Podcasts about Philistines

In this episode of The Leader's Notebook (Ep. 328), I begin a journey through the life of David, one of the most fascinating and complex people in Scripture. Before we ever get to Goliath, David's story is shaped by the world around him, from the era of the Judges and the rise of Saul to his unlikely family heritage through Rahab and Ruth. David was a shepherd boy from Bethlehem, yet God saw something in him that others could not see. We look at David's anointing by Samuel, his victory over Goliath, his rise as a military leader, and the growing jealousy of Saul. David's story reminds us that God's calling does not always make immediate sense, and that success, recognition, and even God's favor can create complicated seasons of testing. We also see the remarkable friendship of David and Jonathan and the supernatural moments that protected David when his life was in danger. As we begin this study, Psalm 23 gives us a beautiful glimpse of the heart of the man behind the history: “The Lord is my shepherd.” – Dr. Mark Rutland Chapters (00:00:03) - leaders notebook with Dr. Mark Rutland(00:02:48) - The Story of King David(00:12:07) - Samuel the Last Judge of Israel(00:19:29) - David the Lion in the King's Court(00:22:09) - Samuel: I'm Going to Take the Kingdom from Saul(00:26:18) - The Life of David(00:31:58) - In the Life of David(00:36:14) - The Battle of David vs Goliath(00:38:34) - Saul Says to David: Who Is That?(00:44:42) - David and the Philistines(00:46:47) - David's Decision to Kill Saul(00:53:44) - The Leader's Notebook

So, what is the hymn “Come Thou Fount” referring to with this obscure and unfamiliar phrase about raising an Ebenezer?  When you hear the word Ebenezer, you probably think of Scrooge from Dicken's Christmas Carol. Not too many people name their sons Ebenezer these days. But in Scripture we find this word in 1 Samuel 7:12:  Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far has the Lord helped us.”  Literally the word Ebenezer means “Stone of Help.” Samuel set up—or raised—this stone as a memorial, a marker-stone, to commemorate the Israelite victory over the Philistines. This was not a stone to be worshiped; it was not to make a certain place holy, like a Mecca. But Samuel knew well that the Israelites were very prone to forget God's goodness and blessings. So, he raised this stone as an everlasting reminder of how God had helped them win this victory.  I'd like to talk about Ebenezer stones—or stones of remembrances—for our own lives, by looking at the life of Moses. There were some definite Ebenezer stones in his life—stones of remembrance, stones when God helped him. And these turning points in his life relate to ours as well. As we look at Moses' stones of remembrance, consider how your own life may have some similar ones.  The Stone of Salvation  You are no doubt familiar with the story of how Moses's life was saved as a baby by a very creative mother and sister. When Pharaoh's daughter saw baby Moses in the basket on the Nile, she took him into Pharaoh's home and raised him as one of her own. He was physically saved, so there would be a Stone of Salvation for Moses.  Do you have a Stone of Salvation? I'm talking about salvation from the penalty of your sins. Can you tell of a time when you were made aware of your sins, where you were convicted of your sinful condition, and you knew you could not save yourself?   If you have not yet set up your stone of salvation, here's all you have to do:   If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved (Romans 10:9-10).  The Stone of Shame  As Moses grew to manhood, he was educated as an Egyptian with all the privileges that came from being raised as Pharaoh's daughter. But he never forgot that he was one of God's chosen people, so he wanted to help his people. Pharaoh kept the Jewish people in bitter servitude, and they were sorely mistreated. One day when Moses saw an Egyptian beating one of his Hebrew brothers, he killed the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand. He thought he was doing the right thing to defend his countryman, but the next day, when he saw two Hebrews fighting each other and tried to stop them, they turned on him and said, Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian? (Exodus 2:14).  Well, this just blew Moses away. He thought his murderous act was a secret, but now he realized it wasn't, and when Pharaoh heard about it, he tried to kill Moses. So, Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he became a lowly, humble shepherd. For forty years Moses lived in exile in Midian.  Here Moses would need to raise a Stone of Shame.  Overnight Moses went from the prestigious position as Pharaoh's grandson to that of a fugitive. He had disgraced himself by killing a man, and now he had lost his honor and position, and he was reduced to being a shepherd in a foreign land—for 40 long years.  Have you ever had a Stone of Shame in your life? I have. My period of shame lasted for about ten years. Ten years when I decided I could run my life better than God, and I walked away from my commitment to him and did my own thing. I told myself a lie and believed it—and the lie was that life would be intolerable as a single woman. There could be no happiness or fulfillment if I didn't get married! Now, I know I'm not the only person in the world to ever think like that, but that's the truth!   So, my legitimate need for love and acceptance became an addiction, as I determined to do it my way instead of trusting God. During those ten years, doing my own thing led to a sinful lifestyle, one that was not pleasing to God and one of shame.   Maybe some of you are in that place now. You know something is not right in your life. You're living in disobedience to God's plan, and you know it. Or there is a big dark cloud hanging over you from your past, and you're stuck at the Stone of Shame. God wants to help you put this Stone of Shame behind you so you can move forward to the good things he has for you.  Stone of Assurance  Moses figured he had blown it so badly that God would never use him again. But he was wrong. After 40 years, as Moses was tending his father-in-law’s flock at Horeb, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush.   As God spoke to him from the burning bush, he commissioned Moses to rescue his people from the hand of the Egyptians. Moses is now a humbled man, and he insists he cannot do it. But God says to him, “I will be with you. I am who I am, and you will tell the Israelites that ‘I am has sent me to you.'” (Exodus 3:14). Moses feared they would not believe him, so God gave him some signs to assure him that as long as God was with him, he could do what God called him to do.  So, here Moses would raise a Stone of Assurance.  Do you need a Stone of Assurance today? You need to know that God isn't through with you yet, and he has a plan for you. Like Moses, you may need reassurance that he will be with you, but you have to give him control of your life.  What is keeping you from doing what God has planned for you to do? Is it fear? Is it that you have your own plan, and you just want God to bless your plan? Is it laziness? Is it lack of trust in God's ability to do through you what you cannot do yourself? Is it a relationship? Until you submit it to God, you cannot go forward to the good things God has for you, the good works he put you here to do.  Stone of Deliverance  After forty long years Moses was finally ready to do what God had called him to do. And now begins the battle between Moses and Pharaoh to let God's people go! You know how God took them across the Red Sea, escaping Pharaoh's last attempt to catch them and bring them back. They crossed on dry ground, and Pharaoh and his army were drowned as the waters came rushing back over them.  There Moses could raise a Stone of Deliverance.  Maybe you need to raise a stone of deliverance, a memorial to God's faithfulness in your life. A testimony of his goodness to you in spite of all you've done and all your failures. Has he been faithful to you? Then raise your Stone of Deliverance.  Stone of Commitment  Many years later as Moses was presenting to the children of Israel the tablets with the Ten Commandments, he said to them:  The Lord your God commands you this day to follow these decrees and laws; carefully observe them with all your heart and with all your soul. You have declared this day that the Lord is your God and that you will walk in obedience to him, that you will keep his decrees, commands and laws—that you will listen to him. And the Lord has declared this day that you are his people, his treasured possession as he promised, and that you are to keep all his commands. (Deuteronomy 26:16-18).  He challenged the people to set up a Stone of Commitment.  They were to declare before God and his servant Moses and before all the people that they were committed to obey the Lord, to walk in his ways, to keep his commands, to glorify their God all the days of their lives.  Today you may need to set up a Stone of Commitment, where you say to God, “I'm not playing around any longer. I am serious about walking with you, obeying you, living for you, spending time getting to know you.”   Yes, there are landmark times when we need to set some stones of remembrance: a Salvation Stone, a Stone of Shame, a Stone of Assurance, one of Deliverance, and a Stone of Commitment. What stones—what Ebenezers—do you need to raise even today? Could you reflect and let God's Spirit speak to you. This could be a good time for you to raise some stones of remembrance; stones to help you to go forward to the new thing God wants to do for you and through you in this year.    

The CEO was hurting employees with his sharp tongue. No one dared confront him. Everyone was afraid of him, including Gene. But one day the CEO berated a new employee, reducing her to tears. When Gene saw how everyone in the room stayed silent, he spoke up. “I told him the way he was treating people was wrong,” Gene recalls. “He was astonished; it was the first time someone stood up to him. He didn’t change, but I’m glad I spoke up.” Scripture tells us of another man who stood up to a challenge many were afraid of. Shammah, a military warrior of David, came from difficult circumstances (see 1 Samuel 22:1-2), but God used him to defeat the Philistines, a formidable enemy of the Israelites. “When the Philistines banded together at . . . a field full of lentils, Israel’s troops fled from them” (2 Samuel 23:11). Only Shammah had the courage to defend Israel’s food supply. Being the lone man against the Philistine army meant death, but Shammah “took his stand in the middle of the field. He defended it” (v. 12). God helped Shammah defeat the Philistines (v. 12). He may have been the only Israelite in the field, but he wasn’t alone－God was with him, giving him great victory that day. There may be times when we’re called to stand up to a challenge that everyone else is avoiding. Like Shammah, let’s take our stand, relying on God’s presence and help.

Share a commentOne person with the wrong theology and the right access can tilt a whole nation. We start with a surprising historical thread, Rasputin's shadow over the Russian monarchy, and use it to spotlight a timeless pattern: when a culture gets “all aflutter” with mysticism and the occult, deception doesn't stay on the fringe. It moves inward, shaping decisions, weakening trust, and leaving real damage behind. Then we open to one of the darkest scenes in the Bible, the Witch of Endor in 1 Samuel 28. King Saul is terrified as the Philistines mass for war, and when he asks God for direction, heaven is silent. We talk honestly about why that silence happens, how unrepentant sin cuts off fellowship, and why blaming God misses the real issue. Saul's next move is the turning point: he disguises himself, seeks a medium, and tries to force guidance from the dead after rejecting the guidance God already provided. We also tackle the big question head-on: was it really Samuel who appeared? Walking through the details in the text, we explain why this moment reads like a sober act of God's judgment, not a party trick, and why the occult remains spiritually dangerous even when it seems to deliver “legitimate” information. If you care about biblical teaching, spiritual warfare, and learning to hear God without chasing shortcuts, this conversation will challenge you. If this helped you think clearly, subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave a review. What do you reach for when God feels silent?Learn more about twenty-five years of global impact, and reserve tickets to our gala. https://www.wisdomonline.org/mp/25 Learn more: https://www.wisdomonline.org/Support the show

Share a commentOne person with the wrong theology and the right access can tilt a whole nation. We start with a surprising historical thread, Rasputin's shadow over the Russian monarchy, and use it to spotlight a timeless pattern: when a culture gets “all aflutter” with mysticism and the occult, deception doesn't stay on the fringe. It moves inward, shaping decisions, weakening trust, and leaving real damage behind. Then we open to one of the darkest scenes in the Bible, the Witch of Endor in 1 Samuel 28. King Saul is terrified as the Philistines mass for war, and when he asks God for direction, heaven is silent. We talk honestly about why that silence happens, how unrepentant sin cuts off fellowship, and why blaming God misses the real issue. Saul's next move is the turning point: he disguises himself, seeks a medium, and tries to force guidance from the dead after rejecting the guidance God already provided. We also tackle the big question head-on: was it really Samuel who appeared? Walking through the details in the text, we explain why this moment reads like a sober act of God's judgment, not a party trick, and why the occult remains spiritually dangerous even when it seems to deliver “legitimate” information. If you care about biblical teaching, spiritual warfare, and learning to hear God without chasing shortcuts, this conversation will challenge you. If this helped you think clearly, subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave a review. What do you reach for when God feels silent?Learn more about twenty-five years of global impact, and reserve tickets to our gala. https://www.wisdomonline.org/mp/25 Learn more: https://www.wisdomonline.org/Support the show

I remember the time that my son got in real late. And I remember because that really wasn't his usual style. And, of course, I was waiting calmly and patiently for him to get home and, you know, waiting to hear his explanation; except for the hand cuffs and the bright light that I greeted him with. Now, he had good reasons. There were car problems, and there were people who really did have to be dropped off before he was, and, oh yeah, they got lost. It all checked out, but I was still an unhappy father for one important thing that he missed. Can you guess what it is? Uh-huh, "You didn't call!" Every parent knows, and most teenagers learn that you're making a big mistake when you don't call home. I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Neglecting to Call Home." I'm going to read our word for today from the Word of God from 1 Chronicles 14. David is in his unstoppable years; everything he does works, and there are secrets here to being unstoppable. Verse 10 says, "David inquired of God, 'Shall I go and attack the Philistines?' And the Lord answered him, 'Go and I will hand them over to you.'" In verse 14, it says, "David inquired of God again." And in this case he happens to be asking Him about a strategy for defeating the Philistines. You see, David checked with the Lord apparently on everything...well, almost everything. One day he did a great thing. He had the ark of the covenant moved from the suburbs so to speak, the outer country, to where it would be in the center of things. But it was only to be handled by the Levites. That's the law of God! And they didn't do it God's way and a man died while transporting that ark. Now we read in chapter 15 of 1 Chronicles, "You are the heads of the Levitical families. You and your fellow Levites are to consecrate yourselves and bring up the ark of the Lord to the place I have prepared for it. It was because you, the Levites, did not bring it up the first time that the Lord our God broke out in anger against us." Now listen to this. "We did not inquire of Him about how to do it in the prescribed way." In other words, David is saying, "We messed up because we didn't call our Father; we didn't check to see how God wanted this done." Our tendency is to pray about something, and then check in, same time, same station maybe tomorrow. Or pray when we're losing the battle. Can we learn a lesson from David when he was in his unstoppable years? Pray first about which battles to fight. Not every battle is one God wants you to be involved in. Get His orders before you get involved. Then ask the Lord about how to fight the battle. Pray until you start to feel His plan for that battle unfolding. The ark incident teaches us that you can do a good thing in a way God doesn't want it done. Good thing, wrong way, and it won't work. Too often, this guy's got to confess to you, I will pray about something in the morning, and then I'll put myself on cruise control and just kind of go ahead and not check in again until I hit a crisis. I'm a victim of my own momentum. Our Father expects us to check with Him frequently, regularly, all through the day, before a call, before an email, before a text, before a signature, before we drive, before we park, before we make a decision about where we're going to go next. "What do You want me to do, Lord?" "How do You want me to do it?" You can be unstoppable if you move through all your day's choices in consultation with your Heavenly Father. Like earthly kids, we tend to get in a mess, and then come into the Father's presence with our head hanging. And our Father says, "You didn't call."

