Podcasts about only god

In a heartfelt and challenging message titled “Deep Calleth Unto Deep,” Sis. Cheryl Budworth reminds us that God's presence is not found in the shallows, but in the depths. Preaching from Psalm 42 and weaving in personal testimony, Sis. Budworth paints a vivid picture of what it means for the deepest part of our need to cry out to the deepest part of God's sufficiency. Just as David cried from the valley of despair—overwhelmed by wave after wave of trial—so we too are invited to let our longing, sorrow, and questions drive us into deeper intimacy with Christ. Shallow routines and surface religion will never satisfy. Only God's love, wisdom, mercy, and Spirit can answer the cry of our souls. This message is both an encouragement and an invitation: don't resist the storms, but let them draw you closer to God's living water. Whether you are weary, thirsty, or longing for more, “Deep Calleth Unto Deep” will remind you that when your soul cries out, God always answers with His unsearchable depth of grace and truth. To hear more about what God is doing in Sheboygan County and around the world, visit us at posc.church!

“The reasoning of mortals is worthless, and our designs are likely to fail … unless You have given wisdom and sent Your Holy Spirit from on high?” Only God can guide us in the deep mysteries of our pilgrimage on earth.

Only God can MAKE things happen.

(This podcast was previously recorded and published on June 9, 2020)    Jesus Ministries, Joan Boney  ...    On January 10, 1980, God spoke to me in the night while I was sleeping, to give me words of instruction as follows:  "Hartford, Seattle, KWJS"   By these words, God put me on radio to exhort the church.   One of the offices given me for the church by Jesus is the office of a prophet.  (Eph. 4:11)   Prophets are sent to the church.  But God says in the Bible the church will not receive the prophets that HE sends to them.  Also the churches kill the prophets by stopping them from speaking to the church.   So God put me on radio to speak to the church.   The church ministers and congregations could not censor my broadcasts although when I spoke judgment messages, after being on radio for approximately 3 years, some of the radio stations, two of which were owned by Jimmy Swaggart, put me off the air. *****   One other thing, I need to mention immediately, is this:    When I was born again in 1975, God led me to get out of debt and to stay out of debt.  If I had been in debt at any point in the next 40 years, I don't see how I would have been able to do the things God showed me to do.   *** Several years after radio,  God showed me in a dream to begin writing a blog.  (Starting in late March, 2012)   No one censors the blog so I write everything I believe to be from God.   Then God showed me to write ministry books on Amazon, beginning in 2015.   No one censors these books.   Then in 2020, God showed me to begin Podcasts, which we added in February, 2020.   No one censors these broadcasts.   These exhortation for the church go all over the world today on blog, by books, and by Podcasts.  They are free to all, and it costs the ministry almost no money to send these out by these methods!   And critical is the point that I am free to speak anything God gives me.     By prophets, God sends corrections and warnings to the church, so we who are prophets must be able to speak without censorship.  *** Through the years, the people who sent offerings decreased greatly.     But we have an abundance of money today, in spite of the small number of people who give us offerings, because God led me in a way whereby we prospered wonderfully! *** * 1984:  God led me to build an apartment on property owned by my dad. (Cost: $45,000, but my dad left me $50,000 so I could pay cash for this building and had no mortgage, no debt.)   * 1987:  Purchased lot on local golf course. (Cost. $13,250 ... paid cash)   * 1990: I sold apartment and built a house on golf course for my mother and myself. (Cost $100,000 ... paid cash)   * 2002: Sold house on golf course for $227,000.   * 2002:  Began construction on another house and moved to Lubbock, Texas.  (Paid cash, no mortgage, no debt ... used money from sale of previous house and I loaned the ministry all my personal money which was left to me by my family ... used this money for construction expense)   * Approximately 2003: Stopped receiving salary from ministry and paid for my personal expenses with money received from monthly USA Social Security.   * 2018:  Accidental fall at my house required me to have surgery.  By that time I was age of 81.  After surgery, moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado to live in home of a member of body of Christ.  She didn't want any money for my room/bath at her home but I insisted on paying her $575 per month for this, which included office space for ministry.   * January, 2019: House in Texas put up for sale.    Until Texas house sold, we had to pay utilities and other expenses to keep up the house in Texas.  We also had new expenses in Colorado.  Because of my physical condition after surgery, I could not walk up the steps to get into Pam Padgett's house where I was living.  So we had a ramp installed which I paid for with personal savings.  We added a concrete slab for parking of my car.  I had to purchase a small sized bed for my room. And we had moving expenses for other furniture brought from Texas.   By this time, our offerings were so small that Pam and I had to pay for ministry expenses out of our own savings.  We knew we could repay ourselves after house in Texas sold.   * May 15, 2020:  House in Texas sold for $307,000.  This allow us to reimburse ourselves for expenses which we had paid during the previous 1 1/2 years.  And ministry still had $190,000 cleared from sale of the Texas house which we put into Money Market account at bank.   The various building projects between 1984-2003, started with a cost of  $45,000 and finished with profit of $285,000 after sale of Texas house.  (after title expenses and realtor fees which we paid on Texas house.) *** So through the accumulation of money each time we sold property, we have enough money now to pay for ministry even though we have only a few people giving offerings.   Through the past 40+ years I have never been a salaried minister at any church.  I have been kept free to speak anything God has given me to speak.  I had not had to hold back messages for fear of what they might do to me in those churches if I spoke the messages given to me by God.   God arranged it for me to freely operate in the office of a prophet.   Hebrews 13:5-6   5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.   *** I have endured much grief from people who say they are Christians, who have tried to stop me from speaking to the church as a prophet of God.   But God always provided ways for me to speak to the church through radio, through blog, through books, and now through Podcasts!   Through the years, many who once gave offerings to ministry left me and stopped giving money.   But God always saw that I had money and provided for all needs to be met even when there were less offerings.   The various houses which I built between the years of 1984-2002, ended up providing $190,000 to be used to support the ministry today, so there is no need.   And expenses for the ministry changed dramatically through the years, decreasing!   The exhortations go all over the world today and are available to all persons without charge.   * Blog:  no expenses to ministry * Books on Amazon cost us nothing to publish and we receive a small royalty each month for books that sell on Amazon.     * Podcasts: Cost $100 per year  to send through our podcast host, Podbean *** As you can see, God made a way for me to distribute exhortations and corrections to the church without being censored and even without expense to ministry.   God made a way for us to have money even with a very small number of people giving offerings.   God made a way for all messages to go all over the world without cost to us.   And when I am persecuted by the church people because of the messages I speak, God always restores my soul and sets me back on my feet and renews my joy in HIS Word.    (For it is a way of life for prophets of God to be persecuted by the church people because of the messages from God.  All through the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, we see the prophets persecuted by the churches and by the Jews, to whom God sends the prophets.) *** So God keeps me and leads me and continues to see that good comes to me on this earth.   And I am fully persuaded that God will continue to support me as long as HE chooses to leave me on this present earth.   Also I know all this was planned by God.  None of us could have planned these things.  Only God knows what is in the future.   Only God knew that there was going to be Internet, blogs, podcasts, and e-books.  None of these things existed in 1980 when I began in ministry.   God had every step planned and all I had to do was follow God:  "One step at a time.  One step at a time.  It is enough."  God said to me.   And that is all you have to do.  Follow what God shows you, one step at a time.  Then as you look back, you will rejoice in God, in that which God showed you to do, and not in that which "you" did.   ==   Ezekiel 2:3-7   And HE said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against ME: they and their fathers have transgressed against ME, even unto this very day.   4 For they are impudent children and stiffhearted. I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God.   5 And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them.   6 And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.   7 And thou shalt speak MY words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious.     2 Timothy 4:14-15 Paul warned of an offender by name ... Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works: 15 Of whom be thou ware also; for he hath greatly withstood our words.     Ephesians 4:8,11-12  Jesus sets ministers in the church ... Wherefore HE saith, When HE ascended up on high, HE led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.   11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:     2 Corinthians 6:14   Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?  

In 2006, the body of Polish student Angelika Kluk was found hidden in the most unthinkable place: stuffed beneath the floorboards of a Glasgow church.The man who put her there – greyhaired handyman Peter Tobin – was about to have his own sins laid bare. And what police found would reveal a predator whose impact stretched far beyond the church walls: with vanished girls, broken families, and a raft of missed opportunities to stop a prolific offender from slipping through the cracks of the UK justice system.Eventually, Tobin was unmasked as one of Britain's darkest serial killers, with whispers linking him to the infamous “Bible John” murders. His true victim count? Only God can keep the score.Exclusive bonus content:Wondery - Ad-free & ShortHandPatreon - Ad-free & Bonus EpisodesFollow us on social media:YouTubeTikTokInstagramVisit our website:WebsiteSources available on redhandedpodcast.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In “The god You Made,” Pastor Robert Madu warns of the danger of idols—the things we reach for because we can see them, instead of waiting on the God we cannot see. God relates to us through covenant, not contracts; His love is rooted in His promises, not our performance. Through His covenant, God not only delivers us from struggles but also delivers us to worship Him. The question is not if we will worship, but who or what we will worship. Only God—who knows us and calls us by name—can satisfy what no idol ever will. Thank you for partnering with Social Dallas! To GIVE Online- head to our website: www.socialdallas.com/give Make sure to LIKE and SUBSCRIBE! Also follow us on all Social Media: Instagram: www.instagram.com/social_dallas

Come and see the power of Christ who not only heals the sick and raises the dead but also forgives sin. In Luke 7 we encounter a Pharisee who thought himself righteous and a woman whose life was known for sin. Yet it was she who poured out her tears, her perfume, and her devotion at the feet of Jesus. He turned to her and declared her forgiven. The parable of the two debtors shows us that whether your debt is small or great, you cannot pay it yourself. Only God can wipe the ledger clean.This is the heart of the Gospel. We are not saved because we are worthy. We are saved because Christ is worthy. The more we recognize how much we have been forgiven, the deeper our love for Him becomes. Whether you have grown up in the faith or come from the pit of brokenness, the cross is where your debt is paid in full. Jesus alone forgives. He alone restores. He alone says to the sinner who turns to Him, your sins are forgiven, your faith has saved you, go in peace.

Bible Reading: Genesis 1:2-5; 2:7; Psalm 33:6-9; Ephesians 2:4-10"Look, Levi, I'm making a snowman!" cried Claire, rolling a white blob of playdough into a ball.But her brother didn't seem to be listening. Levi was concentrating. He had spent the last ten minutes sculpting the face of a lion out of some yellow playdough. Claire had to admit, Levi's lion was pretty good. He had used a plastic knife to carve out the lion's features, and now he was working on a fiery mane."Looks like you guys are having fun!" said Mom, pausing at the table to view their creations. "I like your snowman, Claire! And that lion's beginning to look quite lifelike, Levi. I love the way you've twisted all those strands together to make his mane. You're both so creative!""Creative?" asked Claire. "I thought only God created things.""Well, the Bible says God made people in His own image," said Mom, taking a seat at the table. "That's why we enjoy being creative. Some people like to paint. Some people like to bake. But while humans can only create things using materials that already exist, God created the universe out of nothing.""Nothing?" asked Claire. "How can you make something out of nothing?" She waved her hands around as though trying to shape a creature out of thin air. "It's impossible!"Mom laughed. "God created light just by speaking! And Psalm 33 tells us He created the heavenly hosts--all the stars in the sky--by the breath of His mouth."Claire gasped. "Wow! That's amazing!""But when He created Adam," Mom continued, "God fashioned him with His own hands from the dust of the earth and breathed life into his nose."Levi finally spoke. "Whoa! This lion I've been sculpting is just a model. It will never live or move. But God made a real man!""That's right," said Mom. "Only God can do that! And only God can give people new life. The Bible explains that because Adam and Eve disobeyed God, humans are born spiritually dead because of sin. But when we trust Jesus to save us from sin, it's as though God breathes new, eternal life into an old pile of dust. Jesus makes us alive all over again!"Claire and Levi looked at each other and smiled. "That's so awesome!" –Angela JelfHow About You?Do you enjoy being creative? Do you like drawing or writing stories? Or perhaps you enjoy building things or making up games. God made us to be creative, but He is the ultimate Creator because He made the universe out of nothing! And He breathes new spiritual life into those who trust in Jesus. Have you received Jesus and the new life He brings? (To learn more, click the "Good News!" button in the right column of this page or go to www.keysforkids.org/goodnews.)Today's Key Verse:Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. (NIV) (Genesis 2:7)Today's Key Thought:Only God can create life

