Podcast appearances and mentions of Oswald Chambers

Send us a textThe time to grow a healthy, thriving youth ministry is NOW...let's work together! Make sure to check out GrowYourYouthMinistry.com ***Are you looking for books that will actually move the needle in your youth ministry and your leadership as a youth pastor? In this episode, we are presenting nine books that don't just inspire, but they reshape how you lead, preach, and disciple within your student ministry. This is a great time to compile your reading list and this conversation aims straight at the places youth pastors feel stuck and offers practical ways forward.=======

 Thatis what we have been emphasizing over the past few days: the importance ofliving this kind of life and the necessity of having a daily quiettime—spending time with God. It is God who works in you both to will and to doof His good pleasure as you make yourself available to Him. You put yourself inthe pathway of grace by practicing certain spiritual disciplines, such asreading your Bible and spending time in prayer. Thereis another discipline I began early as a brand-new believer, now some 54 yearsago—and that is memorizing Scripture. Take at least one verse a week. Memorizethat verse throughout the week. That's 52 verses a year. I did much more thanthat over the years, but I want to tell you something: if there is one regret Ihave, it is that I did not memorize even more Scripture. Youcan never memorize too much of God's Word. You may say, “I can't remember thoseverses later.” That doesn't matter. They are inside of you. The Holy Spiritwill bring to your remembrance what you have hidden in your heart. It's there,even if you don't consciously recall it at the moment. God will use it. Anotherdiscipline I have practiced over many years is reading good devotional books.At the top of my list, of course, is Oswald Chambers, ‘My Utmost for HisHighest'. He has several other excellent devotionals, such as ‘Daily Thoughtsfor Disciples'. Over the years, I have probably read 20 or 30 different devotionalbooks, by different authors, sometimes reading several each day for months at atime, simply to ensure that I was walking with wise men. Scripturetells us, “He that walks with wise men shall be wise, but a companion offools shall be destroyed” (Proverbs 13:20). I thought to myself, who can Iwalk with that is wise? Many of those people don't have time for mepersonally—but I can walk with them through their writings. They left theirlife and wisdom in their books.  Thereare wise men and women such as Oswald Chambers, A. W. Tozer, E. M. Bounds,Andrew Murray, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, and Mrs. Charles Cowman, whose book, “Streamsin the Desert' has been a great blessing. I can spend a few minutes with eachof these authors—people who knew God, walked with God, and had God-given wisdomconcerning spiritual life and the world around us. Iwant to make special mention of Henry Blackaby's ‘Experiencing God Day by Day'.I post that devotional on my website, (https://www.pmiministries.org/), and onFacebook every day. Another one I post daily is Dr. Elmer Towns, ‘365 Ways toKnow God'. I strongly encourage you to read it. I wish I had started reading ityears ago. Dr. Towns was my theology professor for four years at LibertyUniversity, back when it was Lynchburg Baptist College. I can tell you, youwill learn about God and come to know Him in a more intimate way. Then you canpractice what you are learning about God. Dr. Towns used to say, “Theology thatdoesn't teach you how to daily live for God is not good theology.” I have neverforgotten that. Ialso recommend Andrew Murray's ‘God's Best Secrets', a book God has usedgreatly in my life, along with works associated with Watchman Nee, such as ‘TheJoyful Heart' and ‘Table in the Wilderness'. E. M. Bounds also has a one-minutedevotional, ‘The Power of Prayer', that is excellent for daily reading—I stilluse it today. Inaddition, I take time to read Robert J. Morgan's ‘On This Day'. It highlightssomething that happened on that particular day in history—often involving agiant of the faith, someone God used mightily, or someone who even gave theirlife as a martyr for Christ. Reading their stories encourages me andstrengthens my faith. Myfriend, we need all the help we can get in a world that is constantlybombarding us with lies. We need the truth. We need time with wise men andwomen—and we can do that through the books they have left behind. They havepoured their lives, their faith, and their thoughts into those pages for us.

On this last episode for 2025, I want to share my overall thoughts on the year and pair it with a pertinent devotional from Oswald Chambers.

