Podcasts about once jesus

Bride Sanctified for the Marriage Feast (audio) David Eells, 5/14/25 Let me begin by saying that the Man-child and the Bride have been going through the sanctification process and overcoming in their personal trials to be ready in time for the anointing of the Man-child. They have passed the “love tests,” been cleansed and sanctified, becoming stronger in faith, in unity with one another, and proven to be faithful and obedient. I believe that the end of these tests and trials is coming and the Lord is coming with His reward and will reveal His chosen Bride to those who have eyes to see. But also the same trials that came to the Bride will then come to the Church in the tribulation and then these revelations below from 2011 will be very important.     Cleansing the Bride for the Feast (David's notes in red) A faithful pastor friend for many years called me and asked my advice. He said he was being slandered behind his back by some people in order to separate disciples. I shared with him that this was happening all over the world, according to many witnesses who have come to us. I told him that we had been told several years ago that an army of demons would come to try to destroy me and UBM. I shared what the Lord told us, that His purpose was to separate people from us because they were leavened and were polluting His Bride, who must now be pure to celebrate the wedding feast for the last seven years. I said Esther was separated from the virgins in the house of the women to go to the King's house before the seven-year reign of the beast, represented by Haman. We received revelations I want to share to help us understand this. (This was just after the first faction in 2011.)     Sons of Perdition Attack the Saints  Ellie McBride - 10/05/2011 (David's notes in red) In a dream, I was at home visiting with Cynthia Marks. (In the natural, Cynthia is one of my co-workers.) She ordered something and was having it delivered to our house for some reason. After she left, I discovered that she had left something behind, so I called her on the phone to let her know. (It seems that Cynthia represents the sons of perdition in whom the false Jesus, Apollo, lives. In ancient times, Cynthia was a cultic title of the Greek god Apollo. Cynthia means “from Mount Kynthos”, which is on Delos Island, on which Apollo was supposed to have been born. Webster's Dictionary says that “Apollyon” used to be a common variant of “Apollo” until recently. Many scholars identify “Apollyon” as the Greek god “Apollo”, the god of death. Apollyon's Mountain, Kynthos or Cynthia, represents his kingdom of those who are destroyed, which in Greek is Apoleia. This is what the word says also: Apollyon is the King of the Abyss and those in it. Rev.9:11 They have over them as king the angel of the abyss: his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek [tongue] he hath the name Apollyon [meaning Destroyer]. His kingdom is over those he destroys. 2Th.2:3 let no man beguile you in any wise: for [it will not be,] except the falling away come first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition [ which is in Greek: Apoleia; those who are spiritually destroyed]. Rev.17:8 The beast [which is in spirit a corporate entity of demons ruling over flesh] that thou sawest was, and is not; and is about to come up out of the abyss, and to go into perdition [Apoleia]. The demons enter into the corporate body of the sons of perdition to destroy them and they are brought into the abyss. Jud.10 But these rail at whatsoever things they know not: and what they understand naturally, like the creatures without reason, in these things are they destroyed. 2Pe.2:12 But these, as creatures without reason, born mere animals to be taken and destroyed, railing in matters whereof they are ignorant, shall in their destroying surely be destroyed. Railing in Greek is “blasphemeo”, which means “to speak evil of or slander”. Dear friends, let no man beguile you. Don't let the sons of perdition, these modern-day Judases, deliver anything to your house or leave anything behind as this dream warns us. In the natural and just like this dream, these people visited Ellie to leave some slander behind but she refused it because she had seen a vision of several of them spiritually dead. Others we are hoping will repent and come out from among them.) Cynthia's mother came to our house on a different day while they delivered the item Cynthia had ordered. (The Harlot is the mother of the corporate body of the son of perdition.) It turned out to be a very large blue stuffed animal. It looked like it might be a dog. (A stuffed dog is an unclean beast with no heart or mind of the Spirit. It is blue because they want to present this life of theirs to you as heavenly but it is born of destruction. What they want to give to the saints is a traitorous life of self-will, ego, rejection, faction, slander, unforgiveness, hatred, retaliation and lusts of all kinds. The Church is about to learn this of them.) It had a very long body with long floppy legs. (These people cannot stand or walk in the Kingdom.) I wondered why she ordered that and thought that maybe it was a present for her granddaughter named Promise. (The children of the Promise will not receive from the son of perdition.) Cynthia's mother said she would take it and deliver it to Cynthia. I told her it was okay and that Cynthia was to come over to pick it up and was also to pick up the other item she left behind. (In other words, “get that garbage out of my house”.) Since Cynthia and her mother don't get along that well, I was not comfortable with allowing her to take the items. (Just as Judas, the son of perdition, and the Sanhedrin, head of the Harlot, didn't get along but they did business in order to crucify the body of Christ.) After Cynthia's mother left, I learned of some sort of attack going on. (Any time the sons of perdition leave anything at your house it's an attack on you. They tried to do this with Ellie in the natural but she refused it.) I no longer remember how I learned of it. I might've looked outside and seen it after hearing some shots. Psa.11:2 For, lo, the wicked bend the bow, They make ready their arrow upon the string, That they may shoot in darkness at the upright in heart. I saw some people with weapons shooting round balls or pellets of various sizes, but never any bigger than a baseball. When these pellets hit their target they would burst and splash blood all over their target. Lev.17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood... Life here is the soul or nature. Shooting represents speaking slanderous accusations against someone, which puts their evil nature in those who receive their words. When we do not warn the wicked, rather than be partakers of their sin, their blood [or nature] is upon us. Tit.3:10 A factious man after a first and second admonition refuse; 11 knowing that such a one is perverted, and sinneth, being self-condemned. Eph.5:11 and have no fellowship [giving and receiving] with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather even reprove them 12 for the things which are done by them in secret it is a shame even to speak of. We are warned not to eat the unclean beasts which was revealed to Peter in Acts 10 to be speaking of partaking of the nature of unclean people.) I became curious about this and desired to understand why it was happening and why the blood. (I believe the projectiles are people being sent out to target certain brethren and if they are able to “hit” them or have an effect on them, the victims become contaminated with their blood or nature [through their evil spirits as we have seen].) I watched for a while. In the meantime, Cynthia came to our house to pick up her things and then tried to leave, but when she stepped out the front door there was a bad storm raging. She went back into our house to wait out the storm. (The sons of perdition have no faith because of their sinful life but they also know that the house of the righteous is the only safe place from the storms, so they decide to stick around for fear but not for long.) I was still busy studying this private war. The people were not attacking everyone, only members of a certain group. (As Judas did to Jesus, they attack mostly the David heads of the Bride but to a lesser extent the Bride because they cannot be a member of that body, which is so contrary to their nature. Psa.15:1 Jehovah, who shall sojourn in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill? [The answer is Jerusalem, the Bride as in Revelation 21:9,10.] 3 He that slandereth not with his tongue, Nor doeth evil to his friend, Nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor) By watching, I learned that the attackers' projectile weapons had a limited reach. Once I figured that out, I stepped outside where it was happening and stood just out of the reach of the projectiles where I could face them and watch them safely without being hit. (I have been able to observe the war on the righteous from a safe distance without being affected.) (The Lord is saying, do not come in contact in any way with these people, lest they put something of their evil nature in your house.) I stood there and watched as they fired at different targets and watched as blood would cover the targets. (Defiling those who do not separate from them, meaning sanctifying themselves from them.) I saw a pellet that had not burst and picked it up to study it. I stood there for a long time observing when I heard my telephone ringing. I heard the phone number being called out and I recognized it as Annie's phone number. (In real life, I had attempted to contact her by phone on 10/04/11 but got the recorder and was only able to leave a message.) (“Annie” means “blessed with grace”.) In the dream, I believed she was returning my call. I apologized to her for taking so long to answer the phone. I informed her of the attack that I was observing take place. (Those who are blessed with grace will receive the warning to avoid the factious.) After talking to Annie, I received another call. This time from a man who was calling to check on me for some reason. (I believe this might have been David.) (I did this in real life and she informed me of an attack there.) I informed him of the attack I was observing as well and let him know that I had in my possession one of their pellets. I told him I intended to study it. I was very curious as to why they were attacking, and I was desirous to understand their weapons. (Ellie is being used to show what not to do here. Studying their weapons of slander is contrary to the commands and very dangerous. Curiosity has caused some to be infected with their slander and faction spirits. People find it hard to believe that “Christians” can lie like these do and are tempted to believe them. This curiosity could lead to something worse, as in the next scene.) The scene changed and I was in the shower with the water running. I did not notice right away, but I soon saw that it was not water coming out of the shower head, but blood. I quickly stepped back and thought it was gross that I had this blood on me. I called out to those in the house to caution them that somehow the attackers had managed to contaminate the water with their blood. I wondered to myself how they managed to do this. (Examining their words and thoughts is receiving a seed of demons and will bring a flood [shower] of temptation to overcome those who do not obey. Pro.8:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue; And they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.) I let the water run until it was clear water again and no longer blood and I was then able to bathe. (I believe this is referring to them misusing the Word to persuade their targets into seeing things their way. Brethren should beware that if they are continuing to fellowship with some of these attackers that they are using the Word in such a way as to bring confusion and doubt.) The Lord spoke this verse to me concerning this dream: Isa.4:3 And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem; 4 when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof, by the spirit of justice, and by the spirit of burning. See also Christian Snipers.   Separating Goats from Sheep   B.A. - 10/04/2011 (David's notes in red) At 4:30 a.m. this morning, I had a vision: It was dark, but in the darkness, I saw a house. The house was shining very brightly on the right side; it appeared to be glowing. I saw people gathered in a circle; they were very tall and they seemed at peace. They were praying and singing praises to the Lord. (This is the UBM house and on a larger type the house of God. They were on the right side because they were sheep which Jesus put on His right. That side was shining brightly because the glory of God was there. They were tall because they were big and mature in the ways of the Lord.) I saw how the left side of the house was very dark and smoke was coming out of the walls. The people looked like dwarves. They were angry and agitated, and they kept pacing back and forth. (Those on the left, of course, are the ones who act as goats, which Jesus put on His left. It was very dark because they were walking in darkness. Smoke is coming out of the walls because the judgment of God is upon it. They were dwarves because they had been stunted in their growth and were small and immature in the ways of the Lord. They are angry and agitated because they are full of faction, anger, slander, criticism, wrath, etc. They are pacing back and forth because they are nervous and stirred up by these demon spirits.) There was a door that separated the two sides of the house. There were no handles on either side of this door. (God has made a separation between the righteous and the wicked. They may not get at the truly righteous who obey His Word to separate from them and we may not minister to them, for God has given them over to this.) The people on the left were angry because they could not figure out how to get this door open to get into the other side. (The goats have been bitter and angrily trying to get at the righteous with their slander.) They wanted to stop those people from singing and praising the Lord. (The demons hate peace and praise among the righteous.) There was a crack about 3/4 of the way down through the center of the house. It looked like at any time the house would split apart. (This is the spiritual earthquake we have seen that is bringing separation of the wicked from the refuge and Bride. The separation will soon be physical, and they will leave our house as a purified house. The Lord said to me as I meditated on this that His foot was pushing down on the left side of the house. It looks like possibly there is a quarter of the way left to go but as the weight of their sin becomes greater they will break off. Father has been showing us for several years through dreams, visions and prophecy that an army of demons would make war with UBM and me in an attempt to destroy us but at the same time we were shown we would become greater in holiness, power, and ministry. (2025 update Note: This has been happening since 2011.) I noticed that the right side of the house was firmly on the foundation, whereas the left side of the house had no ground beneath it. I thought to myself, if that house splits all the way, the left side is going to fall and there's nothing to catch it! (We were told by the factious they would leave peaceably but they lied because they had their eye on carving up UBM from the cover of darkness. God also had His plan to separate those who could give in to these lusts and so He has. We pray constantly for our brethren that they would come to repentance and we know that a few ultimately will.)   The Lamp Of God B.A. - 10/07/2011 (David's notes in red) First Vision Mat.5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do [men] light a lamp, and put it under the bushel, but on the stand; and it shineth unto all that are in the house. 16 Even so let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Psa.119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, And light unto my path. I had a vision of a large, green wicker floor lamp. As I looked at this lamp, I was drawn to it, so I went over and touched it. When I touched the lamp, it suddenly sprang open and revealed a refrigerator on the inside. This lamp appeared to be breathing (the breath of the Holy Spirit [in the lamp of the saints]). I believe this refrigerator in a lamp represents the Word of God in the saints. The fact that it was made of wicker (wood) and green (the color of life) represents the true people of God. The lamp revealing its inner self as a refrigerator is showing us the hidden manna in God's people. Also, a refrigerator preserves food (the spiritual food of the Word of God stored within our hearts) for future preparation when needed. Only God's true people are this lamp and have this refrigerator. The Lord is showing me that He is using faction to strengthen His Body. The Lord is drawing His Body together to feast on His Word and to pray in unity to combat this evil attack. We are being prepared as spiritual warriors. The Lord is pleased to see His David being defended and lifted up by the true Body of Christ. These factious spirits will not be able to penetrate the hedge of protection that the Lord has placed around His David and the true Body at UBM. The Holy Spirit is telling me to tell the Body to wait on and trust in the Lord. Psa.37:7 Rest in Jehovah, and wait patiently for him: Fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, Because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.     Preparation for the Bride Second Vision I saw the Body of UBM dressed up like brides. Some of the brides were in the kitchen preparing a large meal (feasting on the Word of God) (the wedding feast of the last seven years), some setting tables (preparation for the feast), others sweeping the floor (purging out the leaven) and washing windows (clearing our perception and discernment). This vision is very encouraging. Everyone seemed to know their gifts and were going about their tasks with joy and love. The righteous are preparing spiritually for their role as the Bride.     Bride to Be Separated M.C. - 03/25/2012 (David's notes in red) In my dream, I was in a very large building along with many thousands of people who were slowly milling around. There was white lighting overhead that appeared to be fluorescent. Facing ahead of me, the building seemed to be open with no wall. Most of the people in the building were to my left and there was a wall to my right. Our position in the building was critical. I knew I needed to be praying, especially in tongues, for the people in this room, particularly the people whom I knew. It was urgent that I pray that they would be in the right position. (Note that in this dream, every time I was impressed by the importance of prayer, a priority was placed on praying in tongues.) (The Spirit knows who the Bride is and what those left behind need in order to go with the Bride who follows the Man-child as it was with Jesus.) We were running out of time. (At this time, people must choose to be obedient by being in the process of putting on the lampros garment of the Bride, which is their righteous acts, according to the scripture. Those who are content to walk in a leukos garment are not yet ready to escape greater tribulation, which is needed for sanctification. Rev.19:7 Let us rejoice and be exceeding glad, and let us give the glory unto him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 8 And it was given unto her that she should array herself in fine linen, bright [lampros] [and] pure: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints [or sanctified ones].) Suddenly, those on the right side of the building started moving out of the building straight ahead through the opening. We were accelerating very quickly. As I glanced to my left, I noticed that there was a distinct line forming between the people who were still standing motionless and the people who were being moved out. In fact, the people who were left were lined up perfectly at the very edge of the line. The group left behind were all facing us. We hadn't known where that line was before. (There will be a distinction between the Bride and the rest of the church at the beginning of the Marriage Feast of seven days/years of the tribulation. Is this separation geographical? No, it's spiritual: it is authority, dominion, holiness, anointing, etc.) I realized we were out of time to pray for people to be in the group that was leaving (because the Bride was chosen to follow the Man-child reformer body as it was with Jesus.). I was very anxious for the people who were being left behind. I desperately tried to scan the faces of people right at the demarcation of the line, since there was a space between us now, but we were moving out so fast that I couldn't seem to recognize anyone. It was terrible. Behind the people remaining to the left, the light seemed to be fading; it got darker and darker the further to the left one went. (They are going into the darkness of tribulation for sanctification.) There were many thousands of people left behind whom I could see and an almost infinite number of people behind them were off in the darkness. I didn't recognize anyone in the dream. The separation was terrible and very sudden with no announcement. Once we started being moved out of the building, I couldn't seem to do anything by praying as to who was on which side. (The Bride is chosen to be the Bride at the beginning of her own Marriage Feast with the Groom.) At first I was very upset about the people being left behind and then I thought to myself that I needed to stop worrying and start praising God and thanking Him for what He was doing, and to leave the people whom we left behind in His hands. (Some of these people will be lost, as 1/3 of the stars of Abraham's seed fall from their heavenly place in Christ to the earth to be trampled under the feet of the Beast. Some of these people will overcome to walk in purity and holiness through the crucifixion of the tribulation.) I somehow felt that I could still pray for them, but the priority for that prayer was now on the back burner. Now I needed to concentrate on what was ahead of us that we were all moving toward. (Those chosen will recognize the new leadership of the Man-child as they did in Jesus' time. Joh.3:29 He that hath the bride is the bridegroom ... As in the book of Esther, she is taken into the King's house at the beginning of the people of God's tribulation but she is also to use her position to save them. The Philadelphia Church of brotherly love escaped the hour of trial because they had already been through many trials and became beautiful to their Lord.) As we were being moved out of the building, our speed got faster and faster as we flew into the darkness. There was a strong wind blowing in the same direction as we were flying. I felt that it was really important to pray, especially in tongues. Eventually, we started coming down to the ground here and there in the darkness. When I came down, I noticed there weren't very many others around and we were all separated. There seemed to be a high metal roof overhead, like you might see over a large train station with an occasional light here and there. We were still moving, but now we needed to adjust to our new situation. There were white envelopes (the shape looked like #10, but their size was slightly larger) with white paper inside with instructions and encouragement for us that came flying past us in the wind parallel to the direction we were going. They weren't fluttering around. (These letters sailing by were kind of a “cool” phenomenon. We, the wind and the letters were all going in the same direction.) I think we had to collect them. Some were in tongues. We needed to get together, adjust to our new environment as we kept moving, read what was in these envelopes to find out what to do next and start working as a group. (The Bride will learn to work as a true Body of Christ by the individual messages of the Holy Spirit.) We also had much praying to do, especially in tongues. My takeaway from this dream at the time of this writing is that I need to be praying for people to be in this group that leaves. Praying made a difference in this dream. I had regrets when the separation happened in the dream. I don't want to have any regrets when this really happens. The first time I opened my Bible the morning I dreamed this, it opened not to a Bible verse, but to the Bible Study Helps section entitled “This Bible in Your Hand”. I opened to chapter nine, “Sooner Than You Think”.     Cleansing for the Marriage Feast C.P. - 12/27/2011 (David's note in red) I received this dream from the Lord, which I believe is a warning about preparing for the marriage feast. I feel it's important to share this because it relates to keeping your house filled with Christ. Our physical bodies serve no purpose except to house Christ and if we're not serving Him then we are serving other gods (which 1 Corinthians 10:20 says are actually demons). I dreamed we were at our home and my husband was on his way out. I somehow knew I'd be joining him later. I left the door open and the next minute my mother was at the front gate and just walked in (uninvited guest). She went straight to the “guest room” and told me she'd be staying with us from now on (I think my mother represents unclean spirits of anger, rejection, unforgiveness, condemnation, as well as the apostate church). Also, if we do not guard our gates (being the mouth, ears, and minds), we can expect the spirits we cast out to try to come back and make a home out of us. We read this in Mat.12:45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself 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. Even so shall it be also unto this evil generation. I protested and told her that she could not do so. She said that I had prepared a room for her and that she was now staying with us. (Whatever place in our hearts the husband, Jesus, vacates, it is prepared for other spirits to return.) I was very uneasy about this because I knew my husband would not be happy about this (this is the fight between our flesh and our spirit. We know what the spirit requires of us; we need to keep our spiritual house clean and abiding in Christ). However, I acquiesced to her demand. Just then, my younger sister also walked into the house. (She represents the immature Christians who are easily swayed by the older, fallen-away church). They both sat at the dining room table and I thought of feeding them, but never put any food in front of them to eat. (These spirits and demons need to be fed, but it's our choice whether we'll add fuel to their demands to make us fall away from the promises of God.) They immediately started bad-mouthing my marriage to my husband (who represents Jesus). (The true Gospel and the true Bride are a threat and an insult to the apostate church because it preaches salvation instead of bondage.) They told me it was unnatural to be that close to him and that he had changed me; they did not even recognize me anymore (Jesus changes us to the extent that these spirits of apostasy are not at peace in us or in others concerning us.) (The true Bride will not be recognized in the tribulation because people will not want to accept the truth). My sister was particularly loose with her mouth and after a while, I calmly said to her that it was unfair to talk about my husband that way because he had helped her so many times and was very loyal to her. (The Lord has been loyal to the apostates but they do not return that love through obedience.) I told her that if she had nothing good to say, she should leave. She got up to leave, but just before doing so she and my mother asked me to “prove” my love for my husband (the saints will surely be tested). I said, surely I would do that. They told me to go out the back door (the past) of my house and take a shower in the street. (Nakedness represents sin and washing in front of others represents confessing our sins so that God will cleanse us. 1Jn.1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Jas.5:16 Confess therefore your sins one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The supplication of a righteous man availeth much in its working. Notice you are to confess most sins to a righteous person who has faith so they can pray for you. Others are not trustworthy but gossipers. Sins against an individual most of the time, should be confessed to them so that they will forgive you. However, if they do not know about it, it may cause them to stumble. Sometimes God would have you confess publicly so others will fear God and recognize evil.) The scene changed and I was in the middle of Oxford Street in London at night. (Europe's busiest and densest shopping street, which represents Babylonish buying and selling the church does in darkness.) I took a shower in a transparent cubicle on the left sidewalk of the street. (Literal and physical nakedness is not permitted scripturally. Only spiritual nakedness can be seen as good in that we should not have any hidden sins. Pro.28:13 He that covereth his transgressions shall not prosper: But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall obtain mercy. Psa.32:3 When I kept silence, my bones wasted away Through my groaning all the day long. 4 For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: My moisture was changed [as] with the drought of summer. 5 I acknowledged my sin unto thee, And mine iniquity did I not hide: I said, I will confess my transgressions unto Jehovah; And thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. 6 For this let every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: Surely when the great waters overflow they shall not reach unto him. Also, we should reveal sin as sin so that the world will know that we agree with holiness.) But we will also be protected (as in the cubicle). The world will see us but will not be able to “touch” us. I noticed that there was a group of well-dressed, suited men walking out of a restaurant together with a pretty lady (those who want to look good to the world but not to God) who had dark hair (submission to darkness) and wearing a red dress (Sin is described as red in Isaiah 1:18. We see here the harlot spirit of apostate Christianity). I felt so vulnerable being naked in the shower, but I had never been more clean; my skin glistened. (Confessing our sin makes us vulnerable to others but we are cleansed.) The woman seemed to get very angry with me for showering in public and she came over to me and wanted to spray me with whipped cream (the perversion and sweetening of milk, symbolizing the sweetening of the truth to make it acceptable to more people). I kept ducking and diving out of her aim and she said, “Don't try to pretend to be different; you've done exactly the same as me”. To that I replied, “No, I have not. I have never defiled anyone”. She walked away and I managed to get back into my house. (We do not defile others when we are not hiding any sin and when we confess what we have done wrong as sin.) Then I was trying to get ready for a banquet (the Marriage Feast of 7 days -- the tribulation). My mother was still there, shouting insults at me and about my husband all the time. I asked her to help me get ready for the banquet, but she did not. (The nature and spirits of apostasy will not prepare one to be in the Bride or even to attend the feast.) (Sometimes we are so used to our demons and spirits that we think they are part of our nature and try to use our own characteristics to prepare for trials. We need to be mindful that everything that we exhibit that is not of God and does not liken us to Jesus needs to be cast down and told to depart from us; we cannot be slaves to two masters.) Instead, every time I put on a white garment, she either wet it or soiled it. (When apostasy is in our hearts, our life and actions manifest spots and blemishes on our spiritual garment.) I was getting a little frustrated with her and told her she must leave. I told her I needed my garment ready for when my husband came to take me to the banquet. Rev.19:7 Let us rejoice and be exceeding glad, and let us give the glory unto him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 8 And it was given unto her that she should array herself in fine linen, bright and pure: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. 9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they that are bidden to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are true words of God. She said she could not leave because I'd left the door open for her and had a room for her. I then told her that I no longer had a guest room and that the room she was trying to inhabit belonged to my eight-month-old baby (the fruit of Jesus, 888 is his gematria in Greek) (the salvation and manifestation of Christ in us takes time and it is through faith that it can grow). She got angry and tested this but could not go into the room (Once Jesus is large enough in us, there will be no space for the spirits and demons. Once the saints have grown in faith, there will be no place for the apostate church). Eventually, I managed to get my white garment on and she left, and I waited for my husband. (After rejecting apostasy, it had to leave and the garment was pure for the Groom.) Rev.15:4 Who shall not fear, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy; for all the nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy righteous acts have been made manifest.

