in Daniel. It's through this that she better understands the 70 Weeks prophecy and how it actually refers to Jesus and His ministry.The next step in her journey was understanding what Matthew 24 says when talking about the end times and the great tribulation.In the past year, she studied Revelations and listened to different views and perspectives. With prayer, Jenny felt the Holy Spirit confirm her beliefs not with fear but with peace.[17:02] A Deeper Look Into Pre-Tribulation Rapture Theology and HistoryDispensationalism was made popular in the 1800s by John Nelson Darby. His work has then been taught in seminaries.Josephus was a first-century Jewish historian. He documented the history of the Jewish-Roman War. His works are crucial in understanding the views of the end times.In Matthew 23, Jesus proclaimed destruction and judgment on that generation before He died in 30 AD. In 66 AD, Roman armies surrounded Jerusalem before pulling out and allowing Christians who heeded Jesus' warnings to flee the city.The Roma-Jewish War lasted for 3 and a half years as written in the books of Revelations and Daniel. It ended in 70 AD after a final siege lasting 5 months.A better understanding of these dates gave Jenny a deeper look. Learn more about these historical dates and Bible writings in Jenny's full explanation in this episode.[27:02] The Book of RevelationsMany believe that John wrote Revelations between 90 and 95 AD. However, based on his age and writing, it makes sense to have been written around 60 ADRevelations is the last book in the Bible as it describes the destruction of the temple and how it embodies the Mosaic Covenant.Jenny asks important questions to better understand Revelations in her journey. This brings her to the realization that the Old Covenant is done and the New Covenant has everything we need.[31:30] Explaining the Olivet DiscourseThe Olivet Discourse is found in Matthew 24 and Luke 21. Before this, Jesus calls out the Pharisees and scribes as hypocrites in Matthew 23.Jesus and His disciples talk about His proclamation of judgment on the Pharisees, the destruction of the temple, and when it will occur. The disciples ask Jesus about the signs of coming and the end of the age, referring to the Old Covenant Age.In Matthew, Jesus refers to the “Abomination of Desolation” mentioned by Daniel about the first-century destruction. Luke 21 tells the same story of this discourse where he writes about this desolation as Jerusalem surrounded by armies.These chapters and verses can be seen in the Roman-Jewish war between 66 AD and 70 AD.Jesus' proclamation was fulfilled. Romans conquered, took people captive, and left others dead. Not one stone was left in the temple when it was destroyed in the war.[42:38] The End of the Old CovenantThe 70 weeks of Daniel was during Jesus' 3-and-a-half-year ministry. He was crucified midway through the 70th week. [43:19] Jenny: “When Jesus came when he resurrected and ascended into heaven, He began reigning at that point. The new covenant was in effect for those who accepted it.” After Jesus' resurrection and ascension, the New Covenant and His reign began.This overlapped with the Old Covenant as it became obsolete and slowly vanished. The fall of the temple was the end of the Old Covenant.[46:14] Following the Way of the New CovenantRecently, there has been talk about rebuilding the temple. However, Jenny believes that this is a distraction of the enemy from our task to grow and become many. [46:34] Jenny: “You and I are the temple and the Holy Spirit. God dwells in us and where He dwells is His glory. So when it says the glory will fill the whole Earth, that is us, believers.” People are so focused on what can happen in the future that it distracts us from what we should be doing. Many are scared and choose not to live their lives due to this fear.We get stuck in fear. However, it's important to ask about if this is from the Lord. The Lord is perfect love and not based on fear.John, as a prophet of the first century, wrote Revelations referring to the first destruction of the temple like the prophets of the Old Testament.Jenny believes we are at the end of the book, experiencing Jesus' reign and waiting for His return. We are made spiritually new in Christ but yearn for physical restoration.[56:16] Freedom From Fear By Understanding the End TimesWhat Jenny has learned about the end times has helped her in understanding the New Covenant.She is now on a new journey to find out what it means to be a new creation and know our true identity.Once we stop fearing and looking for the Antichrist and more, we can focus on Jesus and the New Covenant. There is freedom from fear to be able to live and move forward. About JennyJenny Mire is the founder of The Rooted Truth and Think Fit. She is a child of God who is dedicated to her mission to teach and empower women through God's Word. Jenny is also an author, speaker, and the host of The Rooted Truth Podcast.Connect with Jenny on her website and Instagram.Enjoyed this Episode?If you did, subscribe and share it with your friends!Post a review and share it! If you enjoyed tuning in, then leave us a review. You can also share this with your friends and family. This episode is all about understanding what Revelations is about and finding freedom from fear of the end times.Have any questions? You can connect with me on Instagram.Thank you for tuning in! For more updates, tune in on Apple Podcasts.

Abner Chou • 2 Corinthians 3:1–3:18 • Sermon Notes (Lesson | Lesson | Video) • Every Woman's Grace

Abner Chou • 2 Corinthians 3:1–3:18 • Sermon Notes (Lesson | Lesson | Video) • Every Woman's Grace

Ever wondered, 'Am I good enough for God to use me?' Join Carrie Pickett as she unveils the power and grace of the New Covenant, showing you that you are more than enough.

Do you understand the true difference between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant? Andrew walks you through biblical insights that reveal how God's promises have transformed our relationship with Him.

A sermon by pastoral intern Ian Mosley.

Do you know the difference between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant? Greg Mohr articulates how understanding this pivotal distinction brings freedom and new life in Christ.

In this podcast transcript, Joe Granieri explores the spiritual concept of an undivided heart, which he defines as a gift from God already present in a believer's spirit. While Christians possess a perfect spirit, they often struggle with double-mindedness caused by worldly cares, the pursuit of wealth, and negative emotions. Joe emphasizes that achieving a singular focus requires constant thankfulness, a positive imagination rooted in biblical hope, and a conscious awareness of God's absolute goodness. He argues that legalistic teachings regarding God's judgment are incorrect, as the New Covenant is defined entirely by grace and kindness. Ultimately, the message encourages listeners to transition from being mere believers to active disciples by accessing their spiritual inheritance and serving as ambassadors for Christ.

From Sunday, 9/27, CrossLife elder Andy DeBoer continues our sermon series through Hebrews. The passage centers on Jesus as the mediator of a new covenant, one that provides ultimate forgiveness and redemption through His blood.

The sermon explores the theological distinction between the Church and the nation of Israel, emphasizing that the New Covenant is specifically for Israel while Gentiles have been grafted into God's plan through the mystery of grace. It clarifies that the Church is not the replacement for Israel but a separate entity created by God's foreknowledge, citing Ephesians and Colossians to demonstrate the unfathomable riches of this inclusion. The teaching distinguishes between the 'fullness of the Gentiles,' which precedes the Rapture, and the 'times of the Gentiles,' a period of Gentile dominion over Jerusalem that will end with Christ's return. By analyzing Luke 21 and Romans 11, the message warns against spiritual ignorance and self-righteousness, urging believers to understand that God's promises to Israel remain irrevocable despite their partial blindness. The tone is instructional and corrective, aiming to align the congregation's understanding with a literal interpretation of Scripture regarding end-times events and divine election.

We are transformed through the grace of God and Jesus Himself has become our sanctification. He transforms us from the inside out. Paul describes this sanctifying work as the law who gives life through the Spirit. This law is the love of the Father that transforms our heart, the ministry of the Holy Spirit that strengthens us in our weakness and the indwelling life of Christ that sanctifies us. The process of sanctification is all a work of grace and it is one of the greatest blessings of the New Covenant. Find my books through these links: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Martin-Re%C3%A9n/author/B0B34JVCRP?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true https://www.adlibris.com/se/sok?q=martin+re%C3%A9n

What does it mean for a believer to be “dead to the law”? In Romans 7:1-13, the Apostle Paul explains that the law of God is holy, just, and good, but sinful man does not have the ability to produce righteousness through the law. Instead, the law reveals sin and exposes our need for the grace of God. Through the body of Christ, believers have been released from the condemning power of the law and joined to the risen Christ so that we can bear fruit to God. Rather than serving God in the oldness of the letter and the strength of our flesh, we are called to serve in the newness of the Spirit. This teaching also examines the Mosaic Law, the New Covenant, the relationship between law and grace, Paul's personal testimony, and why love is at the center of bearing fruit for God. Taught by Assistant Pastor Mac at Calvary Kaneohe Hawaii. Social MediaApple App Store: https://subsplash.com/calvarychapelkaneohe/appGoogle Play: https://subsplash.com/calvarychapelkaneohe/appAmazon Appstore: https://subsplash.com/calvarychapelkaneohe/appRoku Channel Store: https://subsplash.com/calvarychapelkaneohe/appProphecy Website: http://jdfarag.orgChurch Website: http://www.calvarychapelkaneohe.com/X: https://x.com/JDFaragFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/JDFarag/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/JDFarag/

Topics: The Prayer of a Righteous Person, James 5:16, James 5:16 Explained, The Prayer of a Righteous Person Explained, Powerful and Effective Prayer, Effectual Fervent Prayer, What Makes Prayer Powerful?, Does God Hear Every Christian's Prayers?, Does God Hear My Prayers?, Do Some Christians Have More Powerful Prayers?, Do You Need a Prayer Warrior?, Righteousness and Prayer, What Makes a Person Righteous?, Righteous by Faith, The Righteous Shall Live by Faith, Righteousness Through Jesus Christ, Righteousness Apart From the Law, Righteousness by Faith vs Works, Prayer Under Grace, Prayer Under the New Covenant, Prayer and the Law, Elijah's Prayer, James 5:17-18, Did Elijah Pray for the Rain to Stop?, Elijah and the Drought, God Hears Your Prayers, Prayer and Identity in Christ, Jesus and the Transfiguration, Moses and Elijah at the Transfiguration, James Explained Support the showSign up for Matt's free daily devotional!  https://mattmcmillen.com/newsletter

Today's Scripture: Hebrews 9:14-28, Exodus 24:6-8, Luke 22:20, Hebrews 12:24, Romans 9:21-24, Hebrews 8:5, Leviticus 17:11, Isaiah 25:9Thank you so much for checking out this week's sermon from The Four56 Church! For service times, community opportunities, sermon video, and more please visit theFour56.org.

September 20, 2026 - Sunday PM Service   Tonight's Q&A with speakers Neal and Hiram tackles ten thoughtful questions Christians regularly face. The episode opens with a theological framework for distinguishing cultural practices from binding biblical commands—using modesty, manners, and head coverings as examples and offering principles (universality, timelessness, and absence of exceptions) to determine what applies today. The hosts discuss the Shroud of Turin, weighing carbon-dating and historical evidence while stressing that artifacts don't replace apostolic testimony as the basis of faith. Listeners hear an extended look at Hebrews 10:26 and the nature of willful sin, repentance, and restoration, with references to Luke 15 and 1 John 1:9. Practical worship issues are covered in 1 Timothy 2:8, explaining “lifting up holy hands” as symbolic of a holy life and surveying biblical prayer postures; they also address hand-clapping and clarify New Testament expectations for congregational singing. The panel examines whether it's ever right to attend a nonbiblical or denominational service with friends, giving guidelines on conscience, evangelistic wisdom, and avoiding compromise. The episode offers encouragement about answered prayer—appealing to Scripture (1 John 5:14, Psalm 46) and personal experience—and a clear explanation of Jesus' teaching on marriage versus Old Testament polygamy, showing how the New Covenant restores God's original design. For Bible-study listeners, Hiram provides a readable roadmap through Ezekiel's final chapters, distinguishing near-term restoration from Messianic fulfillment and connecting Ezekiel's temple imagery with New Testament typology. Finally, they discuss Romans 16:1 (Phoebe as a diakonos) and Acts 21's Jerusalem visit, clarifying the semantic range of diakonos, the role of women's service in the church, and the dangers of compromise in ministerial decisions. Throughout the episode the speakers balance careful exegesis, pastoral sensitivity, and practical application, making complex passages accessible and equipping listeners to think biblically about worship, doctrine, witness, and daily Christian living.   Duration 55:09

Sermon Outline: "When Who He Is Meets Where You Are" I. Grace in the Mundane & For the Assignment Meeting God in the Everyday: God does not just appear in high-profile moments; He meets believers in the routine, daily rhythms of life (00:48:44). Grace Arrives at the Step of Faith: Illustrating through personal testimonies (preaching in San Juan, Puerto Rico to 8,000 people) and a Miss America ticket analogy, Pastor Rhonda emphasized that grace for an assignment is released when you step through the door, not beforehand (00:50:13). The Exam Already Passed: Sharing a story about a Bible college professor who marked all exam answers correct in red ink, illustrating that righteousness and spiritual victory are gifts given because Christ took the test for us (00:52:59). II. Moses at the Burning Bush (Exodus 3:1–14) Outliving Past Consequences: After 40 years on the backside of the desert in Midian (14,600 days), Moses thought his story was over due to past murder and rejection. God demonstrated that a wilderness season cannot cancel His purpose (00:56:32). Holy Ground Wherever You Step: When Moses turned aside to the burning bush, God commanded him to take off his shoes. Under the New Covenant, because Christ lives in believers, every workplace, home, and assignment becomes holy ground (01:00:58). Overcoming the "Imposter Syndrome": Addressing insecurity and the inner soundtrack of "Who do you think you are?", God answered Moses' insecurity ("Who am I?") not with self-confidence, but with God-confidence: "I will be with you" (01:05:05, Exodus 3:12). III. The Power of the Name: Yahweh (I AM THAT I AM) The Self-Existent One: Unlike humans who are defined by parentage, origin, or beginning, God revealed Himself as Yahweh (I AM THAT I AM)—eternal, self-sustaining, uncreated, and needing no external fuel (like the unconsumed bush) (01:13:08, Exodus 3:14). Breathed Presence: Referencing the Hebrew root Haya and the divine name Yahweh, God's very name matches the rhythm of human breath (01:15:50). Jesus, the Great I AM: Connecting Old Covenant revelation to Jesus' "I AM" statements in John (Bread of Life, Light of the World, Door, Good Shepherd, Resurrection and Life), proving that where Christ steps in, human inadequacy is completely swallowed up (01:28:40). IV. Four Core Kingdom Principles God Takes the Initiative: History is His story; God initiates pre-blessed plans (01:17:31). God Moves in Response to Prayer: Corporate crying out invites divine intervention (01:18:01). God is the Supplier: When we carry anxiety or sleeplessness over assignments, we carry what belongs to God. God stays up so we can sleep (01:20:28). God Heals Your World From Where He Healed You: God uses personal misery, brokenness, and former wildernesses (Mount Horeb/Sinai) to bring deliverance to others (01:22:56, 2 Corinthians 1:3–4). Scripture Index Isaiah 41:10 > "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." (00:47:25) Exodus 3:1–6 > "And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed." (00:47:55, 01:00:00) Exodus 3:7–8 > "And the Lord said: 'I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry... So I have come down to deliver them...'" (01:02:00) Exodus 3:11–12 > "But Moses said to God, 'Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh...?' So He said, 'I will certainly be with you.'" (01:04:47, 01:08:10) Exodus 3:13–14 > "And God said to Moses, 'I AM THAT I AM.' And He said, 'Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: I AM has sent me to you.'" (00:47:55, 01:13:18) Zechariah 4:6–7 > "'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the Lord of hosts. 'Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone with shouts of Grace, grace to it!'" (00:54:40) 2 Corinthians 1:3–4 > "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ... who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble..." (01:23:22) Psalm 34:17 > "The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles." (01:18:38) John 8:58 > "Jesus said to them, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.'" (01:28:40) "Thanks for listening! For more information, visit churchoftheharvest.com. Don't forget to follow us on Facebook and YouTube @cothcleveland.