Ministério PermanecerInstituto Jesus Cristo

Aswe turn to this passage of Scripture in 1 Timothy chapter 4, we arereminded—especially as we enter a new year—that we have tremendousresponsibilities as believers. We are called to be a light in the world, tolive a godly life, a life that is different. We have been talking about this inEphesians chapter 4. As we close out one year and begin another, I want toencourage you, as best I can, to discipline yourself for the purpose ofgodliness. Hereis what Paul told Timothy: “But have nothing to do with worldly fables fitonly for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose ofgodliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness isprofitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and alsofor the life to come. It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance.”(1 Timothy 4:7–9) Paulsays, in effect, This is trustworthy. This is something you need to do. And bythe grace of God, it is something you can do as you humble yourself andsurrender yourself to the will of God. This is more than just a commitment—itis a surrender. I remind you, as I have said so often, quoting Oswald Chambers,“The only right you have is the right to give up the right to yourself.” Thatis something you do daily. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:31, “I die daily.”Yes, we die to the flesh, and we live to the Spirit. Romans 8:1 says, “Thereis therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do notwalk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” And then Paulgoes on to say, “that the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has setme free from the law of sin and death”. You and I have been set free inChrist Jesus—something we have been talking about extensively in Ephesianschapter 4. Thismatter of discipline is very important. The word discipline comes from theworld of athletics and training. It speaks of intentional, consistenteffort—not occasional inspiration. I remember when I was in high school, I wasasked to play on a summer baseball team, and I did quite well. As a result, Iwas invited to play on the high school baseball team at Princeton High Schoolin North Cincinnati. We had a really good team, and it looked like we weregoing to win a state championship. I worked my way up to being the leadoffbatter. I'lltell you, I started thinking I might play Major League Baseball. Because ofthat, I made some decisions. I determined that I was not going to eat things Ishouldn't eat. I wasn't going to drink alcohol, party, or put drugs into mybody. I disciplined my body for the sake of becoming the best baseball player Icould be, with the goal of playing in the major leagues. I also have a grandsonwho is training with the goal of becoming a Navy SEAL. Just the other day, Ilearned that he ran 50 miles on the beach—20 miles in the soft sand and 30miles in the hard sand. All the time, I see him training, running, and exercising.Why? So that he can fulfill his goal of becoming a SEAL one day. And I believehe is going to make it, based on his discipline. That'swhat an athlete does. That's what a soldier does. Paul told Timothy to “be agood soldier of Jesus Christ.” (Read 2 Timothy 2:3-5).  Over the next few days, I want to encourageyou with some spiritual disciplines—things we will talk about together—that youcan practice. These are disciplines I learned as a young believer so that Icould grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ and be all that God wanted meto be. Godbless you as we prepare for a new year. We are living in a time of crisis inthis world, and God knows we must do all we can and be all we can be for Hisglory. By His grace we can make a difference in this world before Jesus comesagain. Godbless you, and may you have a wonderful, wonderful day.

Ministério PermanecerInstituto Jesus Cristo

Ministério PermanecerInstituto Jesus Cristo

Ministério PermanecerInstituto Jesus Cristo

Ministério PermanecerInstituto Jesus Cristo

Thefirst of the five sins Paul tells us to put off is lying. We must always beaware of the danger of lying. Lying is rooted in the deceitful nature of Satanhimself. He uses lies to lead us astray, to make us believe that the wrong pathis the right path. Jesus warned us that “broad is the way that leads todestruction, and many go in by it.” My friend, the devil is a liar. Jesussaid in John 8:44 that Satan is a liar and the father of lies. He also said inJohn 10 that the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy—and the primary way thedevil does this is through lies. He lies by placing deceptive thoughts into ourminds. I am convinced that the fiery darts of the devil mentioned in Ephesians6 are his lies. That is why we are told to take up the shield of faith, whichof course, is the Word of God that we have in our hearts and can quote back to thedevil's lies like Jesus did in Matthew 4 when He was tempted. Inthe end times, 2 Thessalonians 2:7-12, tells us that the Antichrist will comewith lying wonders, deceiving those who reject the truth because they takepleasure in unrighteousness. They will believe the lie. My friend, we arealready seeing how lies work all around us—how they deceive people and leadthem into destructive paths. As Jesus said in John 10:10, “the thief (thedevil) has come to steal, to kill and to destroy”. That is why we see suchviolence, chaos, and brokenness in our world today. People are believing thelie when what they desperately need is the truth. Thisis it is so important to Speak the Truth! It is no accident that Paul lists lying first. Lyingdestroys. Truth builds up. If we want to live a life that honors God, we mustlearn how to build truth into our lives. Weonly have a few days left before we begin a new year. This is often the timewhen people make New Year's resolutions. But instead of resolutions, I want toencourage you to make a commitment—a complete surrender to the will of God tobe the person He wants you to be. How do you do that? We all desperately dailyneed God's grace to do what we ought to do. The best way I know receive God'sgrace is to put yourself in the path of God's grace by getting into God's Word andHis Truth that sets us free on a daily basis. The truth is Jesus. The Truth isfound in His Word. Living in the Truth means abiding in Christ (John 15). Thelie of the devil is that you don't have time for God's Word—that you are toobusy, that other things are more urgent. My friend, that is the tyranny of theurgent, where immediate demands crowd out the most important thing: time alonewith the Lord in His Word and prayer. And we must discipline ourselves spirituallyto do that! Years ago, by the grace of God, I made a determination todiscipline myself for godliness, as Paul instructed Timothy (1 Timothy 4:7-9).The only way to do that is to commit to a daily quiet time with the Lord. Thedevil will whisper his lies into your ears and mind: “You don't need to pray. Youdon't need to read through the Bible. You don't need every Word of God.” Theseare his lies! That is why I do everything I can through this Pastor's Chat andthrough my website to encourage believers to stay in the Word. I post dailydevotionals such as Oswald Chambers' My Utmost for His Highest, ExperiencingGod by Henry Blackaby, and Dr. Elmer Towns' 365 Ways to Know God. I personally alsoread other devotionals by Andrew Murray and others. These help me focus eachday on God's truth instead of Satan's lies. Forover 50 years now I have read five Psalms a day, and I post them on my websiteso you can read or listen along if you wish. We also provide Bible readingschedules—two different plans—to help you stay disciplined in God's Word. Todaywill you make the decision by God's grace to say: “I am not going to try. I amgoing to do this.” My friend, if you will do this, you will find that next yearwill be a completely different year.