In "I Am Sending You," Dino Rizzo unpacks how Jesus' resurrection wasn't just an event to celebrate but a commission to embrace. Through Acts 3:1-10, discover how Peter and John's encounter at the Beautiful Gate reveals what it means to truly see people, and learn that these "sent moments" can happen anywhere. Once Jesus saves us, He sends us with His power and purpose!

John 2:24-25 But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man. These two verses are insightful. First, Jesus did not believe in man's believing as a result of merely undeniable facts, such as signs. The word entrusting comes from the word pistis (faith), which comes from the root peitho (to persuade or convince). When we believe something, we trust in it. Jesus did not trust in man's natural faith. Nor should we. Second, Jesus knew all men. The comment is interesting because John didn't say that Jesus knew these specific believers in His name, but that He knew all men. He knew what was in them, namely, the sin of unbelief and the inability of man to generate within himself new life. He knew He could not entrust Himself to any man unless the Father testified to Him that they were His, which leads us to the next insight. Third, Jesus didn't need anyone to testify or witness on behalf of man because the only testimony He needed was the testimony of the Father, that is, revelation by the Holy Spirit in the hearts of men concerning who He is. We see this most clearly in the encounter between Jesus and Simon Peter recorded in Matthew 16:16-18. Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. Do you see it? Once Jesus heard His Father's testimony on Simon's behalf, the declaration that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, He knew Simon could be trusted with the keys of the kingdom. No one else could testify for Simon that He believed in Jesus' name. God-wrought faith is the testimony of God concerning each man. I get this from Hebrews 11. In verse 2, it says, “For by it the men of old gained approval.” The word translated approval is the same root word in John 2:25 translated testify. So, faith is an assurance or a testimony that men receive or gain from God, which testifies of His approval. Then the author went on to write about God testifying to Cain, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and many more that they were righteous by giving them faith. Without the testimony of His Father, Jesus would not entrust Himself to anyone. So we learn from these verses that there's a difference between the testimony of men who say they believe in Jesus and the testimony of God that produces saving faith in Jesus. Love for God and love for His people is the fruit of God's testimony concerning a man or woman. That's why I say we have been called to glorify God by living to love with Jesus. It is God's testimony to us that we truly have a God-wrought faith to which Jesus entrusts Himself. Please follow my line of reasoning. Love is the fruit of His life. If love is the fruit of our lives, not that we are perfect in love all the time, but that it is the practice of our lives, then Jesus has entrusted Himself to us. Isn't that assuring?! Living to love with Jesus is God's testimony to the world that we are His and Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of “giving it forward,” so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

Luke 11:1-4."Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”Jesus said, “This is how you should pray: 'Father, may your name be kept holy.May your Kingdom come soon. Give us each day the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don't let us yield to temptation.”

Once Jesus started performing miracles, his earthly ministry took off! Jesus liked to have fun! We can learn this and 5 other things from Jesus' first miracle, turning the water into wine at the wedding celebration. Greg finishes sharing 6 things we can learn from Jesus' first miracle. ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Look for HOPE is Here: - at www.HOPEisHere.Today - on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/HOPEisHereToday - on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hopeisherelex/ - on X (Twitter) - https://www.x.com/hopeisherelex - on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@hopeisherelex - on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtJ47I4w6atOHr7agGpOuvA Help us bring HOPE and encouragement to others: - by texting the word GIVE to 833-713-1591 - by visiting https://www.hopeisheretoday.org/donate   #Lexington #Kentucky #christianradio #JesusRadio #Jesus #WJMM #GregHorn #GregJHorn #suicideprevention #KentuckyRadio #HOPEisHere #Hope #HopeinJesus #FoodForThoughtFriday #MondayMotivation #FridayFeeling #Motivation #Inspiration #cupofHope #FYP #ForYouPage #SuicideAwareness

Once Jesus was invited to a nice diner with some Pharisees. He proceeded to heal a man, reprimand the guests, and critique the host, only to tell a story lampooning their view of God's Kingdom. Through His story, we, along with the Pharisees, are challenged to ask if our vision of the Kingdom has enough room for everyone God invited to the party.

