POPULARITY
Today's witnesses are from Matthew West's website, called popwe.org. If you don't know who Matthew West is, he is a singer, songwriter, and storyteller. This website is for the non-profit that he has with his father, a pastor. Matthew and his father encourage people to share their stories. They have various categories of stories. Today, I chose two testimonies from the Marriage/Family Category. Satan is attacking our families, and I think it can help us to see that God is looking out for us. Satan wants to destroy families, but God wants to preserve them. Often, we can hear our own story in someone else's story. When we listen to others tell their story, it helps us see that we are not alone. When we hear how God worked in their situation, it gives us hope that He will work in ours, too! I pray that when you hear these testimonies, you get the faith and hope to believe that miracles can happen in your situation, also. I pray you know that God wants to be there with you, and if you invite Him into your family issues, He can help.Zachary: 2016 started out as one of the most exciting years for me and my wife, Amanda. We were living in Calcutta, India; working at Calcutta School of Music and starting our own company to support local artists and musicians in the city. Amanda was expecting our first baby, Chloe West Ray, and she was due to arrive at the beginning of December. Amanda was in her third trimester when she became very sick one night. We admitted her into the hospital in Calcutta, India on a Monday night. Tuesday morning Amanda was feeling better and Chloe seemed to be doing ok too. Wednesday morning, before we were about to leave the hospital, we went in for one more ultra sound. I can still hear the doctor say, “We can't find a heart beat” as if it was today. We found ourselves sitting in that hospital room broken and confused, with no idea of what the next steps would be.There were very few words of comfort that helped. Although people were praying and offering their words of comfort, it felt like a season of being abandoned by God. The dreams of holding our little girl were stolen and shattered. Grief is a funny thing. The initial sting and pain becomes dull over time, but the memories and dull ache continues. I don't think our hearts are created for this world to overcome “grief” from tragedies or loss of loved ones; it becomes a part of our story, our life. We become a different person. The beautiful thing is that God stays the same and meets us where we are. I can honestly say God tangibly became my refuge in one of the darkest times in my life. He brought a healing into my soul like no earthly person could. We may never be the way we were before, but He shapes us into a new and often stronger person. I don't think we get over grief until we leave this world.We found out the following year that we were expecting another baby. Due to the loss of Chloe, it was difficult to not allow our fear and worry to overwhelm our joy. We simultaneously jumped for joy, and breathed a sigh of relief when our son was born. Karina: When I think of my story, I think of pain, grief, overwhelming sadness, hurt, and betrayal. Then I think of hope, redemption, love, grace, miracles, and my salvation in Jesus.Five years ago, my entire world turned upside down. I experienced betrayal in my marriage after 12 years. I was in so much pain. My life seemed to have been one episode after the next of unfortunate events.I was so broken and so alone. I was in severe depression and taking depression and anxiety meds and using alcohol with it. I was doing anything I could to dull the pain I was in.I'm so thankful that God loved me so much that He pursued me in ways I'd never experienced before. I was blessed to become a part of a church. At a time when I was deeply hurting, I was shown the love of Christ over and over again. My pastor would say during his messages (and he still does) that I MATTERED to GOD. Honestly, I didn't even know that I did. God never left my side and He revealed Himself and His love to me. I had never known love like this before and he poured it out on me in waves and waves. He walked with me through the trials and the storms and he saved me and restored me. Then God led me to become a part of a women's group that has encouraged me, prayed with me and laughed with me. These women have become my sisters. We've shared a bond stronger than any blood relationship I've ever had. Words can't describe the love in my heart that I have for each of them. God has healed me in ways I couldn't see possible five years ago or even three years ago. He resurrected my dead marriage which is a miracle in a way because there was no way I could see this being restored or if reconciliation was even an option. That's the God I serve. He is full of compassion, LOVE, mercy, and GRACE… He pursues us even when we turn our backs on Him. He loved me even when I didn't love myself; He showed me I was His, that I was never forsaken; that I was chosen, a daughter of the One True King. He healed my heart, renewed my mind and made me brand new! The only way I can end this is by saying “Thank You, JESUS” ❤️Thank you all so much for sharing your stories. I pray you continue to rely on the Lord and that He continues to bless your families. I know it can be hard to share your story with the world, and yet when you do, it helps others see God working in their life as well. Thank you again! www.findingtruenorthcoaching.comCLICK HERE TO DONATECLICK HERE to sign up for Mentoring CLICK HERE to sign up for Daily "Word from the Lord" emailsCLICK HERE to sign up for my newsletter & receive a free audio training about inviting Jesus into your daily lifeCLICK HERE to buy my book Total Trust in God's Safe Embrace
As we celebrate Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week, Pastor Ian Thornton dives into the cultural context and significance of Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. Jesus' actions declared that He was indeed the coming Messiah, their true King, and that He was bringing a kingdom of peace. Yet the kingdom of peace that he was brought was not what the people of Israel were expecting or had hoped for. Will you serve the true Jesus, or a Jesus that aligns with your expectations?Big House Church is cultivating a community of passionate worshippers who partner with Jesus to create a kingdom culture on earth as it is in heaven. We regularly meet on Sundays @ 9 & 11 AM at the Zeider Theater in Town Center Virginia Beach.Learn more at www.bighousechurch.com.
As we celebrate Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week, Pastor Ian Thornton dives into the cultural context and significance of Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. Jesus' actions declared that He was indeed the coming Messiah, their true King, and that He was bringing a kingdom of peace. Yet the kingdom of peace that he was brought was not what the people of Israel were expecting or had hoped for. Will you serve the true Jesus, or a Jesus that aligns with your expectations?Big House Church is cultivating a community of passionate worshippers who partner with Jesus to create a kingdom culture on earth as it is in heaven. We regularly meet on Sundays @ 9 & 11 AM at the Zeider Theater in Town Center Virginia Beach.Learn more at www.bighousechurch.com.
