Podcasts about only god

The Rev. Nick Lannon preaches a sermon on Philippians 2 (in which Paul describes Jesus' lowering of himself in order to save us) and Matthew 21, in which Jesus tells a parable about two sons. Only God, in Christ Jesus, can and does reorient hearts to love him.

In this Daily Devotion for September 28, 2026, Pastor David Balla walks through Psalm 82:7-8, where every human ruler, however exalted, still dies like any prince. No title changes that outcome. Only God possesses authority that never falls and never needs replacing.This devotion follows that plea, arise, O God, judge the earth, to Jesus, who was judged unjustly by human courts yet rose again to become the true and lasting Judge over all nations, having already borne the judgment sinners actually deserved in their place. There we find true grace, forgiveness, and salvation, secured completely through His finished work. Through His redemption we are welcomed into the Kingdom of Heaven, and in the Lord's Supper that same settled judgment comes to us again, His true body and blood given for the forgiveness of sins.When earthly authority disappoints you, as it eventually will, remember where lasting judgment actually rests. Every human prince falls. Christ alone reigns forever, and His judgment over you has already been settled completely in your favor through His cross.Subscribe for weekly sermons and Daily Devotions.If this devotion has blessed you, consider supporting this ministry: https://buymeacoffee.com/whitegandalphYou can also give directly at https://buymeacoffee.com/whitegandalphHashtags (5)#DailyDevotion #Lutheran #LCMS #BibleStudy #Christianity

The Rev. Nick Lannon preaches a sermon on Philippians 2 (in which Paul describes Jesus' lowering of himself in order to save us) and Matthew 21, in which Jesus tells a parable about two sons. Only God, in Christ Jesus, can and does reorient hearts to love him.

WALK ON BOTH LEGS15 Truths About Loving God, Serving People and Fulfilling Your AssignmentThe Two Voids, the Authentic Self, and the Journey from Intimacy with God to Fruitfulness and MultiplicationBlog link https://www.otakada.org/walk-on-both-legs-15-truths-about-loving-god-serving-people-and-fulfilling-your-assignment/Monday, September 7th, 2027There is a kind of emptiness that money cannot fill. Success cannot fill it. Marriage, recognition, possessions, influence, applause and achievement cannot fill it. Only God can. But there is another kind of emptiness that many believers do not immediately understand. It is possible to genuinely love God, pray, worship, study Scripture, fast and pursue His presence, yet still carry a persistent feeling that something is missing. You begin to wonder, Why am I still restless when I love God? Why does it seem as though there should be more to my life?Sometimes we interpret every such feeling as spiritual decline. Sometimes we think we need another conference, another prayer meeting, another fast or another spiritual experience. Yet there may be another explanation: you may be standing firmly on one leg while neglecting the other.Jesus gave us a remarkable summary of the entire law and the prophets in Matthew 22:37–40: “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind… And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” There are the two legs: Love God. Love people. Relationship and responsibility. Communion and commission. Presence and purpose. Receiving and releasing. God never designed us to choose between them. We were created to walk on both legs.1. THE FIRST VOID: THE HUNGER FOR GODDeep within the human heart is a hunger that creation cannot completely satisfy because it was designed for the Creator. You can try to fill it with money, relationships, career, titles, houses, travel, possessions or influence. You can fill every hour of your calendar and surround yourself with people, yet when everything becomes quiet, the hunger can return. There is a place in us that belongs to God, and nothing created can permanently occupy the place reserved for the Creator.God did not merely create us to know about Him. He created us to know Him, walk with Him, hear Him, love Him and increasingly become transformed into His likeness. This is why Jesus identified loving God with all our heart, soul and mind as the first and greatest commandment. Everything begins there. Purpose without God can become ambition. Service without God can become exhausting activism. Achievement without God can produce success without meaning. The first leg, therefore, must remain firmly planted: Love God.But the first leg is not the whole journey.2. THE SECOND VOID: THE HUNGER FOR PURPOSEThe second commandment is inseparable from the first: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The God who draws us toward Himself eventually turns our eyes toward people. Genuine love for God must ultimately produce something beyond ourselves. God did not create you merely as someone who needs something from the world; He also created you carrying something the world needs from you.

“Stop acting so proud and haughty! Don’t speak with such arrogance! For the Lord is a God who knows what you have done; he will judge your actions.” (1 Samuel 2:3 NLT) Long ago, when prognosticators and science fiction writers envisioned life in the twenty-first century, few anticipated the outsize role that a culture-wide sense of entitlement would play. And by “a sense of entitlement,” I mean the idea that you don’t have to work hard and that everything should be given to you because you’re so wonderful. I was born in the generation known as the Baby Boomers. My generation thought the problem with the world was low self-esteem. As a result, a lot of emphasis was given to, and a lot of money was spent on, the self-esteem movement. That started the snowball effect. The downhill slope has led to our current influencer culture, where self-esteem has curdled into narcissism. Millions of people now believe that even their most trivial thoughts and actions are worthy of being documented on video and shared with the world. Exposure, fame, and social media clout have become currency. People who have those things celebrate their “wealth” with jaw-dropping displays of entitlement. Because their social reach is so enormous, this sense of entitlement has become normalized in younger generations—and among older generations as well. People expect to be rewarded, celebrated, and admired regardless of their performance. This trend doesn’t bode well for the future. God’s Word makes it clear that a sense of entitlement has no place in our relationship with the Lord. First Samuel 2:3 says, “Stop acting so proud and haughty! Don’t speak with such arrogance! For the Lord is a God who knows what you have done; he will judge your actions” (NLT). The apostle Paul wrote, “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too” (Philippians 2:3–4 NLT). He also wrote, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:2 NLT). And therein lies the key to “disentitling” ourselves. Our number one goal must be to know God and then to find His plan and purpose for our lives. This is the only foundation strong enough for our future. Fame is fleeting. The public’s attitude is fickle. Entitlement is an illusion. Only God’s plan and purpose will last. They must be our priority. The good news is that God will work His plan and purpose in the life of anyone who asks Him to. All we have to do is humbly approach Him, admit that our efforts aren’t enough, and ask Him to guide us. He offers a 24/7 helpline through prayer and His Word. We have nothing to lose but our uncertainty and entitlement by aligning our goals with God and entrusting our future to Him. Reflection question: How can you avoid a sense of entitlement in your life? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship! — The audio production of the podcast "Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known." All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie. Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast Become a Harvest PartnerSupport the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A YouTuber named Jay claims Frank Turek dodged a university student's question: if God is perfect, why didn't He create us perfect rather than flawed? Kevin plays the clips, and Dr. Craig explains why the question is built on confusion. Only God is a perfect being, and God cannot be created, so any created being is necessarily imperfect. Imperfect does not mean morally bad. Adam and Eve were sinless, but innocent rather than perfect. There is also no problem with a world where sin is possible, only with a world where it is actual. Dr. Craig applies Alvin Plantinga's idea of transworld depravity: there may be no feasible world in which free creatures always choose rightly. He also corrects the claim that God can alter the laws of logic, and explains why omnipotence does not mean doing the logically impossible.

God created everything good because creation reflects its Creator—and God alone is good. Human sin began by doubting God's goodness. Sin distorted our view of God and one another, bringing suffering and death. God did not abandon His creation. He revealed Himself to Moses as compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, forgiving sin, and administering justice. Israel returned to this revelation as the picture of God's character. Jesus Christ is the complete picture of God. Through His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus reveals God's compassion and grace, provides forgiveness, satisfies justice, and begins restoring what sin has cursed. We cannot achieve goodness through moral effort; we can only receive and reflect the goodness that originates in God. Only God is good, and goodness originates in Him. As we see and trust God's goodness revealed in Jesus, we can embody His goodness for the sake of others.

When God does amazing things in our lives, how do we sustain and build on the momentum we have experienced. How do we keep growing even in the middle of adversity? How do we keep growing and thriving, when we seem to be in a season of just surviving? We draw insights from David life given in 1 Samuel 19-31. This season of about 10 years was very difficult and yet David kept growing, building on the momentum he had experienced. To build on momentum - surround yourself with mentors and people who can speak into your life. To build on momentum - even if you are just surviving, keep growing. To build on momentum - build people around you. When they grow, you grow. To build on momentum - learn to hear from God. Only God can take you from faith to faith, strength to strength and glory to glory. To build on momentum - learn to honor people. Treat people with respect and the honor they are due. When you sow honor, God will grace your life with honor from heaven. To build on momentum - learn to strengthen yourself in God. Do this, even if you must do it alone, all by yourself. This sermon includes free audio (mp3) and video of this powerful, motivational, expository teaching, free printable PDF sermon outlines, sermon notes and small group study guide with discussion questions and presentation slides. All resources (sermon PDF, sermon MP3, sermon video, sermon presentation) are free for use in personal study, small groups, Bible study prayer groups, local churches, conferences, Bible colleges, etc. Watch our online Sunday Church service live stream every Sunday at 10:30am (Indian Time, GMT+5:30). Spirit filled, anointed worship, Word and ministry for healing, miracles and deliverance. YOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/allpeopleschurchbangalore WEBSITE: https://apcwo.org/live CHURCH: https://apcwo.org FREE SERMONS: https://apcwo.org/resources/sermons FREE BOOKS: https://apcwo.org/books/english DAILY DEVOTIONALS: https://apcwo.org/resources/daily-devotional JESUS CHRIST: https://examiningjesus.com BIBLE COLLEGE: https://apcbiblecollege.org E-LEARNING: https://apcbiblecollege.org/elearn COUNSELING: https://chrysalislife.org MUSIC: https://apcmusic.org MINISTERS FELLOWSHIP: https://pamfi.org CHURCH APP: https://apcwo.org/app CHURCHES: https://apcwo.org/ministries/churches

Anna and Matt continue the story of the early church as Philip takes the good news about Jesus to Samaria. Kids will learn about Simon the Magician, who used tricks to make people think he was powerful, and discover that real, life-changing power belongs to God alone. ⭐ What Kids Will Learn:

Big idea: The meltdown gives us information, but so does the road behind it. If we only study the point of collision, we may miss what our autistic kids were communicating long before they had the words to tell us.Sometimes the meltdown is the first thing everyone notices—but it may not be where the story started.In this episode of Raising Autistic Disciples, Larah shares one of Graham's most memorable meltdowns from the early years after his diagnosis: a simple change in the Sunday morning plan that became far more than a quick walk back to the car. What looked like a sudden explosion was actually an autistic child in deep distress, unable to communicate what his body and nervous system were experiencing.That experience became an important lesson: don't only study the collision. Learn the road that led there.For parents, church leaders, grandparents, and anyone discipling an autistic child, this episode explores how curiosity, observation, and biblical discernment can help us distinguish between rebellion, overwhelm, weakness, distress, and genuine behavior that needs correction. Understanding behavior is not the same thing as excusing behavior. Faithful discipleship requires knowing the child well enough to respond with the right kind of care.Larah also walks through 1 Thessalonians 5:14—“admonish the idle, comfort the discouraged, help the weak, be patient with everyone”—as a framework for recognizing that different conditions require different responses. Sometimes an autistic child needs correction. Sometimes they need comfort. Sometimes they need help. And in every case, they need patient, discerning love.You'll hear practical questions like: What does my child look like before they become overwhelmed? What happens when plans unexpectedly change? What environments require more effort from them? What happens to communication as stress increases? When does more language stop helping and become additional input? And what patterns can I learn now that may eventually help my child recognize and communicate their own needs?The goal isn't to predict every meltdown or become omniscient. Only God is. The goal is to become observant—to learn the child God has entrusted to you so that you can shepherd them faithfully toward Christlikeness.Scriptures discussed: 1 Thessalonians 5:14, James 1:19, Proverbs 18:13, Proverbs 20:5, and John 10.Resources Mentioned:Find the Letters to Lindsey: Seeing Your Child's Autism Diagnosis through a Gospel Lens on Amazon by clicking here: amazon.com/dp/B0FS87WY24.

Steve DeWitt Indestructibly Saved Study Guide for Spiritual Exiles, 1 Peter 1:3-5 Scripture Reference: 1 Peter 1:3-5 Visit the series page: Exiles: A study in 1 Peter Donate to Support The Journey Sermon Transcript for Spiritual Exiles, 1 Peter 1:3-5 Sermon Series: Spiritual ExilesMessage: Indestructibly SavedAirdate: 9/8 & 9/9/26Programs 2352 & 2353Good morning, Crown Point Campus. And let's go to the Lord in prayer. Heavenly Father, we thank you for the opportunity to be here today. And we pray simply this, that your spirit would come, that he would minister to your people by your word for your glory and for our good. God, we pray that this would be a day truly where your name would be lifted higher. And we want to be a part of that. So we thank you. We pray it in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, last week we began our new series in 1 Peter entitled Exiles.And the title was taken from the first verse of the book, which says this, “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who are elect exiles of the dispersion.” And we saw that Peter was writing to Christians who had been part of this colonization, this dispersion, Christians living in Rome or that region sent now to Asia Minor, and they are there living as foreigners, essentially living as exiles, geopolitical exiles. And what Peter does is he draws from their geopolitical situation spiritual truth and application as they dealt with the feelings of alienation. and ostracization from people that saw them as part of the conquering army, people that weren't from there. And so much that we're going to see in this letter. Last week was our introduction, and we saw that... exiles want more than anything is they want a change of location.They think to themselves, what really needs to happen is I need to be somewhere else. And if I was somewhere else, then I would be happy. Then I would feel like I belong. And we see that what Peter is wanting them to realize is that we want to change our location. God wants to change who we are. And that is inward. And that's the work of the spirit. That's the work of the gospel. That's a part of changing us. Now, what might exiles need to know? Think about this with me for a moment. What do they need to know? There they are living in a land of uncertainty, living in a place where they don't, you know, you think of what people experience when they move into a new area. They need a new doctor. They need a new, where do I get my groceries?How do I find my way around? All the things that are sort of new and different and uncertain. That is compounded in the experience of moving in the first century to a whole new region. And there they are, and everything is uncertain. Nothing feels normal. Everything's sort of weird. What do they need to know spiritually? Well, they need to know that there is a day coming when they will not be exiles anymore and where they will feel welcomed and they will feel like they belong. And that's what Peter now moves to in pastoring this group of people. He wants them to realize that they will not always be exiles. It will not always be like it is. There's coming a day when it will be very much different. And our text in our sermon today is 1 Peter 1, verses 3 through 5.And today is a day where I get to preach at Crown Point and at Cedar Lake. And we do this with the use of technology. And hopefully a fast commute. That's where we're going today. That's where I'm going today. But our text today is verses 3 through 5. So please listen as I read from God's word. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” 1 Peter, if you ask most people what 1 Peter is about, it's about remaining faithful in suffering and in persecution. And I just want to note to you that a letter that begins, a letter that is about suffering, begins with, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now that seems out of place, except for when you view your suffering from a Christian perspective. It sounds to me like Job, the famous book on suffering.Job, who endured all of these things in chapter 1. He loses everything, and what is his response to that? The Lord gives, the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name. There is within Christianity a kind of faith and a kind of confidence in the goodness of God that allows Christians to suffer loss and to remain doxological, to remain praising, to remain giving thanks to God. And we see that modeled here with Peter. He begins with praise and thanksgiving to the Lord. These verses, verses 3 through 5, they are, it's, This is a jewel, okay? This is a jewel passage in all of the Bible, and there are lots of jewel passages, but this is certainly one of them, because what Peter does here is he lays out the gospel. He goes from praising God, and he says, now, why? Why do we praise the Lord?What is there about what God has done for us that allows us to give praise to God even in the midst of persecution and suffering? And we see him now talking about salvation in this passage from the perspective of the past, what God has done, the present, what God is doing, and the future, what God is yet to do. And I want to hasten to say this. These truths that I'm talking about here, that Peter talks about, only apply to genuine Christians. This is not just a general truth for all of humanity. Let's all feel good about it. This is a truth that applies to people who have genuinely trusted in the Lord Jesus. And the promises that God has made to those that are his children apply then to us and are enumerated here. by Peter.So if you're here and you have not trusted in Jesus as your Savior, what I hope happens today as we talk about the blessings that come to those that are under the grace of God, that it might woo you, that it might draw you to put your hope and your faith in the Lord Jesus and for these promises then to become real and true for you. And that can happen in this service here today. Now, if you're an exile far from home, You are having to accept certain realities about life now. It's almost like a college student who goes away from home for the first time. And suddenly, the reality of being responsible for yourself, doing your own laundry, and managing your own money, and all of the rest comes crashing down on the freshmen.And some of them flunk out as a result of that, right? They're in a faraway land. Everything's sort of strange. And indeed, to be one of these people that he's writing to, in a faraway land where everything feels creepy and people look at you as creepy because you're different created a whole set of problems and difficulties your homeland that where you used to be it felt safe it felt normal it felt secure you had friends that made you feel like you were cared for you had possessions that you had had for a long time They felt normal to you. You had maybe a home. You had a network. You had all of these things that felt cozy and made you feel cared for.To be a person in exile is to live without these things, to live away from all of those identities and all of those securities. In fact, I don't know if you've noticed our series graphic, but just to put that up if we have it a second. I really like this because what is it? It's a guy sitting on a pile of rubble and he's looking to a faraway place, right? And there's sort of this sense of, I wish I was there instead of where I am here. This feels like rubble where I'm at. I wish I was back where I came from. And that is a picture, not a bad one, of what it's like to be in exile.And what Peter wants them, and through this letter and through the Holy Spirit, wants us to realize here today is that what we have in Christ, even as an exile, is far greater and far better than anything we had prior to coming to faith in Christ. I said that very clumsily. And clumsily is a clumsy word itself. Let me try that again. What Peter is wanting to say is that what we have presently as Christians, even as exiles, even on the pile of rubble, is far greater and far better than anything we had back when everything felt cozy, back prior to our faith in Christ. And he lays that out again in terms of past, present, future. So let's begin by looking at the past. And notice what he says here. Wonderful verse. about being born again to a living hope.According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we saw in verse 1 that their exile was by God's choice. We see here in verse 3 that their new birth is by the mercy of God. Born again. Born of what? What are you talking about? That sounds crazy. And that is exactly what Nicodemus said to Jesus when Jesus brought this up to him as well. In John chapter 3, you may know the story. Nicodemus, he's sort of a bigwig spiritual leader in Israel. He comes to Jesus in the night, and he asks him about spiritual, he has spiritual questions for him. And he says, no one except they're born from God could do what you do. And Jesus says to him, you must be born again.You have to be born again. Nicodemus says, what? How can I be born again? I was born of my mother once, I gotta be born of her twice? What are you talking about? And you see that Nicodemus is only looking at things materially. He is not seeing things spiritually, which is what Jesus wants him to see, is there's a whole thing going on here spiritually. You have to be born again. What was Jesus talking about? The New Testament calls it new birth, calls it regeneration. All of these are biblical descriptions of what God does in the heart of the sinner who turns in faith and believes in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. There is a miracle, a powerful supernatural work that God does inwardly in the life of the sinner where like being born again, he makes the sinner alive spiritually.Regeneration is also the word there. The Bible says that we are dead in our sins, that spiritually we are corpses. What has to happen for a corpse to live again? It has to be regenerated. In a sense, it has to be resurrected. And what God does inwardly in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, when we believe, is he births life in us again. Almost like Jesus saying to Lazarus, come forth. There is a summoning and a giving of life that God does within us where all of a sudden now our eyes are opened, our ears are opened, and we become attuned to spiritual realities and spiritual things. And notice that it's God that does this. He has caused us to be born again. Regeneration is something that God does. We can't manufacture it. We can't create it.We can't do enough things to make us think that now spiritually I'm alive.We are dead. Burns Funeral Homes across the street, you can go to every corpse there and try to manufacture life. It's not going to happen. Only God can manufacture life. And God does that within us. We are born again. We are passive in this. You ever hear a baby come out being born and go, wow, look what I did. I'm amazing. No, that mother birthed that child. Amen, mothers? You ain't going to ever forget that, are you? Babies don't take credit for being born, and Christians don't take credit for being born again. This is something God does. We are made spiritually alive, but the change affects our entire being. 2 Corinthians says it this way.If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old is gone, the new has come. It is a miracle of life that permeates our entire being. Suddenly, it's like the switch is turned on. We become aware of spiritual truth. What? I never realized that before. We become aware of the presence of God. We become aware of the presence of sin in our life. All of a sudden we realize, that we indeed are sinners. We become aware of forgiveness. We all of a sudden have an interest in Scripture, which prior to this we would have thought is silly. No, what does it say, actually? I'm kind of interested in that. We become interested in prayer and a host of other things. All of them kind of just, it's like springtime. Here come the leaves, here come the flowers.All of a sudden there is life. God does that. God does that. A few examples of how this is God's work and the change that it brings. I recently heard the story of Rosaria Butterfield, and maybe you've seen this online possibly, but she was a professor. She's very upfront about her sexuality. She was a lesbian. She was a professor at Syracuse University. She was just totally into kind of that whole worldview. And it's a great story because there was just a normal local church that began to kind of care for her and love her. And she, in her own words, writes this about her conversion. “The church had been praying for me for years was there. The church that had been praying for me for years was there. Jesus triumphed, and I was a broken mess. Conversion was a train wreck. I did not want to lose everything that I loved, but the voice of God sang a sanguine love song in the rubble of my world. I weakly believed that if Jesus could conquer death, he could make right my world. I drank tentatively at first, then passionately of the solace of the Holy Spirit.” And now she's married to a Presbyterian minister. So come to Jesus and you get to marry a Presbyterian minister. I would keep most people away. Listen to the words of C.S. Lewis. We've talked at length about him and how God drew him to faith. He writes this about his conversion. “You must picture me alone in that room at Magdalen College. Night after night, feeling, whenever my mind lifted even for a second from my work, the steady, unrelenting approach of him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet.” Who's causing this regeneration? Hear it in these words. “That which I greatly feared had at last come upon me in the Trinity term of 1929. I gave in and admitted that God was God and knelt and prayed, perhaps that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England.” Christian, think about your own life story. Think about the change that has taken place in your life. Is there a natural explanation? for the interest that you have in spiritual things and the course and trajectory of your life. The fact that you're sitting here right now listening to some guy talk about what the Bible has to say.All of these things are things if we knew our natural selves, we would say, I would never do that. And that sounds crazy and that sounds stupid. Just like the people in Asia Minor looked at these Christians and said, what planet are you from? Why are you interested in that stuff? And maybe you have people in your family and friends that similarly look at you and go, you're living your life according to what? What planet are you from? We share the same mother, but you're an alien. I don't know you. How have you come to care about the things that you care about and to love God in the way that you love him and to desire to obey and please and live to his glory in the way that you do? Where did all of that come from? It didn't come from you.That can only come from God. He has birthed life in us, and we are changed. Born again to a living hope, the text says, through the resurrection from the dead. Now, why do you suppose he calls it a living hope? It is because our hope is in a living Savior. Do you see the parallel there? One writer says it this way, Christian hope is ever living because Christ, the ground of that hope, is ever living. So Peter looks back. He says, exiles, look back in your story and realize that this change has not come from you. God has given you life, and he has given you hope. And that hope is a living hope because your Savior is a living Savior. And there we are looking at the passage. Well, that's pretty fantastic, isn't it?Don't you think exiles might be a little encouraged by that? And maybe even Christians living here today might be a little bit encouraged to look back and to see the grace of God in our life. As the hymn writer wrote, “oh God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come.” We look to the past and we see God's grace to us. And it gives us, man, God is for me. God is with me. He has done this change in my life. The past, a living hope, a new birth. It is not simply a past, it is a present. And even right there is an interesting thought, which I don't have time to explore right now, but how important it is for us to realize that what God is doing is not just stuff in the past.You ever talk to people like that? Tell me about your spiritual life. Well, back in the past, and all they've got is like old stuff. And to realize that our faith, this thing that we're living, this Christian life, is a today thing. There is something that God is doing today. It doesn't matter how long you've been a Christian. There is a work that God is doing right now for you in your life. And Peter highlights it here. What are we saved to? “An inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who, by God's power, are being guarded through faith.” Now, there's a lot there, okay? There's a lot there, but let's just walk through it. You're going to get this, and you're going to love it. We've been born again to an inheritance, okay?So most of us are probably familiar with the concept of an inheritance. What is an inheritance? An inheritance is something that you receive normally based on a relationship, typically a family relationship, right? So when a person dies, there is a reading of the will. And if your name is in the will, it means that whether you knew it or not, you were an heir to the inheritance. So if you're in the will, you have an inheritance. Most people view that as good news, right? Okay. Now what is true about an inheritance? Inheritances are very, very slippery. Very slippery. Your name can be on the will, but guess what? It can be removed from the will. You were an heir, but now you're not anymore. So you better be careful what you say at the family gathering about grandma. And inheritance can shrink in value.Did you know that? You could be an heir to something that is incredibly valuable, but by the time you get it, it's not so valuable. So that your name is in the will, and they read the will, and your sister gets grandma's diamonds, and you get the cabbage patch collection. And you're like, my sister gets... and I get dolls and you know grandma puts in the notes when I bought these they were really valuable. You're like these aren't worth anything. This is like soft firewood. They can diminish in value. People can steal inheritances. There's a story or two in my own family tree of stolen inheritance and maybe you got a few of those in your family tree. It's amazing what family gets like when money is on the table.Inheritance can be stolen did you know that there are unscrupulous lawyers out there who now there's really godly and fair-minded ones as well but there are unscrupulous lawyers out there who can sometimes get their fingers in the pot and diminish an inheritance. Did you know that there are thieves — there are thieves — and that has no connection whatsoever with Steve. There are thieves who can steal inheritances. They can steal grandma's jewelry instead of the dolls. Did you know that massive inheritances can be squandered? Some time ago, I got watching on the History Channel, had this series called The Men Who Build America. Maybe some of you saw it, but we got into it for whatever reason. Tell the story of these icons of industry in the past.I got a little interested in the Vanderbilt family some years ago. I got a tour of the Biltmore, which is one of the descendants of, he built that with just an inheritance that he got. If you've ever seen that place, it's incredible. But I got interested in the Vanderbilt family. And just to give you an idea very quickly about the Vanderbilt fortune, they at one time, at the height of their power and value, they were worth over $300 billion in today's money. Now, $300 billion, to give you an idea, Bill Gates, who's currently the richest man in the world, is somewhere around $70 billion. They had $300 billion. The world has hardly ever, if ever, seen, other than Rockefeller, a fortune like the Vanderbilt family fortune.In 1973, this is just 75 years from the height of their power and wealth, There was a gathering of 120 direct descendants of Cornelius Vanderbilt, and there wasn't one millionaire amongst them. 75 years, 300 billion to, you know, not so wealthy. How does that happen? Inheritances can be squandered. They can just simply disappear. And I say all of that because that connects with the world that we're in, right? Everything is kind of diminishing. Everything that once was cool is kind of getting old now. And that's the world that we live in, right? Our money isn't worth today what it was worth yesterday. There's inflation. There's the stock market. Everything's up and down and all around. But what about spiritually? The inheritance, the Bible describes the inheritance that we have. We are heirs. What is our inheritance like?And he uses some very powerful words to emphasize that our inheritance is not subject to all of the insecurities that everything in this world has. And he uses these words, notice them, imperishable. Okay? To perish is to die. Everything in this world... dies right it's alive it dies the the flowers of the field the grass in the in the in the in the field all of it there and it dies and it withers and we're all withering right look around there's withering people all around you but this is an imperishable inheritance that he wants us to realize that we have undefiled and this speaks to the moral quality of our inheritance It is pure. It is good. Our inheritance doesn't come from unseemly business practices.There's nothing about it to make us feel sort of dirty in taking it or that there's something evil about it. It is holy. It is good. It is beautiful. It is pure, and it will be eternally beautiful and pure. Unfading. This is very similar to the perishing and the withering. It's, again, the human beauty and fame and everything that seems to be cool now. It's all going downhill. And young people don't realize that, but it is, right? It's all going down. Everything fades. And each one of these words is, it's perishable, defiled, and fading, only it has the negating ah in front of each one of those. It is not imperishable. I'm sorry, it's not perishable. It's not defiling. It is not fading. Our inheritance, you say, well, what is it then exactly? Number one, our inheritance is God himself.The number one thing that we look forward to in going to heaven is not seeing grandma, not seeing, you know, whoever. Number one is God. We go to heaven and we get God and we see God and we have him forever. We are his children. He lavishes blessings on us for all of eternity, eternal life, heaven, new earth, rewards that Jesus will give to us for the quality of our service while here on earth, bliss, beauty, and most importantly, and I include this in the God category, is the seeing and the savoring of Jesus himself, our blessed Lord and Savior, who is our inheritance. Christians talk about, oh, my mansion in heaven and all of that. Forget the mansion. Our mansion truly is Christ.And one day when we see him and we sense from him what eternal, pure, sacrificial, agape love is like, and he looks at us and we feel the love of the divine for us, the thought of a house or something else will just sort of fade away. This will be our greatest moment. It is that beatific vision that theologians talk about. and then to feel and to receive from him the lavishing of his grace and his love in material ways, even in the new earth, in the experience of what all of that is going to be like, and to realize that all of it is according to his mercy, that none of it we deserve, maybe with a vision of hell, and to realize that's what I deserve right there.And I'm getting this, how and why it is the mercy of God and his love for us. This is the inheritance, and Peter says it never goes away. It never diminishes. It never somehow dies. It remains secure in the character and the promises of God, and it's going to be great. And you, my friend, if you are a Christian, you are an heir, an heir to the most wonderful fortune, the fortune of God, the spiritual blessing of being a child of God forever. The verse goes on, kept in heaven for you who by God's power are being guarded through faith. This inheritance that we have is located in heaven. Jesus describes it as a place where moth and rust do not decay and thieves don't break in and steal. That's a pretty good bank vault, isn't it? Anybody's bank here make that kind of guarantee?Probably not. Now notice there's a little shift here in the text because he's describing our inheritance. That is kept in heaven. That's our inheritance. The next word, though, is who. See that? Who. So he moves from our inheritance to us. He moves from keeping our inheritance to God keeping us. So the inheritance is kept in heaven, but we are kept in earth. We are kept in faith on our time on earth. By God's power, our being guarded through faith. And the word there, the Greek word for the word guarded there, it's the word garrisoned, okay? So military people, this is like a word for you. This is the protection. This is the, in the ancient days, they would protect the city gates, the armament of the city gates. We are guarding the city walls, the walls of our faith.It also can refer to keeping us from escaping, okay? So it's both. It is both the attacks from without, and it is me fleeing from within. God is working in our faith, keeping us from both of those dangers. And here we have, and we can do a whole message on this, the doctrine of preservation. The doctrine of preservation, which says that God is the one who keeps us saved. We are preserved in our faith by the power of God. So notice the flow in the text. We are exiles by the choice of God. We are born again by the mercy of God. We are kept in our salvation by the power of God. Our faith is being guarded. And the tense of the verb there is ongoingly, continuously being guarded.It's as if each one of us has a 24-hour, seven days a week security detail. Now, the closest thing that I can think of to illustrate this would be What the President of the United States has, of course, which is the famous Secret Service. And all of us probably are familiar with the Secret Service and what they do 24 hours a day, seven days a week to keep the President alive, to protect him. That is their job. And so for whatever reason, they've decided wearing dark suits and sunglasses helps with that. And so wherever the president is, there's these guys walking around near him and they've got dark suits on and they've got sunglasses. All of them look like they've lifted weights their entire life. You know, they're big, they're bad, they're tough. There's little bulges around in their suit.You know what's in there, right? They can call upon what they need in a moment's notice to take care of business. And so they're there and they're talking into their hands and they got the little wires out of their ears. And you know that there's satellites and there's, you know, who knows all the things that they've got going on wherever the president goes. 24 hours a day, seven days a week, always keeping him safe. But as history shows, they can't even guarantee that, can they? Even the best of the best in the world today can't perfectly protect the life of the president. Notice what Peter says here about us, okay? Kept by the infinite power of God. It's almost like By the power of God, we each have our own spiritual secret service detachment.Everywhere we go, all the time, we are protected spiritually by the power of God. I got thinking about what this might be like. She's about to speak to Miss Gossip. Move in right now. He's leaving on a business trip with Mr. Skeptic and Mrs. Temptation, all units code red. He's in church right now. He's not listening. Taze him. Did anybody just feel something, by the way? No? God's power is always at work protecting our faith, keeping us from running away from our commitment to Christ, keeping us from the wolves, keeping us from doctrine and beliefs and temptations that would ultimately undermine our faith commitment to Christ. And that doesn't mean that we don't sin. It doesn't mean that we don't have seasons and all of that.But it does mean that even through those dark times, God is by his power protecting a faith that he has promised that he will carry on to completion, Philippians 1. And my dear Christian, that is true for you. Think of it just for a moment. Think of it. Right now, God's power is focused upon you and your faith and is ensuring that you are going to make it. That faith will not die. It's the power of God. It's like being born, right? We don't take credit for that. And I don't take credit for my faith continually because naturally I am a sinner and I am human and I am wishy -washy. None of us would make it through this week left to ourselves. But we are not left to ourselves, not by God who loves us. We are kept in this faith.Past, we were born again in the present. We're being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. And the future aspect of this is when our inheritance changes into a possession, okay? An heir is no longer an heir when the inheritance now is something that they own. Think of Prince Charles, like all these years waiting to become king. He's heir to the throne. There's probably a day coming when he will no longer be an heir. When? When he's actually king. And Buckingham Palace and the crown jewels and all the things, all of it is his then. No longer an heir, but a possessor. And our salvation is like that. We are already saved. We are already children of God. But the full experience of our salvation is yet to come.Someday, and the text here says, in the last time, referring to that future consummation of history. Someday, when Jesus returns and final judgment takes place, our ultimate inheritance will be ours. And our ultimate inheritance is Christ himself. And from that point on, we will see and know and worship him. From that point on, we will serve him. fully and faithfully. From that point on, we will be in awe that the Holy Son of God that we see with our own eyes died for us, gave his life for us, and now showers his love upon us for all of eternity. And we will never get over that he did that. We will never get over the mercy of God to us. So that we can say that the Vanderbilts had their fortune by family right, and Prince Charles has his inheritance by birthright.We will have our inheritance forever by new birth and the mercy and the power of God. And so we get to that truth, and what can we say? How about we say what he says in verse 3? “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Amen. Would you pray with me, please? Heavenly Father God, we thank you.This transcript was generated using AI transcription technology and reviewed for accuracy but may contain errors. Please refer to the original audio for precise wording.