Most of us want to be happy, so we go looking for happiness …. everywhere.  No stone left unturned, only to discover that we can't find lasting happiness.  Because at the end of the day – happiness isn't what we're looking for.  It's joy that we're after.   The Blessing of Righteousness Over the last few weeks we have been having a discussion on this programme about the promise that Jesus made; an outrageous promise, in fact, of an abundant life. Here it is, have another listen, John chapter 10, verse 10: The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. And I guess that the reason that it's so outrageous is that firstly, Jesus is saying that His purpose in coming to this earth, in stepping out of heaven into the physical dimension, taking on flesh, becoming a man, dying on the cross, rising again – all that – the reason He did that was what? “That we may have life and have it abundantly.” And it is for us because this promise is made in the context of a parable, where Jesus is the Good Shepherd; the True Shepherd and we are His flock. It's a beautiful picture with a deep and rich meaning to the agrarian audience to which He said it, back in the first century. "An abundant life", but what does that mean? I had a student ask me that once when I was lecturing at a Bible College. I was rabbiting on about this "abundant life" thing as though the idea of an abundant life was completely obvious to everyone. And one of the students, a woman in her sixties, asked me, she said, "But Berni, what is an abundant life?" You know something, I think that is a really, really good question. A little while ago we aired a teaching series called, “Financially Secure Once and for All”. It was all about the fact that God means us not to find our security in money; in wealth but in Him. However much we may have or may not have when it comes to financial wealth. Now, I was interested in the response of one man to that. He sent me a sharp email, declaring that he couldn't support anyone who preaches the prosperity doctrine. You know that false idea that if you believe in God in the right way and give lots of your money away to whoever is preaching that day, you will be rich. God will make you healthy, wealthy and wise, with a big house, big car, and a great job – on easy street! It's a false idea and we should have nothing to do with that because it puts our own wealth at the heart of things, rather than God's glory. And that is not – simply NOT what we are called to do. Anyhow, the point of me telling you this story is that, the moment I open my mouth about financial security, the man who wrote me that sharp email, assumed that I was talking about monetary blessing from God. But that was, in fact, the complete opposite of what I talked about in that teaching series. What I was talking about ‘God security' irrespective of the size of the bank balance, we might or might not have. And I wonder whether that isn't the obvious thing to fall into, precisely the same wrong assumption when we start talking about "an abundant life in Jesus"? That abundance must mean, well, healthy, wealthy and wise – easy street! And so people look at their lives and think, "Well, you know, I don't fall into the healthy, wealthy and wise category. I'm on struggle-street, not easy street. My life definitely is not all good or hunky dory, therefore this promise must either be false or for someone else." Do you see my point? We can be like that man who sent that email – we judge Jesus wrongly; we judge what He said from a worldly standpoint, rather than from a godly one. Back in the early church in the first century, a controversy arose about what foods they could eat and what drinks they could drink. Remember, early Christians mostly came out of Judaism with its legal demands about a whole range of things including food and drink. And the Apostle Paul was addressing this controversy in a letter to the Roman church. And the crux of what he had to say was this, Romans chapter 14, verse 17. He said: For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. In other words, boys and girls, stop looking at this whole thing from a worldly viewpoint, because in so doing you are completely missing the point. God's Kingdom isn't a physical thing – it's something that happens inside you when you lay your life down; lay down your worldly desires, lay don't everything you want, for Jesus. It's about righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. We will look at each of those today, starting right now with righteousness, because that's the heart of an abundant life. Righteousness is a word that is bandied around a lot in Christian circles at least, and used almost never anywhere else. So what does it actually mean, "righteousness"? It means ‘a right standing with God'; it means the state that we should be in; the condition in which we are acceptable to a holy God. Now, we have all sinned and rebelled against God. That means there's an enmity; a hostility between us and God but the moment we accept Jesus, the forgiveness we have through His sacrifice on that cross, there is peace. Because the debt for our sin, which is death, has been paid by Him and now through our faith in Him and what He has done, God sees us are righteous. Just as the criminal, who has paid his debt in prison, once released, is now right with the law; so we are right with God through our faith in Jesus. That's why elsewhere in his letter to the Roman church, Paul has this to say, Romans chapter 5, verse 1: Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we now stand. See, we are back where we should be. We are justified; ‘made right,' through our faith in Jesus Christ and so we have peace with God through Him. The war is over; the battle is over; the enmity between us and God is over; the running away from God is over. And then, does Jesus say, "Well, okay. Now, keep on doing all the things you were doing wrong – that's fine, that's not a problem?" No! Just as He said to the woman caught in adultery, whom the crowds had condemned and wanted to stone to death. In John chapter 8, verse 11, Jesus said to her: … neither do I condemn you. Now, go your way and from now on, do not sin again. So, we are forgiven, back in relationship with God and then we are called to go and live out our lives and stop doing the things that have caused the problem in the first place. That's "righteousness", right there. Something that God gives us as a free gift through Jesus Christ – a right standing with Him and then something that we are called to live out in our lives. That's what Jesus came to give us, an abundant life! A life that begins with God's righteousness given freely to us and that then continues in that righteousness and there … right there is the blessing, because sin has its consequences. Sin is the thief that comes only to steal, kill and destroy but Jesus came that we may have life … real life, in all its abundance - righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.   The Blessing of Peace We are looking today at Jesus' outrageous promise of an abundant life. John chapter 10, verse 10: "The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy. I came,” said Jesus, “that they may have life and have it abundantly.” Righteousness (we looked at that earlier) peace and joy in the Holy Spirit – those three are, in a nutshell, what the Kingdom of God brings to our lives. They are a fountain of blessing. And that little troika is put together not by me, but by the Apostle Paul, in dealing with the controversy over religious rules to do with food and drink that was raging back in the first century church. And in responding to that in his letter to the Romans he is saying, "Guys, guys, you have got a hold of the wrong end of the stick! Don't you get it? The Kingdom of God isn't about food and drink, but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." That's the context and that's why we are focusing on it today because in exactly the same way as some people were taking a "human; worldly" perspective of God's Kingdom, over a bunch of religious rules, back then, you and I can easily take a worldly view of this promise of an abundant life, through our consumer oriented, twenty first century mindset. I mean, when you hear the promise of an abundant life, what's the first thing that springs to mind? Enough money to get by? Being able to have a few of those luxuries? Aaah, easy street! I mean, that's the natural reaction, right? But is not what Jesus was saying. As I said earlier, this promise of an abundant life, comes set in a parable of a shepherd and his sheep, who lived in a difficult and dangerous world out there in search of pasture, where thieves often came and wild animals came to ravage the flock and where sometimes, the shepherd had to lay down his life for his sheep. There is nothing "easy street" about that, I can tell you. But if we stopped and thought about this whole ‘abundant life' thing for just a little while and thought, well, if I want an abundant life, what would be right up there … right up on the top of my list, numbers one, two and three, I think we might come up with the same list. 1. Righteousness – a right standing with God, finally; the enmity between us and God is gone. Finally, the threat of eternal judgement is gone. Finally, we are where we are meant to be – back in relationship and right standing with God. That is righteousness. 2. Peace – is there anyone here who doesn't want peace on every side of their lives; the absence of strife? 3. Joy – a deep delight that springs out of our relationship with God; a joy that transcends the ups and downs of life - a deep joy that's there 24/7. But right now we are going to focus on the second one of these, peace! And again, remember, we are not talking here from a worldly perspective, we are taking a godly view. And that's exactly what Jesus instructed His disciples to do when He gave them His peace. He was about to be crucified. The disciples knew that – they were in fear for their own lives as well. It was a scary, scary time. They had been following this amazing Jesus around for three and a half years – the miracles, the teaching, the crowds and now, all of a sudden, the dark cloud of death hung over their decision to follow Jesus. And Jesus says to them – He says, in John chapter 14, verse 27: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled; do not let them be afraid. Do you see this "peace", not from the world's perspective; not the way the world gives it to you. He says, "Take My peace; My deep inner peace." The security; the safety that comes from being one of Jesus disciples - the sort of peace that sheep have when they are safe in the protection of their one true shepherd – the shepherd who is prepared to lay his life down for them. And the clear thing that Jesus is saying to them is, Look, My peace isn't the same as the peace the world offers you. That's why your heart shouldn't be troubled; that's why you don't have to be afraid. And as I have said previously, that promise of an abundant life – John chapter 10, verse 10, comes set in this story of a difficult, dangerous journey in the existence of a shepherd with his sheep. It comes set in the realities … the cold, hard reality of life and it's for that reason that you and I need peace because life is not always what we want it to be. Without that sort of peace we can't have an abundant life, can we? As I look back on my decade and a half now of walking with Jesus, through thick and thin, through some great places and some places that look very much like that valley of the shadow of death, that the Psalmist talks about in Psalm 23. His peace is one of the things that I value most about my relationship with Jesus – a peace that lasts, through every situation because it's His peace; it's His way, not the world's peace; the world's way. Paul, the Apostle, in Philippians chapter 4, writes about a peace that surpasses all understanding; the peace from God that guards our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus. Can I tell you – I so relate to that because so often this peace from Jesus just doesn't make sense? It completely defies logic and surpasses understanding because there are times when I should be afraid; I should be panicking; I should be running around like a chicken with my head cut off, but instead … instead I have a deep peace. Psalm 23, verse 4: Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. That's the peace that Jesus brings! Friend, it is better … better than any bauble or any trinket that this world has to offer – this deep inner peace from God. A peace delivered into our very beings by the Holy Spirit, Himself. And it's a peace that only comes when we first have a right standing with God, through Jesus. That's why Paul, in his list of three things that the Kingdom of God is about, kicks it off with righteousness first, then peace because peace flows out of the relationship that we have with God, through Jesus. And then … then, once we have the relationship with God and the peace that comes out of that, the next thing; the icing on the cake is joy – the joy of the Lord.   The Blessing of Joy You ask people this question: "What do you want out of your life?" And ninety nine percent of them will answer, "Well, you know, I want to be happy." And why not? After all who wants to be sad all the time? Who wants to live out their lives in darkness when the light of happiness beckons, just around the corner? But, you know, happiness isn't always what life dishes up, is it? As much as we want to be happy all the time, it just doesn't work out that way. In fact, happiness can be illusive because it depends on our circumstances; things going on around us. I mean, we are not happy when we are sick or when someone is giving us a hard time, or when we are struggling financially or when we are having an argument or a fight. I mean, you can't be happy at those times. So as much as it is something just about everyone aspires to, happiness is not all that it is cracked up to be. Happiness is linked to our circumstances and when we say we want to be happy all the time, what we are really saying is that we want all of our circumstances to be favourable – easy street, that's happiness. Well, my friend, life isn't like that. Mine isn't and yours isn't. We might have short times on easy street, but most of life isn't like that. And so, then we come back to looking at this promise that Jesus made about an abundant life and it's easy to imagine it's a sham; it's an unrealistic promise – the sort that politicians make before an election, only to renege once we have voted for them. I'm not saying all politicians' promises are like that, but you understand what I'm saying. In my country, at least, many promises are made during an election campaign, which never eventuate. And so happiness is a bit like that – a mirage in a desert. It can be illusory. John chapter 10, verse 10: The thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy. But I came … I came that you may have life and have it abundantly. Surely, if I am going to have an abundant life just as Jesus promises here, surely I have to be happy, right? Well, in unpacking and understanding this promise so far today, we have been looking at how Paul, the Apostle, summed up what the Kingdom of God is about. People back then, when Jesus and later the disciples, were going around talking about the Kingdom of God, well, people kind of imagined that it was something physical, there was the Roman Empire - that was THE kingdom. But there had been other kingdoms before that so they were expecting Jesus to come, riding in on His shiny white steed, with His sword held high, leading a mighty army to boot the Romans out of Israel. That pretty much is what the Kingdom of God kind of painted to them; the picture that they thought of but Jesus had a completely different take, as Jesus often does. Luke chapter 17 and verse 20 – have a listen to this: Once Jesus was asked by the Pharisees, when the Kingdom of God was coming and he answered, “The Kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed nor will they say, “Look, here it is!” or “There it is!” for in fact, the Kingdom of God is among you. So when it comes to Jesus coming to this earth in order that you could have a life and I could have a life, that we could live out abundantly, it makes sense to me not to look at from that human perspective, the way the Pharisees were, but from the perspective of God's Kingdom. And this is why we have been unpacking Paul's nutshell of what the Kingdom of God is all about – Romans chapter 14, verse 17 – Paul writes: For the Kingdom of God is not about food or drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Well, so far today on the programme we've looked at the first two of those: righteousness – a right standing with God, we live out in our relationship with Him and peace – the sort of peace that Jesus brings; the sort of peace that doesn't make sense; that surpasses all human understanding. But what about this third one; what about joy? You know what? I spent the first thirty six years of my life looking for happiness. I left no stone unturned in my quest for this happiness thing – wealth, a big house, expensive cars, marriage, children, status, career, fame, recognition, winning at everything I set my hand to – it was all about winning for me back then. Believe you me, I looked under every rock. I was persistent. And other than some fleeting experiences of happiness, I never found it. Why? Because unbeknown to me, I wasn't so much yearning for happiness, I was yearning for something much deeper; something more lasting and abiding. What I was after was "joy". And joy is different to happiness, in that, it doesn't rely on our circumstances. It doesn't come from out there, joy comes from within, from among us, from in our midst. It's a well inside us that bubbles up, no matter what is going on, on the outside. I have experienced joy on some of the darkest days in my life. Now you can't experience happiness at those times. To be happy, things out there have to be on the up and up – the sun has to be shining. But I have experienced great joy, right, smack bang in the middle of great pain. How? Why? Because it's a joy that comes from God and that well never runs dry. Let's listen again to what the Apostle Paul wrote, that the Kingdom of God was all about – Romans chapter 14, verse 17: For the Kingdom of God is neither food or drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. You see, the righteousness, peace and joy come when we are immersed in the Holy Spirit. They come from God through the Spirit, not from us. And Jesus describes how this works in John chapter 7, beginning at verse 37: Jesus was standing there and he cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and let the one who believes in me, drink. As the Scripture has said, ‘out of the believers heart will flow rivers of living water.'” Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive; for as yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified. The joy of the Lord, which comes from His Spirit within us, is like that. It bubbles up and then it flows out of the centre of who we are, out of our hearts, like rivers – not a tiny little stream, not even a modest or large river but rivers, a Nile and a Ganges and a Mississippi and a Rhine and an Amazon – rivers of living water. The Holy Spirit, with His righteousness, peace and joy, flows up out of us like a … like a flood tide of blessing from rivers of living water, into the lives of other people when we yield our lives; when we turn them back and live them for God. That's what the Kingdom of God is! And do you know what this overflow sounds like to me? It sounds like life in all its abundance and that's exactly what Jesus promised.

For people who have rejected God or at least ignored Him, the Gospel doesn't make sense. Once Jesus breaks through the wall that sin builds around your heart, suddenly you gain an understanding that goes much deeper than intellect. As Pastor Richard will point out in today's message, that's the power of the Gospel. It reveals truth to our hearts where sin and the Prince of lies have deceived us into rejecting the very idea of God.

The gospel today teaches us how Jesus taught His disciples to pray. We learn how to pray from Jesus Himself. The gospel states, “Once Jesus was in a certain place praying, and when He had finished, one of his disciples said, 'Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples...'” Note the following: He did His prayers at a certain place, then He finished praying, and lastly, He was asked by one of His disciples how to pray. Listen to the podcast for the details.

Once Jesus became famous, the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law showed up to see if Jesus was who the people claimed he was. When the began testing Jesus, they found that he had answers to all of their questions...and they didn't like it. By the beginning of Mark 3, they were ready to conspire with their enemies to kill Jesus. 

Caught in a fierce storm, the disciples feared they were going to drown. Once Jesus calmed the wind and the waves, however, they grew even more afraid. Today, R.C. Sproul looks into the identity of the Man who is unlike all others. Get R.C. Sproul's book The Holiness of God, plus lifetime digital access to his teaching series Fear and Trembling with the digital study guide, all for your donation of any amount: https://gift.renewingyourmind.org/3601/fear-and-trembling   Meet Today's Teacher:   R.C. Sproul (1939–2017) was known for his ability to winsomely and clearly communicate deep, practical truths from God's Word. He was founder of Ligonier Ministries, first minister of preaching and teaching at Saint Andrew's Chapel, first president of Reformation Bible College, and executive editor of Tabletalk magazine.   Meet the Host:   Nathan W. Bingham is vice president of ministry engagement for Ligonier Ministries, executive producer and host of Renewing Your Mind, host of the Ask Ligonier podcast, and a graduate of Presbyterian Theological College in Melbourne, Australia. Nathan joined Ligonier in 2012 and lives in Central Florida with his wife and four children. Renewing Your Mind is a donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts

Not a single one of Jesus' disciples were interested in following after myths. Once Jesus was crucified they scattered. They had no expectation that Jesus would be raised from the […]

Do you know that your tongue holds the power to destroy or to give life? If you are longing for a breakthrough in your health, or in any other area, you must learn how to speak words of life and avoid declarations of self-defeat.  We live in an increasingly voice-activated universe. Phones and tablets, cars and gadgets are increasingly being programmed to recognise and respond to what we say. But voice-activation is not so original and innovative as you might think. This was the same means God used to create the physical universe and the laws that govern it, as well as inputting the same operating system into His most precious creations – human beings (Genesis 1:3,9,26-28; Hebrews 4:12 ESV). Your words have power and influence in the spiritual realm (Proverbs 18:21; Job 22:27-28 NKJV).    When it comes to the spiritual realm, the reality is that the enemy can use anything you say against you, to oppose your prayers. So we have to be so careful with our words. We were created to rule and reign with our voices. The problem is, many of us have learned how to use our tongues more from the world than the Word.    We see three core principles from a story recorded in Mark 5:22-42 that will help you to see healing miracles in your life and the lives of those around you. These lessons come from a man who knew that Jesus was the only hope for a precious member of his family, and was able to take great care in the words he spoke and the words he left unspoken.      1. Speak words of life over your circumstances (Mark 5:23 NKJV; 2 Corinthians 4:13; 1 John 5:14; Mark 9:22; Isaiah 53:5)   2. Refuse to utter a declaration of despair (Mark 5:35-40; Mark 11:24; Proverbs 18:7 NKJV) 3. Keep hope alive in your heart (Proverbs 17:22; Proverbs 18:14; Isaiah 61:3; Psalm 27:13-14 NKJV)  Apply   1. Speak words of life over your circumstances (Mark 5:23 NKJV). Speak with faith: Jairus' daughter was in a critical condition, but he knew Jesus had power to heal her. He spoke out his faith clearly. As a synagogue leader he would have known that bowing down and declaring trust in Jesus publicly could put his job at risk, but he was more concerned about his daughter's life than the opinions of his peers or the potential consequences, so he spoke up. Speaking aloud with faith is the first step to the miracle. You may feel intimidated but remember that you have been created in the image of God to rule with your voice in the same way He does (2 Corinthians 4:13). Whatever miracle you think you need, one important step that needs to precede declaring things with faith is to ask God what His will is (1 John 5:14). Jairus pleaded with Jesus to heal his daughter. Once Jesus had agreed, he had all the reason in the world to stand in faith. When you know Jesus is saying ‘yes' to your miracle, then you need to pray with authority, not like the man who Jesus had to correct for saying “…if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us” (Mark 9:22). You must also speak the truth. Sometimes Christians get confused about this. Having faith does not mean denying the existence of a real problem, but it does mean being careful with what you declare. Jairus was explicit about what the problem was, and Jesus didn't have any problem with that. But Jairus was also careful not to make a negative declaration about her future. The only thing he said about her future was that Jesus' ministry would heal her. Then you must speak in line with the Word of God. You can declare the Word of God over your situation, or you can declare in line with it – the key thing is to know the Bible promise you need and speak it out. Regarding healing, the clearest promise in the Word is written in Isaiah 53:5. Forgiveness and healing are part of the same promise.   2. Refuse to utter a declaration of despair. Jairus faced a delay in Jesus coming to heal his daughter. Then came a spiritual attack of intimidation (Mark 5:35). He was confronted not just by one messenger but several, and told his daughter was already dead. They advised him not to bother Jesus any more, even referring to Jesus as just a ‘teacher'. How do you react when faced with bad news? Jairus must have been tempted to vent his grief and frustration, to abandon or contradict his faith declaration, or just hang his head and walk away. But in the moment of temptation Jesus was right there (Mark 5:36). Jesus didn't need Jairus to say anything more, only to hold onto his faith. Like Jairus, sometimes we've prayed and received a healing touch, but the problem has not disappeared. The trouble may even intensify. How do we respond? David Yonggi Cho in ‘The Holy Spirit, my Senior Partner' explains that healings can come via two routes: “When the gift of the working of miracles works, the disease departs in a moment and the person immediately begins to recover health. When the gift of healing works, the cause of the disease is removed slowly and the effect of treatment starts to work, leading to recovery.” If it's a ‘miracle' you tend to notice straight away, but if it's a ‘healing' you receive that you are healed in your spirit by faith, but you must keep persevering in faith until the completion (Mark 11:24). Derek Prince talks about this in his book ‘Secrets of a Prayer Warrior', explaining that if you've asked for and ‘received' healing in prayer, then you stop asking for it and move to thanking God for it. He writes “Now you're plugged into God's supernatural power. Keep the plug in.” Any time you feel a twinge of pain or see a symptom, don't fear, just believe, and declare “Thank you Lord. Your supernatural power is at work in my body.” It's not just a matter of speaking words of faith in the high moments but holding your tongue from venting negative declarations in our lowest moments (Proverbs 18:7 NKJV). The final lesson from Jairus came as he reached the threshold of his home where his daughter lay dead (Mark 5:38-40). Jesus was determined to get rid of the professional mourners because He recognised the effect it was having on the family's home. They needed an atmosphere of faith, not sadness.    3. Keep hope alive in your heart. It would be difficult for Jairus to hold onto his faith in an atmosphere of loud grieving and wailing. This is a major factor in every battle of faith. It is vital to keep hope alive in your heart through the time of testing (Proverbs 17:22). The joy of the Lord is not only your strength but like medicine for your body (Proverbs 18:14).There are some practical things you can do to nurture hope and joy through a time of trial, including: not keeping company with people who drag your spirit down; being sensitive to what music you are listening to and what you are watching and how these influence your heart and mind (Isaiah 61:3); raising your voice in praise, thanks and worship to find the presence of God (Psalm 27:13-14 NKJV). If you have been facing a battle of faith for your miracle, be it health, family, financial or ministry, just like Jairus who faced waves of opposition and intimidation, choose to speak words of life and not death. We need to develop a culture of positive speaking and declaring the promises of God in every area of life. Our words bring life or death, and that applies in relationships, emotions, and in supernatural healing. This is a moment to decide to change the way that we speak and to speak words of life and faith. 