Read Online“The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast, but they refused to come.” Matthew 22:2–3The king in this parable is God the Father, and the wedding is the marriage between Christ and the Church. The Father invites each one of us to be a member of the Church and to enter into divine union with His Son Jesus, thus entering into the life of the Holy Trinity. But we see right away in the parable that the invited guests “refused to come.” As the parable goes on, the king tried even harder to invite the guests, but they all responded in one of two ways. “Some ignored the invitation and went away…” and “The rest laid hold of his servants, mistreated them, and killed them.” Clearly, this was not the response hoped for by the generous king.We see in these two responses two levels of rejection of the Gospel that are present in our world today, just as it was at the time of Jesus. The first level of rejection is indifference. Many people are very busy today. We easily become occupied with many things that matter little in the end. Many are consumed by their smartphones, computers and tablets. Many spend countless hours watching television. Others become workaholics, spending most of their time at their occupation and leaving little time for that which is most important, such as family, prayer and service. As a result, it is very easy to become indifferent to the matters of faith and easy to fail to pray every day so as to seek out and fulfill God's will. This indifference is quite serious.There is also a rejection of the faith in our world through a growing hostility toward the Church and morality. There are many ways in which the secular world continues to promote a culture that is contrary to the Gospel. And when Christians speak out and oppose these new cultural tendencies, they are condemned and often characterized as being prejudiced or judgmental. Such malice was displayed by the guests in this parable who “laid hold of his servants, mistreated them, and killed them.” Hostility toward the Church, the faith and clear moral principles laid down by God appears to be growing every year. This form of rejection of the Gospel is even more damaging than the simple indifference mentioned above. In this parable for today, Jesus says that in response to those who were indifferent and hostile, the king “sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.”This parable should not be read in such a way that we look at others and condemn them as if we were the king and had the right to do so. We do not have that right. Only God does. Instead, this parable should be read from the perspective of your own life. Hopefully you are not one of those who are hostile to the Gospel. But perhaps you and many other Christians struggle with the first form of rejection: indifference. We can easily become indifferent in many various ways and on many different levels. The opposite of being indifferent is to care and to care deeply about going to the wedding feast when invited.Reflect, today, upon the Wedding Feast to which you are invited. You are invited to enter into the glorious celebration of becoming one with the Savior of the World. You are invited to surrender your life to Him without reserve. You are invited to holiness, moral integrity, unwavering fidelity to God, service of others, charity that knows no bounds and so much more. To enter the Wedding Feast of the Lamb is something that must take place every day and every moment of your day for the rest of your life. God is inviting you. Will you say “Yes” with every fiber of your being? My inviting Lord, You desire that all people fully accept the invitation You have given to become one with You through spiritual marriage. You call us to the glorious Wedding Feast and eternal rejoicing. May I never be indifferent to Your invitation and always make my response with all my heart. I love You, dear Lord. Help me to love You all the more. Jesus, I trust in You.Image: Brunswick Monogrammist, Public domain, via Wikimedia CommonsSource of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2025 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Tuesday, 19 August 2025   Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come. Matthew 12:32   “And whoever if he should speak a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him. But whoever, if he should speak against the Holy Spirit, not it will be forgiven him, neither in this age, nor in the coming” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus noted that every sin and blasphemy would be forgiven men, but the “Spirit blasphemy” will not be forgiven men. He now continues and builds upon that thought, saying, “And whoever if he should speak a word against the Son of Man.”   Such was to be expected. Here is a Man who lived a poor existence, was from Nazareth, something looked down upon, was the Son of a carpenter, and who probably did these labors Himself, who had argued with the Pharisees about the dietary laws, who had healed on the Sabbath, etc.   Everything about Him was not what one would expect of the Messiah, even if He had a group of disciples around Him and His teachings were interesting. It is obvious they were interested in Him and what He was up to because they kept popping up in accounts recorded in the gospels, inspecting Him and His movements.   But because He didn't fit their notions about a Messiah, they spoke against Him and what He did. Eventually, they would rid themselves of Him by having Him crucified. These things were forgivable, as Jesus notes, “it will be forgiven him.”   It is certain that being complicit in Jesus' death was pardonable. This is evident from the appeals of the apostles after the resurrection –   “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” Acts 2:36   This thought is reiterated in Acts 4 when Peter addresses the “rulers of the people and elders of Israel.” Even after their actions against the Son of Man, they could still obtain mercy and forgiveness. However, Jesus continues, saying, “But whoever, if he should speak against the Holy Spirit, not it will be forgiven him.”   The words “speak against” are to be taken as parallel in meaning to the “Spirit blasphemy” of the previous verse. It is the point that is highlighted for these people to understand the consequences of such words. Mark provides additional understanding of what Jesus is referring to with the words, “because they said, ‘He has an unclean spirit.'”   The men accusing Jesus were ascribing the work of the Spirit to an unclean Spirit. Jesus logically defended why this could not be the case and that He must, in fact, be casting out demons by the Spirit of God. This is the issue. With that now understood, those who understood the Source of His power would have to concede the argument and accept the authority of the Spirit in Christ's works.   To continue in such accusations would be to speak against the Holy Spirit. At what point God determined this threshold had been met, such a person's fate was determined. There would be no forgiveness “neither in this age, nor in the coming.”   The point of the Levitical sacrifices was to obtain forgiveness for transgressions under the law. There are instances where it is noted that forgiveness would not be granted to people under the law. One example is found in the sons of Eli in 1 Samuel 3. Another is found in Isaiah 22:12-14.   In both cases, there was a complete abandonment of God. The Spirit was spoken against as if being ineffectual in the lives of these people through their words and actions. In the coming age, which appears to be referring to the age after Christ's resurrection, it is the Spirit who seals a person for salvation.   This “age” cannot be speaking of the state after death. One's life determines one's state before God. It cannot be speaking of the final age where all saved humanity will be glorified. The eternal state of man will be set at that time. To limit it to the millennium is too narrow a focus for the intent of Jesus' words. Therefore, the age He refers to would be the time after the law is fulfilled and abolished.   To reject the calling of the Spirit upon one's life is a life action that can be equated to speaking against the Spirit. To deny Christ and His power to save, a power evidenced and validated by the resurrection, is to deny the only hope one has of being saved. There can be no forgiveness for this.   Only God can restore man to Himself. To deny this is to deny what God in Christ has done. To do so can be equated to saying Christ had an unclean spirit. Otherwise, it would be obvious that the narrative concerning Him is true. If it is true, it would mean God had ordained Him to be the Author of salvation.   Life application: The door to forgiveness and salvation in Christ remains open until one's final breath. After that, man must face judgment. Some people will never hear the message and will die apart from God. Some will hear and not believe for whatever reason. However, they may at some point believe and be saved.   Others will hear the message and never accept it. The Spirit cannot work in the life of such a person. There can be no forgiveness for such a denial of what God has done. Jesus is the necessary key to understanding the words of this verse.   His resurrection is the proof of the Spirit of God's power to save all men –   “Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God 2 which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, 3 concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, 4 and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.” Romans 1:1-4   “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” Romans 8:9-11   Lord God, help us to be about the business of sharing the good news concerning forgiveness through the shed blood of Christ. May You guide us as we talk to others so that our words will be effectual in leading them to a right understanding of what You have done. Yes, Lord, help us in this. To Your glory, we pray. Amen.  

Matthew 4:1-11   There are usually two ways the enemy tempts us: he gets us to doubt our identity in God, or he gets us to believe in our identity outside of God. But ultimately, we have to make the decision to believe and do what we want - Satan can only tempt, he can't force us to do anything. Yet it is all too easy for us to press into the idea that we can, in a sense, be our own gods. In order to combat this temptation, we must recognize: Your God complex There can be only one Only God can rule: rightly, effectively, and justly   Crossroads – about heaven, earth, and the journey in between. Connect with us Website: www.crossroadsjourney.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC17oxaQ1yWK2DgN0xnlMO_g Facebook: www.facebook.com/crossroadsjourney

"Only God can judge me." We've all heard it, maybe even said it. It's used as a shield to deflect criticism. But what if that phrase isn't the comfort we think it is? What if the reality of God's judgment is the most sobering and terrifying truth in the universe?

Today we will learn about Jesus performing many miracles and allowing people to experience the power of God. Parents, want to keep talking? Here are some ideas:*Tell me some things that are powerful. What do you think is the most powerful thing on earth? How did Jesus show God's power (He performed many miracles) (ages 2-5)*When John baptized Jesus, a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, and I love him. I am very pleased with him.” How does it feel when your parents say those words about you? What are some things you can do to please your parents? (ages 6-10)*Jesus called a wide variety of people to be his disciples-fisherman, tax collectors, revolutionaries—why didn't Jesus call more powerful people like religious and government leaders? Think of the Christians you know. Are they all the same? Why does jesus call people with different interests and personalities to follow him? (ages 11-12)One last thing! This week April asked, “What is something you know ONLY God can do?”. Simply record a voice memo and send it in a text to 636-280-5433. You may even be featured in an upcoming episode. *By sending in a voice memo, you're providing consent for your minor's voice to be on the podcast*Normal Goes A Long Way Website: https://www.normalgoesalongway.com/Normal Goes A Long Way Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/normalgoesalongway/Normal Goes A Long Way Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Normal-Goes-A-Long-Way-110089491250735Normal Goes A Long Way is brought to you by Messiah St. Charles: https://messiahstcharles.org/Normal Goes A Long Way is hosted on Zencastr. Create your podcast today! Get 20% off when you choose Zencastr for your podcasting needs: https://zencastr.com/?via=jill#madeonzencastr

Karrie is back with a new season of The Honest Pod and she reflects on how much the podcast has been an integral part of the greater mission of Freedom Movement. Karrie leads Freedom Movement organization and its mission to create safe places that foster healing, hope, and the courage to love who God created you to be. Karrie started the nonprofit in 2014 with the understanding that every single one of us is broken and has wounds, many of which are not often addressed within traditional church environments. She saw firsthand that God's true redemptive purpose for our lives does not begin once we're free from pain, rather it stems directly out of that pain.This season of the Honest Pod will have an emphasis on moving from the places that are shattered or stuck in your story to restoration. Some questions that will be reflected on in the upcoming episodes: -What do we do with the pain in our stories? -Why are we still stuck?  -What areas of my story do I still need to dive into? -How do we move forward from those places? Karrie begins with the story of Hagar and the pain surrounding Hagar's story. God meets Hagar in her darkest moment and asks her two deeply honest questions. God reveals to us healing begins with honesty and curiosity. By answering those questions, Hagar can step into who God created her to be. Karrie's work within Freedom Movement helps connect people to their stories and reach into difficult questions. God is always at the center of story work. Only God ultimately brings transformation and peace but there are things we can do to partner with God on our healing journey. Karrie's Instagram: @karriescottgarciaKarrie's Website: karriegarcia.comFreedom Movement Instagram: @freedom_movementFreedom Movement Website: wearefm.orgSign up for Freedom Movement Trainings:https://www.wearefm.org/trainingsFind Story Work Retreat info & sign-ups:https://www.karriegarcia.com/work-with-karriePurchase Karrie's book Free & Fully Alive!https://www.amazon.com/dp/0310366445?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_A6200T1AKD7FS2PZ8VA1Book Karrie for Speaking Engagements:https://www.karriegarcia.com/book-karrie 

Have you looked at ways, beyond the obvious, that you might be able to give to those problems weighing on your heart? In this episode, Jeff, Jeff, and Jon discuss: Loving people in a hard place is like Jesus loved people in a hard place.Obeying the clear calls of God, even when you don't know the reasons.Giving to the causes God places in your heart.Creative solutions to the problems God puts in your heart. Key Takeaways: Character formation happens in our hardest seasons.People need to hear about Jesus. What are we doing to help more people learn about Him?Giving is a spiritual journey, not a mechanical one. Only God can help grow that love of giving in their hearts.Kids need to understand the concept of giving from an early age. Talk to them about giving and give them opportunities to give.  "You should be talking to your advisors, maybe to an NCF office, or to someone that can help you understand there are opportunities on your balance sheet that you can give, that you might not realize you can give." —  Jon Eisenberg  About Jon Eisenberg: I long to see askers, givers, and systems that increasingly reflect the lavish generosity of Our Father. I started working in the ministry of generosity in 2000. I have since spent half my career in Major or Principal Gift work and half in Executive leadership of high-performing teams that grow top-line contributions by focusing on helping people look forward to giving. This grows out of the conviction that fundraising is a spiritual discipline, whether asking or giving, we are trusting God to take care of tomorrow as we live sacrificially today. I want for the givers I serve and the teams I lead, not from them (Phil 4:17).Today, I get to walk with givers, their advisors, and the ministries they love as they develop a Giving Strategy that seeks to maximize both the joy they feel in giving as a family and the impact they have as they make the most of all God has given to them. Connect with Jon Eisenberg:Website: https://www.ncfgiving.com/lancaster/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-christian-foundation-lancaster/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-eisenberg-1617712/  Connect with Jeff Thomas: Website: https://www.arkosglobal.com/Podcast: https://www.generousbusinessowner.com/Book: https://www.arkosglobal.com/trading-upEmail: jeff.thomas@arkosglobal.comTwitter: https://twitter.com/ArkosGlobalAdvFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/arkosglobal/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/arkosglobaladvisorsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/arkosglobaladvisors/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLUYpPwkHH7JrP6PrbHeBxw

Although atheism is rife in our country, is not an even greater disaster those who go to places of Christian worship and yet, in God's eyes, fail to offer to him the heart-felt worship he seeks. The wide variety of Churches must surely indicate this.   But we must avoid a judgmental attitude, that is God's prerogative, however we cannot help seeing some of the differences between first century Christianity and that which exists today. .Our first aim must be to make sure we ourselves are approaching God and His Son in the way he desires.Our second aim should be to try to help others whom we fear are failing in their approach to effectively worship God.  Now Jesus, in confronting this failure, bluntly said that the type of worship he was seeing was ”in vain.” How tragic that any worship is in vain.  One cannot totally blame the atheist and agnostic when they turn their backs on Christianity as they see such a contradictory mix of churches .A major reason why we read the Bible every day is to get a right understanding of what God and his Son Jesus, require of us. Only through God's word do we learn how they should be served and worshipped.In today's reading (Mark 7) Jesus calls the Pharisees and Scribes “hypocrites”[v.6], that is, people who put on a false front.  He quotes what God caused Isaiah to prophecy (as in his 29th chapter v.13); for God declared, “This people honours me with their lips, but their heart is far from me, in vain do they worship me; teaching as doctrine the commandments of men.”[v.7]How much worship today is pleasing to God?  Only God knows, but the above quotation shows there are two aspects we must get right.  Our attitude of heart, worship is not just a ritual, it must reflect the desires we feel in our heart.  Secondly, that the things we teach and believe are truly confirmed by God's word.Words we read a week ago in the last chapter of Romans spring to mind, “watch for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine you have been taught; avoid them.  For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites …” [v.17,18]  Let us make sure our appetite is fed every day by the word of God, the words of Jesus ringing in our minds, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” [John 6 v.35].