Dolly, Joseph, and Jesus Pastor Mark Havel Matthew 18:21-35Then Peter came to Jesus and said to him, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often must I forgive – as many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but I tell you seventy-seven times.”“For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought before him. When he couldn't pay, the king ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all of his possessions, and payment to be made. But the slave fell down before him and pleaded, ‘Have patience with me and I'll pay you everything.' Out of pity for him, the king released him and forgave him his entire debt.“But that same slave, when he went out, came across a fellow slave who owed him one hundred denarii. Seizing him by the throat, he said, ‘Pay what you owe!' When he could not pay, he knelt down before him and said, ‘Have patience with me and I will pay you.' But the first slave refused and he went and had him thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and they went and told the king everything that had taken place.“The king summoned the first slave and said to him, ‘You wicked slave!' I forgave you all of that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave the way I had mercy on you?' Then, in anger, he handed him over to be tortured until he could pay his entire debt. So, my heavenly father will also do to every one of you unless you forgive your brother and your sister from your heart.” It's been a few weeks since we lost Saint Dolly. I knew there would be an occasion where her death – and her life – and her Christian witness – would make its way into something around here. She was such an example of what faithful, generous, Christ-likeness looks like in the world, after all. But I'm not going to talk about her generosity – the million dollars she donated to jumpstart the development of the COVID vaccine during the pandemic; the gazillion books her “Imagination Library” has shared with kids around the world; the millions of dollars she gave to hurricane, flood, and wildfire victims in her home state and beyond. That is all very impressive, for sure. But for someone with Dolly Parton kind of money none of that is as impressive as what caught my attention about her capacity to forgive, just as generously.If you know anything about her story – or if you happened upon any of the many tributes and reflections about the trajectory of her career, in the last few weeks, since her death – you likely know something about her early days with Porter Wagoner. Porter Wagoner – that goofy looking dude of a country singer-songwriter. He was 20 years older than Dolly and had his own TV show. He gets credit for discovering Dolly Parton and for giving her her big television debut as a regular on “The Porter Wagoner Show.” She was just 21 years old, at the time, and not so far removed from the hills and hollers of Sevierville, TN.Dolly lived in Porter's shadow – and under his thumb – for seven years on his show. As her boss and producer and mentor he apparently controlled and dismissed her creativity so that, in 1974, Dolly told him she wanted to leave the show, break out on her own, and have more creative freedom to do her own thing. When Wagoner resisted the idea, Dolly went home, wrote the masterpiece that is “I Will Always Love You,” sang it to him the next day, and let him know she would be leaving, whether he wanted her to go, or not.Wagoner knew what he'd lost, of course, and held a grudge that had him speaking ill of Dolly thereafter until, when his own career fell apart and his finances took a dump, he sued Dolly – five years after the fact – for $3,000,000, in 1979, for breach of contract. (That's about $14,000,000 in today's money.) Dolly kept a lot of that quiet and on the down-low and they ultimately settled out of court.Several more years later – in spite of all of that – when Dolly Parton learned that Porter Wagoner was in such dire financial straits that he had to sell the publishing rights to his own music, she secretly, quietly, on the down-low again, bought his entire catalogue of music and gave the rights to it all back to him as a gift.In other words, Dolly pulled a Joseph.If you don't know or remember the details of that story, which we just heard a little piece of this morning, Joseph was one of 12 brothers. When their dad, Jacob, made it clear that Joseph was his favorite, showering him with praise and special treatment and dressing him like Dolly Parton in that coat of many colors, the other brothers didn't like it. They conspired to kill Joseph, but ended up selling him to some human traffickers, instead, and then faked his death, letting their dad believe their little brother was killed by some kind of wild animal.Like Dolly, though, Joseph made it big. He landed in the house and in the favor of Pharaoh – interpreting dreams like Dolly wrote songs – until he became one of the most influential men in all of Egypt. So that, years later, when famine and dire financial straits fell upon his family back home and his lying, traitorous brothers showed up looking for rescue and relief from Pharoah's reserves in Egypt, Joseph had a choice to make: hold a grudge and send them packing? Or give them what they wanted and needed, whether they deserved it or not? Like Dolly, Joseph chose the latter and, in some quiet, sly, down-low ways of his own, Joseph helped his brothers – welcoming them with open arms and setting them up with some new land on which their family – his family – could survive, live, and thrive as a people.I can't be sure, because I've never had Dolly Parton dollars or access to the unlimited funds of the Pharaoh, but I have a hunch that the harder, more generous, sacrificial, faithful part of the reconciliation offered up by these two well-dressed, well-heeled, giants of faith we have in Dolly and Joseph, comes NOT in the grand total of the financial help they offered … but in the selfless, sacrificial, humble, ego-free, no-strings-attached, utter grace of their forgiveness.They did it, not because they had to … or because they didn't have plenty of reason to do the opposite … (in this era of Taylor Swift style – paybacks are Hell sort of break-up songs – it's worth noting that even Dolly's “break up” song to Porter Wagoner was full of humility, gratitude, and love). And Dolly did it – forgave him and helped him and reconciled with him – she apparently said, because she didn't want to live her life bearing the burden of that broken relationship.Joseph did it – forgave and helped and reconciled with his brothers – because he could see the bigger picture of what God was up to in his life and for the sake of the world. Only God could have turned Joseph's great loss and suffering into good for his family … and only if Joseph had played along by forgiving them like he did.All of which is the way of Jesus, just the same. And it's what he's talking about this morning with this parable – remember, this is a parable – nothing more and nothing less – about the “unforgiving servant.”Jesus tells that story about this poor guy who couldn't share, with his friend, the same kind of forgiveness he'd received – and then ends up being tortured because of it. Now, I don't think we need to see that as some kind of cosmic threat or warning about the likelihood of our own suffering when we die for all the ways we didn't forgive on this side of heaven. The “kingdom of heaven” Jesus is describing here has already broken into our midst in Jesus, remember. The kingdom of heaven about which Jesus teaches is alive and well and among us, just as much as it is up there and out there and beyond the grave.So, when Jesus says, “the kingdom of heaven is like…” what if Jesus is teaching us about and calling us to something Dolly and Joseph knew and practiced: that living – on this side of heaven – in a state of unforgiveness … carrying – in this life – the weight of a grudge … shouldering – daily – the burden of resentment for someone else's sins against you, is its own kind of torture; it's own kind of hell; it's own kind of suffering – on this side of heaven; in this life; right where we live; right here and now? And what if Jesus' point – what if his promise – is that God doesn't want that for any of us.In other words, forgiveness isn't an entirely benevolent act – and that's okay. Yes, to forgive another is a wonderful gift to give someone else, but it's something we do for ourselves, too. It may mean mending a relationship or it may mean moving on from one with grace. It may mean accepting someone's apology and it may mean accepting that someone will never apologize and mean it. It may mean healing a hurt from the past or it may mean letting the past be the past and moving on. It may mean setting the record straight or it may mean setting the score card aside – or on fire – and starting from zero.Whatever the case, we are invited to forgive because God doesn't want us to live in bondage. We forgive because grudges and memories of sin are heavy burdens to carry around. We forgive because we know it's been done for us in more ways than we can count. And we forgive because to refuse it is to refuse God's place and power in our lives.Because it all starts with God's grace – made known in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus – promising, as God does, that “I will always love you.”Because of that truth – because of that promise kept, in Jesus – because of that mercy made real – because of that burden lifted – because of our Sin, forgiven – we can do the same for others and for the sake of the world. And when we do, we set ourselves free along the way, just the same.Amen

This is perhaps one of the greatest stories in the Bible that shows us the amazing power of God in regeneration. Remember, the 4 kinds of soil here, represents 4 hearts and how they respond to the Gospel of Christ. The first 3 souls are unconverted and not regenerated, however, the 4th soul is considered good soil and the seed is received and germinates in the heart of this person -this is regeneration and is a believer now in the Lord Jesus Christ. This good soil(heart) was prepared by God for Salvation. Only God can change the nature of man from a God hater to a heart that has the Love of God. From an unbeliever to a believer or from a sinner to a saint. To God be the Glory!

Steve DeWitt Indestructibly Saved - Part B Study Guide for Spiritual Exiles, 1 Peter 1:3-5 Scripture Reference: 1 Peter 1:3-5 Visit the series page: Exiles: A study in 1 Peter Donate to Support The Journey Sermon Transcript for Spiritual Exiles, 1 Peter 1:3-5 Sermon Series: Spiritual ExilesMessage: Indestructibly SavedAirdate: 9/8 & 9/9/26Programs 2352 & 2353Good morning, Crown Point Campus. And let's go to the Lord in prayer. Heavenly Father, we thank you for the opportunity to be here today. And we pray simply this, that your spirit would come, that he would minister to your people by your word for your glory and for our good. God, we pray that this would be a day truly where your name would be lifted higher. And we want to be a part of that. So we thank you. We pray it in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, last week we began our new series in 1 Peter entitled Exiles.And the title was taken from the first verse of the book, which says this, “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who are elect exiles of the dispersion.” And we saw that Peter was writing to Christians who had been part of this colonization, this dispersion, Christians living in Rome or that region sent now to Asia Minor, and they are there living as foreigners, essentially living as exiles, geopolitical exiles. And what Peter does is he draws from their geopolitical situation spiritual truth and application as they dealt with the feelings of alienation. and ostracization from people that saw them as part of the conquering army, people that weren't from there. And so much that we're going to see in this letter. Last week was our introduction, and we saw that... exiles want more than anything is they want a change of location.They think to themselves, what really needs to happen is I need to be somewhere else. And if I was somewhere else, then I would be happy. Then I would feel like I belong. And we see that what Peter is wanting them to realize is that we want to change our location. God wants to change who we are. And that is inward. And that's the work of the spirit. That's the work of the gospel. That's a part of changing us. Now, what might exiles need to know? Think about this with me for a moment. What do they need to know? There they are living in a land of uncertainty, living in a place where they don't, you know, you think of what people experience when they move into a new area. They need a new doctor. They need a new, where do I get my groceries?How do I find my way around? All the things that are sort of new and different and uncertain. That is compounded in the experience of moving in the first century to a whole new region. And there they are, and everything is uncertain. Nothing feels normal. Everything's sort of weird. What do they need to know spiritually? Well, they need to know that there is a day coming when they will not be exiles anymore and where they will feel welcomed and they will feel like they belong. And that's what Peter now moves to in pastoring this group of people. He wants them to realize that they will not always be exiles. It will not always be like it is. There's coming a day when it will be very much different. And our text in our sermon today is 1 Peter 1, verses 3 through 5.And today is a day where I get to preach at Crown Point and at Cedar Lake. And we do this with the use of technology. And hopefully a fast commute. That's where we're going today. That's where I'm going today. But our text today is verses 3 through 5. So please listen as I read from God's word. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” 1 Peter, if you ask most people what 1 Peter is about, it's about remaining faithful in suffering and in persecution. And I just want to note to you that a letter that begins, a letter that is about suffering, begins with, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now that seems out of place, except for when you view your suffering from a Christian perspective. It sounds to me like Job, the famous book on suffering.Job, who endured all of these things in chapter 1. He loses everything, and what is his response to that? The Lord gives, the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name. There is within Christianity a kind of faith and a kind of confidence in the goodness of God that allows Christians to suffer loss and to remain doxological, to remain praising, to remain giving thanks to God. And we see that modeled here with Peter. He begins with praise and thanksgiving to the Lord. These verses, verses 3 through 5, they are, it's, This is a jewel, okay? This is a jewel passage in all of the Bible, and there are lots of jewel passages, but this is certainly one of them, because what Peter does here is he lays out the gospel. He goes from praising God, and he says, now, why? Why do we praise the Lord?What is there about what God has done for us that allows us to give praise to God even in the midst of persecution and suffering? And we see him now talking about salvation in this passage from the perspective of the past, what God has done, the present, what God is doing, and the future, what God is yet to do. And I want to hasten to say this. These truths that I'm talking about here, that Peter talks about, only apply to genuine Christians. This is not just a general truth for all of humanity. Let's all feel good about it. This is a truth that applies to people who have genuinely trusted in the Lord Jesus. And the promises that God has made to those that are his children apply then to us and are enumerated here. by Peter.So if you're here and you have not trusted in Jesus as your Savior, what I hope happens today as we talk about the blessings that come to those that are under the grace of God, that it might woo you, that it might draw you to put your hope and your faith in the Lord Jesus and for these promises then to become real and true for you. And that can happen in this service here today. Now, if you're an exile far from home, You are having to accept certain realities about life now. It's almost like a college student who goes away from home for the first time. And suddenly, the reality of being responsible for yourself, doing your own laundry, and managing your own money, and all of the rest comes crashing down on the freshmen.And some of them flunk out as a result of that, right? They're in a faraway land. Everything's sort of strange. And indeed, to be one of these people that he's writing to, in a faraway land where everything feels creepy and people look at you as creepy because you're different created a whole set of problems and difficulties your homeland that where you used to be it felt safe it felt normal it felt secure you had friends that made you feel like you were cared for you had possessions that you had had for a long time They felt normal to you. You had maybe a home. You had a network. You had all of these things that felt cozy and made you feel cared for.To be a person in exile is to live without these things, to live away from all of those identities and all of those securities. In fact, I don't know if you've noticed our series graphic, but just to put that up if we have it a second. I really like this because what is it? It's a guy sitting on a pile of rubble and he's looking to a faraway place, right? And there's sort of this sense of, I wish I was there instead of where I am here. This feels like rubble where I'm at. I wish I was back where I came from. And that is a picture, not a bad one, of what it's like to be in exile.And what Peter wants them, and through this letter and through the Holy Spirit, wants us to realize here today is that what we have in Christ, even as an exile, is far greater and far better than anything we had prior to coming to faith in Christ. I said that very clumsily. And clumsily is a clumsy word itself. Let me try that again. What Peter is wanting to say is that what we have presently as Christians, even as exiles, even on the pile of rubble, is far greater and far better than anything we had back when everything felt cozy, back prior to our faith in Christ. And he lays that out again in terms of past, present, future. So let's begin by looking at the past. And notice what he says here. Wonderful verse. about being born again to a living hope.According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we saw in verse 1 that their exile was by God's choice. We see here in verse 3 that their new birth is by the mercy of God. Born again. Born of what? What are you talking about? That sounds crazy. And that is exactly what Nicodemus said to Jesus when Jesus brought this up to him as well. In John chapter 3, you may know the story. Nicodemus, he's sort of a bigwig spiritual leader in Israel. He comes to Jesus in the night, and he asks him about spiritual, he has spiritual questions for him. And he says, no one except they're born from God could do what you do. And Jesus says to him, you must be born again.You have to be born again. Nicodemus says, what? How can I be born again? I was born of my mother once, I gotta be born of her twice? What are you talking about? And you see that Nicodemus is only looking at things materially. He is not seeing things spiritually, which is what Jesus wants him to see, is there's a whole thing going on here spiritually. You have to be born again. What was Jesus talking about? The New Testament calls it new birth, calls it regeneration. All of these are biblical descriptions of what God does in the heart of the sinner who turns in faith and believes in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. There is a miracle, a powerful supernatural work that God does inwardly in the life of the sinner where like being born again, he makes the sinner alive spiritually.Regeneration is also the word there. The Bible says that we are dead in our sins, that spiritually we are corpses. What has to happen for a corpse to live again? It has to be regenerated. In a sense, it has to be resurrected. And what God does inwardly in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, when we believe, is he births life in us again. Almost like Jesus saying to Lazarus, come forth. There is a summoning and a giving of life that God does within us where all of a sudden now our eyes are opened, our ears are opened, and we become attuned to spiritual realities and spiritual things. And notice that it's God that does this. He has caused us to be born again. Regeneration is something that God does. We can't manufacture it. We can't create it.We can't do enough things to make us think that now spiritually I'm alive.We are dead. Burns Funeral Homes across the street, you can go to every corpse there and try to manufacture life. It's not going to happen. Only God can manufacture life. And God does that within us. We are born again. We are passive in this. You ever hear a baby come out being born and go, wow, look what I did. I'm amazing. No, that mother birthed that child. Amen, mothers? You ain't going to ever forget that, are you? Babies don't take credit for being born, and Christians don't take credit for being born again. This is something God does. We are made spiritually alive, but the change affects our entire being. 2 Corinthians says it this way.If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old is gone, the new has come. It is a miracle of life that permeates our entire being. Suddenly, it's like the switch is turned on. We become aware of spiritual truth. What? I never realized that before. We become aware of the presence of God. We become aware of the presence of sin in our life. All of a sudden we realize, that we indeed are sinners. We become aware of forgiveness. We all of a sudden have an interest in Scripture, which prior to this we would have thought is silly. No, what does it say, actually? I'm kind of interested in that. We become interested in prayer and a host of other things. All of them kind of just, it's like springtime. Here come the leaves, here come the flowers.All of a sudden there is life. God does that. God does that. A few examples of how this is God's work and the change that it brings. I recently heard the story of Rosaria Butterfield, and maybe you've seen this online possibly, but she was a professor. She's very upfront about her sexuality. She was a lesbian. She was a professor at Syracuse University. She was just totally into kind of that whole worldview. And it's a great story because there was just a normal local church that began to kind of care for her and love her. And she, in her own words, writes this about her conversion. “The church had been praying for me for years was there. The church that had been praying for me for years was there. Jesus triumphed, and I was a broken mess. Conversion was a train wreck. I did not want to lose everything that I loved, but the voice of God sang a sanguine love song in the rubble of my world. I weakly believed that if Jesus could conquer death, he could make right my world. I drank tentatively at first, then passionately of the solace of the Holy Spirit.” And now she's married to a Presbyterian minister. So come to Jesus and you get to marry a Presbyterian minister. I would keep most people away. Listen to the words of C.S. Lewis. We've talked at length about him and how God drew him to faith. He writes this about his conversion. “You must picture me alone in that room at Magdalen College. Night after night, feeling, whenever my mind lifted even for a second from my work, the steady, unrelenting approach of him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet.” Who's causing this regeneration? Hear it in these words. “That which I greatly feared had at last come upon me in the Trinity term of 1929. I gave in and admitted that God was God and knelt and prayed, perhaps that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England.” Christian, think about your own life story. Think about the change that has taken place in your life. Is there a natural explanation? for the interest that you have in spiritual things and the course and trajectory of your life. The fact that you're sitting here right now listening to some guy talk about what the Bible has to say.All of these things are things if we knew our natural selves, we would say, I would never do that. And that sounds crazy and that sounds stupid. Just like the people in Asia Minor looked at these Christians and said, what planet are you from? Why are you interested in that stuff? And maybe you have people in your family and friends that similarly look at you and go, you're living your life according to what? What planet are you from? We share the same mother, but you're an alien. I don't know you. How have you come to care about the things that you care about and to love God in the way that you love him and to desire to obey and please and live to his glory in the way that you do? Where did all of that come from? It didn't come from you.That can only come from God. He has birthed life in us, and we are changed. Born again to a living hope, the text says, through the resurrection from the dead. Now, why do you suppose he calls it a living hope? It is because our hope is in a living Savior. Do you see the parallel there? One writer says it this way, Christian hope is ever living because Christ, the ground of that hope, is ever living. So Peter looks back. He says, exiles, look back in your story and realize that this change has not come from you. God has given you life, and he has given you hope. And that hope is a living hope because your Savior is a living Savior. And there we are looking at the passage. Well, that's pretty fantastic, isn't it?Don't you think exiles might be a little encouraged by that? And maybe even Christians living here today might be a little bit encouraged to look back and to see the grace of God in our life. As the hymn writer wrote, “oh God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come.” We look to the past and we see God's grace to us. And it gives us, man, God is for me. God is with me. He has done this change in my life. The past, a living hope, a new birth. It is not simply a past, it is a present. And even right there is an interesting thought, which I don't have time to explore right now, but how important it is for us to realize that what God is doing is not just stuff in the past.You ever talk to people like that? Tell me about your spiritual life. Well, back in the past, and all they've got is like old stuff. And to realize that our faith, this thing that we're living, this Christian life, is a today thing. There is something that God is doing today. It doesn't matter how long you've been a Christian. There is a work that God is doing right now for you in your life. And Peter highlights it here. What are we saved to? “An inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who, by God's power, are being guarded through faith.” Now, there's a lot there, okay? There's a lot there, but let's just walk through it. You're going to get this, and you're going to love it. We've been born again to an inheritance, okay?So most of us are probably familiar with the concept of an inheritance. What is an inheritance? An inheritance is something that you receive normally based on a relationship, typically a family relationship, right? So when a person dies, there is a reading of the will. And if your name is in the will, it means that whether you knew it or not, you were an heir to the inheritance. So if you're in the will, you have an inheritance. Most people view that as good news, right? Okay. Now what is true about an inheritance? Inheritances are very, very slippery. Very slippery. Your name can be on the will, but guess what? It can be removed from the will. You were an heir, but now you're not anymore. So you better be careful what you say at the family gathering about grandma. And inheritance can shrink in value.Did you know that? You could be an heir to something that is incredibly valuable, but by the time you get it, it's not so valuable. So that your name is in the will, and they read the will, and your sister gets grandma's diamonds, and you get the cabbage patch collection. And you're like, my sister gets... and I get dolls and you know grandma puts in the notes when I bought these they were really valuable. You're like these aren't worth anything. This is like soft firewood. They can diminish in value. People can steal inheritances. There's a story or two in my own family tree of stolen inheritance and maybe you got a few of those in your family tree. It's amazing what family gets like when money is on the table.Inheritance can be stolen did you know that there are unscrupulous lawyers out there who now there's really godly and fair-minded ones as well but there are unscrupulous lawyers out there who can sometimes get their fingers in the pot and diminish an inheritance. Did you know that there are thieves — there are thieves — and that has no connection whatsoever with Steve. There are thieves who can steal inheritances. They can steal grandma's jewelry instead of the dolls. Did you know that massive inheritances can be squandered? Some time ago, I got watching on the History Channel, had this series called The Men Who Build America. Maybe some of you saw it, but we got into it for whatever reason. Tell the story of these icons of industry in the past.I got a little interested in the Vanderbilt family some years ago. I got a tour of the Biltmore, which is one of the descendants of, he built that with just an inheritance that he got. If you've ever seen that place, it's incredible. But I got interested in the Vanderbilt family. And just to give you an idea very quickly about the Vanderbilt fortune, they at one time, at the height of their power and value, they were worth over $300 billion in today's money. Now, $300 billion, to give you an idea, Bill Gates, who's currently the richest man in the world, is somewhere around $70 billion. They had $300 billion. The world has hardly ever, if ever, seen, other than Rockefeller, a fortune like the Vanderbilt family fortune.In 1973, this is just 75 years from the height of their power and wealth, There was a gathering of 120 direct descendants of Cornelius Vanderbilt, and there wasn't one millionaire amongst them. 75 years, 300 billion to, you know, not so wealthy. How does that happen? Inheritances can be squandered. They can just simply disappear. And I say all of that because that connects with the world that we're in, right? Everything is kind of diminishing. Everything that once was cool is kind of getting old now. And that's the world that we live in, right? Our money isn't worth today what it was worth yesterday. There's inflation. There's the stock market. Everything's up and down and all around. But what about spiritually? The inheritance, the Bible describes the inheritance that we have. We are heirs. What is our inheritance like?And he uses some very powerful words to emphasize that our inheritance is not subject to all of the insecurities that everything in this world has. And he uses these words, notice them, imperishable. Okay? To perish is to die. Everything in this world... dies right it's alive it dies the the flowers of the field the grass in the in the in the in the field all of it there and it dies and it withers and we're all withering right look around there's withering people all around you but this is an imperishable inheritance that he wants us to realize that we have undefiled and this speaks to the moral quality of our inheritance It is pure. It is good. Our inheritance doesn't come from unseemly business practices.There's nothing about it to make us feel sort of dirty in taking it or that there's something evil about it. It is holy. It is good. It is beautiful. It is pure, and it will be eternally beautiful and pure. Unfading. This is very similar to the perishing and the withering. It's, again, the human beauty and fame and everything that seems to be cool now. It's all going downhill. And young people don't realize that, but it is, right? It's all going down. Everything fades. And each one of these words is, it's perishable, defiled, and fading, only it has the negating ah in front of each one of those. It is not imperishable. I'm sorry, it's not perishable. It's not defiling. It is not fading. Our inheritance, you say, well, what is it then exactly? Number one, our inheritance is God himself.The number one thing that we look forward to in going to heaven is not seeing grandma, not seeing, you know, whoever. Number one is God. We go to heaven and we get God and we see God and we have him forever. We are his children. He lavishes blessings on us for all of eternity, eternal life, heaven, new earth, rewards that Jesus will give to us for the quality of our service while here on earth, bliss, beauty, and most importantly, and I include this in the God category, is the seeing and the savoring of Jesus himself, our blessed Lord and Savior, who is our inheritance. Christians talk about, oh, my mansion in heaven and all of that. Forget the mansion. Our mansion truly is Christ.And one day when we see him and we sense from him what eternal, pure, sacrificial, agape love is like, and he looks at us and we feel the love of the divine for us, the thought of a house or something else will just sort of fade away. This will be our greatest moment. It is that beatific vision that theologians talk about. and then to feel and to receive from him the lavishing of his grace and his love in material ways, even in the new earth, in the experience of what all of that is going to be like, and to realize that all of it is according to his mercy, that none of it we deserve, maybe with a vision of hell, and to realize that's what I deserve right there.And I'm getting this, how and why it is the mercy of God and his love for us. This is the inheritance, and Peter says it never goes away. It never diminishes. It never somehow dies. It remains secure in the character and the promises of God, and it's going to be great. And you, my friend, if you are a Christian, you are an heir, an heir to the most wonderful fortune, the fortune of God, the spiritual blessing of being a child of God forever. The verse goes on, kept in heaven for you who by God's power are being guarded through faith. This inheritance that we have is located in heaven. Jesus describes it as a place where moth and rust do not decay and thieves don't break in and steal. That's a pretty good bank vault, isn't it? Anybody's bank here make that kind of guarantee?Probably not. Now notice there's a little shift here in the text because he's describing our inheritance. That is kept in heaven. That's our inheritance. The next word, though, is who. See that? Who. So he moves from our inheritance to us. He moves from keeping our inheritance to God keeping us. So the inheritance is kept in heaven, but we are kept in earth. We are kept in faith on our time on earth. By God's power, our being guarded through faith. And the word there, the Greek word for the word guarded there, it's the word garrisoned, okay? So military people, this is like a word for you. This is the protection. This is the, in the ancient days, they would protect the city gates, the armament of the city gates. We are guarding the city walls, the walls of our faith.It also can refer to keeping us from escaping, okay? So it's both. It is both the attacks from without, and it is me fleeing from within. God is working in our faith, keeping us from both of those dangers. And here we have, and we can do a whole message on this, the doctrine of preservation. The doctrine of preservation, which says that God is the one who keeps us saved. We are preserved in our faith by the power of God. So notice the flow in the text. We are exiles by the choice of God. We are born again by the mercy of God. We are kept in our salvation by the power of God. Our faith is being guarded. And the tense of the verb there is ongoingly, continuously being guarded.It's as if each one of us has a 24-hour, seven days a week security detail. Now, the closest thing that I can think of to illustrate this would be What the President of the United States has, of course, which is the famous Secret Service. And all of us probably are familiar with the Secret Service and what they do 24 hours a day, seven days a week to keep the President alive, to protect him. That is their job. And so for whatever reason, they've decided wearing dark suits and sunglasses helps with that. And so wherever the president is, there's these guys walking around near him and they've got dark suits on and they've got sunglasses. All of them look like they've lifted weights their entire life. You know, they're big, they're bad, they're tough. There's little bulges around in their suit.You know what's in there, right? They can call upon what they need in a moment's notice to take care of business. And so they're there and they're talking into their hands and they got the little wires out of their ears. And you know that there's satellites and there's, you know, who knows all the things that they've got going on wherever the president goes. 24 hours a day, seven days a week, always keeping him safe. But as history shows, they can't even guarantee that, can they? Even the best of the best in the world today can't perfectly protect the life of the president. Notice what Peter says here about us, okay? Kept by the infinite power of God. It's almost like By the power of God, we each have our own spiritual secret service detachment.Everywhere we go, all the time, we are protected spiritually by the power of God. I got thinking about what this might be like. She's about to speak to Miss Gossip. Move in right now. He's leaving on a business trip with Mr. Skeptic and Mrs. Temptation, all units code red. He's in church right now. He's not listening. Taze him. Did anybody just feel something, by the way? No? God's power is always at work protecting our faith, keeping us from running away from our commitment to Christ, keeping us from the wolves, keeping us from doctrine and beliefs and temptations that would ultimately undermine our faith commitment to Christ. And that doesn't mean that we don't sin. It doesn't mean that we don't have seasons and all of that.But it does mean that even through those dark times, God is by his power protecting a faith that he has promised that he will carry on to completion, Philippians 1. And my dear Christian, that is true for you. Think of it just for a moment. Think of it. Right now, God's power is focused upon you and your faith and is ensuring that you are going to make it. That faith will not die. It's the power of God. It's like being born, right? We don't take credit for that. And I don't take credit for my faith continually because naturally I am a sinner and I am human and I am wishy -washy. None of us would make it through this week left to ourselves. But we are not left to ourselves, not by God who loves us. We are kept in this faith.Past, we were born again in the present. We're being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. And the future aspect of this is when our inheritance changes into a possession, okay? An heir is no longer an heir when the inheritance now is something that they own. Think of Prince Charles, like all these years waiting to become king. He's heir to the throne. There's probably a day coming when he will no longer be an heir. When? When he's actually king. And Buckingham Palace and the crown jewels and all the things, all of it is his then. No longer an heir, but a possessor. And our salvation is like that. We are already saved. We are already children of God. But the full experience of our salvation is yet to come.Someday, and the text here says, in the last time, referring to that future consummation of history. Someday, when Jesus returns and final judgment takes place, our ultimate inheritance will be ours. And our ultimate inheritance is Christ himself. And from that point on, we will see and know and worship him. From that point on, we will serve him. fully and faithfully. From that point on, we will be in awe that the Holy Son of God that we see with our own eyes died for us, gave his life for us, and now showers his love upon us for all of eternity. And we will never get over that he did that. We will never get over the mercy of God to us. So that we can say that the Vanderbilts had their fortune by family right, and Prince Charles has his inheritance by birthright.We will have our inheritance forever by new birth and the mercy and the power of God. And so we get to that truth, and what can we say? How about we say what he says in verse 3? “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Amen. Would you pray with me, please? Heavenly Father God, we thank you.This transcript was generated using AI transcription technology and reviewed for accuracy but may contain errors. Please refer to the original audio for precise wording.