Ministério PermanecerInstituto Jesus Cristo

Ministério PermanecerInstituto Jesus Cristo

Ministério PermanecerInstituto Jesus Cristo

Ministério PermanecerInstituto Jesus Cristo

Ministério PermanecerInstituto Jesus Cristo

Ministério PermanecerInstituto Jesus Cristo

Ministério Permanecer e Instituto Jesus Cristo

Ministério Permanecer Instituto Jesus Cristo

Ministério PermanecerInstituto Jesus Cristo

Ministério Permanecer Instituto Jesus Cristo

Ministério Permanecer

Ministério PermanecerInstituto Jesus Cristo

Ministério Permanecer e Instituto Jesus Cristo

Ministério Permanecer e Instituto Permanecer

Ministério Permanecer e Instituto Jesus Cristo

The giftsand offices to the early church in order that the people of the church, thebelievers, would grow to spiritual maturity and display to the world what itreally means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Acts11:26 tells us that the believers, the disciples, were “first calledChristians at Antioch” of Syria. Remember that this was a church made up believersfrom various nationalities and backgrounds. There were Gentile believers. Therewere Jewish believers. And no doubt, some were there from other nationalities. Itwas a mixed group of believers but we find that these people worked together insuch a way they were called Christians, which means they were Christlike. Thespiritual life is not a destination that we finally arrive at, and we are now spirituallymature. No, my friend, the real spiritual mature believer's life is a journey,it is a daily walk in the right direction. Yesterday we talked about the wascalled “a perfect man” in these verses. What it means to be “perfect”.Christ tells us that we should be perfect even as our Father in heaven isperfect. That means we are like Christ. Which means that we are in a placewhere we are being obedient to the Lord and the Holy Spirit's leading and doingand living out the will of God moment by moment in our daily lives.  Ilike what Oswald Chambers says about this. When we really have grown to a placeof spiritual maturity, on our journey, “we are walking by faith, not by sight”.He said, that it is not a matter of trying to figure out and doing the will ofGod, but “we are the will of God”.  Wesee that in these verses. We're not like children any longer, walking accordingto the lust of the flesh, walking according to the desires of our heart, doingwhat we want to do. No, we're living in the Holy Spirit, walking by faith, inthe Word of God. Again notice, that the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastorsand teachers were given for the equipping of the saints for the work of theministry and for the edifying of the body of Christ. Paul,as awesome as he was as an Apostle and disciple and follower of Christ andchurch planter, he said, "I've not yet arrived. I still reach forth."(Philippians 3:12-14).  We're alwaysreaching forth. We are still every day coming to the knowledge that I have somuch more to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. It's a growthevery day. It is a daily going in the right direction!The“work of the ministry” also includes the edifying of the body of Christ. Thisproduces unity in the church. That's why they were called Christians first atAntioch. There was that unity of believers despite their background, despitetheir culture, despite where they came from, rich and poor, etc. They worktogether in love displaying the characteristics of Christlikeness in theiractions and attitudes. Paulgoes on to say that we have come to the “unity of the faith”. Which is based onthat body of truth concerning the person of Jesus. What do you believe aboutJesus. That's why he goes on to say and of the knowledge of the Son of God. Whois Jesus? If someone doesn't believe that Jesus is Christ, the Son of God, Godin the flesh, He is deity, and that He is divine, the apostle John and otherwriters of the New Testament make it very clear, they are antichrist. They are nota true follower of Christ. (Read 1 and 2 John). TheChristian life is a walk of faith. “We walk by faith not by sight” (2 Corinthians5:7). And “We are no longer children tossed to and fro” (v. 14).Children are selfish. Children live on their emotions. They feel good and theyshow in their attitude and actions that they feel good. But then when they feelbad, in their actions and attitude they act bad and they treat others wrong. Theylive by their feelings. There are too many people in the church like that. Godwants us to always be growing spiritually where we're displaying thecharacteristics of Jesus Christ in our attitude and in everything we say and do. 