In Galatians 6:1-5, Paul tells us to “Bear one another's burdens” and shows us how. By helping to restore someone who has fallen to sin, we fulfill Christ's command in the New Covenant to “love one another.” It's a simple yet profound thing that each of us can do, that invites us to live out… The post Restore appeared first on Calvary Chapel At The Cross.

A Meal for a New Covenant

This sermon examines the final verses of Hebrews 11 to explore the practical outcomes of genuine faith, highlighting both its capacity for great achievement and its power to endure severe suffering. Pastor Rod Mitchell emphasizes that biblical heroes were not moral supermen but flawed individuals who relied entirely on God's strength, demonstrating that faith is rooted in helpless dependence rather than personal merit. By contrasting the victories of figures like Gideon and David with the unrecorded suffering of martyrs, the message affirms that God commends faith even when it results in persecution or death. The exposition concludes by asserting that New Covenant believers possess a superior privilege, having witnessed the fulfillment of the Messiah's promise, which provides a greater motivation to persevere in faith despite life's trials.

Chase Riebel - September 27, 2026

This sermon examines the final verses of Hebrews 11 to explore the practical outcomes of genuine faith, highlighting both its capacity for great achievement and its power to endure severe suffering. Pastor Rod Mitchell emphasizes that biblical heroes were not moral supermen but flawed individuals who relied entirely on God's strength, demonstrating that faith is rooted in helpless dependence rather than personal merit. By contrasting the victories of figures like Gideon and David with the unrecorded suffering of martyrs, the message affirms that God commends faith even when it results in persecution or death. The exposition concludes by asserting that New Covenant believers possess a superior privilege, having witnessed the fulfillment of the Messiah's promise, which provides a greater motivation to persevere in faith despite life's trials.

Hosts Shelly and June Volk delve into the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), contrasting animal sacrifices under Levitical law with the completed work of Jesus on the cross. Sharing personal testimonies from Yom Kippur and their early ministry, they examine how the Messiah fulfills the Old Covenant, transforms the heart, and offers believers a completely new life. Key Takeaways Sacrificial Shadow & Completion: The two goats on Yom Kippur foreshadowed Jesus, whose ultimate sacrifice replaced yearly animal offerings for complete forgiveness. A New Life, Not Just a Career: True faith is about spiritual rebirth and internal transformation rather than external religious duties or ambition. The New Covenant Promise: The New Covenant fulfills Jeremiah's prophecy by replacing laws written on stone with a pliable heart written with God's grace. Imputed Righteousness: Freedom from sin comes not through human effort or self-righteous observance of the law, but through receiving the righteousness of Messiah. Key Bible Passages & Scripture References Isaiah 62:1 – "For Zion's sake I will not keep silent..." Leviticus 16 & 23 – Instructions for the Day of Atonement and the two goats. Psalm 51:1–13 – King David's prayer for a clean heart and a renewed spirit. Micah 7:18–20 – God pardoning iniquity and casting sins into the depths of the sea. Jeremiah 50:19–20 – The promise that the iniquity of Israel will be searched for and found no more. 2 Corinthians 5:21 – Becoming the righteousness of God in Him. Jeremiah 31:31 – The establishment of the New Covenant with the house of Israel. Support the show: https://shellyandjunevolk.com/product/partner-with-us-psalm-127-fund/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This sermon explores the concept of the believer's daily ministry as described in 2 Corinthians, emphasizing that this role is not limited to evangelism but encompasses all interpersonal relationships. The central message is that believers should not lose heart because their adequacy comes from God, who makes them vessels of His life and righteousness. The exposition highlights the New Covenant, referencing Jeremiah 31, where God writes His law on the heart, forgives sin, and enables a personal knowledge of Him that transforms the believer from glory to glory. This internal transformation results in a 'sweet aroma' that impacts others, either leading them to life or death, depending on their response. The tone is encouraging and instructional, urging the audience to trust in the Spirit's work within them and to maintain confidence in their significance as part of God's kingdom.