In 1 Samuel 4:1–22, Israel goes into battle against the Philistines and suffers a devastating defeat. Instead of asking what has gone wrong in their relationship with God, they bring the Ark of the Covenant into battle, believing that having the symbol of God's presence with them will guarantee victory. But God cannot be reduced to a formula, ritual, or good-luck charm. Pastor David Maestas explores what happens when we want God's blessing without obedience, God's protection without surrender, and God's presence without a genuine relationship with Him. Why did God allow Israel to lose the Ark of the Covenant? Why wasn't simply having the Ark with them enough? Can Christians fall into the same trap today by trusting religious practices, church attendance, prayer routines, or outward appearances more than God Himself?

Share a commentDiscouragement isn't just a feeling, it's a lever. When it gets under the edge of your heart, it can pry you open and start rewriting what you believe about God, yourself, and the future. We start with a stark reminder from Scripture: even when we are faithless, God is faithful. That truth doesn't erase consequences or discipline, but it does give us a solid floor when fear tells us we're finished.Then we walk through David's nearly fatal slide in 1 Samuel 27 to 29. Under real pressure, David stops bringing his fears to God and starts holding private conversations “in his heart” until he talks himself into a plan that seems wise: run to the Philistines. For a moment it feels like it works. Saul stops chasing him, the pressure lifts, and David finds a new home base in Ziklag. But we tease out why relief is not the same as guidance, and how a false sense of peace can be one of the most convincing traps.Finally, the story turns when David's compromise boxes him into the unthinkable: marching with the enemy against Israel. This is where the episode gets painfully practical about self-talk, panic decisions, and the lies we feed our souls. And it's also where God shows up quietly, moving pieces behind the scenes to rescue David from a disaster of his own making. If you've ever made a “perfect plan” that later unraveled, you'll feel this one.Subscribe for more Bible teaching that connects to real life, share this with a friend who's discouraged, and leave a review to help more people find the show. What's one decision you're tempted to make out of panic right now?Learn more about twenty-five years of global impact, and reserve tickets to our gala. https://www.wisdomonline.org/mp/25 Learn more: https://www.wisdomonline.org/Support the show

Share a commentDiscouragement isn't just a feeling, it's a lever. When it gets under the edge of your heart, it can pry you open and start rewriting what you believe about God, yourself, and the future. We start with a stark reminder from Scripture: even when we are faithless, God is faithful. That truth doesn't erase consequences or discipline, but it does give us a solid floor when fear tells us we're finished.Then we walk through David's nearly fatal slide in 1 Samuel 27 to 29. Under real pressure, David stops bringing his fears to God and starts holding private conversations “in his heart” until he talks himself into a plan that seems wise: run to the Philistines. For a moment it feels like it works. Saul stops chasing him, the pressure lifts, and David finds a new home base in Ziklag. But we tease out why relief is not the same as guidance, and how a false sense of peace can be one of the most convincing traps.Finally, the story turns when David's compromise boxes him into the unthinkable: marching with the enemy against Israel. This is where the episode gets painfully practical about self-talk, panic decisions, and the lies we feed our souls. And it's also where God shows up quietly, moving pieces behind the scenes to rescue David from a disaster of his own making. If you've ever made a “perfect plan” that later unraveled, you'll feel this one.Subscribe for more Bible teaching that connects to real life, share this with a friend who's discouraged, and leave a review to help more people find the show. What's one decision you're tempted to make out of panic right now?Learn more about twenty-five years of global impact, and reserve tickets to our gala. https://www.wisdomonline.org/mp/25 Learn more: https://www.wisdomonline.org/Support the show

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION“The deepest problems of modern life derive from the claim of the individual to preserve the autonomy and individuality of his existence.” ~Georg Simmel (1858-1918), German sociologist, philosopher, and critic “Faith does not eliminate questions. But faith knows where to take them.”~Elizabeth Elliot (1926-2015), missionary, author, and speaker “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”~Corrie ten Boom (1892-1983), Dutch survivor of a Nazi death camp “The condition of the Psalmist's mind was complex—he feared, but that fear did not fill the whole area of his mind.... It is possible, then, for fear and faith to occupy the mind at the same moment. We are strange beings, and our experience in the divine life is stranger still. We are often in a twilight, where light and darkness are both present and it is hard to tell which predominates. It is a blessed fear which drives us to trust. Unregenerate fear drives from God, gracious fear drives to him.”~Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892), famed London pastor “Stand fast in the faith, and love one another, all of you, and be not offended at my sufferings.”~Reported to be the last words of Perpetua (c.182-c.203), a 22-year-old noblewoman and new mother, killed for her Christian faith in Carthage (modern-day Tunisia) “Loving God—really loving Him—means living out His commands no matter what the cost.”~Charles Colson (1931-2012), attorney, political advisor, convicted felon, advocate for prison reform, and midlife convert to Christ “…reason is not king in human beings, the heart is. Therefore, to change your actions, you must change your desires. But your desires will change, only if the Holy Spirit who wrote the Bible also writes his laws on your heart.”~John Ashley Null, theologian at Humboldt University Berlin and North African Bishop “The faith of the church must be tried by God's word, and not God's word by the church; neither yet my faith.”~Jane Grey (1537-1554), English noblewoman and very brief de facto monarch of EnglandSERMON PASSAGEPsalm 56 (ESV)To the choirmaster: according to The Dove on Far-off Terebinths. A Miktam of David, when the Philistines seized him in Gath.1 Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me;  all day long an attacker oppresses me;2 my enemies trample on me all day long,   for many attack me proudly.3 When I am afraid,   I put my trust in you.4 In God, whose word I praise,   in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.   What can flesh do to me? 5 All day long they injure my cause;   all their thoughts are against me for evil.6 They stir up strife, they lurk;   they watch my steps,   as they have waited for my life.7 For their crime will they escape?   In wrath cast down the peoples, O God! 8 You have kept count of my tossings;   put my tears in your bottle.   Are they not in your book?9 Then my enemies will turn back    in the day when I call.   This I know, that God is for me.10 In God, whose word I praise,   in the Lord, whose word I praise,11 in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.   What can man do to me? 12 I must perform my vows to you, O God;   I will render thank offerings to you.13 For you have delivered my soul from death,   yes, my feet from falling,  that I may walk before God   in the light of life.1 Samuel 21 10 And David rose and fled that day from Saul and went to Achish the king of Gath. 11 And the servants of Achish said to him, “Is not this David the king of the land? Did they not sing to one another of him in dances,         ‘Saul has struck down his thousands,          and David his ten thousands'?” 12 And David took these words to heart and was much afraid of Achish the king of Gath. 13 So he changed his behavior before them and pretended to be insane in their hands and made marks on the doors of the gate and let his spittle run down his beard. 14 Then Achish said to his servants, “Behold, you see the man is mad. Why then have you brought him to me? 15 Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this fellow to behave as a madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?”

Joshua 13:1-2 (KJV) Now Joshua was old and stricken in years; and the LORD said unto him, Thou art old and stricken in years, and there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed. 2 This is the land that yet remaineth: all the borders of the Philistines, and all Geshuri, Joshua 13:7-8 (KJV) Now therefore divide this land for an inheritance unto the nine tribes, and the half tribe of Manasseh, 8 With whom the Reubenites and the Gadites have received their inheritance, which Moses gave them, beyond Jordan eastward, even as Moses the servant of the LORD gave them; Joshua 13:23 (KJV) And the border of the children of Reuben was Jordan, and the border thereof. This was the inheritance of the children of Reuben after their families, the cities and the villages thereof.

August 22, 2026Today's Reading: Introit for Trinity 12 - Psalm 70:2b, 4a, 5b; antiphon: Psalm 70:1-2aDaily Lectionary: 1 Kings 2:1-27; 1 Corinthians 14:1-16:24; 1 Corinthians 13:1-13“You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay!” (Psalm 70:5)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Psalm 70 expresses a prayer that every believer in God has prayed: “Help!” “Make haste, O God, to deliver me! O Lord, make haste to help me!” (v. 1). It is the most basic and sincerest prayer.What the exact situation of David, the author of the Psalm, was, we do not know. David had his sworn enemies. He had conquered rivals within Israel and many from other nations as well. The number of men slain by him was in the thousands. As a result, many people were out to get him. People who, as he put it, “delighted in my hurt.” (vs. 2)Some might think that a man like King David wouldn't need any help taking care of his enemies. Remember how quickly he dispatched Goliath? David could handle himself. Who would David have been afraid of? But David knew that his successes in battle were only a gift from God.For example, when they tried talking him out of fighting Goliath, he told them, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And during the pre-battle trash-talking, David told Goliath, “You come to me with a sword … but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down…” (1st Samuel 17:45-46). David didn't trust in his own strength, but he relied on God, his help and deliverer.You probably haven't had anyone plot to kill you (and hopefully, you never will!) Yet, you can still relate to the need to be rescued from your enemies. Have you had kids put you down to build themselves up? Have they said unkind things? Made fun of you in front of others? Mocked you behind your back? Teenagers can be cruel. While going through these situations is no fun, take heart, cry out to God for help, and the Lord will deliver you, too. In fact, the Lord God Almighty has already delivered you from your greatest enemies: sin and death. Jesus, the Son of David, fought Satan and defeated him. He gave Himself up for you on the cross, and His victory over the grave in His resurrection is complete and final. Now all who are in Him are delivered and will be forever. Therefore, rejoice and be glad in Him and say evermore: “God is great!” (vs. 4)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Seek Him alone Who did atone, Who did your souls deliver. O seek Him first, All you who thirst For grace that fails you never. In ev'ry need Seek Him indeed; To every heart He will impart His blessings without measure. (LSB 557:3)Rev. Joel Shaltanis, pastor of Lord of Life Lutheran Church, Plano, TX.

We explore the tumultuous events surrounding the end of King Saul's reign and the rise of David. As David navigates his complex relationship with the Philistines, he faces the aftermath of an Amalekite raid on Ziklag, leading to a daring rescue mission. Meanwhile, Saul's tragic downfall unfolds as he battles the Philistines, resulting in his death and the fulfillment of Samuel's prophecy. Support the showRead along with us in the Bible Brief App! Try the Bible Brief book for an offline experience!Get your free Bible Timeline with the 10 Steps: Timeline LinkSupport the show: Tap here to become a monthly supporter!Review the show: Tap here!Want to go deeper?...Download the Bible Brief App!iPhone: App Store LinkAndroid: Play Store LinkWant a physical book? Check out "Bible Brief" by our founder!Amazon: Amazon LinkWebsite: biblebrief.orgInstagram: @realbiblebriefX: @biblebriefFacebook: @realbiblebriefEmail the Show: biblebrief@biblelit.orgWant to learn the Bible languages (Greek & Hebrew)? Check out our partner Biblingo (and use our link/code for a discount!): https://biblin...

(This previously omitted chapter is now restored to the How to Win series. Listen to this episode before continuing to Part 4.)What is the “secret sauce” to winning by faith?Use the Name of Jesus, the Blood of Jesus, the Word of God, covenant, and the power of the Holy Spirit—and then do it again. And again. And again, until you win.In Part 3 of How to Win, Dr. Terry Mize explains why faith must be more than familiar words, religious clichés, or Scripture spoken only from the head. God's Word must become established in your spirit so that it rises up when fear, danger, and crisis arrive.Drawing from David's confrontation with Goliath and Dr. Terry's own life-threatening encounter with an armed hitchhiker, this message reveals how to confront fear immediately, stand on God's covenant, and refuse to surrender to the enemy's threats.David never honored Goliath by calling him a giant. He saw him as an uncircumcised Philistine—a man without a covenant. David understood: “This man cannot win, and I cannot lose.”In this episode, you'll discover:• Why fear and faith cannot live in the same house• The difference between speaking from your head and speaking from your spirit• How life's pressures can choke the Word• Why you must confront fear before confronting the problem• How to use the Name, Blood, Word, covenant, and power of the Holy Spirit• The “secret sauce” of persistent faith• Why covenant changes how you see every battle• How to keep standing until victory comesKey Scriptures: 1 Samuel 17; Luke 10:19; 2 Timothy 1:7; 1 John 4:18; Mark 4:14–20; Romans 8:11.Website: https://terrymize.comPartner: https://terrymize.com/giveYouTube: https://youtube.com/user/terrymizeministriesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/terrylmize/Podcast: https://terrymize.com/podcast#terrymize #morethanconquerors #terrymizeministries #faith #spiritualwarfare

August 21, 2026Today's Reading: 1 Kings 1:1-4, 15-35Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 1:1-4, 15-35; 1 Corinthians 12:14-31“The Young woman was very beautiful, and she was of service to the king…” (1 Kings 4:4)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.We read some very weird things in the Bible; the story of Abishag is one of them. At this time, King David was old and advanced in years. He is described as bedridden and in need of constant attention. This is a far cry from the warrior king who, as a young man, killed Philistines by the thousands. So, his servants decide to find a young, beautiful woman to “…wait on the king and be in his service. Let her lie in your arms, that my lord the king may be warm.” (3) This was long before modern medicine, and some have supposed that the servants believed that by lying in David's arms, some of Abishag's youth and vigor would get passed on to him. Others suppose that, given David's lust for women, they thought a young, beautiful virgin might get the old king excited and acting like a young man again. Maybe he would even take her on as another wife or concubine. In antiquity, polygamy was widely practiced. Their logic was: married women are provided for by their husbands; rich men can afford to provide for many women; therefore, rich men can have multiple wives. Further, there were concubines. These were not illicit mistresses, but more like “lesser wives.” All of this is logical, perhaps, but not good because it goes against God's design of one woman for one man. Whatever their thinking, it was disrespectful of Abishag, who got treated like a blanket in all of this! “[Abishag] was very beautiful, and she was of service to the king and attended him, but the king knew her not.” (4) –That last part, about “knowing her not,” is a euphemism meaning they did not have a sexual relationship.What is the point of this story? Some speculate that the story highlights David's change and repentance; now, even with a beautiful woman in his arms, he is so pious that he will not take advantage of her, having truly learned from his sins with Bathsheba. Others think the story is told to describe how sickly, frail, and weak King David was and why an heir needed to take his place. What else can we learn from this? Some men have always viewed women as merely objects existing to serve them. We've come a long way, but sadly, this view still exists. If you found this story disturbing, remember that our true worth is not found in how useful we are to someone who wants to use us for selfish reasons; rather, our true value lies in being a child of God for whom Christ died. Incredibly, Jesus, the Son of David, came not to use people and have them serve Him, but rather to serve us and to give His life as a ransom for all.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Thank you, Lord, for serving us with your death on the cross and opening the kingdom of heaven. Amen.Rev. Joel Shaltanis, pastor of Lord of Life Lutheran Church, Plano, TX.