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Monday morning, the 11th of August, 2025, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.We go straight to Psalms 62:5: ”My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him.” Then out of the Message translation, it says: God, the one and only—I'll wait as long as he says. Everything I need comes from him, so why not?” Then the last one is from the Passion translation. It says: ”I am standing in absolute stillness, silent before the one I love. Waiting as long as it takes for Him to rescue me. Only God is my saviour and He will not fail me.” Who do you have your expectation in today? Is it the Government? No, you say you're very disappointed. Is it maybe your favourite sports team that has let you down again and you're feeling so despondent today? Is it maybe more personal? Is it at work? Has your employer disappointed you? What about at home? How is it with your wife? How is it with your husband? Have they disappointed you? What about your children? Are they just not performing at school or university? It's costing you an arm and a leg and they just don't seem to be trying their best?You see, the problem is not with all of those things. The problem is with us, with you and me. Our expectation is in the wrong place. Our expectation needs to be in God alone!One of my favourite scriptures is found in Hebrews 13:6: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” If Jesus Christ is Lord of your life this morning, you have nothing to be afraid of. You will not be disappointed and He will not fail you.Do you know that beautiful chorus, He is Lord? Maybe you and I today need to sing it. Maybe we haven't sung it for a long time. Please join me:For He is Lord, He is Lord,He has risen from the dead, and He is Lord.Every knee shall bow, every tongue confessthat Jesus Christ is Lord!Go out today and let your expectation be in Christ alone, and you will have a beautiful day!God bless you and goodbye.

Part six of the "Head Games" series. Pastor Lindsey adds to the series showing how WE CAN CHANGE in our thinking. If you desperate for change in any area, you got to make a decision to do WHATEVER IT TAKES and know ONLY GOD can do that change inside you.

“Blessed are you, Simon . . . for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.” — Matthew 16:17 Peter was a person who would often just blurt out what he was thinking. Sometimes he was right, and other times he was embarrassingly wrong. But in this passage he spoke the absolute truth about Jesus. In the region of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” Hearing that people were saying he was like one of the great prophets, Jesus asked, “But what about you? . . . Who do you say I am?” And Peter blurted out a confession for the ages: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” How did Peter know this, and what did it mean? Considering some of the things Peter blurted out in other settings, we can be confident that this was not from his own wisdom. Instead, it was revealed to him by God. As Jesus himself said, “Blessed are you, Simon . . . This was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.” Only God, through the Holy Spirit, could reveal Jesus' divine identity. Though Peter spoke the truth, he didn't fully understand it. The full meaning was revealed later, after Jesus gave up his life to save us from sin, and when he rose from death to give us eternal life. Only the Son of the living God could do all that, as God himself had planned (Acts 2:22-36). And what about us? Only as we grow in faith and walk with Jesus do we begin to see God's love and what it means for us. Jesus, thank you for revealing yourself to Peter and to us. Help us to keep growing in our faith and trust in you. Amen.

My Story  Talk 23 Improving the College facilities   The Urgent Need for Action When we arrived at Mattersey it was abundantly obvious to all concerned that, to say the least, the facilities on campus were far from satisfactory. Set in seven acres of beautiful grounds the setting was certainly picturesque, but the old mansion, Mattersey Hall, was in constant need of attention, as were the other two buildings.   Before AoG acquired it, Mattersey Hall had most recently been used as a Preparatory School for young boys. A Memorial Hall had been erected over the road by Mrs. Sowerbutts, the widow of the previous principal, but this was no longer being used as David Powell had thought it too expensive to heat. There was also a building adjacent to the old mansion that had been erected, I think, in the 1930s to provide dormitories for the prep-school boys.   During Powell's principalship, our male students were housed in these dormitories which were poorly heated – one of them the students called ‘the icebox' – and another which accommodated ten men who each had a bed, a small wardrobe, and a chair. Another two dorms had no internal access to the toilets and, in the snowy winters Mattersey was experiencing at the time, visiting the toilet at night was a far from pleasant experience.   The conditions for the ladies, though limited, were somewhat better. They were housed in three upstairs rooms in the old mansion. Each room had its own washbasin and provided accommodation for five students, but, as with the men's dorms, there was no private personal space.   What's more, the heating system was far from adequate, there were no recreational facilities, and the laundry facilities were a couple of twin-tub washing machines, suitable for a private house, but not for 40-50 students living together for 40 weeks of the year.  The classrooms had chairs but no desks. There was no chapel and virtually no library. By contrast, Eileen and I were very grateful for the beautiful new house that was built for us in the College grounds during our first year at Mattersey, but we were naturally very concerned about the conditions for the students.   Needless to say, we dealt with these problems as quickly as we could. The twin-tubs were replaced with two industrial quality washing machines. We made a start on getting the books in the library classified and turned a large hut in the grounds that had been used for storing junk into a games room with facilities for table tennis, darts, and snooker, though I was conscious that in those days some of our pastors would not approve of such things!   But to make the major changes that we really wanted to see meant erecting in the College grounds a hall of residence that would cost hundreds of thousands of pounds, and, as I have already pointed out, although the College was officially owned and controlled by AoG, it was not funded by AoG! There were occasional gifts from churches, but these amounted to less than 5% of what was needed to run the College. Apart from that, our only other source of income was what the students paid in fees. And what the students could pay in fees was largely dependent on whether or not they could get a grant from their Local Education Authority (LEA). And that depended on where they lived as grants for courses at colleges like ours were entirely at the discretion of the LEA.   It became clear to me that, if we wanted to be able to pay for the improvements we needed, we would need either to upgrade the standard of our courses so that our students would be more likely to get grants, or to receive a miraculous injection of cash which only the Lord could provide.   In the end it took both. Our finances became much stronger when we finally received validation for degree courses in 1992, but until then any major improvements would only come through faith in God's ability to supply the need miraculously. And that would require faith – but not just mine. The College was not mine. I knew I would need the full backing of the Board of Governors to go ahead.   The need was obvious to all concerned, but the Board rightly felt that the matter was so big that we should seek the advice and approval of the Executive Council, and at a joint meeting it was decided we should not proceed without the backing of the AoG General Conference. But first we needed to gather sufficient information about the specific cost and details of the project, and my first task was to establish whether to not we would be likely to get planning permission.   The Hall of Residence – a leap of faith On contacting the Bassetlaw District Council early in 1979, I was delighted to hear that they foresaw no objection to our building and recommended we apply for outline planning permission, and, with the help of Mr Jeffery, a brother recommended by Pastor Eddie Durham who was a member of the Board, outline planning was approved in January 1980.   Meanwhile, Hedley Palmer, another member of the Board recommended that we consider as a builder PJ Whitehurst who had done some excellent work in constructing several of our churches. His representative, Mr John Grice visited the college and, understanding our requirements, recommended that we adopt a rather different plan designed by PJ Whitehurst at a cost of £524,560. This would provide 120 individual study-bedrooms, and a new dining hall and kitchen all under one roof.   The Board met with the Executive Council to discuss this proposal, and it was agreed that we should go ahead subject to the approval of Conference and that as Principal I should write a letter to be countersigned by Keith Munday as General Secretary and sent out ahead of Conference to give time for the delegates to consider the matter and pray about it.   During the debate, as was only to be expected, a wide diversity of views was expressed, ranging from a comment by David Powell, the previous Principal, that he had a grave sense of foreboding about the whole matter to those who were enthusiastically in favour. The difficulty was that there was no money to pay for the project! Perhaps that's why for me what proved to be the most significant contribution to the debate was what George Parrott said. For him the only important issue was whether I as Principal had heard from God about the matter. And, to be honest, I had to say that I had not, but that did not alter the fact that we desperately needed these new facilities. If God was in it, I was sure that he would provide the money. Finally, the matter was put to the vote and to my relief received the necessary two-thirds majority.   Once the decision was taken, my friend Brian Quar, who was not only a pastor but also a Civil Engineer and a Director of a Design and Construct Contracting Company, wrote to the Board expressing his delight at the decision made at Conference, but also pointing out two areas of concern. He explained these in some detail and recommended an appropriate course of action offering to be of help in any way he could.   As a result, he was coopted onto the Board of Governors for the purposes of the building project and two years later moved to Mattersey to take up the combined roles of College Bursar and Pastor of the AoG church in Mattersey. I will always be grateful to the Lord for sending Brian and Audrey to us. He relieved me of any responsibility of overseeing not only this building project but also the construction of our new chapel and classrooms in 1998. Brian is now with the Lord, but I take this opportunity to express my gratitude for his friendship and help without which much of what was accomplished at Mattersey would not have been possible.   Progress seemed relatively slow over the next few months, but that was probably a good thing because although AoG had voted to go ahead with the project, they had not promised to pay for it! After the vote had been carried by so large a majority, I fully expected the money to come pouring in. But very little came! Everyone seemed to be leaving it to everyone else! As the time for the signing of the contract drew near we still had very little money, and I began to be anxious. Who has to sign the contract? What happens if the money doesn't come in? Who goes to prison if the money doesn't come in?!   These were serious questions that were troubling my mind, and I kept remembering George Parrott's  question: David, have you heard from the Lord?   Eventually, in desperation I said to Eileen, I need to hear from God about this. I'm going to pray all night, and if he doesn't speak to me, I'm going to phone the Board of Governors and cancel the whole thing.   So I began my night of prayer . After several hours, at around 2am, I began to feel like giving up. God wasn't speaking and I really didn't know what to do. I decided to take a break, so I sat down on the settee and picked up a copy of Redemption Tidings magazine.   As I opened it the title on the editorial page struck me forcibly: FAITH. So I began to read. Now if you have ever been in desperate need to hear from God and have been in a meeting where someone has brought a prophetic word which you have known was just for you, you will understand just how I felt as I read that editorial. Every single word of it came as Thus says the Lord to David Petts. I knew that God had spoken. I knew that we were to go ahead. I knelt down by the settee and sobbed into the cushion and asked God to forgive me for my lack of faith . Then I went to bed. From that moment I never doubted that God was behind our building project after all.   But that is not the end of the story. The next morning I went down to the College and walked into the office. Ernest Anderson was standing there and I excitedly told him what had happened. That's wonderful, David, he said, I was praying all night too.   I thought it was strange that we had both decided independently to pray all night and I could not imagine why he had decided to do so.   Oh, I said, What were you praying for? I was praying for the same thing, he replied, I knew that unless you, as the Principal of the College, heard from God, the thing would never happen. Oh, thank you Ernest, I said, but you could have gone to bed at 2 o'clock!   I immediately telephoned Colin Whittaker, the editor of the magazine. Colin, I said, you have written the greatest editorial you will ever write, and I told him what had happened. Then he told me that he had known when he was writing the editorial that he was writing it for the College, but of course he could not be that explicit in print.   Jesus said that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses (Matthew 18:16) and, although the context in which he said it was not to do with guidance, I knew beyond doubt that this matter was established. I had received faith  through hearing a word from God. Over the next year I went around the AoG District Councils telling them how the Lord had spoken to me. People began to be convinced that God was really in this project and at last the money began to come in.   Much of it was gifts from churches, but it sometimes came in rather unusual ways from individuals, like the cheque  for £1000 I received through the post with a piece of wedding cake from a couple who had just got married, or like the supermarket bag that was handed to me anonymously containing over £4000 in cash!   It was through the kindness of such people that we were able to get started. There was not enough to complete the whole building, but in September 1981 we were able to complete the shell of the whole building and erect 32 new bedrooms in the first wing. This, of course, was not enough for all 85 students, but it did mean that the 3 ladies' dorms in the old mansion could be released for other purposes. They were to become an excellent facility for the library which had previously been housed in one of the classrooms, which was far from ideal.   It was not until September 1983, however, that we had sufficient funds to complete the second phase of the building. We now had over 70 bedrooms, which meant that all our residential students could now be accommodated in the new building. There were also a dining room and kitchen and a student common room, which meant that the old kitchen and dining room could now be converted into a student coffee bar and tuck shop.   All this was wonderful, and we really enjoyed our new facilities, but the job was not yet complete, and the next few years were a real test of our faith. The next phase of the building was not complete until 1989 when the first floor of the entire building was eventually finished and two new classrooms were constructed on the ground floor of the final wing. These, however, were converted into 16 bedrooms only two years later when in 1991 the new building was finally as we had originally planned.   Why had it taken so long? Ten years from start to finish! Only God knows, but I was certainly learning important lessons from the experience. Faith for the impossible only comes by hearing a word from God. It is through faith and patience that we inherit God's promises. And God usually only provides things for us as we need them. We didn't need the whole building immediately, but by the 1990s we had the facilities we would need for the great increase in the number of students that the Lord knew was coming when the college received validation to provide degree courses and the students were able to get mandatory grants.   More of that next time, but no account of the improvement in college facilities would be complete without mentioning that in 1986 we were able to double the size of the campus by purchasing the seven acre field adjacent to the campus which proved a valuable asset for student recreational activities and for the Summer Praise Bible Weeks we ran for several years. And in 1998 we erected a beautiful, new chapel and classrooms in the college grounds, this time funded by a mortgage because our financial position had become so strong.   So the Lord provided for us in a variety ways, not, as I had originally hoped, through the supernatural provision of half a million pounds right at the start – which, by the way, would be the equivalent of at least five million today – but gradually, as he knew we would need it, through gifts, through the hard work we put in promoting the college and making the need known, through the help and expertise we received free of charge from people who caught the vision, and, as we shall see in the next talk, through our producing a curriculum that was both thoroughly Pentecostal and at the same time was of a high enough academic standard to achieve validation for degree courses that made us more attractive to applicants because of the grants they attracted.   God does provide for our needs, but he does not always do it in the ways we expect or want him to!   Next time: Developing the curriculum and choosing the faculty