Do you know that your tongue holds the power to destroy or to give life? If you are longing for a breakthrough in your health, or in any other area, you must learn how to speak words of life and avoid declarations of self-defeat.  We live in an increasingly voice-activated universe. Phones and tablets, cars and gadgets are increasingly being programmed to recognise and respond to what we say. But voice-activation is not so original and innovative as you might think. This was the same means God used to create the physical universe and the laws that govern it, as well as inputting the same operating system into His most precious creations – human beings (Genesis 1:3,9,26-28; Hebrews 4:12 ESV). Your words have power and influence in the spiritual realm (Proverbs 18:21; Job 22:27-28 NKJV).    When it comes to the spiritual realm, the reality is that the enemy can use anything you say against you, to oppose your prayers. So we have to be so careful with our words. We were created to rule and reign with our voices. The problem is, many of us have learned how to use our tongues more from the world than the Word.    We see three core principles from a story recorded in Mark 5:22-42 that will help you to see healing miracles in your life and the lives of those around you. These lessons come from a man who knew that Jesus was the only hope for a precious member of his family, and was able to take great care in the words he spoke and the words he left unspoken.      1. Speak words of life over your circumstances (Mark 5:23 NKJV; 2 Corinthians 4:13; 1 John 5:14; Mark 9:22; Isaiah 53:5)   2. Refuse to utter a declaration of despair (Mark 5:35-40; Mark 11:24; Proverbs 18:7 NKJV) 3. Keep hope alive in your heart (Proverbs 17:22; Proverbs 18:14; Isaiah 61:3; Psalm 27:13-14 NKJV)  Apply   1. Speak words of life over your circumstances (Mark 5:23 NKJV). Speak with faith: Jairus' daughter was in a critical condition, but he knew Jesus had power to heal her. He spoke out his faith clearly. As a synagogue leader he would have known that bowing down and declaring trust in Jesus publicly could put his job at risk, but he was more concerned about his daughter's life than the opinions of his peers or the potential consequences, so he spoke up. Speaking aloud with faith is the first step to the miracle. You may feel intimidated but remember that you have been created in the image of God to rule with your voice in the same way He does (2 Corinthians 4:13). Whatever miracle you think you need, one important step that needs to precede declaring things with faith is to ask God what His will is (1 John 5:14). Jairus pleaded with Jesus to heal his daughter. Once Jesus had agreed, he had all the reason in the world to stand in faith. When you know Jesus is saying ‘yes' to your miracle, then you need to pray with authority, not like the man who Jesus had to correct for saying “…if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us” (Mark 9:22). You must also speak the truth. Sometimes Christians get confused about this. Having faith does not mean denying the existence of a real problem, but it does mean being careful with what you declare. Jairus was explicit about what the problem was, and Jesus didn't have any problem with that. But Jairus was also careful not to make a negative declaration about her future. The only thing he said about her future was that Jesus' ministry would heal her. Then you must speak in line with the Word of God. You can declare the Word of God over your situation, or you can declare in line with it – the key thing is to know the Bible promise you need and speak it out. Regarding healing, the clearest promise in the Word is written in Isaiah 53:5. Forgiveness and healing are part of the same promise.   2. Refuse to utter a declaration of despair. Jairus faced a delay in Jesus coming to heal his daughter. Then came a spiritual attack of intimidation (Mark 5:35). He was confronted not just by one messenger but several, and told his daughter was already dead. They advised him not to bother Jesus any more, even referring to Jesus as just a ‘teacher'. How do you react when faced with bad news? Jairus must have been tempted to vent his grief and frustration, to abandon or contradict his faith declaration, or just hang his head and walk away. But in the moment of temptation Jesus was right there (Mark 5:36). Jesus didn't need Jairus to say anything more, only to hold onto his faith. Like Jairus, sometimes we've prayed and received a healing touch, but the problem has not disappeared. The trouble may even intensify. How do we respond? David Yonggi Cho in ‘The Holy Spirit, my Senior Partner' explains that healings can come via two routes: “When the gift of the working of miracles works, the disease departs in a moment and the person immediately begins to recover health. When the gift of healing works, the cause of the disease is removed slowly and the effect of treatment starts to work, leading to recovery.” If it's a ‘miracle' you tend to notice straight away, but if it's a ‘healing' you receive that you are healed in your spirit by faith, but you must keep persevering in faith until the completion (Mark 11:24). Derek Prince talks about this in his book ‘Secrets of a Prayer Warrior', explaining that if you've asked for and ‘received' healing in prayer, then you stop asking for it and move to thanking God for it. He writes “Now you're plugged into God's supernatural power. Keep the plug in.” Any time you feel a twinge of pain or see a symptom, don't fear, just believe, and declare “Thank you Lord. Your supernatural power is at work in my body.” It's not just a matter of speaking words of faith in the high moments but holding your tongue from venting negative declarations in our lowest moments (Proverbs 18:7 NKJV). The final lesson from Jairus came as he reached the threshold of his home where his daughter lay dead (Mark 5:38-40). Jesus was determined to get rid of the professional mourners because He recognised the effect it was having on the family's home. They needed an atmosphere of faith, not sadness.    3. Keep hope alive in your heart. It would be difficult for Jairus to hold onto his faith in an atmosphere of loud grieving and wailing. This is a major factor in every battle of faith. It is vital to keep hope alive in your heart through the time of testing (Proverbs 17:22). The joy of the Lord is not only your strength but like medicine for your body (Proverbs 18:14).There are some practical things you can do to nurture hope and joy through a time of trial, including: not keeping company with people who drag your spirit down; being sensitive to what music you are listening to and what you are watching and how these influence your heart and mind (Isaiah 61:3); raising your voice in praise, thanks and worship to find the presence of God (Psalm 27:13-14 NKJV). If you have been facing a battle of faith for your miracle, be it health, family, financial or ministry, just like Jairus who faced waves of opposition and intimidation, choose to speak words of life and not death. We need to develop a culture of positive speaking and declaring the promises of God in every area of life. Our words bring life or death, and that applies in relationships, emotions, and in supernatural healing. This is a moment to decide to change the way that we speak and to speak words of life and faith. 

Daily Dose of Hope June 17, 2024 Day 2 of Week 12   Scripture: Deuteronomy 10-14; Psalm 5; Luke 8   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the daily devotional and podcast that complements New Hope Church's Bible reading plan.  We have a lot of Scripture to cover today so let's get started.  We are going to start by walking through the passages in Deuteronomy chapter by chapter.    Let's start with Deuteronomy 10.  What does God ask of his people?  He asks them to be obedient.  The Lord of all, the one who put the stars in the sky and put the planets into motion, is the same God who chose Israel to be his people.  He has chosen to reveal himself to a particular group of people, the Israelites.  There wasn't anything particularly special about the people.  Afterall, they were people like you and me.  They messed up and sinned over and over again.  Their brokenness was evident.  But God chose this group of people to call his own. The one who created the entire cosmos was the one who showed up among this stiff-necked people.    This chapter gives us a glimpse into the heart of God. Though he is Lord of Lords, all powerful and all knowing, he is also the God who cares about the orphans, the widows, and the oppressed.  He has chosen a particular group of people to form into a holy nation.  Though they are a mess and he often gets frustrated with them, he continues to be faithful.  How have you seen the faithfulness of God in your own life?   Now, let's move on to chapter 11.  Heartfelt obedience would be required for the people of God to drive out the people groups currently residing in the promised land.  Simply going through the motions, engaging in religious ceremony, and professing faith would not be enough.  They needed to seek relationship with God through love, obedience, and steadfastness.  When they did this, all the land would be theirs.  Obviously, our circumstances are different.    Obviously, we live on the other side of the cross under a new covenant. But as people, are we all that different? Don't we also simply go through the motions sometimes, professing religious faith but not really loving God?  How often do we engage in religious ritual without connection and obedience to a holy God?  After thousands of years, God is still seeking an intimate relationship with us, one that is marked with love, obedience, and steadfastness.  He wants to be the center of our lives.  Take some time today and think about the Israelites, just as they are on the cusp of entering the promised land. How are you different from them?  How are you similar?   Chapter 12 offers some more review of how the Israelites are to worship.  After commanding the removal and destruction of idols, we now move on to where and how God must be worshiped.  The worship of the one true God was to look very different from the worship of pagan idols.  It was to be in a place chosen by God himself.  It was to be in one place alone and there God would take up residence.  This would be God's tabernacle, his temple, among his people.    Throughout the Old Testament, God dwells in a specific place. His presence is found in the tabernacle and then eventually the temple in Jerusalem.  Obviously, God is omnipotent and can be everywhere all at once.  But for his people, that specific place was holy.  It was a beautiful picture of God's presence among them.    When Jesus came, he became the temple.  He was the very presence of God.  Once Jesus ascended to heaven, the Holy Spirit was given to the church.  Now, the presence of God resided within the people.  If you have said yes to Jesus, then the Spirit of the Living God lives within you!  I find it amazing and spectacular how God continues to do a new thing among his people.  Now, we can definitely say that the presence of God is here with us. We don't have to go to a specific building.  God's presence is closer than our very breath.  There is no place we can go where God's presence is not.   Chapter 13 presents several scenarios about what to do if strangers, loved ones, or whole communities tried to tempt them to worship other gods.  No matter who does the tempting, the answer is always the same.  Don't do it and get rid of the culprit, even if it is a loved one.  No one is allowed to tempt them to worship false gods.  The consequences for doing so should be swift and severe.    God clearly knows his people.  He knows they will be tempted to worship false idols. If we look at the course of Biblical history, idolatry was eventually the undoing of the Israelites.  Most of us have a hard time imagining bowing down to a medal statue representing a god or a golden altar to some false deity.  And yet, we have to be very careful here.  Our false gods are less obvious but still present.  Far be it from us to think we are somehow better than the Israelites.  After all, we worship money, power, technology, sports, our children's activities, our own hobbies, and our own families, among many other things. Anything at all that we put before God is an idol and if we are honest, we put a lot before God.  What kinds of things are you tempted to put before God?  How can you reprioritize your life to right this wrong?   And finally, chapter 14.  Most of this chapter details the food laws and tithing.  But why are there specific rules regarding which foods the Israelites could eat?  Well, because they are the children of God, a holy people, and God chose them to be set apart from the other people groups of the world.  The separation between pure and impure animals simply is a reflection of the separation that God's people have with the rest of the world.  God is clearly forming a unique people.  We've discussed this whole idea of holiness before but it certainly bears repeating.  Holiness means being unique and set apart.  Something that is holy is cut off from other things, in a class of its own.  But that which is holy is also morally pure.    One of the defining characteristics of God is his holiness.  God is both totally pure and without sin and also like nobody else, in a class separate from all other classes. God called on the Israelites to become a holy people, set apart from all the people groups of the world.  It says in Lev. 19:2, "...Be holy because I, the Lord God, am holy."  They were to look differently, act differently, and be morally pure.  Obviously, the Israelites were not going to be without sin because they were human beings but they were to make every attempt to avoid sin and atone for their sins regularly.   So where does that leave us? In the New Testament, the Greek word for holy is hagios and it comes from the same root word as saint or sanctified.  Just as Jesus Christ is holy, we as his followers are also to seek holiness.  I Peter 1:14-16 reads, "As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.  But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;  for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”  In New Testament language, being holy is also to be set apart but not to be separate, to be in the world but not of it.  Our lives are to be characterized by holiness: we are to look different from the culture around us, we are to seek moral purity, and work toward sanctification.  To be sanctified is to become more and more like Jesus. One might even go so far as to say that to become holy is to become like Jesus.  Do you think of your life as holy?  Why or why not?   Be sure to read the Psalm today but we aren't going to have much discussion around it.  It is another Psalm of David.  He is once again pleading with God for protection against enemies and for God to bless the righteous.  What are your thoughts about David's big ask?   Let's move on to Luke 8.  There is so much great stuff in this chapter.  There is no way that I can touch on all of it.  We have some pretty significant healings – the bleeding woman, the sick girl, and the man filled with demons.  Jesus also calms the storm, leaving his disciples almost speechless, “Who is this man, they ask?”  But I want to spend just a little time on the parable.   This is the parable of the sower.  Jesus says that a farmer goes out to sow seeds.  But the farmer doesn't worry so much about where he is throwing the seeds. He seems to be pretty indiscriminate with his seed-throwing.  He is literally just throwing seed everywhere.  Some of the seed falls right on the path, where all the people walked and the soil was hard and had been packed down.  The birds ate most of that seed.  Some of the seed fell in rocky places (there are lots of rocky places in that part of the world) and while it would sprout, the soil was shallow, and there wasn't enough root for the plant to survive.  Some fell among thorns, and the thorns were invasive and took over. The plants had no real chance of survival there.  But then some seeds fell on good soil, which produced an amazing crop---100, 60, or 30X what was sown.  So, here's the question:  what is Jesus trying to teach us here?   First, I think it's important for us to not dwell on the different kinds of soils too much.  I think one of our first temptations is to go, I know someone who is like that soil, and then that group of people are like this soil, and so forth.  We'll get to the soil but I want us to start with what is most important.  Who is the star of the story?  Well, the farmer or the one who is sowing the seed.  He throws that seed everywhere–he is generous with the seed, throwing it everywhere there is any chance it might take root.  Friends, we are the sowers.  We are the ones called to throw seed. What's the seed we are supposed to be throwing around?   Well, the Good News of Jesus Christ of course.    Jesus is calling us to sow extravagantly.  We aren't supposed to decide who to share our faith with.  No, we are truly to share our faith, in word and deed, with everyone. This is so important.  We aren't just supposed to share Jesus with those in our congregation, with our friends who are “safe.”  We are supposed to be kind of reckless, sharing the love of Jesus Christ, sharing our faith story, telling people the source of our hope, with all kinds of people: people who don't look like us, people who we don't know and people we do know.  If God has brought us to a certain place, a certain store, a certain vacation spot, a certain meeting---we trust that there is a greater purpose.   Another thing we learn is that God gives up on no one and neither should we.  We just keep sowing.  As the sower, we truly have the desire for all the soil to bear fruit.  That's why we keep throwing those seeds, having those conversations, offering to pray for someone, telling people how much Jesus loves them.  God loves all people, we are called to love all people.  Remember that love of God and love of others cannot be separated. They are intricately linked.   But we have to recognize that some soil has had people trample on it. It has not been nourished, it might be filled with rocks.  It may take years to get to the point in which the soil can bear fruit. I read that to gets soil just right, really nourished, it can take years.  And it usually means continuing to add nourishment to it, continuing to add things to it to develop it and enrich it so that it can be fruitful.  People are no different. We love on people, we pray for them, we tell them Jesus loves them.  We listen to their stories. We ask questions. And this could go on for years.  But we don't give up on anyone because God doesn't give up on anyone.  We trust that God is at work in ways we can't see or understand. We trust that God is working behind the scenes to nourish the fields, to strengthen the roots.   Is there someone you have given up on?  Remember, God isn't done with any of us yet!   For the rest of this week, friends, you will hear Pastor Lavetta.  She is completing this week for me.  She is absolutely wonderful and I know you will be blessed.  You will hear from me again on Sunday.   Have a wonderful day!   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Send us a Text Message.In John 20, Thomas would not believe that Jesus rose from the dead until he saw Him with his own eyes. Once Jesus appeared to him showing the nails in his hands, Thomas collapsed to the ground and declared his belief in Jesus. In response, Jesus said to Thomas, “Do you believe because you see me? Happy are those who don't see and yet believe.” (Jn. 20:29). In this episode, Marissa shares her story of searching for God in every place except what was right in front of her. After spiraling headstrong into some dark places which caused serious anxiety and depression, Marissa became diagnosed with a rare disease that caused her to see double. The news from doctors was not good. In the midst of this, she had an unusual peace and confidence that God was going to heal her.  Turns out what happened was more than  Marissa could even think or imagine. Support the Show.Want to support Jesus in My Life Podcast, please consider supporting us with a small monthly contribution, details at: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2004457/supporters/newContact us at: jesusinmylifepodcast@gmail.comFollow us Online on: TikTok@jesusinmylifepodcastFacebookhttps://www.facebook.com/jesusinmylifepodcast