We delve into the turmoil of King Saul as he faces a massive Philistine army at his doorstep. Desperate for divine guidance, Saul finds himself in a dark place, seeking help from a medium at Endor, despite having banned such practices. This act of desperation marks a turning point as he attempts to summon the spirit of the deceased prophet Samuel. Samuel's spirit delivers a grim prophecy, foretelling the fall of Israel and Saul's demise, alongside his sons, in the upcoming battle. Meanwhile, David navigates his complex relationship with the Philistine king Achish, who believes David to be a loyal ally.Support the showRead along with us in the Bible Brief App! Try the Bible Brief book for an offline experience!Get your free Bible Timeline with the 10 Steps: Timeline LinkSupport the show: Tap here to become a monthly supporter!Review the show: Tap here!Want to go deeper?...Download the Bible Brief App!iPhone: App Store LinkAndroid: Play Store LinkWant a physical book? Check out "Bible Brief" by our founder!Amazon: Amazon LinkWebsite: biblebrief.orgInstagram: @realbiblebriefX: @biblebriefFacebook: @realbiblebriefEmail the Show: biblebrief@biblelit.orgWant to learn the Bible languages (Greek & Hebrew)? Check out our partner Biblingo (and use our link/code for a discount!): https://biblin...

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Thursday morning, the 20th of August, 2026, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We start in 1 Samuel 17:45: “Then David said to the Philistine (that's Goliath), “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.” Then we go straight to the New Testament, 2 Corinthians 10:4-5: “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal (fleshly) but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, (verse 5) casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,…”Our battle today is not a physical one. It is a spiritual battle. Maybe this morning you are in a state of fear. You are wondering, how am I going to pay these accounts at the end of the month? Maybe the doctor has told you that your child is sick, very sick, and you are in a panic situation. What must I do? Where must I go? Well, you must do exactly what the young boy, David did - he was only a teenager.He was minding his father, Jesse's sheep on the mountain. What was he doing? He was writing psalms, he was singing to God. He was having a quiet time. Oh, my friend, are you having a regular quiet time with Jesus in the morning? You say, “No”. There is your problem. The weapons of our warfare are not physical. They are spiritual. So when the boy brought food for his big brothers down to the valley, he saw a 9 foot giant by the name of Goliath, mocking the people of God. He did it for 40 days. And he said, “Who is this man?” And his brothers must have told him to leave the food and go back and look after the sheep.“He said, “No ways! No one is going to get away with this, mocking my God!” He stood up. He said, “Let me sort him out.” Remember Goliath said, “Do you think I am a dog, that you come up against me with sticks and stones?” And listen to what he said. He said, “I come against you in the name of the Lord God, The Commander of the armies of Israel.” And with that he killed him and cut his head off.Today, you need to do the same. You need to get into your closet, spend time with God. Ask God to show you what to do, and then go out and take it because God has already given you the victory. Jesus bless you and have a victorious day today.Goodbye.

The people in Keilah should have been truly grateful to David. With his group of 600 men, he fought to save them from the Philistines, who had been robbing their supplies of food. However, when Saul threatened to surround their town with his army, they cared little about David's life. In Ziph, the inhabitants did not even need to be threatened to want to hand over David. They were glad to see an opportunity to please King Saul.From both of these places, David's escape was truly a miracle. At one, a warning from God himself; at the other, an urgent message for Saul, was all that saved David from capture.Yet in the middle of all this, David's friend Jonathan, the son of Saul, found him, and strengthened him with a reminder of the promises of God.

We dive into the iconic story of David and Goliath. Facing the taunts and threats of the Philistine giant Goliath, the Israelite army is paralyzed by fear. Young David, a shepherd from Bethlehem, arrives on the scene and, confident in God's power, volunteers to fight the seemingly unbeatable warrior. Rejecting Saul's armor, David approaches Goliath with only a staff, a sling, and five smooth stones. Declaring that the battle belongs to the Lord, David uses a single stone to begin a day of victory for Israel.Support the showRead along with us in the Bible Brief App! Try the Bible Brief book for an offline experience!Get your free Bible Timeline with the 10 Steps: Timeline LinkSupport the show: Tap here to become a monthly supporter!Review the show: Tap here!Want to go deeper?...Download the Bible Brief App!iPhone: App Store LinkAndroid: Play Store LinkWant a physical book? Check out "Bible Brief" by our founder!Amazon: Amazon LinkWebsite: biblebrief.orgInstagram: @realbiblebriefX: @biblebriefFacebook: @realbiblebriefEmail the Show: biblebrief@biblelit.orgWant to learn the Bible languages (Greek & Hebrew)? Check out our partner Biblingo (and use our link/code for a discount!): https://biblin...

What is the “secret sauce” to winning by faith?You use the name of Jesus, the blood of Jesus, the Word of God, your covenant, and the power of the Holy Spirit—and then you do it again. And again. And again, until you win.In Part 3 of How to Win, Terry Mize explains why faith must be more than familiar words, religious clichés, or Scripture spoken from the head. God's Word must become established in your spirit so that it rises up when fear, danger, and crisis arrive.Drawing from David's confrontation with Goliath and Terry's own life-threatening encounter with an armed hitchhiker, this message reveals how to confront fear immediately, stand on God's covenant, and refuse to surrender to the enemy's threats.David never honored Goliath by calling him a giant. He saw him as an uncircumcised Philistine—a man without a covenant. David understood: “This man cannot win, and I cannot lose.”In this episode, you'll discover:• Why fear and faith cannot live in the same house• The difference between speaking from your head and speaking from your spirit• How life's pressures can choke the Word• Why you must confront fear before confronting the problem• How to use the name, blood, Word, covenant, and power of the Holy Spirit• The “secret sauce” of persistent faith• What David understood about Goliath that Israel had forgotten• Why covenant changes how you see every battle• How to keep standing until victory comesKey Scriptures:1 Samuel 17Luke 10:192 Timothy 1:71 John 4:18Mark 4:14–20Romans 8:11CONNECT WITH US

We delve into the story of Saul's disobedience and its consequences for his kingship over Israel. Initially appointed as king and leading Israel to victory, Saul's failure to obey God's commands ultimately leads to his rejection as king. We explore the critical moment when Saul, out of fear and impatience, offers burnt offerings instead of waiting for the prophet Samuel, resulting in a severe rebuke and the loss of his kingdom. Contrasting Saul's disobedience, we highlight his son Jonathan's faith and bravery in launching a successful surprise attack against the Philistines, showcasing God's power to save by many or by few.Support the showRead along with us in the Bible Brief App! Try the Bible Brief book for an offline experience!Get your free Bible Timeline with the 10 Steps: Timeline LinkSupport the show: Tap here to become a monthly supporter!Review the show: Tap here!Want to go deeper?...Download the Bible Brief App!iPhone: App Store LinkAndroid: Play Store LinkWant a physical book? Check out "Bible Brief" by our founder!Amazon: Amazon LinkWebsite: biblebrief.orgInstagram: @realbiblebriefX: @biblebriefFacebook: @realbiblebriefEmail the Show: biblebrief@biblelit.orgWant to learn the Bible languages (Greek & Hebrew)? Check out our partner Biblingo (and use our link/code for a discount!): https://biblin...

This week, Katia Adams shares a message from Genesis 26 titled "Faith on Repeat." Walking through the life of Isaac, Katia unpacks why his story so closely echoes his father Abraham's, and what that repetition has to teach us about the shape faith takes over a lifetime.Katia traces Isaac's story through four recurring movements: famine, fear, favor, and frustration. In famine, Isaac is instructed not to flee to Egypt as Abraham once did, but to stay and plant seed, reaping a hundredfold in the very land of scarcity. In fear, Isaac is caught off guard and echoes his father's lie about Rebecca being his sister, revealing how pressure exposes what's already inside us rather than creating something new. In favor, Isaac grows wealthy and is envied by the Philistines, illustrating Katia's central point that favor increases complexity rather than removing it. In frustration, Isaac digs well after well, some blocked and some contested, and keeps digging anyway, because the promise is worth the repetition. Katia weaves in her own stories, from planting a church during COVID to a moment of being caught off guard by anger with her husband, to show these patterns aren't ancient history but present reality.The sermon's theological anchor is that faith is not a single event but a muscle built through repetition, and Jesus himself walked this same cycle of famine, fear, favor, and frustration with perfect faith. Katia points to Galatians 2:20, clarifying that it is not merely our own faith in Jesus but Jesus' own faith now living in and empowering us. In other words, the pattern we see in Isaac and ultimately fulfilled in Christ is not proof that God is distant or repetitive for its own sake, but that he is training a people who can walk in famine without panic, in fear without shame, in favor without ease, and in frustration without giving up.Ultimately, this sermon is an invitation to stop waiting for a future "one day" when life will finally be easy, and to recognize this famine, this fear, this ordinary Monday as the main event. Katia calls the church to grow the muscle of faith on repeat, not by white-knuckling through in our own strength, but by inviting the same Spirit that empowered Jesus to empower how we live and believe, so that the Kingdom of God would come near in this city, one contended-for well at a time.

David is indeed a man of God, and David is going to demonstrate humility, and he is going to do something that shows that he is not an enemy of King Shaul, but rather a servant. With that said, take out your Bible and look with me to First Samuel, and chapter 27 Again, First Samuel and Chapter 27 Now, David is going to do something that is quite remarkable, because he is going to go to the enemy, in other words, the greatest enemy that the children of Israel had during this time of Israel's history were the Philistines, and David is going to go there and dwell among them, but we're going to learn a very important truth, and what is that truth? https://get.theapp.co/yjjqTo donate please visit us at:https://loveisrael.org/donate/Checks may be sent to:LoveIsrael.org

David is indeed a man of God, and David is going to demonstrate humility, and he is going to do something that shows that he is not an enemy of King Shaul, but rather a servant. With that said, take out your Bible and look with me to First Samuel, and chapter 27 Again, First Samuel and Chapter 27 Now, David is going to do something that is quite remarkable, because he is going to go to the enemy, in other words, the greatest enemy that the children of Israel had during this time of Israel's history were the Philistines, and David is going to go there and dwell among them, but we're going to learn a very important truth, and what is that truth? To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.lightsource.com/donate/1255/29

Share a commentHave you always heard the story of David and Goliath as a message about overcoming your personal giants? What if that popular reading actually misses the whole point of what happened in the Valley of Blood?In this episode, Stephen Davey opens 1 Samuel 17 and walks you through one of the most familiar accounts in Scripture with fresh clarity. Israel is not just facing a military crisis. They are facing a spiritual one. The armies are paralyzed by fear because they have forgotten their God. Even King Saul, once head and shoulders above every other man in Israel, cannot answer the taunts of a nine foot nine inch Philistine warrior. Stephen carefully sets the scene, describing Goliath's armor and weapons in vivid detail, then shows how the entire conflict pivots on how the battle is being seen.The soldiers see a giant. David sees a blasphemer. The soldiers see an insult against Israel. David sees an insult against the living God. Stephen walks you through four scenes in the chapter. The front lines, the fear, the folly of trying to fight Goliath like Goliath, and the faith of a young shepherd who trusted the Lord's power over his own strength. David refused to wear Saul's armor. He refused to fight on the world's terms. He picked up his sling and stones and stepped into the valley with one all consuming passion. The glory of the God of Israel.This message will realign your perspective on the battles you face. Don't let your faith depend on majority opinion. Don't let your talents be depreciated by conventional wisdom. And don't let your past be diminished by spiritual dementia. Remember what God has done. Whatever slingshot He has placed in your hand, offer it back to Him. The only true Giant is God.Learn more about twenty-five years of global impact, and reserve tickets to our gala. https://www.wisdomonline.org/mp/25 Learn more: https://www.wisdomonline.org/Support the show

Share a commentHave you always heard the story of David and Goliath as a message about overcoming your personal giants? What if that popular reading actually misses the whole point of what happened in the Valley of Blood?In this episode, Stephen Davey opens 1 Samuel 17 and walks you through one of the most familiar accounts in Scripture with fresh clarity. Israel is not just facing a military crisis. They are facing a spiritual one. The armies are paralyzed by fear because they have forgotten their God. Even King Saul, once head and shoulders above every other man in Israel, cannot answer the taunts of a nine foot nine inch Philistine warrior. Stephen carefully sets the scene, describing Goliath's armor and weapons in vivid detail, then shows how the entire conflict pivots on how the battle is being seen.The soldiers see a giant. David sees a blasphemer. The soldiers see an insult against Israel. David sees an insult against the living God. Stephen walks you through four scenes in the chapter. The front lines, the fear, the folly of trying to fight Goliath like Goliath, and the faith of a young shepherd who trusted the Lord's power over his own strength. David refused to wear Saul's armor. He refused to fight on the world's terms. He picked up his sling and stones and stepped into the valley with one all consuming passion. The glory of the God of Israel.This message will realign your perspective on the battles you face. Don't let your faith depend on majority opinion. Don't let your talents be depreciated by conventional wisdom. And don't let your past be diminished by spiritual dementia. Remember what God has done. Whatever slingshot He has placed in your hand, offer it back to Him. The only true Giant is God.Learn more about twenty-five years of global impact, and reserve tickets to our gala. https://www.wisdomonline.org/mp/25 Learn more: https://www.wisdomonline.org/Support the show

In this episode, we dive into Shmuel 1, Chapter 5, examining the chaotic aftermath of the Philistines capturing the Ark of the Covenant. Expecting a trophy, the Philistines instead find themselves holding a divine "radioactive potato" as the Ark asserts God's ultimate sovereignty in pagan territory. From the comical double-fall and dismemberment of the fish-god Dagon in Ashdod to the escalating plagues of hemorrhoids, mice, and terror that ravage Ashdod, Gath, and Ekron, we break down the literary, textual, and psychological nuances of this remarkable narrative. Key Topics Covered:The Psychology of the Ark's Capture: Why Israel lost the Ark and how God restored His own honor without needing human intervention. The Meaning Behind the Philistine Cities: Decoding the names Ashdod, Gath, Ekron, Ashkelon, and Aza. Dagon's Collapse: The structural reversal of the fish-god repeatedly falling before the Ark. The Textual Nuances: Exploring Kri u-Ktiv (עֳפָלִים vs. טְחֹרִים) and what hidden afflictions reveal about the theme of acknowledgement. The "Radioactive Potato" Effect: Why keeping the Ark proved disastrous for every city that tried to claim it. Learn Shmuel I, Chapter 5 with Rabbi Shlomo Sprung!