Fuori ora un nuovo episodio del podcast Inside the elite.Grand slam Australia è stato un grande show e una boccata d'aria rinvigorente per la AEW.In più parliamo dell'ultimo Dynamite e di molto altro.Buon ascolto.#AEW #WWE #Wrestling #PROWrestlingclicca qui per donarci un coffeeMetti mi piace alla nostra pagina facebook.Seguici su X.Seguici su instagramIscriviti al nostro canale youtubeSegui il nostro canale twitchClicca qui per entrare nel nostro gruppo Telegram.
I Am A Child of God (Identity Series)1 John 3:1 “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”This verse is so powerful. What great love the Father has lavished on us, isn't that powerful? Can't you just picture the Father lavishing us with Love? Or maybe you can't. Maybe you struggle to believe that you are a child of God. Maybe you struggle to believe that the Lord loves you, and the thought that He lavishes love on you is something that you just can't wrap your head around. If this is you, you are not alone. Love in this world is so complicated, and a lot of things can get in the way of us loving and feeling loved. There is a song by Matthew West called “Hello, My Name Is.” This song has the beginning line of the verse above in the lyrics, along with some reasons why we can't feel this love. I want to go over some of those lyrics with you. Also, there is a link to the song in the show notes if you want to listen to it.The song starts out by saying:Hello, my name is RegretI'm pretty sure we have metEvery single day of your lifeI'm the whisper insideThat won't let you forgetThis is true for so many of us. We struggle to feel God's love because we have so many regrets. Regrets over things we have done or things we have said; regrets over things we didn't do and didn't say. When we have regrets, the enemy takes those, and he whispers them to us over and over again so that we feel like we aren't worthy of God's love. The enemy doesn't let us forget about them.Next, the song goes on to say:Hello, my name is defeatI know you recognize meJust when you think you can winI'll drag you right back down againTill you've lost all beliefDoes this sound familiar? Things are going well and then we start to get a voice in our head telling us that things will go wrong. Sure, it seems like all is going well, but things always get messed up in the end. Things have gone wrong so many times in the past that you start to think you don't deserve to win. You don't deserve the happiness or the love that God has planned for you. When this happens, we can start to self-sabotage. We don't even know we are doing it. The enemy just keeps telling us that we have failed in the past, so we will fail again. He drags us back down over and over again until we have lost all belief in ourselves and sometimes in God.Then the song goes on to say:Oh, these are the voices; oh these are the liesAnd I have believed them, for the very last timeHello, my name is child of the One True KingI've been saved, I've been changed, I have been set freeAmazing Grace is the song I singHello, my name is child of the One True KingThis is a verse that we may want to write down and read often. I know I say this about a lot of verses from scripture, and you may have a lot of Post-it notes or index cards. I really think this one could help us all when we are feeling defeated or when the enemy is telling us lies. As much as we want to believe that God loves us and that we are His children, sometimes, the things of this world get in our way. Sometimes, we let the enemy's lies get to us and convince us that we are not worthy, that we are not loved, that we are unlovable, and so many other things that are not true. For me, when I heard this song, I loved it. I have listened to it a million times or so. Well, that may be a slight exaggeration, but I have listened to it a lot. And guess what? Now I hear this chorus run through my head when I need it to. When I start to feel down on myself, I literally tell myself, “Catherine, you are a child of the one true king!” When I hear this, I can't help but smile. When I start to doubt myself, when I start to have regret, or when I feel any of the enemy's tactics, I tell him, sorry, but I am a child of the one true king. You've got nothing on my God; He is my one true king. I have even started saying this to my friends when they are struggling. When they are feeling down and also when they are feeling attacked, I remind them who they are and who they are. They are a child of God, the one true King, and He won't let the enemy hurt them. He won't let the enemy win.The song goes on to say:I am no longer definedBy all the wreckage behindThe One who makes all things newHas proven it's trueJust take a look at my lifeWe all have things in our past that we are not proud of. We have all said and done things that weren't great. Whether we did them on purpose or not, none of us are perfect. We live in a broken world, and this means that we hurt people sometimes. Regardless of what you have done in your past, you do not have to be defined by it. I think it is good to reflect on any areas that you are not proud of. If there are things you regret in your past, then take stalk of them and hand them over to the Lord. Ask Him to help you forgive yourself. Ask Him to help you move past them. We can not change the past, no matter how much we want to. If we want to find peace with our past mistakes, we need to turn them over and ask God for help. As these lyrics say, He is the one that makes all things new. I also like how the lyrics say that he Has proven it true: just take a look at my life. I think if we all took a look at our lives over the years, we would see plenty of examples of how God showed us His love, how He protected us from things, how He saved us from things.The song ends with:What love the Father Has lavished upon usThat we should be called His childrenHello, my name is child of the One True KingI've been saved, I've been changed, I have been set freeAmazing Grace is the song I singHello, my name is a child of the One True King, yeahThese are the words from the scripture verse above. Can you imagine how much the Lord loves us to call us His children? Think about how much love you have for your children. Now, multiply that by a bazillion, and that is how much our heavenly Father loves us. My hope is that when you start to doubt this, you remember this song, you remember this scripture verse, and you remember that you are a child of the one true king. You remember that you've been saved, you've been changed, you have been set free. You are not who you were, and you don't have to let your past mistakes define you. God has saved you, changed you, and set you free from everything. All you have to do is live in this freedom. Don't let the enemy drag you back to your old self. Anytime he starts to whisper lies in your ear, just tell him, “I am a child of the one true king, I am not listening to you.” Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today. Lord, we are so grateful for all the love that you lavish on us. We are sorry if we find it hard to accept it sometimes. Please help us with this. We want to accept all that you have to offer us freely. We want to live in the freedom you have given us. We don't want to live with any chains that the enemy tries to weigh us down with. Please help us release anything that we need to release to live in your freedom. You are so amazing and you give us so much, help us to accept it. Help us to know that we are your children and that you love us. Help us not to believe the lies of the enemy. We are grateful for all you do for us, Lord. We ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus' holy name, Amen.Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. I look forward to spending time with you again tomorrow. Have a blessed day.Today's Word from the Lord was received in July 2024 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today's Word from the Lord is, “The day is washed in Light, my children, washed and bathed through your hand, an extension of my hand. My hand is kind and full of compassion and love. You are all the extension of me. You are not separate from me. Never do you move alone. I am your guide.” www.findingtruenorthcoaching.comCLICK HERE TO DONATECLICK HERE to sign up for Mentoring CLICK HERE to sign up for Daily "Word from the Lord" emailsCLICK HERE to sign up for my newsletter & receive a free audio training about inviting Jesus into your daily lifeCLICK HERE to buy my book Total Trust in God's Safe Embrace
The story of 1 & 2 Samuel shows us how every earthly king ultimately points us to God as the only King that any of us will ever need. Thankfully, God has sent His Son, Jesus, to meet us in our sin with His salvation and satisfaction and to save us through a relationship by faith with Him! Jesus is our One True King and we invite you to celebrate this good news with us this series ahead!