Have you ever given something special to someone who didn't say thank you? How did that make you feel? Once Jesus helped some men get well. What do you think they did?“God, I will give you thanks forever.” PSALM 30:12, NIV. We worship Jesus when we thank

Have you ever given something special to someone who didn't say thank you? How did that make you feel? Once Jesus helped some men get well. What do you think they did?“God, I will give you thanks forever.” PSALM 30:12, NIV. We worship Jesus when we thank

Frequently, when we read scripture there's a difference between the people's experience with God then and people's experience with God now. When it comes to God and His church, most people are asking this question: Is There More?It's a valid question. The answer is "Yes!" The pages of Scripture and testimonies throughout history, prove one hundred percent that the answer is “Yes!” In this series we will look at the third member of the trinity, the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, the Holy Spirit is frequently misunderstood and taken out of context. It is our goal in this series to give you a confident understanding of WHO the Holy Spirit is and WHAT the Holy Spirit does. Again, our aim isn't to over emphasize the Holy Spirit, but we are tired of under emphasizing the Holy Spirit. Once Jesus ascended, He gave us the Holy Spirit to indwell us for the purpose of guiding us, growing us, and gifting us. Listen to this series, apply the truths, and you will discover, there is more. 

Once Jesus ascended to heaven, what did He begin doing? What is He doing now? Nancy will show you that Christ is busy interceding for you.

Once Jesus ascended to Heaven, what did He begin doing? What is He doing now? Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth will explore that and show you that Christ is busy doing more than you may have imagined. That's next on REVIVE OUR HEARTS. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/453/29

Once Jesus ascended to Heaven, what did He begin doing? What is He doing now? Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth will explore that and show you that Christ is busy doing more than you may have imagined. That's next on REVIVE OUR HEARTS. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/453/29

Once Jesus had set his course toward Jerusalem, He had plenty of chances to quit. A death threat from a conniving, dangerous ruler would deter most people, but Jesus doesn't flinch. In fact, His resolve to move forward on his journey only seems to deepen. What is it that motivated Him to walk a path that He knew would likely end in His death? It's the same thing that motivated Him to lament those who would not hear His voice and come to Him to sit under His wing of protection- His love.

Once Jesus has delivered you from a way of life, you stop living like a former sinner.   Instead, you live delivered.  You don't have to apologize to the world for who you were.  Tell the world who you are now because you are never the same, and you will never be the same with Jesus.

This week, Rev. Julie Lewis looks at the time following the total darkness during Jesus' crucifixion and the moment when Jesus breathed his last breath.  At this moment, the temple veil was torn from top to bottom.  No human could have done this.  A natural disaster wouldn't have done this either.  The veil was a physical separation between the holiness of God and the sinfulness of humankind.  Once Jesus died, the veil was no longer needed.  We had access to God through his atonement for our sins.  Yet, we still try to put up our own barriers to meeting with God.  God has cleared the way and we can tear down all the barriers and meet Jesus.For more information about services, special events, and other ministries at Asbury UMC please find our Facebook page or website at www.asburysmyrnaumc.org. 

Quiet Time Coaching Episode 496 | New Thing Series — Part 51 | “Peter's Inadequacy” | Malcolm Cox Introduction A new thing! I'm Malcolm Cox. Welcome to your daily devotional podcast anchored in Isaiah 43:19: 'See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.' We are currently looking at God doing a new thing in the life of the Apostle Peter. Today we explore Peter's inadequacy.  “…they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. So they signalled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.” (Luke 5:6-11 NRSV) Peter's Inadequacy - Peter the career fisherman has been upstaged by a carpenter - Experiencing the miracle reveals the limitations of his humanity - What is Peter sees sends him to his knees - Peter connects the presence of Jesus with his own sinfulness - An awareness of his unrighteousness leads to a desire for alone-ness For Reflection Think of something you are really good at. Now imagine someone who knows nothing about your area of expertise telling you how to do it. How would you feel? Jesus was no fisherman, and Peter was an expert. Fish in that part of the world were not caught in the daytime or in deep water. Jesus asked Peter to do something ridiculous. Why do you think Peter did what Jesus asked? Do you think it might have had something to do with him sitting in the boat as Jesus taught (v3)? The nets began to break, and then Peter's heart reached breaking-point (v8). What might be the connection between these two incidents? Once Jesus has reassured Peter he gives him a calling that Peter immediately takes up. Why do you think Peter did so without hesitation? Peter and his companions “left everything” to follow Jesus. So did you when you made the decision to be a disciple. Do you still remember what you gave up? Why not write down the things you left behind? And why?  Why not take some time today to pray about what you've given up, including your own sense of inadequacy? Conclusion I hope you find your heart, your life, your congregation and your world inspired by God doing a new thing. Until tomorrow, take care, and God bless.  Please add your comments on this week's topic. We learn best when we learn in community. Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here's the email: malcolm@malcolmcox.org. If you'd like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, “How God grows His people”, sign up at my website: http://www.malcolmcox.org. Please pass the link on, subscribe, leave a review. "Carpe Diem" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

You can grab the free workbook at www.catholicmomcalm.com/lent2024 Full text of St. Faustina's Diary. Reflection question: Sometimes we get carried away with different devotions or checking boxes. We can let our desire to “get it right” or “be a good student” get in the way of listening to God and being obedient. It is not for us to know why God has asked us to do something. We must still trust Him. What comes up for you when you read today's passage? Excerpt from St. Faustina's Diary for today (28): Once Jesus told me, Go to Mother Superior [probably Mother Raphael] and ask her to let you wear a hair shirt for seven days, and once each night you are to get up and come to the chapel. I said yes, but I found a certain difficulty in actually going to the Superior. In the evening Jesus asked me, How long will you put it off? I made up my mind to tell Mother Superior the very next time I would see her. ... Mother answered, “I will not permit you to wear any hair shirt. Absolutely not! If the Lord Jesus were to give you the strength of a colossus, I would then permit those mortifications.” I apologized for taking up Mother's time and left the room. At that very moment I saw Jesus standing at the kitchen door, and I said to Him, “You commanded me to ask for these mortifications, but Mother Superior will not permit them.” Jesus said, I was here during your conversation with the Superior and know everything. I don't demand mortification from you, but obedience. By obedience you give great glory to Me and gain merit for yourself.

One of the things that I've noticed is that I don't have the strength, or the power in my own right to live the life that God wants me to. Have you noticed that too? We try … and we fail. What we need, is power. Power from high. Fortunately that's exactly what Jesus has in mind.   POWER FROM ON HIGH Great to be with you again this week and today we're continuing in this series of messages called Walking In The Spirit. You know, I often think about this – it's kind of strange to me how God sets things up. He Himself is Spirit: we can't actually see Him or touch Him or hear Him here in the physical dimension where you and I live. Now of course at one time in history He stepped into the physical dimension when Jesus came and dwelt among us but that was two thousand years ago. And whilst we can read about who Jesus is, and what He has to say, and what He does, we can't experience God in the physical dimension in the same way as those people did way back then. So now we have something of a dilemma. God lives in a dimension that is spiritual and you and I, we live in a dimension that's physical. How do we communicate with God? How do we know not just about Him but how do we know Him? Well fortunately that's something that God thought about, and to do that He sent us His Holy Spirit, one of the three person of the Godhead – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He sent His Holy Spirit to dwell in us. See, this problem happened the moment Jesus was set to depart from this world, the physical God departing leaving what? Well fortunately leaving behind the Holy Spirit. And this is the promise Jesus made to His Disciples, the ones who were to become the Apostles who would spread His good news throughout the known world. John chapter 14 beginning at verse 15. He said: If you love me you'll keep my commandments and I'll ask the Father and He will give you another advocate to be with you forever. This is the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him or knows him but you know him because he abides with you and he will be in you. So Jesus promised to send His Holy Spirit to those who believed in Him with their lives and in fact in those final days and hours before He was crucified it's something that He promised again and again. That through the Spirit of God the Father and the Son would come to make their home in us. Now you and I, we have a body, we have a soul, our mind, our will, our emotions and deep down we have a spirit and it's at this level that the Holy Spirit connects with us. So after Jesus was risen again and just before He ascends into heaven and leaves His disciples behind He gives them this instruction, Acts chapter 1 beginning at verse 4. He ordered them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait there for the promise of the Father. This, he said, is what you have heard from me. For John baptised you with water but you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. Now the disciples, as it turned out, thought that was fine but that wasn't the most important thing on their minds. You see, Jesus was the Messiah, and to a Jew in the first century that meant something like a warrior king, like David of old, to boot out the Romans from occupying the land and to restore the king of Israel. The Disciples, despite three and a half years with Jesus, were more interested in what was going to happen in the physical dimension of their lives rather than the spiritual dimension. Have a listen to the exchange between them and Jesus, between the physical concerns of the disciples and the spiritual priorities of Jesus. Acts chapter 1 beginning at verse 6:  So when they'd come together they asked him, ‘Lord is this the time when you will restore the kingdom of Israel?' And he replied, ‘it's not for you to know the times or the periods that the Father has set by his own authority but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.' When he said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up and a cloud took him out of their sight. Do you see that? See they were interested in perhaps the most important thing from their perspective. So when is God finally going to restore the kingdom of Israel? And Jesus brushes them off because He didn't come to restore the kingdom of Israel, He came to usher in the Kingdom of God and that's spiritual not physical. Again have a listen to what Jesus had said earlier on this subject. Luke chapter 17 beginning at verse 20:  Once Jesus was asked by the Pharisee's when the Kingdom of God was coming and he answered, ‘The Kingdom of God isn't coming with things that can be seen nor will they say, ‘Look here it is' or ‘There it is'. For in fact the Kingdom of God is among you. No Jesus, in the very last thing that He said to them before He left them and ascended into heaven, He wasn't so much interested in the physical dimension, His priority for them, these men who would go on to found the Church, His real concern is that they should have spiritual power from God in them. Acts chapter 1 verse 8: You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. Why is that? Why is this Jesus' greatest concern? Because He knew that without the power of God, without the witness and communication and encouragement and guidance of the Holy Spirit these men simply wouldn't be able to do the things that they were called to do. You read the Book of Acts of the Apostles (which in my view should really be called The Acts of the Holy Spirit through the Apostles) and what you see is that these men came across horrendous opposition. They were called on to do mighty things and many of those things were miraculous. They went way beyond the ability of eleven men and Jesus knew that if these men had power from on high, if they were filled with the Spirit of God they could do whatever God needed them to do and then some. And friend, that's how it is with us. We think sometimes it's all up to me, my gifts, my abilities, my hard work – and hey, I'm not knocking any of that – but even as I sit here and share these things of God with you I know, I mean I know beyond any shadow of any doubt, that I couldn't do what I'm doing if it weren't for the power of the Holy Spirit. See part of walking in the Spirit is being filled to over-flowing with the Holy Spirit so that we have the power to do what God has called us to do. The power to resist the evil one, the power to overcome temptation, the power to love those who abuse us, the power to die to self, the power to take up our cross every day and follow Jesus. Friend, those things take power. They take power that is way beyond any of us and it's for that reason that God sent His Spirit to dwell in us. Now after the break we're going to see how the Spirit of God, even before He came upon these men in power, guided them in the physical dimension. That's the exciting thing. The spiritual and the physical dimensions aren't two separate things, as the Holy Spirit dwells in us He gives us the guidance and the power that we need to operate for Gods glory right here in this physical world in which you and I live. See that's the exciting bit.   PRACTICAL GUIDANCE FROM ABOVE Now, it's kind of fine to talk about walking in the Spirit, it's fine to talk about having power, and a little later we're going to see how the Spirit was poured out, but what about the rubber hits the road stuff? What about the next step, the next decision you and I have to make? How does the Holy Spirit guide us? How can we know what the Holy Spirit wants us to do? How can we seek Him out and discover God's good and perfect will for us? Well that's what we're going to look at right now. We saw earlier how Jesus ordered the disciples to stay in Jerusalem and to wait for the power that God would pour out upon them. At that point He ascended into heaven. So there they were over the coming days waiting in Jerusalem and it occurred to them that they were now down to eleven disciples as a result of the exit of Judas Iscariot and they had to do something about that. So here's how it unfolds, if you have a Bible grab it, we're going to read from Acts chapter 1 beginning at verse 15: In those days Peter stood up amongst the believers together with a crowd numbered about one hundred and twenty people and he said, ‘friends the Scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit through David foretold concerning Judas who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus for he was numbered among us and was allotted his share of the ministry. Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness and falling head long he burst open in the middle of all his bowels gushed out. This became know to all the residents of Jerusalem so that the field was called, in their language, Akeldama which means field of blood. For it is written in the Book of Psalms, ‘let his homestead become desolate and let there be no one to live in it and let another take his position of overseer'. So one of the men who had accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out of among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us to his resurrection. So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas who was also known as Justus and Matthias. Then they prayed and said, ‘Lord you know everyone's heart, show us which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry an apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go his own way'. And they cast lots for them and the lot fell on Matthias and he was added to the eleven apostles. Can I tell you something? This is a passage of Scripture that I have struggled with for a long time because me, I've always been taught if I want to know Gods will, well the place to discover that is in God's Word, the Bible. And that's true, I mean that's what they did, they went back to the Psalm and read that they had to replace Judas. But many is the time when I've been facing a particular challenge or dilemma and surprise, surprise in the very next chapter of whatever Book of the Bible I happen to be reading at the time, in the very next bit something leaps out at me and the Holy Spirit speaks to me and I just know what God wants me to do. I'm sure if you believe in Jesus and you're someone who listens to Him through His Word that that's something that's happened to you on more than one occasion because God speaks to us first and foremost through His Word. And right here, smack bang in the middle of His Word the eleven Apostles – the guys who've spent three and a half years at the Jesus school of discipleship, the best theological seminary anyone will ever go to – these guys to make a decision cast lots! How did they do that? Well we don't know, maybe they flipped a coin, heads Joseph wins, tails Matthias wins and hey presto it came up tails so Matthias becomes Apostle number twelve. Now friend doesn't that strike you as a bit odd? I mean, why didn't they go to the Scriptures to decide between the two? No, they flipped a coin to make one of the most important decisions in the history of the Church. A coin? Give me a break! Why didn't they take a vote amongst the hundred and twenty or so Jesus followers who were in that room at the time? That's probably what most Churches would do today. No, no. They cast lots. Well doesn't that just take the cake! What's God trying to say to you and me through this? Because all Scripture is inspired by God, it's used for teaching, for proof, for correction and for training in righteousness, that's what 2 Timothy chapter 3, verse 16 says. Well here's what this Scripture has done for me. It's opened my mind to the creativity of the Holy Spirit in speaking to me and guiding me and making His will known in my life. I remember being convicted of sin one day when I was watching a family movie. God spoke so powerfully to me through what one character was doing. It's like God held a mirror up to my face and said, ‘Berni, that's you'. And over the years I've discovered that the Spirit nudges us and guides us and encourages us and convicts us in so many different ways. I am doing what I'm doing right now, sharing the love of Christ with many people across the globe, because one man came up to me at a conference and spoke some words to me. And without any shadow of a doubt I know that I know that I know that God was speaking to me through this humble gentle man. Is the Bible my absolute authority for truth? Absolutely. Do I need to discern experiences and things people say to me and impressions I have from this or from that? For sure. “Test all things” the Bible says. But friend, as we journey along our path, walking in the Spirit, the Holy Spirit is with us every moment of every day, He is with us and if we'll open our hearts and our minds and our eyes and our ears to Him He will speak to us. Am I suggesting we discern Gods will by flipping a coin? Probably not. But hey, it's in the Bible so the last thing I'm going to do is tell God what's appropriate and what's not.   THE SPIRIT POURED OUT Okay, God's guidance doesn't always happen the way we expect. And speaking of the unexpected, right now I'd like to spend some time sharing with you the story of when, as Jesus promised, the Holy Spirit was first poured out on the believers. Again can I say in our experience, especially can I say for those who like me have something like a conventionally spiritually narrow western mind set, this is pretty way out there too? So join me as we have a listen to what God is up to on the day of Pentecost. If you have a Bible grab it, we're going to read from Acts chapter 2 beginning at verse 1: Now when the day of Pentecost had come they were all together in one place and suddenly from heaven became a sound like the rush of a violent wind and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues as a fire appeared among them and a tongue rested on each one of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them the ability. Now there were devout Jews there from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem and at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered because each one of them heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished they asked, “are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear each one of us in our own native language?”  Parthians, Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene and visitors from Rome both Jews and proselytes, Cretens and Arabs in our own language we hear them speaking about Gods deeds of power. All were amazed and perplexed saying to one another, “what does this mean?” but others sneered and said, “they're filled with new wine” but Peter standing with the eleven raised his voice and addressed them. “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let it be known to you and listen to what I say. Indeed these men aren't drunk as you suppose, it's only 9 o'clock in the morning. No this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel. In the last days it will be, God declares, I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh and your sons and your daughters shall prophecy and your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams. Even upon my slaves both men and women in those days I shall pour out my spirit and they'll prophecy and I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and smoky mist, the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the Lords great and glorious day. Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Now this is quite an event. I mean I've had a few really powerful encounters with the Holy Spirit but never anything quite like this. A powerful sound like a rushing wind and then these flames of fire resting on everyone and all of them, all of them speaking in foreign languages and all the different nationalities there could understand the good news of Jesus in their own language. And of course the first thing, the very first thing that happens when God does something powerful and unusual like this is that everyone else has to poke fun and to criticise what's going on. They must be drunk. Well sorry buddy I know they perhaps looked a little intoxicated but they were all Galileans speaking in different languages. Being drunk certainly doesn't explain that, I mean it doesn't right? So what do we do with this? Well the Apostle Peter gets up to explain what's going on. He explains to the Jews assembled, ‘hey this is exactly what God promises in the Old Testament.' That all of these powerful things would happen and in fact if you were to read on you discover that after he finished speaking many of the people there gave their lives to Christ. Many of the very same people who only weeks before were crying out to Pontius Pilate ‘crucify Him'. See there's a clash here between the conventional, what normally happens in the physical dimension and the spiritual, the super natural. And it was a surprise to everyone. I mean if you've been around the Church for any length of time you'll know that there are some who say, ‘Okay, what happened there back there two thousand years ago on the day of Pentecost, it was absolutely a one off. It was the first time God poured His Spirit out, fair enough He did something powerful'. And then there are some others of so called charismatic and Pentecostal persuasions who claim that God is still doing mighty powerful things like this today. What do you make of it? Well God's Word is clear. If we don't have the Spirit of Christ then we don't belong to Him, Romans chapter 8, verse 9 and yet at the same time there are plenty of people who have the Spirit but where the Spirit hasn't been unleashed in power in their lives. See these Apostles are uneducated bumpkins; most of them went on to do the most amazing things for Christ. They had so much opposition, they preached the Gospel, so many people came to Jesus through them and in fact the Church around the globe, a few billion people, are Christ-followers today because of the start that the Church got from these Disciples. And most of them, they ended up dying for Him in the end because the power was unleashed in their lives by the Holy Spirit on that day. They did what they did, they could only do what they do because they were filled to overflowing with the Spirit and the presence and the power of God. Jesus promised to baptise us in the Holy Spirit. He did. And the wonderful thing is that this baptism, this drenching in the Spirit happens in different ways in different people's lives. God knows we're different. God knows that you and I are totally different people. God is going to touch you and fill you with His Spirit in a way that He knows will work for you and that way maybe totally different to the way that God deals with me. You know something, I don't have a problem with that. I mean God's God. God gets to decide what He does, how He does it, when He does it and I am not going to sit there and point fingers at other people and say, ‘Well God did it differently over there, they must be wrong'. It's not how God does it, that's not the important thing. The important thing is that in fact we are filled with the Spirit. The important thing is that the power of God is unleashed in our lives so that we can live a life that brings glory to Him: a life that bears fruit, a life that has an eternal impact in the lives of other people. Don't you reckon that's the most important thing? It's what God's Word says and God's heart is to see His power and His might unleashed in you and unleashed in me as His Spirit drenches us and utterly transforms us and unleashes the power of God through us in a lost and hurting world.