Ministério Permanecer e Instituto Jesus Cristo

Before I get into these verses, let me just mention that I'll be going toIndia from January the 15th through the 25th 2026, with a team fromGlobal Partners in Peace and Development. First, I'm asking for your prayersfor our team and myself as we go on this trip to India. We're going to be ableto do so many different things such as meet and speak to pastors, participatein dedicating a number of freshwater wells, and distribute gifts given through theGPPD gift catalog to the widows and Indian children. Also we'll be providinganimals for different folks to help provide food for them. We will be able toimpact and bless many precious Indian people and influence them for Christ. So pleasepray, pray, for safety and strength for this trip.  Alsosecondly, if you would like to financially help me cover the expenses for thetrip and with taking some gifts and money to give to pastors, simply donate itto “Mission Travel Support” through the PayPal donate button on our website: https://www.pmiministries.org/  Or you can send a gift to the address listed onour website where I have my office. Thank you in advance for your prayers andsupport. We're so blessed to have friends like you who've supported us over theyears and have helped us continue to do this wonderful ministry. Now,back to Ephesians 4:11-16. I want to share something that I noticed yesterdayin my devotional time, that I believe will speak to your heart, too.  Remember the Apostle Paul in this chapter has alreadytalked about the grace of unity, the ground of unity, and the gifts of unity, inverses 1-11. Now he's talking about the growth of unity (vv. 11-16).  When we have true spiritual growth in ourpersonal and individual lives, we will also experience growth in our churches. Paultells us that the offices and gifts of the apostles, prophets, evangelist, pastors,and the teachers are given to the church for the perfecting of the saint forthe saint to grow to spiritual maturity. He describes this as, “To a perfectman”, (or “woman”). Yesterdayin my devotion time, while reading a devotion by Oswald Chambers, he spoke ofwhat it means to “be perfect”.  Thinkingabout it, I remembered back in Matthew 5:48, Jesus had said in His Sermon onthe Mount, "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father inheaven is perfect." Then in Matthew 19, a rich young ruler came toJesus asking, "What can I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus answeredand told him, "If you would be perfect…." Now, what does itmean to be perfect?  OswaldChambers tells us, "Beware of mental quibbling over the word ‘perfect'. Perfectiondoes not mean the full maturity and consummation of a man's power. But perfectfitness for doing the will of God (Philippians 3:12-15). Supposing Jesus Christcan perfectly adjust me to God, to put me so perfectly right that I shall be onthe footing where I can do the will of God, do I really want Him to do it? Do Iwant God at all cost to make me perfect?” (From his book, “It Thou Wilt bePerfect”, page 116) Thequestion for you and me today is, do I really want to be the person that'sspiritually mature to the place where I will be willing to yield my life sofully to God so that I'm always “about my Father's business”. Am I doingthe will of God right now? The first characteristic of spiritual maturity is “Christlikeness”. Godbless!

Ministério PermanecerInstituto Jesus Cristo

Ministério PermanecerInstituto Jesus Cristo

Ministério Permanecer e INSTITUTO JESUS CRISTO

Ministério Permanecer e Instituto Jesus Cristo

Ministério Permanecer

Ministério Permanecer

Ministério Permanecer

Ministério Permanecer e Instituto Jesus Cristo

Ministério Permanecer

Ministério Permanecer

O Ministério Permanecer, fundado pelo Pr. Carlos McCord em2005, ajuda pessoas a viver uma espiritualidade simples e contínua em JesusCristo. Inspirado em João 15, oferece cursos, palestras e devocionais quefortalecem a conexão com Cristo, capacitando líderes e igrejas a viverem uma féprática, frutífera e transformadora.