City of Hope Presbyterian Church Sunday Worship November 24th, 2024 Sermon: One True King - Sermon Series Pt. 12 - Living as Exiles and Seeking Shalom Text: Jeremiah 29:7-14 Preacher: Rev. John Song www.cityofhopechurch.net
The story of 1 & 2 Samuel shows us how every earthly king ultimately points us to God as the only King that any of us will ever need. Thankfully, God has sent His Son, Jesus, to meet us in our sin with His salvation and satisfaction and to save us through a relationship by faith with Him! Jesus is our One True King and we invite you to celebrate this good news with us this series ahead!
City of Hope Presbyterian Church Sunday Worship November 17th, 2024 Sermon: One True King - Sermon Series Pt. 11 - The End? Text: 2 Kings 24:10-15, 2 Kings 25:27-30 Preacher: Rev. John Song www.cityofhopechurch.net
City of Hope Presbyterian Church November 10, 2024 One True King Sermon Series Part 10 - Idolatry and Exile 2 Kings 22:1-3, 8-13, 2 Kings 23:1-3 Speaker: Rev. John Song www.cityofhopechurch.net
Lindenwood University baseball player Evan Funkhouser shares his faith journey.
The story of 1 & 2 Samuel shows us how every earthly king ultimately points us to God as the only King that any of us will ever need. Thankfully, God has sent His Son, Jesus, to meet us in our sin with His salvation and satisfaction and to save us through a relationship by faith with Him! Jesus is our One True King and we invite you to celebrate this good news with us this series ahead!
Harav Yussie Zakutinsky Shlita
11/3/2024 - Psalm 2 - Hail to the One True King by Richard Schwartz
The story of 1 & 2 Samuel shows us how every earthly king ultimately points us to God as the only King that any of us will ever need. Thankfully, God has sent His Son, Jesus, to meet us in our sin with His salvation and satisfaction and to save us through a relationship by faith with Him! Jesus is our One True King and we invite you to celebrate this good news with us this series ahead!
The story of 1 & 2 Samuel shows us how every earthly king ultimately points us to God as the only King that any of us will ever need. Thankfully, God has sent His Son, Jesus, to meet us in our sin with His salvation and satisfaction and to save us through a relationship by faith with Him! Jesus is our One True King and we invite you to celebrate this good news with us this series ahead!
None are available at this time.
The story of 1 & 2 Samuel shows us how every earthly king ultimately points us to God as the only King that any of us will ever need. Thankfully, God has sent His Son, Jesus, to meet us in our sin with His salvation and satisfaction and to save us through a relationship by faith with Him! Jesus is our One True King and we invite you to celebrate this good news with us this series ahead!
The story of 1 & 2 Samuel shows us how every earthly king ultimately points us to God as the only King that any of us will ever need. Thankfully, God has sent His Son, Jesus, to meet us in our sin with His salvation and satisfaction and to save us through a relationship by faith with Him! Jesus is our One True King and we invite you to celebrate this good news with us this series ahead!
The story of 1 & 2 Samuel shows us how every earthly king ultimately points us to God as the only King that any of us will ever need. Thankfully, God has sent His Son, Jesus, to meet us in our sin with His salvation and satisfaction and to save us through a relationship by faith with Him! Jesus is our One True King and we invite you to celebrate this good news with us this series ahead!
The story of 1 & 2 Samuel shows us how every earthly king ultimately points us to God as the only King that any of us will ever need. Thankfully, God has sent His Son, Jesus, to meet us in our sin with His salvation and satisfaction and to save us through a relationship by faith with Him! Jesus is our One True King and we invite you to celebrate this good news with us this series ahead!
The story of 1 & 2 Samuel shows us how every earthly king ultimately points us to God as the only King that any of us will ever need. However, as we read 1 Samuel 8, it's clear that the disease of our sin blinds us from accepting Him as our King and we end up placing all of our hope in everything but Him. Thankfully, God has sent His Son, Jesus, to meet us in our sin with His salvation and satisfaction and to save us through a relationship by faith with Him! Jesus is our One True King and we invite you to celebrate this good news with us this series ahead!