08/09/2026 Rev. Paul Bang No King in Israel: A Series in the Book of Judges (Part 6): Unlikely Heroes   Judges 3:12-31   English Standard Version     Ehud 12 And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done what was evil in the sight of the Lord. 13 He gathered to himself the Ammonites and the Amalekites, and went and defeated Israel. And they took possession of the city of palms. 14 And the people of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years. 15 Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, and the Lord raised up for them a deliverer, Ehud, the son of Gera, the Benjaminite, a left-handed man. The people of Israel sent tribute by him to Eglon the king of Moab. 16 And Ehud made for himself a sword with two edges, a cubit[a] in length, and he bound it on his right thigh under his clothes. 17 And he presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man. 18 And when Ehud had finished presenting the tribute, he sent away the people who carried the tribute. 19 But he himself turned back at the idols near Gilgal and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” And he commanded, “Silence.” And all his attendants went out from his presence. 20 And Ehud came to him as he was sitting alone in his cool roof chamber. And Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you.” And he arose from his seat. 21 And Ehud reached with his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly. 22 And the hilt also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not pull the sword out of his belly; and the dung came out. 23 Then Ehud went out into the porch[b] and closed the doors of the roof chamber behind him and locked them. 24 When he had gone, the servants came, and when they saw that the doors of the roof chamber were locked, they thought, “Surely he is relieving himself in the closet of the cool chamber.” 25 And they waited till they were embarrassed. But when he still did not open the doors of the roof chamber, they took the key and opened them, and there lay their lord dead on the floor. 26 Ehud escaped while they delayed, and he passed beyond the idols and escaped to Seirah. 27 When he arrived, he sounded the trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim. Then the people of Israel went down with him from the hill country, and he was their leader. 28 And he said to them, “Follow after me, for the Lord has given your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” So they went down after him and seized the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites and did not allow anyone to pass over. 29 And they killed at that time about 10,000 of the Moabites, all strong, able-bodied men; not a man escaped. 30 So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest for eighty years. Shamgar 31 After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed 600 of the Philistines with an oxgoad, and he also saved Israel.

What happens when people believe they have defeated God? The Ark of the Covenant after it is captured by the Philistines and placed in the temple of their god, Dagon. The Philistines assume their god has defeated the God of Israel, but the next morning Dagon is found facedown before the Ark. After they restore the idol, it falls again, this time with its head and hands cut off. God then brings judgment on the Philistine cities. Wherever the Ark is moved, suffering and confusion follow until the Philistines finally recognize that they cannot stand against the God of Israel and decide to send the Ark back where it belongs. God does not need us to defend His power or secure His victory. Even when circumstances appear hopeless and no one seems able to help. The battle still belongs to the Lord. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. The question is not whether we will acknowledge Him, but whether we will willingly worship Him now. Proclamation of the Word Message by Pastor Joe “Even Idols Bow” Sermon Notes 1 Samuel 5:1 – 5 The Philistines took the Ark of God and placed it in their idol's house, but it fell on its face twice and the second time its head and hands broke off 1 Samuel 5:6 & 7 God ravaged the Philistines with a plague 1 Samuel 5:8 - 12 The Philistines kept moving the Ark to different places, but the plague came to wherever they moved the Ark Philippians 2:9 – 11 Every knee shall bow Malachi 4:1 - 3

The Philistines Capture the Ark 4 And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines. They encamped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines encamped at Aphek. 2 The Philistines drew up in line against Israel, and when the battle spread, Israel was defeated before the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men […]

We explore the dramatic events surrounding Israel's demand for a king. We begin with the Philistines capturing the ark of the covenant and experiencing divine retribution until they return it to Israel. Samuel leads a spiritual revival, urging the Israelites to turn away from idols and serve Yahweh alone. However, as Samuel ages, his corrupt sons take over as judges, prompting the Israelites to demand a king to rule over them like other nations. Despite Samuel's warnings about the consequences, the people insist, and God instructs Samuel to grant their request.Support the showRead along with us in the Bible Brief App! Try the Bible Brief book for an offline experience!Get your free Bible Timeline with the 10 Steps: Timeline LinkSupport the show: Tap here to become a monthly supporter!Review the show: Tap here!Want to go deeper?...Download the Bible Brief App!iPhone: App Store LinkAndroid: Play Store LinkWant a physical book? Check out "Bible Brief" by our founder!Amazon: Amazon LinkWebsite: biblebrief.orgInstagram: @realbiblebriefX: @biblebriefFacebook: @realbiblebriefEmail the Show: biblebrief@biblelit.orgWant to learn the Bible languages (Greek & Hebrew)? Check out our partner Biblingo (and use our link/code for a discount!): https://biblin...

Peter Leithart, James Bejon, Alastair Roberts, and Jeff Meyers continue their discussion of Judges 1 by examining Israel's partial conquest of the land and the tribal fractures already beginning to emerge. They explore how differing levels of faithfulness, compromise with the Canaanites, and the geography of the land anticipate the later division of Israel, as well as the role of common worship in holding the tribes together. Along the way they discuss the Kenites and their relationship to Israel, Judah's conquest of the Philistine cities, the problem of the iron chariots, the gradual character of the conquest, the movement from Hebron to Jerusalem, the distinction between destroying and possessing, the limits of archaeological population estimates, and the house of Joseph's conquest of Bethel as a distorted echo of Jericho. Give to our work and become a partner! theopolisinstitute.com/give/ Get the new Theopolis App! app.theopolisinstitute.com/menu Use Code "theopolitan" to get your first month free! ______________________ Sign up for In Medias Res mailchi.mp/0b01d726f2fe/inmediasres ________ Theopolis on Youtube www.youtube.com/c/Theopolisinstitute Theopolis Blog: theopolisinstitute.com/theopolis-blog/ Website: theopolisinstitute.com Twitter: @_theopolis

We delve into the story of Samuel and the decline of Eli's household. Samuel, dedicated to Yahweh by his mother Hannah, grows up in the Tabernacle under the mentorship of Eli. Despite Eli's attempts to guide them, his sons live wickedly, leading to God's judgment on their family. Samuel receives a divine call, foretelling the downfall of Eli's house. The prophecy is fulfilled during a battle with the Philistines, where Eli's sons die and the Ark of the Covenant is captured. Eli himself dies upon hearing the news, marking the end of his leadership.Support the showRead along with us in the Bible Brief App! Try the Bible Brief book for an offline experience!Get your free Bible Timeline with the 10 Steps: Timeline LinkSupport the show: Tap here to become a monthly supporter!Review the show: Tap here!Want to go deeper?...Download the Bible Brief App!iPhone: App Store LinkAndroid: Play Store LinkWant a physical book? Check out "Bible Brief" by our founder!Amazon: Amazon LinkWebsite: biblebrief.orgInstagram: @realbiblebriefX: @biblebriefFacebook: @realbiblebriefEmail the Show: biblebrief@biblelit.orgWant to learn the Bible languages (Greek & Hebrew)? Check out our partner Biblingo (and use our link/code for a discount!): https://biblin...

2624 - The brothers return to Crete to unlock the mystery of the ancient Minoans, and the worldwide deluge. From palaces of Knossos and Phaistos, the Biblical origins of the Philistines bring a shocking revelation that connects to the legend of the lost civilization of Atlantis.

We have a most challenging selection of chapters today; the most challenging are the words the LORD to Jeremiah.  Suddenly, the LORD's revelations to him about the future – extends far beyond the impending judgment on Jerusalem because of his people's utter godlessness.    The LORD now looks further afield beginning with the nations nearby, Egypt, the Philistines, Edom, Moab …Tyre …”[25 v.19-21], these are the Arab nations adjoining Israel today, and then, “all the; kings of the north, far and near, one after another, and all the kingdoms of the world …” [v.26]This message about “all the kingdoms of the earth” is repeated twice.  Solomon in his wisdom said, “a threefold cord is not quickly broken” [Eccl. 4 v.12]  We must not avoid meditating on the climax to which Jeremiah's message develops, “The LORD will roar from on high …. against all the inhabitants of the earth… for the LORD has an indictment against the nations, he is entering into judgement with all flesh.” [v.31]Fearsome!  God's judgment to be upon all, whether they believe in him – or not!     And those who believe in him?  Paul's words today that we read in the 14th chapter of Romans should dominate their minds – surely that includes you and I!   More that our human anxiety about what we might face as our world suffers God's judgements, is the way Paul quotes Isaiah 45 v.23, words that are totally challenging to each one of us.  Paul writes, “For we will all stand before the judgement seat of God; for it is written, ‘As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue confess to God.'  So then each of us will give an account of him(her)self to God.” [v.10-12]

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/03-0803db.mp3 Listen to Bible reading Through My Bible Yr 03 – August 03 Amos 8:4 – 9:15 Amos 8 Fraud and Hypocrisy on Holy Days 4 Listen to this, you who trample on the needy         to wipe out the oppressed from the land, 5 who say, “When will the New Moon be over so that we can sell grain?     When will the Sabbath end so that we can open the grain bins?     Then we will make the bushel [1] smaller and make the shekel weight heavier. [2]     We will cheat with dishonest scales. 6 We will buy the poor for silver     and the needy for a pair of sandals.     We will sell the chaff with the grain.” A Famine of the Lord's Word 7 The Lord swears by the Pride of Jacob,     “I will never forget any of their deeds!” 8 Because of this, the land will shake,     and everyone living in it will mourn.     The whole land will rise up like the Nile.     It will surge and sink down again like the Nile of Egypt. 9 Here is what will happen on that day, declares the Lord God:     I will make the sun set at noon,     and I will bring darkness on the earth when it should be light. 10 I will turn your festivals into mourning     and all of your songs into a lamentation.     I will put sackcloth on all your waists     and baldness on every head.     I will make that day like the mourning for an only son,     and it will end like a bitter day. 11 Look, the days are coming, declares the Lord God,     when I will send a famine into the land—     not a famine of bread     nor a thirst for water,     but rather a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. 12 People will stumble from sea to sea     and from north to east.     They will roam back and forth seeking the word of the Lord,     but they will not find it. 13 On that day the beautiful virgins will faint,     and the young men will grow weak from thirst. 14 Those who swear by the shameful guilt [3] of Samaria,     those who say, “As your god lives, Dan,”     or, “The way of Beersheba lives”—     they will fall, and they will never rise again. The Fifth Vision: The Lord Topples the Temple Amos 9 1 I saw the Lord standing by the altar, and he said:     Strike the capitals on top of the pillars so that the thresholds shake.     Cut them off so that they fall on the heads of all the people,     and those who survive I will kill with the sword.     No one who flees from there will get away,     and not a single fugitive from among them will escape. 2 Even if they dig down to hell, [4]     from there my hand will seize them.     And even if they ascend to heaven,     from there I will bring them down. 3 Even if they hide themselves on the top of Mount Carmel,     from there I will search for them, and I will seize them.     Even if they hide themselves from my sight at the bottom of the sea,     from there I will command the serpent, and it will bite them. 4 Even if they go into captivity in the presence of their enemies,     from there I will command the sword, and it will kill them.     And I will set my eye upon them for disaster and not for good. The Lord Shakes the Earth 5 The Lord God of Armies is the one who touches the earth, so that it melts.     All who dwell on it mourn.     All of it rises like the Nile,     and like the Nile of Egypt it sinks down again. 6 He is the one who builds his upper chambers in heaven.     He set the foundation for his vault upon the earth.     He is the one who summons the waters of the sea     and pours them out over the face of the earth—     the Lord is his name. The Final Judgment 7 Are you not like Cushites [5] to me, you children of Israel?     declares the Lord.     Did I not bring Israel up from the land of Egypt     and the Philistines from Caphtor [6]     and the Arameans from Kir? [7] 8 Look, the eyes of the Lord God are on the sinful kingdom,     and I will destroy it from the face of the earth.     But I will never completely destroy the house of Jacob,     declares the Lord. 9 Listen! I am giving a command,     and among all the nations I will shake the house of Israel         as the contents of a sieve are shaken,     and not even one pebble [8] will fall out to the ground. [9] 10 By a sword, all the sinners among my people will die,     those who are saying, “Disaster will not overtake us. It will not confront us.” The Restoration of David's Fallen Shelter 11 In that day I will raise up the fallen shelter of David. I will repair the broken parts of its walls, and I will raise up its ruins. I will rebuild it as in days of old, 12 so that they will possess what remains of Edom, that is, all the nations who are called by my name, declares the Lord, who is doing this. 13 Look, days are coming, declares the Lord, when the plowman will catch up with the reaper, and the one who tramples grapes will catch up with the one sowing the seed. The mountains will drip sweet wine, [10] and all the hills will wave with grain. [11] 14 I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they will rebuild the desolate cities and dwell in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they will make gardens and eat their fruit. 15 I will plant them in their soil, and they will never again be uprooted from the soil that I have given to them, says the Lord your God. Footnotes Amos 8:5 Literally the ephah Amos 8:5 Merchants cheated by measuring out the grain they were selling with an undersized bushel and weighing the silver they received with an overweight shekel. Amos 8:14 Possibly a distortion of the name of the goddess Ashima/Asherah Amos 9:2 Hebrew sheol Amos 9:7 Cushites are black Africans from south of Egypt, from the territory that today is Sudan. Amos 9:7 That is, Crete or some other location in the Mediterranean Amos 9:7 The location of Kir is unknown. It is probably far to the north. Amos 9:9 Or kernel of grain Amos 9:9 The people of Israel are being sorted through a sieve. It is not clear whether those kept in the sieve are the pebbles that cannot escape judgment or the grains that are being separated from the chaff, which will be burned. The judgment is the same in either case. Amos 9:13 Sweet wine refers to wine that is still sweet because it has not yet been soured by continued fermentation. Amos 9:13 Or flow with wine The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.