Bible Reading: Psalm 51:5; John 8:30-36"Hi, Rosetta," said Mom as she set a bag of groceries on the counter. "Lots of homework today?" Rosetta looked up from the books and papers scattered across the table. "Yeah. I have a report due on Tuesday.""Oh? On what?" asked Mom as she started putting food in the refrigerator."Harriet Tubman. She was a slave who escaped to freedom on the Underground Railroad. After she made it to freedom herself, she went back to help others escape slavery. If she had been caught, she would have been enslaved again!" "Wow," said Mom. "That's pretty brave.""Yeah." Rosetta leaned back in her chair. "I don't think I could ever be that brave. If I had escaped slavery and was able to make it to freedom, I'd want to stay there! I don't think I'd risk going back for people I didn't even know."Mom was quiet for a moment. "Well, I sure am glad someone was willing to rescue me from slavery," she said."What?" Rosetta straightened up. "What are you talking about?""You and I--along with every other person--were born into a different kind of slavery," Mom explained. "We weren't enslaved to a human master like Harriet Tubman, but the Bible tells us that everyone is born into bondage to sin. We can't escape sin on our own, so Jesus came to earth to rescue us. He became human Himself and died for our sins so we could be free.""Oh," said Rosetta. "Right.""And now that we've been freed by Jesus, we can help point others to the freedom they can have in Him too," Mom said. "But unlike Harriet Tubman, we don't ever have to worry about being enslaved again. Once Jesus frees us from sin, we're free forever.""But pointing others to Jesus isn't quite like what Harriet Tubman did, is it?" Rosetta asked. "It's not as scary and dangerous as going to a place where you could be captured and enslaved.""Well, it's not against the law to tell people about Jesus where we live, so it's probably less dangerous than in other places in the world. But it can still be scary. That's why we need to trust God to give us the strength and courage we need to boldly tell others about Jesus." – Jean A. BurnsHow About You?Are you doing what you can to help others know about the freedom they can have in Christ? It can be scary when someone might make fun of you. It can even be dangerous if you live in a part of the world where it's illegal to be a Christian or tell others about Jesus. But God promises to help you. Jesus loves us so much that He left heaven and came to rescue us from sin. He will give you courage so you can boldly tell others about Him.Today's Key Verse:Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. (NIV) (Acts 4:29)Today's Key Thought:Point others to freedom in Christ

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18  //  Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NLT)  // Never stop praying. “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.” ― Martin Luther King Jr “I never pray more than 20 minutes. But I never go more than 20 minutes without praying.” ― Smith Wigglesworth Luke 18:1 (NLT)  //  One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. Prayer should be our first response, not our last resort. John 15:4-5  //  Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 1. The Priority of prayer. Daniel 6:10  //  Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. 2. The Place of prayer. Mark 1:35  //  Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Third Place 3. The Plan of prayer. Luke 11:1-2 (NLT)  //  Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” Jesus said, “This is how you should pray…” 4. The Persons of prayer. 2 Corinthians 13:14 (MSG)  //  The amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, the extravagant love of God, the intimate friendship of the Holy Spirit, be with all of you. The amazing grace of Jesus. Hebrews 4:15-16  //  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. 2 Corinthians 12:9  //  My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. The extravagant love of the Father. How you see God affects how you relate to Him. Ephesians 3:14  //  For this reason I kneel before the Father… Psalm 103:8-13  //  The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him. The intimate friendship of the Holy Spirit. John 14:16-17  //  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever--the Spirit of truth. Parakletos Amazing Grace Extravagant Love Intimate Friendship

We did it! We just released our 100th episode! And we could not have a more fitting episode than with Nicki (@broadeningthenarrative) and Stephen Pappas. Nicki and Stephen answer the question: What happens when one person in a partnership begins the deconstruction process before the other partner? This can be a really intimidating, vulnerable process for a lot of folks, and Nicki and Stephen talk about their process of simultaneously navigating exploration, discovery, hope, grief, and fear of abandonment. We talk about:  Function of Dreams Within the Church (3:00): “Last week, we talked about the unique challenges of identifying and pursuing a life dream when you grew up in an Evangelical, Mormon, or Pentecostal context, or Empish, E M P. In these Empish contexts, women support the dreams of their husbands […] And then husbands support the quote dreams of the larger church, which is really dictated by the pastor and the broader goals of the American Christian church, often supporting white nationalism and other questionable conservative agendas.” Julia contextualizes how ‘dreaming' functions within the Church. It exists in a hierarchal system that mirrors that of the patriarchy and is ruled by it. Jeremiah then adds the context of dreaming within the deconstruction process: “This [EMPish Communities] is not a context that fosters dream development individually nor relationally […] Some of it is super exciting and magical. Some of it is downright gut-wrenching, especially while trying to do all of this healing work in a partnership with someone who is deconstructing and healing in different ways.” Being able to dream while moving through the deconstruction process is incredibly challenging, as a whole new world and way of thinking has been opened up, however, this presents unique issues within a partnership.  Jesus: The Foundation of a Marriage (18:00): “I want to acknowledge how much it shakes a couple that your very foundation is no longer that foundation. […] The language you've entered the covenant and our sand symbolize, like here's the white sand on the bottom. This is Jesus. Here's his brown sand and my blue sand. Swirling together, becoming so enmeshed because the two become one, the whole reason you're joined together, the whole reason you were attracted to each other, the whole reason you decided to marry was Jesus. That was the foundation. That's the thing you found that you loved about each other. And so when that is gone. What do you have?” Nicki describes how deconstruction shakes the very foundation EMPish marriages are formed on, which is Jesus. Once Jesus is removed from the equation, and thus from the foundation, it is challenging to build a new foundation not based on biblical principles.  Deconstruction is Disorienting (23:00): “My whole bearings are off. Like what I believed about the world is not the reality and what I believed about Christianity or about this life or the afterlife or God is not what I thought it was. And it's just like really disorienting. Yeah, I think a lot of it would come back to if what I had always believed the Bible taught, and now it's being questioned, that would be a really hard conversation, because then it's like, that's the last firm foundation. Cause if I let this go, then what is there?” Stephen talks about losing the foundation Christianity provides and profoundly speaks about a common feeling most folks who are deconstructing experience, which is disorientation. It is a confusing experience to realize a majority of ideas you built your life upon are not right, or do not resonate anymore. Deconstruction affects every element of our lives from our profession, our relationships, our friendships, and more. Julia then synthesizes upon what Stephen says: “That when folks often and I can relate to this move through deconstruction we move through deconstruction, taking this quote-unquote liberal or progressive lens to, to the Bible and to Christianity, so you still have that foundation, that foundation just looks different, and you have new values coming from that same foundation, and at some point for one or for both of you, that foundation eroded, and and and you couldn't fall back on that in the same way you would use the language of disorientation, great language. It also sounds like destabilizing in a literal and a figurative sense.” Julia talks about how attempting to apply a progressive lens to EMPish values causes them to fall apart, and once that progressive lens is applied it is nearly impossible to unsee.  Non-Monogamy (37:00): “I don't think that love is a finite resource. And so people who will say they're not monogamous as a lifestyle choice like they choose to be this way. And for other people, it felt like another coming out of, okay not only am I queer, but this is also like who I am and I've been shamed. There's a stigma about that. Not just in the church. There's a larger culture built around monogamy, you know, so just that whole thing there. But again, I embrace this part of myself, even if like, you know, I have not explored it. We haven't opened our marriage. That kind of thing, but I can embrace that part of myself and stop shaming that part of myself and be grateful for that part of myself and the capacity of love that gives me for humans.” Nicki discusses the larger cultural perception of non-monogamy in and out of the Church. The Church has no room for dreaming, and thus has no room for folks exploring their sexuality and coming into their sexuality later in life. It takes active communication and generosity to have these discussions with a partner, as deconstruction is a foundation-shaking process from which new dreams and challenges arise.  Dogmatic Beliefs (40:00): Jeremiah poses the question: “Stephen, as you've been watching Nikki kind of make some of these acknowledgments begin to talk about identifying as queer, what does this look like in real-time? I'm also curious, you know, what are some things that you've begun to explore about yourself as well? Related to or not related to sexuality?” Stephen then responds: “A big change for me has just been not being so dogmatic in my beliefs. Anymore or trying to not be, and a lot of that has been because of the journey we've been on and just the nature of changing beliefs. So it's like if I was off before, then I could be off about whatever it is now. So not to try to hold things so tightly, so dogmatically […] I just try to actually get to know myself better and like who am I really and why do I do the things I do? And why do, why do these things happen to me? Why do these things that happen affect me this way? And what are some tools I can put in place to help me try to live from a more centered and grounded place and not just my instinct, but from my true essence? And so that's still a long process for me to go, but that's been really helpful for me as well.” The concept of unwavering belief is instilled in folks within EMPish communities from the moment they are born, and it is a challenging thing to begin to question things within the Church. Opposing change, differing opinions, and having absolute loyalty is the foundation of EMPish Churches, and it is why deconstruction so often leads people to be ostracized from their communities of origin. Stephen highlights one of the many benefits of not being dogmatic about beliefs, which is gaining the ability to ask questions, to think about actions, and to think about emotions.  The Myth of Scarcity (46:00):  “I think too, so much of my journey too, has been detaching from the myth of scarcity. And so then I can engage in a conversation, like we may never open our marriage, right? Like I can accept that that may never happen. And like I've told Steven, there's not a timetable for this. There is no scarcity. There's not an urgency. So I think that when we can approach a conversation like this or any other potentially charged conversation. Believing the best about each other. You know, like I believe the best about this person. I'm not going to assign, you know, nefarious motives or think that he's trying to keep me from growing or from freedom and have a ton of compassion for realizing that what I'm putting out there completely. You know, goes against this whole thing and has the groundedness that comes from saying, there is enough, there is enough time. There are enough resources. There is enough love. There is more than enough. And I think that that's a huge game changer, just not operating from scarcity, because I'll say, like, we had a conversation where I said, I married so young out of scarcity mindset. I married because I was told it doesn't get better than Steven.” Nicki highlights on of the greatest achievements of the Church, which is convincing folks that the scarcity myth is real. When folks are encouraged to get married right out of college and to live within prescribed gender roles while only “ideally” dating the person they're going to marry, it creates the perception that dating and romance are finite experiences. This idea is then carried on into other aspects of life, including communication, and it stifles conversations because of the fear of running out of time. “And I appreciate what you said about having the conversation without urgency. I'm thinking about what I wish I had done differently when I was married and conversations around queerness and opening the relationship were conversations that I did not handle well. And one of the reasons, probably the primary reason that they didn't go well is because I came to those conversations with my ex with so much anxiety and uncontained sadness about what I had lost that I wasn't able to have The generosity that so clearly exists between the two of you because I couldn't envision life without this need met.” Julia offers an example of how the myth of scarcity affected her previous marriage and how if that had not been present the conversations may have gone differently.  Relationship Anarchy (54:00): “This is written about kind of in the poly community, but I think it's applicable to every relationship, this idea of relationship anarchy and relationship anarchy is basically this idea that your relationship can serve any function really that it wants to […] maybe the function of this relationship is I only talk with this person about money. I actually have a friend that, that actually fits into the bill. Like, the function of our relationship is we talk about financial growth, professional growth, and that's kind of it. That's the function of that. There's some emotional connection that happens as a by-product of that. It's not a sexual relationship. We're not interested in parenting, family of origin, or anything like that.” Jeremiah talks about the concept of relationship anarchy and how we can focus specific relationships on specific things. One relationship can not, and should not, fit all of our needs. This is why we have romantic and platonic relationships because they fulfill different needs within our lives. 