 The disease of the Introverts and Perfectionists… You can do it, or you can learn… Failure is only possible if you can't learn from your wrongdoing or if you can't forgive yourself…There is always a second chance when you have learned from your wrongdoing! If you are a perfectionist… Think always, it is good enough and nothing is perfect. Everything can fail… Only God is perfect…All of these regrets and to feel guilty are based that we can't live our own moralities/standards or ethics…For example, you are a male and fail in the bed. That is usually for males the most painful situation in their life,… Even every man will fail or has been unable in the bed at least one time.  And females don't understand why males take that failing so dam seriously. Solution: Say sorry, that I was unable to sleep with you, and this has nothing to do with you, and that has happened before. This always happens if I am too excited, too much under pressure, or have too much stress. Please forgive me that I could not sleep with you. (But don't say that you have slept with another girl an hour before!!!)What is if you are addicted or have done something awful (had an accident, lost your job…). You feel guilty, and this guilt keeps you in your addiction or in your bad consciousness…So longer you go the wrong track or feel guilty so worse it becomes…The solution is easy, you choose to speak openly about your feelings, your regrets to your friends, family, colleagues. If you can't disclosure your emotions, your thoughts then go to a therapist… And even better you share your emotions with people who are in the same situation and who have overcome your problem… For instance, the AA (Anonymous Alcoholics) is a self-help organization for all kinds of addiction…. If we have messed up in our relationships or profession…First, we should analyze our moralities/standards and ask ourselves:Do our moralities really serve us?Are our standards not too high?Have we decided or lived wrong because our moralities are not fitting us?Are our ethics designed for feeling guilty?Did we overtake consciousness or unconsciousness our standards from our parents? Could our parents live their standards?Second, if we have done wrong, apologize immediately, Sorry, I have done wrong, and I try to compensate that… Was the input for your job as promised or enough?Did you honestly have a chance to accomplish your goal or job?Very often, we agree to something that we never have a chance to accomplish or do accordingly… Before we promise anything, we must feel good about it… For instance, it is quite hard to get from me any promise… For what should I give a promise when it is not necessary? In relationships, we don't have our partner under our control, and that is the beauty of a lovely relationship…We try our best. And through misunderstanding, we encounter tragedies, … That is normal.Forgiveness and gratitude for remaining in our love-relationship are a must to fondle the devotion to our lover! So what, we don't know what will happen in the next years… If the relationship is not fitting anymore, or the love is over, separate… Be grateful for the good time you are in the relationship and go on in your life! When you start something new, then very often you have done it wrong in the past.For instance, I have begun with Feng Shui… And after adopting the rules of Feng Shui I must admit, my previous life-time would have been much easier if I would have integrated Feng Shui in my life sooner…So what, should I beat myself up or should I be happy that I have invited Feng Shui in my life? When you grow older, you have made so many mistakes that you don't care anymore…My Video: How to forgive yourself? https://youtu.be/WouiqKO0yFwMy Audio: https://divinesuccess.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/Podcast.B/How-to-forgive-yourself.mp3

Your faith HAS to be that God will work the miracle. What am I saying? Jesus Himself linked salvation and healing when He asked, “Which is easier, to say your sin is forgiven, or to say, get up and walk?!” ONLY God can forgive sin, only God can heal. But salvation is a miracle MORE IMPORTANT than the healing.  When Jesus told the sick man, “Get up and walk” He did not simply demonstrate His Power to heal, but through the healing He was demonstrating His Power to forgive sin, and that ONLY through Him can forgiveness of sin and salvation come! The Bible is clear, there is no other name under Heaven by which we may be saved, except through the Name of Jesus.

In this transformative session, Rev Paul Jeyachandran shares the key to breaking limitations and fulfilling your calling — accessing God's supernatural power.We're not called to serve God in our own strength. If what you're doing is fully possible in your own ability, you don't need God — and that's not the life He's called you to.

We're back with Part 2 of this special conversation, continuing Cara's powerful journey toward redemption. Hear Cara describe the life-changing moment when she finally got honest with God and His grace became real. This episode beautifully illustrates God's relentless pursuit of our hearts and the tangible power of prayer. Grab a cup of coffee, settle in, and join us again!Got a question about today's episode or something else you'd like to hear us talk about on the show? Let us know! Episode recap:Start by writing down Micah 7: 7-8 (0:13)Jesus changed everything for Cara at this point in her story (3:30)Cara was living a double life, stuck in a cycle of rebellion and shame (9:40)A dear friend called Cara out (11:28)Dot's learning when to speak, when to act, and when to pray (12:47)Cara finally gets honest with the Lord (22:11)Pouring out her heart allowed light and God's grace to come in (24:04)Dot gave Cara over to God and focused on trusting the Lord (27:30)Cara no longer carries the weight of her sin, she is free because of Jesus (29:59)What does Micah 7:7-8 mean to Cara? (32:09)Only God can change a child's heart (38:33)Are you interested in having Dot come and speak to your community? Email us at hello@dotbowen.com.Watch Write this Down! on YouTubeFind Dot Bowen on Instagram and Facebook Scripture Verse: Micah 7:7-8 (ESV)“But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me. Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light.”

We all want what someone else has. Coveting lurks deep in our hearts, cloaked behind reasonable sentiments like prudence, planning, and fairness. In this message, Pastor Lutzer raises four crucial questions about the nature of covetousness. Only God alone can break this pattern and give us a heart of repentance. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/172/29

We all want what someone else has. Coveting lurks deep in our hearts, cloaked behind reasonable sentiments like prudence, planning, and fairness. In this message, Pastor Lutzer raises four crucial questions about the nature of covetousness. Only God alone can break this pattern and give us a heart of repentance. This month's special offer is available for a donation of any amount. Get yours at https://rtwoffer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337. 

This week Pastor Kevin Pinkerton continues our series, Feel-Good Faith, by discussing the saying “You cannot judge me, Only God can judge me.” God wants us to challenge fellow believers, real love doesn't always support your choices, it speaks truth because judgement is coming to all. Verses: Matthew 7:1-16, 1 Corinthians 5:1 5:9-13, 2 Corinthians 5:6-10, Galatians 6:1, Ephesians 4:14-15

In a season of Stillness, but I'm still here. ❤️‍

Saturday, 19 July 2025   At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. Matthew 12:1   “In that time, Jesus, He went – the Sabbaths – through the grainfields, and His disciples, they hungered, and they began to pluck kernels and eat” (CG).   In the previous verse, Chapter 11 finished with Jesus' words concerning His yoke being handy and His burden being light. Chapter 12 now begins with, “In that time.”   It is a particular time, noted by the word kairos (a particular time or season) rather than chronos (time as it marches on). In other words, Matthew is highlighting the season in which they are walking. Of this phrase, Barnes notes –   “Luke 6:1 fixes the time more particularly. He says that it was ‘the second Sabbath after the first.' To understand this, it is proper to remark that the ‘Passover' was observed during the month ‘Abib,' or Nisan, answering to the latter part of March and the first of April. The feast was held seven days, commencing on the fourteenth day of the month Exodus 12:1-28; Exodus 23:15, on the "second" day of the paschal week. The law required that a sheaf of ‘barley' should be offered up as the first-fruits of the harvest, Leviticus 23:10-11. From this day was reckoned seven weeks to the feast of ‘Pentecost' Leviticus 23:15-16, called also the feast of weeks Deuteronomy 16:10, and the feast of the harvest, Exodus 23:16. This second day in the feast of the Passover, or of unleavened bread, was the beginning, therefore, from which they reckoned toward the Pentecost. The Sabbath in the week following would be the ‘second Sabbath' after this first one in the reckoning, and this was doubtless the time mentioned when Christ went through the fields.”   Understanding the time of year, Matthew next records, “Jesus, He went – the Sabbaths – through the grainfields.”   There are two new words. The first is sabbaton, the Sabbath. It is the seventh day of the week corresponding to the day of rest from the labors of creation noted in Genesis 2. It became a mandatory requirement for the Hebrew people, being first introduced as such in Exodus 16. It was to be a day of rest, including no secular work of any type.   The word is often in the plural, indicating the weekly nature of the appointment. This is like someone in English saying, “My Sundays are always set for church time.”   The second new word is sporimos, a word coming from sporos, scattering (and thus, sown). As such, it refers to a planted field. While on a Sabbath, Jesus is walking through the fields, which would have included both barley and wheat at this time of year. It was also ready for harvesting. However, He is not alone, as indicated by the words, “and His disciples.”   It is a group of Jesus and His disciples walking through the grainfields. As they did, it says that “they hungered.” This helps to explain the use of the word kairos rather than chronos. One can walk through the grainfields in September, and there won't be anything to harvest. However, at this time of year, there would be stalks all around coming to full maturity. As such, Matthew notes, “and they began to pluck kernels and eat.”   There is another new word here, tilló, to pluck or pick in order to pull off. The word will only be seen here, in Mark 2:23, and Luke 6:1. All three uses refer to the same incident. As for the words, they seem innocuous enough. Here is a group of people walking through the grainfield. As they walk, they are hungry. Because they are hungry, they take the time to pick some grains and eat them.   From our modern thinking, one might think, “What are they doing, they have no right to eat someone else's grain.” That would be incorrect. In the law, it says –   “When you come into your neighbor's vineyard, you may eat your fill of grapes at your pleasure, but you shall not put any in your container. 25 When you come into your neighbor's standing grain, you may pluck the heads with your hand, but you shall not use a sickle on your neighbor's standing grain.” Deuteronomy 23:24, 25   Thus, they are doing nothing wrong in eating in this regard as they go through the fields. Their actions are in accordance with the law concerning that particular aspect of the matter.   Life application: Jesus came to fulfill the law. The gospels are a record of His life and actions in relation to the law. This is one of the main purposes for which they are recorded, and it is the reason why there are three separate but similar gospels known as the synoptics.   They provide a witness and testimony to the conduct of the Messiah as He lived under the law. In Leviticus 18:5, it says –   “You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them: I am the Lord.”   From the time of the giving of the law until the time of Jesus, the record of Israel, including every person of Israel, was a record of failure. The law promised life to the one who would do the things of the law. And yet, they all died, generation after generation. Elijah was taken directly to heaven for a particular purpose. If he had remained, he would have died too.   Jesus came. He was born under the law. The gospels record His life under the law, demonstrating that He was without sin. It is the reason why Jesus is alive to this day. He prevailed over the law, even in His death, because His death was in fulfillment of the law. Because of this, He rose again. It is the sure proof that He was without sin and that He is God because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.   Only God incarnate was born and lived without sin. Therefore, when we see an account about Jesus' life, even if we think there is wrongdoing, such as His disciples picking and eating someone else's grain, we can be certain that what occurs is acceptable according to Scripture. Be sure to think about why the law records things as it does. In it, we will find Jesus' perfection highlighted for us.   Lord God, it is marvelous to think about what You have done, coming under the law that You gave to Israel, living it out perfectly in the Person of Jesus, and then granting us the life that You possess while redeeming us from sin and death. Thank You, O God, for Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.  