God Empowers the Weak (6) (audio) David Eells, 9/23/26  Saints, we are weak as we walk by faith in God's promises. Then His power is ours.  We know that spiritual Jews in this New Covenant are the ones who walk in the faith of Abraham. You can't recognize the Jew according to the flesh anymore; it's whether they are a believer or not. It's according to your faith or your unbelief as to whether you're grafted in or broken off according to Romans 11. If you have faith, you're a child and have a right to the children's bread. The world has no right to the children's bread because they are not in Covenant with God. Our part of the Covenant is faith. God's part is supply. We enter into it by faith and God enters into it with supply. I'll show you a few more verses so we can see if this is the Covenant people or the world who's getting healed or delivered here. Now remember what Jesus believed. He showed you His doctrine: that He didn't come to the lost people; He came to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 15:24). Why did He call them the “lost sheep of the house of Israel”? He called them that because, like sheep, Israel had gone astray. He wasn't talking about the world there. And just like sheep, Israel in this day has gone astray, too. The Lord told me one time, “I sent you to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” He wasn't talking about physical Israel; He was talking about spiritual Israel, the lost sheep, because they are lambs who have lost their way. The Way is the Word. In fact, in the Book of Acts, they called it the Way (Acts 9:2; 19:9,23; 22:4; 24:14,22). It is a Way. We're supposed to be walking on the Way of Jesus' steps. 1Jn 2:6  he that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk even as he walked.  (Mat.8:16) And when even was come, they brought unto him many possessed with demons: and he cast out the spirits with a word (Matthew is talking about the children here), and healed all that were sick: (Mat.8:17) that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our diseases. He didn't say, “the world's infirmities”; he said, “our infirmities, and bare our diseases.” Who has the right to deliverance from demons and who has a right to healing? The believers do. They do not. In fact, you don't have a right to give it to them, except by the permission of God. Jesus granted the desire of the Syrophoenician woman because of her profession of faith. Once, I asked God and received permission in a vision to cast a demon out of a lost person.  God does give permission, but He doesn't have to. Here's the difference: God has to give deliverance to somebody who's in Covenant because the Bible says it, and He'd be a liar if He didn't. He has to give all the promises of God. The Bible says all the promises of God are “Yes.” (2Co.1:20) For how many soever be the promises of God, in him is the yea: wherefore also through him is the Amen, unto the glory of God through us. Some say, “sometimes God says, No,” but if it's concerning a promise to a believer, He says “Yes.” There is no promise in the Bible for deliverance for the world from a demon, even though we can ask God and He might give permission. But we who are in Covenant with God have a guaranteed right to deliverance. The Bible says by His stripes you were healed (1 Peter 2:24). It's not even a matter of convincing God; it's an accomplished fact on the cross. It's not as though God is going to change His mind. It's already an accomplished fact on the cross that we were delivered. So, who's He casting these demons out of here, that He says is a fulfillment through the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 53:4)? If it's a fulfillment of Him taking away our infirmities, then He's talking about deliverance of Covenant people.  Let me give you another verse. When Jesus sent out His disciples, He limited them specifically as to where they were to go. Evangelization is to the world, but we're not talking about evangelization here; we're talking about dealing with “the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (Mat.10:5) These twelve Jesus sent forth, and charged them, saying, Go not into [any] way of the Gentiles, and enter not into any city of the Samaritans. That's those who are not Jews by blood. Or a Samaritan also can be a pagan who's acting like a Christian because of how Samaria was populated. It was populated when God took away the Samaritans by captivity as the northern 10 tribes. He took them away and repopulated their area with pagans (2 Kings 17:24). And when the pagans in Samaria started dying because of the curses of the land (2 Kings 17:25), the prophet said, “Well, it's because they don't know the God of the land.” So then they brought Israelites in there to train these pagans about the God of the land (2 Kings 17:27). That means, amongst the people of God, there are some pagans. They've been trained in Christianity; they know all the lingo, but they're still pagans, not Covenant people. I'm not saying God can't heal them; I'm just saying they're not in Covenant. What would give them covenant rights? FAITH! We need to have discernment and pay attention to what Jesus said. I've had the Lord tell me, “Don't lay hands on that person for healing.” I've had Him tell me, and I thought they were Christians, but God just said, “Don't do it.” I don't know whether it was because they were in willful disobedience and they couldn't be healed because they were in rebellion against God, or whether they weren't in Covenant with God. I don't know; I don't have all the answers. I just know that God has told me not to do that before. But God has healed nonbelievers, and He does it for evangelistic reasons. What I'm saying is there's a difference; the difference is you have no promise, and there's no guarantee. For that, you have to be led of the Spirit. But as a Christian walking by faith in God, repented of your sins and so on and so forth, you're guaranteed to be healed if you will stay in Covenant by faith. Every one of us has to stay in Covenant by our faith. That's what keeps us in Covenant with God. If you don't have faith, you can't have that part of the Covenant. It doesn't matter that you're saved in another part. If you have sozo over here, it doesn't mean you have sozo over there. The Covenant is very big, and the sozo is very big, but you might be able to enter into only parts of it because of your faith. We enter into as much as we can receive through our faith.  (Mat.10:5) These twelve Jesus sent forth, and charged them, saying, Go not into [any] way of the Gentiles, and enter not into any city of the Samaritans: (6) but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. (7) And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. (8) Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons: freely ye received, freely give. He was saying, cast the demons out, but only cast the demons out of Israel. We don't have to think too much about casting demons out. We have another good example from the apostle Paul. (1Co.5:1) It is actually reported that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not even among the Gentiles, that one [of you] hath his father's wife. (3) For I verily, being absent in body but present in spirit, have already as though I were present judged him that hath so wrought this thing, (4) in the name of our Lord Jesus, ye being gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus, (5) to deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Paul turned this man over to the devil for the destruction of his flesh. He used the devil to chasten this guy to bring him to repentance. You would probably waste a lot of breath trying to deliver that guy.  However, let me say that I've also seen that you can cast that demon out and he'll go right back in there. God might honor your faith; the demon may come right out, but he goes around the corner and he's right back in there. (Heb.10:26) For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more a sacrifice for sins, (27) but a certain fearful expectation of judgment…. A person who's under a judgment, you can't deliver them. Or, if you do, it won't last. Sometimes God wants to teach you something, so He will permit it to happen, but it won't last. The judgment will be right back. For example, you can pray for somebody and God may heal them. But what they have sown, they are reaping (Galatians 6:7). They have walked in sin and brought a curse upon themselves and you may pray for them, and they may be healed, but it doesn't last. Why? Well, two possible reasons are willful rebellion against God (Hebrews 10:26) or unbelief (Hebrews 3:12). They've never learned to walk by faith for themselves. There are a lot of reasons why people don't keep what God gives them. Let me share an experience I had. In a Pentecostal church, I was filled with the Holy Spirit. My doctrine was wrong, but I was filled with the Holy Spirit; I spoke in tongues, and the gifts were being manifested, but I was caught up in a doctrine of demons, and I converted some people to my doctrine. And one day I ran into a man, Brother Bolivar. We were arguing doctrine back and forth and I was sitting across from him and trying to attack what he was saying. I was involved in “Jesus only,” and that was the Oneness doctrine. We were throwing these verses back and forth, and the Lord just really tricked me. Up to that point, I had been converting people to my doctrine very easily, but this guy was better than I was, and he knew more verses than I did. Every time I threw one argument out there, he had an answer for it. Not only that, but he had an answer for my verse because he had already been in that error. This was the secret. He had an answer for my verse. People are used to fighting like, “I take this group of verses and you take this group,” but brother Bolivar not only had his verses; he was explaining mine.  So the Lord tricked me. The thought came to me, “Well, I'm going to have to set down my doctrine just for a minute. I'm going to have to get around there and look through his eyes and try to see what he sees. If I can do that, I can attack this thing.” This is the thought that came into my mind so clearly. And when I decided, that I was going to do that, a demon went right out of the top of my head. I felt the presence go right out through the top of my head, and I had an instantaneous revelation. And the instantaneous revelation was that Jesus is the Son of God. Not only that, I lost something else when that demon left. I don't know its name; all I know was it was a demon. I  felt its presence go up out of me. Then I also lost a sectarian spirit because we were the most sectarian bunch you'd ever want to run across. It was like, “We're saved, and none of the rest of you are saved. You are all lost. Anyway, that was my experience. My experience since then has been casting some demons out of the flesh of Spirit-filled people.  Let me tell you about Tubby. He was a Spirit-filled brother, and I cast four or five demons out of him. They had even spoken to him before they were cast out. They spoke to him, physically spoke, and physically threw him on the bed; they told him they were going to kill him, and then they turned the stereo on and opened his windows and his doors; physical manifestations were happening in his house from those demons that were in him. Well, Brother Tubby had just gotten saved and filled with the Holy Spirit. He came to my house and told me the story of what was happening. It was awful. And so anyway, to make a long story short, I cast the demons out of him and he was set free. I'll give you another example about this guy named Jim. He'd come to a mission near us. He had gotten saved; in fact, he was so saved that he came in there stoned drunk and became sober immediately when he got saved and was filled with the Holy Spirit. Now one of the deacons of that church was telling me about Jim getting filled with demons, but the deacon himself wasn't filled with the Holy Spirit. So I told him, “If I were you, I'd mind my business until I got filled with the Holy Spirit because you don't want to mess with demons until you get filled with the Holy Spirit.” He didn't pay any attention to me. He went on over there, and he ended up in the hospital because the demons manifested in the guy. They ran that deacon right through one of those thick plate-glass doors. He went through it. He was lying out in the street all cut up, screaming for somebody to get the demons off of him. And a baby Christian walked by and said, “Loose him in the name of Jesus!” And that's how he got free. He cried out to that Christian, “Get these demons off of me!” I personally knew Jim. He was miraculously saved and filled with the Holy Spirit, and this is what happened to the deacon after I told him not to go over there, but he did.  Then the preacher went over there, and with what I found out was his girlfriend- but she was supposed to be his secretary. She went over there with him, and these demons were manifesting in Jim. Did you know demons can actually change your physical appearance? Some of those demons have the ability to make you like a werewolf. Werewolves are not fantasy. And not only that, there are many other manifestations. Some levels of demons have the ability to physically change their appearance.  First, let me tell you what happened to this preacher. This preacher and his girlfriend went in there planning to command the demons to come out, but the demons in Jim ran them out of the building. People shouldn't be in sin if they cast out demons. If the door had still been there, he probably would have run them through the door, but the door was in pieces. He ran them out into the street. So they called me and asked me to come there. I think I was probably the only one there who had any experience in casting out demons. So when I went over there and I walked into the room. The preacher and his secretary were standing at the door, peeking around the corner; they wouldn't even come into the room. When I walked into the room, this guy jumped up, and it was just like he was a big old bear. His eyes were wild, and his features were all contorted. And he came at me. But I just felt the calmness of Jesus was in my heart, and I said, “Sit, in the name of Jesus!” He obeyed me immediately; he sat down just like a whipped little puppy; he just sat there. He was growling at me, making all kinds of noises. As the Lord was giving me word of knowledge concerning the demons, I started calling them out, and then they started giving me their names. They spoke out of him. They asked permission to enter into the secretary, and I told them, “No, you can't,” but then I became suspicious.  When they wanted to enter the secretary and wanted my permission, I figured there was something wrong with her. They were also glorifying the preacher, and I knew something was wrong with him because demons don't like to do that. They just thought he was so great and so wonderful. I later came to find out those two were in fornication. I didn't know it at the time, but I was suspicious that something was wrong. Anyway, I commanded the demons to come out. I think 10 of them came out. One of them asked if he could go into a dog, but I couldn't see a dog in the room. I didn't find out until I left the room that there was a dog on the other side of the wall in the next room. Some lady was visiting her husband in the mission, and she had a little dog there. They all asked to enter into the dog. I said, “No, you enter into the nearest cockroach you can find.” That's what I told them. I don't know whether that's Scriptural or not; I just felt like saying it. There may be a crazy cockroach somewhere. But anyway, they came out giving their names. So because God spoke and told me, “They came in through the TV set,” I asked, “Jim, what were you watching on this TV set?” And he showed me. It was a skin flick he was watching on the TV, and those demons came into this Spirit-filled baby Christian. They came into him because he opened himself up by watching pornographic movies, and I'll tell you, it's a dangerous thing to do. Anyway, I can't explain everything that happened there, but the Lord told me there were two demons left and to leave them. So I left them. The next day we had a church service in that mission, and Jim was there, and he came down for prayer. And the Lord taught me something there because the preacher was one of those who thought if he couldn't knock you out on the floor, there was something wrong with you. So he laid hands on Jim to “slay him in the spirit. I don't know what good that would have done him because he really needed deliverance. I didn't know why God told me to leave the last two demons in there until the next day at this meeting when the Lord showed me something. When the preacher laid hands on Jim and Jim's eyes rolled back in his head, and he started to fall out on the floor, well, the Holy Spirit just took control over me. I reached out my hand, stuck it behind his back, stood him back up and started commanding the demons to come out. I didn't even think about what I was doing, and there was no reasoning in me whatsoever; I just did it. After it was all over, I thought about it, and I said to God, “You don't want everybody so-called ‘slain in the spirit,' do You?” Sometimes it's a hindrance, isn't it? You know, sometimes the devil would rather have you slain in the spirit than the demons be cast out. Don't believe “slain in the spirit” is always God, because it's not. I don't care what they say; it's not always God. He showed me right there because it was not my thinking or my ingenuity that did that. God stood him back up and I commanded the demons to come out of him and they did. We have examples in the Scriptures of unbelievers being slain in the spirit, don't we? Preachers want to call it “slain in the spirit”; I don't know about the terminology. But they came up to Jesus, and they all fell backwards in the garden (John 18:6). This showed that Jesus didn't have to go with them. We have quite a few examples of that happening to pagans, but it's not always God. What's Scriptural about knocking christians on the floor? Find it in the Bible. If you can't find it in the Bible, suspect it. Something's wrong because, while it might be a good tingly experience, what is the good in it? We need to see if we can find it one time in the Bible.  If so, that's fine; that means God will do it, but first look at the emphasis in Scripture. If a preacher is having whole services where they're knocking people on the floor, suspect something's wrong. That was not the emphasis of the early church. Our emphasis ought to be like theirs; when they came together, the most important thing was for people to receive the Word of God, not all the manifestations to show how powerful the preacher is. And if the manifestations don't look like the manifestations in the Scripture, then suspect something's wrong. The devil is a deceiver, and he's out to delude people into just tingly experiences. These are just flesh-tingling experiences. Most of the time in the Scriptures, it wasn't somebody who went out and said, “Come out in the name of Jesus,” that caused a person to get deliverance. You know what causes you to get deliverance most often? Repentance. In every situation you get into, you're faced with the truth and your flesh. If you follow your flesh, you permit the devil to live in you. If you follow the Spirit, you put him to death. Some demons are doctrinal demons, like the one I had. You know how that doctrinal demon came out? The truth drove it out. Some demons are physical; their manifestation is in sickness or something like that, and they come out through the laying on of hands or through commanding them to come out. However, some of them are spirits of the lusts of the flesh, and when we look at the Scriptures, we see that most often these were not the kind that came out by a “Come out in the name of Jesus.” You know how they are overcome? It's when you get into a situation, and you're offered the chance, for example, to become angry or bitter, but you say, “No, I don't choose that; I don't accept that.” You refuse to feed your flesh. The Lord says there's a spiritual fast, and that's when your flesh is stopped from doing what it wants. The Bible talks about that in Isaiah 58. If you don't feed the flesh, God has promised you deliverance (Isaiah 58:8-12,14). He puts obstacles in our way to give us opportunities to overcome our flesh. If we don't feed that flesh, it's going to die. You know what the power of the devil is in Christians? It's their flesh. He has a right to stay there as long as they want to live and to serve that flesh. I'm not talking about the body. I'm talking about the nature of the flesh. So, Christians give demons a right. But with true repentance, the devil loses the right to be there. Now you may really want to save someone and deliver them, but God wants you to rest and cease from your works. You see, once we pray and we believe that God hears our prayers concerning our family or others, we have to cease from our works. If we believe He's heard our prayer, we have to stop. That's where the weakness is. It's just as much a part of a miracle as the power; the weakness is. But our weakness is that we need to stop. If we believe God heard, we have to stop trying; we continue to confess the promises; we have to accept that it's accomplished.  (Luk.13:11) And behold, a woman that had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years; and she was bowed together, and could in no wise lift herself up. (16) And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan had bound, lo, [these] eighteen years, to have been loosed from this bond on the day of the sabbath? Oh, by the way, it's on the day of the Sabbath, the day of ceasing from our works. So here was a daughter of Abraham who had demons and, according to the Covenant, deliverance was her birthright. It's still a birthright, by the way, but it's not according to nationality. You have to be born again. You have to be born into this right. I want to give you one more verse. (2Co.7:1) Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit … “Of all defilement of flesh and spirit.” We can be defiled by flesh and spirit. Yes, and we have the promises to use to take care of that. If we believe the promises, we can have that. We have a right to God's deliverance that the world does not have. You can do a very dangerous thing by giving God's deliverance to the world.  While my mother was in my house, she stayed delivered in my house. When she decided to leave, though, the demons came back. Why did they come back? Because she, according to the Covenant, had no right to have the deliverance. The curse has a purpose. The purpose of the curse is to make you so stinking miserable that you'll turn to God. There's a good purpose in having a bad curse. You can say, “Well, hitting somebody with a stick is wrong,” unless you consider it a chastening. And the curse is the stick. It's wrong if you look at it from a carnal viewpoint and say, “Oh, it's so wrong! God can't be doing that!” They should read Deuteronomy 28. God sent the curse. (Exo.4:11) And the Lord said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh [a man] dumb, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? is it not I, the Lord? You say, “Well, the devil does it.” Yes, I agree. He's a bad devil and he hates you very much, but the curse has a purpose, and the purpose is to drive you to God. How many of you came to God because of a curse? Stop and think about it. You got so miserable that you decided you needed a Savior and He was waiting. Let me share about this sister who was asking for deliverance. First, we prayed and asked God to give us a discerning spirit. Sometimes it's very useful. It was revealed that she had a lot of anger and self-will outbursts. Then the Lord gave me a dream about going into her backyard. I don't remember all the details, but there were some beasts in her backyard. One of those beasts came up to me with a three-fingered pitchfork in his hand. He was striped, kind of like a zebra, black and white, but he was a lion. I looked up, and he had a head that looked like one of the Roman gods, so I researched it. And the one with the three-fingered pitchfork was Neptune, the god of the sea. So I thought about it and asked, “Lord, what are You trying to tell me with this god of the sea?” Well, this was the leader, the ruler hidden behind her house or body. And there was something else. Spiritually, in the Scriptures, not only does the sea represent the wicked people, like in Revelation, but the sea represents the curse. (Deu.30:1) And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind…. The Word was called the water in (Ephesians 5:26). The Word saved Noah, but it cursed all of the wicked. So this was the god over the sea, over those who are under the curse. Well, that's what I thought about when I was thinking about this dream; Neptune represents the god of the flesh. He's the god of that which is under the curse. He's the god over the curse. Well, let me tell you what happened in the dream; I snatched this pitchfork out of his hand and stuck him in his leg and he died. The leg represents the walk. You know, we have to make decisions every day. If you decide the easy way, which is the flesh way, then you say, “Okay, devil, you can rule over this flesh.” That's what you're really saying. We can see this across the country, too – people who are so-called Christians rising up against the government and actually being used by the enemy who is going to invade this country. But God said, My power is made perfect in weakness in (2Co.12:9) And he hath said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for [my] power is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (10) Wherefore I take pleasure in weaknesses, in injuries, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. The power of God comes to those who will enter into weakness. The promises, or let's say the commands, and many of the principles, but also the commands of Christ, are to put us into a position of weakness. If you obey the commands of Christ, you will be weak, and you'll cease from your works. You will not be able to handle the situation yourself. You will have to trust in God to do it, if you obey His commands. (2Co.13:4) For he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth through the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him through the power of God toward you. Weakness brings the power of God. Weakness brings crucifixion in the flesh, but it also brings the power of God to bring resurrection. Resurrection life is what we've all wanted from God, but many times we won't pay the price for it. We ask God for the fruit of Jesus to live in us, but before you can have the fruit, you have to give up the lust. The two wage war against one another; they seek to occupy the same territory in your life, but they can't exist together. The lust must be crucified for the new man to live in you and for the fruit to be borne. Anger and forgiveness can't be in the same place. You can do one, or the other, but you won't be able to do both. Christ was crucified through weakness. He obeyed God's word to Him. And it appears to be a command to Him, and He passed on that command to us. To me, it's the most important command in all of the Scriptures for those who want to bring forth fruit. (Isa.50:5) The Lord God hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away backward. (6) I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair; I hid not my face from shame and spitting. (7) For the Lord God will help me; therefore have I not been confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame. You'll recognize this as a prophecy about Jesus. But His ears were open to the Lord's command, and His command to Jesus was for Him to give His back to the smiters and His cheeks to them that plucked off the hair. That command has been passed on to us. It wasn't a request; it was a command. (Mat.5:38) Ye have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: (39) but I say unto you, Resist not him that is evil: but whosoever smiteth thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. (40) And if any man would go to law with thee, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. (41) And whosoever shall compel thee to go one mile, go with him two. (42) Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. This is an important command of Jesus because it crucifies our human nature. The overwhelming majority of the lusts of the flesh rise up against a person who wants to obey these Scriptures. You can imagine in your mind turning the other cheek, either in word or in deed or in some kind of action. You know what kind of lusts rise up inside of you when you try to obey the Word. There's a war that goes on inside you when you do this. Jesus fought that war. (Gal.5:19) Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are [these:] fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, (20) idolatry, sorcery (from here on you can identify these as having to do with this command), enmities, strife, jealousies, wraths, factions, divisions, parties, (21) envyings (maybe some of these don't apply so much), drunkenness, revelings, and such like; of which I forewarn you, even as I did forewarn you, that they who practise such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. These things must be put to death.  The Lord has given us a method to put these works of the flesh to death. He spoke to me one time, and He said, “You don't get resurrection life before you get death.” That was at a time I was trying to bring some people into resurrection life, and they weren't entering into the death part. If you want fruit, these lusts have to die. They have to die on this side of Heaven. That's the purpose of God. God's grace delivers from sin; it doesn't just cover sin. Yes, it's wonderful that it covers sin, but that's just for the meantime so that you can have fellowship with God until it manifests its full deliverance. And that is deliverance. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil and that's what we're talking about here. Most of these lusts are affected by just one command of Jesus and they're put to death by obedience to just one command of Jesus, and that is, “Resist not him that is evil.” It's one of the most important and most neglected doctrines in all of the Scriptures. Let's read on. (Gal.5:22) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, (23) meekness, self-control; against such there is no law. (24) And they that are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with the passions and the lusts thereof. The Lord said that we had to take up our cross and follow Him (Matthew 16:24). We just read that “he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth through the power of God” (2Co.13:4). If we're going to enter into the resurrection life of Jesus in the earth, we have to enter into this death. We have to take up our cross. I don't think many people realize that Jesus always bore a cross; it wasn't just at the end of His life. He bore a cross His whole life by denial of self. He “hath been in all points tempted like as [we are, yet] without sin” (Heb.4:15). And “each man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed” (Jas.1:14). Jesus was “of the seed of David according to the flesh” (Rom.1:3). I know a lot of people don't believe that, but I'm just quoting what the Bible says. According to the Spirit, He was the Son of God (Romans 1:4), but according to the flesh, He was of the seed of David, “the Son of man”. You know what? He was tempted. That flesh Jesus had was real flesh. He was a great God because He came down in the likeness of sinful flesh and overcame sin in the flesh (Romans 8:3). But He bore a cross all of His life and that cross was to deny self, to deny the old man to live through Him. He wouldn't permit the lusts of the flesh to speak or to live through Him. And we have to take up our cross and follow Him or we cannot be His disciple. Taking up our cross is to walk as He walked. We probably won't be called upon to bear the physical cross of Jesus, but we're definitely called upon to bear this spiritual cross that He always bore as to the denying of self. The commands of Jesus put you in a position of weakness. If you obey them, your flesh is going to squirm and it's going to writhe and try to rise up on the inside of you. It's going to tell you, “No, don't believe that doctrine,” but it's just too prevalent, too com­mon in the Scriptures to deny it. Jesus said, “resist not him that is evil” (Mat.5:39). I tell you, your flesh rises up on the inside of you, and it says, “No, no, no! Hit back, talk back, do something, get even!” That flesh just doesn't want to die. It's a crucifixion. You can always tell when the flesh is in trouble because it squeals like a stuck pig. If you don't ever go against it, you don't ever hear it squeal, but I can tell you that the commands of Jesus are going to put you at variance with the flesh. They'll cause the flesh to be seen by you very plainly. Before you read the Scriptures, it's easy to think you're doing pretty well, that everything's alright. When you read the Scriptures and you see commands like this, and if you start to obey them, you'll find out what's way down inside of you when it shows its ugly head. When you go against it, that's where the power of God takes over. Do you still love me?