Discussion Points: *Host, Sherrie discusses a Bible Study titled "Do You Love Me? Exploring Our Relationships with God and Others" by Debbie Swindall, facilitated by Amy Heilman of Breathe Deep Ministries, which has deeply impacted her relationship with God. *Sherrie emphasizes the importance of making intentional time to engage with God, especially during emotional or challenging moments, to discover His love and purpose for us. *She shares her journey of finding peace and intimacy with God, highlighting the challenges of slowing down and truly resting in Him, rather than merely checking off religious tasks. *The episode encourages listeners to seek God's presence in every micro moment, using specific action steps to process emotions and receive God's grace and guidance, ultimately experiencing a more peaceful and fulfilling life. Podcast Episode/Transcript: This is going to be a short episode but it was important enough for me to make it an episode because I had to share this study with you. It's titled, Do You Love Me? Exploring our relationships with God and others by Debbie Swindoll. Published by Grafted Life Ministries. From what I can discern it's been around since 2014; I have the 3rd edition published in 2018. Have you ever had the opportunity to participate in this particular bible study? If so, I'd love to hear your thoughts, your takeaway. This is the first time I've ever described a bible study as sweet. The most tender hearted bible study I've ever been a part of. When I say tender hearted, it's because of the way it reveals the Father's love for us, His heart to know us and for us to discover Him. The point that was highlighted for me, was the simplicity of what God requires of us in order to know Him more. Then I was perplexed because I treat it with such difficulty. Because of the way I've grown in my intimacy with Christ (after doing this bible study) I wanted to make you aware of it as well. Should you want to participate I can definitely get you in contact with my friend who is the founder of Breathe Deep Ministries, Amy Hellman. I don't receive any type of compensation for connecting you with her. Her contact info will be in the show notes. She's not the publisher nor the author but she facilitates this study. You may be familiar with Amy's name because she has been on my podcast a couple of times. A few years back she was a guest and we talked about her book Soul Stripper. It's a free download online. It is her personal story of how God works with us to strip us of (by way of healing) the various ways we're attached to this world. As well as the ways we attempt to satisfy our flesh or people please etc. and she moves us into finding our identity in Christ, a strong identity in Him alone. Also, she did one other episode where she took the mic to interview me about my first year of podcasting, asking me questions about all that I had learned through the messages that my guests had shared. That would have been in Sept. of 2021, which reminds me, I'm putting together some pretty exciting things for my 4 year anniversary in September of this year! I'll keep you posted. And then lastly, real quick with Amy you may have heard me speak of finding, what I considered and it has proven true, my last layer of healing from abandonment issues. Part of my journey with finding healing for various things associated with my childhood. Amy walked me through Theophostic Prayer and using that healing model the Lord gave me a vision. I've talked about the vision before so I won't repeat it again, so we can get to the purpose of this episode but engaging the Holy Spirit through Theophostic prayer and the vision of the Lord's presence (in a very scary time as a child), broke off the last bit of pain associated with abandonment. All that to say this, the reason I even know anything about this study is because I'm currently seeing Amy for Spiritual Direction counseling and she offered me this study and I gladly joined in and boy am I happy I did. The Lord has been calling me into these pockets of quiet time with Him. As He's doing that it's never been more obvious to me that my challenge is to slow down. Rest. Rest in Him. Rest with Him. I actually thought I was slowing down because my typical pace and the fact that I was making time to engage the Holy Spirit showed a marked difference in my life even from a couple of years ago. I'm thinking I'm doing the thing and knocking it out of the park but something just stayed under the surface that simply did not sit right. A feeling of doing the thing but still missing out. Not getting the full expression, the full experience. However, I simply couldn't put my finger on what was possibly missing. I'm reading the word, I'm making a joyful noise unto the Lord singing praise and worship music, praying for my family/friends, I go to church etc. I'm checking off the good Christian girl checklist. Well, I did the Christian checklist for many years but at this time in my life I would not have called it that because my heart is head over heels in love with Jesus. I love my time with the Lord. I'm no longer trying to perform to earn His affection or make sure I'm maintaining His approval. He has seen me at my absolute worst. And not just once. But countless times. He has yet to turn away. As an example of my affection for the Lord, in this particular season of my life, I am very content, very happy and I have a deep rooted peace in my soul. I need nothing and I want nothing. He has my full attention and I wait on Him to direct my life. So it was in those quiet times with the Lord, that the missing something seemed to be more prominent when I rushed the wrap up of my time with Him. I would enjoy my bible reading and prayer time but in the mornings I'd get to a certain point and then I'd be up and into something else so quickly I was left wondering if I even told the Lord, "I love you?!" When I'd have my quiet time with the Lord in the evenings, it often ended with me going to sleep and not remembering if I even finished my prayers. I would fall asleep in the middle of praying or simply talking to God about something or reading His word. It's not that I felt condemned because if you have children, is that not the sweetest thing you can experience; your children so content with you that they will let their guard down, and surrender to the day, falling asleep with you nearby. However, I just couldn't shake the feeling that I'm missing out on something. That Jesus intended more for me. But what was missing? It's intriguing to me that the simplicity with which we have access to the heart of God as He sits on His sovereign throne and yet in real time our actions say it's incredibly difficult. Maybe on a subconscious level, we believe it to be a, too good to be true, scenario and so our heart discredits it so that it carries no weight in our life? Or maybe it's that God's goodness and kindness are always available and so we take it for granted. It'll always be there so it's no rush, I'll get to it when I can. I know I've treated God that way. The Creator of all things wants to know me and I have “better things” more pressing things to do. As I say that out loud it's incredibly humbling. It's mind boggling that I pass up these moments with such ease. Even if I experience a flash of guilt, it's simply that, a flash. Because the truth is, as a daughter of the One True King of kings and Lord of lords, the One who has no rival and no equal that you can picture yourself running up to the throne room doors and not only do the armed guards step aside they open the massive doors without a question. You run toward your Father. No one stops you as you climb up the steps, probably stepping all over His royal train that fills the throne