Jesus Delivered Us (5) (audio) David Eells – 7/16/25 Saints, I want to point out to you that if you want deliverance from any demon, do not put the responsibility for the sin upon the demon. What did Peter say to Ananias and Sapphira? (Act.5:3) … Ananias, why hath Satan filled thy heart to lie to the Holy Spirit …? Was Peter blaming the lying spirit, or was he blaming Ananias? Some people have demons they inherited through the bloodline (Exodus 20:5, 34:7; Numbers 14:18; Deuteronomy 5:9), but we are born in sin. Psa 51:5  Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity; And in sin did my mother conceive me.  If you have a demon because of what you have done, guess what? You are still guilty. The Bible does not let you get off without being guilty. So the solution is 1Jn 1:9  If we confess our sins (not the demons sins), he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  (Pro.26:2) As the sparrow in her wandering, as the swallow in her flying, So the curse that is causeless alighteth not. See, there are people who just run from ministry to ministry looking for somebody to give them deliverance, but they will not first repent. They think all they need is deliverance, but God says they need to repent, because you can get delivered of anything and everything if you repent and believe. So there may be things you have never been delivered of yet, but God's plan is to deliver you from lusts of the flesh and demon spirits that take advantage of them. Let's look at some Old Testament types and shadows about delivering the Promised Land that show us the way God leads us from the time we come to know Him. This “house,” your body, is supposed to be ruled over by the spiritual man, and for that to happen, the carnal man who lives in your house has to be driven out and killed. This is a type of taking the Promised Land. Those Israelites represent the spiritual man, and those Canaanites represent the carnal man. God told them the Canaanites had to be driven out and killed, and the Israelites had to live in their houses. God said in (Deu.7:2) And when the Lord thy God shall deliver them up before thee, and thou shalt smite them; then thou shalt utterly destroy them: thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor show mercy unto them. And He also commanded, (Exo.23:33) They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me; for if thou serve their gods (demons), it will surely be a snare unto thee. You see, if you leave one of the lusts of the flesh in your land, it is going to cause you to sin, so don't leave them and don't bow down to their gods. (Exo.23:20) Behold, I send an angel before thee, to keep thee by the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. By the way, you have an angel, too, as the Bible says in (Heb.1:14) Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to do service for the sake of them that shall inherit salvation? These spirits are with us to bring us into this salvation that Jesus provided. Exodus 23 is an exact parallel. (Exo.23:21) Take ye heed before him, and hearken unto his voice; provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgression: for my name is in him. God's Name, which is His Nature, Character, and Authority, is in those angels. His Nature is so strong in them that they are perfect prophets for the Lord, and when an angel speaks to you, he speaks to you with the Voice of God. In the Book of Acts, Stephen said it was an angel who spoke out of the burning bush to Moses. (Acts 7:30) And when forty years were fulfilled, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush. An angel spoke to Moses with the Voice of God. (Exo.23:22) But if thou shalt indeed hearken unto his voice, and do all that I speak; (We see the Lord is speaking, but it is the angel's voice.) then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies. If you obey His Voice, He will be an enemy to your enemies. If you do not obey His Voice, He is not going to be an enemy to your enemies. You may run around everywhere looking for your deliverance from flesh and spirit, but you will fail when you are not obeying His Voice. (Exo.23:23) For mine angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Canaanite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite: and I will cut them off. These are the original inhabitants of the land. They represent the lusts of the flesh that live in our Promised Land right here, and the Lord is going to lead us to sanctification from every one of these lusts. Each group of these original inhabitants represents the old man ruled over by demon gods with matching specialties and each of their names has a meaning. “Canaanite” means “to bend the knee, to humiliate, to subdue.” “Amorite” means “prominent,” and of course, one of the evils of the flesh is pride. “Hittite” means “terror, fear.” There are many different kinds of demons of fear, and God wants to deliver us from all kinds of fear. Your flesh fears many things; you could have a fear of rejection or a fear of heights and so on. “Perizzite” means “to separate.” Think about it; religions separate from religions and nations separate from nations. Factions separate. When religions separate from each other, it's “sectarianism,” which Paul listed among works of the flesh. (Gal.5:19) Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are [these:] fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, (20) idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousies, wraths, factions, divisions, parties, (21) envyings, drunkenness, revellings, and such like… Paul called them “lusts of the flesh”; we call them “denominations.” And countries naturally have a bias toward the people who live in their nation, but we are not supposed to be divided from Christians anywhere in the world. We are a holy nation (1 Peter 2:9). We are “one man in Christ Jesus.” (Gal.3:28) There can be neither Jew nor Greek, there can be neither bond nor free, there can be no male and female; for ye all are one [man] in Christ Jesus. That means a Christian over in Russia is my brother; I am not going to fight for America to kill a Christian over in Russia, or anywhere else. It is wrong! This is worldly thinking and we need to understand that Jesus said, (Joh.18:36) My kingdom is not of this world… We are one holy nation, so no matter where on earth we are living, we are supposed to be a part of (Heb.12:22) … the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. “Jebus” was the old name for Jerusalem, and it's interesting that “Jebusite” means “trodden down.” The Bible says that Jerusalem will be “trodden down.” (Luk.21:24) Jerusalem will be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. Revelation 11 talks about the outer court being trodden down. (Rev.11:2) And the court which is without the temple leave without, and measure it not; for it hath been given unto the nations: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. Jesus told us in (Mat.5:13) Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men. It's the old Jerusalem, not the New Jerusalem, who is going to be trodden down. Old, unregenerate Jerusalem was Jebus. They were trodden down that New Jerusalem could take their place. Going on in (Exo.23:24) Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works… Notice two things in this verse: “their gods” and “their works.” If you live after the lusts of your flesh, that is your works, and if you “bow down to their gods,” then you're being ruled by demons. It says in (1Co.10:20) But [I say,] that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have communion with demons. You see, every one of the lusts of the flesh has a demon spirit that rules over it. Jesus Christ sowed a Seed in us to bring forth the fruit of the Spirit, but the demons have sown other seeds in mankind. They have sown seeds of anger, seeds of lust, and seeds of rebellion, and the flesh has been bringing forth what is called the “lusts” of the flesh, which is another way of saying “fruit” of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21; 2 Peter 2:10-19). Demons are the ones who sowed the seeds that have brought this forth. They are the gods of the lusts of the flesh and God commanded us to kill them and not to serve their gods. (Exo.23:33) They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me; for if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee. He is talking about marching through this Promised Land, and putting to death, one by one, the lusts of the flesh. And He is talking about not submitting, not bowing down, to their gods. If you are throwing out their “flesh,” you are throwing out the demon gods' power. If you simply throw out the demon gods and hold on to the flesh, they will be back. We are this Promised Land that has to be sanctified. The word “sanctified” means “separated from sin, separated from the curse, and separated unto God.” As God led the Israelites through their Promised Land and they put to death the original inhabitants with a physical sword, so we are led of the Holy Spirit through our promised land to put to death the lusts of the flesh with the “sword” of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. (Heb.4:12) For the word of God is living, and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and quick to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart. And it is two-edged because one edge is for you. We are commanded to Put to death therefore your members which are upon the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. (Col.3:5) The devil fears you if you know your authority and you are walking with God. Now, what about casting out demons from the lost? Are we authorized to do that? One time, I had been asking God about casting demons out of my mother. She had come to live with us in our house, but she didn't know the Lord. Most people do not know you need permission from God to cast demons out of a lost person, but it's biblical. (Luk.11:24) The unclean spirit when he is gone out of the man, passeth through waterless places, seeking rest, and finding none, he saith, I will turn back unto my house whence I came out. (25) And when he is come, he findeth it swept and garnished. (26) Then goeth he, and taketh [to him] seven other spirits more evil than himself; and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man becometh worse than the first. You see, the lost person will get them seven times worse if you cast the demons out without the person turning to God. There are “loopholes” in the Bible, and so I asked God for permission to cast the demons out of my mother on the basis that my house is not cursed, but she was in my house and bringing me under a curse. I asked, “God, I am not under the curse. Can I cast the demons out of her because she is bringing a curse upon me?” God gave my daughter Jennifer a dream that night. She saw my mother's house in the middle of my house, except it was three stories tall, sticking out of the top of my house. Out of the second floor, representing the soul, there was a plank leading out to the street. Five chickens, representing unclean spirits, were on it and they were walking the plank to the street. Well, I knew exactly what the Lord was saying. That night, Mama, full of demons, came to our bedroom door and her demons threatened us, “I am going to keep you awake all night!” I said, “Oh no you're not!” My wife and I jumped up and went into her room, and as we stood there, God gave us five spirits to cast out. We didn't even wait to see them come out. We just commanded, “Come out in the Name of Jesus!” as fast as we could name them. Then we marched out, went back to bed, and slept peacefully all night. The next day, we noticed that it was awfully quiet in that room. Not knowing what was going on, we opened the door and peeked in to see that her room was a total mess. And there was my mother, crawling out from under the bed! She had been wrestling in there with something all night long, but when she came out, she was humble, meek, and submissive. I never knew my mother to be that kind of person. She had been demon-possessed all of her life; she had been taking medication all of her life to keep those demons in subjection. Her “religion” had kept her from turning to God when she had the opportunity, but as long as she was in my house, we had peace. When the demons started drifting back, the Lord took her out of my house. As she was dying she returned to peace. There are several reasons why God will give deliverance to the lost, and we should read the Bible like a lawyer because God put loopholes in there so you can step through them sometimes. Another great loophole that the Lord showed me is that if somebody is a blessing to you, you can be a blessing to them. It does not matter if they are lost. We have the example of when Paul was shipwrecked on Melita and the natives of the island came to the rescue. They were very kind to Paul and the others who were cold and wet. The natives dried their clothes and got them out of the rain (Acts 28:1-2). (Act.28:7) Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the chief man of the island, named Publius, who received us, and entertained us three days courteously. (8) And it was so, that the father of Publius lay sick of fever and dysentery: unto whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and laying his hands on him healed him. He never preached the Gospel to him; he just healed him. Then they brought all the sick people on the island to Paul. He prayed for them and God healed them. (Act.28:9) And when this was done, the rest also that had diseases in the island came, and were cured. You do not see this elsewhere in the Bible because “healing is the children's bread” (Matthew 15:26), so I asked, “Why is this, Lord?” The Lord answered, “They were kind to them.” God will let you pray for somebody and heal them because they were good to you. He said, (Gen.12:3) And I will bless them that bless thee, and him that curseth thee will I curse: and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed. This is talking about us; we are the “Israelites.” There's one loophole, too, that's the mercy of God. The demoniac described in the Gospels was so far gone that you could not expect the man to have faith or make a rational decision, and Jesus cast the demons out of him, knowing what kind of decision he was going to make afterward (Matthew 8:28-34; Mark 5:1-20; Luke 8:26-39). Sometimes God does this, but He does not have to do it. Now let me share with you the following testimony: Delivered from Scoliosis by D. M. My brother-in-law once bought me a book by Henry W. Wright entitled “A More Excellent Way: A Teaching on the Spiritual Roots of Disease.” I found the book to be fascinating and, as the British say, “spot-on” in many ways. (There is definitely a connection between a sin and its curse. Quite often, a sickness can identify the sin.) I have a good friend named “A” whom I've known since I was saved. We have conversed via phone for years, since we live in different states. A couple of years ago, he mentioned that he'd had scoliosis since childhood. I didn't say anything to him, but I went to Henry Wright's book and looked up what he had to say about scoliosis. I kept this to myself because I didn't feel right bringing it up to “A.” I knew the time would come as the Lord gave me freedom to do so. Today, I received an email from “A” asking me to pray for him for deliverance from a particular sin. He did not go into detail but gave me a hint. I replied that I would pray for him in a moment. But first I wanted to know when his scoliosis had begun, and if, in fact, it had begun about the time of his traumatic