The way of righteousness- Since God's word is alive and active, our appreciation for it should lead to an active and living response to what it says, not a passive one. Only God's word can help us practice righteousness in a sinful world.

The way of righteousness- Since God's word is alive and active, our appreciation for it should lead to an active and living response to what it says, not a passive one. Only God's word can help us practice righteousness in a sinful world.

This Sunday, Elijah Elmer walks us through Genesis 34, a hard passage that underlines human depravity. While such darkness rightly demands real justice, our hearts can also be tempted to act sinfully in attempt to make things right. Elijah invites us to navigate this challenging narrative with a question in mind: "Who can make this right?" Only Jesus Christ. Only God can truly fix what sin has broken.

I told you about Robert, a heart attack and how it brought us together...and now, I'd like to tell you about the next event of the heart that brought us together. Only God.

When I was in college, I spent a semester living in London, and I did a lot of solo traveling all over the UK. And one of the things that I loved was when in one of my little wanders, I would stumble across a little ruin. I found some that had clearly been part at one time of a big complex. There was the remains of a tower or stairs, going somewhere that used to be grand. And other times I would just find a few stones, probably the remnants of a simple cottage. What I saw in all of these abandoned little places were simply stones. They were just stones. A sign, however, of life that had once been there, where people had experienced something. And I always wondered, why are these stones here? What stories do they hold? Our story from Joshua today has at its center the building of a stone marker at the Jordan. Many ancient cultures, including our Hebrew ancestors, used stones to signify a meaningful place or a meaningful story. You may have heard of Ebenezer, literally "stones of help," which were stones that our ancestors used to mark a place where God had rescued or helped God's people. And today, Joshua directs the representatives from each of the twelve tribes of Israel to take stones from the River Jordan and create what's called a Gilgal. Have you ever heard of a Gilgal? Some of you might have heard of a Gilgal rune. A Gilgal is a memorial, a reminder not just of a moment, but of the story that gives their lives hope and a sense of identity. The stones are gathered so that in time to come, when children ask, they will see these stones, and as did I in my early travels, they will ask the question, what do these stones mean? What we receive in the text today is the moment when the forty years of wilderness wandering come to their end. Remember that after the people of Israel were brought out of slavery, God gave them a wondrous passage through the Red Sea. From there they were led into the wilderness, where they so journeyed for forty years, guided and sustained by God with a pillar of fire at night, a pillar of smoke by day, and manna from heaven to sustain them. In our story they've now arrived at the Jordan, and just as at the Red Sea, the waters of the Jordan are stopped. This time, as the priests who are carrying the Ark of the Covenant step into the waters and stand in the riverbed, the people cross over to the other side on dry ground and into the land that they understand God has promised them. What happens as Israel takes possession of that land raises difficult questions of violence and displacement, questions that deserve more attention than we can give them today. But here at the river, the story is about a people who have survived the wilderness, and they're remembering the God who brought them through that. That, children, is what the stones mean. They are a reminder for generations to come that God brought the whole people out of bondage, through the wilderness, and to this threshold of new life stretching out before them. God brought all of them through. Every tribe, from the largest to the smallest, is represented. Every tribe carries a stone, and every time they go back to this place, they will see the stones and remember the goodness and the faithfulness of God. Sometimes when I am walking or driving around in this city, or when I'm traveling in other towns and cities, I see beautiful stone buildings with crumbling steeples and their windows boarded up. And I wonder about the stories that those stones could tell. But sadly, just like ancient ruins, the stones no longer have a living community to interpret their meaning. Today we gather in the shelter of the stones that create this sanctuary, the stones that house our mission and study and life together. While the oldest stones in this building are 112 years old, 122, sorry, all my historians were going to check me, even though they are 122 years old, they carry forward the story of this congregation that stretches back 212 years. They are a memorial to the providence of God, who over all those years has brought us out of situations that were unjust or harmful, has brought us through times of struggle and need and pain, and has brought us to this very day. Many of us can tell stories of our recent past. The stories of bold action to end chronic homelessness, and to champion the rights and the dignity of our LGBTQ plus siblings. The times of heartbreak amid bruising general conferences, the moments of transcendent worship, the ways that we persevered through the Covid pandemic. Do you remember how we longed to be in God's dwelling place in those days? "How I long for the courts of the Lord," I remember thinking. Will we ever get to be back in God's dwelling place called Foundry? Do you remember those days, Stanley? There were times when we thought, we'll never get back to the way it was, we'll never have the choir singing the way that we sang. We had those conversations. We did. I'm just telling the truth. We persevered through that, and by God's grace, we emerged, ready to discern how to be the church in a new reality. We can tell those stories, many of us, because we've lived through them. So many more, but there's something in our text today that makes me pause. When you read the text carefully, you'll notice that verses three through eight describe twelve stones being taken out of the Jordan and carried to the place where Israel camps, at Gilgal. But then immediately after that, in verse nine, it suddenly says Joshua has set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests bearing the Ark of the Covenant had stood. So where exactly were the stones placed? Inquiring minds want to know. Scholars have long seen this as evidence that different oral stories were woven together when they got written down. Some of those stories remembered the stones in the camp where people lived, and some people remembered the stones out there in the middle of the river. We can wonder about all of that, the textual issue, the historical issue. But what remains in the text as it stands is that there is a memorial where the people live, and there is a memorial where they crossed. One can be viewed, and the other may eventually disappear into or beneath the water. And it makes me think about the stones that tell our story. Some are visible. We can see them. We can remember them. We can tell the stories through our own experience. And some are submerged. There are experiences, people, sacrifices, struggles, prayers, decisions, conflicts, acts of courage and acts of grace, from 212 years of ministry, under the surface, without which the congregation standing here today would not exist. It's poignant to be preaching this message today, as we have shared the news of the death of one of Foundry's faithful ones, Barbara Cambridge. Only God knows all that she gave of herself to provide leadership through moments of difficulty and change in this community of faith. How quietly and effectively she organized so many things. I know how quietly and effectively she organized this little idea I had about having a prayer ministry on Sunday mornings. How she encouraged and taught others through her words and her witness. Barbara is in a long line of saints, many whose names we don't know to say today, whose stories and faithfulness make Foundry who we are. Can we say thanks be to God? Those of us who do make up the Foundry community today will each have our own answer about what these stones mean to you in our own lives. Only you will know the moment when a person prayed with you and it changed everything. Only you will know how you met God in the face of a neighbor as you served. Only you will know that moment in worship when tears cleansed your heart. Only you will know how conversation over coffee saved your sanity. Only you will know the class that blew your mind open to new possibilities about God and about faith. Only you will know how this congregation has given you strength or hope to keep going in this beautiful, broken world. Beloveds, we don't look at the old stones of an old building to look back at the good old days with nostalgia. The stones are not tombstones. These are not tombstones marking lives lost. These stones are a memorial, a reminder of a living God and the living people of God who continue to remember, to testify, to tell the stories of how God has brought Foundry out and how God has brought Foundry through. And we do this not just for ourselves. We do this for those yet to experience the great good news of a God who liberates, sustains, and gives new life. We tell the stories for the children in generations stretching out in front of us, so that they will know what these stones mean, because there are people around to tell them the story so that they can carry the mission forward. And as we gather today for this homecoming service, we come bearing items, prayers, literal or metaphorical stones to mark this moment, to remember how God has been with us over these past months of summer break or summer work, times of travel, and for some times of travail. Wherever we have been so journeying, God has been our sustainer and our guide. And now God has brought us home. But remember this: when the people of Israel crossed the Jordan, they had not reached the end of their journey. They stood at a threshold. Behind them was the wilderness through which God had carried them. Ahead of them was a future they could not yet see. We don't know what's ahead. It was at that point, at that crossing, where they gathered stones and they remembered. Perhaps that's where we are. On this day we gather up the signs of where we've been and what we've been through. We remember those whose faithfulness lies beneath everything we have inherited. We tell the stories of how God has brought Foundry out and brought Foundry through. And then we take up together the journey into the months and years ahead. Lord knows we've got work to do. We don't know what awaits on the other side of this moment, but the stones remind us that the God who has brought us this far is not finished with us yet. And so, filled with the promises of God's grace and mercy, and guided by our perennial call to love God, love each other, and change the world, we together cross over. We live and we serve and we love in such a way that generations from now, when a child comes to this place and asks, what do these stones mean, there will still be a living people of a living God to tell them the story. To tell how God brought us out, how God brought us through, and how by grace God keeps leading us on. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Steve DeWitt Indestructibly Saved - Part A Study Guide for Spiritual Exiles, 1 Peter 1:3-5 Scripture Reference: 1 Peter 1:3-5 Visit the series page: Exiles: A study in 1 Peter Donate to Support The Journey Sermon Transcript for Spiritual Exiles, 1 Peter 1:3-5 Sermon Series: Spiritual ExilesMessage: Indestructibly SavedAirdate: 9/8 & 9/9/26Programs 2352 & 2353Good morning, Crown Point Campus. And let's go to the Lord in prayer. Heavenly Father, we thank you for the opportunity to be here today. And we pray simply this, that your spirit would come, that he would minister to your people by your word for your glory and for our good. God, we pray that this would be a day truly where your name would be lifted higher. And we want to be a part of that. So we thank you. We pray it in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, last week we began our new series in 1 Peter entitled Exiles.And the title was taken from the first verse of the book, which says this, “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who are elect exiles of the dispersion.” And we saw that Peter was writing to Christians who had been part of this colonization, this dispersion, Christians living in Rome or that region sent now to Asia Minor, and they are there living as foreigners, essentially living as exiles, geopolitical exiles. And what Peter does is he draws from their geopolitical situation spiritual truth and application as they dealt with the feelings of alienation. and ostracization from people that saw them as part of the conquering army, people that weren't from there. And so much that we're going to see in this letter. Last week was our introduction, and we saw that... exiles want more than anything is they want a change of location.They think to themselves, what really needs to happen is I need to be somewhere else. And if I was somewhere else, then I would be happy. Then I would feel like I belong. And we see that what Peter is wanting them to realize is that we want to change our location. God wants to change who we are. And that is inward. And that's the work of the spirit. That's the work of the gospel. That's a part of changing us. Now, what might exiles need to know? Think about this with me for a moment. What do they need to know? There they are living in a land of uncertainty, living in a place where they don't, you know, you think of what people experience when they move into a new area. They need a new doctor. They need a new, where do I get my groceries?How do I find my way around? All the things that are sort of new and different and uncertain. That is compounded in the experience of moving in the first century to a whole new region. And there they are, and everything is uncertain. Nothing feels normal. Everything's sort of weird. What do they need to know spiritually? Well, they need to know that there is a day coming when they will not be exiles anymore and where they will feel welcomed and they will feel like they belong. And that's what Peter now moves to in pastoring this group of people. He wants them to realize that they will not always be exiles. It will not always be like it is. There's coming a day when it will be very much different. And our text in our sermon today is 1 Peter 1, verses 3 through 5.And today is a day where I get to preach at Crown Point and at Cedar Lake. And we do this with the use of technology. And hopefully a fast commute. That's where we're going today. That's where I'm going today. But our text today is verses 3 through 5. So please listen as I read from God's word. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” 1 Peter, if you ask most people what 1 Peter is about, it's about remaining faithful in suffering and in persecution. And I just want to note to you that a letter that begins, a letter that is about suffering, begins with, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now that seems out of place, except for when you view your suffering from a Christian perspective. It sounds to me like Job, the famous book on suffering.Job, who endured all of these things in chapter 1. He loses everything, and what is his response to that? The Lord gives, the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name. There is within Christianity a kind of faith and a kind of confidence in the goodness of God that allows Christians to suffer loss and to remain doxological, to remain praising, to remain giving thanks to God. And we see that modeled here with Peter. He begins with praise and thanksgiving to the Lord. These verses, verses 3 through 5, they are, it's, This is a jewel, okay? This is a jewel passage in all of the Bible, and there are lots of jewel passages, but this is certainly one of them, because what Peter does here is he lays out the gospel. He goes from praising God, and he says, now, why? Why do we praise the Lord?What is there about what God has done for us that allows us to give praise to God even in the midst of persecution and suffering? And we see him now talking about salvation in this passage from the perspective of the past, what God has done, the present, what God is doing, and the future, what God is yet to do. And I want to hasten to say this. These truths that I'm talking about here, that Peter talks about, only apply to genuine Christians. This is not just a general truth for all of humanity. Let's all feel good about it. This is a truth that applies to people who have genuinely trusted in the Lord Jesus. And the promises that God has made to those that are his children apply then to us and are enumerated here. by Peter.So if you're here and you have not trusted in Jesus as your Savior, what I hope happens today as we talk about the blessings that come to those that are under the grace of God, that it might woo you, that it might draw you to put your hope and your faith in the Lord Jesus and for these promises then to become real and true for you. And that can happen in this service here today. Now, if you're an exile far from home, You are having to accept certain realities about life now. It's almost like a college student who goes away from home for the first time. And suddenly, the reality of being responsible for yourself, doing your own laundry, and managing your own money, and all of the rest comes crashing down on the freshmen.And some of them flunk out as a result of that, right? They're in a faraway land. Everything's sort of strange. And indeed, to be one of these people that he's writing to, in a faraway land where everything feels creepy and people look at you as creepy because you're different created a whole set of problems and difficulties your homeland that where you used to be it felt safe it felt normal it felt secure you had friends that made you feel like you were cared for you had possessions that you had had for a long time They felt normal to you. You had maybe a home. You had a network. You had all of these things that felt cozy and made you feel cared for.To be a person in exile is to live without these things, to live away from all of those identities and all of those securities. In fact, I don't know if you've noticed our series graphic, but just to put that up if we have it a second. I really like this because what is it? It's a guy sitting on a pile of rubble and he's looking to a faraway place, right? And there's sort of this sense of, I wish I was there instead of where I am here. This feels like rubble where I'm at. I wish I was back where I came from. And that is a picture, not a bad one, of what it's like to be in exile.And what Peter wants them, and through this letter and through the Holy Spirit, wants us to realize here today is that what we have in Christ, even as an exile, is far greater and far better than anything we had prior to coming to faith in Christ. I said that very clumsily. And clumsily is a clumsy word itself. Let me try that again. What Peter is wanting to say is that what we have presently as Christians, even as exiles, even on the pile of rubble, is far greater and far better than anything we had back when everything felt cozy, back prior to our faith in Christ. And he lays that out again in terms of past, present, future. So let's begin by looking at the past. And notice what he says here. Wonderful verse. about being born again to a living hope.According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we saw in verse 1 that their exile was by God's choice. We see here in verse 3 that their new birth is by the mercy of God. Born again. Born of what? What are you talking about? That sounds crazy. And that is exactly what Nicodemus said to Jesus when Jesus brought this up to him as well. In John chapter 3, you may know the story. Nicodemus, he's sort of a bigwig spiritual leader in Israel. He comes to Jesus in the night, and he asks him about spiritual, he has spiritual questions for him. And he says, no one except they're born from God could do what you do. And Jesus says to him, you must be born again.You have to be born again. Nicodemus says, what? How can I be born again? I was born of my mother once, I gotta be born of her twice? What are you talking about? And you see that Nicodemus is only looking at things materially. He is not seeing things spiritually, which is what Jesus wants him to see, is there's a whole thing going on here spiritually. You have to be born again. What was Jesus talking about? The New Testament calls it new birth, calls it regeneration. All of these are biblical descriptions of what God does in the heart of the sinner who turns in faith and believes in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. There is a miracle, a powerful supernatural work that God does inwardly in the life of the sinner where like being born again, he makes the sinner alive spiritually.Regeneration is also the word there. The Bible says that we are dead in our sins, that spiritually we are corpses. What has to happen for a corpse to live again? It has to be regenerated. In a sense, it has to be resurrected. And what God does inwardly in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, when we believe, is he births life in us again. Almost like Jesus saying to Lazarus, come forth. There is a summoning and a giving of life that God does within us where all of a sudden now our eyes are opened, our ears are opened, and we become attuned to spiritual realities and spiritual things. And notice that it's God that does this. He has caused us to be born again. Regeneration is something that God does. We can't manufacture it. We can't create it.We can't do enough things to make us think that now spiritually I'm alive.We are dead. Burns Funeral Homes across the street, you can go to every corpse there and try to manufacture life. It's not going to happen. Only God can manufacture life. And God does that within us. We are born again. We are passive in this. You ever hear a baby come out being born and go, wow, look what I did. I'm amazing. No, that mother birthed that child. Amen, mothers? You ain't going to ever forget that, are you? Babies don't take credit for being born, and Christians don't take credit for being born again. This is something God does. We are made spiritually alive, but the change affects our entire being. 2 Corinthians says it this way.If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old is gone, the new has come. It is a miracle of life that permeates our entire being. Suddenly, it's like the switch is turned on. We become aware of spiritual truth. What? I never realized that before. We become aware of the presence of God. We become aware of the presence of sin in our life. All of a sudden we realize, that we indeed are sinners. We become aware of forgiveness. We all of a sudden have an interest in Scripture, which prior to this we would have thought is silly. No, what does it say, actually? I'm kind of interested in that. We become interested in prayer and a host of other things. All of them kind of just, it's like springtime. Here come the leaves, here come the flowers.All of a sudden there is life. God does that. God does that. A few examples of how this is God's work and the change that it brings. I recently heard the story of Rosaria Butterfield, and maybe you've seen this online possibly, but she was a professor. She's very upfront about her sexuality. She was a lesbian. She was a professor at Syracuse University. She was just totally into kind of that whole worldview. And it's a great story because there was just a normal local church that began to kind of care for her and love her. And she, in her own words, writes this about her conversion. “The church had been praying for me for years was there. The church that had been praying for me for years was there. Jesus triumphed, and I was a broken mess. Conversion was a train wreck. I did not want to lose everything that I loved, but the voice of God sang a sanguine love song in the rubble of my world. I weakly believed that if Jesus could conquer death, he could make right my world. I drank tentatively at first, then passionately of the solace of the Holy Spirit.” And now she's married to a Presbyterian minister. So come to Jesus and you get to marry a Presbyterian minister. I would keep most people away. Listen to the words of C.S. Lewis. We've talked at length about him and how God drew him to faith. He writes this about his conversion. “You must picture me alone in that room at Magdalen College. Night after night, feeling, whenever my mind lifted even for a second from my work, the steady, unrelenting approach of him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet.” Who's causing this regeneration? Hear it in these words. “That which I greatly feared had at last come upon me in the Trinity term of 1929. I gave in and admitted that God was God and knelt and prayed, perhaps that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England.” Christian, think about your own life story. Think about the change that has taken place in your life. Is there a natural explanation? for the interest that you have in spiritual things and the course and trajectory of your life. The fact that you're sitting here right now listening to some guy talk about what the Bible has to say.All of these things are things if we knew our natural selves, we would say, I would never do that. And that sounds crazy and that sounds stupid. Just like the people in Asia Minor looked at these Christians and said, what planet are you from? Why are you interested in that stuff? And maybe you have people in your family and friends that similarly look at you and go, you're living your life according to what? What planet are you from? We share the same mother, but you're an alien. I don't know you. How have you come to care about the things that you care about and to love God in the way that you love him and to desire to obey and please and live to his glory in the way that you do? Where did all of that come from? It didn't come from you.That can only come from God. He has birthed life in us, and we are changed. Born again to a living hope, the text says, through the resurrection from the dead. Now, why do you suppose he calls it a living hope? It is because our hope is in a living Savior. Do you see the parallel there? One writer says it this way, Christian hope is ever living because Christ, the ground of that hope, is ever living. So Peter looks back. He says, exiles, look back in your story and realize that this change has not come from you. God has given you life, and he has given you hope. And that hope is a living hope because your Savior is a living Savior. And there we are looking at the passage. Well, that's pretty fantastic, isn't it?Don't you think exiles might be a little encouraged by that? And maybe even Christians living here today might be a little bit encouraged to look back and to see the grace of God in our life. As the hymn writer wrote, “oh God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come.” We look to the past and we see God's grace to us. And it gives us, man, God is for me. God is with me. He has done this change in my life. The past, a living hope, a new birth. It is not simply a past, it is a present. And even right there is an interesting thought, which I don't have time to explore right now, but how important it is for us to realize that what God is doing is not just stuff in the past.You ever talk to people like that? Tell me about your spiritual life. Well, back in the past, and all they've got is like old stuff. And to realize that our faith, this thing that we're living, this Christian life, is a today thing. There is something that God is doing today. It doesn't matter how long you've been a Christian. There is a work that God is doing right now for you in your life. And Peter highlights it here. What are we saved to? “An inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who, by God's power, are being guarded through faith.” Now, there's a lot there, okay? There's a lot there, but let's just walk through it. You're going to get this, and you're going to love it. We've been born again to an inheritance, okay?So most of us are probably familiar with the concept of an inheritance. What is an inheritance? An inheritance is something that you receive normally based on a relationship, typically a family relationship, right? So when a person dies, there is a reading of the will. And if your name is in the will, it means that whether you knew it or not, you were an heir to the inheritance. So if you're in the will, you have an inheritance. Most people view that as good news, right? Okay. Now what is true about an inheritance? Inheritances are very, very slippery. Very slippery. Your name can be on the will, but guess what? It can be removed from the will. You were an heir, but now you're not anymore. So you better be careful what you say at the family gathering about grandma. And inheritance can shrink in value.Did you know that? You could be an heir to something that is incredibly valuable, but by the time you get it, it's not so valuable. So that your name is in the will, and they read the will, and your sister gets grandma's diamonds, and you get the cabbage patch collection. And you're like, my sister gets... and I get dolls and you know grandma puts in the notes when I bought these they were really valuable. You're like these aren't worth anything. This is like soft firewood. They can diminish in value. People can steal inheritances. There's a story or two in my own family tree of stolen inheritance and maybe you got a few of those in your family tree. It's amazing what family gets like when money is on the table.Inheritance can be stolen did you know that there are unscrupulous lawyers out there who now there's really godly and fair-minded ones as well but there are unscrupulous lawyers out there who can sometimes get their fingers in the pot and diminish an inheritance. Did you know that there are thieves — there are thieves — and that has no connection whatsoever with Steve. There are thieves who can steal inheritances. They can steal grandma's jewelry instead of the dolls. Did you know that massive inheritances can be squandered? Some time ago, I got watching on the History Channel, had this series called The Men Who Build America. Maybe some of you saw it, but we got into it for whatever reason. Tell the story of these icons of industry in the past.I got a little interested in the Vanderbilt family some years ago. I got a tour of the Biltmore, which is one of the descendants of, he built that with just an inheritance that he got. If you've ever seen that place, it's incredible. But I got interested in the Vanderbilt family. And just to give you an idea very quickly about the Vanderbilt fortune, they at one time, at the height of their power and value, they were worth over $300 billion in today's money. Now, $300 billion, to give you an idea, Bill Gates, who's currently the richest man in the world, is somewhere around $70 billion. They had $300 billion. The world has hardly ever, if ever, seen, other than Rockefeller, a fortune like the Vanderbilt family fortune.In 1973, this is just 75 years from the height of their power and wealth, There was a gathering of 120 direct descendants of Cornelius Vanderbilt, and there wasn't one millionaire amongst them. 75 years, 300 billion to, you know, not so wealthy. How does that happen? Inheritances can be squandered. They can just simply disappear. And I say all of that because that connects with the world that we're in, right? Everything is kind of diminishing. Everything that once was cool is kind of getting old now. And that's the world that we live in, right? Our money isn't worth today what it was worth yesterday. There's inflation. There's the stock market. Everything's up and down and all around. But what about spiritually? The inheritance, the Bible describes the inheritance that we have. We are heirs. What is our inheritance like?And he uses some very powerful words to emphasize that our inheritance is not subject to all of the insecurities that everything in this world has. And he uses these words, notice them, imperishable. Okay? To perish is to die. Everything in this world... dies right it's alive it dies the the flowers of the field the grass in the in the in the in the field all of it there and it dies and it withers and we're all withering right look around there's withering people all around you but this is an imperishable inheritance that he wants us to realize that we have undefiled and this speaks to the moral quality of our inheritance It is pure. It is good. Our inheritance doesn't come from unseemly business practices.There's nothing about it to make us feel sort of dirty in taking it or that there's something evil about it. It is holy. It is good. It is beautiful. It is pure, and it will be eternally beautiful and pure. Unfading. This is very similar to the perishing and the withering. It's, again, the human beauty and fame and everything that seems to be cool now. It's all going downhill. And young people don't realize that, but it is, right? It's all going down. Everything fades. And each one of these words is, it's perishable, defiled, and fading, only it has the negating ah in front of each one of those. It is not imperishable. I'm sorry, it's not perishable. It's not defiling. It is not fading. Our inheritance, you say, well, what is it then exactly? Number one, our inheritance is God himself.The number one thing that we look forward to in going to heaven is not seeing grandma, not seeing, you know, whoever. Number one is God. We go to heaven and we get God and we see God and we have him forever. We are his children. He lavishes blessings on us for all of eternity, eternal life, heaven, new earth, rewards that Jesus will give to us for the quality of our service while here on earth, bliss, beauty, and most importantly, and I include this in the God category, is the seeing and the savoring of Jesus himself, our blessed Lord and Savior, who is our inheritance. Christians talk about, oh, my mansion in heaven and all of that. Forget the mansion. Our mansion truly is Christ.And one day when we see him and we sense from him what eternal, pure, sacrificial, agape love is like, and he looks at us and we feel the love of the divine for us, the thought of a house or something else will just sort of fade away. This will be our greatest moment. It is that beatific vision that theologians talk about. and then to feel and to receive from him the lavishing of his grace and his love in material ways, even in the new earth, in the experience of what all of that is going to be like, and to realize that all of it is according to his mercy, that none of it we deserve, maybe with a vision of hell, and to realize that's what I deserve right there.And I'm getting this, how and why it is the mercy of God and his love for us. This is the inheritance, and Peter says it never goes away. It never diminishes. It never somehow dies. It remains secure in the character and the promises of God, and it's going to be great. And you, my friend, if you are a Christian, you are an heir, an heir to the most wonderful fortune, the fortune of God, the spiritual blessing of being a child of God forever. The verse goes on, kept in heaven for you who by God's power are being guarded through faith. This inheritance that we have is located in heaven. Jesus describes it as a place where moth and rust do not decay and thieves don't break in and steal. That's a pretty good bank vault, isn't it? Anybody's bank here make that kind of guarantee?Probably not. Now notice there's a little shift here in the text because he's describing our inheritance. That is kept in heaven. That's our inheritance. The next word, though, is who. See that? Who. So he moves from our inheritance to us. He moves from keeping our inheritance to God keeping us. So the inheritance is kept in heaven, but we are kept in earth. We are kept in faith on our time on earth. By God's power, our being guarded through faith. And the word there, the Greek word for the word guarded there, it's the word garrisoned, okay? So military people, this is like a word for you. This is the protection. This is the, in the ancient days, they would protect the city gates, the armament of the city gates. We are guarding the city walls, the walls of our faith.It also can refer to keeping us from escaping, okay? So it's both. It is both the attacks from without, and it is me fleeing from within. God is working in our faith, keeping us from both of those dangers. And here we have, and we can do a whole message on this, the doctrine of preservation. The doctrine of preservation, which says that God is the one who keeps us saved. We are preserved in our faith by the power of God. So notice the flow in the text. We are exiles by the choice of God. We are born again by the mercy of God. We are kept in our salvation by the power of God. Our faith is being guarded. And the tense of the verb there is ongoingly, continuously being guarded.It's as if each one of us has a 24-hour, seven days a week security detail. Now, the closest thing that I can think of to illustrate this would be What the President of the United States has, of course, which is the famous Secret Service. And all of us probably are familiar with the Secret Service and what they do 24 hours a day, seven days a week to keep the President alive, to protect him. That is their job. And so for whatever reason, they've decided wearing dark suits and sunglasses helps with that. And so wherever the president is, there's these guys walking around near him and they've got dark suits on and they've got sunglasses. All of them look like they've lifted weights their entire life. You know, they're big, they're bad, they're tough. There's little bulges around in their suit.You know what's in there, right? They can call upon what they need in a moment's notice to take care of business. And so they're there and they're talking into their hands and they got the little wires out of their ears. And you know that there's satellites and there's, you know, who knows all the things that they've got going on wherever the president goes. 24 hours a day, seven days a week, always keeping him safe. But as history shows, they can't even guarantee that, can they? Even the best of the best in the world today can't perfectly protect the life of the president. Notice what Peter says here about us, okay? Kept by the infinite power of God. It's almost like By the power of God, we each have our own spiritual secret service detachment.Everywhere we go, all the time, we are protected spiritually by the power of God. I got thinking about what this might be like. She's about to speak to Miss Gossip. Move in right now. He's leaving on a business trip with Mr. Skeptic and Mrs. Temptation, all units code red. He's in church right now. He's not listening. Taze him. Did anybody just feel something, by the way? No? God's power is always at work protecting our faith, keeping us from running away from our commitment to Christ, keeping us from the wolves, keeping us from doctrine and beliefs and temptations that would ultimately undermine our faith commitment to Christ. And that doesn't mean that we don't sin. It doesn't mean that we don't have seasons and all of that.But it does mean that even through those dark times, God is by his power protecting a faith that he has promised that he will carry on to completion, Philippians 1. And my dear Christian, that is true for you. Think of it just for a moment. Think of it. Right now, God's power is focused upon you and your faith and is ensuring that you are going to make it. That faith will not die. It's the power of God. It's like being born, right? We don't take credit for that. And I don't take credit for my faith continually because naturally I am a sinner and I am human and I am wishy -washy. None of us would make it through this week left to ourselves. But we are not left to ourselves, not by God who loves us. We are kept in this faith.Past, we were born again in the present. We're being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. And the future aspect of this is when our inheritance changes into a possession, okay? An heir is no longer an heir when the inheritance now is something that they own. Think of Prince Charles, like all these years waiting to become king. He's heir to the throne. There's probably a day coming when he will no longer be an heir. When? When he's actually king. And Buckingham Palace and the crown jewels and all the things, all of it is his then. No longer an heir, but a possessor. And our salvation is like that. We are already saved. We are already children of God. But the full experience of our salvation is yet to come.Someday, and the text here says, in the last time, referring to that future consummation of history. Someday, when Jesus returns and final judgment takes place, our ultimate inheritance will be ours. And our ultimate inheritance is Christ himself. And from that point on, we will see and know and worship him. From that point on, we will serve him. fully and faithfully. From that point on, we will be in awe that the Holy Son of God that we see with our own eyes died for us, gave his life for us, and now showers his love upon us for all of eternity. And we will never get over that he did that. We will never get over the mercy of God to us. So that we can say that the Vanderbilts had their fortune by family right, and Prince Charles has his inheritance by birthright.We will have our inheritance forever by new birth and the mercy and the power of God. And so we get to that truth, and what can we say? How about we say what he says in verse 3? “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Amen. Would you pray with me, please? Heavenly Father God, we thank you.This transcript was generated using AI transcription technology and reviewed for accuracy but may contain errors. Please refer to the original audio for precise wording.