How can God's chastening be redemptive? Many believers misunderstand God's chastening. Some think sickness, poverty, and suffering are punishments from God, while others ignore the idea of God's correction completely. Scripture distinguishes between the wrath from which Jesus delivered us and God's loving correction.In Episode 2 of "The Chastening of the Lord," Duane Sheriff explains the distinction between God's wrath under the Old Covenant law and God's loving discipline of His children under the New Covenant. Under the law, disobedience brought wrath, punishment, and curses. But Jesus bore the curse of the law on the cross, freeing believers from God's punitive wrath.Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, but He did not remove God's loving chastening from our lives. God's correction still happens today because we are His children. Understanding this difference changes how we view sickness, hardship, and God's correction. God is not making us sick, bringing destruction, or placing curses on us to teach us a lesson. His chastening is redemptive, designed to produce holiness and the peaceable fruit of righteousness in our lives.📖 Get your FREE copy ➡️https://pastorduane.com/landing/the-chastening-of-the-lord

Throughout our world and even within the church there are a number of false teachings that either directly deny the bountiful grace of the New Covenant or remain stuck in the legalistic terms and promises of the Old Covenant. As a result, many are unknowingly deceived and subsequently hindered from deep knowledge of God, rich spiritual maturity, genuine peace in the soul, confident joy in the heart, faithfulness in ministry, or, even worse, actual forgiveness of sins and eternal life with God. In this episode, we detail the 10 most common false teachings in contradiction to the New Covenant of grace to protect and encourage the listener in the eternal truth of God. Scripture Referenced: Exodus 19:3-6, Deuteronomy 28:1-68, Isaiah 53:5-12, Isaiah 61:10, Jeremiah 23:5-6, Jeremiah 31:31-34, Ezekiel 36:22-27, Matthew 5:6, Matthew 6:19-21, 24, 33, Matthew 13:22, Matthew 27:51, Luke 3:15-17, Luke 6:46, John 1:11-13, John 3:3-8, John 6:35-40, John 8:31-36, John 10:27-30, John 13:35, John 14:12, John 15:5-8, 16-17, Acts 1:1-8, Acts 2:1-47, Acts 20:24, Romans 1:16-17, Romans 2:28-29, Romans 3:1-18, Romans 3:20-26, Romans 5:1, Romans 6:23, Romans 7:7-25, Romans 9:1-16, 2 Corinthians 5:14-21, Galatians 1:6-9, Galatians 2:16, Galatians 3:1-3, Galatians 3:13-14, Galatians 3:26-29, Galatians 5:1, Galatians 5:18-24, Ephesians 1:3-14, Ephesians 2:8-9, Philippians 2:12-13, 1 Timothy 6:8-11, 17-19, 2 Timothy 1:9, Titus 2:11-14, Titus 3:3-7, Hebrews 4:14-16, Hebrews 7:18-28, Hebrews 8:1-13, Hebrews 9:1-28, Hebrews 10:1-18, Hebrews 12:7-11, 1 Peter 1:1-5, 1 Peter 2:9-10, 2 Peter 1:3-11

God's foreknowledge means that God knew and purposed His redemptive plan beforehand. It does not mean He arbitrarily preselected some individuals for salvation and left others without hope.In the New Covenant, God's foreknown plan is centered on Jesus: salvation would be offered to the whole world, including both Jews and Gentiles. Anyone who calls on the Lord is welcomed and saved. Once a person believes, God's purpose is to conform that believer to Christ and complete the work He began.

Today's Scripture: Hebrews 9:1-14, Colossians 2: 1-23, Galatians 4: 21-31Thank you so much for checking out this week's sermon from The Four56 Church! For service times, community opportunities, sermon audio, and more please visit theFour56.org.

Send us Fan MailThis message explores the theological fulfillment of the Day of Atonement in Jesus Christ, contrasting the temporary rituals of the Mosaic Law with the eternal reality of the New Covenant. By examining Leviticus 16 and Hebrews 9-10, the message highlights how the annual sacrifices of bulls and goats served as shadows pointing to the substance found in Christ's once-for-all sacrifice. The central argument emphasizes that unlike the high priests who had to repeat their work yearly, Jesus entered the heavenly sanctuary with His own blood, obtaining eternal redemption and sitting down at the right hand of God to signify the completion of His atonement. The sermon calls listeners to rest in this finished work, rejecting the need for additional merit or ritual observance, and to trust solely in the living intercession of Christ as the perfect mediator between God and humanity.Bible Insights with  Wayne ConradContact: 8441 Hunnicut Rd Dallas, Texas 75228email: Att. Bible Insights Wayne Conradgsccdallas@gmail.com (Good Shepherd Church) Donation   https://gsccdallas.orghttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJTZX6qasIrPmC1wQpben9ghttps://www.facebook.com/waconrad or gscchttps://www.sermonaudio.com/gsccSpirit, Truth and Grace MinistriesPhone # 214-324-9915 leave message with number for call backPsalms 119:105 Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

Jesus offers us the cup of the new covenant which is His Blood!  Welcome to Encounter! We are a house of prayer and a house of His presence. We're endeavored to create a resting place for the Lord. Regardless of where you're listening: your car, your workplace, your home, you can host the presence of God!   Connect with us more below:   Website: www.encounterthelord.com Instagram + Facebook: @encounterthelord

This sermon explores the theological fulfillment of the Day of Atonement in Jesus Christ, contrasting the temporary rituals of the Mosaic Law with the eternal reality of the New Covenant. By examining Leviticus 16 and Hebrews 9-10, the message highlights how the annual sacrifices of bulls and goats served as shadows pointing to the substance found in Christ's once-for-all sacrifice. The central argument emphasizes that unlike the high priests who had to repeat their work yearly, Jesus entered the heavenly sanctuary with His own blood, obtaining eternal redemption and sitting down at the right hand of God to signify the completion of His atonement. The sermon calls listeners to rest in this finished work, rejecting the need for additional merit or ritual observance, and to trust solely in the living intercession of Christ as the perfect mediator between God and humanity.

Topics: Confess Your Sins to One Another, James 5:16, James 5:16 Explained, What Does James 5:16 Mean?, Do Christians Need to Confess Their Sins?, Confessing Sins to One Another, Confession of Sins, Do Christians Need to Confess Sins to Be Forgiven?, Are Christians Already Forgiven?, Complete Forgiveness in Christ, Forgiveness Through the Blood of Jesus, Once for All Forgiveness, Are All My Sins Forgiven?, Does God Remember Our Sins?, 1 John 1:9, 1 John 1:9 Explained, If We Confess Our Sins, Do Christians Need to Ask God for Forgiveness?, Ongoing Confession of Sin, Finished Work of Jesus, Jesus Paid for All Sin, Does Confessing Sin Bring Healing?, Do You Have to Confess Sins to Be Healed?, Prayer for Physical Healing, James and Paul, Faith vs Works, Old Covenant vs New Covenant, Law vs Grace, Identity in Christ, James ExplainedSupport the showSign up for Matt's free daily devotional!  https://mattmcmillen.com/newsletter

Date: 09/20/2026Speaker: John SarverTitle: New Covenant, Who Dis?Scripture: Hebrews 8:7-13