incident. He replied back that it did begin right afterwards. I decided to give him a call. We talked. He made a full confession of the incident. I quoted (Jas.5:16) Confess therefore your sins one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The supplication of a righteous man availeth much in its working. And I told him that there was now nothing in the way of his deliverance. I prayed over the phone with him in agreement. Glory be to God, a hundred-pound weight came off my friend and he was delivered from the evil spirit of scoliosis and was healed! Awesome! Praise the Lord! Saints, we need to be led of the Spirit and wait for the Lord's leading so He can open the way for us to minister to others. Here's another testimony I'd like to share with you. Delivered from Lung Cancer by Linda L. (This lady was healed of a spirit of cancer when I for the brethren in our meeting rebuked it, although she was not present at that meeting. She related to us how, later that same night, what looked like smoke came out of her nose and she knew she was healed. Please note that she had faith to be healed.) My doctor's office called to tell me I had an inconsistency on my chest x-ray. I needed to go to the hospital for another x-ray. The second x-ray was not any better than the first. A CT scan was ordered. The suspicious spot was a ten-centimeter (approximately two inches) sized nodule in the upper right lobe. That night after numerous internet searches, I was devastated to learn that most nodules are malignant. My father had died of lung cancer in 1998. I am very familiar with the disease. At this point I started to do a lot of praying. Even though I knew Jesus heard my prayer, I did not have peace yet. My doctor sent me to a pulmonary specialist. The first thing Dr. Wagner told me was that I was not to worry. The surgeon would remove my lobe. I would not have to undergo chemotherapy or radiation. He started to ask questions about health, lifestyle, etc., and we talked more. He decided to wait and repeat the CT scan in two months. At this point, I told Dr. Wagner that God would heal me. He did not say anything, but I am sure he thought I was deluded. I am a very reserved person. I usually do not share information of this nature with many people. However, the Holy Spirit prompted me to tell Dr. Wagner how Jesus would heal my lung. When I saw Bob, a UBM elder, I told him my predicament. And as we talked, I asked his group to pray for my healing. Jesus would heal me. This was a Tuesday. I did not see Bob during the week, but I KNOW his prayer group prayed for me. A peace beyond all understanding came over me Saturday night. During the middle of the night, I saw an evil spirit leave my lungs! I KNEW I was healed. The next month arrived. It was time to repeat the CT scan. The doctor at the Imaging Center observed the entire scan. He reported the nodule was starting to calcify. In his opinion the nodule was now benign. Tears and praise flowed, as Jesus had healed me. Dr. Wagner told me I was one lucky lady. I reminded him that Jesus would heal me. The doctor did not acknowledge anything yet, but he knows that this healing from a deadly lung nodule was a miracle. Jesus hears our prayers and heals those who ask and have faith. He knows our pain. He honors His commitment to us when we believe Him and the works of His hands. Amen! That's so true! Praise You, Lord! Let's look at this parable in the Old Testament, how God delivers us. The Lord says in (Exo.23:27) I will send my terror before thee, and will discomfit all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee. (28) And I will send the hornet before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee. You know, it's easy to win a battle when your enemy is afraid, and making your enemy fearful is a proven strategy of warfare. There have been great battles won by very small armies against very large armies, all because fear was in the larger army. This happened to Israel in the 1967 Arab-Israeli War when Arabs attacked them from all sides. Israel won overwhelming victories against all odds because God put fear in the hearts of their enemies. It's a quick battle when the enemy is fearful. Only God is able to do this! He did this in many places in the Scriptures, giving the Israelites tremendous victories. We have a good example where they sent spies into the Promised Land to understand their enemies' thinking. (Jos.2:1) And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men as spies secretly, saying, Go, view the land, and Jericho. And they went and came into the house of a harlot whose name was Rahab, and lay there… (8) And before they were laid down, she came up unto them upon the roof; (9) and she said unto the men, I know that the Lord hath given you the land, and that the fear of you is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. (10) For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you, when ye came out of Egypt… Going through the Red Sea was their salvation experience. Guess who knows immediately about our salvation experience? Demon spirits. They know who we are, but the problem is not that they know; the problem is, do we know? This is why we need to study the Scriptures; it's important that we find out who we are. Unless we know who we are, demon spirits can, and do, take advantage of us, but when you know who you are according to Scripture, the demons are fearful. In the dream that the Lord gave my daughter, the Lord had a sense of humor because He pictured the five demons as five chickens. Our enemies know that they cannot keep us from taking our land. (Jos.2:10) For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond the Jordan, unto Sihon and to Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. (11) And as soon as we had heard it, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more spirit in any man, because of you: for the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and on earth beneath. All of these verses are types and shadows of our enemies being fearful of us. (Jos.1:5) There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee; I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. (6) Be strong and of good courage; for thou shalt cause this people to inherit the land which I sware unto their fathers to give them. (7) Only be strong and very courageous, to observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest have good success whithersoever thou goest. (8) This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate thereon day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Spiritually speaking, the Lord is talking about taking this “land” in which we live, taking this land of the soul, which is our mind, our will, and our emotions. God says, (Exo.23:29) I will not drive them out from before thee in one year, lest the land become desolate, and the beasts of the field multiply against thee. From this example, we see that it is not God's plan to purify us instantly, but almost every Christian religion teaches some form of “instantaneous sanctification.” They say all you need to do is get saved and you're sanctified. A number of them also believe that you're automatically filled with the Holy Spirit. In other words, there's a line you just step over and that's all there is to it; then you can sit down and take it easy. No, we can never sit down and take it easy because we have a land to conquer. God goes on to say, (Exo.23:30) By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land. “Little by little” is God's plan. People who have their “instantaneous sanctification” theology do not understand that sanctification is when you are delivered of all the lusts of the flesh to the point where you're not even going to be tempted anymore. The ultimate end of sanctification is when the flesh is dead. We can all think of things in our lives from which God delivered us. They do not even tempt us anymore because that flesh is dead, but God wants to continue that process until He goes through all of our “Promised Land.” God wants to lead you to your enemy, give you the Sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17), and put the fear of God in you (Psalms 111:10; Proverbs 1:7; etc.) He wants to give you understanding to know that you have victory through the Gospel and through the Blood of Jesus. So the Lord said, (Exo.23:22) But if thou shalt indeed hearken unto his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries. But He also says, (Exo.23:29) I will not drive them out from before thee in one year… and (Exo.23:30) By little and little I will drive them out from before thee… Well, the people of Israel did not “hearken unto his voice” to do all that the Lord spoke. We read in (Jdg.21:25) In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes. (Jdg.2:20) And the anger of The Lord was kindled against Israel; and he said, Because this nation have transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have not hearkened unto my voice; (21) I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations that Joshua left when he died; (22) that by them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of The Lord to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not. (23) So the Lord left those nations, without driving them out hastily; neither delivered he them into the hand of Joshua. If you break God's Covenant, He is not going to do a quick work of delivering your enemies into your hand. The Blood is our weapon to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The New Testament says, (1Jn.1:7) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (8) If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The Blood cleanses as we walk in the light and as we obey what we know to obey. We cannot do anything about what we do not know, but as we do what we know to obey, the Blood cleanses. These “lusts of the flesh” and their “gods,” which have the same names, have to be driven out. Every lust of the flesh has a “god.” It's the demon spirit, having the same name, that rules over that particular lust. God said He is not going to be in a hurry to drive out your enemies if you are going to rebel. The Bible says in (Luk.12:48) And to whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required. If you do something with what God gives you, He will give you more, but if you do not do something with what He has already given you, He is not going to give you anymore. You're going to stop right in your tracks because God is a merciful God. Otherwise, you would be condemned for not doing even more, and so when you stop doing something with your Sword against your enemy, God is going to stop. God does not flood us with knowledge of our every evil. He leads us to each individual evil, step-by-step, and He expects us, at that point and time, to do something about it. If He were to just flood our minds with the knowledge of all of the evil in us, we would be overwhelmed and probably lose faith. And if we didn't do something with all that knowledge, we would be condemned. When you have a lot of knowledge, Scripture warns us, (Jas.4:17) To him therefore that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. When you have a lot of knowledge, yet do nothing, you have a lot of sin. God brings these enemies up, one at a time, in front of our face. This usually occurs through temptation, through something happening around us. When He brings these enemies up in front of our face, we have an opportunity to use the Sword to come against that enemy. We can reject that lust of the flesh and command it to go in the Name of Jesus. If there is any demon spirit in our flesh, or if there is any demon spirit using that lust of the flesh to exercise authority in our soul, we can come against it, and we can win right there. We do not have to live with these demons all of our lives or go searching for some deliverance ministry, because we have authority over demon spirits and the flesh (Matthew 28:18-19; Luke 10:19; etc.) We're told, (Rom.6:11) Even so reckon ye also yourselves to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus. This is what we have to believe. We are dead unto sin, but alive unto God. We have total authority over the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, the Canaanites, and so forth. We have total authority over them and their gods. Every one of us can learn to exercise our Sword, the Word, against the lusts of the flesh and those spirits. We don't have to live with them anymore, but God is only going to continue this process as long as we cooperate. We are here to conquer our Promised Land, and there's no time for us to rest in the flesh. Our rest is in the Spirit. Our rest is in the promises of God. We can safely rest in His Word. The quicker we submit to him and resist the devil, the quicker we win. It says in (Psa.81:10) I am the Lord thy God, Who brought thee up out of the land of Egypt (He delivered you from the power of the old man at the Red Sea baptism.): Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it. That is, “Say what I say,” speak as an oracle of God (1 Peter 4:11). And (11) But my people hearkened not to my voice; And Israel would none of me. (12) So I let them go after the stubbornness of their heart, That they might walk in their own counsels. (13) Oh that my people would hearken unto me, That Israel would walk in my ways! (14) I would soon subdue their enemies (If we obey and fight the enemy, we will “soon” win.), And turn my hand against their adversaries. And they will be conquered. (15) The haters of the Lord should submit themselves unto him: But their time should endure for ever. (16) He would feed them also with the finest of the wheat; And with honey out of the rock would I satisfy thee. It's our obedience that brings the blessings. Remember, we are to be vigilant when we are in a trial because it's our opportunity to come against that particular enemy in our Promised Land and win. God brought us to this enemy for us to conquer it, and to do it now. This is why we are here. He has given us total authority over that enemy. There is no such thing as a “giant” in our Promised Land since even the least of us has total authority over the mightiest demon that comes into contact with us. God is walking with you. You need to realize that He wants your enemies to be conquered here and now, day by day, little by little. (Psa.81:11) But my people hearkened not to my voice; And Israel would none of me. (12) So I let them go after the stubbornness of their heart, That they might walk in their own counsels. You see, if you're resting in the flesh, rather than resting in the Spirit, then you are not doing anything. We are here to redeem the time and to win a battle. (Eph.5:15) Look therefore carefully how ye walk, not as unwise, but as wise; (16) redeeming the time, because the days are evil. (17) Wherefore be ye not foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. What is His Will for us if we walk in His ways? (Psa.81:13) Oh that my people would hearken unto me, That Israel would walk in my ways! (14) I would soon subdue their enemies, And turn my hand against their adversaries. You may say, “Well, David, that's exactly my problem, walking in His ways,” but there is always a step you can take, however small it may be. If He makes us responsible to walk in His ways, then we can walk in the light. (1Jn.1:7) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanseth us from all sin. We can take those steps. (Pro.4:18) But the path of the righteous is as the dawning light, That shineth more and more unto the perfect day. You can take one step at a time, and God will be with you each step.