God blessed the Hutchcraft home with three very unique children. Anybody who knows them, nod your head now. Good…okay. I realize that's three more than a number of families, some of whom would love to just have one child. We've had some friends tell us, “Ron, we've been trying to have children for three years,” or five years, or ten years. And today doctors do all they can to increase those possibilities. They'll suggest times of the month when the baby would be most likely conceived; sometimes they'll give you fertility drugs. And many a childless couple does all that they can to conceive a new life, and the way that they do that is just to create the conditions, to the best of their ability, in which the miracle could happen. Even though they can't make it happen, they do their best to prepare for a life to begin. I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “Getting Things Ready for God to Come.” Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Acts 2:1-2, and it records for us the most dramatic visit - Holy Spirit visit - in history. “When the day of Pentecost came,” it says, “they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.” And you know from there it became even more exciting as the Holy Spirit changed the city of Jerusalem and launched a movement that has reached you and me today. Maybe today you have a longing deep inside to have a special, personal touch from the Holy Spirit. You know you need one; maybe a touch of what they call revival. You don't even know what the word means, but you'd love to experience some. You know you need a reviving work for the Holy Spirit, something new and fresh and more powerful than you've had before. Maybe it's a supernatural provision for a God-sized need right now. It's a healing touch, or a restoring touch. Well, if you need a little personal Pentecost right now, you're in the same situation in a way as the couple who wants a child. You can't make the miracle happen; that's up to God. But you can create the conditions that the Holy Spirit can respond to, and that's exactly what these people did when this great Spirit visit happened at Pentecost. In Acts 1:12 it says, “They returned to Jerusalem from a hill called The Mount of Olives and waited there.” And that's exactly what Jesus had commanded them to do - to wait in Jerusalem. Verse 14: “They all joined together constantly in prayer.” See, the way you create the conditions for the baby to come, for the baby of revival to come, of healing, of God's restoring touch, is first to obey: to do what the Lord told you to do, to wait patiently, to be in the place God has placed you. Be sure you are where He wants you to be. Second step, you've got to pray. You obey and then you pray. And you notice it says, “They prayed constantly.” That means through the day, dialoging with God, and often saying to Him as you ride, as you walk, and as you're in the middle of your responsibilities, “Lord, please give me that special touch.” Cry out to Him often, pray constantly for it. “Seek the Lord continually,” David said. And thirdly it says, “They stayed together.” You obey, you pray, and you stay together. And you eliminate any walls between you and any other believers. Usually these kinds of Spirit-touches come from praying together. God comes to places where His kids are all together, persistently asking Him to come. It's not a microwave revival. It's from people who will wait, who will pray, who will stick together, who will pursue Him together passionately. Who will pay the price. Pentecost doesn't begin at a public meeting; it doesn't begin at a planning meeting. It usually begins in a prayer meeting. So if you're hungry for a new spiritual life to be conceived, create the conditions in which it happens and expect God to respond with the visit you sought. Only you can create the conditions. Only God can send the revival.