Some leaders don't fail because they lack talent. They fail because their talent grows faster than their character. In this episode, Ron Kelleher examines the life of Samson and uncovers timeless leadership lessons about self-discipline, integrity, and the hidden dangers of relying on giftedness more than godly character. Samson began life with extraordinary potential. Called by God before birth, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and entrusted with delivering Israel from the Philistines, he possessed remarkable ability and influence. Yet despite his extraordinary gifts, Samson's story became one of gradual compromise. Small acts of disobedience, unchecked impulses, and growing self-reliance slowly weakened his spiritual foundation until his character could no longer support his calling. This episode explores practical leadership principles that remain relevant for Christian leaders today: Why talent is never a substitute for integrity. How small compromises quietly shape our future. The illusion of invincibility that success can create. Why self-discipline is essential for lasting influence. How character—not giftedness—determines a leader's legacy. Whether you lead a business, ministry, church, or family, Samson's life serves as both a warning and an invitation. God values giftedness, but He values faithfulness even more. Lasting leadership is built not on impressive abilities but on consistent obedience and Christlike character. Because talent may open the door. But character determines how long you remain in the room. #ChristianLeadership #LeadershipLessons #Samson #Integrity #SelfDiscipline #LeadershipDevelopment

Life is not a straight line. At some point, living it fully will require you to walk by faith, and faith does not wait for perfect conditions. Faith moves on a maybe. In 1 Samuel 14, Israel is pressed down in a low place: a trembling king, six hundred frightened men, and only two swords in the whole nation. But one young man got tired of living in bondage. Jonathan had no burning bush, no prophecy, no open vision. He had one revelation: nothing restrains the Lord from saving by many or by few. And that was enough to move on. You will either live your life based on your situation or your revelation. Your situation says stay put. Your revelation says move. Scriptures: 1 Samuel 14:1-16, 1 Samuel 14:2, 1 Samuel 14:4, 1 Samuel 14:6, 1 Samuel 14:7, 1 Samuel 14:11-12, 1 Samuel 14:15-16, 1 Samuel 17, 2 Corinthians 5:7, Matthew 14:22-33 Stay connected at https://calvaryfl.com

[1 Samuel 16:1, 7, 13 NIV] The LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king." [7] But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." [13] So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah.David received God's promise ______________ before he received the ______________.[Acts 13:22 NIV] After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: 'I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.'An obedient heart ______________ Gods ______________ over you.[Psalm 27:10 NIV] Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me.[Psalm 69:8 NIV] I am a foreigner to my own family, a stranger to my own mother's children;Leadership ______________ long before the ______________.David's primary ______________ was in his ______________ to God[Psalm 27:13 NIV] I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.[Psalm 143:8 NIV] Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.[1 Samuel 16:19, 21 NIV] Then Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, "Send me your son David, who is with the sheep." [21] David came to Saul and entered his service. Saul liked him very much, and David became one of his armor-bearers.[1 Samuel 17:32-37 NIV] David said to Saul, "Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him." [33] Saul replied, "You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth." [34] But David said to Saul, "Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, [35] I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. [36] Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. [37] The LORD who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine." Saul said to David, "Go, and the LORD be with you."It doesn't matter what you ______________, it matters what God ______________.[2 Samuel 7:22 NIV] "How great you are, Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears.