room. Into His lap you sit and you begin to tell Him about your day and He is absolutely delighted that you have chosen to come and sit with Him. If you're a parent, you can imagine or maybe you know the feeling when your children chose to spend time with you OR when your children choose lesser things (like video games or being on their phone). We've all heard it said that one of our biggest mistakes is that we think we have time….but time is a resource that quickly evaporates. Many times I have questioned, you've heard me ask on my podcasts, why-oh-why do we choose lesser things than the perfection that God offers us. After engaging this study I have the answer! Many of you already have the answer but God is so kind to us in the way He brings revelation to us as the individuals He created us to be. Sometimes, things just click and you have a DUH moment. Like, I knew that part and that part but now it's all come together for a much clearer understanding. Maybe that's when you move from the duh moment to the ah ha moment. Why do we choose lesser things compared to what God has for us? Because in this life we will deal with the flesh and yet our soul knows there's something more. We are made mind, body and soul/spirit. We're trapped in an earthly body, with a soul that longs for heaven and our mind is the battlefield. We straddle this world with our flesh and the spiritual world with our spirit. There is an intentional action, an intentional choice, in the battleground of the mind that takes us from being controlled by the flesh to walking in the fullness of who God created us to be but let's look at the details of what we're working against first. In this place between discovering what we were created for and heaven, we fight against the desires of the flesh because the flesh that we're wrapped-in is broken and sinful; it wants what it wants using the quickest, least resistant path to immediate gratification and yet our soul intuitively knows there is something more. In our DNA, God placed His image and therefore a natural desire for Garden of Eden moments. Our soul longs for beauty, truth, life, relationship, love, joy, etc. etc so the soul searches and its first access point is to use the flesh to find it. Our emotions, our 5 senses, the world around us…it's natural to us, God gave us those things….but this is why the Lord says we must be born again, that we need to die to our flesh, that we need to pick up our cross and follow the Lord. As uninviting as that sounds always remember you are never alone in the process. You have the very presence of God and our biggest trials bring the most beautiful rewards. In the midst of choosing lesser things over taking those incremental steps toward discovering and fulfilling what you were created for, which is rooted in discovering God's heart for you, you can be encouraged that God is never offended, never mad, nor does He want to teach you a lesson. We can learn plenty of hard knock lessons from following our flesh…God doesn't need to do anything to us, there's plenty of teachable moments in one days time based on how we personally engage life….one micro decision at a time, throughout any given day. In the moments when our feelings and/or our emotions are driving us, it's time to take breath, maybe a couple of breaths, and grab a few minutes with Holy Spirit. This juncture (of environment and our emotion) is the place where we can interrupt old patterns, challenge lie based thinking and negative reactions. Because the truth is, if we do not create a space in which we give God our emotions and allow Him to filter them with His truth we will, without fail, end up creating survival skills and self-coping vices (based on our own limited understanding/experiences) that we think are helping or at the very least, protecting us. When we don't take responsibility by way of making time to heal from our past traumas, emotional and mental scars, all the affects of living in a broken world and with our self-imposed survival skills and self-coping vices we will stay in our own dry, dusty desert for 40+ years just like the Israelites. God is with us but our eyes are never seeing and our ears never hear. Sadly, trauma never leaves on its own. The grip of that which seeks to steal, kill, and destroy has to be evicted. You have to break agreement with it, cast it out when necessary. You've heard me say this before, we're not responsible for what has been done to us but we are responsible to find the healing we need and to not give up until we are walking in God's peace, healing and redemption. When you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and invited Him to live in your heart, you gained access (through Jesus) to now discover who you were created to be. Something that had been hidden from you as a prior enemy of Christ. Now with direct access to the throne of God, you have the opportunity to discover how He knit you together in our own mother's womb. What is it about you that is most like God? What gifts and talents mirror His creative heart? What are your core charateristics that align with Him? As you go on this adventure with Christ and He reveals your gifts, talents, skills and He begins to open doors and create certain connections and relationships, He will reveal this things and teach you how to steward them with Heaven's value system vs our own value system. He will reveal it little by little so that you can digest and apply what He is showing you. Hence the lifelong adventure of relationship and His revelation after revelation. The simplicity with which we can know the depths of God's love for us and who He created us to be, what we were created for, the different seasons He's calling us into, what our gifts and talents are… comes down to this, time. To make time, is the intentional action, the intentional choice in the midst of the emotional and mental battleground of the mind that takes us from being controlled by the flesh to walking in the fullness of who God created us to be. Not time checking off the good Christian girl to do list with the just get it done heart posture. The result of that type of investment is fake at best and you can expect your return to be empty as well; ask me how I know. Take the time to be still and discover the type of Father who loves you. Intimacy grows over time and engagement. In every circumstance of your life and in every micro moment that you have an emotion or a question about who you are, maybe you're being challenged in an area where you're weak, or your moments when you feel disconnected, overwhelmed and you're loosing hope. Pause, be still, breathe, turn your heart and mind toward Jesus. Engage God/Jesus/Holy Spirit (you can start with any one of the 3), invite Him in, ask Him what is this I'm feeling. Why am I feeling this? If He reveals it (because sometimes He simply gives you encouragement in the moment to endure and/or He offers His reassurance that He's with you and He'll see you through) ... so when the time comes that He reveals it, ask Him to help you. And maybe this might be the most challenging part of the process is to accept His grace as you are stepping into who He's called you to be. Most of the time it's not a flawless transition. Here's what I think is the perfect example of this journey we're on. Adam and Eve started off living in intimacy with God. They had daily, face to face conversations with God. He was present 24/7, and they rejected Him. We're born in the condition of having rejected Him and we're on the journey to return to the benefits of the Garden of Eden. Daily, direct access spirit to spirit or heart to heart with God. He's present 24/7 and He waits for our invitation for Him to join us in our darkest, most painful places of