"The act of changing one's mind." This is what the scripture says about repentance. True biblical repentance goes beyond remorse, regret, or feeling bad about one's sin. It means turning away, walking away and prayerfully the sin is never repeated. When we seek God with a true heart and seek forgiveness through prayer, it means a change of attitude and action in our walk of life. To repent means to make an about-face, heart-directed turn away from self to God, from the past to a future ruled by God's commands, acknowledging that the Lord reigns supreme over one's existence. Now, once God accepts our sincere heart, those past things are washed away, gone, forgotten. I was told those sins are cast into the lake of forgetfulness. Once Jesus canceled the record of those past charges against us, they are done. Only man loves to go fishing. God can cancel your past! Blessings, Elder Barbara Hayes Bible The Word for Today

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying…. Ephesians 6:18 (NIV)1. Continue to make prayer a Priority.And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying…. Ephesians 6:18 (NIV)The Goal of Prayer:  To Move Heaven's Reality into our Earthly Reality.2. Find a dedicated Place to pray.Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.               Mark 1:35 (NIV)3. Have a Plan for prayer.Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” Jesus said, “This is how you should pray...” Luke 11:1-2 (NLT)4. Pray with Energy and Power.The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.What hurdle will I have to overcome to make prayer a powerful experience? James 5:16 (NKJV)5. Relate to the Persons of prayer.The amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, the extravagant love of God, the intimate friendship of the Holy Spirit, be with all of you.   2 Corinthians 13:14 (MSG)Focus on the Cross of Jesus.Focus on submission to the Father.Focus on communion with the Holy Spirit.I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people. Ephesians 1:16-18 (NIV)Discussion questions:What would I have to rearrange to make prayer the priority?What place would be most conducive for me to pray effectively?What plan makes prayer easy, interesting, and effective?What hurdle will I have to overcome to make prayer a powerful experience?5. Do you relate to all three Persons of the Trinity in your prayers?

Summer Bible Study: Mary Magdalene- A Woman of Testimony (Part 2)    (Continued from yesterday)   Once Jesus heals us, we realize an aspect of His nature that we cannot forget.  Mary Magdalene was at the tomb because He was literally her Savior.  Sometimes we can hear Him before we can see Him.   This audio devotional is a companion to the She Hears Bible Study, today's content is from Chapter 6- Mary Magdalene     The Hearing Jesus Podcast will encourage and equip you to step into the calling God has for your life, living out your faith in the everyday. Together we will break down walls that keep us from growing spiritually. We will dig deep into our Bibles to understand and connect the Scriptures to our lives. We will boldly obey what God calls us to do, walking through doors that only He can open.   Purchase the Bible Study- She Hears: Learning to Listen to Jesus: https://shehears.org/resources In this six-week study from the Book of John, Rachael Groll takes you on an in-depth exploration into the lives of six women Jesus knew. Women often deal with feelings of insecurity and unworthiness, yet the lives of these women show that Jesus values us, wants a relationship with us, and can use us to further His kingdom. In her warm, conversational style, Rachael ties together her life experience, knowledge of the Scriptures, and her compassion for women to encourage us and enable us to become the women God has called us to be. Hey friends, welcome to the Hearing Jesus Podcast.  Do you sometimes doubt if you are truly hearing God's voice or if it's really your own? Do you wonder how you can know the difference? Do you struggle to feel confident in your relationship with God and what He says in his word? Do you sometimes feel stagnant or like you hit a wall in your spiritual life? Hey, I'm your host, Rachael Groll: missionary, author, pastor, and life coach. And I have been there. I, too, was doubting God's voice in my own life. I, too, felt insecure about the things I thought God might be calling me to do. I wanted to make a difference in the world and be obedient to what God was calling me to do, but I wasn't quite sure how to figure out what exactly that was. I kept telling myself that I was wasting time trying to figure it out or waiting for Him to show me. Or that I wasn't qualified to do the things I thought He might be telling me to do. The answer for me was found in the pages of the Bible, as I learned how to understand what it was actually saying. If you are ready to grow in your faith and to step confidently into the calling God has for you, then join me as we dig deep into God's word so you can learn to live out your faith in your everyday life. Friend, you are loved, you are cherished, and you are His. The Hearing Jesus Podcast will encourage and equip you to step into the calling God has for your life, living out your faith in the everyday. Together we will break down walls that keep us from growing spiritually. We will dig deep into our Bibles to understand and connect the Scriptures to our lives. We will boldly obey what God calls us to do, walking through doors that only He can open.  Join me for your daily dose of faith, honesty, and prayer. Learn -> https://shehears.org Shop -> https://shehears.org/resources Connect -> rachael@shehears.org Community-> https://www.facebook.com/groups/743928930315696/ Instagram-> https://www.instagram.com/she_hears/   Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Summer Bible Study: Mary Magdalene- A Woman of Testimony (Part 1)     Once Jesus heals us, we realize an aspect of His nature that we cannot forget.  Mary Magdalene was at the tomb because He was literally her Savior.  Sometimes we can hear Him before we can see Him.   This audio devotional is a companion to the She Hears Bible Study, today's content is from Chapter 6- Mary Magdalene     The Hearing Jesus Podcast will encourage and equip you to step into the calling God has for your life, living out your faith in the everyday. Together we will break down walls that keep us from growing spiritually. We will dig deep into our Bibles to understand and connect the Scriptures to our lives. We will boldly obey what God calls us to do, walking through doors that only He can open.   Purchase the Bible Study- She Hears: Learning to Listen to Jesus: https://shehears.org/resources In this six-week study from the Book of John, Rachael Groll takes you on an in-depth exploration into the lives of six women Jesus knew. Women often deal with feelings of insecurity and unworthiness, yet the lives of these women show that Jesus values us, wants a relationship with us, and can use us to further His kingdom. In her warm, conversational style, Rachael ties together her life experience, knowledge of the Scriptures, and her compassion for women to encourage us and enable us to become the women God has called us to be. Hey friends, welcome to the Hearing Jesus Podcast.  Do you sometimes doubt if you are truly hearing God's voice or if it's really your own? Do you wonder how you can know the difference? Do you struggle to feel confident in your relationship with God and what He says in his word? Do you sometimes feel stagnant or like you hit a wall in your spiritual life? Hey, I'm your host, Rachael Groll: missionary, author, pastor, and life coach. And I have been there. I, too, was doubting God's voice in my own life. I, too, felt insecure about the things I thought God might be calling me to do. I wanted to make a difference in the world and be obedient to what God was calling me to do, but I wasn't quite sure how to figure out what exactly that was. I kept telling myself that I was wasting time trying to figure it out or waiting for Him to show me. Or that I wasn't qualified to do the things I thought He might be telling me to do. The answer for me was found in the pages of the Bible, as I learned how to understand what it was actually saying. If you are ready to grow in your faith and to step confidently into the calling God has for you, then join me as we dig deep into God's word so you can learn to live out your faith in your everyday life. Friend, you are loved, you are cherished, and you are His. The Hearing Jesus Podcast will encourage and equip you to step into the calling God has for your life, living out your faith in the everyday. Together we will break down walls that keep us from growing spiritually. We will dig deep into our Bibles to understand and connect the Scriptures to our lives. We will boldly obey what God calls us to do, walking through doors that only He can open.  Join me for your daily dose of faith, honesty, and prayer. Learn -> https://shehears.org Shop -> https://shehears.org/resources Connect -> rachael@shehears.org Community-> https://www.facebook.com/groups/743928930315696/ Instagram-> https://www.instagram.com/she_hears/   Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 The first issue in the Corinthian church to which Paul addresses himself is the problem of divisions, borne out of personal pride.  To challenge that problem, Paul elevates Christ and His work.  Once Jesus is contemplated deeply, humility is the inevitable result.  In 1 Corinthians 1:18-25, Paul contrasts two views of the cross of Christ … the human assessment and the divine assessment.  Humanly speaking the cross of Christ is either narrow and extreme, from a religious standpoint … or unnecessary and foolish, from a secular standpoint (1 Cor 1:22,23). From the viewpoint of God (the only viewpoint that ultimately matters) and those who hope in Christ, the cross is the means of God displaying His power to change the rebellious human heart into a humble heart of trusting God.  In His infinite wisdom, God has devised a plan of salvation that exalts Him and humbles the proud human heart.  The decisivefactor in someone becoming a Christian is the individual call of God to that person.  Regarding God's salvation, Paul uses some form of the word 'call' four times (1 Cor 1:2,9,24,26).  God has designed His salvation this way "so that no human being might boast in the presence of God" (1 Cor 1:29).  Let us bow before our God in deep humility and utter wonder that He would call our name.

When the disciples were caught in a fierce storm, they feared they were going to die. Once Jesus calmed the wind and the waves, however, they became even more afraid. Today, R.C. Sproul reveals what it is about Christ that makes people uneasy. Get the 'Reformed Basics' DVD Collection with R.C. Sproul for Your Gift of Any Amount: https://gift.renewingyourmind.org/2810/reformed-basics Don't forget to make RenewingYourMind.org your home for daily in-depth Bible study and Christian resources.

Romans 3:28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. Up until Jesus came, mankind sought to justify themselves before God on the grounds of their good works. We failed miserably and still fall short even today. If you ask people if they think they will go to heaven when they die, most will say that they think they will. They usually add, “I'm not that bad of a person.” In other words, they think their good deeds outweigh their bad ones. Once Jesus came, a new means of justification before God was made known. There had been plenty of time for mankind to see that the Law only revealed that we are sinners and that none of us are righteous. After the death and resurrection of Jesus, good news spread like wildfire throughout the world. God has made a way that a person can be justified by faith in Jesus Christ—His substitutionary death and resurrection. In His death, sins are paid for and covered by His blood, and in His life, righteousness is put to our account and we are redeemed for the glory of God. Doesn't this good news make you want to love Him with all that you are? The way we love Him is by loving with Him. Let's give Him full access to our bodies and souls for Him to express His love. He bought us. We are His. He loves us, and delights to love others through us. Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com

FAITH IS… with Pastor Rick Stevens – It's mind-boggling to consider God being born as a baby. Then for Him to live an extraordinary life only to be cruelly killed on the cross seems unimaginable. But wait. Three days later, He is alive, and we discover that resurrection never ends. Once Jesus' followers get over the shock, they rejoice...

Luke 5:4-6 People have fished in the Sea of Galilee for thousands of years. There are 27 types of fish found in the fresh water lake, the most famous being the Tilapia Galiliea. When it is mature, the fish can be up to 40cm long and 1.5kg in weight. It's often known as the St Peter's fish. Jesus' ministry was largely based around Capernaum, one of the main fishing communities on the lake and so, from the beginning, he had a lot to do with its fishermen. On this particular day, Jesus decided that a boat would make a convenient pulpit. Spotting an empty fishing vessel, he asked its owner, Simon, to push out from the land. At the time, Simon was mending his nets after an unsuccessful fishing trip. Once Jesus had concluded his preaching, he told Simon to head out into deep water to make a catch. Simon pointed out that their last trip had been a complete failure, but he took Jesus at his word - and the result was incredible. He landed such an enormous catch that his nets were on the verge of breaking. This amazing event began Simon's relationship with Jesus, and it taught him a crucial lesson. Through the years to come, he needed to remember to trust Jesus completely, even when he asked him to do really surprising things. It's interesting that Simon had a very similar experience after Jesus' resurrection. The disciples had returned to Galilee and gone back to fishing but had had a fruitless night. A stranger asked them how they were doing, and they admitted that they hadn't caught anything. He then told them to throw their net on to the right side of the boat, and they brought in a huge haul of fish. It was then that John identified the stranger as being Jesus himself and, in his excitement, Simon, now called Peter, jumped into the water and headed for the shore to greet Jesus. As Jesus' earthly ministry came to an end, he reminded Peter of the fundamental need for him to obey his commands, and of the incredible blessings that would follow if he did so. QUESTION What is Jesus calling you to do for him today? PRAYER Lord Jesus, thank you for the amazing blessings which flow when we are obedient to you. Help us to be obedient to you today. Amen

Once Jesus has rescued us, we are called to help rescue others. Why is it that so many people struggle to share with others the rescuing power of Jesus? Every day there are people all around us who are drowning and don't even realize it! During this message, Pastor Ed Young unpacks why we must use our sphere of influence to reach others for Jesus.

Transcript:Hello! This is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective! There is so much controversy over sex, gender, and marriage in our day. And it seems that the greater the controversy, the louder the conversation. Our cultural debates generate a lot of heat but very little light. So, why so much controversy? Well, I think that part of the reason comes from not knowing the right questions to ask. For example, very rarely if ever, have I heard anyone ask the question: What is the purpose of our sexuality? Until we know the purpose of sex, its design, we really don't know how to use it. And to answer that question, we need to ask the One who created it. Anytime you get a new product, the first thing you do—or at least should do—is read the owner's manual to make sure you're using it properly. Once Jesus was asked a controversial question about sex and marriage. Instead of taking the bait of controversy, He simply went to the owner's manual and restated what the designer said. Fully acknowledging the brokenness of our world, Jesus pointed out that it has not always been that way—the world has not always been broken. Listen to Jesus: “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So they are no longer two but one….” (Matthew 19:4-6a) You see, according to Jesus, marriage and sex is for the permanent uniting of a man and a woman into the beautiful joy of marital oneness. He goes on to emphasize that it is a union created by God Himself. “What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate” (Matthew 19:6b). Now, we can be comforted with the fact that despite our misuse of God's design, God is merciful and forgiving. His grace has the power to restore us. But we must not use this to excuse our continued misuse of His design. Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause?” He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”~Matthew 19:3-9 (ESV)

Once Jesus has accepted you and taken possession of your soul, do not worry about what is next.  Do not expect life to change dramatically right away, but do not be surprised if it does.  All that matters is that you daily renew the gift of yourself to His merciful Heart and that you allow Him to daily renew His acceptance of you in His Heart (See Diary #15).Look, today, at how often you renew the total giving of yourself to Jesus.  Do you do this daily?  Have you done so today already?  Make this a daily habit and let the Lord work miracles in your life.Lord, I do renew my total self-giving to You this day and every day.  May I turn to You always and abandon myself to You in every circumstance of life.  Jesus, I trust in You.Source of content: www.divinemercy.lifeCopyright © 2023 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray..."   Sit down with Pastor Billy and learn how to connect with God on the deepest level.