Spiritual Eyes of Faith (1) (audio) David Eells, 8/2/26  V. W. - 6/4/19 (David's notes in red) I had this dream where some of us of local UBM were in the living room of a house. Some of us were talking casually, sitting at a picnic table that was in the living room. My husband and I were sitting next to each other; Debbie Fenske was to the right, a little farther away. She was talking to us about the book we are reading in our Wednesday Bible studies, The Real Good News. (This book is about what the Gospel provides for those who overcome through faith.) She said something about the chapter we are in, and she had read a few chapters ahead. She was also very excited about the deliverance the Lord is doing now, and something about spiritual warfare. I remember seeing Joe D. (who has come here to visit) sitting in a chair diagonally across from her, smiling. As she was talking about the book, I knew we were now receiving “grants”. (For those who take part in the cleaning up process, the heavenly “grants” will come to those who have faith in the promises.) Then, when I woke up I thought of (Php.1:29) …to you it hath been granted in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer in his behalf. (Those who suffer with Jesus in our death to self will also reign with him through the grants. (2Ti.2:11) Faithful is the saying: For if we died with him, we shall also live with him: 12 if we endure, we shall also reign with him: if we shall deny him, he also will deny us. (Rev.2:26) And he that overcometh, and he that keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give authority over the nations. All the promises we've been given from the Lord are past tense, so we see them as being “granted” already.) I thought about how a grant is a gift to be used for a specific purpose. And I searched the New Testament for the word ‘granted' and found these verses. (I added the Old Testament grants to overcomers.) It is amazing to see all the things the Lord is granting us now. Thank You, Father, for Your grace and for granting us to be delivered out of the hands of our enemies! Thank You for all the things You are giving us. May we use all You grant us for Your Kingdom and glory in Jesus name, Amen! (Luk.1:73-75) The oath which he sware unto Abraham our father, 74 To grant unto us that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies Should serve him without fear, 75 In holiness and righteousness before him all our days. (Act.4:29) And now, Lord, look upon their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants to speak thy word with all boldness. 30 while thy stretchest forth thy hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of thy holy Servant Jesus. 31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken wherein they were gathered together; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spake the word of God with boldness. (Act.14:2) But the Jews that were disobedient stirred up the souls of the Gentiles, and made them evil affected against the brethren. 3 Long time therefore they tarried there speaking boldly in the Lord, who bare witness unto the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands. (Act. 27:23-25) For there stood by me this night an angel of the God whose I am, whom also I serve, 24 saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must stand before Caesar: and lo, God hath granted thee all them that sail with thee. 25 Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even so as it hath been spoken unto me. (Rom.5:5) Now the God of patience and of comfort grant you to be of the same mind one with another according to Christ Jesus: 6 that with one accord ye may with one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Gal.3:16) Now to Abraham were the promises spoken, and to his seed. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. (And He grants to those who abide in Christ who are sons of Abraham by faith.) 17 Now this I say: A covenant confirmed beforehand by God, the law, which came four hundred and thirty years after, doth not disannul, so as to make the promise of none effect. 18 For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no more of promise: but God hath granted it to Abraham by promise. (Eph.3:16-19) that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that ye may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man; 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be strong to apprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that ye may be filled unto all the fulness of God. (2Pe.1:3-4) Seeing that his divine power hath granted unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that called us by his own glory and virtue; whereby he hath granted unto us his precious and exceeding great promises; that through these ye may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world by lust. (1Ch.4:10) And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my border, and that thy hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it be not to my sorrow! And God granted him that which he requested. And He will grant us this too. (2Ch.1:11) And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thy heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honor, nor the life of them that hate thee, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king: 12 wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honor, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee; neither shall there any after thee have the like. (Ezr.3:6) From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer burnt-offerings unto Jehovah: but the foundation of the temple of Jehovah was not yet laid. 7 They gave money also unto the masons, and to the carpenters; and food, and drink, and oil, unto them of Sidon, and to them of Tyre, to bring cedar-trees from Lebanon to the sea, unto Joppa, according to the grant that they had of Cyrus king of Persia. (Trump as Cyrus is conquering D.S. Babylon and freeing the Christians and granting them expenses to build the true Temple. Its happening!) (Ezr.7:6) this Ezra went up from Babylon. And he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which Jehovah, the God of Israel, had given; and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of Jehovah his God upon him. 7 And there went up some of the children of Israel, and of the priests, and the Levites, and the singers, and the porters, and the Nethinim, unto Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king. 8 And he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. … 13 I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and their priests and the Levites, in my realm, that are minded of their own free will to go to Jerusalem, go with thee. … 15 and to carry the silver and gold, which the king and his counsellors have freely offered unto the God of Israel, whose habitation is in Jerusalem, 16 and all the silver and gold that thou shalt find in all the province of Babylon, with the freewill-offering of the people, and of the priests, offering willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem; (Just as above, Ezra was granted to lead the people of God out of Babylonish bondage with a grant from the King to build the temple of God, which is a type of God's people so it will be granted today.) (Est.5:8) If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it please the king to grant my petition, and to perform my request, let the king and Haman come to the banquet that I shall prepare for them, and I will do to-morrow as the king hath said. (Esther the Bride was granted to save the people of God from the D.S. Beast kingdom and bring them to their spiritual Red Sea destruction so it will be today.) (Neh.2:7) Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the River, that they may let me pass through till I come unto Judah; 8 and a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the castle which appertaineth to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me. (Again a grant from the King to rebuild the true Temple of God and so it will be in our day.) (Est.5:6) And the king said unto Esther at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? even to the half of the kingdom it shall be performed. (So ask today, Bride, for whatever you need!) (Est.7:2) And the king said again unto Esther on the second day at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition, queen Esther? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? even to the half of the kingdom it shall be performed. (The Bride is granted to be a joint heir with Christ.) (Est.8:11) wherein the king granted the Jews that were in every city to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and province that would assault them, their little ones and women, and to take the spoil of them for a prey, (The Bride is granted to give authority to destroy the D.S. Beast kingdom.) (Est.9:12) And the king said unto Esther the queen, The Jews have slain and destroyed five hundred men in Shushan the palace, and the ten sons of Haman; what then have they done in the rest of the king's provinces! Now what is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: or what is thy request further? and it shall be done. 13 Then said Esther, If it please the king, let it be granted to the Jews that are in Shushan to do to-morrow also according unto this day's decree, and let Haman's ten sons be hanged upon the gallows. (The Bride is granted to give authority to utterly destroy the D.S. Beast kingdom.) (Job.10:12) Thou hast granted me life and lovingkindness; And thy visitation hath preserved my spirit. (Pro.10:24) The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him; And the desire of the righteous shall be granted. 25 When the whirlwind passeth, the wicked is no more; But the righteous is an everlasting foundation. (Psa.20:4) Grant thee thy heart's desire, And fulfil all thy counsel. (Psa.119:29) Remove from me the way of falsehood; And grant me thy law graciously. 30 I have chosen the way of faithfulness: Thine ordinances have I set before me. 31 I cleave unto thy testimonies: O Jehovah, put me not to shame. 32 I will run the way of thy commandments, When thou shalt enlarge my heart. (Psa.140:7-11) O Jehovah the Lord, the strength of my salvation, Thou hast covered my head in the day of battle. 8 Grant not, O Jehovah, the desires of the wicked; Further not his evil device, lest they exalt themselves. Selah. 9 As for the head of those that compass me about, Let the mischief of their own lips cover them. 10 Let burning coals fall upon them: Let them be cast into the fire, Into deep pits, whence they shall not rise. 11 An evil speaker shall not be established in the earth: Evil shall hunt the violent man to overthrow him.   Abiding in Heavenly Places Alenna Timoshchuk - 12/17/21 (David's notes in red) I dreamt that my husband went to visit David Eells and Michael, but instead of visiting them where they lived now, he actually was visiting them in heaven. (Representing the first fruits Man-child ministers living in “heavenly places in Christ”.) None of them were dead; they were still alive on this earth, but it was like there was a lower part of heaven that was open to those who abide in Christ, and they could visit it, even though they were still alive on earth. (The first fruits come into perfection through Christ first by abiding with Him in heavenly places.) I got to see a bit of it as if I was looking through my husband's eyes and it looked like it was just above all the mountain peaks. (Looking through our husband's eyes represents seeing the way our heavenly husband Jesus sees. The Bride has the eyes of a dove, representing the Holy Spirit, just as her husband Jesus does. (Son.4:1) Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; Thine eyes are as doves behind thy veil. Thy hair is as a flock of goats, That lie along the side of mount Gilead. And (Son.5:12) His eyes are like doves beside the water-brooks, Washed with milk, and fitly set.) It had beautiful pine trees and rivers, and Michael and David lived in a beautiful large log cabin, a really fancy one. (For anyone who loves the outdoors and appreciates nature, this would be their dream place. Just the prettiest scenery you could ever imagine.) (I was shown in a vision years ago a tower of logs that represented the UBM ministry that the Lord was giving me. This log cabin represents the UBM ministry living the crucified life, represented by the cross timbers at the corners.) My husband stayed with them for three days, then came back to me and was just so excited, telling me all about it. He was saying how Michael (Meaning, “Who is like God”) held a staff in his hand, and if someone wanted to enter that part of heaven, then he'd hold it out, and if the color turned red, then the person could not enter because they were not abiding in Christ. But if it turned green, then they could go in. He told me how relieved he was when the staff turned green and not red. He started telling me about how wonderful and beautiful everything was up there. (The first fruits have very good discernment; the discernment of Jesus, and the wicked don't ever get past them. (2Co.10:6) and being in readiness to avenge all disobedience, when your obedience shall be made full.) Then he pulled out a branch from a pine tree and gave it to me. It had the most beautiful aroma. I thought it was so sweet that he brought me a souvenir from heaven. (Pine trees are evergreens, and they represent everlasting life. Jesus is the Father of Eternity and the Branch. This is the gift or souvenir that Jesus has brought back to us with His resurrection. (Isa.9:6) For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father (Hebrew: Father of Eternity), Prince of Peace.) Then I told him, “I want to go so badly. I want to be in heaven.” And he smiled and hugged me and said, “Let's go for your birthday on March 6th. (3/6 or 3+6=9. Nine was the hour that Jesus died on the cross, and there are 9 fruits of the Spirit for those who have died to self. And, as in the natural, those who die get to go to heaven. Our birthday begins when we begin to die to our flesh by living the crucified life; then we begin to bear the fruits of the Spirit of God as He makes us a fully born again new creature in Christ.) Then he said, “Maybe then we can stay there for a month.” (30 days? Jesus was 30, as the Law states, when He began his ministry.) I was so excited! I knew it would be the best birthday I've ever had, but I worried a little that we wouldn't have enough money to not work for an entire month. (God will always make provision when He holds the green staff because we walk by faith to follow in His footsteps.) Then I woke up.   Seeing Others Through Faith Eve Brast - 06/13/08 (David's notes in red) The Shulamite bride in Song of Solomon had the eyes of a dove, meaning she saw things the way God's Spirit sees things. This dream teaches us to see others by faith as God does, to see that they have already been given godliness through Christ. This is the opposite of the way the faction views righteous people. (2Pe.1:2) Grace to you and peace be multiplied in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 3 seeing that his divine power hath granted unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that called us by his own glory and virtue; 4 whereby he hath granted unto us his precious and exceeding great promises; that through these ye may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in that world by lust. Spiritual eyes see the end from the beginning. I had a dream that began in an indoor swimming pool area. The voice of David Eells was talking over my right shoulder throughout the whole dream. He was showing me different people and situations; people that I had wondered whether they were saved or would be saved, or if these people were making the right choices or living their lives the right way. These things had disturbed or concerned me throughout my life. (Rather than wonder about them, we should have faith for them to be saved. (Php.1:6) being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ: 7 even as it is right for me to be thus minded on behalf of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as, both in my bonds and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers with me of grace.) David would show me these different people. Some of them were close friends or family members; others were strangers whom I had never seen before, or people I had only had brief encounters with. I was walking on the right side of the pool. David's voice was talking over my shoulder in my right ear from behind me. Suddenly, I could hear the voices of my son Noah and his friend Nathan squabbling ... I walked up to them, not sure how to handle their squabble, and was frustrated with their childish foolishness ... Then David Eells walked over to both of them and, in a gentle way, started teaching them ... He calmed them with a gentle voice. Then he showed them how to…reconcile their differences. (Mat.5:9) Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called sons of God.) Then the scene changed. David's voice was still in my right ear, teaching me. The more he taught me, the more my spiritual sight opened up, and I began to see these people the way God sees them or knows them, even when they are still living in sin or ignorance. (We have to be the peacemakers between the immature and teach them to let God be the judge between them.) The next scene was outdoors on some land that David owned... I drove up in a flatbed pick-up with food, plants, flowers and one small crate of special baby birds. I was contributing these things as a gift to UBM. (No buying and selling but giving and receiving.) All of us lived on his land and had our different positions and chores or things we were assigned to do, based on what we were good at. (Everyone will work according to their assigned gifts and abilities from God, Him working in them to will and to do of His good pleasure; this creates peace and rest.) ... The women and I carried all the food, plants and flowers into the greenhouse nursery to tend to them. I set the baby birds on the top right corner of a table in the center of the nursery. (Baby Christians in the nursery will grow up like the Father's planting.) One of the women who was older than me in her 50's with dyed, dark brown hair walked past the birds and looked down at them with presumptive irritation and said, “What are those?” I started to tell her, but she cut me off because her true intention was to make a point that she wasn't going to help me feed them or care for them. She said, “Well, I hope you don't expect me to take care of them”. I was offended at first by her presumptuousness. But David's voice on my shoulder explained to me why she said that, because that was not God's calling for her and then something amazing happened. All at once, I was able to see her heart attitude and knew this woman intimately as God saw her! All my anger just melted away …and I loved this woman and was so grateful for all she had done for UBM. I was shown how precious and valuable she was to God, and I cherished her like a hidden treasure! (Everyone will learn to appreciate individual callings and gifts as the people manifestly become the body of Christ. No one will do without, for the body will minister to itself as it was in the Book of Acts.) After this, the scene changed, and the plant nursery turned into my grandmother's house. It was Christmas, and there were gobs of Christmas décor everywhere. My mother's family was celebrating Christmas and standing around, eating and talking to one another. My grandmother was being the good hostess that she has always been, preparing food and asking everyone about themselves ... (In God's nursery, the babies can grow up out of their Babylonish traditions without condemnation.) Suddenly, I realized that my grandfather was there. (He passed away back in September 2007.) He was dressed in a colorful Christmas sweater and he looked so young and full of life! (Representing those who are immature, who are dead in their sins, can grow up out of Babylonish works.) My grandmother acted as if it were normal to have a dead man mulling around her house! My mom finally came in, and I rushed over to her in a panic and said, “Thank God you are here! Grandpa is alive! And he is running around here talking to everyone!” I was fearful and horrified. My mother was surprised and concerned. She didn't know what to do except pretend like everything was normal and talk to my grandpa like he was still alive. My mom and I were the only two who realized that my grandpa had died. (Resurrection life will come to those in immature Babylonish habits when we see them and talk to them as though they are alive from the dead and new creatures in Christ. (2Co.5:14) For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that one died for all, therefore all died; 15 and he died for all, that they that live should no longer live unto themselves, but unto him who for their sakes died and rose again. 16 Wherefore we henceforth know no man after the flesh: even though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now we know [him so] no more. 17 Wherefore if any man is in Christ, [he is] a new creature: the old things are passed away; behold, they are become new. 18 But all things are of God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and gave unto us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 to wit, that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not reckoning unto them their trespasses, and having committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 20 We are ambassadors therefore on behalf of Christ, as though God were entreating by us: we beseech [you] on behalf of Christ, be ye reconciled to God. 21 Him who knew no sin he made [to be] sin on our behalf; that we might become the righteousness of God in him.) As I stood there, I could hear David's voice over my shoulder again, and it calmed me down, and my fear melted away. ... Then that amazing thing happened again! I started quietly observing my grandpa as he talked and interacted with the other family members. He was beautiful and radiant. He was kind and his heart was childlike. I saw him the way God had seen him! (Yes, by faith and renewed imagination as a new creature in Christ.) He was going around, really just pouring his soul into his children and grandchildren! I couldn't believe what a precious soul this was! (My grandpa used to be a very hard man in his younger years. When I was a child, I heard him and my father arguing as my dad tried to share the Gospel with him. A stream of obscenities would pour out of his mouth. He said he didn't need God. Later in his life, during his 60s, he had a change of heart. He got involved in a local Methodist church and went to Sunday school and church most Sundays and dragged my grandma along, who also got involved with that church. They were really serious about it all. (As baby Christians, we were all involved in a simplistic experience of Christianity, so we should love these as Christ loved us as His babies who are learning to walk -- at the same time correcting the system and leaders who would keep them as babes.) When he had been alive, I judged them for their denominational choice and what I viewed as a shallow, almost worthless relationship with God. (Babies play in the shallow end of the pool until they grow up. We must speak justification by faith to them to give them the joy and confidence of their salvation.) As I was observing my dead grandpa at this Christmas party, I was able to see his heart the way God saw him. It was incredible to me how I could feel how God felt and saw my grandpa! I saw that God cherished his childlike faith and his desire to help others understand things and mentor them, and his desire to help others with their projects. (We must see the immature as accounted righteous by faith.) At that moment, I knew that he was with the Lord and not in hell, as I had been concerned about it since his death. The scene changed again, and my grandmother's house turned into the apartment of two homosexual men. As I observed them, they couldn't see me. I was immediately disgusted that I was in their home. (We are forbidden to judge any of the lost, for they have not grace yet to obey and are in bondage, to be pitied [1 Cor.5:9-13].) I was fearful of some sort of defilement or something. These two men were nicely dressed. I listened to them talk. They had several Great Dane dogs that were running around in the backyard. I wasn't happy about those dogs. … As I was feeling threatened by these men and their dogs, I heard David's voice talking in my right ear again, and as I listened, the threat melted away, and I began to see these men's hearts. They had such compassion and loving kindness in their hearts! I watched them love and care for their animals, when suddenly I heard a knock at the door. One of the men went over to open the door. There was a naked man who was obese and hairy all over his body, sitting in a wheelchair with a colostomy bag taped to his lower abdomen that was filled with feces. He was homeless and needed a place to live and someone to help him change his colostomy bag every day. The sight of this man horrified me, and I doubted these men would take him in. I watched as they happily discussed the possibility between themselves and eagerly agreed to take this crippled, naked man into their home and take care of him! I was astounded at their love for other people, their compassion, and their blindness to the flaws of others. God showed me all the qualities that he had formed in their hearts, how He used the betrayal and rejection that they had experienced throughout their lives in order to form Christ in them! I was seeing the end from the beginning in these men (even though they were still in ignorance and lost in their sin). (Those who have been sinners and rejected can appreciate the acceptance of Christ through the Gospel. Some lost people have more of the nature of Christ than some Christians, but they are not justified through faith in the sacrifice of Jesus. In everyone whom God will ultimately draw and call to Himself, He prepares the soil by breaking it up through adverse circumstances and failure, so that through repentance and faith the seed of Christ is planted. Those who are forgiven of much are able to love much. (Luk.7:47) Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, [the same] loveth little.) God told me, “These are mine!” And they were so beautiful!! So perfect in heart! Such compassion that I had never seen or experienced before! It just made me want to weep. I felt defiled by my own attitudes and judgmental self-righteousness and was horrified at myself. David's words had helped me to see things and people the way that God saw them, in process. I was able to finally see my own heart clearly and repent to God. After this dream, seeing others the way God sees them became a permanent gift. (God sees us as a finished product from the beginning through Jesus' sacrifice, and we must do the same for others. As we forgive them, God forgives us. We can tell them the good news that they are free from sin. The repentant sinner will appreciate this greatly.) They looked so precious to me, and I just cherished each one in my heart like a rare jewel! I didn't see their sin anymore or their imperfections. I wasn't concerned about their immediate state or what they were planning to do that was sinful or wrong. I just saw the end from the beginning and felt such rest! (Seeing our loved ones through the sacrifice of Christ by faith gives us rest that God will do the work in them.) Not only did God settle my uncertainty about the salvation or spiritual condition of all the people whom I have prayed for or been “concerned” about in my family or other people's families, but He gave me the faith I needed to believe in the sanctification of others that we pray for and believe for their salvation. (When we pray for lost loved ones, we are commanded to believe we have received what we prayed for and see it as done. (Mar.11:24) Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye received (in original Greek) them, and ye shall have them.) This has been an issue for me that I have worried over and struggled with a lot. These situations were representative of all the lost loved ones whom the saints of God are praying and believing for! Praise God for peace of mind and for His great mercy! To be balanced on this subject, we must not give grace to believers who walk in willful disobedience. (Heb.10:26) For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and a fierceness of fire which shall devour the adversaries. 28 A man that hath set at nought Moses law dieth without compassion on [the word of] two or three witnesses: 29 of how much sorer punishment, think ye, shall he be judged worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him that said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense. And again, the Lord shall judge His people.   Learning to Walk in the Spirit Winnie Osegueda - 1/25/22 (David's notes in red) In this dream, I was at my mom's house and there were quite a few different types of people of all colors and nationalities. (I believe this could be part of God's elect still stuck in the mother harlot Church.) There was a man who came into the house who looked like Brandy Arney when he was a bit younger. This man looked like a mix between Brandy Arney and the actor Daniel Craig, who plays James Bond. (Bond is a play on words representing the first fruits Man-child who are bonded together in the agape love of Christ to teach the woman, as Revelation 12 shows. The Man-child body of all nations teaches the woman to fight for the Kingdom like Bond fought for his.) I wanted him to come in because he was going to show me how real the spiritual realm is, and I invited him inside. He was wearing a white or light cream sweater as he stood across from me in front of my mom's front door. As “Brandy/Bond” stood there, I saw his spirit man come out of his body and I was blown away. I asked him how to do that, and he began to teach me. (This represents learning to walk in the Spirit and be led by the Spirit rather than walk in the flesh. (Rom.8:12-14) So then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh: 13 for if ye live after the flesh, ye must die; but if by the Spirit ye put to death the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.) Then, as I stood there, my spirit man also came out of my body. This aspect of the dream felt so real. I literally felt myself leave my body. (living in the flesh no more) As I was “walking in the spirit,” I could see and feel my spirit man's arm and hand touch a white lady's sweater with ruffles on the shoulders that was folded over on the back seat of a wooden chair in my bedroom. I believe this sweater was for me. (These are the righteous acts of the saints that we are clothed with when we walk in the Spirit, denying our flesh.) (I see this dream as a parable of coming out of the flesh and walking in the Spirit, and how we are able, by faith, to put on the Lord's righteous garments.) Then I woke up. I asked the Lord for a couple of verses regarding myself in this dream and I received by faith at random: (Joh.3:12) If I told you earthly things and ye believe not, how shall ye believe if I tell you heavenly things? (We walk in Heavenly things when we walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh.) And (Eph.4:14) (14-16 for context) that we may be no longer children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error; 15 but speaking truth in love, may grow up in all things into him, who is the head, even Christ; 16 from whom all the body fitly framed and knit together through that which every joint supplieth, according to the working in due measure of each several part, maketh the increase of the body unto the building up of itself in love.   Seeing Christ in the Mirror Marie Kelton - 1-28-22 (David's notes in red) During the night the Lord gave me a vision of my spiritual man in a dark place. (1Co.13:10-12) but when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away. 11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child: now that I am become a man, I have put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know fully even as also I was fully known.) She was wearing all white and standing in front of a vanity that was all white with a desk and a chair. My spiritual man was looking in the mirror and saw a black being there. I knew it was my flesh man in the mirror. (Jas.1:23-24) But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deluding your own selves. 23 For if any one is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a mirror: 24 for he beholdeth himself, and goeth away, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.) My spiritual man broke the mirror by hitting it. (Because we cannot see the old man in the mirror, or we will not be justified by faith and not have the power to obey.) Then I saw the Lord standing next to my spiritual man in front of the vanity. (2Co.3:18) But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit.)   Get the Beam out of Your Own Eye C. P. - 1/15/22 (David's notes in red) In a vision, I saw a mist and heard the word “fumigate”. (Fumigate means to exterminate or disinfect using smoke or chemicals.) (I believe this mist is the prayers of the saints, as well as the Holy Spirit). Then in the mist I saw a wooden beam. (Mat.7:1-5) Judge not, that ye be not judged. 2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured unto you. 3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me cast out the mote out of thine eye; and lo, the beam is in thine own eye? 5 Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.) In the wooden beam, there was the tiniest little black speck, but as the mist continued to stay on the beam, the black speck became bigger until something wriggled out from the wooden beam. It looked like a newt or a small lizard. It was struggling to survive so it left. (The black newt or lizard can be the spirit of judgement, which hangs around with rejection and fear of rejection. These unclean spirits are curses from the evil one. All factious spirits of criticism, judgement, rejection, etc. leave when the fumigation mist of the saints' prayers comes. We need to be praying for our brothers and sisters! (1Th.5:23-25) And the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved entire, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who will also do it. 25 Brethren, pray for us.) The prayers, both personal and collective, for ourselves and for others, are how we cast out the beam from our own eye. Then you can see the beam and what was in it. Our prayers to be cleansed from all unrighteousness are heard, and He will complete the good work He has started in each one of us! Praise God!) This vision greatly encouraged me, and I have been trying to use every opportunity in my daily disciplines to pray for others, even if it is in the Spirit with tongues. I asked the Lord if I should share this dream with the body to encourage everyone, and received by faith at random (Psa.65:5) of them that are afar off, so that's an affirmative! (In context 5-7) By terrible things thou wilt answer us in righteousness, O God of our salvation, Thou that art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, And of them that are afar off upon the sea: 6 Who by his strength setteth fast the mountains, Being girded about with might; 7 Who stilleth the roaring of the seas, The roaring of their waves, And the tumult of the peoples.   The Lord is Cleansing His Body Winnie Osegueda - 9/20/21 (David's notes in red) I dreamt that I was at the house where we (UBM) meet locally. (Winnie here represents the Bride body that the Lord is faithfully attending to in order to get them cleaned up and ready for ministry during the 7 years of tribulation.) I was sitting on the couch that I normally sit on with my family, which is on the right of David. Instead of David sitting on the chair he normally sits in, however, he was sitting beside me. As David sat next to me, he turned into another man, whom I had not seen before. This man was regular-looking and was younger, but not too young. He also had a nice tan, like someone who'd been out in the sun often. (I believe this man was Jesus, but at the same time, he was also still David.) (Jesus and David 'merged together' represents the Lord through the David/Man-child body of ministers shepherding and caring for their flocks in faithfulness and love.) The man began to speak to me and told me that when I sing, it sounds very beautiful to the Lord. (Our praise and worship are not just songs that we sing to the Lord, but we worship Him with the sacrifice of our lives through obedience to His Word and taking up our cross daily to follow Christ in our suffering of death to self. (Joh.4:23) But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth: for such doth the Father seek to be his worshippers. The Greek word for worship here is Proskuneo, meaning to “kiss towards.” i.e. an act of love towards God is worship. This could include praise, singing, or what we normally think of as worship or other acts of love towards Him and our fellow man.) (For the morning prayer meeting on the morning that I received this dream, the verses I got by faith at random were the story of the woman with the alabaster jar of expensive perfume, which I received confirmation of when Chuc received the same story in a different gospel the following day or two. (Mar.14:3) And while he was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster cruse of ointment of pure nard very costly; and she brake the cruse, and poured it over his head. (This was an act of love toward the Lord.) (I believe this could be symbolic of giving the Lord our all and holding nothing back.) Winnie went on to say: He also said that He hears my pain and that it echoes through the kingdom. In the dream, I knew immediately that it meant I needed to cast my burdens onto the Lord. When the man said this to me, the thought came to me that I had to lay down my pain and give it to the Lord. (When we allow the enemy to inflict his pain upon us by receiving his fiery darts, it affects the whole body of Christ, and everyone suffers when one is suffering. This is how it echoes through His Kingdom.) The man also said to me, “Can't you see the angels around you?” I looked up and saw several angels above me, almost forming a circle. (Psa.91:11) For he will give his angels charge over thee, To keep thee in all thy ways. (Psa.34:7) The angel of Jehovah encampeth round about them that fear him, And delivereth them.) (We must keep our angels who are assigned to go forth for us into battle against our enemies employed. (Heb.1:14) Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to do service for the sake of them that shall inherit salvation?) As this man was talking to me, I could see his eyes were very kind, and they also teared up. The man had a lot of compassion, and as he was telling me all these things, my eyes began to well up with tears. As a tear began to fall down my left cheek, the man reached over to wipe it away. As he wiped away my tear, he also began to rub a black spot off of my face. (Jesus not only came to wipe away our sorrows and give us His joy and freedom, but He also came to take away all our sins, spots, and blemishes.) A feeling of shame tried to creep up on me, as if I did not want the man to look too closely at my faults and flaws. (Shame and condemnation will keep us trapped in a prison and an endless cycle, and we will not be effective for the Kingdom of God if we stay in this state.) Then I woke up suddenly. The verse that came to me as I was typing this was: (Eph.5:25-27) Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself up for it; 26 that he might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water with the word, 27 that he might present the church to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. This is a work that the Lord will complete in us, and all we have to do is repent and believe. (1Jn.1:9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  I asked the Lord if I should share this dream with the body and received by faith at random: (Eph.2:21-22) in whom each several building, fitly framed together, groweth into a holy temple in the Lord; 22 in whom ye also are builded together for a habitation of God in the Spirit. (I thought this was a pretty good confirmation.) (I believe, and also Winnie, that when the Lord removed the black spot, she was representing the Body.)   Loving the Hidden Treasure Eve Brast - 07/30/2016 (David's notes in red) I dreamed that my son Elijah and I were in the basement of a greenhouse where David and Michael lived. It was painted forest green. (I believe Father is using a word play here for a greenhouse where plants are nurtured and protected from the harsh elements.) (This is what we do. Eve represents the Bride of the “last Adam”. Elijah means “my God is YAHWEH”, meaning “my mighty one is YAHWEH”. Those who trust in God's strength to do their works.) The basement had a dirt floor, and the dream started with Elijah and me pulling up a large golden crate out of the ground that had been unearthed. (An obvious hidden treasure in the UBM house. The golden ark of the covenant.) We opened the lid and golden light shone forth from its contents. I don't know who had unearthed it, but he and I were excited to carry it upstairs and show it to our brethren. It was surprisingly lightweight and wasn't at all hard to carry up the basement stairs. (God's hidden treasures are Jesus' light burden. His treasures put faith in us, which gives His power to bear any burden.) Elijah and I brought it and set it on the threshold between the living room and dining room, and I knelt in front of it as Elijah moved around to the other side in the dining room next to Michael Hare. I thought in the dream that it was a “hope chest”. (A hope chest is something that young girls used to have in the old days, where they would store things away for the time when they would be married.) (Representing a treasure hidden for Eve, as a type of the Bride's marriage.) There was a well-lit kitchen off to my right and in front of us, where David was busy preparing something for us all to eat. (Jesus said we must eat His body and He is the Word made flesh, the manna from Heaven that the fleshly tire of, for they value flesh.) Several brethren were standing behind me, waiting to see what was inside the crate. They seemed perturbed at us for bringing the crate up out of the basement. (These are not one spirit with the Bride because of a critical spirit. They are not in one accord to prepare for the coming outpouring.) It's hard to explain, but I could see things through their eyes, as well as my own view. I was going back and forth between what I was seeing and what they were seeing and thinking. Once I knelt down in front of the golden crate, I was then inside the minds of those behind me. I saw myself through their eyes kneeling down in front of an ugly, old wooden crate that had mud and dirt on it. (They do not value the treasure of the Bride as she and the Groom do.) When I opened the crate, the people stepped forward, and when they looked inside, they saw nothing but a small piece of white paper lying on the floor of the upper right-hand corner of the crate. It looked like the corner of a larger piece of white paper that had been torn away. (They don't see the whole page but only a small portion. God gives knowledge and wisdom to those who will use it. He does not give the hidden treasure to those who are only hearers and not doers because they would just be more condemned for not obeying.) They began to make critical comments and think critical things about the crate. They said, “There is nothing in there but a little piece of trash! Why did you drag that old thing up here?” (They who speak against the gifts and Word of God become defiled by what they speak. (Mat.15:18) But the things which proceed out of the mouth come forth out of the heart; and they defile the man. 19 For out of the heart come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, railings: 20 these are the things which defile the man... The righteous treasure everything that comes from God. Those who are satisfied with the world don't hunger for the things of God. (Pro.27:7) The full soul loatheth a honeycomb; But to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet. (Psa.17:15) As for me, I shall behold thy face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with beholding thy form.) At the same time, I was able to see myself opening the crate through my own eyes, and when I opened it, Elijah, Michael, and I saw that same warm, beautiful golden light come shining forth out of it again. We saw a rich, golden crate and, as we watched, two silver trays of thinly sliced sourdough bread came rising up out of the light. (Sourdough represents “bitter in the belly” or flesh. The bread of Heaven is the light, and it is Christ. Search for Him as for treasure. (Pro.2:3) Yea, if thou cry after discernment, And lift up thy voice for understanding; 4 If thou seek her as silver, And search for her as for hid treasures: 5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of Jehovah, And find the knowledge of God.) One side was completely full of bread, and the other side still had a third of its bread left on the tray. (Two tablets in the ark that were placed there with a bowl of manna and Aaron's rod.) (Both the manna and the tables represent the bread of the Word: (Heb.9:4) ... the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was a golden pot holding the manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant...) I said in amazement, “Look at that!” But the people behind me asked, “Look at what? There is nothing there!” Then I heard Father say to me in my right ear, “My promises and entrance into My Kingdom are obtained by faith, but they (meaning the ones behind me) only walk by sight. They can't see what you see.” Michael then gestured with an open hand toward the two trays of bread floating in front of me, cocked his head to the side and said, “Y'all have got two days to eat this bread or else it's going to go bad and we'll have to throw it out! Now get to eatin.'” (Those who saved the bread for another day, saw it go bad. Eat it now or lose it. In Exodus 16, what was the manna that was given? Actually, the word given in Exodus 16 for manna is the word “man”. Look at your footnote at the bottom of the page. The footnote says “man”. Do you know who that man was? The man who came down out of Heaven and gave life to the world. The one we have to eat in order to have life. It is Jesus, the Word. How do you eat Jesus and have life? You have to consume Him. He is the Word made flesh. The Word has to go into you and become a part of your being. How does it do that? You have to believe and obey it. This is exactly what the Word says: (Exo.16:4) Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you... Jesus said, “I am the bread that came down out of heaven for you”. Exodus continues, 4 ... and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in My law, or not. What is it to eat your portion every day? It is to walk in God's Word. He is proving them to see if they will walk in His law. We are supposed to partake of God's Word and walk in it every day. Did you know that for six days they went out and gathered the manna? When they tried to store it up, it bred worms; but when they gathered it for the seventh day, it did not breed worms. What does six mean? Six means “man” and what is earthly and worldly. Seven means rest for those who believe it.) At this point, I had a vision of a flock of Mallard ducks outside the house waiting for that molded bread that had not been eaten after the two days were up, to be tossed to them. (Ducks are waterfowl.) (The bread of the Word is to bring us into the resurrection life of Christ on the third day. (Luk.13:32) And he said unto them, Go and say to that fox, Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures to-day and to-morrow, and the third day I am perfected.) I picked up a slice of bread from the tray that had one-third of the bread left and took a bite. It was good but really sour. The people behind me were angry and were asking, “What bread? What are you talking about?!” They couldn't understand because they didn't have the faith to see what was right in front of them. All they saw was the natural state of that crate and all the negative things. They couldn't even see the bread to eat it. (Luk.8:10) And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to the rest in parables; that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand. (Mat.11:25) At that season Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou didst hide these things from the wise and understanding, and didst reveal them unto babes... Notice that the treasures are hidden from those who are wise in their own eyes. At this point, I was sad for them and felt alone. I obediently kept eating the bread, but I asked Michael, “How am I going to eat all this myself? I'm only one person.” (Those who love the hidden manna are one in Christ.) He didn't answer; he only smiled at me because I was helping to eat the bread so that it wouldn't go bad. Then I woke up. When I woke up from this dream, I asked Father for a verse or text for this dream and received Acts 1:12 (12-26). This is also the verse I gave at the morning prayer meeting. This text talks about the need for us to be in one accord (for the outpouring) as God replaces Judas with another who is faithful to eat the bread. I asked Father for a verse for the critical brethren behind me and received (Pro.8:13) The fear of Jehovah is to hate evil: Pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, And the perverse mouth, do I hate. This whole chapter is an excellent parable for this dream!   Why Die Walking After the Flesh? Suani Guzman - 03/01/2011 (David's notes in red) I asked the Lord for a dream, and He gave me a very good one. There was a woman whose name was Delilah (meaning “weakened, uprooted or impoverished”) who had lost her son. (She was weakened and uprooted because she lost her spiritual man or fruit of the womb of her heart, as in the parable of the sower. How can we lose our spiritual man or fruit? (Jud.12) Twice dead plucked up by the roots. Jesus said in (Joh.15:2) Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh it away.) Some Christians gathered to pray about finding the boy. (Praying for her to find her fruit again.) They were waiting for me to finish washing my teeth. (Son.6:6) Thy teeth are like a flock of ewes, Which are come up from the washing; Whereof every one hath twins, And none is bereaved among them. Each tooth has its opposite so that a person may be well fed spiritually. (Gen.49:12) His eyes shall be red with wine, And his teeth white with milk. The teeth must be washed with the milk of the Word. In this way, clean teeth mean clean spiritual food of the Word.) My son began to pray a mellow prayer, and I felt that prayer wouldn't do it. I started to pray with power and faith. We finished and went on the search. I think the boy's name was Elijah (“my God is YHWH”) and his father's name was Onesimus, a carpenter, who was a very good father. (Onesimus was the runaway slave who met Paul and became “profitable or helpful”, as his name means, when he brought forth the fruit of the spiritual man, his son.) I found an old man who was attaching a boy to a pallet. (The old man had taken the spiritual man captive. It's called walking in the flesh. A pallet is for moving merchandise around. So the old man makes merchandise of the spiritual man, much like false ministers do.) I went over to him and took the boy off and grabbed him. I put the old man on my side like carrying a baby (We must take the old man where he would not go, as Jesus said to Peter) and asked him, “Where is the boy, and who do you work for?” He wouldn't say. I said with a firm determination, “I will win”; then he said, “You already won.” (Through Jesus, we have already won against the old man, who works for the flesh and the devil. (Gal.2:20) I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me: and that [life] which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, [the faith] which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me. (Gal.5:24) And they that are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with the passions and the lusts thereof.) While still carrying the old man, I noticed the empty packaging of what he had been using to attach the boy, and I picked it up. I read the label, hoping to trace it to the kidnappers. The price tag read “Humble Oct. 6-11”. (The Lord paid the price to set us free from this bondage above. And the old man will pay a terrible price for taking authority over the spiritual man. What is “Humble Oct.6-11”? This is the opposite of and solution for what happened above when the old man took authority over the spiritual man. This symbolizes the 10th month or book, 6th chapter, 11th verse (Watch this formula), which is (2Sa.6:11) And the ark of Jehovah remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months: and Jehovah blessed Obed-edom, and all his house. A Gittite is a Philistine of the city of Gath. This is the old man of the flesh that dwells in the land. When the flesh is “Humble”ed, as Obed was under David, and serves the spiritual man, who is the ark of God's presence, he is blessed. The very next verse says that the ark was taken to the city of David, which is Zion, the Bride. 12 And it was told king David, saying, Jehovah hath blessed the house of Obed-edom, and all that pertaineth unto him, because of the ark of God. And David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the city of David with joy. It is the most joyful thing for the ark of God's presence to rest in the Holy of Holies of our spiritual man in the Holy City. In the time of Eli, the ark was taken captive under the authority of the Philistines or fleshly man in 1 Samuel 4-6, and it brought a curse to all their cities so much that they returned it under the authority of the spiritual man, Israel. So when we walk in the flesh, we bring these curses on us, but when the spiritual man is in the lead, we are blessed. The moral of the story is so perfectly written in (Rom.8:12) So then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh: 13 for if ye live after the flesh, ye must die; but if by the Spirit ye put to death the deeds of the body, ye shall live. This warfare against the gods that rule over the flesh man and seek to bring under subjection the spiritual man is spoken of in the New Testament, (Here it is again) 10th book, 6th chapter, 11th verse: (Eph.6:11) Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual [hosts] of wickedness in the heavenly [places]. Amen.