God Empowers the Weak (5)  (audio) David Eells, 9/20/26 I'm going to continue about letting God teach us how to use faith. Some of you know my testimony of when my oldest daughter, Deborah, was a little girl, and I was going to pick her up from pre-school. We had put her in a Christian pre-school one year. We homeschooled her all the rest of the years. I was going to pick her up, but God decided He was going to teach me a lesson. I got about two or three blocks from that school and my car just shut down; it just died. I tried to start it several times, and I ran the battery down doing that. Just revved right on down to nothing. So I got out and started walking. And I tell you what, the sky had just turned totally black. I mean, I could tell that it was about to dump on me. So, as I was walking along, the Lord spoke to me at the very moment it began to rain, and I knew I was going to be soaking wet before I made another 20 feet. The Lord spoke to me. He asked, “Why don't you command that to stop?” And I said, “Okay.” I was sure enough God had spoken to me that I did it immediately. I mean, He asked, “Why don't you command that to stop?” like, “Why don't you do it?” Normally, in our religious thinking, we might ask God to do it, but really that's not God's plan. Jesus asked, “Where is your faith?” He is here as the Master. We are here as His disciples to learn to walk like Him. Ask Him to take you by the hand and show you what He wants done, to put faith in your life in circumstances, and show you how to change circumstances. So I said, “Okay, I will.” And I rebuked that rain. I commanded, “Rain, stop in the name of Jesus!” I even waved my hand. “Stop in the name of Jesus!” And boy, I'll tell you, it just stopped like I cut it off with a knife. Not another drop fell on me, and I walked for a block or more, and I picked up my daughter. As we were walking back, I was telling her what happened, and she was just all giddy and laughing. And I said, “Well, if God can do that, He can take care of that car, can't He?” And she said, “Yeah.” Well, when we were getting close to the car, I said, “You know what? When we get to that car, we're going to lay hands on that car and God's going to start that car.”  God taught me another lesson about weakness when I got to that car. We got to the car, we got in, and we laid our hands on that dashboard. Then we commanded that car to run in the name of Jesus and I turned the key. Now, you can run a battery all the way down, but if you stop for a few minutes, that battery will partially build back up. And it had built back up a little bit. And I turned the key and it started turning over kind of wiggly, but it started turning over. But I still just held the key on, and it went all the way down to nothing until I was totally weak and the machine was totally weak. If a miracle came, it had to come from God. I wouldn't let off the key. I ran it all the way down. You know, as soon as that thing went all the way down to whump, whump, whump, then it started up like a shot. I knew it was God. You run the battery down on a vehicle, and it won't ever start like that. God showed me that it wasn't the power of that vehicle, but it was the power of faith that would change things, and the power of weakness.  There's a power in weakness because God doesn't want to share His glory with this world. We have the funny idea that God needs us or He needs men to handle these situations, that He needs their ingenuity and their figuring everything out. No, God's already figured it out and His method is faith. Faith is the victory that overcomes the world (1 John 5:4). But when you get a few of these little experiences of the Lord taking you by the hand and showing you these things, you begin to quit doubting you can handle anything. That's not to say that you can't have a miracle one moment and doubt the next. You sure can. Remember that even after the loaves and the fishes (Matthew 16:5-12), the disciples still wondered the next time, “Well, what are You going to do, Lord? Here we're all hungry again.” Somehow it's like they didn't remember what He had done the last time. Sometimes we have really short memories, too, don't we? Sometimes we forget the great miracles God's done for us in the past. He doesn't ever want to stop that. He never wants to stop that. He wants to be our provider and He wants us to know that He's our provider. He wants to be our deliverer and He wants us to know He's the deliverer. He does not want us to share that glory with anybody else. He wants to be our healer and He wants us to know He's the healer, to know that He doesn't need man to heal. Find that in the Bible. God uses the hand and the faith of His believers to heal, but He uses the word of faith out of their mouth to do that. He has not changed. Men have changed Him, but He hasn't changed. His methods are the same because they take the glory from man and give it rightfully to God, where it belongs. He doesn't want to share His glory with another (Isaiah 42:8). This is our thinking that God needs the help of the flesh. He doesn't need the help of the flesh. You know what we are? Do you know who the hand of God is? The believers. The Bible says, “to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?” (Isa.53:1), and that's obviously Jesus. He's the arm. But the Bible also says that we are the hand (Isaiah 53:10). Don't expect God to do something that He's told you to do. This is the problem. Everybody's praying to God to handle this or handle that, but where in the Scriptures do you find the disciples, when they were ministering to someone else, asking God to heal or deliver them? You can't find that. The disciples realized that was what they were there for, not to ask God to do it. God was manifesting this situation in front of them so that they would do something about it. Did you ever notice this? (Isa.53:10) Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin…. What happened when God made Jesus' soul an offering for sin? He died, right? Jesus entered into eternity. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see [his] seed, he shall prolong his days…. Do you see that? “He shall see [his] seed, he shall prolong his days.” This is the 42nd generation written in Matthew, but there's one missing. It says, “unto the Christ” (Mat.1:17) is the last one, but there's one generation missing. That's His seed. The body of Christ is the 42nd generation because there's one missing in the list. Count it as many times as you like. One is missing and God revealed to me that the 42nd generation is His seed; it is the body of Christ. “He shall see [his] seed, he shall prolong his days.” Jesus went into eternity. There are no days in eternity. But you know where He's “prolonging His days”? In you and in me. Jesus lives in you and in me. (Isa.53:10) … He shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. It's God's people; it's you and me who are the hand of the Lord.  When the angel came to Cornelius (Acts 10:3), why didn't that angel preach the Gospel? He knew the Gospel better than Peter did. But the angel wouldn't do it, would he? He told Cornelius to send for Peter to preach the Gospel because that's God's method. God wants to use His people as His hand to do His work in the earth, and yet they're steadily begging God, “Will You do this? Will You do that?” Now, wait a minute. When Jesus left, He delegated authority and He said, “as the father hath sent me, even so send I you” (Joh.20:21). “As the Father sent Me, so send I you.” We've been delegated authority to do this, but unless we understand the Lord's methods, we're not going to agree with Him in the process.  We have to know God's method. God's method always gives all the glory to God. It's not of our works, lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:9), for in Christ Jesus we were created for good works (Ephesians 2:10). Sounds like schizophrenia, doesn't it? But it's not because one work is talking about your works and the other work is talking about God's work through you. And there's only one way we can get an understanding of how God works through us. The truth is in the Bible. The Gospels and the Book of Acts reveal how God works through us and He does it that way. I don't care what men say; that's His method. And He chose that method because it takes the glory away from man and gives it to the rightful Owner, and that's God. He's the One Who's doing this. It's His power. (Rom.8:13) … But if by the Spirit ye put to death the deeds of the body…. He said, “If you by the Spirit.” “IF you.” There's an “if” in front of “you.” “If you by the Spirit.” See, it's God's power, it's His Spirit and it's His power, but it's still an “if” on you. The Bible commands us to take the promises of the Word of God and cleanse ourselves (2 Corinthians 7:1). Everybody's praying to God to cleanse us. No. Look at what the Bible says. (2Co.7:1) Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit…. That's heresy in most churches, but it's what the Bible says. God gave you a weapon. It's a two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12) to go into your promised land and to put to death the old man, to cut him up and live in his house (Deuteronomy 19:1). If you stand outside the promised land and don't win this battle, it's nobody's fault but yours. God gave a weapon that the enemy could not stand up to.  He told Joshua, “there shall not any man be able to stand before thee” (Jos.1:5). No man will be able to stand before you, but guess who has to fight that battle? If you don't fight that battle, you lose. If you don't fight, you lose. This is not one where you can stand on the sidelines. If you don't fight, you lose, and you can't afford to lose this one. The stakes are too high. We can't afford to lose. The most important thing that we're on this earth for every day is to put to death that old man and do the work of God. So, as we've seen from Isaiah 53, we are the hand of the Lord. And since it was by the hand of man that this earth was turned over to the curse and the devil, God determined that it's going to be by the hand of man that this earth is going to be turned back. The Bible says it plainly in Daniel. Did you know that? I want to show you this because a lot of people don't believe this, but God is going to do what He said He's going to do. And He's going to use man to do it. Notice that everything that came to pass in the Old Testament was manifested through the mouth of the prophets. God first spoke it through the mouth of man. Man confessed what God was going to do and then God used man to do it. God did it; it was His power all along. (Dan.7:25) And he (this is the beast) shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High; and he shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and half a time. (26) But the judgment shall be set, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. (27) And the kingdom and the dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High: his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. (28) Here is the end of the matter. In the Book of Revelation, there's a great similarity between those curses poured out on the earth and the ones poured out in the past, such as those spoken through Elijah and Moses. Did you ever notice that? Well, the ones poured out in the past came out of the mouth of men and, I'll tell you, the ones in the Book of Revelation will come that way, too. They've been spoken by faith. The Scriptures teach us to turn the other cheek (Matthew 5:39). We are like lambs in the midst of wolves (Luke 10:3), Jesus said. But there's a time coming when things won't be the same because grace is going to be taken away from the Gentiles. Do you know why these curses are spoken in the Book of Revelation? They're spoken because grace is being taken away from the Gentiles. Yes, there will be people speaking curses, just like in the Old Testament. I don't know what you understand about the two witnesses in Revelation 11. (For a detailed study of this subject, read chapter nine of my book “Hidden Manna For The End Times.”) If you only understand them to be two men, that's fine, but notice that they spoke curses. The two witnesses brought some of the exact same Old Testament curses in the New Testament. God spoke it through the two witnesses, and then those curses came to pass because they brought judgment out of their own mouths. A brother had a dream or a vision of me; he saw me walking across this country speaking judgments. He said everywhere I spoke one, they fell. And I prayed, “Lord, if You want me to speak the judgments, okay, but I'd love to speak the grace first. I'd love to see people delivered. I'd love to see Your blessings poured out.” But, you know, there's coming a time when, as much as you would like to do that, the Bible says, “the night cometh, when no man can work” (Joh.9:4). That was spoken in Jesus' day because shortly after Jesus there came a time when no man could work. What was He talking about? He was primarily talking about how He came to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 15:24), but God was turning out the light to Israel. God was taking away their grace. There came a night when nobody could work on Israel anymore. It was a waste of time for you to witness to the Israelites. That was what they call the “early rain” (James 5:7). Now we're coming to the “latter rain” (Hosea 6:2,3) and just the opposite is about to happen. God is going to pour out His power in a great way, but we're coming to a night when no man can work. Work while you have the light because we're coming to a night when no man can work.  I recently had a vision in which I was preaching to the Jews and explaining to them a judgment that was falling on the United States. I've never had a dream before that I was preaching to Jews. God is planning to turn to the Jews, and you'll be wasting your breath on the Gentiles. God is doing a special work in these last days, the last hours of this light. You know what that work is? I'll tell you right now; He's expending much energy. He is sending His angels, and He is putting a special emphasis on bringing in the children and relatives of the believers. He showed me that. But “the night cometh, when no man can work.” Work while you have the light. Who else is going to do it? Who's going to preach the Gospel? Angels can't do it. The Bible won't let them (Hebrews 1 and 2).  When the fullness of the Gentiles comes in, God is going to turn back to the Jews (Romans 11:25). When I was studying the Book of Acts, I received my own revelation of when that will happen. The Book of Acts was called the “early rain” (Hosea 6:3), but in the Book of Acts, during the early rain, God was already in the process of turning away from the Jews to the Gentiles. Now we're coming to the latter rain (Hosea 6:3). And, guess what? It's the same in reverse. God will be in the process of turning away from the Gentiles to the Jews. And great power is going to be poured forth; great miracles are going to happen, the same as in the early rain, except far greater! There will be many more people involved and much greater miracles. We've heard that the latter rain is the Pentecostal revival in this country, but that's not the latter rain. The true latter rain is about to begin with the Biblical gifts being restored to the Church. Many Pentecostals call their revival the latter rain, but I'm convinced it's not, because we have too many signs from the early rain showing us what the latter rain's going to look like. And besides, Solomon said, “that which hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which shall be done” (Ecc.1:9). Everything that's happening in these days has happened before. Everything. You can go back in the Bible and find out what's going to happen because it's happened in the past. If you want to know what's going to happen in the latter rain, just go back and look at the early rain. The only thing is the cast of characters was much smaller in the early rain. Look at what happened to Jesus in His days when He walked the earth. That's going to happen again. This was a revelation of the end time. He said that Jesus and the children whom God gave Him were for a sign (Isaiah 8:18). A sign of what? A sign of the future. What happened there is going to happen again, even up to the destruction of Jerusalem. All that is going to happen again. That was a sign, a parable, if you will, of what's going to happen. Also, if sometimes a prophetic word doesn't fit into that sign, you can throw that prophecy out because it's wrong. The end time fits in the Gospels. We have every character there in the Gospels. We have Christ and we have the Christ on the earth today, which is His body. The cast of characters is much bigger, but the sign is there. We have Judas among the disciples and still today we have the Judases. “A man who is a city” is what “Judas Iscariot” means. He represents a group of people. We have the harlot, which was the Judaistic religious system in Jesus' day, and we have the apostate religions of today. We have the Beast that was the Roman government back then. Everything that happened there is happening right now. It's beginning right now. Get ready for it and watch. When you read the Gospels, let God show you these signs because they're in there so clearly. Then the Book of Revelation is just a fulfillment of it. But to return to our original topic, Jesus took me by the hand when I asked Him to when I was a baby Christian, and He's still doing that with me, and He's showing me things. Ask Him to do that for you, too. Have a relationship with Him. If you are a disciple of Jesus Christ, that means you are a learner and a follower of Him. He is taking you by the hand; He's leading you through the earth and He's teaching you. Why do we get into circumstances and situations? Why did the disciples end up out in a boat in the middle of a storm on a very dangerous lake? Why? They got into that situation because God wanted to teach them something. When you get in a situation, don't fear; just remember God is your guide. You're there for a reason. He wants to take you by the hand and teach you something. And, believe it or not, you have authority over the situation and the circumstances because Jesus paid for that on the cross. But people don't understand. “Saved.” “Sozo.” It's the same thing. (Eph.2:8) For by grace have ye been saved…. “By grace have you been.” That's what it says in the original. “Have you been” means it's already accomplished. How do you enter into it? You enter into it through faith. (Eph.2:8) For by grace have ye been saved through faith…. Hebrews 4 says the same thing. Listen, “the works were finished from the foundation of the world” (Heb.4:3). The thing that remains is for us to enter into those works through faith. What works? Well, for one thing, Jesus became accursed for you (Galatians 3:13)). And when you go back and read the curse in Deuteronomy 28, you'll discover that it means just about anything detrimental that ever happened to man. If Jesus became accursed for you, does that mean that God wants you to escape that? Yes, it does. Will everybody escape it? No, they won't.  We can look at our lives right here, and we can see that, to a measure, each one of us has learned with the faith that we have to enter into parts of God's deliverance, God's salvation, God's sozo. Some of us have more faith in some areas than others, but when we get together, when we share things, we begin to receive understanding from other people's gifts, and it encourages us. And sometimes we can even use someone else's faith to add to our faith to help us to overcome a circumstance or a situation.  Now Peter had guts. He stepped out of the boat, didn't he? He knew God wanted to teach him. What was the purpose? We may think that there has to be a reason, but there doesn't have to be any reason but one. God wants to show you what He has invested in you. The Bible says “that the fellowship of thy faithmay become effectual, in the knowledge of every good thing which is in you” (Phm.6). The word “fellowship” means “sharing”; it means “communicating”; it means “using it,” or “sharing it with one another.” (Phm.6) That the fellowship of thy faith may become effectual, in the knowledge of every good thing which is in you, unto Christ. Do you know what God has invested in you? The seed of Christ. He put it in there so that Christ could live in us and do what He did in us. That's why He put it in there. We should expect God to use us to destroy the works of the devil. Jesus came here to destroy the works of the devil. Am I saying we're going to get out of going to our cross? Absolutely not. We have to go to our cross. You won't be any use to God unless you, daily, will bear your cross. No, no, deliverance from the curse does not include deliverance from your cross, so don't get mixed up with that. That's the teaching of the “prosperity” folk. They want to use the faith to get rid of their cross, but you can't do that. (1Jn.2:15) Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. If you love this world, the things of this world, the love of the Father is not in you. We're not here for that purpose. We came here to die. We came here to lose our life. And it's conditional. Jesus said, “If you lose your life, you will gain your life” (Luke 17:33). Now, this isn't talking about you dying at the end of your sojourn down here. He's talking about the death of the old man. Every day God brings us into circumstances where we can say no to the old man and yes to the new man, and that's crucifixion. This is what we're here for. Don't waste your time. It's a race to get through that door before it closes. Every one of our lives is that way. I've shared Mary's vision with you: how God showed her it's a race to be won, and the treadmill is picking up speed, going in the opposite direction. You're going to have to run to go through the door. This is what we're here for. And don't let the devil use fear. Fear is the thing you have to fight against. It is faith that's going to get you there.  God brought you this far to bring you there. Just count on it. And He also made the world so strong that they would look like giants to you, but guess what? They're supposed to look like giants because it's supposed to be impossible for you. God put you in an impossible situation. He gave you “this treasure in earthen vessels, that the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God, and not from ourselves” (2Co.4:7). But instead, what do we do? We try to do it with these earthen vessels; we try to do it ourselves. The methods God wants us to use make everybody know that when the answer comes, it didn't come from us; it came from Him because His methods are “weak” to the world. His methods are foolish to the world. He just spoke it. He just commanded it. And when you get in situations, remember, God put you in that situation for you to do something about it, not for it to do something to you. God put you there for you to do something about the situation. And there doesn't have to be a reason for the situation. I've been tempted like this and said, “There has to be a reason; I mean, I have to accomplish something.” You may not be accomplishing much in what you do, other than learning something from God. It's very important that we overcome this flesh. If the only thing we do in overcoming a circumstance is to cause our spirit man to grow, that's an accomplishment. I've shared with you about when the Lord brought us to the beach. We didn't get to go to the beach very often, and so we prayed a prayer to the Lord. “Lord, we're asking You to give us a nice day at the beach. Nice, sunshiny day. And we ask You to find us a place on the beach where there's not a lot of naked people and we ask You to …” I prayed three things. I don't remember what the three things were. Now I only remember two of them, but I asked God for three things. So when we went out there, we just kept driving and driving along the beach, and there were cars, and more cars, everywhere. I said, “Well, I don't know how the Lord's going to fulfill this,” but I prayed the prayer, right?  Don't forget that Jesus said, “all things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye received them, and ye shall have them” (Mar.11:24). Don't forget. It may look impossible, but you believe you have received because God is all-powerful. And so, we finally picked a spot. There were still cars there, but we went over the dunes, and we went on out to Pensacola Beach. We looked up and down the beach and, boy, I'll tell you, it was just packed with people from end to end. We hadn't been there very long before another one of those big, black storms just came rolling in from Pensacola toward the beach.  It was just a big old black storm rolling toward the beach. And I didn't see God's hand in it at the time, but He had taken me by the hand, and He wanted to show me something. We're so ignorant, but God wants to use us to change circumstances. We've been delivered from the curse in circumstances in Christ, and God wants us to change things in this world. Listen, God is always going to use a very small force to overcome a very big force. He's always done that. You go back and look at Gideon's army (Judges 7). Look at just about every battle Israel ever won. If they weren't outnumbered, they couldn't win the battle. If they said, “We're not outnumbered,” (Joshua 7:3) God wouldn't let them win. He told Gideon, “Look, you have too many people for me to give this bunch into your hand” (Judges 7:2,4). Wait a minute now! I mean, the Amalekites, Midianites and the children of the East were coming as the sands of the sea against Gideon (Judges 7:12). This was a lot of people. They had them vastly outnumbered, but God said, “Gideon, you have too many people. You'll be bragging about what you did. I'm going to have to whittle you down.” So God whittled him down to 300 men. God makes it impossible on purpose. He wants you to know that the battle is not yours; it's His, and He has already won the battle.  Well, anyway, out on the beach was this big black cloud racing toward us, and I think maybe even a few raindrops fell. Lightning was popping and crackling, and lighting up the sky, and everybody cleared out. I stood there and watched, and Mary was saying, “We better get outta here! We better get outta here!” And I was looking up and down the beach and pretty soon I saw there wasn't a dog on the beach. What I prayed for came perfectly to pass. Not a dog on the beach; there was nobody on that beach as far as the eye could see from end to end. And then God spoke to me. He didn't command me, but He said, “Why don't you go blow that storm back?” I looked over at Mary, and I walked away from her a little bit because I didn't want her to see me blowing. That's exactly what I did. I'm telling you the truth. I'm as bashful as I can be. And I walked away from her because I didn't want to look like too big a fool and I started blowing. I turned toward the storm, and I started blowing.  That storm came up, and moving real fast; the clouds moved really, really fast, and then the storm just stopped dead when I was blowing at it. I mean, it backed up and backed up. It stopped right in its path and backed up and it stood right there over Pensacola. The sun broke through and shone on us the whole time we were there. It was a beautiful day. It was everything I prayed for. All the naked people were gone, and I was out there in the sunshine, and we had a beautiful day. And when we got in our car to go back to Pensacola, we got halfway to the bridge, and it was storming. We could barely see out of the car windows because it was storming. After we got back home, we learned that a tornado had passed through right at our corner. It hit the Western Auto, knocked a bunch of trees down on the golf course, and knocked out the neighbor's back fence. I told my kids, “I blew too hard.” But, you know, you can't count on your power; it's nothing. We have to count on His power in us. What we're going through right now is mostly education, and there's going to come a time when we're going to need this education. Did you know the Bible says we can walk as He walked? (1Jn.1:6) If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in the darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: (7) but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanseth us from all sin. He said, Ask, and it shall be given you (Mat.7:7). He also said that “ye have not, because ye ask not” (Jas.4:3). Don't put anything beyond God. If it's a part of the curse (Deuteronomy 28), it doesn't matter what the circumstance is when things come against you. Our property belongs to God. You don't own anything. Nothing's yours. If you're doing what you want, then you're still the owner of it; you haven't learned anything yet because it doesn't belong to you. We are stewards, not owners, and that includes this tithing business. You'd better look more closely at the New Testament because Jesus said you have to renounce it all (Luke 14:33). All. “If you don't renounce everything, you cannot be My disciple.” A disciple is a learner and a follower of the Lord. He did not possess and own the things He had. It was only a stewardship entrusted to Him. So what we have belongs to God, and if it belongs to God, then the devil can't destroy it. Jesus has already bound the strong man, and He gave you the command to go and spoil his goods (Matthew 12:29; Mark 3:27). What good is a great outpouring of God's power if you don't believe that you can do anything with it? See, right now God is preparing us for a great outpouring. Remember the vision I had about the rabbit and the turtle, and the anointing oil that fell on the rabbit who was on the edge of a wilderness? Well, we're on the edge of that right now. Right now. The anointing oil of God is going to fall on a rabbit to run through that wilderness. Power is going to come on God's people. And right now, we're going through a little education stage. God is just showing us how to walk. If the lesson doesn't appear really important, it's enough for God if it educates you and it causes you to overcome the old man, the old, unbelieving old man. That's enough reason for it. Don't think there has to be a big reason for it because it could be something really simple. It doesn't matter what your need is, for “my God shall supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory” (Php.4:19). It doesn't say “greed”; it says “need.” God said if you had a need, it would come in, and if you didn't have a need, it wouldn't. That's good. Praise the Lord! Why would you want to store up treasures on earth? All you need is your need met. But having food and covering we shall be therewith content (1Ti.6:8). Why would you need more than that? We don't. Isn't it so wonderful that it doesn't matter what the need is? God brings it in according as you have need. Don't ever fear making a bold statement of faith. You may think, “Well, is this God?” Don't worry about it. If it's to meet your need, if it's to overcome the curse, don't worry about it. I remember once when I called Sid, and we were talking about what happened the time my washing machine seal had gone out. Sand had gone in it and ruined the seal. Sid had volunteered and said, “Oh, I have a friend who works on those things. I'll get him to come by there and get it.” So I agreed, and he came by and picked it up. Sid called me back a few days later. He said, “Look, he fixed this and he fixed that, and it'll just cost you $70.” I said, “Fine. Bring it on over.” Well, I knew Sid was coming over the next day to drop off the washing machine, and I only had $20. And so I prayed a prayer. I said, “Father, You said You supply my every need according to Your riches in glory and I thank You for it.” Then I stuck my finger out there and I pointed at the mailbox. I said, “And in the name of Jesus, that $50 is in that mailbox.” Do you know, I went out to that mailbox, and there was a $50 check inside that mailbox with a note. It read, “God wouldn't let me go to sleep. It's now after midnight and God wouldn't let me go to sleep until I sent you this check for $50.” And the funny thing was, I don't ever look at postdates, but I looked at the postdate on the check, and it had been sent two weeks before this day, a full two weeks before this day when I stuck my finger out and pointed at the mailbox. That envelope had been hung up in the mail somewhere for two weeks, wandering around, and it didn't make it into that mailbox until the right time. But God wouldn't let this poor guy sleep until he went out there and wrote the check and stuck it in the mail, even though it wandered around in the mail. I don't know what the reason was for it, but it didn't arrive until it was time for it to be there. God answers before we call (Isaiah 65:24). Do you realize that? God does not dwell in time, but we do. Don't think it's too late because it's never too late for God. God has the answer coming when you speak it, and I've seen the biggest miracles happen when a bold statement of faith is made. The devil is telling you all the time, “Nah, nah, nah,” in your ear, saying, “Boy, you're going to look like a fool!” But God won't let you be put to shame. The Bible says that He won't let you be put to shame (Romans 9:33). Anybody who puts their trust in Him shall not be put to shame, the Lord says. (Rom.10:10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. You need to actually say it.  That was an education for me because there have been other times when I just prayed over a leaking washing machine seal, and God sealed it up. And there have been times when I've prayed over a carburetor, and God fixed it. Then there have been times when I decided I would take that carburetor off and fix it, like one time with my daughter's car. I took the carburetor off there, and I tore it down. And I'm not bad at working on carburetors. So I tore it down, checked it out, cleaned it up, and put it back in there, but it did the same thing. I took it back out. It wasn't easy to get out either, but I took it out and went through it again. I said, “Nothing's wrong with this car. I don't see a thing wrong with this carburetor,” and I put it back in, but it still did the same thing. Finally, the revelation came to me: “The devil is messing with you; he's robbing your time.” And so I rebuked the devil off that carburetor. I commanded the devil to lose it. Do you know that there doesn't have to be something wrong with a piece of equipment? The Lord showed me that many times. The devil is real, and he can manifest himself in the physical realm and he can take advantage of you. Until you take the Word of God and fight him, he can take advantage of you. He was doing that to me. He robbed my time twice to fix that carburetor. And you know what? Just because you don't see something manifest immediately doesn't mean it hasn't happened. The Bible says, “all things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye received them, and ye shall have them” (Mar.11:24). So I commanded that carburetor to be healed in the name of Jesus. Then Mary went and got in the car, but when she cranked it up, it was doing the same thing. I said, “Just go; it's healed.” She said before she got to the end of the street, it straightened right out, and I never had another problem with it. You see, sometimes you have to walk it. If you believe it, you confess it, walk it. It's like the 10 lepers who were doing according to the Law (Luke 17:12). They had to go show themselves to the priest healed (Leviticus 14). But when they were walking, they weren't healed. It didn't come until they walked it out that they got healed (Luke 17:14). So you have to walk it out. Faith without works is dead (James 2:17). Just remember that. Some of Jesus' miracles didn't happen immediately. And He didn't even pray twice. We are disciples of Jesus now. We can't see Him, but we're walking with Him, and He wants to take us by the hand and show us the way through every problem and situation we come to because it's already been provided for. It says in Scripture, my God shall supply every need of yours…. (Php.4:19). It doesn't matter what the need is. Why does it say that? Why did Paul say that? He said that because he knew it was taken care of at the cross. The curse was put upon Jesus. You can't imagine what this world would be like if there was no curse. Can you imagine what it was like in the Garden of Eden with tomato plants growing 20 feet tall, everything working, nothing breaking, including you, without the curse? Now I realize nobody is totally entered into whatever this means about being delivered from the curse, but individually God's people are entering into different parts of it. The body needs one another because sometimes other people have the faith we don't have in a situation that we're in, and we need to pray for people and exercise our faith over one another. But don't think it's not possible. We're going to see God do things in the next few years that we would have considered impossible, that we would have just wondered, “Is that real?” Yes, God's going to do things we haven't seen. This outpouring of the Holy Spirit, this outpouring of power, has never been on this earth that God's getting ready to do. People are going to walk on water again. People have done it before in these years. I don't know if any of you ever read Like a Mighty Wind or Gentle Breeze of Jesus. They are about the Indonesian revival where, many times, many people saw people walk on water. Those little islands out there where they were trying to get the Gospel to; in some cases, it was the only method. It was necessary and they didn't let the circumstances stop them from doing the Will of God. The Will of God was to go, and so they went. They did not let the circumstances get in the way. They walked on the water and many people witnessed it. Yes, the day is coming when you may need to drive a car that doesn't have any gas in it. I've done it quite a few times and it works. When you're going by faith, it works. Or you may have to command some gas into that car and God puts some in it. He's done that for me, too. Listen, circumstances can't stop you. Circumstances didn't stop Jesus from doing the Will of God. Did you notice that? It's the same Jesus Whom we have that your “faith may become effectual, in the knowledge of every good thing which is in you” (Phm.6). Wait a minute! He was talking to the saints, people on this earth. That's right. But that's Jesus Christ in the heart of the believer. He has all the power that He ever had. But if you limit Him, you won't let Him speak that word out of your mouth; you won't walk that walk with your feet; you won't do those things. I'm not saying this is the most important thing to do. The most important thing, of course, is to overcome sin, and we've studied that in other teachings. Right now we're talking about not limiting God in this sozo and seeing just how big it is. It doesn't matter what your need is. God has promised to meet your need. Do I say you won't be tried? Absolutely not. You're going to be tried. How do you get tried? You get tried by lack. God suffered the Israelites to lack so that He might know what they would do (Deuteronomy 8:2,3). What are you going to do when you lack? Do you never get sick? No, you get sick sometimes, but the Bible says by His stripes you were healed (1 Peter 2:24). It's a trial of your faith. God wants to see, “What are you going to do with this?” We are being tried. We are going through the wilderness just like the Israelites did. When they went through the wilderness, they suffered lack in this kind of a way and then in that kind of a way and then in this kind of way, and God answered miraculously. Right now, the righteous, just like always, shall live from faith (Galatians 3:11). The life of faith is an exciting walk with the Lord. You'll see many miracles if you walk the walk of faith. That's our purpose for being here. God considers a person who walks by faith and speaks faith, and uses faith in the circumstances they get into, to be righteous. He calls them “righteous,” like Abraham when he believed God about his seed. That didn't have anything to do with salvation. God called Abraham righteous because he believed God in that point and, you know what? God calls you righteous every time you believe the Word of God. Every time you believe in the prayers that you've prayed, whenever you pray believing you have received (Mark 11:24), when you keep on holding onto that in faith until you see it manifested, then God calls you righteous. Look at it as if Jesus is taking you by the hand. He's going to show you something tomorrow. He is going to do a miracle through you tomorrow. Big or small, He's going to show you how to walk by faith. Jesus walked by faith. His disciples walked by faith. People who are in the world are under bondage, but people who walk by faith are not under bondage. When Jesus sent out His disciples, He told them, “Don't take anything with you, don't take any money” (Matthew 10:9,10; Luke 10:4). He sent them out in total weakness and later He asked them, “Well, when I sent you out without all these things did you lack anything?” and their answer was, “No, Lord” (Luke 22:35). They found out what it was to walk by faith. They didn't need to bring their own supply because God was there. He did it on purpose. Now, in this day, the church is supposed to be doing the same thing. If you obey what Jesus said, you'll be weak, because Jesus made some statements in there that put you in a position of weakness; but every time, you're going to see miracles. When you obey the principles of Jesus, you're going to see miracles because you're always in a position where you can't do it, you can't handle it. He does that on purpose. (Mat.14:25) And in the fourth watch of the night he came unto them, walking upon the sea. (26) And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a ghost; and they cried out for fear. (27) But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. (28) And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee upon the waters. (29) And he said, Come. And Peter went down from the boat, and walked upon the waters to come to Jesus. (30) But when he saw the wind, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, Lord, save me. That's the word sozo right there. By grace are you saved through faith (Ephesians 2:8).  (31) And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and took hold of him, and saith unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? (32) And when they were gone up into the boat, the wind ceased. (33) And they that were in the boat worshiped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God. You know, the Lord saved Peter here even in his failure, didn't He? Every trial is from God. Every trial. God is sovereign. (Joh.3:27) … A man can receive nothing, except it have been given him from heaven. The circumstances you get into are not by accident. There's no such thing as an accident or luck. The worldly pagans believe that. When Peter took his eyes off Jesus and saw the wind, then he judged by the circumstance instead of judging by the Word. If he had judged by the Word, when the Almighty God said, “Come,” Peter must have been able to do it, since He said it. That's the way we have to look at these promises. We must be able to do it because He said it. It's really simple. Peter believed if Jesus said it, he'd be able to do it, and he stepped out of the boat, but then he got his eyes on the circumstances.  You always get fearful when you get your eyes on the circumstances because you don't have any hope. Get your eyes on the Savior. You can walk on water when you get your eyes on the Savior. Listen, the laws of faith are totally above the laws of nature; they're always above the laws of nature. You just can't fathom how God could do some of these things. You can't fathom how the lot can come up like it does. Can you think about flipping a quarter up in the air and it coming down exactly the way God wants it to come down? The lot worked. Go back and study it. The lot worked. Why? That wasn't gambling because they believed in a sovereign God. Some people might think it was gambling, but it wasn't to the Israelites. They believed in the sovereignty of God, and they believed God would answer that way and He did. He did consistently, even to the extent of finding one man out of all Israel, and that happened quite a few times. Saul was picked out that way (1 Samuel 10:21). Saul's son was picked out that way when he made a mistake with eating the honey (1 Samuel 14:32). Jonathan was picked out of all Israel. You know they took the lot by the tribe, then they went to the lot by the family, then they went to the lot by the house. They cast lots several times. But you know what? If you believe in luck, what are the chances of the thing coming out to pick one guy out of all Israel? That's phenomenal. That's a lot of numbers. But God is sovereign. Well, it can be done in our day, like I said, with a quarter. I don't recommend people lead their lives that way, but I have seen mighty miracles come to pass that way, where the answer had to be from God. But I'm just pointing out that there's no such thing as luck. The world believes in luck and chance, but everything that comes to you is by the hand of God, even if it comes through the hand of the devil. If you remember from reading in the Book of Job, there was no luck involved with that. God was sovereign, even over the devil, and He's still sovereign. God sends the devil against you so you can ‘whoop him real good.' Did you know that? God will send him against you so you can whip him, so that you learn how to walk by faith and not by sight. In most cases, it's the devil who administers the curse. Who sent the curse? The Bible says that God sent the curse (Deuteronomy 28). I don't care what men say; the Bible says God sent the curse. Who administers it? The devil does. He loves to do it. It's his nature to do it. But I'll tell you, God sent the curse, and God sent Jesus to deliver from the curse. He's working from both sides. God sent the curse to cause people to repent and turn to Him. He sent Jesus to those who will repent. And in the circumstances that we get ourselves into, God wants to show us how to give the devil a bloody nose. He wants to show us how to overcome in the circumstances, just like Jesus did. Jesus wants to move through His hand. (Isa.53:10) … The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. That means God is going to be successful in doing what He did through Jesus, through you. That's what it means. God is going to do that. We should consider it done. He did this for Peter, but what was the whole point? You may think there has to be some real reason for this, that you had to be saving souls or something. No. It didn't do anything for Peter to get out of the boat, except that he learned a lesson. We should ask God to bring us these lessons. It's really valuable to have these lessons we can look back on and tell others to encourage them in the faith and so on. God wants to do miracles through us. Right now we have a short time left to learn some lessons from God; and then great trouble is going to come, greater trouble than this land has ever seen. The people who walk in Psalm 91-type faith and who understand about the curse are the people who are going to be saved through the midst of this great trouble. A lot of the people are not going to be saved. A lot of Christians, the majority, are going to die through this trouble because the people coming against this land don't like Christians. Let's look at the story of the Gerasene demoniac. (Luk.8:36) And they that saw it told them how he that was possessed with demons was made whole. And the word there is sozo. For Christians, for God's people, this has been accomplished. It's part of sozo. It's by grace. It's not by grace you will be. It says by grace you have been saved through faith (Ephesians 2:8). So it's not a matter of trying to convince God to deliver this person. It's not that. Jesus never tried to convince God to heal or to deliver anybody. By grace have you been. It's all past tense. Now there are some places where the people whom we want to deliver are not in covenant with God. And it's strange but most of the church does not even believe that Christians can have demons. I'm going to show you that's not true from the Scriptures. I'm going to show you that it's a lie and anybody who has the gift of discerning of spirits knows that it's a lie. I can truthfully tell you almost all the people that I've ever cast demons out of were Christians.  When I'm talking discernment of spirits, I'm talking about the Biblical gift and that is when you see the demons. You see them manifested in their face, you see them manifested in their eyes, and in their body. The gift is manifested in different ways, but the discerning of spirits is to be able to see those demons. Anybody who has that gift knows that Christians can have demons. And I'll tell you what the Lord showed me about it. Those who don't believe that Christians can have demons quote, “My spirit will not dwell in an unclean temple,” but there's no verse like that in the Bible. It's not there. What the Bible actually says is that the flesh is an unclean temple (Galatians 5:19). Did you know that? It's an enemy. It's at enmity with your spirit. It is the enemy of your spirit (Galatians 5:17).  The covering over the tent of the tabernacle in the wilderness was animal skins, and guess what kind of animal skins they were? Goats. Who were the goats? The goats were those placed on the left, while the lambs, the sheep, were on the right. Well, that was goats' hair covering it. Why? Because the flesh is the enemy of God. The flesh cannot go to Heaven; ever.  (1Co.15:50) … Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God…. You either get a new body or you don't go. You either go in spirit and in soul, or you don't go because this body doesn't go there. You get a new one. The flesh is the enemy of God.  God showed me this years ago. I had to have a theological reason because I was casting demons out of Christians and everybody said you can't do that. So I went to God and said, “God, show me in the Scriptures.” And God brought me back to the tabernacle in the wilderness and He showed me, as I read about the tabernacle in the wilderness, how it represents us because we are the tabernacle in the wilderness. The holy of holies, of course, is your spirit because that's where God dwells. And then there's the holy place representing your soul. And there's the outer court, which represents your flesh. What God showed me I've never forgotten because I learned what the Christians told me was the difference between oppression and possession. They say that oppression is when the devil's on the outside and possession is when he's on the inside, but the Lord showed me that's not true. When we look at the outer court in the wilderness, we see that many wicked men went into the outer court. In fact, wicked men even came near unto the holy place and some were even killed in the holy place because they went in. But no wickedness ever entered into the holy of holies because the high priest had to be in good shape with God, or he'd better not go into the holy of holies. They even tied a rope onto the foot of the high priest, so if he went in there and he wasn't walking in right covenant with God, they could drag out his body. They weren't going in after the high priest because you'd be smitten dead if you didn't walk in right covenant with God. The tabernacle in the wilderness represented a Christian because God Almighty dwells in the holy of holies. We have examples in the Scriptures of wickedness coming into both the outer court and the holy place, but not into the holy of holies. God was showing me that in your holy of holies dwells the Spirit of God, and only Jesus, Who is the High Priest, can go in there. By the way, ministers don't have a right to get into your holy of holies. They have to stay without. The One Who is the head of your being is the Lord, always the Lord. If a minister becomes your head, you become a disciple of him and you, in a way, put him in your holy of holies. That's dangerous for him and you because then he's between you and God. Remember from our example that wickedness entered into both the outer court and the holy place.  Now here's what the Lord showed me about oppression and possession. Did you know that God seeks to possess you? He just comes from a different direction; that's all. He comes from your spirit, seeking to possess. What He really wants to possess is your soul. He wants to possess your soul, which is your actions and your nature. That's your whole walk. But the demons come in through the flesh, and they also seek to possess your soul. They want to come into the holy place. They want to rule in the holy place because that's the control over your actions; that's the control over your thinking, and the control over your life. They want to control your life.  But the fallacy of the worldly church view gives us is that oppression is without; possession is within. However, the demons can dwell in your flesh, and as long as they're just in the flesh but not in the holy place, not in the soul, they're still in; they're just not in possession. Possession is when they reach into your soul. If you watch demon-possessed people, you'll see this happen. One moment they'll be totally normal, but don't think the demon left. He hasn't left; he's still there. I've had this experience with Christians. Everybody who is led by the flesh is not led by the Holy Spirit, and a Spirit-filled Christian can be led by the flesh. The flesh is made in the image of the devil and you're a son of the devil if you walk after the flesh. You're manifesting being a son of the devil. But here's the point. If you walk after the flesh, you're opening yourself up to let the devil in. You are the one who either permits or forbids. (Mat.16:19) I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Those demons can come into your flesh. If you give in to some sin, they can come into your flesh, but what they want to do is reach into your soul. Your soul is your nature; it is the controlling factor of your life. When the demons reach into a person's soul, that's when everybody says that a person is possessed. But, you know what? They'll back out of the soul into the flesh, and the person will be relatively normal. Then they'll come in again; they'll manifest, and they'll back out. We've seen people who look and behave totally normal. Then, all of a sudden, when you're right in the middle of preaching the Gospel, demons manifest in these people and they start crying out. The demons cry out. Why? Were they there all the time? Yes, they were there all the time. Did they leave the person? They never ever left the person; they were there all the time. So you can be oppressed as long as the demon is in the flesh, but when he reaches into your soul, then that is possession.  Who has the right to have demons cast out? Well, let me give you a few examples. First of all, what we have in the New Testament is Jesus dealing with His Covenant people, which was Israel. That was the type and shadow of what God does today. Jesus was dealing with Covenant people, and He even said, “I was not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Mat.15:24). Who was He dealing with when He cast out demons? It was the lost sheep of the house of Israel. When the pagans came, such as in the instance of the Syrophoenician woman, then Jesus said, “it is not meet to take the children's bread and cast it to the dogs” (Mat.15:26). Well, what was He talking about? He was saying that the lost have no right to God's provision.  The biggest proof to me is my experience. The only time God ever let me cast demons out of a lost person, I had to get His permission to do it. You have to have permission to do it because you can destroy someone by casting demons out of them. The Bible even says they'll come back with seven worse. (Luk.11:26) Then goeth he, and taketh [to him] seven other spirits more evil than himself; and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man becometh worse than the first. So casting demons out of a lost person is not good business unless you have God's permission, since they have no right to God's provision. God's provision of deliverance and healing and other blessings is for Covenant people. We are Covenant people; they are not. They have no right to it. Don't try to give God's pearls to the swine (Matthew 7:6); they have no right to it.  I'm going to prove it to you now from Scripture. (Mar.7:25) But straightway a woman, whose little daughter had an unclean spirit, having heard of him, came and fell down at his feet. (26) Now the woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by race. And she besought him that he would cast forth the demon out of her daughter. (27) And he said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread and cast it to the dogs. He's calling casting out demons “the children's bread.” It's not for the world. No, it's only for the children. Now not only did this woman's daughter have a demon, but she also had a spirit of infirmity. We know this from the same story in Matthew. (Mat.15:28) … And her daughter was healed from that hour. So her daughter was healed at the same time that Jesus cast out the demon. The children's bread is deliverance from demons and healing in the body and all these things. Why? Jesus said that His Body is our bread. Were there any demons or any sickness in Jesus' body? The reconciliation was that He gave His body for your body. See, only we have a right to have a holy, delivered body. The world does not have this right. (Mar.7:26) … And she besought him that he would cast forth the demon out of her daughter. (27) And he said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread and cast it to the dogs. (28) But she answered and saith unto him, Yea, Lord; even the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs. (29) And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the demon is gone out of thy daughter. (30) And she went away unto her house, and found the child laid upon the bed, and the demon gone out. And in Matthew, it says she was healed.  So we can see, as a revelation from this example by Jesus, that someone who is a Jew according to the flesh is not necessarily a Jew according to this New Covenant. Only Jews in this New Covenant are the ones who walk in the faith of Abraham. You can't recognize the Jew according to the flesh anymore; it's whether they are a believer or not. It's according to your faith or your unbelief as to whether you're grafted in or broken off (Romans 11) – totally according to your faith. If you have faith, you're a child. You have a right to the children's bread. The world has no right to the children's bread because they are not in covenant with God. Our part of the Covenant is faith. God's part is supply. We enter into it by faith and God enters into it with supply. It's kind of a lopsided covenant, but that's the way He designed it. We got a good deal and that's why it's called the Good News. 