Legends passed down from generation to generation told of a treasure so pure and valuable that it rivaled all others. Fireheart made it her mission to obtain this treasure. When she was still the tiniest of dragons, tucked under her mother's massive wing, she was told stories of the dragons who made it their life's quest to seek the treasure. Where they had failed, Fireheart was determined to succeed..Stretching her sleek saffron wings, Fireheart stepped out of her cave into the morning sun. Rays of light glinted off her amber and ruby colored scales. Last night, she had unearthed the long-coveted strand of sea pearls that dragonkind had been searching for for centuries. As elated as the discovery had made her, Fireheart now felt that familiar emptiness squeeze her soul..“Mother, it must not be the pearls after all,” Fireheart contemplated aloud. Her Mother had long since passed, but every now and then Fireheart found it comforting to speak to her as if she was still by her side. “It would help immensely if I knew what I was searching for.” She snorted, and smoke billowed out of her nostrils. In the deep recesses of her memory, she could hear Mother's musical laugh, quite dainty for her size. "Fireheart, you will know you have found the true treasure when you feel it in your heart.".Salt spray from the sea showered Fireheart's body as she dipped low, dragging her claws across the ocean's surface. She then rose higher until her wings crested the misty lavender clouds of evening. The day had been filled with unfruitful searching, and she was growing weary. "I'll rest, then continue searching tomorrow." • Savannah Coleman.• Have you ever gotten something you really wanted, but then felt empty inside? Every created thing will ultimately leave us feeling empty. Only the Creator can fill the deep longing in our hearts. In Philippians 3, Paul says that knowing Jesus far surpasses everything else. Once Jesus revealed Himself to Paul, everything that Paul used to chase after paled in comparison to knowing Jesus, the One who loves us and gave His life for us on the cross and rose from the dead so that we could be with Him. What does Psalm 63:3 say about God's love?.• In Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus tells us to store up treasures in heaven rather than accumulate earthly possessions and accomplishments. Following Jesus is the only way to a truly fulfilling and restful life (Matthew 22:36-40; 2 Timothy 4:6-8). What kind of treasure are you seeking?.“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21 (NIV)

Saturday, 17 December 2022   Now when they had gone through the island to Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus, Acts 13:6   The last verse covered the arrival at, and evangelization of, Salamis on the island of Cyprus. Next, Luke's words continue with, “Now when they had gone through the island to Paphos.”   The city of Paphos is first noted here. It will be seen only one more time, in verse 13:13. The meaning of its name is not certain. It is a maritime city located on the southwest coast of Cyprus, meaning they traveled the entire breadth of the island, eventually arriving there. Of this city, John Gill states –   “Paphus, a city on the sea coast, in the island of Cyprus, formerly famous for the sacred rites of Venus, and the verses of the poets; which fell by frequent earthquakes, and now only shows, by its ruins, what it formerly was: so Seneca (y) says, ... ‘how often has Paphus fell within itself?' that is, by earthquakes: the ruins of many goodly churches and buildings are to be seen in it; and the walls of a strong, and almost impregnable tower, situated upon a hill in the middle of the city, supposed to be the habitation of Sergius Paulus; there is also shown, under a certain church, a prison divided into seven rooms, where they say Paul and Barnabas were imprisoned, for preaching the Gospel.”   While in Paphos, it next says, “they found a certain sorcerer.” The word translated as “sorcerer” is magos. It is the same word used to describe the Magi that came at the time of Jesus' birth. The verb form of the word is used of Simon the Sorcerer in Acts 8:9 as well.   It is an astrologer and by implication a magician. The word finds its origin in Persia. The Old Testament term Rab-mag, found in Jeremiah 39:3 & 13 is its etymological root. Of this magos, it next records that he was “a false prophet.”   The word is pseudoprophétés. Jesus is cited five times in the synoptic gospel using this term. It will also be seen in 2 Peter, 1 John, and three times in Revelation. It means exactly as it is translated. This guy is a supposed prophet, but his prophecies were false. Next, it says of him that he was “a Jew.”   Being a Jew is not surprising. The designation simply identifies his line of descent, but it does not signify any connection to the God of Israel. This is true throughout the Old Testament where there were innumerable false prophets in the land.   Being of Israel, or being a Jew, in no way identifies a person as being faithful to God. In fact, when Jesus mentions the false prophets in the gospels, His words are spoken to Israel, thus identifying them as Jews as well. Concerning this false prophet, it next says, “whose name was Bar-Jesus.”   The word bar before the name signifies “son of.” It is the Aramaic equivalent of the Hebrew ben. Hence, his name is “son of Jesus.” At this time in Israel's history, the name Jesus was a common one. Another example of this name is found in Colossians 4:11 where Paul writes of “Jesus who is called Justus.” Once Jesus the Messiah came, the name quickly stopped being used among the Jews.   Life application: It is a good time to review the source fallacy known as the genetic fallacy. This fallacy, also known as a source fallacy, fallacy of origins, or fallacy of virtue, “is a fallacy of irrelevance in which arguments or information are dismissed or validated based solely on their source of origin rather than their content. In other words, a claim is ignored or given credibility based on its source rather than the claim itself” (Wikipedia).   It has become as common as hearing barks in a dog kennel for people to ascribe some sort of special ability, talent, or especially spiritual or biblical insight to a person because he is Jewish. In other words, “Oh, he is a great Bible teacher. He is Jewish and understands Hebrew.”   This type of thinking is fallacious, and it is dangerous. It is the kind of thinking that probably landed this false prophet, Bar-Jesus, in the job he was in. It is the kind of thinking that has elevated various Bible teachers, who actually have no idea what they are talking about, to almost superstar status.   The fallacy also extends to preachers who are the sons of famous preachers – “He must really know his stuff; his dad is Superstar Stanley.” It extends to possessing a certain degree – “He has a doctorate in systematic theology. He must really know his stuff.” It extends to certain abilities – “He knows both Hebrew and Greek.” And so on.   These things do not necessarily equate to a knowledge of the Bible. Innumerable people in the pulpit have doctorates and yet they teach aberrant doctrines. Being trained in, or even fluent in, the biblical languages is great, but that does not equate to sound doctrine. Having a title, possessing a degree, or knowing a language does not mean a person is trustworthy in providing biblical instruction.   Remember this as you listen to teachers. Evaluate what they say based on how it aligns with Scripture. And guess what? You cannot do that if you do not know Scripture already. Do you want to avoid Bad Doctrine Drive? Do you want to stay off the Heresy Highway? Here is how you do it: Set your navigation device onto Bible Boulevard. Get on it and stay on it. Learn every detail of it. In this, you will do well.   O God, stir up in us the great desire to learn Your word. Help us to know it well enough that we will not get sent down wrong avenues of falsity by those who would attempt to exercise control over our spiritual lives. May we focus our eyes and our hearts on Jesus as we learn this precious word that reveals Him to us. Amen.

Jesus' disciples ask Him a simple question, “Lord, teach us to pray.” In today's passage, Luke describes a scene rich with Jesus' teaching on prayer. Join Julie Jenkins on today's episode of Walking in the Word as we examine Luke 11:1-13. **** Welcome to Walking in the Word, the biblical teaching arm of the Women World Leaders' podcast. My name is Julie Jenkins. As I record this, it is Thanskgiving week in the United States – a holiday that is set aside to reflect on God's goodness and give Him thanks and praise. We at Women World Leaders have so much to thank God for as 2022 nears a close. This year, we have met and partnered with women leaders from around the globe as we individually and collectively seek to walk in our God-given purpose. We've welcomed new contributors to Voice of Truth magazine, new writers to our daily devotions, and empowered women to use their voices on our podcast platform. Together, we've written and published two new best-selling books – congratulations to all the authors of Surrendered: Yielded with Purpose and United Men of Honor: Overcoming Adversity Through Faith – both of which are available on our website, on Amazon, and through outlets around the world. And we've held local events and monthly Zoom gatherings where we have worshipped and learned together. Most importantly, through 2022, we have grown closer to each other in community and developed a more intimate walk with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. If you are new or newer to the ministry, it is our prayer that you will join us wholeheartedly, serving and growing with us. God is doing a new thing in and through His people. Even as our world becomes more divided politically and socially, we can see God drawing His people together. We at Women World Leaders are certainly as diverse as they come – but we are united by our love for Jesus Christ and our love for our brothers and sisters in Christ. This is a safe place where we focus on God alone. And one more thing we are thankful for – that is that YOU have joined us today! On this, our Wednesday podcast, we focus on opening the Word of God together and asking the Holy Spirit to guide as and teach us what it is He wants us to learn. We are currently walking through the gospels chronologically, and I think it is certainly no coincidence that today, Thanksgiving week, our Scripture itinerary has taken us to Jesus' teaching on prayer. Today we will be reading and studying Luke 11:1-13. Before we begin, let's pray. Most Holy God – we come to you today with hearts filled with thanks and praise for who you are and all you have done for us throughout this past year. God, you have guided us, provided for us, and blessed us beyond measure. Father, we continue to lean on you and your Word for wisdom and direction. We thank you in advance for meeting us where we are and teaching us what we need to know today. Guide my words and guide our thoughts as we study together in your presence. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen. Let's begin reading Luke chapter 11, verse 1 from the New Living Translation. Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” The disciples were getting to know Jesus better at this point in their journey. They had witnessed His strength, wisdom, and peace amid turmoil … and they had seen Him pray. They knew firsthand that Jesus' relationship with God the Father was the most important relationship He had, and they wanted to learn how they could have that relationship, too. But the way this question is asked tells us that the disciples wanted even more than a strong personal relationship with God. They also craved unification and community as followers of Christ Jesus. It was common for groups of believers to have a united way of praying – a liturgy if you will. An agreed upon practice that they could, together, offer to God. The Jews recited scripture regularly together, and, as the disciples stated, John the Baptist's followers also had a prescribed way of worshipping and praying as a community. It's important that, as a community, we are clear about what we believe. Companies will pay consultants thousands of dollars to help them develop a vision statement, and even churches proclaim a doctrine that they follow. The disciples wanted clarity and unity from their leader on how they should pray. They asked…and Jesus responded. If you think about it, that, in itself, was a prayer. This shows us that prayer can be simple. Prayer is simply going to God with an open heart and speaking to Him. God longs to have an ongoing conversation with you. He is indeed worthy of our honor and deserves all the glory and reverence we can offer, but God thinks you are pretty cool. I like to picture a parent picking up a child from preschool…can you visualize it? The child runs to the parent and the parent scoops him up in her arms. An onlooker would be hard-pressed to say if the parent or the child enjoyed the encounter more. When we go to God, He is the loving parent who scoops us up into a bear hug, making us both smile. Jesus responded to his disciples request…because that's what Jesus does when we go to Him…verse 2… 2 Jesus said, “This is how you should pray:[a] “Father, may your name be kept holy.     May your Kingdom come soon. 3 Give us each day the food we need,[b] 4 and forgive us our sins,     as we forgive those who sin against us. And don't let us yield to temptation.[c]” The first sentence of Jesus' prayer recognized the tension that every Christian wrestles with – the fact that God is our Father who longs for a personal relationship with us, and yet is indescribably holy, requiring our reverence and awe. We must love and cling to God, but not let ourselves take His greatness and worth for granted. Prayer is simple…and prayer requires that God be approached with love and reverence. Jesus prays…May your Kingdom come soon. We, too, are to pray for God's will to be done on earth. This includes praying that OTHERS will follow and yield to God's will, but we should also request that we, the pray-er, will have the strength and wisdom to willingly submit to following God's will for US. Jesus continues his prayer…Give us each day the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don't let us yield to temptation.” We can trust God's provision, forgiveness, and protection – but He wants us to go to Him and ask for it. Prayer is simple and God is to be approached with love and reverence. And when handled as such, our prayers will remind us of God's goodness. When we ASK God to provide our needs, and then He does – the glory goes to God alone. When we sin and go to God seeking forgiveness and it is granted – God gets the glory. And when we ask God for His protection in a difficult circumstance and His power then flows through us giving us the strength to stand strong against the winds of this world – God alone gets the glory. Prayer is simple. We are to approach God with love and reverence, and when we do, we learn to trust God in all things, and He alone gets the glory. Jesus answered the disciples' request, giving them words to pray as Christ-followers in community. But Jesus had more to teach His disciples about prayer. Verse 5… 5 Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: “Suppose you went to a friend's house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, 6 ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.' 7 And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don't bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can't help you.' 8 But I tell you this—though he won't do it for friendship's sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence. Let's attempt to step into Jesus' culture to understand this story better. The first thing to recognize is that offering hospitality to guests was of paramount importance. When someone arrived on your doorstep, they were to be treated well, including being fed after a long day's journey. The second thing we need to understand is that there were no carry-out restaurants, pizza delivery, uber eats, or 24-hour grocery stores. Bread was baked likely every few days at each household, and it was not a quick, easy process. Those in the community would have leaned on each other in times of need. Neighbors would have known what days their neighbors baked on. This was important because how a visitor was treated reflected on the community as a whole. So the “you” in this parable – the person with the visitor and no bread offer – was not at fault. They were just at the tail-end of their bread cycle. The respectful thing to do was to go to the neighbor who had baked that day and request some bread for their visitor. In this case, the neighbor reacts a bit grumpily, after all, he had just gotten the kids down for bed – I think many of us can relate to that! But, because of cultural expectations, he does eventually open the door and share his bread. As we hear this story, we are not to assume that God is the surly neighbor with the bread. Instead, we are to make a correlation. If THAT neighbor, though unhappy, would share HIS bread because someone knocked on his door and asked, how much more can we depend on our God who is NOT surly, who loves us unconditionally, AND who holds ALL the bread? When we knock on GOD'S door with a request, we can trust that He will respond with a joyful heart, ready to provide exactly what we need. Jesus continues… 9 “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. God wants us to come to Him with everything. Our prayers are to be ongoing. We must never hesitate to knock on His door. Our prayers can be simple, but they should be constant, full of love and reverence, and offered with an expectation to see God's glory. Verse 11… 11 “You fathers—if your children ask[e] for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? 12 Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! 13 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.” God loves you more than you can possibly imagine!! And the God who loves you is also the all-sufficient God who created and rules the universe. When we ask our God, it is HIS DELIGHT to bestow His blessings on us! God is not a vending machine or a genie in a bottle, available to grant our wishes. He is so much more. God is PERFECT and HOLY, and when we ask Him, He will give us what we NEED. He may not pull us out of a trial, but when we ask, we can be assured that He will walk through the trial with us. God may not fix all our issues, but when we seek Him, we can trust that He will give us wisdom and strength to handle anything that comes at us. Our gracious Father may not provide everything we want and desire, but when we knock on His door, we can trust that He WILL provide us with everything we need. We are to ask, seek, and knock on God's door every day of our lives. We do that through prayer – corporate prayer and personal prayer, by reciting liturgy and singing songs together, and even by offering our groans to God through our pain. Our prayers can be simple and should be ongoing. They should be full of reverence and love for the only God we are to glorify and praise. And our prayers can be offered with FULL ASSURANCE that our God will respond – better than we could ask or imagine. Let's pray… Dear Most Precious God – we love you. We honor you, praise you, and thank you! God we offer our prayers to you – our eloquent words, our needs, and our indiscernible groans. We offer them in full assurance that you will ongoingly hear and answer us – for our good, and most importantly, for your glory. Thank you! Thank you for being our God, our Savior, and our friend. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.  

Episode 47 w/ Kert Prater [Mark 10:13-16] People begin bringing their children to Jesus so that He will bless them. However, the disciples attempt to stop this, and are met with a harsh rebuke from Jesus. Once Jesus explains how someone enters the kingdom of God, He turns His attention to the children. Taking them in His arms, He blessed them. Sponsors / Resources: Click to support: 22 Beans Coffee Co. Click to buy: Take & Read Podcast Hats Click to follow: Instagram Previous Episode (46): DIVORCE | What Does Jesus Say?

REBROADCAST: This week on Real Talk with Rachael I'm chatting with Pastor Tim Ross about his new book Upset the World. Tim is the lead pastor of the multi-ethnic, multi-generational Embassy City Church in Irving, TX. Tim speaks both nationally and internationally strengthening believers with the Good News of Jesus Christ. He began preaching at the age of 20 years old and has already impacted the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. His dynamic teaching style and uncanny ability to make people understand the gospel message is the reason why he has been such an asset to ministries across cultural and denominational lines. Tim is happily married to Juliette, his bride since May 1st, 1999 and they have two sons, Nathan and Noah. We're talking about: Tim's background and how he came to Christ. Asking God to help us crave His word like we crave whatever we're addicted to. How a verse in Acts inspired him to write his book Upset the World. Jesus upsets people's worlds with His message of love and hope.  Connecting personal trauma to the trauma of salvation - both upset our lives "Once [Jesus] has upset your life, He'll ask you to upset others." The biggest way we can upset people's lives as part of our day-to-day rhythm is to do good. 2 keys for recognizing the Holy Spirit's nudge - the suggestion is really good and it's intimidating, but keeps pressing.  Fall in love with planting the seed of God's love in people's lives. You're not responsible for the harvest, only the sowing.  Upset means "to turn over," but from heaven's perspective, when things are upside down, they're right-side up. You break down barriers and build relationships with you destroy stereotypes by listening and meeting people where they are.  Using social media to spread hope instead of debating over opposing viewpoints. Encouragement to open your heart and let God upset you again. Connect with Tim on his website, Instagram or Facebook Connect with Rachael on her website, Instagram, or Facebook

When the disciples were caught in a fierce storm, they feared they were going to die. Once Jesus calmed the wind and the waves, however, they became even more afraid. Today, R.C. Sproul reveals what it is about Christ that makes people uneasy. Get the 'Fear and Trembling' Teaching Series on DVD for Your Gift of Any Amount: https://gift.renewingyourmind.org/2189/fear-and-trembling Don't forget to make RenewingYourMind.org your home for daily in-depth Bible study and Christian resources.