Israel's disastrous decision to treat the Ark of the Covenant like a lucky charm. After losing a battle to the Philistines, Israel never asks God why they were defeated or whether they should fight again. Instead, they bring the Ark into the camp, assuming that possessing the symbol of God's presence will guarantee victory. The people celebrate, and even the Philistines become afraid—but the Ark is not God. Israel suffers a devastating defeat, the Ark is captured, Eli's sons die, and Eli dies after hearing the news. Phinehas's wife then names her child Ichabod, declaring that the glory has departed from Israel. The warning for us is not to confuse religious objects, routines, traditions, or church attendance with genuine trust in God. Faith seeks God, listens to Him, and obeys Him. Superstition tries to control outcomes through symbols and rituals. The battle belongs to the Lord. Our confidence must rest in Him, not in anything we treat as a spiritual good luck charm. Sermon Notes 1 Samuel 4:1 & 2 Israel loses a battle to the Philistines 1 Samuel 4:3 & 4 Israel decides to get the Ark of the Covenant because it will defeat the Philistines 1 Samuel 4:5 – 8 Israel shouts when the Ark arrives and the shout causes the Philistines to become fearful 1 Samuel 4:9 – 11 The Philistines regain their courage, fight and defeat Israel. They capture the Ark and both Eli's sons die 1 Samuel 4:12 – 18 Eli hears the report of the capture of the Ark and the death of his sons, he falls back and dies of a broken neck