Friday, 18 September 2026   On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:40   “In these, the two commandments, all the law and the prophets, they hang.” (CG)   In the previous verse, Jesus mentioned the second great commandment, loving one's neighbor as oneself. Having said that, He next says words bearing emphasis, “In these, the two commandments.”   There are the two commandments, and there is everything else which is positionally fixed within the scope of these first two. That fixed position is that by which “all the law and the prophets, they hang.”   Some manuscripts do a changeup switcheroo and say, “In these, the two commandments, all the law, it hangs – and the prophets.” The intent is the same, but the prophets are somewhat of an afterthought, as evidenced by the singular “it hangs.”   Either way, the point is that the entire body of Scripture, summed up in the words “law” and “prophets,” hangs from the fixed idea of loving God with every fiber of one's being and loving one's neighbor as oneself.   One might exclaim that this can't be. There is exile and punishment recorded in Scripture. Lamentations deals with death and destruction. How can those things hang on such a notion? The answer is that Israel failed to do these things. The lessons of Israel are the basis for understanding our relationship with God, including the consequences of disobedience.   As it is certain that nobody is capable of loving God as commanded or of loving one's neighbor as the law demands, we need something more than Israel's futile relationship with God, which is based on this law. This is the point of them having been given the law. Paul says –   “Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. 22 But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.” Galatians 3:21-25   What the law could not do because of our failing limitations, Christ was able to accomplish. With His work complete, we place our faith in what He has done, thus nullifying the law in our lives. There can be no middle ground. People who think Christ is their Savior while they attempt to merit God's favor through law observance set aside the only avenue they have to perfectly meet God's standard.   Life application: There is no reward for “doing one's best” when it comes to law observance. If the law and the prophets hang on these two great commandments, then God's standard must be met in meeting every single prescription in the law and the prophets. To fail to do so demonstrates that we have failed in these two commandments.   The law requires tassels with a blue thread in them to be on the corners of one's garments (Numbers 15:37-40). To not do so is a violation of the law. The person has failed to love the Lord with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength because that precept hangs on the idea presented in the command. The reason for it is explained in verse 40, “that you may remember and do all My commandments, and be holy for your God.”   This is true with every precept of the law. When a violation of the law occurs, a sacrifice must be made to atone for the infraction. One cannot say, “Jesus is my sacrifice for such things” if he is observing the law. Jesus is not the prescribed sacrifice for infractions of the law.   Rather, Jesus is the fulfillment of the law and the Initiator of the New Covenant. This is the error in thinking of law observers. Violations of the law must be dealt with under the law. Removal of the law is necessary for Christ to have authority over a person. When in Christ, Paul says, “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace” (Romans 6:14).   Only Christ can remove sin from our presence by removing the law from our state of existence. Think about what is said in these two verses –   “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” John 1:17   “You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.” Galatians 5:4   Law or grace. One must decide. There can be no intermingling of the two.   Lord God Almighty, help us to think clearly about what it means to be in Christ. May we never offend what You have offered through Him by attempting to somehow merit it through the observance of the law He fulfilled. Help us to get this right and to trust solely and wholeheartedly in Jesus Christ's perfect righteousness. Amen.