God Empowers the Weak (1)  (audio) David Eells, 9/6/26 To all those who have struggled to please the Lord and do His Will, I want to share with you some good news. It will be a rest and refreshing, a casting down of the burden of salvation, in all its many facets, by self-works. It is not in ourselves to do these things but in Him. Personal strength and determination will not be enough. As a matter of fact, it will get in our way and His. He will wait until we give up so that He may give the free gift through faith that He also supplies. So, ask for faith. Gideon was faced with an army that was “like locusts for multitude.” He gathered together all the manpower at his disposal. All of this human strength stood in the Lord's way of doing a miracle for His glory. Man would certainly take the credit, and then others would not see the true source of our physical and spiritual salvation. (Jdg.7:2) And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me. At this point, the Lord proceeded to choose only 300 men and then gave them trumpets for weapons. In the natural, there was none weaker than this army. Now the Lord could show that His “power is made perfect in weakness.” And what of David, who was naturally the youngest, smallest and weakest of Jesse's sons? When Samuel anointed him with the power of the Spirit, he went on to slay Goliath with a sling in the very next chapter. How often is this scenario repeated through the Scriptures so that we might know that weakness is a true strength when it qualifies us for the Lord's power. We should refuse to size up the opposition, knowing that when the “odds” are against us, they are in our favor. Our victory is assured by the fact that it was accomplished already at the cross. Each of us needs to become as a child because we can walk with the Lord if we become as a child. The thing about grownups is they're self-confident, self-sufficient, and self-dependent. The world thinks of those traits as being positive, but in the Kingdom, God does not consider it that way. The Lord says the only way you can enter into the Kingdom is to be a child. Jesus said, “suffer the little children to come unto me; forbid them not: for to such belongeth the kingdom of God (Mar.10:14). Forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God, is what it said in the original. Of such is the kingdom of God. (15) Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall in no wise enter therein. (16) And he took them in his arms, and blessed them, laying his hands upon them.” Now we tend to think of the Kingdom as someplace that we're going to so that we can enter into it, but actually we're entering into the Kingdom here on Earth. In reality, the Kingdom is to be every place in your life. The kingdom of God is within you (Luk.17:21), Jesus said. The Kingdom is every place in your life where God is able to rule, where He is King. God is not able to rule until you're in agreement with Him. To be a child is to be confident in your Father, not self-confident. It's to be dependent upon your Father, not self-dependent. This is valuable to God. As He said, “my righteous one shall live by (“from” in the Numeric) faith: And if he shrink back, my soul hath no pleasure in him” (Heb.10:38). What pleases God is that we live from faith, that we do not live from our self-confidence, or our self-sufficiency, or our own ability, or the strength of the arm of the flesh, but that we put our trust in God and walk with Him like a little child walks with his father. In other words, there's no other way to enter into the Kingdom. We must give up being grownups. We must become as children. In order for God to be able to rule everywhere in our lives, we have to become as children.  (Mat.18:1) In that hour came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven? (2) And he called to him a little child, and set him in the midst of them, (3) and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye turn and become as little children, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven. And these were His disciples that He was speaking to. These were not the lost Pharisees; these were the disciples of Jesus, those who were learning and following Him. He said you will not enter in unless you turn and become as little children. The process of the Christian life is this process of turning and becoming as little children and becoming God-dependent, God-sufficient and God-confident. (Mat.18:4) Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (5) And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.  You see, Jesus was a little child. That's Who He was. He says, if you receive one of these little children, you receive Me. That's somebody who's in My likeness; you receive Me. He was a child. He really was. He wasn't a grown-up in the ways of the world, in the ways of confidence in the world, the strength of the world. Grown-ups are known for making their own way, making their own living, being self-sufficient, being great providers, but the Lord wants to wash all that out of us. He wants us to put all of our confidence and our trust in Him and become as little children. If you receive one such little child, you receive Jesus. That's the way He was. He was confident in His Lord. I'll tell you, the best way we can help ourselves is by walking by faith in God's Word. You've probably heard the old saying that “God helps those who help themselves,” but that's not found in the Bible. That saying is credited to Benjamin Franklin in his Poor Richard's Almanack. No, the best way to help yourself is walking in faith in God's Word.  (Rom.14:22) The faith which thou hast, have thou to thyself before God. That's what the Bible says. You can help yourself. You can help yourself to everything that God has for you through faith in His Word. (Luk.10:21) In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou didst hide these things from the wise and understanding, and didst reveal them unto babes: yea, Father; for so it was well-pleasing in thy sight. What was He talking about? Reveal what things to the babes? Well, the disciples had just come back from being sent out by the Lord to take authority over the works of the devil. They came back rejoicing that God had given them authority over the power of the devil and that they had done the works of Jesus, and they saw that the spirits were subject unto them. But why did Jesus call them babes? Well, it was babes who received this revelation of the authority of Jesus, and it was babes who received this revelation of how to use the authority of Jesus. Let's back up a little in this chapter. (Luk.10:3) Go your ways; behold, I send you forth as lambs in the midst of wolves. (4) Carry no purse, no wallet, no shoes; and salute no man on the way. So we see they were babes because Jesus sent them out totally dependent upon the Lord.  (5) And into whatsoever house ye shall enter, first say, Peace [be] to this house. (6) And if a son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon him: but if not, it shall turn to you again. And so he said, “salute no man on the way,” because you really don't know people, but you find out later who people are. We're going to find out before the end of the tribulation who people really are and who His children are.  God sent these disciples out as children, as totally dependent upon the Lord, not self-sufficient, not able to take care of themselves. He deliberately took away their ability to take care of themselves when He sent them by not letting them take any kind of insurance with them. The only thing they took was His assurance because He said, “the laborer is worthy of his hire” (Luk.10:7), meaning that if you just go, God will always pay His workers. You don't have to worry about it. God is that way. He wants us to go without our own sufficiency or our own insurance so that we can see His provision on the way. I really, truthfully believe that Jesus never changed this way of sending out people. Many times, if God says, “Go,” you may go. It doesn't matter if you have the wherewithal to do this. If God says, “Go,” you may go. He will never fail you. He will meet you on the way. He's done it many, many times with me when He said, “Go,” and I've noticed, “But, God, I don't have this” or “I don't have gas” or “I don't have money.” But God doesn't take “no” for an answer. If He says, “Go,” you can go because He will be there. He'll put gas in your car. He's done it to me several times. Or He'll make it run without gas. He's done that, too. Or He'll put money in your pocket somehow or another. He'll do it. Or He'll make your money stretch. He can surely multiply it. He can do all things. He'll have you meet up with people whom He has put there specifically to supply your needs, if you go by faith and be obedient to Him. If you go as a child, just trusting in your Father.  In America, there are far too few children. Everybody in America seems grown-up. Everybody in America wants to insulate themselves against anything that could happen, as though they don't believe in a sovereign God. The Bible says, “A man can receive nothing, except it have been given him from heaven” (Joh.3:27). God, Who is Sovereign, will make sure that He blesses you if you go by faith in Him. Believe me, the time is coming when everybody will have to go by faith in God because He's going to take away all the things that people have insured and insulated themselves with from the things that might happen in the world. But God is God. He never goes to sleep. He's never fallen off the throne. He's there always. He is going to make sure that His Word comes true. And we can be just like little children. We can cast ourselves on His mercy.  Children never even think about where the next meal is going to come from. Little children don't worry about those things; they just know that it's Momma and Daddy's responsibility; they'll take care of that. And you know, that's the way God is with us. He wants that kind of relationship with us. God's not happy with anything less. (Heb.10:38) My righteous one shall live from faith: And if he shrink back, my soul hath no pleasure in him. God doesn't have pleasure in self-sufficient people. He has pleasure in people who walk by faith, talk by faith, live by faith. And it is a pleasure to live by faith. I don't yet know all of what living by faith is; God's only shown me the little parts that He's shown me, but I would love to live by faith in every direction. Some directions I've never even thought about, and other people will come and say, “Oh, did you try this?” For example, a sister in the Lord once told me that she and some other people just picked up some instruments and started playing them by faith, and pretty soon they got better and better at it. They were surprised at how God blessed them. Well, that led us to pray over our children, Nathan and Jennifer, by faith, and God answered that prayer. I tell you, it was just the very next week after that when they started playing music, picking it up quite naturally, by ear. So there isn't anything God won't do for those who put their trust in Him.  There is nothing that God can't do and won't do for those who put their trust in Him. I believe this is the reason that He said He revealed these things unto babes. God reveals the authority of God and God reveals the power of His name to people who will become children, people who will cast care to the wind and put themselves in His Hands, just trusting in Him, believing in Him. (Eph.3:20) God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think. God loves it when we are weak, but we don't see it that way. We like to be strong, and we do our best to make sure that we're strong in every situation that we can get in. As I said, we do our best to insulate ourselves from any possible mishap, but that doesn't please God. It doesn't please God that we put our trust in the gods of this world, the saviors of this world. The apostle Paul learned that lesson. He was caught up to paradise and he said, “On behalf of such a one (the man who was caught up to paradise) will I glory: but on mine own behalf I will not glory, save in my weaknesses” (2Co.12:5). The King James Version translates that word “weaknesses” there as “infirmities” because they had the idea that the apostle Paul had some kind of sickness or infirmities, but a closer look at this reveals that's not the case at all. Those translators believed the apostle Paul had an eye disease or something like that and that God said, “my grace is sufficient for thee” (2Co.12:9), meaning, “You just keep that because you need that; you need that to be an overcomer; you need that to humble you.” But obviously that would be contrary to a lot of the rest of the Word. The Bible says, “by whose stripes ye were healed” (1Pe.2:24). It doesn't say that we're healed only when we really need it, and it doesn't say that we're healed only sometimes. You were healed all the time. Let's read on. (2Co.12:6) For if I should desire to glory, I shall not be foolish; for I shall speak the truth: but I forebear, lest any man should account of me above that which he seeth me [to be,] or heareth from me. (7) And by reason of the exceeding greatness of the revelations, that I should not be exalted overmuch, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, that I should not be exalted overmuch. So we see that he said what the “thorn in the flesh” was. He said it was a messenger of Satan, an angelos. The word there is angelos, which is translated 181 times in the New Testament as “angel” and the other few times as “messenger,” but it means the same thing. It's the same Greek word, angelos. Here was an angel of Satan that was sent to buffet Paul so that he wouldn't be proud. Paul didn't say it was a sickness that was sent to buffet him. And, by the way, to “buffet” is not just one blow, like a sickness. It's to beat over and over and over. It's many blows. That's what buffet means. But a thorn in the flesh, in this case, was an angel of Satan that was sent to buffet Paul. In the Old Testament, for every verse that talks about a thorn in the flesh, never, not once, is it ever a sickness. It was always referring to the enemies of God's people that came against them, and in this case it's the same thing. An angel of Satan was sent to buffet Paul so he wouldn't “be exalted overmuch.” (2Co.12:8) Concerning this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. (9) And he hath said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for [my] power is made perfect in weakness. The King James here has that this word is “weakness,” but this word and the word up in verse five are the same Greek word, so one of them can't be “infirmity” and the other one “weakness.” Both of them have to be the same thing, and the truth is they are, because using the same Greek word in talking about Jesus, the Bible says, “for he was crucified through weakness” (2Co.13:4).  Now, nobody would have put “infirmity” there. Jesus wasn't crucified through infirmity, so they had to put the truth there and the King James did use “weakness” in that case. (4) For he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth through the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him through the power of God toward you. See, when you are weak in Christ, you're going to live through the power of God. It's when you are not able. It's being weak in ability to save yourself, being weak in ability to deliver yourself, being weak in ability to heal yourself. He says when you're in that condition, then God's power is going to be with you. This is the same thing Paul said back in 2 Corinthians 12:9. I'm pointing out this verse because in the King James they used the word “weakness” here and it could not possibly be put in as “infirmity” because we can't read anywhere in the Scriptures that Jesus was infirm, nor was He crucified because He was infirm. Now, that's the same word that's being used over here and over in 2 Corinthians 12:9. He said, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for [my] power is made perfect in weakness.” You know, if we will be weak as a little child, God's power will be there. Most often, God's power is not there because we refuse to be weak. We want to be strong in a circumstance. We see what we think needs to be done and we run to do it, and we are not ceasing from our works. We are not entering into the Sabbath (Hebrews 4:11). We're not refusing to be strong. If we will refuse to be strong and we will put our trust in God, we will see His power there every time.  This reminds me of a vision I had years ago, in which Mary and I were sitting in some lawn chairs in front of our house in Louisiana. While we were sitting there, we saw this power line hanging from pole to pole. The strange thing about it, as we were looking at this and studying it, was that the power line was almost touching the ground in the middle because it was sagging so badly. And while we were watching that, a tornado came over that power line and sucked us up out of our chairs. Then the vision changed, and I feel like we were over in Florida, and the Lord was showing us something about our ministry over there. But what He showed me about that always stuck with me. As we were sitting there, ceasing from our works and resting in lawn chairs, watching the power of man come to an end (that's the power lines), as we watched the power of man come to an end, then the power of God took over. Man's extremity is God's opportunity. God's not ready to move until we cease from our works because we have faith. Every time you have faith, you can stop; you can cease from your work, you can cease from your struggling; you can cease from trying to save yourself because the Bible says you are saved. It doesn't say He will save you. If it said that, you'd wonder what method He wanted to use, but since His method is past tense and you believe it, you have to stop; you have to cease. And so God's power is made perfect in our weakness.  Paul said, “most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my weaknesses (not “infirmities” because it's the exact same Greek word), that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2Co.12:9). Glory in our weaknesses so that the power of Christ may rest upon us. That's the way a child is. They have all the power of Daddy because he is the provider, he is the deliverer, he is the savior. He takes care of it all, and they don't think it should be any other way, and we should be that way, too. We've been trained up to think otherwise, to be grownups, but you know, we shouldn't be thinking in any other terms than what a child thinks. This is the way God wants it.  Well, I think that we can see by now that the ‘verse,' “God helps those who help themselves,” is not Godly at all; it's antichrist. It will never allow you to enter into the power of God. It will never allow the Spirit and the power of Christ to rest upon you. So Paul says he glories in his weaknesses so that the power of Christ may rest upon him. (2Co.12:10) … I take pleasure in weaknesses…. King James says “infirmities.” Nobody takes pleasure in infirmities. That's ridiculous. The word here is the same Greek word again; it's “weakness.” Yes, we take pleasure in weaknesses. It's great to be weak. It's great to not have the ability to deliver yourself because then you get to see the miracle of God. And he went on to say, in “injuries,” or actually the word there is “insults,” according to the ancient manuscripts and the Received Text and several others; it's “insults,” not necessarily “injuries.” You don't take pleasure in injuries, but “in insults, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong” (2Co.12:10). Now, what was this buffeting that this angel sent his way, this angel of Satan? Some people say there are no such things as angels of Satan. You know that the demons are angels. Some people say the demons are not angels, but no, that's not what the Bible says. The demons are the angels of Satan, so just forget about that theology. Don't believe that and don't go down that road because it's wrong. Michael and his angels fought with Satan and his angels (Revelation 12:7), the Bible says. Demons are all fallen angels. That's where they came from. They are the fallen angels, the non-elect angels. So what is this buffeting? What are these many different blows that the angel of Satan brought Paul's way in order to make him weak, and bring him into a position of weakness? Well, Paul gives a list of them. (2Co.11:21) I speak by way of disparagement, as though we had been weak. Yet whereinsoever any is bold (I speak in foolishness), I am bold also. (22) Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I. (23) Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as one beside himself) I more; in labors more abundantly, in prisons more abundantly, in stripes above measure, in deaths oft. He's talking about the places where he was weak to save himself. You know, when we get into places where we don't see any possibility of saving ourselves, that's wonderful because we get to see the power of God. If we walk by faith in those places, then we get to see the miracles of God. That's what God wants to teach us. He brings us into those places. Remember, God was the One Who sent this angel of Satan to humble Paul.  Why do we need humbling? We need humbling because we're grown-ups and we need to become children. We need to not be self-sufficient; we need to be God-sufficient. We need to be trusting in our Lord because His promises are there to save us in all these situations. So God brings us into these places, and Satan's angel brings us into these places where we're weak, where we need the power of God. If we will be weak, we will see the power of God. Many times we want to look for man's help, man's way, man's wisdom.  Let's continue reading Paul's list. (2Co.11:24) Of the Jews five times received I forty [stripes] save one. (25) Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day have I been in the deep; (26) [in] journeyings often, [in] perils of rivers, [in] perils of robbers, [in] perils from [my] countrymen, [in] perils from the Gentiles, [in] perils in the city, [in] perils in the wilderness, [in] perils in the sea, [in] perils among false brethren; (27) [in] labor and travail, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. He was in all these places in order to be weak so he could see the power of God. God put him in those places, like He brought the Israelites into those places in the wilderness so that they could see the power of God. Being weak is not a time to be anxious or worried; it's a time when you should expect to see the power of God. It's God's purpose to bring us to weakness so we can see His power. This is His plan. Don't ever be cast down because of what you see, because what you see is these places that make you weak. It's God's plan for you when you get into these places that you put your trust in Him and that you see His power. This is the place where God's power rests upon you. This place of weakness, the place of your own inability to save yourself or deliver yourself, is the place you can look for the promise of God and trust in God.  Paul went on, “besides those things that are without, there is that which presseth upon me daily, anxiety for all the churches (2Co.11:28). (29) Who is weak (that's the word “weak”), and I am not weak? who is caused to stumble, and I burn not? (30) If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things that concern my weakness.” That's another place that the King James calls it “infirmity.” It's the same word! In the same text, if a word is translated one way in one part of the text and another way in another part of the text, that is dishonest. That is deceiving; it's wrong. It either has to be one or the other. If you look at this word in other parts of the Bible, the conclusion is that it's talking about weakness, not infirmity. Thank God for the places that He brings us to where we're weak! That's the only place we ever see miracles. Do you realize that? It's the only place we ever see miracles, and yet that is the place we're most tempted to throw up our hands and be anxious or worried or troubled. That is the place where all miracles are given, right there, in a place of weakness, the place where you're unable. Now, if you have the mind of a child and you get in that place, you just expect Father to take over from then on. This is something that He normally does. God normally supplies your need, like in the teaching Jesus gave about the birds and the flowers. He said they don't labor and they don't toil to clothe and to feed themselves (Matthew 6:26,28). You mean, the Lord is saying you don't have to work to bring about this clothing and feeding? You don't have to toil? That's exactly what He said. Go back and read it. It's so clear. That's exactly what He said. He knew that you'd get yourself in a situation, and He even ordained these situations to come, where you wouldn't be able to provide for yourself. And He said, “are not two sparrows sold for a penny? and not one of them shall fall on the ground without your Father (Mat.10:29). (30) But the very hairs on your head are all numbered. (31) Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.” Look, not even a hair falls out of your head; can you imagine that God doesn't know it?! He knows us so intimately that not one hair can fall out of your head without Him knowing it. I mean, your hairs are always falling out and growing back. How can He number the hairs of your head? That is an intimate God Who can number the hairs of your head. He knows a lot, so how could we possibly get into a situation that He doesn't know about and hasn't planned for? He is our Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord our Provider. (Php.4:19) And my God shall supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. You can't get so far out that God can't reach you. You can't get in so impossible a situation that He can't take care of it. He can pay your taxes out of a fish's mouth (Matthew 17:27). He can do anything. Think about some of the things that God has done in the Scriptures, and He really did do them. He stopped the solar system for a day so Joshua could defeat his enemies. God can do anything. And, you know what? The great thing about it is He's “the same yesterday, and to-day, [yea] and for ever” (Heb.13:8). He is the same. He will still do anything to meet your needs if you will be weak and have faith. Be weak and have faith. Now, the time when you ought to have faith is when you're weak, because God doesn't need to meet your needs when you don't have any. You don't need a miracle until you need a miracle. Don't think that you can avoid a trial of your faith by receiving the miracle before you need it. No. God tries your faith. The miracle doesn't come till the miracle's needed. Trust in Him between here and there because He will be there. He will do what you need. Be confident in Him. Be children in Him. This is what we need to learn, and it's not an easy lesson. It demands the death of self, but religion has trained us up with the mind of the beast because religion has taught that God helps those who help themselves and it trains us to take care of these situations. Religion trains us to trust in the arm of the flesh. They even changed God into a god which He has never been so that they can trust in the arm of the flesh. “Now God does it this way,” they say, as if Jesus doesn't heal the same way He always healed, by laying hands on the sick or by speaking the word of faith. He's always healed that way and He still does. But you see, they've changed God so that you can trust in the arm of the flesh, so that you can be strong. You can run out and get the strength of the world, make your alliances with the world, get your insurance from the world. They'll change God and go to any extent to let the flesh live. But we have to become as a child; otherwise, Jesus says, you're not entering into the Kingdom of Heaven (Luke 18:17). The Kingdom of Heaven is where God rules, God reigns, God saves, God delivers. He hasn't changed. Man has attempted to change Him.  God put us here in this weak position. He planned for us always to be in a weak position, so that He could be our Savior. (2Co.4:7) But we have this treasure (the treasure Paul is talking about is the light of the knowledge of the glory of God) in earthen vessels, that the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God, and not from ourselves. God put this treasure, this knowledge of God, in such a weak vessel so that when anything happened, it would have to bring glory to Him and not to us. He could have put us in a strong vessel. He could have put us in a very knowledgeable, very wise, very strong, very healthy vessel, and we wouldn't have needed His help. He wouldn't have needed to be God, would He? We would have been our own gods.  If we watch all the children's superhero shows, we'll notice the thing that's super about them is they're their own gods. They do what they want. They are able. That's not what God ever wanted. God didn't choose us because we are able. He chose us because we're not able. He wanted to give us His ability freely through grace, and that's unmerited. You can't earn it; you can't pay for it. He wanted to give it to us freely. When you get yourself in an impossible situation, think about it. God put you there and He put you there so that you could see how great He is. So God put this wonderful treasure in a very weak earthen vessel. (2Co.4:8) We are pressed on every side, yet not straitened; perplexed, yet not unto despair; (9) pursued, yet not forsaken; smitten down, yet not destroyed; (10) always bearing about in the body the dying of Jesus (which is the death of self), so that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in our body. God wants Jesus to live through us, but we have to be weak for Him to do that. The power of Christ will rest upon those who are weak. We're powerful only because we have faith in God. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13) but He doesn't strengthen until you're weak, you see. We have to cease before He will start. We have to keep the Sabbath and cease from our works and enter into His works through faith. God not only put us in a world that's bigger than us and with an enemy that was a lot bigger than us; He put us in a vessel that was weak to begin with, so that when the salvation came, we would also know it was from Him and not from ourselves. We think we're so great and we've been trained to be self-sufficient. Mommas and daddies train up their children to be self-sufficient. That's not what God wants. He wants a child. He's always chosen the weak (1 Corinthians 26-29). He's never chosen the strong and this gives you hope. This gives you hope that when you get in impossible situations, God planned for you to be there so that He could show you His power, His deliverance, and His salvation. This is God's plan. It's been His plan from the beginning and He's done it over and over. (Deu.7:6) For thou art a holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a people for his own possession, above all peoples that are upon the face of the earth. And did you know that God still does that? God has still chosen you above all the peoples upon the face of the earth. Did you know that? If He chose you, He chose you above someone else, but He didn't choose you because you're wiser or smarter or more able or mighty, because “not many mighty, not many noble, [are called]” (1Co.1:26). God chose the weak. God called the weak “above all peoples that are upon the face of the earth.” (Deu.7:7) The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all peoples. And it's still that way, isn't it? God chose “the fewest of all peoples.” Why did He do that? Certainly, if He was fighting battles with all the Canaanites, He would want the greatest number, wouldn't He? No, because when the battle was won, He didn't want anybody to say, “Look what we did!” And when the battle is won in our lives, He doesn't want anybody to be able to say, “Look what we did!” “Look how powerful we are!” “Look how wise we are!” Or “Oh, we were smart enough to follow God.” You know, all these things that people could say. No. God said He didn't choose us because we were the mightiest but because we were the fewest. It's still that way today. The true Christians are few. Don't think that the Christians in this country are the many. What do they call them? The “moral majority.” That is just totally ridiculous! For proof of that, look at the people we have in elected office. If there was a moral majority, believe me, you would always have a government that was moral and good because that's the way democracy works. There's no moral majority. Never was.  God chose us because we were the fewest of all peoples. (Deu.7:8) But because the Lord loveth you, and because he would keep the oath which he swear unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, and from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. (17) If thou shalt say in thy heart, These nations are more than I; how can I dispossess them? (18) thou shalt not be afraid of them: thou shalt well remember what the Lord thy God did unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt; (19) the great trials which thine eyes saw, and the signs, and the wonders, and the mighty hand, and the outstretched arm, whereby the Lord thy God brought thee out: so shall the Lord thy God do unto all the peoples of whom thou art afraid. And so shall the Lord thy God do to all of the curse that you come against, and to all of the flesh that you have to conquer, and to all the principalities and powers that you have to conquer. They are made strong, and you are made weak for a purpose, so that you can see the power of God move against them.  We never need to count on our own strength. David did that and brought a curse on Israel (2 Samuel 24; 1 Chronicles 21). He counted the people of Israel and brought a curse on them because God sent a pestilence that killed 70,000 men, just so David couldn't count on his own strength (2 Samuel 24:15; 1 Chronicles 21:14). When you count on your strength, look out because you have trouble coming. God's going to humble you. God's in the humbling process with us. He wants to deliver us from trusting in the arm of the flesh. You know, in almost every battle that Israel won, they were outnumbered. Isn't it amazing that God demanded that they be outnumbered before He would give them the victory? For example, in Judges we're told that the Israelites had an army coming against them that the Bible says were as the sands of the sea for multitude (Judges 7:12). The Midianites, the Amalekites and the children of the east were coming against them, and all the men of Israel who could be gathered together weren't enough to do the job and they knew it. At first they were counting on their own ability and the numbers they had, but they were ridiculously outnumbered. (Jdg.7:2) And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me. Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and trembling, let him return and depart from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand. Well, that was just the beginning of God whittling down the people and those people who are fearful will not be the ones who have the victory over the enemy. Being weak is one thing, but being fearful is quite another. Being fearful is not trusting in the power that God has given us to come against our enemy. Being fearful is judging by your own ability. It's looking at your own ability or your own inability, but that's where God is putting us on purpose. This is God's plan to put us in a position of weakness, to make our enemy look big. He sent the Israelites into a promised land where the enemies were giants, and they were vastly outnumbered. It was God's plan for it to look like an unfair contest. In every trial that we go into, it's going to look that way so that when we get the victory, we know it's God's power, not our own.  If you're thinking, “Yeah, but God chose Gideon, a great man of valor, to bring this about.” Well, let's go back and look at Gideon. (Jdg.6:12) The angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valor. The Lord tells you the same thing. He's with you. His authority is behind you whenever you walk for Him. Whatever we do, we do in the Name, representing Him. His power and His authority are behind us when we act on the Word. (Jdg.6:13) And Gideon said unto him, Oh, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where are all his wondrous works which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt? but now the Lord hath cast us off, and delivered us into the hand of Midian.  Have you ever thought, “Where are the mighty works of God?” Well, I'll tell you where they are. They're waiting on people to be weak. If people won't be weak, they won't see them. As long as we're strong to save ourselves, we don't need God. There's no faith involved in that. So now Israel had just gotten itself into a position of weakness, and do you know what? God chose just as weak a man to lead them. (Jdg.6:14) The Lord looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and save Israel from the hand of Midian: have not I sent thee? “This thy might”? What is the Lord talking about? What does He mean here? It's because God sent Gideon. This kind of reminds you of Peter. “Lord, you just bid me to come to You on the water.” And when the Lord said, “Come,” Peter stepped out of the boat. The Lord said he could do it, and just on the word of the Lord, Peter did it (Matthew 14:28,29). He stepped out of the boat by faith. Nobody else stepped out of the boat, but he did. You know, if the Lord told you in the Word, that's all you need. “In this thy might.” God's always going to be behind His Word. If you step out on His Word, exercising faith in His Word, then His might is going to be there. You're always going to be weak, but His might will be there. “Have not I sent thee?” It's the same thing the Lord did to Moses when he protested, “O Lord, I'm not an eloquent speaker” (Exodus 4:10) and God answered him with, “Who hath made man's mouth?” (Exodus 4:11) God chose Moses not because he was great; God chose him because he was weak. (Jdg.6:15) And he said unto him, Oh, Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house. Gideon wasn't listening, was he? “My family is the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least of my father's house.” There it is. God chose the weakest and the least. Don't expect God to send Superman. That's not what He's looking for. This will not accomplish the purpose that He has. God is going to send someone who's weak, someone who is like a child. That qualifies some of us. You know, we can be as a child; we are unable in so many things. Sometimes we're forced into a position of being unable. But I tell you that what Jesus wants for us is not that we be forced into a position of weakness, but that we walk in that position of our own free will, refusing to be strong. This is the great thing. If we will learn to refuse to be strong, we will see the miracles of God now. And when we get forced into that position later, it won't be a big thing. It was no big thing for Moses to go through the wilderness with the children of Israel. They were being tried. He wasn't being tried. He'd already gone out into that wilderness and lived in that wilderness by faith in God. And God sent him because he had been there. He sent him back to bring the rest of the Israelites through that wilderness. And if you've been there, it won't be a big trial for you, but you'll be able to show others. This is very important for the times that are coming. People who are weak are going to be strong in the times that are coming, and others are going to be fearful. This wilderness experience that's coming is going to weed out the strong from the weak. The ones who are strong, who've always trusted in their own strength and who refuse to do anything else, they're going to fall by the wayside. It's going to be the babes who are going to go through the wilderness and make it to the other side. And God's always planned it that way. God will not permit salvation to come any other way but by grace. Some people look around and they say, “Look what God did here,” and “Look what God did there,” but if you look carefully, it's what a man did. They're giving credit to a man. (Exo.7:3) And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt. It's funny, but you see God on both sides of this thing. It was God who hardened Pharaoh's heart, as it says here, so that the miracles that came would be mighty miracles. God gave the Israelites a strong enemy who would not let them go. (Psa.105:25) He turned their heart to hate his people, To deal subtly with his servants. The Egyptians brought the people of God into bondage because they hated them. And in Psalm 106, God made them set His people free.  First God hardened the Egyptians, then He made them set the Israelites free. It was God's plan to put them in an impossible situation so that they would know how great God's salvation was. “I hardened Pharaoh's heart and multiplied my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.” (Exo.7:4) But Pharaoh will not hearken unto you, and I will lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. (5) And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch forth my hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them. It is God's plan to put us in an impossible situation. We think it's the devil's plan and the devil fighting against us. No, it's God's plan for us to be in impossible situations. A man can receive nothing, except it have been given him from heaven (Joh.3:27), the Bible says, so God puts us in these impossible situations full-well planning to do a miracle for us. When we get in these situations, we shouldn't look at the impossibility of the situation and then look at our strength and say, “Woe is me!” because we can see from history this has been God's plan all along. When we get in that kind of situation, we should figure that the odds are in our favor, if you figure odds. See, when a situation is impossible, that's when the odds are in your favor. It's just the opposite for the world because they count on their strength and not God's strength, but when you look with your eyes and you see the situation is impossible and you see the promise of God, that's when you should be confident in God. He put us in this situation so we could see what a great Savior He is. He hardened Pharaoh's heart; He turned the Egyptians' hearts to hate His people, to bring them into bondage so that He could do mighty miracles to deliver them. It was His plan all along to do mighty miracles to deliver them. Instead, people want to be strong. The Egyptians wanted to be strong. Pharaoh called for their wise men and sorcerers and magicians to see if they couldn't do the same curses that Moses was bringing. (Exo.7:11) Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers: and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did in like manner with their enchantments. (12) For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods.  So the curse is sent by God upon the earth. The whole chapter in Deuteronomy 28 is about the curse, and it came by the Hand of God. I know that we've been talking about the hand of the devil, but that's not what the Scripture says. God said He sent the curse. But men, in whom we put our trust, they also propagate the curse. In this instance, Moses brought this curse, but also the magicians brought this curse. And the magicians, the sorcerers, never took away a curse, not one time. (Note that the word in the New Testament for “sorcery” or “witchcraft” is the word pharmakia.) According to this, they can't take away a curse. They can bring a curse, but they can't take one away. Moses was the one who always took the curse away, both the one that he brought (from the Lord) and the one that the magicians brought. Moses was always the one who took away both curses (Exodus 7:12; 8:13). And it wasn't until the sorcerers came to the end of their ability that God made a division between Goshen and Egypt. The sorcerers couldn't duplicate any of the curses from the plague of lice onward (Exodus 8:19). That's when God made a division, right there. When they failed to duplicate the plague of lice, when they came to the end of themselves, their ability, then God made this differentiation. By the way, we are called to walk in health. For instance, God said, “I will put none of the diseases upon thee, which I have put upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee” (Exo.15:26). When did He do that? God did it right here. When the sorcery came to an end, when the witchcraft came to an end, then God made a division. From then on, the curses always fell upon the Egyptians and not on the Israelites. So what are we here for? We are here to be weak in the ways of the world. The carnal church is not weak in the ways of the world. They have absorbed and taken hold of the ways of the world; that's why they're called the “harlot.” And we're called to step out by faith, to put our trust wholly in God, not just in the area of healing, but in deliverance in circumstances. The Lord came to deliver us from everything that involves the curse of sin and of death. In fact, in Ephesians, where he says, “by grace are you saved (sozo) through faith,” the word “saved” there is used in the Scriptures for salvation of the soul, for salvation regarding healing, for salvation in circumstances (when they were in the boat that was filling with water, for instance), and for deliverance from demons. The same word is used in all of those instances. Sometimes it's translated “made whole.” (Eph.2:8) For by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, [it is] the gift of God; (9) not of works, that no man should glory. God will not permit us to have His salvation where we can earn it or where we are strong enough for it. He doesn't permit it. He puts us in situations where we're not strong or wise enough. But the world and the worldly Christian will try to convince you that you can be wise enough, you can gain enough strength to take care of this thing and they will give you all their worldly wisdom so that you'll come against it but, ultimately, because God loves you, He will see to it that you fail. In all of your efforts to save yourself, because He loves you, He will see to it that you fail. Men can't take one curse off, although they can sure shove it around. Only God can take a curse off because these curses come to try us, to get us in the position of being saved by God. Therefore, if you fail in this point, then you're going to go around the mountain again and you're going to come into the same trial again. This is why men can't ever deliver you because, if you do it man's way, well, you're just going to bump into it again down the road. You're going to go around that mountain, and the same trial again and again; and you'll just keep going around until you get it right. All man can do is put more curses upon you, you see. You'll keep going around and come back to the same trial until you get it right, until you do it God's way. How many times did God run the Israelites around out in that wilderness? And they cried, and they moaned, and they groaned, and they wanted to go back to Egypt (Exodus 14:11-12; 16:3). That's what the worldly church leadership is teaching people. “Go back to Egypt. Go ahead. There's nothing wrong with that. That's the way God does it now. Go on back to Egypt. Go back to the ways of the flesh. Go back to the strength of man, the arm of the flesh,” and so on and so forth, you know. They want you to put your trust in the arm of the flesh, but no, don't do it because there's a curse in that. (Jer.17:5 Thus saith Jehovah: Cursed is the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from Jehovah.) The curse is here, if nowhere else. You see, we've been given a certain amount of time to run this race and to bear fruit, and if all you do is run in circles, you're never going to finish the race. You never finish the race running in circles. We're running a race against time and at the finish line, we have to have the fruit. And God puts these trials in our way so that we go through them His way and overcome them His way. He puts them in our way because they're much bigger than we are. We can cry about going back to getting the strength of Egypt, or we can walk by faith in Jesus to overcome and have that strength for the next trial. Every time you overcome, you have that strength from Him. You can look back and remember what God did, and that's His plan. It was God Who brought the Israelites out into that wilderness, into some impossible situations.  When they first came out of Egypt and were going south, they were free; they were delivered; it was nothing but open country in front of them. (Exo.14:1) And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, (2) Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn back and encamp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, before Baal-zephon: over against it shall ye encamp by the sea. (3) And Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in. (4) And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he shall follow after them; and I will get me honor upon Pharaoh….  Who do you think Pharaoh might be? He was the ruler over the Egyptians, but I'll tell you another thing that can be seen here. If you remember, Paul likened the Israelites going through the Red Sea to them being baptized (1 Corinthians 10:1,2) and, of course, going through the Red Sea, the old man dies, but the new man is given life. So the old man was the Egyptian and the new man was the Israelite. When they went through the Red Sea, they were baptized in the Red Sea, in the water and in the cloud, and the old man, the Egyptian, died. Well, Pharaoh was the Lord, the god of the Egyptians. In fact, that was what his name meant – “The God.” Now, who is the god of the flesh? Satan. The devil is the god of the flesh and has been given power and authority to do what he does. Jesus said, “all authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth” (Mat.28:18). “All of it. All of it's been given unto Me.” Therefore, what the devil has, God gives him. And what the devil has, we give him. You can make “Pharaoh” bigger or you can make him smaller. You can take away his authority and power by agreeing with the Word, or you can give him authority and power by believing in him, believing in his strength and believing in his might. You can do that. Well, God made Pharaoh strong. He hardened Pharaoh's heart, and He made him strong. He made Pharaoh's people strong so that the salvation would be from God.  God gave us an enemy to conquer that appears to be so much stronger than we are, and that's the flesh. You look at your flesh. You look at the old man, the Egyptian, and you say, “Oh, Lord!” You get worried. The more you look at him, the more worried you get. “How am I ever going to beat this giant?” But God puts you in those positions on purpose. He has you there with enemies that appear much bigger than you are, but in actuality they're just bread for you. I like what Joshua and Caleb said about the people of Canaan: “they are bread for us” (Num.14:9). They're just something that is made for you to eat up and get bigger and stronger. God put them there so that His power would totally conquer them. He wasn't counting on your power. The Israelites had no power against the Egyptians. The Egyptians were a mighty, well-armed army, and God put the Israelites in that position so their salvation had to come from God. Back where we left off, Pharaoh wanted them to serve God in Egypt and God told Moses what to say to Pharaoh. (Exo.7:16) And thou shalt say unto him, the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou hast not hearkened. And then later, when Pharaoh was starting to give in a little bit, he called for Moses and said, Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land (Exo.8:25); in other words, in Egypt. You know, that's right where a lot of Christians are. They're sacrificing to God in Egypt. That is, they think they're doing it God's way, but they're doing it in Egypt. (Exo.8:26) And Moses said, It is not meet so to do; for we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to the Lord our God. See, we can't serve God in Egypt. We can't do it the Egyptians' way. If you're copying the world in any way in your salvation, then you're missing God because that's not the way God does it. Pharaoh's going to tell you, “It's okay. You can serve your god but just do it in Egypt, don't do it in the wilderness.” In Egypt they trusted in the strength that they received from Egypt and lived off the flesh-pots (Exodus 16:3); in other words, they lived off the flesh. But God wanted them in the wilderness where they couldn't have any help from anything else but Him. The power came from God, His ability. And the devil's going to tempt you the same way. He does it all the time. “It's okay, serve God, but do it this way. Just do it the way the Egyptians do it.” But God is doing it in such a way that we'll never be able to put our trust in the arm of the flesh again. It'll be a total victory over the flesh.  So God brought the Israelites out there into that wilderness, and He put them in this neat little trap between Migdol and the Red Sea to see what they would do. They didn't handle it well. They cried out, “Whoa! We wish you would have left us in Egypt to serve the Egyptians!” (Exodus 14:10-12) But God brought them there to part the Red Sea and do the greatest miracle of deliverance for them. He brought them to that situation, and we ought to see our situations that way too. We are in a wilderness experience going through this world. God is bringing us to all these impossible situations so that He can prove how big a God He is. His whole purpose is to prove how big a God He is. And the more impossible the situation, the bigger He becomes, in our mind anyway. That's what He wants. He wants us to glorify Him for what a great salvation He brings us to. And so God brought the Israelites from this trap to other traps. He brought them to the bitter waters (Exodus 15:23) and He had Moses throw in a tree that made the bitter waters sweet (Exodus 15:25). And I personally believe that the “bitter waters” symbolize our tongue because James talks about the sweet and the bitter waters that come from the same well, and he says it shouldn't be this way (James 3:10,11). (For a deeper understanding of this, read our book titled “The Tongue Conquers the Curse.”) God delivered us at the cross. That was the tree that was cast in that made the bitter waters sweet. God delivered us from the bitter waters of our own tongue because “death and life are in the power of the tongue; And they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof” (Pro.18:21). “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” We have the ability to change things in this wilderness that we're in with our tongue. God gave us that ability at the cross. He made the bitter waters sweet at the cross. The very next thing God did was make an ordinance. (Exo.15:26) If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his eyes, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases upon thee, which I have put upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee (Hebrew: Jehovah-Rophe). And God brought them to the place in the wilderness where there was no food (Exodus 16:3) and He gave them the food. He met their need for food. And He brought them to the place where there was no water (Exodus 17:1) and He brought water out of the rock (Exodus 17:6). God brought the Israelites to impossible situations, one after another, and He brought them against enemies who were much bigger than them. It was one impossible situation after another and, in every case, God planned a great deliverance for them, if they would just put their trust in Him. We see over and over in the Scriptures that God did this. Look at what God did with Gideon's army. The Lord whittled them down from 32,000 men to 10,000 and then from 10,000 down to 300 (Judges 7:7) to come against an army that was as many as the sands of the sea (Judges 7:12), so that Gideon's army couldn't say, “mine own hand hath saved me” (Jdg.7:2). There were too many Israelites for God to give the Midianites and Amalekites and children of the east into their hand, and He would have to whittle them down so that they would know that this was a mighty miracle from God. And how did He do it? He sent those 300 men out there with pitchers and torches, and when they broke the pitchers, the torches shone forth (Judges 7:20) and put the enemy in a fright (Judges 7:21). I believe those torches are likened to our spirit and that those pitchers are likened to our carnal vessel, our earthly vessel. The torch is like the spirit-man, so that when we're broken, the spirit-man is able to shine forth and the enemy is put to flight. What a simple thing! No swords, no cannons, no nothing! God made it ridiculous. He put a fright in those Midianites and Amalekites so that they feared and they ran, and they killed each other because of 300 torches. God's plan will work when reason just never will. You wouldn't think that would reasonably work. Nobody would make a plan like that except God, Who has the ability to put fear- total, devastating fear- in your enemy. I've seen Him do that. It's so wondrous how He can do that, make them turn and run. Praise God!