July 13, 2025 | Dr. Ben Mandrell preaches in view of a call to become the next Senior Pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church on Psalm 127. In this message, we learn that unless the Lord builds the house, those who labor do so in vain. Only God has the ability to keep us safe and satisfy us, so we shouldn't look to the world for purpose or trust only in our own strength to help us prevail.For more sermons each week, be sure to subscribe so you can stay in the know. If you've liked what you've heard in this message, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts and follow us on Spotify. Bellevue Baptist Church, Memphis, TN | bellevue.org

Today, on Karl and Crew, we kicked off the week with discussions about a cancer patient ministry with Phil Zielke and how to make the most of a screen-free summer with your kids, with Arlene Pellicane. First, Phil Zielke joined us to share his testimony of how he drew near to God when he was diagnosed with Stage 4B Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and then how God placed it on his heart to start a ministry that serves cancer patients. Phil’s Friends is a ministry that provides Christ-centered support and hope to those affected by cancer. Then we had Arlene Pellicane join us to talk about the importance of parents connecting with their children by limiting their screen time. Arlene is a speaker, author, and host of the Happy Home podcast. She is also a marriage and parenting expert. Arlene has also authored several books, including “Screen Kids.” We then discussed our need for God’s grace. We were born into sin, so it is in our nature to be sinful, but when we are born again through Christ, we are renewed by God’s grace. Romans 7:18-25 affirms this, as Paul tells us that sin dwells within us and affects how we move and think without God. Only God can deliver us from sin through Jesus Christ. We also heard updates from Karl, who was broadcasting remotely from the Maranatha Bible Missionary Conference, Vacation and Retreat Center. Dr. Josh Stephens joined Karl to discuss the sovereignty and providence of God as shown throughout the book of Ruth. Dr. Stephens is the Lead Pastor of Cape Bible Church in Missouri and is also the founder and executive director of the Biblical Counseling Alliance. You can hear the highlights of today's program on the Karl and Crew Showcast. If you're looking to hear a particular segment from the show, look at the following time stamps: Gospel (Need for God) [ 05:55-17:30 ] Phil Zielke Interview (Phil's Friends Ministry) [ 44:25-55:18 ] Arlene Pellicane Interview [ 55:28-01:06:34 ] Dr. Josh Stephens (Book of Ruth breakdown) [ 30:50-43:50 ]Donate to Moody Radio: http://moodyradio.org/donateto/morningshowSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, on Karl and Crew, we kicked off the week with discussions about a cancer patient ministry with Phil Zielke and how to make the most of a screen-free summer with your kids, with Arlene Pellicane. First, Phil Zielke joined us to share his testimony of how he drew near to God when he was diagnosed with Stage 4B Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and then how God placed it on his heart to start a ministry that serves cancer patients. Phil’s Friends is a ministry that provides Christ-centered support and hope to those affected by cancer. Then we had Arlene Pellicane join us to talk about the importance of parents connecting with their children by limiting their screen time. Arlene is a speaker, author, and host of the Happy Home podcast. She is also a marriage and parenting expert. Arlene has also authored several books, including “Screen Kids.” We then discussed our need for God’s grace. We were born into sin, so it is in our nature to be sinful, but when we are born again through Christ, we are renewed by God’s grace. Romans 7:18-25 affirms this, as Paul tells us that sin dwells within us and affects how we move and think without God. Only God can deliver us from sin through Jesus Christ. We also heard updates from Karl, who was broadcasting remotely from the Maranatha Bible Missionary Conference, Vacation and Retreat Center. Dr. Josh Stephens joined Karl to discuss the sovereignty and providence of God as shown throughout the book of Ruth. Dr. Stephens is the Lead Pastor of Cape Bible Church in Missouri and is also the founder and executive director of the Biblical Counseling Alliance. You can hear the highlights of today's program on the Karl and Crew Showcast. If you're looking to hear a particular segment from the show, look at the following time stamps: Gospel (Need for God) [ 05:55-17:30 ] Phil Zielke Interview (Phil's Friends Ministry) [ 44:25-55:18 ] Arlene Pellicane Interview [ 55:28-01:06:34 ] Dr. Josh Stephens (Book of Ruth breakdown) [ 30:50-43:50 ]Donate to Moody Radio: http://moodyradio.org/donateto/morningshowSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John 6:28-29 “Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.” In the previous verse, Jesus told the crowd to work for the food that endures to eternal life. Their response shows they missed the point Jesus was making about Himself being the giver of the food. Their natural frame of reference was work they had to do to get eternal life. We want to be careful not to make the same mistake. Notice, Jesus didn't say, “This is the work you have to do; believe in Him whom He sent.” Jesus didn't answer their question directly. Instead, He told them the work that God is interested in. It isn't the work of man, but the work of the Son of Man, Jesus Christ. That's why Jesus told them the work God does, namely, believing in Him. We are going to learn later in this chapter that, indeed, it is God who does the work in the hearts of those who believe in Jesus (44-45). In effect, in this verse, He told them to do something they cannot do. They cannot do the work of God. Only God can do the work that results in eternal life. This is why it is misleading to tell people to put their faith in Jesus, which by the way, isn't in the NASB. When I typed in “put your faith in” in the search box of my Bible app, the app replied, “There are no verses in the current range of the NASB which fit the current search entry.” To tell people they must put their faith in Jesus to be saved is dangerous and destructive in two ways. First, it implies that God gives eternal life on the basis of something they do. It puts the power of salvation in their hands, so to speak. That's exactly what the crowd was looking for. “What shall we do?” Second, it robs the person of assurance. Faith is the assurance we receive as a witness from God that we have eternal life in Christ. This is clearly taught in Hebrews 11. As Jesus said in this verse, faith is the work of God. It is a witness to us and to the church that we belong to Christ. Peter testified to this reality after the Gentiles believed in Christ in Acts 15:8-9. “And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith.” Furthermore, later in this conversation Jesus confirms this truth by saying no one can come to Him unless they are brought and taught by God. It is God's work that they believe in His Son. Jesus spoke the truth in love to this crowd, and we should as well when people ask what they can do to be saved. We should say what Jesus said. It is God's work that you believe in Jesus. Share the gospel. God sent Jesus to die for the unjust, to do what they cannot do—namely, pay the price for their sinful, self-glorifying lives, putting an end to their attempts to justify themselves by anything they do (1 Pet. 3:18). Then three days later, God raised Jesus from the dead to declare that the sacrifice of His life is acceptable and pleasing to Him. God raised Jesus from the dead because He is the way, the truth, and the life, and the only way to the Father (John 14:6). Jesus has been authorized by the Father to give eternal life to those the Father gave to Him (John 17:2-3). Jesus was raised to live for them and produce fruit in their lives for the glory of God (John 15:7-8). He therefore calls all men to repent and believe in Jesus, which entails turning from reliance on their own efforts to live for God. Dying to their own life in this world, and turning from seeking to please God in their own strength and good deeds. Rejecting the desire to receive glory and significance from men rather than from God.

Today, on Karl and Crew, we kicked off the week with discussions about a cancer patient ministry with Phil Zielke and how to make the most of a screen-free summer with your kids, with Arlene Pellicane. First, Phil Zielke joined us to share his testimony of how he drew near to God when he was diagnosed with Stage 4B Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and then how God placed it on his heart to start a ministry that serves cancer patients. Phil’s Friends is a ministry that provides Christ-centered support and hope to those affected by cancer. Then we had Arlene Pellicane join us to talk about the importance of parents connecting with their children by limiting their screen time. Arlene is a speaker, author, and host of the Happy Home podcast. She is also a marriage and parenting expert. Arlene has also authored several books, including “Screen Kids.” We then discussed our need for God’s grace. We were born into sin, so it is in our nature to be sinful, but when we are born again through Christ, we are renewed by God’s grace. Romans 7:18-25 affirms this, as Paul tells us that sin dwells within us and affects how we move and think without God. Only God can deliver us from sin through Jesus Christ. We also heard updates from Karl, who was broadcasting remotely from the Maranatha Bible Missionary Conference, Vacation and Retreat Center. Dr. Josh Stephens joined Karl to discuss the sovereignty and providence of God as shown throughout the book of Ruth. Dr. Stephens is the Lead Pastor of Cape Bible Church in Missouri and is also the founder and executive director of the Biblical Counseling Alliance. You can hear the highlights of today's program on the Karl and Crew Showcast. If you're looking to hear a particular segment from the show, look at the following time stamps: Gospel (Need for God) [ 05:55-17:30 ] Phil Zielke Interview (Phil's Friends Ministry) [ 44:25-55:18 ] Arlene Pellicane Interview [ 55:28-01:06:34 ] Dr. Josh Stephens (Book of Ruth breakdown) [ 30:50-43:50 ]Donate to Moody Radio: http://moodyradio.org/donateto/morningshowSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, on Karl and Crew, we kicked off the week with discussions about a cancer patient ministry with Phil Zielke and how to make the most of a screen-free summer with your kids, with Arlene Pellicane. First, Phil Zielke joined us to share his testimony of how he drew near to God when he was diagnosed with Stage 4B Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and then how God placed it on his heart to start a ministry that serves cancer patients. Phil’s Friends is a ministry that provides Christ-centered support and hope to those affected by cancer. Then we had Arlene Pellicane join us to talk about the importance of parents connecting with their children by limiting their screen time. Arlene is a speaker, author, and host of the Happy Home podcast. She is also a marriage and parenting expert. Arlene has also authored several books, including “Screen Kids.” We then discussed our need for God’s grace. We were born into sin, so it is in our nature to be sinful, but when we are born again through Christ, we are renewed by God’s grace. Romans 7:18-25 affirms this, as Paul tells us that sin dwells within us and affects how we move and think without God. Only God can deliver us from sin through Jesus Christ. We also heard updates from Karl, who was broadcasting remotely from the Maranatha Bible Missionary Conference, Vacation and Retreat Center. Dr. Josh Stephens joined Karl to discuss the sovereignty and providence of God as shown throughout the book of Ruth. Dr. Stephens is the Lead Pastor of Cape Bible Church in Missouri and is also the founder and executive director of the Biblical Counseling Alliance. You can hear the highlights of today's program on the Karl and Crew Showcast. If you're looking to hear a particular segment from the show, look at the following time stamps: Gospel (Need for God) [ 05:55-17:30 ] Phil Zielke Interview (Phil's Friends Ministry) [ 44:25-55:18 ] Arlene Pellicane Interview [ 55:28-01:06:34 ] Dr. Josh Stephens (Book of Ruth breakdown) [ 30:50-43:50 ]Donate to Moody Radio: http://moodyradio.org/donateto/morningshowSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, on Karl and Crew, we kicked off the week with discussions about a cancer patient ministry with Phil Zielke and how to make the most of a screen-free summer with your kids, with Arlene Pellicane. First, Phil Zielke joined us to share his testimony of how he drew near to God when he was diagnosed with Stage 4B Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and then how God placed it on his heart to start a ministry that serves cancer patients. Phil’s Friends is a ministry that provides Christ-centered support and hope to those affected by cancer. Then we had Arlene Pellicane join us to talk about the importance of parents connecting with their children by limiting their screen time. Arlene is a speaker, author, and host of the Happy Home podcast. She is also a marriage and parenting expert. Arlene has also authored several books, including “Screen Kids.” We then discussed our need for God’s grace. We were born into sin, so it is in our nature to be sinful, but when we are born again through Christ, we are renewed by God’s grace. Romans 7:18-25 affirms this, as Paul tells us that sin dwells within us and affects how we move and think without God. Only God can deliver us from sin through Jesus Christ. We also heard updates from Karl, who was broadcasting remotely from the Maranatha Bible Missionary Conference, Vacation and Retreat Center. Dr. Josh Stephens joined Karl to discuss the sovereignty and providence of God as shown throughout the book of Ruth. Dr. Stephens is the Lead Pastor of Cape Bible Church in Missouri and is also the founder and executive director of the Biblical Counseling Alliance. You can hear the highlights of today's program on the Karl and Crew Showcast. If you're looking to hear a particular segment from the show, look at the following time stamps: Gospel (Need for God) [ 05:55-17:30 ] Phil Zielke Interview (Phil's Friends Ministry) [ 44:25-55:18 ] Arlene Pellicane Interview [ 55:28-01:06:34 ] Dr. Josh Stephens (Book of Ruth breakdown) [ 30:50-43:50 ]Donate to Moody Radio: http://moodyradio.org/donateto/morningshowSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, on Karl and Crew, we kicked off the week with discussions about a cancer patient ministry with Phil Zielke and how to make the most of a screen-free summer with your kids, with Arlene Pellicane. First, Phil Zielke joined us to share his testimony of how he drew near to God when he was diagnosed with Stage 4B Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and then how God placed it on his heart to start a ministry that serves cancer patients. Phil’s Friends is a ministry that provides Christ-centered support and hope to those affected by cancer. Then we had Arlene Pellicane join us to talk about the importance of parents connecting with their children by limiting their screen time. Arlene is a speaker, author, and host of the Happy Home podcast. She is also a marriage and parenting expert. Arlene has also authored several books, including “Screen Kids.” We then discussed our need for God’s grace. We were born into sin, so it is in our nature to be sinful, but when we are born again through Christ, we are renewed by God’s grace. Romans 7:18-25 affirms this, as Paul tells us that sin dwells within us and affects how we move and think without God. Only God can deliver us from sin through Jesus Christ. We also heard updates from Karl, who was broadcasting remotely from the Maranatha Bible Missionary Conference, Vacation and Retreat Center. Dr. Josh Stephens joined Karl to discuss the sovereignty and providence of God as shown throughout the book of Ruth. Dr. Stephens is the Lead Pastor of Cape Bible Church in Missouri and is also the founder and executive director of the Biblical Counseling Alliance. You can hear the highlights of today's program on the Karl and Crew Showcast. If you're looking to hear a particular segment from the show, look at the following time stamps: Gospel (Need for God) [ 05:55-17:30 ] Phil Zielke Interview (Phil's Friends Ministry) [ 44:25-55:18 ] Arlene Pellicane Interview [ 55:28-01:06:34 ] Dr. Josh Stephens (Book of Ruth breakdown) [ 30:50-43:50 ]Donate to Moody Radio: http://moodyradio.org/donateto/morningshowSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All throughout Scripture, you encounter stories that make you pause and say, “Only God.”Today, we continue our year-long Bible study in the book of Exodus, The Gospel: One Rescue at a Time. In this episode, Paul unpacks the birth and rescue of Moses and shows how, through ordinary people and circumstances, God accomplishes extraordinary things for his glory and the good of his people.To hear more from this Exodus series, visit PaulTripp.com/Exodus.

All throughout Scripture, you encounter stories that make you pause and say, “Only God.”Today, we continue our year-long Bible study in the book of Exodus, The Gospel: One Rescue at a Time. In this episode, Paul unpacks the birth and rescue of Moses and shows how, through ordinary people and circumstances, God accomplishes extraordinary things for his glory and the good of his people.To hear more from this Exodus series, visit PaulTripp.com/Exodus.