CrossWay Church

In this special release, I am reading a complete chapter from my forthcoming book on the appointed times of Yehovah. We begin with Yom Kippur — the Day of Atonement and a question that takes us much deeper than religious tradition: Why did Yehovah give Israel Yom Kippur in the first place?Download the PDF of Chapter: https://member.bulldozerfaith.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Yom-Kippur-Why-Did-Yehovah-Give-Israel-the-Appointed-Times-By-Dr-Kenny-Russell.pdf Before we rush to prophetic fulfillment, we go back to the Torah. Why the High Priest? Why the blood? Why the veil? Why did the sanctuary itself require cleansing? And why did Yehovah command two goats—one sacrificed and the other sent alive into the wilderness bearing Israel's iniquities?As we open Leviticus 16, an extraordinary picture begins to emerge. One goat dies and its blood is taken into the Holy Place. Over the second goat, Israel's sins, transgressions and iniquities are confessed, and that goat bears them away into the wilderness.Then we follow that language into Isaiah 53, where Yehovah speaks of His righteous Servant who would “bear their iniquities.”And the journey does not stop there.We open Jeremiah 31 and discover something every Jewish seeker should consider carefully: the New Covenant is not originally a Christian concept. Yehovah Himself promised a New Covenant “with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah,” declaring:“I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”From Moses to Isaiah, from Jeremiah to Yeshua of Nazareth, I invite you to follow the Scriptures and ask the questions for yourself.Whether you already believe Yeshua is Messiah, are Jewish and searching for answers, or simply want to understand Yom Kippur more deeply, this chapter is an invitation to put religious assumptions aside and return to the biblical text.One truth runs through the entire message:THE GOAL OF ATONEMENT IS HIS PRESENCE.Yehovah told Israel, “I brought you to Myself.” He commanded the sanctuary to be built “that I may dwell among them.”Atonement was never merely about removing guilt. Yehovah was making a way for His people to draw near.This chapter has also become deeply personal to me. The more I study Torah and the Prophets, the more convinced I become that Yeshua of Nazareth truly is Israel's promised Messiah. In this reading, I share some of the biblical reasons that conviction continues to deepen my faith and my love for the Creator.This is a special advance chapter reading from a forthcoming book by Dr. Kenny Russell.Listen with your Bible open. Read the passages for yourself. Test everything against Scripture—and above all, ask Yehovah to reveal His truth to you.Key Scriptures: Exodus 19:3–6; Exodus 25:8; Leviticus 16; Leviticus 17:11; Leviticus 23; Isaiah 53; Jeremiah 31:31–34; Hebrews 8–10.Dr. Kenny Russell BulldozerFaith™ | Gottalife Ministries International From Israel to the Nations

Abide: Staying Connected to Jesus with Jeannie Cunnion – John 15In Episode 152 of Divine Table Talk, Jamie and Jane welcome back author and Bible teacher Jeannie Cunnion for a powerful conversation about one of the central invitations of John 15: Abide in Me.What does it actually look like to abide in Jesus—not just during quiet time or Bible study, but in the middle of busy schedules, difficult seasons, relationships, parenting, work, and everyday life?Together, Jamie, Jane, and Jeannie explore the difference between striving for God and staying connected to God. They unpack Jesus' picture of the Vine and the branches, why fruit is the result of abiding rather than performing, and how we can recognize when we've begun trying to produce in our own strength.They also talk honestly about pruning, surrender, intimacy with Jesus, and learning to remain in His love when God seems to be cutting away things we thought we needed.John 15 reminds us that Jesus isn't asking us to manufacture more fruit. He's inviting us to stay close to the Vine.If you've been tired from striving, questioning a season of pruning, or simply longing for deeper intimacy with Jesus, pull up a chair. This conversation is an invitation to stop performing—and start abiding.Reflection Question: Am I trying to produce fruit for Jesus—or am I staying close enough to Him that fruit becomes the natural result?____________________________________Connect with Jeannie Cunnion:Website: https://www.jeanniecunnion.com/____________________________________Connect with Jamie:Website: www.jamieklusacek.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamieklusacekConnect with Jane:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janewwilliams____________________________________ Get Jamie's Newest Book:Living Loved: An 8-week Journey to Living Fully Loved

Why are the righteous angels, Israel, Jesus, and all members of the Church of the New Covenant all referred to as “the elect”? What is “divine election”? What insights are revealed in this area by ancient biblical languages? Is divine election (predestination) different than fatalism? What is the most edifying aspect of being included among “the elect”? How can monkeys help us understand divine election? Many questions need to be answered.Ministry website: www.shreveministries.orgComparative religion website: www.thetruelight.netThe “Catholic Project” website: www.toCatholicswithlove.orgVideo channel: www.YouTube.com/mikeshreveministriesAll audio-podcasts are shared in a video format on our YouTube channel.Mail: P.O. Box 4260, Cleveland, TN 37320 / Phone: 423-478-4843Get Mike Shreve's book revealing the spiritual identity of God's people:WHO AM I? Dynamic Declarations of Who You Are in ChristMike Shreve's other podcastRevealing the True Light—a study on comparative religion themes, as well as mysterious or controversial biblical subjects: https://www.charismapodcastnetwork.com/show/revealingthetruelight

What went wrong with the Kingdom of Judah? In Jeremiah 2, God exposes a profound failure of spiritual leadership. Priests, prophets, and rulers knew the Scriptures but failed to truly know God. Their spiritual blindness led the nation into apostasy and judgment. In this episode, Steve Wood explores the dangers of religious knowledge without a living relationship with God, the warning of Jesus about the blind leading the blind, and what Jeremiah's message means for spiritual leaders and Christians today. Discover the promise of shepherds after God's own heart and the New Covenant promise that all God's people can truly know Him. Listen now and discover why knowing God is at the heart of authentic faith and faithful leadership. For more resources, visit us online at www.BibleforCatholics.com.  