life. Nothing about this life, our existence, our challenges, how we use our gift of choice etc. has God concerned, confused or disengaged. Nor is He overwhelmed or disgusted. No. God knows marriage is hard. God knows that the various types of handicaps or physical illness will cause us to question who He is. He knows the evil that people do to one another. Heat breaking yes, but He's the God who walks among His people He's never taken off guard and you know why? Because He's already put those things to death in the spiritual and He wants you and I to know and experience it too. He wants those Garden of Eden moments with us. He's saying, babe, will you bring that to me? Will you trust me with that pain, that emotion, your reaction? I've already healed that on the cross but I want you to allow me to walk you through your personal pain because I want you to experience, first-hand, the healing I've provided. I want you to see how much I love you as you let me dismantle the lie based thinking or the painful memories you have. I give double for the what the enemy has robbed you of. I take the very thing that satan wanted to destroy you with and I flip it producing good things in your life. I bring redemption, I bring restoration. Allow me to remind your heart of Matthew 11:28-30, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your soul. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Making time is a challenge. Accepting God's grace as a way of life is humbling and therefore it struggles against our pride/our flesh, but there may be an even bigger challenge for the flesh and that is to have the courage to see God for who He really is. Not who we want Him to be and not who we think He should be. It threatens our flesh because we may have to redefine some foundational things we have been building our life on. I actually think it might even be more scary to change direction when we realize that some of our foundational blocks have been lies. All the more reason to give God space (by being still) and allow Him to reveal Himself to us in every context of life, most especially in the context of pain and suffering. If we can do that and actually embrace who He is even though it may be in direct opposition to what we thought would be, or what we want it to be … that's the place of transformation, where we step into more and more of who we were created to be. Where we find the kind of purpose that even if it's the hardest thing we've ever done, we've never felt more alive, fulfilled and rewarded. (side note: God moves in unique ways with us as the individual He created us to be but what we experience or the revelations we receive with Him will never contradict God's character and nature. If you feel that God is revealing Himself and it is in opposition to His word, question the source. If not inline with God, it is not of Him). Do you have the courage today to give God those micro moments of engagement with the emotions or feelings that need some healing, maturing; things that need a closer inspection even though it will challenge the way you perceive yourself? I would encourage you to start today and try to catch yourself in those type moments. Interrupt where those emotions will take you. Pause, breathe and engage God with these 3 actions steps/conversation that were in the study (I've added some of my words for the way I shared this message but they are in the same in nature). God, what is happening with regard to what I'm experiencing or feeling? God, help me to perceive what you reveal and give me courageous ears to hear. God, show me what your grace looks like in this moment. And I'd even add this question for God ... Who do you want to be for me in this situation? The more time we spend with God to process the impact or purge the residue of this life, the more peaceful, and the more beautiful life becomes. We don't have to wait for heaven to enjoy the heart of the Father, the joy of the Son, Jesus nor the wisdom/revelations of Holy Spirit. We can know a slice of heaven, a small taste of the Garden of Eden in the here and now. All it takes are micro moments of pausing, of investing our time in the heart of God. When we do, we watch our meager offer, our 5 loaves and 2 fish if you will, multiplied beyond our imagination. Live Loved and Thrive! @alifeofthrive.com Resources: Breathe Deep Ministries/Amy Hellman - https://www.breathedeepministries.org/ Grafted Life Ministries: Graftedlife.org Related Podcast Episodes: In the Presence of God (w/Kevin White): https://alifeofthrive.com/2022/03/02/presence/ Here's How Psalm 23 Showed Me God's Faithfulness (w/Sherrie Pilkington): https://alifeofthrive.com/2022/08/17/heres-how-psalm-23-showed-me-gods-faithfulness/ Can I (or Anyone) Ruin God's Plan for My Life? (W/Sherrie Pilkington): https://alifeofthrive.com/2024/04/24/can-i-or-anyone-ruin-gods-plan-for-my-life/ Related Bog Posts: Investing in Relationship: https://alifeofthrive.com/2020/11/03/investing-in-relationship/ Relationship is Simple But it Takes Courage: https://alifeofthrive.com/2019/03/11/relationship-is-simple-but-it-will-take-courage/
* Last week, we considered Scriptures regarding "The Kingdom of God." Jesus declared that His purpose was to share the good news of the Kingdom and then called upon His disciples to share that message as well. He also declared that this Kingdom was not just one that was, or would be, physical. Rather, the ultimate Kingdom of God is spiritual, and begins in the heart. Allegiance to God begins in the heart by expressing childlike faith and trust in the testimony which God has declared in His Word. Being part of God's Kingdom therefore means that an individual is declaring - by faith - fidelity, allegiance and obedience to YHWH as the One True King of the Universe. * When one chooses to believe - by faith - in YHWH and His redemptive plan they become citizens of His Kingdom and are "born-again." Just as they were born physically, they are now born spiritually. * Today, Jesus will share an important detail of those who are truly part of the Kingdom of God ... having ears they will hear the message of God and they will heed what they hear! To "hear" and to "keep" - Shema and Shamar - is a very basic Jewish teaching. (cf. Deuteronomy 6:4-12)
The Morning Worship Service at Plainfield Christian Church in Comstock Park, MI Preacher: Bruce Wilson Youth Minister: Josh Antonopulos Children's Minister: Wade Harrier Worship Leader: Katie Winstanley Learn more at https://www.pccmi.org/ Songs: CCLI #2228009 Sermon: Josiah: Rooted in Scripture Josh Antonopulos Scripture: 2 Kings 22:1-2, 8-10, 11, 18-20 2 Kings 23:3, 4, 21-22, 25 Deuteronomy 17:18-20 Notes: This morning we'll be looking at the life of a young man named Josiah who became king at 8 years old. He was born into a broken mess of a culture, God's people had wandered far from their faith. On a routine trip to the temple, Josiah's secretary Shannan is presented with a lost book of God's Law. When confronted with its contents, Josiah recognizes the significance of the people's sin and his own choices. He considers how far the people have drifted from their calling as a light to the world. He chooses to humble himself before God and create reminders which redirect the people's hearts to the One True King. Visible reminders can protect us from drifting. What reminders do you need to create in order to redirect your heart and eyes to Jesus? What would it take for you to change in order to have legacy like Josiah's? What would it look like for you to put your name in this commendation? 2 Kings 23:25 “Neither before nor after ________________ was there a Christian like them who turned to the Lord as they did-with all their heart and with all their soul and with all their strength.”