O Ministério Permanecer, fundado pelo Pr. Carlos McCord em2005, ajuda pessoas a viver uma espiritualidade simples e contínua em JesusCristo. Inspirado em João 15, oferece cursos, palestras e devocionais quefortalecem a conexão com Cristo, capacitando líderes e igrejas a viverem uma féprática, frutífera e transformadora.

O Ministério Permanecer, fundado pelo Pr. Carlos McCord em2005, ajuda pessoas a viver uma espiritualidade simples e contínua em JesusCristo. Inspirado em João 15, oferece cursos, palestras e devocionais quefortalecem a conexão com Cristo, capacitando líderes e igrejas a viverem uma féprática, frutífera e transformadora.

O Ministério Permanecer, fundado pelo Pr. Carlos McCord em2005, ajuda pessoas a viver uma espiritualidade simples e contínua em JesusCristo. Inspirado em João 15, oferece cursos, palestras e devocionais quefortalecem a conexão com Cristo, capacitando líderes e igrejas a viverem uma féprática, frutífera e transformadora.

O Ministério Permanecer, fundado pelo Pr. Carlos McCord em2005, ajuda pessoas a viver uma espiritualidade simples e contínua em JesusCristo. Inspirado em João 15, oferece cursos, palestras e devocionais quefortalecem a conexão com Cristo, capacitando líderes e igrejas a viverem uma féprática, frutífera e transformadora.

O Ministério Permanecer, fundado pelo Pr. Carlos McCord em2005, ajuda pessoas a viver uma espiritualidade simples e contínua em JesusCristo. Inspirado em João 15, oferece cursos, palestras e devocionais quefortalecem a conexão com Cristo, capacitando líderes e igrejas a viverem uma féprática, frutífera e transformadora.

O Ministério Permanecer, fundado pelo Pr. Carlos McCord em2005, ajuda pessoas a viver uma espiritualidade simples e contínua em JesusCristo. Inspirado em João 15, oferece cursos, palestras e devocionais quefortalecem a conexão com Cristo, capacitando líderes e igrejas a viverem uma féprática, frutífera e transformadora.

O Ministério Permanecer, fundado pelo Pr. Carlos McCord em2005, ajuda pessoas a viver uma espiritualidade simples e contínua em JesusCristo. Inspirado em João 15, oferece cursos, palestras e devocionais quefortalecem a conexão com Cristo, capacitando líderes e igrejas a viverem uma féprática, frutífera e transformadora.

O Ministério Permanecer, fundado pelo Pr. Carlos McCord em2005, ajuda pessoas a viver uma espiritualidade simples e contínua em JesusCristo. Inspirado em João 15, oferece cursos, palestras e devocionais quefortalecem a conexão com Cristo, capacitando líderes e igrejas a viverem uma féprática, frutífera e transformadora.

O Ministério Permanecer, fundado pelo Pr. Carlos McCord em2005, ajuda pessoas a viver uma espiritualidade simples e contínua em JesusCristo. Inspirado em João 15, oferece cursos, palestras e devocionais quefortalecem a conexão com Cristo, capacitando líderes e igrejas a viverem uma féprática, frutífera e transformadora.

O Ministério Permanecer, fundado pelo Pr. Carlos McCord em2005, ajuda pessoas a viver uma espiritualidade simples e contínua em JesusCristo. Inspirado em João 15, oferece cursos, palestras e devocionais quefortalecem a conexão com Cristo, capacitando líderes e igrejas a viverem uma féprática, frutífera e transformadora.

During the Blitz on London on December 29, 1940, a bomb destroyed a warehouse near St. Paul’s Cathedral and the resulting fire raged for two days. When Biddy Chambers received the news that all 40,000 copies of Oswald Chambers’ books stored there were lost—which she had compiled and edited but not insured—she set down her tea cup and remarked to her daughter, “Well, God has used the books for His glory, but now that is over. We’ll wait and see what God will do now.” Perhaps Biddy was remembering what Oswald had written at the start of the First World War before his death. He noted how Jesus spoke to His disciples about “the inevitability of peril” so that when horrible things happened, they would “not be scared” because He was with them. Indeed, Jesus told His friends of the trials they would face: “In this world you will have trouble. But,” He continued, “take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). He wanted them to remain strong in their faith in His Father so they could withstand the trials and challenges they would endure. Biddy’s quiet confidence in God carried her through, and eventually the books were reprinted and became classics for generations. We too can find encouragement and hope in Jesus’ promises that He has overcome the world. We know that He won’t leave us (14:18) and will give us peace (v. 27), no matter what we face.