Job rejects Bildad's merit-based theology and acknowledges that no mortal can justify himself before the wise, mighty God.Only God is good; human arguments cannot compel or manipulate Him. Creation, miracles, and sovereign rule testify that Yahweh alone sees and accomplishes what is good. Job's image of God “snatching away” connects with Jesus' sheep,the parable of the soils, and harpazō in 1 Thessalonians: believers must continually choose faithful dependence, yet no enemy can seize them from God. The teaching finally links Job's language to Revelation's harvest, rapture, and unstoppable wrath, introducing the cosmic “helpers of Rahab.”Download Transcript

What happens when God shows you something about yourself you don't want to see?Our instinct is often to defend.Explain.Distract ourselves.Push it away.But what if the uncomfortable truth is actually an invitation to transformation?In this reflection on Psalm 32, John Ortberg explores the relationship between pain, honesty, forgiveness, and genuine change.John begins personally, describing a conversation in which a longtime friend helped him recognize uncomfortable patterns of comparison, envy, and competition in himself.Instead of defending himself, John is learning to say:“Yep. That's me. God, I need Your help.”Psalm 32 describes the blessed person as someone “in whose spirit is no deceit.”Then John tells the extraordinary story of Tom Tarrants, a violent white supremacist and KKK terrorist who was imprisoned in Mississippi.In prison, Tarrants encountered the words of Jesus:“What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?”His life began to change.The man who once participated in racist terrorism eventually devoted himself to forgiveness, racial reconciliation, and serving the very people he once hated.How far can somebody fall and still be changed by God?Maybe much further than we imagine.So when your conscience shows you something today, don't immediately run.Don't defend.Don't hide.Ask:God, help me see the truth about myself.And then:Would You change me?In this episode:- Psalm 32 and honest confession- What happens when we become defensive- Dallas Willard on pain and reality- Why hiding the truth fragments us internally- David, Psalm 51, and forgiveness- The story of Tom Tarrants- Radical transformation from hatred to reconciliation- What it means to have “no deceit” in your spirit- How to respond to conviction- Why God's grace can change anyoneScriptures: Psalm 32 • Psalm 51 • Psalm 1 • Matthew 16:26 • 2 Samuel 11–12#Psalm32 #JohnOrtberg #Forgiveness #Psalms #Transformation #SpiritualFormation #Confession #ChristianFaith #Grace #BibleStudy

Welcome to The Daily. Go ahead and pick up your 1 Peter Scripture Journal now. Our text today is 1 Peter 3:1-6: Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening. — 1 Peter 3:1-6 There are few pains more difficult than loving someone you cannot change. You pray for them. You reason with them. You offer advice. You revisit the same conversations over and over again. You imagine the breakthrough that never seems to come. Maybe it's a spouse. Maybe it's a child who has wandered from the faith. A parent. A friend. Someone you desperately want to see transformed. Eventually, the question becomes burdensome: What do I do when someone I love won't change? Peter writes into that burden. His immediate audience was Christian wives married to unbelieving husbands. In the Roman world, a wife was generally expected to observe her husband's religion. So when these women placed their faith in Christ while their husbands did not, it created tension inside the home. Their loyalty to Jesus came at a cost. And Peter doesn't shame them. He encourages them. He doesn't tell them to abandon hope. Nor does he hand them a strategy to control outcomes. Instead, he points them toward being a faithful witness. "They may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct." Peter isn't forbidding dialogue and discussion. Scripture consistently calls believers to speak truth and proclaim the gospel. Rather, he is reminding them that transformation ultimately belongs to God. You cannot pressure someone into repentance or genuine belief. You also cannot carry the responsibility for changing another person's heart. Only God can do that. Sometimes the loudest sermon isn't spoken from a stage. Sometimes it's lived out in the car, on the couch, or at the dinner table at home. Then in the text, Peter shifts the focus from outward appearance to inward beauty. In a culture obsessed with image and status, he reminds these women that what God values most is "the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit." This isn't the outdated script of feminine weakness and masculine dominance that modern culture often assumes Peter is endorsing. It is strength under control. It is the settled confidence of a person whose hope rests in God rather than in circumstances they cannot manage. Peter points back to Sarah as an example. Sarah's life wasn't marked by perfect circumstances. She followed an imperfect husband (Abraham) into uncertain situations with no guarantee of how the story would unfold. Yet she trusted God. And Peter ends with words that reveal the more resounding issue underneath this entire passage: "Do good, and do not fear anything that is frightening." Fear is often what drives our attempts to control people. Fears like: What if they never change? What if they never believe? What if this relationship is always hard? Peter acknowledges that those fears are real. Then he gently redirects our hearts toward things like: Keep doing good. Remain faithful. Trust God with what you cannot control. You see, you cannot change another person's heart. You cannot force spiritual growth. You cannot control another person's choices. But you can remain faithful. You can keep doing good. You can entrust the outcome to God. Because if God can change your heart, He is more than capable of reaching theirs. That person you are trying to change, give them to God. Release them to him in prayer, and ask that he would give you the strength to stop trying to control the outcomes and focus on reflecting Christ to them. DO THIS: Think of one person you've been trying to change. Release them to God in prayer today. Ask Him to help you focus less on controlling outcomes and more on faithfully reflecting Christ. ASK THIS: Who am I trying to change through my own strength? How might fear be influencing the way I relate to that person? What would faithfulness look like if I trusted God with the outcome? PRAY THIS: Father, You know the people I love and the burdens I carry for them. Forgive me for trying to do what only You can do. Help me remain faithful, patient, and full of grace. Teach me to trust You with what I cannot control and to reflect Christ in the way I love others. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Trust in God."

When a dream falls apart or a door you prayed would open suddenly closes, it can leave you wondering what God is doing. Maybe you've worked toward a particular career, relationship, opportunity, or ministry, only to hear “no,” “wait,” or nothing at all. Closed doors can feel like rejection, but what if God is using them as redirection? Proverbs 16:9 reminds us that while we make plans, the Lord ultimately establishes our steps. Surrendering our plans to God isn't always easy, especially when we genuinely believe we've found the path we were meant to take. But God's “no” doesn't mean He has abandoned us. Sometimes He is protecting us, sometimes He is preparing us for something different, and sometimes we may never know why a particular door closed. The invitation is to trust the Author of our story, release our grip on the outcome, and pray, “Your will be done.” Highlights Why God's closed doors don't necessarily mean rejection Learning to trust God when your plans don't unfold as expected How a “no” from God can become a redirection or protection The challenge of wanting God's will more than our own plans Finding peace when you're facing a “not yet” or a season of waiting How to surrender specific outcomes and remain open to God's leading Three questions to help you discern where God may be leading next Want more encouragement throughout your week? Subscribe to The Good Word, LifeAudio’s free weekly newsletter. Sign up at LifeAudio.com/thegoodword Do you want to listen ad-free? When you join Crosswalk Plus, you gain access to exclusive, in-depth Bible study guides, devotionals, sound biblical advice, and daily encouragement from trusted pastors and authors—resources designed to strengthen your faith and equip you to live it out boldly. PLUS ad free podcasts! Sign Up Today! Full Transcript Below: When God, the Author, Rewrites Your Plans By Hannah Benson Bible Reading:“The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps” (Proverbs 16:9 ESV). I just returned from living in the beautiful state of Tennessee for over 4 weeks, working on a feature film project. As I’ve been processing all the Lord has done, I’ve reflected on this verse in Proverbs in particular. When I was a little girl, it was my dream to serve the Lord through media missions. As a young woman, how is that dream now a reality? Only God. The truth is, we all have dreams, hopes, and plans. There is nothing wrong with making plans and hoping for something. In fact, God often places these desires in our hearts. What about when our plans fall through? When we feel like we’re praying, begging for a breakthrough, but heaven seems silent, or worse yet, God says no? There have been times in my life when I found myself on my knees praying for something, only for the door to slam shut. When we have our plans, sometimes we can question why. Why would God withhold something good from us? I can’t claim to know God’s reasons. After all, His thoughts are higher than our thoughts, and His ways higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:8-11). Sometimes, rejection is our protection. I have often found in my life that God will open doors that will draw me closer to Him and will bring Him the most glory. When He withholds something, it could simply be that I long for that thing more than I long for the will of the Lord to be done. That’s convicting. I want to desire God’s will far more than I desire anything else. That’s hard. When Jesus teaches His disciples how to pray in Matthew 6, He tells them to start by praying “Our father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (v. 9, 10 ESV). Notice the part about “your will be done.” God’s will is perfect. We should have a heart that desires to see God’s perfect will unfold here on earth as it does in heaven. We know God has good plans for us that are far better than anything we could dream or even begin to hope for. It’s one thing to agree with our lips, but quite another to truly desire in our hearts when God’s will isn’t always ours. What about when God says no? When God allows a door to quietly close? I wish I could say it’s easy to accept those no’s, but I don’t know that it ever gets easier. When we receive a no from God, sometimes, we may never understand why. Other times, we’ll look back and realize it was His protection or He had different plans that may’ve never unfolded otherwise. Intersecting Faith & Life: It can be incredibly difficult when our plans fall apart, when a dream begins to fade, or when a door we’ve knocked on stays firmly locked. It’s okay to grieve and to take our pain to Jesus. In fact, He wants us to share everything on our hearts with Him. But a closed door, a changed plan, or a dream that feels dead isn’t a sign of God’s abandonment. Instead, it’s proof of God, the Author’s hand over each of our lives, writing in each moment, caring for us so deeply as He sketches out all the details. Think about that. He cares about us so deeply that He’ll tell us no, shut a door, or change our plans. As I reflect on my own life, I can see the doors God has closed and others He has flung wide open. If it weren’t for the “no’s” of the past, I don’t think I would’ve received or appreciated all the “yeses” of today. That doesn’t mean there aren’t “nos,” “not yets,” or “waits” in this current season. But when there are, I want to remember that every closed door isn’t a rejection but a redirection, a beautiful gift from God. His plans aren’t always ours. His thoughts are often far beyond what we could imagine. And honestly? Thank God. If you are facing a closed door today, take some time to consider the following questions: Are you gripping a specific outcome so tightly that you’re missing where the Lord may be leading you next? Can you find peace in the truth that God’s "no" is an act of sovereign protection? How can you shift your prayers today from "Lord, do things my way" to "Your will be done"? Pray with me: Dear Father, thank You that Your plans aren’t always mine. Thank You for every "no," for every time You tell me to wait, or when You whisper, “not yet.” Thank You for the times You shut doors just as much as when You open them. Please help me surrender to Your leading and release my plans to You. Lord, please don’t let me miss where You are calling me next. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

There are things you've done that you wish you could take back. Choices you regret. Sins you're ashamed of. Parts of your story you wish no one knew. And even after you've repented, there can still be a voice inside that says: “God may forgive you…but He can't really love you the same.” Guys, that is a lie. This week in our Power Made Perfect series, we move from repentance to reconciliation. Repentance is when we turn around and head back toward the Father. Reconciliation is what happens when we discover who is waiting for us when we get there. Just like the prodigal son, we can come home expecting to be treated like a servant. But the Father says: No. You are still my son. In this week's episode, John covers:

Only God can satisfy the deep hunger of your soul.Donate to Moody Radio: http://moodyradio.org/donateto/todayssinglechristianSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thank you for joining us for Christian Faith Center's Sermon of the week. This message is from our Nampa Location. Pastor Jordan continues our message series "ANOTHER GOSPEL" One of the first Moralistic Deists in the whole bible. Was the rich young ruler! He was a Good Man. By the world's standards, But was still empty inside. Still seeking more. He approaches Jesus and calls Him, “Good teacher”. He was grading Jesus on the same curve that he was grading himself. "Good Works". Because Jesus was doing so many good things. Only God is truly Good.

Message on mission work from the KJV Bible! *** Note: We had a visitor named Martha that showed up for the first time, and she was from the Philippines! "Glory to God!" Only God could have put this together..!

Message on mission work from the KJV Bible! *** Note: We had a visitor named Martha that showed up for the first time, and she was from the Philippines! "Glory to God!" Only God could have put this together..!

Dealing With Anger #RTTBROS #Nightlight #BibleWisdomDaily Let me tell you something. I've been a custodian for over 20 years, and I've learned that when kids get angry, they make a mess. But let me just say, when adults get angry, we tend to make an even bigger one.I'm like Paul Harvey... 'Too soon old and too late smart.' I've spent 27 years in pastoral ministry and raising a family, and if there's one thing I know, it's that I haven't mastered anger. I've just gotten better at hiding it, or at least trying to. But here's the truth: anger is a signal. It's usually just fear or frustration wearing a cheap disguise. When I feel that heat rising, it's usually because I'm trying to control something that's God's to handle. I used to think my job was to yell people into being good. Now I know that's not my job at all. Only God can change people in a lasting way."Scripture Connection: James 1:19-20 "The apostle James gives us some practical advice that has saved me more times than I can count. He lays out three commands for us. Look at James 1:19-20:'Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.'Think about that. Swift to hear. Slow to speak. Slow to wrath. James points out a hard reality: 'The wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.' My anger doesn't fix the problem. It doesn't bring about God's righteousness. In fact, it usually blocks it. When I blow my top, I'm not helping; I'm hindering the very change I want to see." Practical Wisdom: The "Pause" & Grace "So, what do we do? How do we deal with it?First, practice the pause. Be swift to hear. When someone is frustrating you, force yourself to listen to understand, not just to reload your rebuttal. Ask yourself, 'What is God trying to show me here?'Second, remember that you will fail. I fail. We all fail. But here is the beautiful part: God's grace covers our stumbles. Ephesians 4:26 says:'Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath.'This doesn't give us permission to stay angry; it acknowledges the struggle and gives us a way out. If you snap, confess it. Reset. Ask for forgiveness. God's job is to change you, and He is faithful to work in the aftermath of your mistakes. Don't let shame keep you stuck; let repentance lead you forward."Closing: Community & Hope Anger is a battle we fight together. We need each other. If you're struggling with this, ask a trusted friend or family member to hold you accountable. Community is essential; we weren't meant to do this alone.Let's pray.Father, help us to be swift to hear and slow to wrath. Forgive us when we let our reactions drive the bus. We trust Your job to change our hearts. Give us the grace to reset and the humility to ask for help. We love You. In Jesus' name, amen.Thanks for listening, friends. Keep choosing integrity, and remember, you matter and you make a difference. I'll see you next time."#RTTBROS #Nightlight #BibleWisdomDaily #ChristianWisdom #PracticalBiblicalWisdom

When the Curse Comes Close Marshall Segal Download Psalm 108,My heart is steadfast, O God! I will sing and make melody with all mybeing!2 Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn!3 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations.4 For your steadfast love is great above the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all theearth!6 That your beloved ones may be delivered, give salvation by your right hand and answer me!7 God has promised in his holiness: “With exultation I will divide up Shechem and portion out the Valley of Succoth.8 Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet, Judah my scepter.9 Moab is my washbasin; upon Edom I cast my shoe; over Philistia I shout in triumph.”10 Whowill bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom?11 Have you not rejected us, O God? You do not go out, O God, with our armies.12 Oh grant us help against the foe, for vain is the salvation of man!13 With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes.A couple months back, our main drain backed up into our laundry room, which is actually strangely normal for our street. A lot of our neighbors deal with tree roots in their drain lines that have to be cleared out once a year. We've done that for years now. But this year was different. In the spring, we noticed the line backing up again, and so we had our guy come out, and he cleared the drain like he had many times before. But just three months later, the laundry room flooded again. Frustrating. So we bring out a different guy. This guy has a camera. And so when he's done, we can see that the drain is actually clear this time. Wonderful. A couple hours later, though, we run the washer and there's more water in the laundry room. We bring the camera guy back, and he confirms the main drain is clear. But we see that the floor drain in the laundry room is badly clogged, and so he clears that one. As he does that, we run the washer again, and realize that the sink drain is also clogged. So, if you're counting, we had not one, not two, but three clogged drains.As I studied Psalm 108 this week (and did a couple loads of laundry), all those clogs came to mind again, because they're a picture of verse 12:“Oh grant us help against the foe, for vain is the salvation of man!”The salvation of man is like a horrible triple clog, flooding the house over and over and over again. Every time you clear one clog, another one appears. If we trust in man to deliver us, heal us, satisfy us, we're just asking for more dirty water. But our hope is not in man (even men with special cameras). No, our hope is in God and his steadfast love, and that's what Psalm 108 is all about. It's a psalm of David, and David is feeling the pain of the curse again. The world isn't how it should be, and the curse is coming in close again. David's battling enemies at the gate again. He's pleading (again) with God for relief and deliverance, and as he pleads he takes five big steps in the psalm. And those five steps are my sermon this morning.1. We GroanWhen the curse comes close, step 1, we groan. We don't know what situation caused David to write this psalm, but we know he was struggling to see where God was and what he was doing. The psalm opens with loud praise and confidence — “I will sing and make melody with all my being!” — but it doesn't stay there. . . . By the time we get to verses 10–11, he says:“Who will bring me to the fortified city?Who will lead me to Edom?Have you not rejected us, O God?You do not go out, O God, with our armies.”God, we're going out against our enemies and it feels like you've rejected us. It feels like you've tossed us to the wolves and walked away. Where are you?Why aren't you helping us?And before we go any farther, we know this feeling, don't we — persistent conflict somewhere in our family, frustrating dynamics at work that linger over months and months, a friend who keeps disappointing us even after hard conversations, piles and piles of doctor visits (and the problem still won't go away)? God, where are you? God, you promised a peace that surpasses all understanding, but I'm not feeling peace right now. You promised healing, but I'm not experiencing healing. You promised victory over this sin, but I'm not winning yet. No, I'm feeling anxious, attacked, tired, and defeated. This is our home because of sin.We all taste the bitterness of the curse all the time, with all five senses (some of us maybe tasted it this morning, just to get to church). How much of life while we wait here on earth feels a little like we're somewhere between clogs two and three? God, why is there so much water! You know what I have to do today. You know that I'm trying to serve you and honor you and glorify you. Clear these pipes already! I thought you loved me. I thought you knew what I needed before I asked. Why am I still dealing with conflict and temptation, sickness and weakness? That's not the world you promised me when I chose to follow you.David's groaning here, and he's not wrong to groan. This world isn't what it should be — what it will be. And God wants us to feel that. That's the purpose of the curse. He wants us to feel how wicked and destructive sin is. . . . So where are you feeling the crippling consequences of sin? Where do you feel like God has rejected your prayers and pulled back his support? We should groan. David's feelings here are legitimate and important, and it's good for him (good for us) to express them to God, but those feelings also aren't a complete picture. David knows that, and that leads us to the second step.2. We PraiseWhen we experience the curse along our way to glory, we groan. And we're right to groan. But we don't only groan. No, we groan and, second, we praise. Even under the curse and all the consequences of the curse, we praise God. David could praise God even while he felt abandoned by God because he knows reality is so much more than what he feels — more than what he can see from his very limited human perspective. This is where the psalm begins, verses 1–4:“My heart is steadfast, O God!I will sing and make melody with all my being!Awake, O harp and lyre!I will awake the dawn!I will give thanks to you, O LORD, among the peoples;I will sing praises to you among the nations.For your steadfast love is great above the heavens;your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.”It feels like God is not loving and not faithful right now, but David knows better than that. He knows that God's steadfast love has not come to an end and that his mercy is still new again this morning — even in disappointment and defeat. His God is not any less God in the valley. He says, “Your steadfast love is great above the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.” I can only see so much down here on earth, God, and it looks pretty dark and bleak where I am, but your steadfast love stands high above all I can see. Your faithfulness reaches as far as I can imagine (and even farther than that). Reality is far bigger than my feelings, like galaxies bigger than my feelings (that's why he's reaching for “heavens” and “clouds” here).I experienced this on a flight with our family recently. It was overcast and rainy when we took off and started climbing, but pretty soon, what happened? We broke through the clouds, and (you've seen this) I saw the sun shining strong and bright, blue sky as far as I could see. It was a whole different world up there. . . . But it wasn't. It was the same world above the clouds as it was below the clouds. We just can't see above the clouds most of the time. If you go high enough, though, it'sall sun. And that's how it is with God's love for you. It may be pretty miserable here beneath the clouds right now, but just above all the clouds you can see, it's all sun. His steadfast love is great above the heavens, his faithfulness reaches to (and through) the clouds. Don't measure his love or faithfulness with your eyes and your trials. The truth is you can't see very much from where you're sitting. David praises what he knows about God even when he can't see his faithful, loving hand. In this case, in this moment of groaning, David reached for praise from another season of his life. He borrowed from two earlier psalms for this new trouble (whatever it was). Nothing in this psalm is new. Verses 1–5 are from Psalm 57, where David praises God after God delivered David from the cave with Saul (this is 1 Samuel 24). Remember that David was hiding in a cave, and Saul was hunting him to kill him. Saul actually went into the cave where David was (terrifying for David), but he didn't know David was in there. In the darkness, David sneaks up and cuts off a piece of Saul's robe and shows it to him later to prove his loyalty. God delivered David that day from great danger — steadfast love above the heavens, faithfulness to the clouds. And now with this new trouble, David reached back for the song he wrote outside that cave. And then the second half of Psalm 108, verses 6–13, are from Psalm 60, where David expresses some distress in battle, but this time, he leads God's people to victory over Edom, wiping out 12,000 soldiers in battle. With God's help, they did valiantly that day. And as David reaches back for old praise in these news trials, he teaches us to do that. Learn these psalms well enough, Cities Church, that you can grab them when the curse comes close to you. And when God answers your prayers, praise him. Write them down. Memorialize them in some way. Write a new song, like we talked about in Psalm 98. And then hold onto those answered prayers for days when the curse comes close again and God hasn't answered yet.3. We AskSo, we groan, feeling the awful weight of sin and all its consequences, and we praise, remembering that God's love and faithfulness are so much bigger than all we feel and fear. David teaches us, third, to ask. We ask God to end the curse and make good on his promises. Notice, David doesn't remember God's promise and stop asking. No, he hears the promise and it emboldens him to ask even harder. God, you promised to deliver us, and so deliver us! God means, for now, to make war on the curse through our asking. One day soon, he'll wipe out the curse — all of his enemies everywhere. But for now, he chooses to defeat the curse a prayer at a time. Here's how David asks in Psalm 108, verses 5–6:“Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!Let your glory be over all the earth!That your beloved ones may be delivered,give salvation by your right hand and answer me!”Deliver us, God! Give salvation by your right hand and answer me! That's the first prayer. I have prayers like this in our life, prayers that just won't give. Why won't you answer me, God? . . .One great reason God makes us wait in prayer is because he wants us to keep praying. Why would God make me wait so long? Because he knows some of us would stop praying if we got what we wanted — and it's far more important that we stay on our knees in faith than that we have some temporary relief or comfort in this life. He loves you too much to let you feel like you don't need him. “Deliver me” isn't the only prayer, though, or the highest prayer. No, the highest prayer comes in the verse before, verse 5:“Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!”Praying saints like King David can keep praying the same prayers, sometimes for years, because they want something more than they want relief or healing or deliverance. They want God to be glorified! They want his truth and beauty and worth to be seen and enjoyed all over the earth. And they want him to do whatever he needs to do for that to happen. And, Scripture is clear, that might mean we suffer for a little while. It might mean we suffer for the rest of our lives. That's the apostle Paul's thorn, right? Lord, take it away, take it away, take it away — three times he asks — but not my will, but yours be done. And God doesn't take it away — not because he's rejected or abandoned Paul. His steadfast love stands above the heavens, and his faithfulness to the clouds. No, he leaves the thorn for now, because God is more concerned with his glory running out into the world through us, for the eternal good of others, than he is with providing some short-term comfort for us now. He's doing something wonderfully, eternally glorious in all our trials. We just can't see it yet. But we can ask. And God wants us to ask and keep asking, like David does here.4. We TrustWhen we feel the curse, we groan, we praise, we ask, and, fourth, we trust. We hold on hard to what God has promised to do for those who love him. Listen to David cling onto a promise, verses 7–8:God has promised in his holiness: [He doesn't lie!]“With exultation I will divide up Shechemand portion out the Valley of Succoth.Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine;Ephraim is my helmet,Judah my scepter.Shechem, Succoth, Gilead, Manasseh, Ephraim, Judah — these are all places within the promised land, the land that God promised to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all of Israel after them. Israel's living in the land by now, but it's still under constant attack. And so David is saying, “God, you said! Gilead, Manasseh, Ephraim, Judah — those are yours, and you promised to give that land to us. So why does the land feel so fragile? Why do the enemies feel so powerful? Still, he holds onto the promise. You said, and I'm going to trust you.And God didn't promise only the 8,000 square miles of land on the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea. No, he promised to take every land for his glory. That's what the next verse is about, verse 9. God goes on, “Moab is my washbasin;upon Edom I cast my shoe;over Philistia I shout in triumph.”Now we're outside of Israel. These are Israel's surrounding enemies. And God says, “Oh they belong to me too.” And David believes him. Even when it feels like the Moabites and Philistines have the upper hand and are taking ground, David remembers what God said and he truststhe promise. He keeps looking to God for salvation. He looks to God for salvation, and (next verse) he refuses to look to man. Again, verse 12: “Oh grant us help against the foe, for vain is the salvation of man!”David knows this temptation all too well. He knows that when the curse is pressing in, and the opposition is intense, and it seems like God has rejected and abandoned him, there will be a terrible pressure to turn and trust in man — to trust in himself and his armies and other armies. If God won't help me, then I'll try something else. Have you felt that temptation? God's way isn't working, and so I'm trying my way.We don't talk this way, of course. We'd never say to each other, “Oh yeah, I'm actually trying out the salvation of man. I'm expecting someone else to save me now.” We don't talk like that, but oh we act like that sometimes. Don't we? We might say God is our Savior, but so much of what we say and do points to a different savior (often to ourselves). We skip time in the word because we're too busy right now. We slip in and out of church because we've got somewhere else to be. We work and work and work and rarely pray. We ask ChatGPT instead.David knew that the salvation of man saves nothing. It accomplishes nothing. It is vain. And he knew he (and we) needed to be reminded that man cannot save. Only God can save.5. We TreadWe do not trust in man — certainly not ourselves — no, we trust in God. And when we trust in him, we will do valiantly. We don't use that word often (at least I don't), but we should. When we feel the curse, we groan, we praise, we ask, we trust, and finally, we tread. Oh we will tread down all the forces of evil and consequences of evil. Verses 12–13:“Oh grant us help against the foe,for vain is the salvation of man!With God we shall do valiantly;it is he who will tread down our foes.”Vain is the salvation of man, but sure is the salvation of God. With God, we shall do valiantly. We shall prevail against all our enemies. For David, that meant Moab and Edom and Philistia. If God is with us, we have nothing to fear and we cannot lose. No matter how bleak it gets, we can take courage and know that we will outlast every enemy of God. Because God himself will tread down our foes. “With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes.” And when he treads, he treads with sovereign, unrivaled power. That's what he just said in verse 9:“Moab is my washbasin;upon Edom I cast my shoe;over Philistia I shout in triumph.”Those enemies that seem so massive and powerful to you right now? They're are a bucket for my feet. They're a plastic bin for my sandals. We don't talk about Moab or Edom or Philistia today. They don't seem so big anymore, do they? The Philistines vanished as a people 2,500 years ago. Think about that. Israel fought the Philistines for two or three hundred years. For all that time (the entire history of the United States), these were the terrible giants bearing down on them. Where is God? What if they wipe us out? And then they're completely gone, tossed out like water in a bucket. That's true of every great fear you have today — war, disease, oil prices, artificial intelligence.A.I. is my washbasin. . . . upon cancer I cast my shoe. . . . over Islam I shout in triumph.The giants we most fear are as nothing to him. They're water for him to wash his feet. And I don't know about you, but the giants I battle most aren't out there in the headlines — no, they're in here. Pride. Selfishness. Impatience. Wrath. Envy. Self-pity. And God promises, I'm taking that land too. Whatever temptation looms over you. He says, “We all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord,are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18). In other words,Pride is my washbasin. . . . upon envy and bitterness I cast my shoe. . . . over lust I shout in triumph.The salvation of man is vain. You can't beat that sin alone. But with God, you can and shall do valiantly.The King, the Cave, and the ConquestDavid saw God tread down foes by the tens of thousands — Moab, Edom, Philistia, but he didn't see him tread all his foes. And that brings us to the Table.King David knew God would have his full and final victory, but he also knew that God's people needed another King. A King who would take on flesh, sympathizing with us in our groaning — “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” Who would praise the steadfast love and faithfulness of his Father, even in his darkest hour. Who would ask that the bitter cup of the curse be removed from him. Who would trust the Father's word and will — “Not my will, but yours be done.” Who would be betrayed, condemned, crucified, and buried — and through it all, would do valiantly. On the cross, King Jesus tread down his enemies in awesome victory. That King, remember, was also rescued from a cave. And while he has defeated the Enemy already in his death and resurrection, he will return and wash his feet with all his enemies. He'll toss his glorified sandal on anyone who rejects him and stands against him. And on that day, he'll bring us home, where the curse will never come close again.