The Rebellion vv. 1-3 Gods Response vv. 4-6 The Messiah vv. 7-9 Our Response vv. 10-12 THE WAY TO WISDOM Receive Gods Instruction Serve The Lord and Rejoice Honor and Obey Jesus Take Refuge in Him
First I just want to apologize. I totally forgot that yesterday was Wednesday so I gave you a regular episode instead of a witness Wednesday. However, I know many of you love to hear the testimonies, so I didn't want to skip it this week. So today I am bringing you a witness Wednesday, just a day late on a Thursday. Today's witnesses are from Matthew West's website called popwe.org. If you don't know who Matthew West is, he is a singer, songwriter, and storyteller. This website is for the non-profit that he has with his father, a pastor. Matthew and his father encourage people to share their stories. They have various categories of stories. Today, I chose two testimonies from the Relationship Category. Relationships are hard. I don't think we are sailing through life full of perfect relationships. Often, we can hear our own story in someone else's story. When we listen to others tell their story, it helps us see that we are not alone. When we hear how God worked in their relationships, it gives us hope that He will work in ours, too! I pray when you hear these testimonies, you get the faith and hope to believe that miracles and healing can happen in your relationships also.Karina: When I think of my story, I think of pain, grief, overwhelming sadness, hurt, and betrayal. Then I think of hope, redemption, love, grace, miracles, and my salvation in Jesus.Five years ago, my entire world turned upside down. I experienced betrayal in my marriage after 12 years. I was in so much pain. My life seemed to have been one episode after the next of unfortunate events.I was so broken and so alone. I was in severe depression and taking depression and anxiety meds and using alcohol with it. I was doing anything I could to dull the pain I was in.I'm so thankful that God loved me so much that He pursued me in ways I'd never experienced before. I was blessed to become a part of a church. At a time when I was deeply hurting, I was shown the love of Christ over and over again. My pastor would say during his messages (and he still does) that I MATTERED to GOD. Honestly, I didn't even know that I did. God never left my side and He revealed Himself and His love to me. I had never known love like this before and he poured it out on me in waves and waves. He walked with me through the trials and the storms and he saved me and restored me. Then God led me to become a part of a women's group that has encouraged me, prayed with me and laughed with me. These women have become my sisters. We've shared a bond stronger than any blood relationship I've ever had. Words can't describe the love in my heart that I have for each of them. God has healed me in ways I couldn't see possible five years ago or even three years ago. He resurrected my dead marriage which is a miracle in a way because there was no way I could see this being restored or if reconciliation was even an option. That's the God I serve. He is full of compassion, LOVE, mercy, and GRACE… He pursues us even when we turn our backs on Him. He loved me even when I didn't love myself; He showed me I was His, that I was never forsaken; that I was chosen, a daughter of the One True King. He healed my heart, renewed my mind and made me brand new! The only way I can end this is by saying “Thank You, JESUS” ❤️Trent: Theme songs are an important part of our world. As individuals, I feel that we each have a personal theme song for our life. My name is Trent, and I am 19 years old. By no fault of my own, I was born into a family filled with extreme dysfunction. My earliest years were filled with domestic violence, extreme neglect, and extensive sexual abuse. I truly struggle to find the words to adequately describe the daily pain and suffering that I endured during my earliest years. I was hurt in every way imaginable. My theme song was one of fear.I feared for my safety. I feared that I would starve. I feared that I could not protect my younger brother. I feared that the pain would never end. I feared that I would never have anyone to love me.After a few traumatic years with those who gave birth to me, I was taken into the foster care system. I spent my early childhood traveling from one foster home to another. My theme song of fear amplified as I cried myself to sleep each night fearing that I would never have a family to call my own.I would like for you to think for just a moment about how difficult it is each time you experience a change in life. Now imagine that you are asked to gather your few pathetic belongings, place them in a trash bag, and get in a car to be taken to the home of a complete and total stranger. This happened to me not once, but 5 times over the course of my first 8 years. Fear was the theme that dominated my existence. Although my foster placements were not exactly ideal, I was introduced to God very early on and was able to cling to the hope that He had a plan for my life. I was young, but I kept hearing about this God who loved me no matter what. I was given a dog tag with Jeremiah 29:11 engraved on the front. There were many times in my early years that I began to doubt that I would ever have a family of my own, but I pressed into God and prayed as I repeated Jeremiah 29:11 as a reminder that He was in control, despite the fact that my theme song of fear resonated loudly.“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”That verse is still my favorite and served as a constant reminder that God was in control despite the fact that my world was filled with uncontrollable chaos and uncertainty. My only hope was found in God as I prayed each night that I would somehow find a family to love me and keep me safe.By the grace of God, my life that had been consumed by fear and uncertainty changed in 2010. My prayers were answered and my younger brother and I were adopted by two amazing people who are now my Mom and Dad in every sense of the word. After being adopted I am so happy to say that my theme song began to change. I no longer spent every day in fear; instead I had HOPE for the first time in my life. If you asked me how those changes came about, I can answer in one single but very powerful word. LOVE. It sounds like such a simple concept, but being in a place where I knew I was loved by my family, and most importantly, by God was the key to healing. My new theme song became one of love.The Lord delivered me to a forever family who never once wavered in their unconditional love and support as they walked my healing journey by my side and led me to the healing that can only be found in God. They cried with me as I mourned the loss of my siblings, held me as I exposed details of my sexual abuse, and allowed me to mourn the loss of my childhood. Over time, I began to trust that they were going to stand by me no matter what. That feeling of safety and security opened the doors to healing. The truth is, early trauma changes who you are and you can either let it take you, or decide to fight… and I was determined to fight. We pressed into the pain as a family unit and asked God each and every day to help heal me from my past trauma. I was not going to allow my traumatic start define my future. My self esteem was restored and I began to realize that God had a purpose for my life. Jeremiah 29:11 repeatedly entered my mind as I watched my life unfold. It may sound crazy, but I thank God for the pain and suffering I endured.Every painful moment provided a learning experience that I can now use to help others. I am not a victim. I am not damaged goods! I am a strong Christian young man who has found his way home to a family who will love me unconditionally. Healing from my past trauma was the most