Acts 4:32-35 NLTAll the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God's great blessing was upon them all. There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need.All were united in heart and mind. Sharing what they had. No one needy among them.Only God can change the human soul to cooperate, unite, and love like that, selflessly, literally bringing Heaven to earth.Today, His life is available. His love is available. His Spirit can touch our lives to love, care, and share like those first disciples.This passage creates a longing to be united in heart and mind with other believers.Can you make yourself available to love selflessly today?Read once more this time from the Message Bible:The whole congregation of believers was united as one—one heart, one mind! They didn't even claim ownership of their own possessions. No one said, “That's mine; you can't have it.” They shared everything. The apostles gave powerful witness to the resurrection of the Master Jesus, and grace was on all of them.And so it turned out that not a person among them was needy. Those who owned fields or houses sold them and brought the price of the sale to the apostles and made an offering of it. The apostles then distributed it according to each person's need.No matter how independent we may think ourselves to be, we need care. We need help. We need others. True community is finding common ground coupled with unity. Focused on what draws us together, rather than divides. Peace over chaos. Responsibility over rights. Giving. Caring. Loving like Jesus.Let's pray together: “Lord of all, thank You for Your Spirit that unites us in one heart and mind. Thank You that in You we can meet one another's needs, share our blessings, and love with the kind of love that only Heaven can give. As above, so below.”

Istrouma Baptist Church (ASC) Jul 6, 2025 ========== July 6 - These Words Changed My Life Welcome! We're glad you've joined us today for our Sunday morning worship service! For more information about Istrouma, go to istrouma.org or contact us at info@istrouma.org. We glorify God by making disciples of all nations. ========== Connection Card https://istrouma.org/myinfo The Church As Family Mark 3:31-35 (CSB) Mark 3:31-35 (CSB) 31 His mother and his brothers came, and standing outside, they sent word to him and called him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him and told him, “Look, your mother, your brothers, and your sisters are outside asking for you.” 33 He replied to them, “Who are my mother and my brothers? ” 34 Looking at those sitting in a circle around him, he said,“Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.” I. We Are Members of God's Family Through His Obedient Son Ephesians 1:3-6 (CSB) Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ. For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him. He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One. Dietrich Bonhoeffer — “Christianity means community through Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ. No Christian community or more or less than this…Without Christ we should not know God, we could not call upon him, nor come to him. But without Christ we also would not know our brother, nor could we come to him. The way is blocked by our own ego.” II. As Members of God's Family We Have a New Father and Belong to a New Household A New Family Salvation is a community creating event Matthew 13:54-55 (CSB) “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers? 55 Isn't this the carpenter's son? A New Father Displays the Authority of God has over His Church Matthew 23:8-9 (CSB) “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,' because you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers and sisters. Do not call anyone on earth your father, because you have one Father, who is in heaven.” A New Father Displays the Care of God for his People Matthew 7:10-11 (CSB) “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him.” III. This Family Language Establishes How We Should Relate to One Another in the Church Acts 9:13-17 (CSB) 13 “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard from many people about this man, how much harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. 14 And he has authority here from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.” 15 But the Lord said to him,“Go, for this man is my chosen instrument to take my name to Gentiles, kings, and Israelites. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” 17 Ananias went and entered the house. He placed his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road you were traveling, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” How We Relate as Family 1. Commitment 2. Conflict 3. Care 4. Cost IV. The Church is a Real Family Not a Perfect One Trevin Wax — “It's paradoxical but true. You can only truly benefit from the community of faith in its healthiest expressions when you don't expect something from the church that God alone can give. The church doesn't solve loneliness. Only God does that. Yes, often he does that through his people. But the way he accomplishes this work is by putting you through the difficult, sanctifying process of loving people who don't seem to love you back and remaining fiercely committed to people who may be a source of heartbreak in your life. This is the hard part of seeing the church as family: bearing with your siblings through thick and thin, recognizing Jesus in them but also realizing they're not Jesus. That's the only way we can live and love as the family of God, without idealistic expectations crushing our spirits.”

God's Law reveals our true condition. All we can do is cast ourselves on God's grace. In this message from Hebrews 12, Pastor Lutzer contrasts Mount Sinai where God gave the law with Mount Zion, where He gives grace. Only God's grace can bridge the gap between God's presence and sinners.  This month's special offer is available for a donation of any amount. Get yours at https://offerrtw.com or call us at 1-800-215-5001. 

As I think about surrender, I'm reminded of how much of a struggle it can be for us. After all, surrender feels like losing. No one wants to raise the white flag of surrender.Main Points:1. We must see that everything we need is on the other side of surrendering our life to Jesus. As long as we are resistant and focused on ourselves, we'll miss out on what God could have done in and through our lives.2. In prayer, let's search our hearts today and listen for the Holy Spirit to address those areas of our own lives that we may not have surrendered to God.3. Let's experience the joy of a life fully surrendered to God. May we be able to truly say, “All to thee my blessed Savior, I surrender all.”Today's Scripture Verses:Mark 10:17-22 - “As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.”  “Teacher,” the man replied, “I've obeyed all these commandments since I was young.” Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven't done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” At this the man's face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.”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

Full Text of ReadingsSolemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles Lectionary: 590, 591The Saint of the day is Saints Peter and PaulSaints Peter and Paul's Story Peter (d. 64?) Saint Mark ends the first half of his Gospel with a triumphant climax. He has recorded doubt, misunderstanding, and the opposition of many to Jesus. Now Peter makes his great confession of faith: “You are the Messiah” (Mark 8:29b). It was one of the many glorious moments in Peter's life, beginning with the day he was called from his nets along the Sea of Galilee to become a fisher of men for Jesus. The New Testament clearly shows Peter as the leader of the apostles, chosen by Jesus to have a special relationship with him. With James and John he was privileged to witness the Transfiguration, the raising of a dead child to life, and the agony in Gethsemane. His mother-in-law was cured by Jesus. He was sent with John to prepare for the last Passover before Jesus' death. His name is first on every list of apostles. And to Peter only did Jesus say, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:17b-19). But the Gospels prove their own trustworthiness by the unflattering details they include about Peter. He clearly had no public relations person. It is a great comfort for ordinary mortals to know that Peter also has his human weakness, even in the presence of Jesus. He generously gave up all things, yet he can ask in childish self-regard, “What are we going to get for all this?” (see Matthew 19:27). He receives the full force of Christ's anger when he objects to the idea of a suffering Messiah: “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do” (Matthew 16:23b). Peter is willing to accept Jesus' doctrine of forgiveness, but suggests a limit of seven times. He walks on the water in faith, but sinks in doubt. He refuses to let Jesus wash his feet, then wants his whole body cleansed. He swears at the Last Supper that he will never deny Jesus, and then swears to a servant maid that he has never known the man. He loyally resists the first attempt to arrest Jesus by cutting off Malchus' ear, but in the end he runs away with the others. In the depth of his sorrow, Jesus looks on him and forgives him, and he goes out and sheds bitter tears. The Risen Jesus told Peter to feed his lambs and his sheep (John 21:15-17). Paul (d. 64?) If the most well-known preacher today suddenly began preaching that the United States should adopt Marxism and not rely on the Constitution, the angry reaction would help us understand Paul's life when he started preaching that Christ alone can save us. He had been the most pharisaic of Pharisees, the most legalistic of Mosaic lawyers. Now he suddenly appears to other Jews as a heretical welcomer of Gentiles, a traitor and apostate. Paul's central conviction was simple and absolute: Only God can save humanity. No human effort—even the most scrupulous observance of law—can create a human good which we can bring to God as reparation for sin and payment for grace. To be saved from itself, from sin, from the devil, and from death, humanity must open itself completely to the saving power of Jesus. Paul never lost his love for his Jewish family, though he carried on a lifelong debate with them about the uselessness of the Law without Christ. He reminded the Gentiles that they were grafted on the parent stock of the Jews, who were still God's chosen people, the children of the promise. Reflection We would probably go to confession to Peter sooner than to any of the other apostles. He is perhaps a more striking example of the simple fact of holiness. Jesus says to us as he said, in effect, to Peter: “It is not you who have chosen me, but I who have chosen you. Peter, it is not human wisdom that makes it possible for you to believe, but my Father's revelation. I, not you, build my Church.” Paul's experience of the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus was the driving force that made him one of the most zealous, dynamic, and courageous ambassadors of Christ the Church has ever had. But persecution, humiliation, and weakness became his day-by-day carrying of the cross, material for further transformation. The dying Christ was in him; the living Christ was his life. Saint Paul is the Patron Saint of: Greece Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

This is part 4 of our response series on The Incarnate Christ and His Critics. Only God has power over nature. Jesus walked on water. Therefore Jesus must be God. Right? Does that line of reasoning convince you? How about this one. Only God has power over nature. Elijah called down fire from heaven. Therefore Elijah must be God. Or how about this one? Only God has power over nature. Moses split the Red Sea. Therefore Moses must be God. Listen in to today’s episode to find out why this kind of argument doesn’t hold water as well as how the evangelists who wrote the Gospels intended Jesus’s miracles to be interpreted.   Listen on Spotify   Listen on Apple Podcasts —— Links —— Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on X @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price. Get the transcript of this episode Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.

Read Online“All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19–20 (Year B Gospel)Of all the great feasts we celebrate within the Church throughout the year, today's Solemnity presents us with a Mystery that is so deep and transcendent that our eternity will be spent in perpetual contemplation. The Trinity, the life of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, will never get old, never be fully understood, and will be the cause of our everlasting adoration and joy. Though the Church has used philosophical concepts to explain the Trinity, no human concept or description will ever fully explain Who God is. Though we can point to some general truths about God, we will never be able to fully depict the inner essence, depth, beauty and omnipotence of the Trinity.As we consider that fact, it's important to understand that the Trinity is not first a theological mystery we try to define. Rather, the Trinity is first a communion of Persons we are invited to know. We do not primarily come to know God through intellectual deduction. We come to know God through prayerful union with Him. Though theology is exceptionally useful and important, the essence of God is beyond any and every philosophical concept we can define.The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are Persons. And as Persons, they want to be known. And they want to be known primarily through a life of deep and intimate prayer. Praying to One Person, of course, is praying to all, since they are One God. But we are, nonetheless, called to a relationship of love with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. And though our feeble minds may not be able to fully comprehend the essence of God, He will draw us deeper and deeper into a knowledge of Him if we let Him.Prayer often begins by saying prayers, by meditating upon Scripture, and by listening. But true prayer is something much deeper. True prayer is contemplative prayer that ultimately leads to divine union. Only God can initiate this form of prayer in our lives, and only God, through this deep form of prayer, can communicate Himself to us as He is. Some of the greatest mystics of our Church, such as Saint John of the Cross and Saint Teresa of Ávila, explain in their mystical theology that the deepest knowledge of God does not come through concepts or images. In fact, if we wish to obtain a knowledge of God in His essence, we must allow Him to purge every concept of Who He is so that the pure light of His essence can be poured forth upon our minds. This knowledge, they say, is beyond knowing “about” God. It's the beginning of a knowledge “of” God.Reflect, today, upon the Most Holy Trinity. As you do, say a prayer to God asking for a deeper and more intimate knowledge of Him. Ask Him to communicate to you His divine love and to open your mind and heart to a deeper understanding of Who He is. Try to humble yourself before the great Mystery of the inner life of God. Humility before the Mystery of God means that we know how little we know about Him and how little we know of Him. But that humble truth will help you move closer to the deeper relationship of love to which you are called.Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, please draw me into a relationship of love with You Who are one God and three divine Persons. May the mystery and beauty of Your life become more known and loved by me each day through the gift of transforming mystical prayer. Jesus, I trust in You.  Image: Holy Trinity via Web Gallery of ArtSource of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2025 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

In a season of Stillness—but I'm still here. ❤️‍

You've invited God into your heart, prayed sincerely, and still feel silence. What does that mean? We explore how to respond when God seems distant—even when you're doing everything right. Join The CA Live Club Newsletter: Click Here Invite our apologists to speak at your parish! Visit Catholicanswersspeakers.com Please help support our mission by donating! Catholicanswersradio.com Questions Covered: 01:01 – I kind of want to convert but Eucharistic ministers’ hands touching hands and tongues and sharing the chalice are so yucky!  What can I do about this hang-up?  12:49 – Do you have a response to Dr Mark Miravalle's response about Medjugorje?  18:22 – I heard you state on a recent podcast that you have a particular interest in linguistics, so I’m hoping you can comment on the following issue.  Why are some Old Testament names so familiar in modern English and others so foreign to us?  Is it a matter of translation, the importance of the person, or something else?  24:45 – What’s the best evidence that psi phenomenon exist?  39:50 – If Angels have been around since creation, but they don't reproduce, does that mean that it's the same number of angels since the beginning? No more and no less?   44:52 – How do those who desperately want a relationship with God, including prayers inviting all three persons of God to come into their heart, deal properly with an apparent lack of response from God.   48:21 – How can ‘days off purgatory’ be understood in the hereafter since we live in a different ‘time zone’ AND isn’t the timeframe of the purging a discretionary matter ONLY God can determine?   50:52 – The Copenhagen experiment where they shot photons through slits (I think I have that right?) and the particles behaved differently when they were observed vs unobserved – does this offer any proof for God? Also how does this work with Weeping Angels?