Only God's blessings add no sorrow, no regrets, no blemishes. They are peaceful and renewed.

Solomon had the freedom to pursue virtually every desire, including unlimited sexual pleasure. But did getting everything he wanted finally make him happy? In Ecclesiastes 2, Solomon exposes the trap of sexual idolatry and reaches his verdict on the pursuit of pleasure: the pleasure was real, but it wasn't enough. Only God can carry the weight of the human soul.Message 5 - 8.9.2026

Actor Alex Zuko pulls up a chair at the coffee table to share how a five-month trip to India turned into a full Catholic reversion, and how that journey eventually led him to play a grieving priest in the award-winning short film "A Great Day." Julie Nelson and Chris Magruder talk with Alex about forgiveness, the sacraments, and the surprising miracle that saved one of the film's most powerful scenes. From Munchkin to the Big Screen Alex's acting career started in elementary school, playing a Munchkin in The Wizard of Oz, and grew through high school theater into a degree from the University of Florida's School of Theatre and Dance, where he graduated with honors before building a career in commercials, student films, and independent features. A Reversion Story from India While extending a trip through China, Tibet, Nepal, and India by five months, Alex spent two weeks volunteering with the Missionaries of Charity — caring for handicapped children in the mornings and the destitute and dying in the afternoons. Daily Mass became part of his routine, and a visit to a former Catholic friend's Protestant service helped him realize what set the Catholic faith apart: the Real Presence in the Eucharist. That conviction sparked a ten-year journey back to the fullness of the faith, including a moment of profound healing from addiction during Eucharistic adoration. Playing Father Zachary in "A Great Day" In "A Great Day," Alex portrays a priest wrestling with grief and alcoholism who is called to anoint a dying man — the very man responsible for the death of his family. Inspired in part by a homily from Father Mike Schmitz recounting a story tied to St. Faustina, the film explores confession, the anointing of the sick, and the Eucharist as channels of God's mercy. Preparing for the Role Through Real Loss Alex shares how walking his aunt through her final days in a Philadelphia hospital — including her reception of confession, anointing of the sick, and Communion — became unexpected preparation for the role, deepening his understanding of a priest's ministry at the bedside. A Marian Miracle on Set One pivotal scene wasn't coming together, even after hours of on-set prayer. It wasn't until the production team added music derived from the star pattern on Our Lady of Guadalupe's tilma that the scene finally came alive — a detail Alex says still moves him every time he watches it. "Only God's Grace Can Bloom Thorns Into Roses" That closing line from the film sums up its message. Since release, "A Great Day" has been viewed more than a million times worldwide (including subtitled versions) and has prompted numerous priests to reach out to Alex about what it meant to them and their vocation. What's Next: The Silent Song Alex is currently filming The Silent Song with Mount Carmel Studios, portraying Father Luis Cancer, one of Florida's first Catholic martyrs, killed near Tampa Bay in 1549. The project was inspired by his bishop after a private screening of "A Great Day." Watch & Learn More Watch "A Great Day" on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch Learn more, request a free screening, or find study guides at ourladyfilms.org: https://ourladyfilms.org/a-great-day/ Learn more about Mount Carmel Studios and upcoming projects at mountcarmelstudios.com: https://mountcarmelstudios.com/   #CatholicWomenNow #AGreatDayFilm #CatholicShortFilm #Forgiveness #CatholicFaith #FaithReversion #CatholicMovies #DivineMercy #AlexZuko #IowaCatholicRadio #CatholicPodcast #Sacraments Listen Live · Program Schedule · Our StationsLINKSYou can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Tiktok! More on our website.If you would like to support Iowa Catholic Radio you can donate Here! More from Iowa Catholic Radio:Sunday Dive with Katie PatrizioMan Up! with Joe StopulosCatholic Women Now with Chris Magruder and Julie NelsonThe Uncommon Good with Bo Bonner and Dr. Bud MarrBe Not Afraid with Fr. Fabian Moncada and Fr. Bruce RiebeBe Not Afraid en Español con el P. Fabián MoncadaMaking it Personal with Bishop William JoensenFaith and Family Finance with Gregory WaddleThe Great Men of the Bible with Joe Stopulos Liturgy & DevotionsThe Daily Gospel Reflection with Fr. Nick SmithThe Daily Mass from St. Francis of AssisiThe Daily Mass from St. Pius XThe Daily Mass from St. TheresaSunday Mass from the Basilica of Saint JohnWant to support your favorite show? Click Here Iowa Catholic Radio - Connecting People to Christ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

[Psalm 1:1-3] Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. [2] But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. [3] They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do. God promises _____________ & _____________ for those who delight in His teachings. [Hebrews 4.12] For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Only God's Word will give you the tools to ___________ sin. [Psalm 119:61] Evil people try to drag me into sin, but I am firmly anchored to your law. READ God's Word Daily The Bible is the _____________ way that God speaks to us. [2 Timothy 3.16-17] All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. [17] God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. MEDITATE on God's Word Meditation is not _____________ your mind, it is _____________ it with God's Word. [Joshua 1:7-8] Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. [8] Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. Meditation is the process of moving God's Word from your _____________ to your _____________. APPLY God's Word into your life. [Matthew 7.24, 26] “Anyone who listens to my teaching and obeys me is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. [26] But anyone who hears my teaching and ignores it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. It's not what you _____________ but what you _____________ that makes you a Christ-Follower.

Read OnlineJesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Matthew 16:24–25Today's Gospel begins with a triple command that forms the foundation of authentic Christian living: We must deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Jesus. Let us consider the implications of these commands.First, it is important to note that Jesus uses the word “must.” This is more than an invitation—it is a divine law, given for our eternal good. The Greek word for “must” is “dei,” a term that carries the connotation of necessity, obligation, and divine appointment. It is frequently used in Scripture to express what is required by God's saving plan. More than a suggestion or an ideal for devout souls, it is an absolute necessity for all who wish to follow Christ.Jesus never asks anything of us that He Himself has not already done. Just prior to today's Gospel, Jesus declared that “the Son of Man must suffer greatly” (Matthew 16:21)—and He did. In the same way, we must deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him. This is the narrow path that leads to life, the only path that conforms us to Christ and brings us to the glory of His Resurrection. To ignore this necessity is to reject the path of true discipleship.Denying ourselves is, first and foremost, a renunciation of self-centeredness. We must get out of the way so that Christ may reign in us. This means placing God's will above our preferences, ambitions, and desires. Such self-denial is not an end in itself but is a necessary clearing of the soul, making room for divine love to govern our lives. In Heaven, this purification will be complete, making it easy to choose God's will alone. But during our earthly pilgrimage, we face a continual interior battle in which we must repeatedly renounce all that is not of God's will.Today, Christians rightly venerate the Cross as a sacred image of our salvation. However, in Jesus' time, the cross was seen only as a brutal Roman instrument of execution—an image of excruciating suffering and utter humiliation. To take up our cross, therefore, is to embrace what naturally repels us, what evokes fear, and what requires courage, sacrifice, and surrender. This embrace also demands supernatural trust. Only God can bring forth good from such suffering. When we understand this and entrust ourselves to Him, we are able to accept—without rebellion—all that He permits: sufferings, trials, sacrifices, and even death itself, uniting these with the redemptive suffering of Christ.Of the three “musts,” following Jesus might seem the easiest, at least on the surface. Yet true discipleship goes far deeper than simply walking behind Him, being kind, and enjoying life. To follow Christ is to walk in Him, allowing our lives to be conformed to His. It is a lifelong journey of transformation—a participation in His life, death, and resurrection. It requires the daily decision to walk the narrow path of fidelity, humility, and love.Because this triple command is challenging, Jesus offers a divine paradox to help: “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” This offers immediate hope in the face of following Jesus' commands. He further softens the challenge by asking, “What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?” The “world” and all its enticements cannot compare to the glory achieved by the sacrificial life to which we are called.Reflect today on Jesus lovingly telling you what you must do to inherit eternal life. Once we understand the reward, the means become much easier to accept. Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Jesus. Do it today and every day of your life and you will find your life alive and glorified in Christ for all eternity.My selfless and sacrificial Lord, You not only commanded us to deny ourselves and take up our crosses, You first walked that path Yourself, enabling us to follow You as we live in union with You. Free me from every fear of the Cross. Help me to see beyond the immediate hardships it brings, to the glory that awaits those who live a life of sacrifice with You. Jesus, I trust in You.  Image: Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry the cross, by Philipp SchumacherSource: Free RSS feed from catholic-daily-reflections.com — Copyright © 2026 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. This content is provided solely for personal, non-commercial use. Redistribution, republication, or commercial use — including use within apps with advertising — is strictly prohibited without written permission.

Prepare for Tribulation Harvest (2) (audio) David Eells - 8/5/26 Raging Battle in the Second Heaven Shelly Lynch - 04/20/2013 (David's notes in red) This was given to me in answer to Paul's prayer that we would be given night visions: I woke up at 5:00 AM and prayed for the brethren and much in the Spirit. Then I was caught up in the Spirit to the second heaven. I saw and heard a 'man' to the left, whom I knew was Satan, as he railed and reviled and verbally slandered continuously. I did not listen to the words, but I knew they were vile and every form of violent anger, hatred, and slanderous accusations. As I was caught up to the second heaven, there was a strong flash of lightning and the ground shook violently, and the heavens thundered, and I could hear hail falling and pounding the ground violently. I thought it was an earthquake happening. I felt fear and dark oppression so much that it was almost suffocating. I tried to speak, but I could not. I thought the words, 'the blood of Jesus', but I could not speak them. Finally, I sobbed out the words, “the blood of Jesus!” and I was back in my bed in my room, where it was calm and still. (Claiming the deliverance of the sacrifice of Jesus is power to save.) I was shocked. I looked at the clock, and it was 6:00 AM. I was surprised there wasn't an earthquake, as it seemed so real. I prayed, asking the Lord about this because I had asked the Father for a strong anointing of the latter rain to fall on the Man-child and then to the Bride. I was not prepared for what happened. He said, “I wanted you to have a glimpse of the battle raging in the heavenly realms”. I am surprised it is a battle of words, and I realize even more how powerful the blood of Jesus is and the Word of God is to save us! I also realize how important it is that we intercede more in prayer, as our words are powerful against the battle that is raging in the heavenly realms. I know that we have an enemy who is intent on our destruction and rails against us continuously! Yet, “greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world”. I was kept safe in my Savior's arms! Praise the Lord! (Rev.12:7) And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels [going forth] to war with the dragon; and the dragon warred and his angels; (8) And they prevailed not, neither was their place found any more in heaven. (9) And the great dragon was cast down, the old serpent, he that is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world; he was cast down to the earth, and his angels were cast down with him. (10) And I heard a great voice in heaven, saying, Now is come the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, who accuseth them before our God day and night. (11) And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony; and they loved not their life even unto death. (12) Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe for the earth and for the sea: because the devil is gone down unto you, having great wrath, knowing that he hath but a short time. (13) And when the dragon saw that he was cast down to the earth, he persecuted the woman that brought forth the man [child]. (14) And there were given to the woman the two wings of the great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness unto her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. (Notice the dragon could not make war on the Man-child but turned on the woman or little ones just before she was saved from the serpent in the wilderness tribulation.) After the house-cleansing from the apostates, we will begin to see the fruit of revival. We will be prepared as a Bride joined to her Man-child. The flow of the Spirit will come. We will be safe to begin to receive the little ones.   You Can Witness: Jesus Lives in You G.W.- 12/06/2008 (David's notes in red) Does the flesh attack your mind when you try to witness to others? I had a dream where I realized that I was right in the middle of a war with people being held captive at gunpoint all over the place. I could only focus on one guy who looked like an African soldier from the Congo. (This is your flesh, the old, sinful man of darkness.) I began to try to speak to help the people and persuade the soldier, but he would get angry and would shoot me in the face with his gun. (This attack against your face is to deface you to yourself. This is what the flesh does when you want to witness to someone.) I could even sense the bullets hitting my flesh, and I wondered why it didn't hurt or even kill me. In my mind, however, I began to think that it was about to do enough damage to kill me. (Don't listen to the old man, and the Lord will give you strength and wisdom.) After about two or three times of this, I found myself with the captives. (The demons want you captive to himself.) It was like we were in a Bible study, and I could tell that they wanted to hear some teaching of the Bible. Before I started talking, the thought came: “I need to have grace but need to season it with salt” (Col.4:6) Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer each one). I then thought and reasoned, “These people had been through too much; they needed only grace.” I began to preach to the people (2Co.9:8) And God is able to make all grace abound unto you; that ye, having always all sufficiency in everything, may abound unto every good work, but it wouldn't flow out. (This is probably because of the attacks of demons through the flesh [bullets]). These verses and advice are first of all meant for you and only then for others.) I felt like people were trying to talk about their doctrines, which I knew were wrong and the Bible study began to be disruptive. (I work in a halfway house with recovering alcoholics, drug addicts, etc.) (Yes, these people need grace to overcome bondage, not arguing over doctrines, which is a trick of the devil sometimes to destroy the word they need.) As I kept teaching, the people began to fall asleep. I then tried to pick up the huge mess they had made to gain favor with the people who had held them captive. (Pleasing the flesh makes a mess of our lives.) I then looked in a mirror and all I could see were all these bullet holes where the African man had shot me. (Looking at the damage the old man has done to the image of how we perceive ourselves is hindering many people's ministry. Look away from past failures and accept your perfection in Christ. (Php.3:13) Brethren, I could not myself yet to have laid hold: but one thing [I do], forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before, (14) I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (15) Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, be thus minded: and if in anything ye are otherwise minded, this also shall God reveal unto you. (2Cor.5:17) Wherefore if any man is in Christ, [he is] a new creature: the old things are passed away; behold, they are become new. See Jesus in you, and all that implies, and the grace and power will come from Him. (2 Cor.3:18) But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit. (Php.4:13) I can do all things in him that strengtheneth me.)   Tribulation Surprise Mark Fritts - 11/28/2005 (David's notes in red) I had a dream last night, which I thought may be showing me the surprise of the tribulation appearing suddenly to unaware Christians. I was on a small boat on a river, being shown the sights along the river by a tour guide, I believe. (Representing other Christians and me, casually just enjoying life.) Suddenly, I noticed that the back of the boat where I sat began to fill up with water. In a matter of seconds, the boat had sunk, and we were all swimming for shore (it was like  sudden tribulation). I found myself living in an unfamiliar place and felt like I was being watched by others for being a believer in Christ. The next thing I saw was that I was in jail and had a device put around my neck like a collar, and also something was put into my ears, like headphones, but I could not take any of it off. (Christians in bondage to the enemy by influencing their hearing. Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice.”) Next, I found myself in a room in a government building with others. We were being shown new surveillance equipment that they were going to put on us if we said we were Christians. (Increasingly, our electronics pick up keywords to spy on us.) I told them that I was a believer in Christ. The next thing I can remember is that the government or those in charge said that they were taking us Christians (the ones wearing surveillance equipment) on a cruise. Many of us were excited, but I knew we were going on a death cruise. A few miles out, I noticed we were being carried on a troop mover boat like the ones that drop soldiers off on a beach. I also noticed that our driver was using surveillance equipment. I believed he was working for the government and was evil. We suddenly came up to this island, which had huge cargo containers containing many bags full of something. One of the bags opened up, and the contents fell out. What fell out scared many, including me, even though I knew what was in them. The bags that fell into the water had heads inside. (Many will be beheaded for the testimony they have in Christ.) (A painless way to enter fully into the Kingdom, which was not accomplished before this time.) (In light of the fact that our government is taking its prisoners offshore in order to torture confessions out of them, this is a very real possibility.)   Last Outpouring & Gathering Amos Scaggs - 02/01/2011 (David's notes in red) I kept sensing, 'Don't go to sleep; something great is about to happen'. Then this: In a dream, I was working for a very wealthy individual (God) who owned a place on top of a mountain (the mountain of God). We were building platforms over corrals, from which you could see forever, stocking up on a large quantity of medical supplies (for unbelievers), and rounding up cattle in the surrounding fields and hills. (Cattle could represent the beastly Christians who have partaken of grass or fleshly teachings. Peter said, “All flesh is as grass.”) (Mal.4:2) But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. (Representing bringing in the harvest or revival and treating the spiritually sick. Bringing them into the presence of God on spiritual Mount Zion.) There were two moderate rain showers during the roundup, but the latter rain turned out to be such an outpouring that we had to run for shelter. The three of us seemed to be on horseback (resting on the subdued flesh) when the rain turned into a downpour. However, when we ran up the mountain for shelter, we were on foot. The mountain was extremely steep and difficult to climb; the strongest one ran straight up the steep part, but the other two circled around a slower, easier elevation and all met at the top. (We need to visit the Lord for strength and guidance.) (The mountain of the Kingdom of God will be easily taken by those filled with the latter rain. On top of the mountain is His temple and presence.) As the day cleared, we were talking to the owner, who instructed us to go again to gather in the roundup. We were working on a very small marble table with a small hole that you couldn't see, but you knew it was there. We said, “You fix the hole in it, and we will go”, and he said, “I will take care of that”. (God will fix the hole in the table of your heart so the Word will never leak out again. Man can preach the Gospel, but God can cure.) So our guide and the two of us went to round up the cattle of the largest roundup ever with a renewed strength. (God's provision is being stolen by the curse and the devourer, which is normal to most, but by the grace of God through the latter rain, we will see things last, and the blessing will not be wasted. The largest ingathering harvest of the saints by far is coming.) I saw the globe of Earth sectioned off in four pieces, like cutting a pie --north to south and west to east. (After the last great roundup will come the greatest division of the earth and the greatest wars that have ever been, at the time of “the great and terrible Day of the Lord”. This is when God judges the Beast and Harlot for their treatment of the saints.)   A Great and Fast-Growing Harvest M.L. - 03/03/2013 (David's notes in red) This is a dream where I am planting seeds in a flat and dry area. I wore a long, light-colored dress and a head covering of the same material. The sleeves were long but rolled up, so even though the day was quite warm, I was comfortable. I had a sling-type pouch that was put on over the head, resting on the shoulder, across the front. It very much reminded me of the front sling that some women use for their newborn. The pouch was full of seed as I began the planting. (Full of the Word of God.) Now the soil was sandy and different from what I would normally think it would be for planting. I saw the soil blow in the wind in the distance but gently, not like a sandstorm but peaceful. There were acres of flat land to be planted. (The land represents the dry hearts of the people of this world. The much land to be planted speaks of the beginning of the planting season or tribulation to come.) I bent over at the waist, and my bare feet were on each side of a long row that had already been prepared for the seed I was planting. Then I would gently cover the seed with the tips of my fingers. I didn't need to water, as it was somehow watered after I had covered it. (The seed of the Word is also the washing of the water of the Word.) There was a knowing that I should not look back, but just keep focused on the row. (Sow your seed and walk by faith and not sight.) Then there was a side view of the row where I could see a progression of growth from the one I had just planted, which was about to break through the sand, and the first one I planted, which was about five feet tall. (There will be much fruit and many will grow very fast by grace.) As I looked at this view, a sense of accomplishment and joy came over me. (1Co.3:6) I planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. (7) So then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. (8) Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: but each shall receive his own reward according to his own labor. In this dream, there were no other trees, except those that were in the distance, far from me. Also, I was alone. I saw no other person, yet I knew that I was never really alone. Somehow, my seed never ran out, and the seeds were then watered as they needed to be. And I don't remember ever being thirsty; I was also being watered. (These seeds are sown in the hearts of men, like the parable of the sower in Matthew 13.)   Eat with the Mature and Bear Fruit K.H. - 05/17/2007 (David's notes in red) In a dream, I was visiting my grandparents one afternoon because they were going to take me to dinner. Before I got to their house, I started feeling a little strange but just brushed it off. When I got to their house, I began to notice that I felt like I was pregnant. There was absolutely no way for me to be pregnant, and this reality perplexed my conscious thoughts as this dream progressed. I decided to go to dinner even though I was still feeling a little off. All throughout dinner and during the ride back to their house, I kept thinking, How can they not see that I'm pregnant? The night went on, and I kept feeling more and more pregnant. Although I kept feeling more and more pregnant, one could not physically see that I was pregnant, so I believe it was spiritual. (pregnant with the seeed of Jesus, the Word) My mom came to pick me up shortly after my grandparents, and I got back to their house. When she looked at me, I could discern that somehow, she knew that I was pregnant. As we left my grandparents' house, my dream ended. The grandparents represent God and the more mature church of many years past. They were taking K.H. to feed on their food/Word that truly brings forth Christ. From them, she brought that fruit to her mother, who represents the church of today, which needs to see the manifestation of the fruit of Christ in her. It is a virgin birth, having nothing to do with man. In this way, the grandparents are the parents of her parent, too. Her grandfather, God, is the Father of her spiritual Father, Jesus, Who sowed the seed of the Word in her heart. Her grandmother is the mother of her more immature modern-day mother. By studying the pure Word, you can eat with your grandparents. The food they serve is much more mature for growing up.   Breakfast with the Lord  Shelly Lynch - 04/30/2013 (David's notes in red) I went back to bed to rest this morning, as I had awakened earlier at 5:00 AM with the first dream given to me. As soon as I lay down and prayed, I was caught up in the Spirit to have breakfast with Jesus. (We can always feed at the Lord's table -- breakfast, lunch, supper, and snacks in between.) I saw Him in the kitchen, preparing scrambled eggs and bacon. I could smell the aroma of good food, and it made me hungry! I sat down at the table and we had a conversation. I asked Him to make my love for Him as strong and as passionate as His love for me. He agreed that this is the way we shall be one in the Spirit. I could hear Jesus sharing about how people keep coming to Him, wanting to follow Him. He barely spoke a word, and they came and followed Him. He was so happy to see them come! I didn't want to forget the lessons He was teaching me, but He reminded me that the Holy Spirit will bring them to my remembrance. It was glorious to eat breakfast with the Lord. He fed me with His Words. I was satisfied and felt so loved in His presence. I asked Him if we could have breakfast every morning and He replied, “Dinner too? What about lunch?” I said, “Yes, Lord!” He laughed and said, “Absolutely!” Then He added, “You can come and have a snack, too!” I laughed and felt so blessed by His Words. When I woke up, I felt pregnant and told the Lord, “I feel very pregnant”. He replied, “You are. For my seed has been sown in you!” I am waiting on the Lord to bring it to birth in me, making me into the image of my Lord. (Joh.21:12) Jesus saith unto them, Come and break your fast. And none of the disciples durst inquire of him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord. … (19) Now this he spake, signifying by what manner of death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me. Later in the day, as I was working in the garden, mulching strawberry plants with rabbit fertilizer and straw, I meditated on the breakfast conversation. I thought about how the woman is given two wings of the great eagle to go into the wilderness. I thought about how eaglets ride on the backs of the eagle that carries them while they are resting. I thought that was how it was this morning to have breakfast with Jesus. I rested while He cooked breakfast and fed me His Words. I thought about how the multitudes are drawn to Him and follow Him because they are hungry for His Words. He only, has the Words of Life that feed our hungry souls! He reminded me that is how it will be for those He gives unto me to feed them the Word, that they will be drawn by the Father to come because they see Jesus living in me! Hallelujah! Later, as I finished in the garden, He asked, “Are you ready to set the table?” I said, “Yes, Lord. How many places shall I set?” He said, “Many. For multitudes are coming!” Hallelujah! (A revival of the pure Word is coming.) I believe it is almost time for the Marriage Feast to begin!   Harvest of Baby Christians G.M. - 8/18/19 (David's notes in red) As I was in the garden gathering produce this evening, the Lord reminded me of a dream I had this morning about a baby boy. (Gathering produce from God's garden is what this parable of the baby boy fruit is about. (Son.6:2) My beloved is gone down to his garden, To the beds of spices, To feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies. … (11) I went down into the garden of nuts, To see the green plants of the valley, To see whether the vine budded, And the pomegranates were in flower.) I was in a home; I don't know whose home it was, or if it was even my own. (It is the Bride's Spiritual Home to raise up children. As a type of today's corporate Man-child, Jesus, the Man-child, raised up the Bride to take care of His garden. John the Baptist, seeing the first disciples of Jesus, the Man-child, with Him said, “He that hath the Bride is the Bridegroom.”) I was walking rather quickly through the living room. As I was about to walk past a recliner, I saw a small baby boy, 2-3 months old. (The spiritual age of an incoming harvest of God's garden who have the maturity of the Baby Jesus, not the mature Jesus. We all have a measure of Jesus living in our lives. The outer man is the spiritual mother of the Baby Jesus within. (Mat.12:50) For whosoever shall do the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother. (Col.1:27) to whom God was pleased to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: When this baby Jesus is born, it begins to be manifested to the world outside. Mary, as a type of us bearing the fruit of Jesus, the Word, was told (Luk.1:45) And blessed is she that believed; for there shall be a fulfillment of the things which have been spoken to her from the Lord. What was spoken to Mary and us? That we would bear the fruit of Jesus.) I saw the Baby nearly fall off the footrest of the recliner. (Representing the fruit of the Man-child Jesus in a new harvest of immature Christians coming to the “living room” of the Bride to be raised up. The immature are in danger of falling from the rest in the troubles to come now so we must care for them. The D.S. is invading with an army of antichrist people to persecute the Church and especially the apostate leadership, their houses, and houses of worship. The Lord showed us that this is to prepare the Church to come out of Babylonish religion and follow the Man-child reformers into the wilderness tribulation, as in Rev.12.) I caught the baby before he hit the floor. (Our prayers and teachings of the Word will uphold them.) This little baby had the prettiest blue eyes. (This speaks of the Heavenly discernment of Christ growing in them). He had a bright smile as I cuddled him. (This speaks of their great joy to be finally getting their eyes opened to the truth.) My thought was to find a diaper for him as he was totally naked. (Needing the Word to be dressed up with the works of Jesus.) I just had the thought about finding a diaper, and he peed on me. I decided he was just excited and happy for me to cuddle him. No problem. (They will need love and nurturing from the Bride, led by the Man-child. Without this, many will fall away.) That was all that I saw in the dream. The baby and I were the only ones in the dream. There was no one in the recliner, so I don't know how the baby got on the footrest of the chair. (It's a foot - rest. They are learning to rest by faith from their old walk.)  I asked for a verse for this dream by faith at random. (This text speaks of the people of God coming out of Babylonian religious and beast captivity because their Babylonish land had been destroyed and Cyrus had freed them to go to Zion, the Bride. There they are, the blocks of the building of the restored Kingdom of God.) I was given Isaiah 43:7; my finger was on the word, formed. Since this sentence begins in V-5 I am giving it in context 5-7. (Isa 43:5) Fear not; for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; (6) I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back; bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the end of the earth; (7) every one that is called by my name, and whom I have created for my glory, whom I have formed, yea, whom I have made. (This is speaking of Israel, a type of the Church, coming out of Conquered Babylon to go to their Man-child/Bride reformer leadership in Zion. (Isa 49:12-26) Lo, these shall come from far; and, lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim. (13) Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for Jehovah hath comforted his people, and will have compassion upon his afflicted (in Babylon). (14) But Zion said, Jehovah hath forsaken me, and the Lord hath forgotten me. (15) Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, these may forget, yet will not I forget thee. (16) Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me. (17) Thy (Zion's) children make haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste (Babylon's factions) shall go forth from thee. (18) Lift up thine eyes (Zion, the Bride) round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to thee. As I live, saith Jehovah, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all as with an ornament, and gird thyself with them, like a bride. (19) For, as for thy waste and thy desolate places, and thy land (Babylon) that hath been destroyed, surely now shalt thou be too strait for the inhabitants, and they (Babylon factions of state and Church) that swallowed thee up shall be far away. (20) The children of thy (Zion's) bereavement shall yet say in thine ears, The place is too strait for me (i.e. we gotta spiritually get out of Babylon); give place to me (In the Promised Land) that I may dwell. (21) Then shalt thou (Zion) say in thy heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have been bereaved of my children, (Notice the children who come from Babylonish captivity will be different in nature from those who departed from the Bride to go there.) and am solitary, an exile, and wandering to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where were they? (In Babylon's training to show them what apostasy is.) (22) Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Behold, I will lift up my hand to the nations, and set up my ensign to the peoples; and they shall bring thy (Zion's) sons in their bosom, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders. (23) And kings (Like Cyrus / Trump and those like him) shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their faces to the earth, and lick the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am Jehovah; and they that wait for me shall not be put to shame. (24) Shall the prey (The Church) be taken from the mighty (Babylon), or the lawful captives (They were in bondage for sin) be delivered? (Delivered from Babylonish leadership) (25) But thus saith Jehovah, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered; for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee (Father will bring judgment against Babylon, but then He will bring them to their Red Sea.), and I will save thy children. (26) And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, (The factious Edomites in Church and State will be devastated) as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I, Jehovah, am thy Saviour, and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. Back to the text in Isaiah 43, we find out what happens to those factious Edomites in Church and State who persecuted and killed Father's people. (Isa 43:14-21) Thus saith Jehovah, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: For your sake I have sent to Babylon, (As a chastening for sins so they may repent) and I will bring down all of them as fugitives, even the Chaldeans, in the ships of their rejoicing. (15) I am Jehovah, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King. (16) Thus saith Jehovah, who maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters; (The Church is coming out of Babylon, like Israel came out of Babylon and Egypt.  There is still a Red Sea for the captors.) (17) who bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the mighty man (they lie down together, they shall not rise; they are extinct, they are quenched as a wick): (18) Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. (Forget the persecution complex, for the Blessing now comes) (19) Behold, I will do a new thing; now shall it spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. (This is Father's provision out of heaven in the wilderness Tribulation) (20) The beasts of the field shall honor me, the jackals and the ostriches; because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen, (21) the people which I formed for myself, that they might set forth my praise. After receiving this dream, I felt it concerned household salvation for my family and the families of others. (Many of these and others will be coming out from under Babylonish Christianity and into the true Bible Kingdom because of our prayers of faith for them.) This is an awesome chapter of deliverance and redemption. He alone is our Savior, Who has already met all our needs. PTL for His faithfulness! I asked for a verse concerning the recliner and the footrest. I was given Romans 8:28; with my finger on “all things work together for good”; (in context 26-30) (Rom 8:26) And in like manner the Spirit also helpeth our infirmity: (It is the Spirit of God speaking through us that brings us into the rest from our own works. (Isa.28:11) Nay, but by men of strange lips and with another tongue will he speak to this people; (12) to whom he said, This is the rest, give ye rest to him that is weary; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.) So, the Spirit also helpeth our infirmity: for we know not how we should pray as we ought; but the Spirit himself maketh intercession for us with groanings that cannot be uttered; (At the beginning of the wilderness tribulation, the Spirit will be poured out like it was for Israel in the cloud.) (The Baby is in the Spirit of the Lord's hands. We must rest in Him and His ability to change hearts.) Back to (Rom 8:27) and he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. (28) And we know to them that love God all things work together for good, even to them that are called according to his purpose. (29) (a reference to the Baby?) For whom he foreknew, he also foreordained to be conformed to the image of his Son (The Baby), that he might be the firstborn among many brethren: (30) and whom he foreordained, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. It is faith in the promises that keeps us in the rest because, as we see in our texts, Father has prophetically already delivered us and provided for us, so why worry? REST in faith. Redemption from the curse on Father's people for their sin is truly finished! In fact, God's “works were finished from the foundation of the world” (Heb.4:3) when He spoke the plan into existence. The only thing left is for the true sons of God to enter into those works by faith, believing they have received. Since the works are finished, we should believe and rest from our own works to save, heal, and deliver ourselves. (3) For we who have believed do enter into that rest. Notice it is not the one who ceases on Saturday or Sunday but the one who believes who enters the New Covenant Sabbath rest. (9) There remaineth therefore a Sabbath rest (Greek: sabbatismos, meaning “keeping of rest”) for the people of God. This constant “keeping of rest” every day, not one day a week, through the past tense promises is our spiritual Sabbath. (10) For he that is entered into his rest hath himself also rested from his works, as God did from his. This rest is to believe these past tense promises and rest from our own works to save ourselves. Our faith in each of these promises brings us into more of the rest. We should be diligent not to leave out even one of these promises for our own good. (Heb.4:1) Let us fear therefore, lest haply, a promise being left of entering into his rest, any one of you should seem to have come short of it. (2) For indeed we have had good tidings preached unto us, even as also they: but the word of hearing did not profit them, because it was not united by faith with them that heard. This is true faith and always brings the answer. Through believing the promises, we enter into rest from our own works. For a child of God to say that they believe they have received and yet continue seeking to receive, usually through worldly methods, is to be double-minded. (Jas.1:6) But let him ask in faith, nothing doubting: for he that doubteth is like the surge of the sea driven by the wind and tossed. (7) For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord; (8) a doubleminded man, unstable in all his ways. Those who continue to work for what God has freely given believe in salvation by works. (Heb.4:10) For he that is entered into his rest, hath himself also rested from his works. (Heb.3:19) And we see that they were not able to enter in because of unbelief. Since the promises of deliverance from the curse are past tense, when we believe them, we must stop working. It is an evil heart of unbelief to not rest. God was angry with Israel because they would not believe His Word in their trial in the wilderness (Heb.3:8-10). (Heb.3:11) As I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest. (12) Take heed, brethren, lest haply there shall be in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief, in falling away from the living God. ... (14) We are become partakers of Christ (His health, holiness, and blessing) if we hold fast the beginning of our confidence firm unto the end. When we “believe we have received,” as Jesus commanded, we are put in a position of weakness because we cannot do anything to bring the desired result to pass. This weakness is rest in our wilderness experiences because there is no help from Egypt or the world. Only God's power saves in the wilderness. God says, “My power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor.12:9). If we refuse to be weak, God refuses to be strong in our behalf. Our weapon against our enemies who try to talk us out of our covenant rights is the two-edged sword of these past tense promises (Heb.4:11,12).