painful experience of my life, but I am now able to see that God used my pain for His purpose. I began sharing my story at the age of 10 and published my autobiography “Shattered No More” at the age of 14. I do not share these accomplishments to boast in any way, but to break misconceptions about those who have experienced trauma. At the age of 17 I started a speaking and support ministry to provide hope to others who have experienced trauma (watchmerise919.org). I have had the true honor of walking this healing journey with others through mentoring, Bible study, support groups, and specialized trainings. In addition, I share my story of hope to others through our Watch Me Rise podcast. I am currently in college and on my way to becoming a licensed Clinical Counselor. Over time I was able to see the beauty that is found in the ashes. The Lord has transformed me and made me new. I strive each day to be more like Jesus and to bring others to the true healing that is only found in Him. I give God all the glory for my journey! That is HIS story.Please reach out through our website if we can encourage you in any way, pray for you, support you in your healing journey or share our story. Thank you to popwe for allowing those who have experienced pain to use our pain for a purpose!Thank you so much to Karina and Trent for sharing your stories. I know it is hard being vulnerable and sharing your story, and yet it helps so many people. I am sure your testimonies are helping others see the possibilities for their own relationships. I am grateful for the miracles you received and I am sure God is so happy you are sharing them with others. www.findingtruenorthcoaching.comCLICK HERE TO DONATECLICK HERE to sign up for Mentoring CLICK HERE to sign up for Daily "Word from the Lord" emailsCLICK HERE to sign up for free audio training about inviting Jesus into your daily lifeCLICK HERE to buy my book Total Trust in God's Safe Embrace
ASMONGOLD JOINS THE SHOW! "Mighty" Demetrious Johnson welcomes Twitch & YouTuber streamer Asmongold on the latest episode of "MightyCast"! Timecodes 0:00 Intro 1:24 Welcome Asmongold! 2:10 When Asmongold Decided to Start Streaming 3:53 Should You Stream on Multiple Sites (YouTube, Twitch, Kick, etc?) 5:23 DJ's Twitch Channel 6:27 Why it is Harder to Get Subscribers on Twitch 8:09 GFuel: Use Code MIGHTY To Save 20% 10:02 Asmongold's Current Game He is Playing 11:20 How Asmongold Picks Games for His Streams 13:36 DJ LOVED Watching Asmongold Play World of Warcraft 16:46 Why Asmongold Doesn't Like World of Warcraft 18:44 Blizzard Used to be the BEST Company 22:06 THIS Killed Gaming for DJ 23:23 What Makes Gaming Companies Struggle 24:59 Why Hasn't Asmongold Created a Video Game? 28:51 The One True King, How Did it Begin? 32:02 The HARDEST Part of Streaming 32:45 Asmongold COULD Quit Streaming Today 33:30 Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul Breakdown 35:28 Does Asmongold Watch MMA? 36:21 Asmongold's Opinion of Conor McGregor 37:22 UFC has BLOWN Up 39:02 Asmongold's Gym Routine 39:58 Is Asmongold Going Bald? 42:39 What Game is Asmongold Looking Forward to? 43:26 Dragon's Dogma is SICK 44:45 Elden Ring is Missing THIS 46:31 How Most Games Sabotage Themselves 47:26 Why Hasn't Anyone Offered Asmongold to Help a Video Game? 50:50 Why Video Games End Up Suffering 53:56 What is Asmongold's Favorite Transmog? 54:47 Which Transmog was the HARDEST to Get? 57:21 Asmongold's FAVORITE WoW Raid 58:16 Asmongold's FAVORITE WoW Expansion 1:00:47 THIS Killed WoW for DJ 1:02:16 Where to Find Asmongold 1:02:48 The Future of Streaming 1:06:49 DJ's Kid Love IShowSpeed 1:08:21 THESE Streamers Will Not Last 1:11:02 Asmongold's Eyebrows 1:11:48 Mighty Recap! Produced/Edited by Michael Wonsover (@mwonsover on IG/Twitter) Edited by Nick Pappas ⚡️ PrizePicks: Sign up with code "MIGHTY" for a 100% deposit match up to $100! https://prizepicks.onelink.me/ivHR/MIGHTY ⚡️ GFuel: https://gfuel.com/ Promo Code: MIGHTY to save 20% at checkout
The gang does a lot of snooping and Grimloche reveals his stand
It is Palm Sunday where we remember Jesus entering Jerusalem as the start of Holy Week. The crowds expected Jesus to start a revolution, but it did not happen the way many thought it would. Think back. Has Jesus ever answered a prayer in a different way than you asked? It is a hard question. God's plan, however, is often different than our own and Holy Week is a story along those lines. The Extra Mile: Do a little online digging into the Feast or Festival of Sheaves or Shelters. Jesus would have traveled to Jerusalem many times and presumably this festival would be one of those occasions. Jesus would have been a part of this, and our Palm Sunday celebrates Jesus entering Jerusalem on this festival day. Jesus was part of a tradition, and our Palm Sunday is an example of Jesus being a part of his heritage. Scripture: Luke 19:28-36 Pastor: Rev. Andy Nixon
In Daniel 5, the foolishness of King Belshazzar of Babylon is presented in vivid detail. Pastor Isaiah explains how the lessons that he failed to learn give us an opportunity to become people who live in wisdom and humility, following after the perfectly humble One True King, Jesus Christ.
Who our hearts have always longed for.
It is Palm Sunday where we remember Jesus entering Jerusalem as the start of Holy Week. The crowds expected Jesus to start a revolution, but it did not happen the way many thought it would. Think back. Has Jesus ever answered a prayer in a different way than you asked? It is a hard question. God's plan, however, is often different than our own and Holy Week is a story along those lines. The Extra Mile: Do a little online digging into the Feast or Festival of Sheaves or Shelters. Jesus would have traveled to Jerusalem many times and presumably this festival would be one of those occasions. Jesus would have been a part of this, and our Palm Sunday celebrates Jesus entering Jerusalem on this festival day. Jesus was part of a tradition, and our Palm Sunday is an example of Jesus being a part of his heritage. Scripture: Luke 19:28-36 Pastor: Rev. Andy Nixon
We discuss the history and return of Alex Jones, the One True King of schizophrenic uncles Part Two is pretty silly. Listen to it at www.Patreon.com/WesternKabuki
Nothing on earth can ever satisfy our desires the way the One True King can.
Nothing on earth can ever satisfy our desires the way the One True King can.
Bishop Robert Barron’s Sermons - Catholic Preaching and Homilies
Friends, Christ is the King of all things. His rule is characterized not by totalitarianism or despotism, but rather by loving kindness and sacrifice. He constantly reaches out his hands to defend the weak and sick, going to the limits of godforsakenness to bring back those who have wandered. We can cooperate with our King by being his ministers of mercy to the world.
Our confidence and courage to fight against sin, death, and the devil is only possible when we put our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and share in the victory He won for us at the cross of Calvary as our one true King, who stands for His people, fights their battle, and secures their eternal reward.
Message from Matt Ham on October 15, 2023
This morning Pastor Rob reminded us that the Kingdom of God is not just in heaven, but right here in our midst! When we pray “Your Kingdom come” from Matthew 6, it means we are desiring others to experience the Kingdom of God and for us to be more present in it. It also means we're clinging to the incredible hope that no matter what our circumstances look like right now, one day the One True King will return, His kingdom will be fully established, and there will be no more tears, no more suffering, no more hate, no more division, no more injustice, and no more heartache.
Message from Aaron Ingle on September 10, 2023