In this sermon, we clearly see the intentional of God for us is to come into the fullness of the stature of Christ in maturity & understanding in order to make the Spirit of God our only focal point. The evolution of how God communicates with humanity through different biblical dispensations is suggestive of His idea for every epoch. He explains that the era of supernatural encounters transitioned into a time of dependency on prophets, which has ultimately culminated in the dispensation of the Son and Spirit. Dr. Boadum emphasizes that Jesus Christ is the final and highest form of divine revelation, removing the need for human intermediaries or geographical limitations. He warns that contemporary believers must not regress to old patterns of idolatry by exalting church leaders above the finished work of Christ. The message advocates for universal access to God, encouraging listeners to embrace their personal connection to the Holy Spirit rather than relying on spiritual middleman. Ultimately, the teaching calls for a shift toward true worship that reflects the freedom and inclusivity established through the New Covenant.

Patrick Madrid opens this episode with heartfelt listener questions, candid conversations, and a focus on faith struggles and spiritual renewal. Through thoughtful responses about issues like toxic masculinity, fasting, the relationship between the Old and New Covenants, and the perpetual virginity of Mary, Patrick blends theological insight with personal encouragement. Listeners hear honest testimonies and find guidance for reconnecting with prayer, confession, and the Church, all rooted in wisdom and warmth. LeAnne (email) - What do you think are true examples of toxic masculinity and not just the "academic claptrap" examples? (00:51) and keep going back and forth between Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy. Can you give me a clear case for Catholicism over Orthodoxy, plus any good apologetic sources? Also, why do Catholics often seem fine with the Orthodox while many Orthodox seem to have a problem with Catholics? Kevin - If Jesus is the fulfillment of the New Covenant, what happened to the New Covenant? (21:02) Robert (email) - Are pregnant women exempt from the one-hour Eucharistic fast, or does my wife still need to observe it even if she has to snack beforehand to manage nausea? Adam - Why is the Old Testament still connected to the New Testament if Christ fulfilled the Old Testament? (28:06) Karen (email) - Without living in fear, what practical steps can ordinary Americans take to stay awake to cultural and security changes around us and be prepared if an attempt is ever made to take over the country? (36:54) Ed - What is the difference between fasting for one hour vs fasting for an entire day? (44:33)

ABOUT THE EPISODEListen in as David Schrock and Trent Hunter interview Stephen Wellum on his COA Longform Essay "Reflections on the Law of God in Scripture and Theology"Sponsor Kairos Christian Alliance's Muscular Christianity ConferenceJoin The Federalist CEO, Sean Davis, pastor J Chase Davis, and myself (David Schrock) along with other amazing speakers September 26th in Cookeville Tennessee for the Muscular Christianity Conference where we will seek to learn from our predecessors about what it means for the church to be Muscular again. We will be addressing the rising threats facing the church as well as look the future for how American Christians can influence our communities and even the nation God has given us. Come learn from top notch pastors and thought leaders, network with fellow believers, and leave encouraged and equipped to face the challenges ahead.Get your tickets to the Muscular Christianity Conference at KairosChristianAlliance.comUse code SCHROCK (all caps) for an extra 30% off your entire order. Timestamps00:00 – Intro02:11 – Personal Updates and Book Progress07:11 – Dr. Wellum's Approach to God's Law09:59 – The Foundation of Law in God's Character16:01 – Natural Law and Created Order's Obligation29:13 – God's Specific Commands and Instruction34:47 – Understanding the Mosaic Covenant and Law44:58 – New Covenant and the Law Written on the Heart54:14 – The Spirit's Power to Obey God57:20 – Fulfilling God's Law in Christ1:02:34 – OutroResources to Click“Reflections on the Law of God in Scripture and Theology” – Stephen J. WellumTheme of the Month: The Ten Commandments: Yesterday, Today, and ForeverGive to Support the WorkBooks to ReadThe How and Why of Love: An Introduction to Evangelical Ethics – Michael HillFive Views on Law and Gospel – Kaiser, Moo, Strickland, et al.Fallen: A Theology of Sin – ed. Christopher W. Morgan & Robert Peterson

A covenant is a type of contractual agreement we see in Scripture. The covenants God has made with humanity are significant benchmarks in the Scriptures. Adamic, Noahic, Abrahamic, Davidic, and the New Covenant all serve as critical moments when God has demonstrated his grace and mercy to humanity. But they aren't the only covenants or contracts we find in Scripture or in many churches. There are also the Unspoken Contracts that people have made with God. Though God never agreed to them, many of us hold him to them anyway. This series will explore the Unspoken Contracts we find many mistakenly make in the Bible and how we can identify them and replace them with the Spoken Covenants that we should actually build our faith upon. Receive Throughout the Bible, we see God making covenants with His people from Adam, Noah, Abraham, David, to the New Covenant through Jesus. But those aren't the only covenants, or contracts, we find in Scripture or in many churches today.  There are also unspoken contracts that people, including us, have made with God. Though God never agreed to them, many of us try to hold Him to them anyway. We expect God to work in a specific way. If we have unspoken contracts with God, it's good to identify them and replace them with God's promises in the Bible. Reflect  Why was God's contract/covenant with Abram in Genesis 15:1–10 particularly notable?  What unspoken contract did Abram and Sarai try to hold God to in Genesis 16:3–6? What was the result?  Based on Moses' complaint in Exodus 5:3–9, what unspoken contract did he mistakenly have with God? Throughout the book of Job, what are some of the unspoken contracts his friends believed about why he was suffering? What is the unspoken contract driving Martha in Luke 10:38–42?  How was Martha able to tear up her unspoken contract and embrace Jesus' spoken contract in John 11:20–27?   What was Peter's unspoken contract in Matthew 26:31–35 and Matthew 26:69–75? Based on 1 Peter 5:5–6, what did Peter replace his unspoken contract with later in life?   Respond (Use this prayer to start a conversation with God) “Dear God, thank You for Your love and patience as I recognize and replace the unspoken contracts I may have in my life. Help me identify where I'm making assumptions about how You should act. Help me to replace those assumptions and expectations by trusting Your faithful promises in the Bible.”  Discover more about the topics in this episode with these recommended resources Mentioned in this episode: Faith Under Construction podcast  Listen: Promise Keeper (with Shannon Popkin) on God Hears Her Podcast  Misunderstanding Martha  Read: God's Faithfulness to His Promises A Covenant Keeping God Mary, Martha, and Jesus  Watch: Abraham & Waiting on God's Promises  What Do We Desire of God? (Matthew 5–7)

On August 2nd, 2026, Kris continued his series on Bethel Family Distinctions with a powerful message on what it means to be a prophetic people who hear the voice of God. What if God is speaking more than we realize? And what if learning to hear Him isn't just about receiving information, but growing in relationship, obedience, and trust? In this message, Kris unpacks the purpose of New Covenant prophecy, the difference between prophecy and words of knowledge, and why God often speaks through mysteries that invite us to seek Him. Discover how God can use prophecy, community, and even the story of your own life to reveal what He is doing, deepen your relationship with Him, and give you a greater perspective on where He is leading you. Connect with Kris Vallotton: Website: https://www.krisvallotton.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kvministries/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kvministries/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/kvministries Additional Resources by Kris Vallotton: https://shop.bethel.com/collections/kris-vallotton-ministries/Book About Kris Vallotton: Kris Vallotton is the Senior Associate Leader of Bethel Church, Redding, and is the Co-Founder of Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry (BSSM) and Spiritual Intelligence Institute. He is also the Founder and President of Moral Revolution and a sought-after international conference speaker. Kris and his wife, Kathy, have trained, developed, and pastored prophetic teams and supernatural schools all over the world.

The Bible can be confusing – It can also be so powerful it will radically change your life. There are some books in the Old Testament you can flip to that seem so rigid and so impossible, that a life following God is unattainable. Then there are books in the New Testament filled with overflowing mercy and grace that perfectly cover your every imperfection. So which is it – rigid and impossible, or, mercy and grace? Actually, I believe it’s both. It’s old and it’s new. It’s what we could never live up to, so it’s what Jesus died for. It’s what was expected of us, and what was done for us. There are many pages of my Bible in the Old Testament where I’ve written in bold letters across the print “JESUS”. The first 15 chapters of the book of Leviticus were specific instructions given to Moses from God to redeem his people and make them holy. There’s procedures for the burnt offering, procedures for the grain offering, the peace offering, the sin offering, the guilt offering, the ordination offering, contaminations and purifications and discharges. This was the Old Covenant with God for an unholy people. Countless things they had to do, ceremonies and offerings with elaborate steps to make them good enough for a Holy God. And guess what … we couldn’t do it. The truth is, we could never make ourselves holy. We could never get it right and keep it right. And for THIS, we have JESUS!!!!!!!! So, on these pages of procedures and offerings I have written JESUS. Not to cancel God’s requirements, but to remind myself that Jesus fulfilled all of those requirements for me. THE OFFERING HAS BEEN MADE FOR ME. When I needed an offering to cover my sin, Jesus made the offering of his life for me. When I need an offering for my guilt, Jesus made the offering with his blood. Ephesians 1: 4-7 tells me that God loves me and chooses me in Jesus to be made HOLY without fault in his eyes. Praise God for his glorious grace he pours out on us who belong to Jesus. He purchased MY FREEDOM with the blood of Jesus and forgives my sins. And with this, the Old Covenant was fulfilled and we are given a New Covenant with Jesus. We’re not living trying to patch up the old, we’re dwelling in the new, covered in the new, free in the new! It was a very hard concept for everyone to understand in the days of Jesus. All they had known for every generation before them was rules and regulations and offerings trying to make them good enough for God. But Jesus comes as God in the flesh and says, “Now we’re doing something NEW!” To help them understand, Jesus tells 2 stories about the old and the new. First, the story of the patch. Mark 2: 21, “Besides, who would patch old clothing with new cloth? For the new patch would shrink and rip away from the old cloth, leaving an even bigger tear than before.” Clothing in Jesus’ day was all wool and linen – both of them shrink when washed. You would intentionally make something larger than needed because as you washed it, you knew it was going to get smaller and smaller. So what would happen if you got a hole in your linen robe that’s been washed 100 times and you patched it with a brand new piece of linen cloth? Well, it would make a real mess! You can’t make something old right again with something new. You either have to start over with something totally new – or cut a patch of linen from old cloth to fix the old hole. What is Jesus telling the people here? He’s telling them he didn’t come to patch up the Old Covenant between God and his people. He didn’t come to patch up where they continually fell short of God’s requirements. Once he fulfilled the law, he was giving them something brand new! A New Covenant. And what is this New Covenant between us and God? It is total forgiveness. Jesus shed his blood on the cross to pay for all human sins once and for all. It’s a transformed heart. In this new covenant, God places his Holy Spirit inside his believers, changing our hearts to help us live according to his will. It’s living by grace, realizing salvation is a free gift received through faith, not something we could earn by following strict rules. And finally, it’s direct relationship. We no longer require a mediator to speak on our behalf in the Temple – we can have a relationship with God through Jesus. This was a radical shift for everyone hearing Jesus. What? We’re not patching up the old law that we keep failing at? You’re telling us you’re offering something totally new? Something we could never earn. Something that makes us forever good enough?!!!!! So Jesus tells a follow up story to paint the picture further. Mark 2:22, “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the wine would burst the wineskins, and the wine and the skins would both be lost. New wine calls for new wineskins.” Just in case you’re not in the business of wineskins these days, let me explain. A wineskin was basically a bag made from animal hide that people used to store and transport wine. When the wine was new, it was still fermenting. As it fermented, it released gases and expanded. If new fermenting wine was put into an old brittle wineskin, there was no stretch and it would split wide open and everything would be ruined. Jesus was using something people understood to explain something spiritual: You can’t put something completely new into something that isn’t willing or able to change. Jesus was bringing something new—a new covenant, a new way of relating to God, a new kind of life through Him. The old religious systems and traditions couldn’t simply be patched up and expected to contain what Jesus was bringing. The point wasn’t that the “old” was bad. It was that something new requires room for something new. You don’t have to live in the Old Testament with the old rules and laws. Jesus did something radically new to make us forever good enough. We are made holy through our faith in him. Accept that. Receive that. And let it transform you and make you new. You can’t remain the way you were. In this relationship with Jesus, he’s going to make you new too. Why? Because the old you simply cannot hold what God is offering you now. 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a NEW PERSON. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” God isn’t trying to pour something new into your old life. He’s trying to make you new and this new you can hold everything he’s pouring out. No, you can’t stay the same because through Jesus, you’re simply not who you used to be. That old version of you is gone. Let go of her. Receive the new you. You’re walking in a New Covenant with God made possible by Jesus. Jesus didn’t come to put a patch on your old life. He didn’t come to make a few improvements, cover a few holes, and send you on your way. He came to make you NEW. And He doesn’t just give you new wine; He makes you a new wineskin—able to receive, hold, and live in everything He is offering you. So let go of the old you. Stop trying to make your new life with Jesus fit into your old ways of thinking, old patterns, old fears, and old rules. The patch is gone. The old wineskin is gone. The old you is gone. You are walking in a New Covenant with God, made possible by Jesus. Receive the new life He has given you, make room for what He wants to do, and let Him transform you from the inside out. You are not a patched-up version of your old self. You are a NEW creation in Christ. The old has gone, and the new has begun! So stop trying to squeeze your new life with Jesus into the old patterns, old mindsets, old fears, and old ways of doing things. Let the old you go. Make room for what God is doing. You have a New Covenant, a new heart, a new freedom, and a new life—and it's all because of Jesus. New wine calls for new wineskins. And your new life calls for a new you. Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

Fr. Mike takes us through the last chapter of Daniel and explains how Daniel models for us on how to live in exile and still be faithful to the Lord. We also see in Jeremiah the Lord promise a new covenant that will ultimately be fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Today's readings are Jeremiah 31, Daniel 14, and Proverbs 16:21-24. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/bibleinayear. Please note: The Bible contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.