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: 2 Kings 22; 2 Chronicles 34; John 6 Click HERE to give! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible for August 4th, day 217 in our journey through scripture. Join your Bible reading coach Hunter as we unite from around the world to reflect on God's Word and the love that holds us together. In today's episode, we delve into the story of King Josiah's rediscovery of the lost Book of the Law in the temple, explore his deep repentance and the spiritual renewal of a nation, and move into John chapter 6 where Jesus reveals himself as the true bread of life. Together, we'll meditate on what it means to recognize God's presence at work—sometimes hidden in plain sight—and to find ultimate satisfaction in him. Settle in as we open our hearts, seek understanding, and renew our faith in the living Word. TODAY'S DEVOTION: The living Word, hidden in plain sight. For generations, the Word of God was lost among God's people—lost, tragically, in the very place you'd expect to find it: the temple. It was there, but no one was looking. No one was listening. Eventually, King Josiah would find it, and with it, a deep awareness of God's presence and his own need for mercy. In our reading from John, we encounter a similar pattern: Jesus, the living Word, is right among his people in the synagogue, but still seems hidden from them. They watch miracles unfold before their eyes—the feeding of the multitudes, healings, signs—and yet they do not see or believe. Only God reveals God. Miraculous signs point to Jesus as the one who truly satisfies, the bread of life come down from heaven. But so often, we can lose sight of him amid the ruins of our own lives—our painful pasts, our self-centered paths. Even among God's own people, we can miss him, as if he's hidden in plain sight. We chase after perishable things, obsessing over what fills our bellies, our desires, our plans. Yet Jesus gently calls us to fix our gaze upon him, to seek what only he can give: true, eternal life. If we take our eyes off ourselves, even for a moment, we might see the one who is standing before us—the one who can truly fill us. Jesus calls us to trust him, to rely on him rather than our own strength. Like Peter, who, when confronted by the miraculous catch of fish, fell to his knees acknowledging his need for grace; like Josiah, who, upon finding the Word, tore his clothes and sought God's mercy—so we too are called to humble ourselves, to see what has always been waiting for us. Are you seeing the Word of God that is right before you? The God who provides, who is merciful, who has come down for you? He is not hidden from you. He longs to satisfy you with his bread. May you find the living Word right in front of you today. May you take and eat, and be truly satisfied. That is the prayer I hold for my own soul, for my family, and for you. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL  

Physical hunger is not your only craving. You also possess a spiritual hunger. This appetite also cries out to be fed. Both types of hunger were created by God. Physical hunger can only be satisfied by food. Spiritual hunger can only be satisfied by God.Main Points:1.  You have a longing in your soul for God. Many feel the yearning but do not recognize that it is spiritual in nature. They feel a sense of emptiness and dissatisfaction with life. So many people are thinking, “There must be something more to life. What am I missing?”2. In an attempt to satisfy their hunger, they go on a search. Attempts are made to gratify this spiritual emptiness with temporary, earthly things, only to be left with greater hunger.3. So, let me give you the good news. Only Jesus can satisfy our spiritual hunger. Why? Because God designed us in such a way. Only God can fill the void in our souls. A relationship with Jesus is so nourishing and so satisfying that we will wonder why we neglected Him for so long. We will wonder why we bought into the deception of this world that it could offer what we needed.Today's Scripture Verses:Psalm 107:9 - “For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness.”Matthew 5:6 - “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.”Quick Links:Donate to support this podcastLeave a review on Apple PodcastsGet a copy of The 5 Minute Discipleship JournalConnect on SocialJoin The 5 Minute Discipleship Facebook Group

Most of us do not wake up intending to serve money. Yet financial pressures, ambitions, and fears can quietly begin shaping our choices. Before long, money may influence where we find security, how we measure success, and what we believe will bring us peace. Jesus speaks directly to this danger in Luke 16:13: “You cannot serve God and money.” Money was never meant to be our master. But when it is placed in its proper role, it can become a useful tool for serving God, caring for our families, and blessing others. So, what does a biblical approach to money look like? Money Is a Gift to Receive With Gratitude The Bible speaks frequently about wealth, possessions, generosity, and stewardship. One of its clearest principles is that money is not the goal. It is a resource entrusted to us by God. Ecclesiastes 5:19 says: “Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them…this is the gift of God.” God is not opposed to provision or the appropriate enjoyment of what He provides. His gifts should be received with gratitude rather than guilt. We see a picture of God's abundant provision when Jesus feeds the five thousand in Matthew 14. Christ not only meets the immediate needs of the crowd, but the disciples also collect twelve baskets of leftovers. The point is not indulgence or excess. It is that God is a generous provider who delights in caring for His people. Everything we possess ultimately comes from Him. Recognizing that truth allows us to enjoy His provision without believing we own it independently of Him. Money Reveals What We Trust Although money can be a gift, it also carries spiritual significance because it reveals the condition of our hearts. 1 Timothy 6:10 warns that “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils.” Paul does not say that money itself is evil. The danger arises when we love money or look to it for something only God can provide. Money cannot give us lasting security, establish our identity, or bring genuine peace. When we expect it to do those things, a useful tool begins to take the place of our faithful Provider. Every financial decision can reveal something about our trust. Our spending may expose what we value. Our saving may show whether we are preparing wisely or attempting to control an uncertain future. Our generosity may reveal whether we believe God will continue to provide. The question is not simply, “What am I doing with my money?” It is also, “What is my money doing to my heart?” Money Is Meant to Serve God's Purposes Ephesians 4:28 gives us a broader vision for our work and resources. Paul instructs believers to work honestly “so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.” We do not earn merely to accumulate. God enables us to work so that we can provide for our responsibilities, prepare wisely for the future, and share with others. That perspective transforms the purpose of our financial lives. Work becomes more than survival or personal advancement. It becomes one way we participate in God's generosity. Saving becomes thoughtful preparation rather than an attempt to eliminate every uncertainty. Investing can become an act of stewardship when it supports future responsibilities and generosity. This purpose often expresses itself through ordinary decisions: choosing to give even when the budget feels limited, avoiding unnecessary debt, setting aside money for future needs, or creating enough margin to respond when someone needs help. Those individual choices may feel small, but over time they shape both our finances and our hearts. Money becomes especially useful when it flows outward in service rather than being gathered inward as a source of identity or control. Money Must Remain a Servant When Jesus said we cannot serve both God and money, He was establishing the proper order of our allegiance. Money must remain a servant rather than becoming our master. In his sermon “The Use of Money,” John Wesley described money as a valuable gift when it is used in the hands of God's people. It can feed the hungry, provide clothing for those in need, and offer shelter to the traveler and stranger. That is a beautiful picture of money placed in its proper role. It is not worshiped, feared, or pursued as an end in itself. It is directed toward purposes that reflect God's love and generosity. Money may help us accomplish many good things, but it is never qualified to lead our lives. Only God deserves our trust, devotion, and obedience. Money Is Temporary, but Its Use Can Matter Eternally 1 Timothy 6:7 reminds us, “We brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.” Every dollar we manage is temporary. Homes, accounts, investments, and possessions will eventually pass from our hands. Yet the way we use those temporary resources can have lasting significance. When we remember that money is temporary, we can begin to hold it more loosely. We can enjoy God's provision without being controlled by it. We can plan wisely without placing our hope in wealth. And we can give generously because we know that God—not our bank account—is our ultimate provider. Before your next decision about spending, saving, investing, or giving, consider asking a different question: Lord, how can this money serve You and others? Money is never the destination. It is simply a tool God places in our hands to accomplish purposes greater than ourselves. This is a central theme of Our Ultimate Treasure, a 21-day devotional designed to help you treat money as a tool rather than a treasure so that it can find its proper place in your life. You can order a copy—or copies for your church or small group—at FaithFi.com/Shop. On Today's Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions: My father gave me $75,000 after my mother passed away. My husband and I are nearing retirement with no emergency savings, about $140,000 in personal-loan debt from his failed business, plus a mortgage and car loan. We spend nearly $10,000 a month. After giving, should we use the money to build savings, pay down debt, or invest some of it? My husband and I are approaching 65, qualify for Social Security, and plan to keep working. I'm also eligible for a teacher pension. Should I claim Social Security now, delay it, or rely on my pension first? Would a Certified Kingdom Advisor® (CKA®) be the right person to help us evaluate our options? My father-in-law recently passed away, and I'm helping my mother-in-law with her finances. She has about $11,000 across six credit cards. Some issuers have offered to freeze the accounts and stop the interest while she repays them. Should she accept those arrangements or consolidate the balances into one loan? Her Social Security benefit is small, and my father-in-law's check has stopped. Could she qualify for a survivor benefit based on his record? Resources Mentioned: Faithful Steward: FaithFi's Quarterly Magazine (Become a FaithFi Partner) Christian Credit Counselors FaithFi Field Guide: How Much Money is Enough?  Our Ultimate Treasure: A 21-Day Journey to Faithful Stewardship by Rob West Wisdom Over Wealth: 12 Lessons from Ecclesiastes on Money Look At The Sparrows: A 21-Day Devotional on Financial Fear and Anxiety Rich Toward God: A Study on the Parable of the Rich Fool Find a Certified Kingdom Advisor® (CKA) FaithFi App Remember, you can call in to ask your questions every weekday at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on Moody Radio Network and American Family Radio. You can also visit FaithFi.com to connect with our online community and partner with us as we help more people live as faithful stewards of God's resources. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Join Dr. Charli and special Guest Brett Foster as they dismantle the stance of an atheist in a supernatural way that ONLY GOD can lead. Brett will discuss faith issues and sobriety issues that took him down a dark path. His sobriety has been highly successful and you will want to hear some of the nuggets he share...for those trapped in addiction and those with loved ones in addiction, this story will bring you hope and insight! Active-Faith.org charli@active-faith.com

Send us a message!We open 2 Corinthians by naming the real tension between Paul and the church in Corinth and why reconciliation has to be fought for when trust gets damaged. We read Paul's words on comfort, integrity, and forgiveness, then we challenge ourselves to drop grudges before they turn into a foothold for division. • the backstory after 1 Corinthians and why the relationship stays strained • reconciliation as the main theme and a model for real life • God as the source of comfort in suffering and affliction • Paul's explanation for changing travel plans and being misunderstood • the painful visit, the tearful letter, and rebuilding trust with love • forgiving and comforting the repentant so they are not crushed • forgiveness as protection against Satan's schemes and church division Pray about what you may need to forgive, who you may need to forgive, and what the first step of reconciliation may be for you. Only God has the answer. Take it to him. At outloudbible.com, you can find free resources to help you study the Bible. And while you're there, send us a message to say hi, or start a conversation about having us at your church or event. If Outloud Bible has been a valuable part of your understanding of the Bible, please consider supporting the ministry by visiting outloudbible.com.Support the showCheck out outloudbible.com for helpful study resources, and to discover how to bring the public reading of God's word to your church, conference, retreat, or other event.

Genesis 37:18-24: Playing on the story of Joseph, tracing the highs and lows of his life, this sermon concludes that we are in no position to determine whether the events in our life are “good luck or bad luck.” Only God, who has an eternal view, knows the end of our journey.

Only God can change a heart! When God sets us free, our stories of transformation can inspire others to find the same healing and hope in His arms of grace! Join Holly Wagner, Erica Campbell, Hosanna Wong, Meghan Robinson, and Elyse Mahan to explore how trusting God and embracing His truth can lead others to find the same freedom. ------- If you enjoyed this episode, we encourage you to go back and listen to the previous conversations in this series: 1.       Experience True Freedom 2.       Break Free from Your Past ------- Do you want more Better Together? We have 1100+ conversations available! Start watching now for free on the TBN+ app!   --------  If you need prayer, join our community on Instagram // Facebook // YouTube // TikTok  and let us know how we can pray for you! ---------  Better Together is TBN's first daily original program made by women for women! We discuss faith, family, friends, and so much more—no topic is off limits. Find out what happens when real friends get together for real conversations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dave and Bethlie finish up the second part of this Overcoming Challenging Events series. 3. Keep growing Only God can bring beauty out of ashes Satan wants to increase the ash heap God wants to grow beauty from the ash heap He does it as we grow in Him Stay in the Word Read it daily Listen to it read aloud You Version Blue letter bible Etc Pray a lot Keep trusting God Remind yourself of truth Sin is bad Sin is the reason for all the wrong in the world God is good God is continually working to enable us to overcome the wrong   4. Be prepared for people When they forget When they say the wrong thing When they let you down

Stop trying so hard.Not stop caring.Not stop showing up.But stop trying to do what only God can do.Some of us are exhausted because we're carrying things that were never ours to carry.Only God changes hearts. Only God controls timing. Only God can do the impossible.Trust Him with everything.This episode encourages listeners to release control, surrender outcomes, and trust God with everything…in marriage, parenting, health, dreams, and every uncertain season.When we stop striving and start trusting, we discover that we can never lose when we remember that our lives are in His hands. You can never lose when your life is surrendered to Him. Music: “River,” an original piano piece written and performed by Benjamin Waggoner.We would like to pray for you. Please click here to share your prayer needs with us.To learn more about Beau's Blessings click here.Please consider becoming a Hunter's Hero and supporting Hunter's Hope and this podcast by clicking here.Shop HH x MH Collection here.Learn more about our Podcast, Episode Guests and Hunter's Hope here.

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Isaiah 11-14, Hebrews 9 Click HERE to give! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome to the July 12th edition of the Daily Radio Bible, hosted by Hunter. On this 194th day of our journey through Scripture, listeners from around the world are invited to join together and warm their hearts by the fire of God's love. Today's readings come from Isaiah 11 and 14, along with Hebrews 9, exploring prophecies of hope, the promise of a restored kingdom, and the fulfillment found in Christ's ultimate sacrifice. As Hunter guides us through both ancient words and thoughtful reflections, we'll discover how the treasures of God's kingdom are opened to all through Jesus, our great high priest. Stay tuned for prayer, encouragement, and community as we continue this daily walk in faith together. TODAY'S DEVOTION: There is a second room, and in it are symbols of a second chance. That's what the writer of Hebrews wants us to see. In the old tabernacle, there was the holy place, the first room, but then behind the curtain stood the second room—the place set apart, mysterious, seemingly out of reach. In that room was a box, and inside that box were signs of God's presence: manna, the symbol of his loving provision; Aaron's staff, a sign of his rule and wisdom; and the stone tablets, his law, his righteousness. These were the tokens of the kingdom, sealed up, kept at a distance with only one person allowed in once a year to bring a sacrifice. Year after year, the high priest offered the blood of calves and goats, seeking access—seeking a way to unlock those treasures, to bring the kingdom closer. But the key to this box, the release of all its promise and power, required a greater sacrifice than any animal could provide. Only one could open it. Only God's own high priest, Christ himself, could unlock the way. Jesus offered his own blood—not just for a year, not just for one person, but once for all, for everyone. He entered the real holy place and laid down his life. Now the gifts of God's kingdom—the knowledge of his love, the wisdom of his rule, the grace to live a new life—are opened up to us all. No longer scraps, no longer tokens kept behind a veil, but the fullness of life in God's kingdom, given to you, offered today. So the question is: will we live as if we're still on the outside, surviving on distant memories and far-off hopes, or will we embrace all that Christ has opened up for us? He went in for you and for me, and now his life, his joy, his very presence, are ours. May we see what he's done, rest in his completed work, and know his joy. That's the prayer I have for my soul. That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son. And that's the prayer I have for you. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL  

When we are under the influence of the Holy Spirit, our very character changes. From within, we become different. Girl, you’re simply not who you once were. Have you noticed as you change and grow it almost puts a spotlight on our loved ones who are NOT. Maybe someone you love is NOT under the influence of the Holy Spirit and they seem to be stuck in old way … well, they are. When you invite the presence of God into your life HE makes you new. 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” This means if someone DOESN’T belong to Christ, they’re still the same old person living the same life. Their answer is not to try harder – their answer is to surrender their life to Jesus and let the Holy Spirit change them from within! So, here we are as surrendered souls being made new. We’re being reworked from the inside so we’re becoming different, growing different fruit in our lives. Naturally, when the inside has changed, the outside begins to change as well. Today we study the next fruit produced in our life under the influence of the Holy Spirit – GOODNESS. The Greek word translated into goodness has a root word meaning good, upright and excellent. When the suffix is added, it turns into a character trait. The full meaning of this word “goodness” means to have moral excellence, an upright heart, integrity and goodness in action. And where does this goodness come from? Only ONE source – this is God’s goodness flowing through us. This is not self-produced goodness. This isn’t a 10 step program to change your heart and realign your morals. This isn’t being kind, doing nice things, changing your morals – this is God himself expressing HIS character through your surrendered life. This is simply the goodness of God himself dwelling within, transforming you, and then naturally flowing out from you. When you surrender your life to God, HE makes you good. If you’re struggling with a twisted heart or mind, there’s ONE who is in the business of untwisting – that’s the work of the Holy Spirit. And every single one of us have gotten a little twisted. Life in this world has a way of doing that. Human nature is a twisting. We simply can’t live well without God’s influence and direction. This is NEVER a matter of you being a better person than someone else – this is always a matter of God’s almighty work within you. Without God, you would be one twisted girl living in utter darkness – and that’s just the humbling truth. The Holy Spirit changes our character to GOODNESS. He aligns our morals with God’s. He teaches us to do what is right even when no one is watching. He grows our desires in the direction of integrity. We don’t do that ourselves. Girl, if there’s goodness in you, that’s a work of God, not of you! This fruit of goodness is a growing of WHO YOU ARE. It’s an external proof of the internal transformation happening. God is GOOD. His power is good. His ways are good. His plans are good. And when your soul is surrendered to Him as Lord and He is in control of your life, then He is living inside of you, making you good. It starts with Him and flows into you. This isn’t an act of willpower on your part; this is an act of surrender. This isn’t an achievement; this is a transformation. Goodness is the overflow of abiding in Christ. The fruit isn’t something you force—it is something God grows as you remain connected to Him. Goodness starts with God. Goodness flows into you. Goodness grows through you. Goodness blesses everyone around you. If you take GOD out of GOODNESS, you are left with o-ness. If you’re trying to make yourself be good without the power of the Holy Spirit working in you, you may achieve good behavior for a while, but you’ll never produce godly goodness. Only God can produce God’s character. GOODNESS IS GOD’S CHARACTER. We try to be good without God and we just end up exhausting ourselves trying to become by effort – but this goodness is only produced through surrender to God. Do you want to be better? SURRENDER! Then the fruit of goodness will naturally grow! Jesus shows us what the goodness of God within looks like in action. Acts 10:38 puts it simply, “Jesus went around doing good.” The character of goodness always produces goodness in action. The more the Holy Spirit works his goodness in you, the more your actions align to those of Jesus. Girl, you’re going to be going around DOING GOOD! What if your entire life became about going around just doing good! You want to represent Jesus to this world – go around doing good! Let God’s goodness flow through you onto everyone you encounter! Ephesians 2:10 says we’re created to do the good things God planned for us. Doing good things doesn’t save us – But the goodness of God growing in us naturally has us going around doing good things! Think about that – do you notice that in your own journey with God? The more you grow in Jesus – the more you learn and follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit – the more he has you going around doing good things! How radically cool is that? THAT’S THE FRUIT OF GOODNESS GROWING IN YOUR LIFE! So today, don’t leave our time together thinking, “I need to try harder to be good.” Leave thinking, “I need to stay closer to God.” Fruit never grows because the branch strains harder—it grows because it stays connected to the vine. The closer you live to Jesus, the more His goodness becomes your goodness. Before you know it, you’ll find yourself speaking with more integrity, loving more deeply, giving more generously, forgiving more freely, serving more joyfully, and doing good almost without thinking about it. That’s the Holy Spirit transforming your character. Girl, this world doesn’t just need more nice people. It needs more people so surrendered to Jesus that His goodness overflows into every conversation, every decision, every relationship, and every ordinary day. So stay surrendered. Stay connected. Stay under the influence of the Holy Spirit. Then go around doing good, because everywhere the goodness of God goes, darkness loses ground and people catch a glimpse of Jesus. And really that’s what it’s all about – show the world JESUS! Every act of goodness points beyond us. Every kind word, every generous act, every choice of integrity, every quiet sacrifice becomes another opportunity for someone to catch a glimpse of Jesus. So let His goodness grow in you, flow through you, and reveal Him to the world. Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com