#top .av-special-heading.av-gs9o3p-df6f01107eca46217f6892a3152522f4{ padding-bottom:10px; } body .av-special-heading.av-gs9o3p-df6f01107eca46217f6892a3152522f4 .av-special-heading-tag .heading-char{ font-size:25px; } .av-special-heading.av-gs9o3p-df6f01107eca46217f6892a3152522f4 .av-subheading{ font-size:15px; } Through My Bible Yr 03 – August 01Amos 6 LISTEN HERE Through My Bible – August 01 Amos 6 (EHV) https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/03-0801db.mp3 See series: Through My Bible Judgment Against Complacency 1 Woe to [1] you who are complacent in Zion, you who feel secure on Mount Samaria,     you distinguished people of the leading nation,     to whom the house of Israel comes. 2 Travel to Kalneh and look.     Go from there to Hamath Rabbah,     and go down to Gath of the Philistines.     Are you better than those kingdoms?     Are their territories greater than your territory? [2] 3 You who are trying to put off the evil day,     you bring near the session for violence! 4 Those who lie on ivory beds,     sprawling upon their couches,     eating lambs from the flock     and calves straight from the stall, 5 improvising tunes on the lyre,     composing music for themselves on musical instruments like David, 6 drinking large bowls of wine—     they slather [3] themselves with the most expensive perfumed oils,     but they do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph. 7 That is why they will go into exile as the first of the exiles.     Those who sprawl out at their feasts for the dead will depart. Certain Destruction for Proud Israel 8 The Lord God swears by himself,     declares the Lord, the God of Armies:     I detest the pride of Jacob,     and I hate his citadels,     so I will hand over the city and everything in it. 9 If ten men happen to survive in one house, they will die. 10 When a relative who burns the bodies [4] comes to take away the bones from the house, he will say to whoever remains in the recesses of the house, “Is there anyone else still with you?” And they will say, “No one.” And he will say, “Silence! For you must not invoke the name of the Lord!” [5] 11 Look, the Lord is indeed giving a command, and he will smash the largest house into fragments and the smallest house into splinters. 12 Do horses run on a rocky cliff?     Does anyone plow the sea with an ox? [6]     Yet you turn justice into poison     and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood. 13 You are rejoicing over Lo Debar.     You are saying, “Was it not by our strength that we captured Karnaim for ourselves?” 14 Indeed, I am about to raise up a nation against you, O house of Israel,     declares the Lord, the God of Armies.     They will oppress you from Lebo Hamath to the Canyon of the Arabah. [7] Footnotes Amos 6:1 Or how terrible it will be for Amos 6:2 The line of thought is difficult to follow here. The context seems to require that the two lines of the verse be parallel statements, each of which requires the answer “no.” The context therefore seems to call for reversing the second comparison, but there is no manuscript evidence to support such a switch. Amos 6:6 Literally anoint, but the reference is not to anointing to office. Amos 6:10 Or who prepares bodies for burial Amos 6:10 Verses 9 and 10 are difficult. Translations vary greatly. Amos 6:12 The translation follows a re-division of a word of the Hebrew text. The main Hebrew text reads does one plow with oxen, a reading which calls for the answer “yes,” but which does not fit the context. Another solution is to repeat the object rocky cliff from the first half of the verse: does one plow a rocky cliff with oxen? Amos 6:14 Lebo Hamath is far to the north in Syria. The Arabah is the rift between the mountains of Edom and the mountains of Sinai, south of Israel. #top .hr.hr-invisible.av-aocsdx-89cb4ca21532423cf697fc393b6fcee0{ height:10px; } The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved. #top .hr.hr-invisible.av-4vzadh-3f04b370105df1fd314a2a9d83e55b26{ height:50px; } Share this entryShare on FacebookShare on LinkedInShare by MailLink to FlickrLink to InstagramLink to Vimeo

The David Alliance TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com Garth Heckman   Point 4:  Pain Trains, It Doesn't Just Test Greek: γυμνάζω (gymnazo) — Hebrews 12:11: "no discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness for those who have been trained (gymnazo) by it."    Samuel 30 - David has been on the run for 14 years from King Saul… now they get sent packing from the Philistines… “not good enough”. They get back to camp and all of their wives, children, goods, food everything was taken by the Amakelites.  His men have had it… they want to stone him. V. 6 But David found strength in the LORD THIS IS DAVID IN TRAINING -  HE found strength   And he wrote Psalm 13 Psalm 13: 1 O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way? 2 How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? How long will my enemy have the upper hand? 3 Turn and answer me, O Lord my God! Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die. 4 Don't let my enemies gloat, saying, “We have defeated him!” Don't let them rejoice at my downfall. 5 But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me. 6 I will sing to the Lord because he is good to me   This verse is from David in the midst of his final crushing painful experience running from Saul…   He is ready to give up… his life. Literally… I'll just let them kill me!    But he goes to God… seeks his guidance. - what should I learn from this pain… They go and kill the Amalekites and not only get everything back but more….   HERE IS THE POINT HE WAS ONLY MONTHS AWAY FROM BEING KING!     What is around your corner of pain?

In this episode of El Niño Speaks, José Niño and Based Meth Addict (Isaac) trace the 4000 year history connecting ancient Israelites, Philistines, and Judeans to modern-day Palestinians and Jews, dismantling popular but historically inaccurate narratives pushed by both the online left and mainstream discourse.Follow Based Meth Addict here: Substack: Twitter: https://x.com/methadvocateNEXT: If you liked the show, feel free to continue supporting my work. Buy Me A Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/josenino This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.josealnino.org/subscribe

“But the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel. And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them . . . . Then Samuel took a stone . . . a... More...

We continue exploring the life of Samson, the Philistine destroyer. We delve into his pattern of disobedience, his encounters with Philistine women, and his downfall at the hands of Delilah. Despite Samson's repeated failures to uphold his Nazarite vow, God uses him to subdue the Philistines. Samson's final act of strength, pulling down the pillars of the Philistine temple, highlights the tragic end to his story of general disobedience.Support the showRead along with us in the Bible Brief App! Try the Bible Brief book for an offline experience!Get your free Bible Timeline with the 10 Steps: Timeline LinkSupport the show: Tap here to become a monthly supporter!Review the show: Tap here!Want to go deeper?...Download the Bible Brief App!iPhone: App Store LinkAndroid: Play Store LinkWant a physical book? Check out "Bible Brief" by our founder!Amazon: Amazon LinkWebsite: biblebrief.orgInstagram: @realbiblebriefX: @biblebriefFacebook: @realbiblebriefEmail the Show: biblebrief@biblelit.orgWant to learn the Bible languages (Greek & Hebrew)? Check out our partner Biblingo (and use our link/code for a discount!): https://biblin...

We explore the early life and exploits of Samson, the Nazarite dedicated to God from birth. We discuss his miraculous birth to a barren woman and his vow as a Nazarite, which included abstaining from alcohol, avoiding contact with dead bodies, and not cutting his hair. Despite these vows, Samson's actions were often driven by personal desires rather than divine commandments. From pursuing a Philistine woman for marriage to posing a riddle at his wedding feast, Samson's life was marked by impulsive decisions and defiance. Yet, God used even his flaws to begin delivering Israel from the Philistines.Support the showRead along with us in the Bible Brief App! Try the Bible Brief book for an offline experience!Get your free Bible Timeline with the 10 Steps: Timeline LinkSupport the show: Tap here to become a monthly supporter!Review the show: Tap here!Want to go deeper?...Download the Bible Brief App!iPhone: App Store LinkAndroid: Play Store LinkWant a physical book? Check out "Bible Brief" by our founder!Amazon: Amazon LinkWebsite: biblebrief.orgInstagram: @realbiblebriefX: @biblebriefFacebook: @realbiblebriefEmail the Show: biblebrief@biblelit.orgWant to learn the Bible languages (Greek & Hebrew)? Check out our partner Biblingo (and use our link/code for a discount!): https://biblin...

2:15 - What should we do with books that are referenced by the Bible but are not in the Bible? / 9:03 - How can you identify a cult? / 14:51 - What's a good Bible for a young boy? / 19:40 - Why does Solomon say that money solves all problems? / 24:50 - Comment on the doctrine of demons. / 34:16 - Why do some versions of the Bible refer to the Philistines as Palestine? / 42:02 - Is there a book that compiles all the prophecies Christ fulfilled?

In this Bible Story, we learn about the rule of Amaziah. He defeats a great threat, but grows arrogant and pompous. The Lord humbles Amaziah in the battle against Israel, and dies in exile. This story is inspired by 2 Chronicles 25 & 2 Kings 14:1-22. Go to https://www.BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.Today's Bible verse is 2 Chronicles 25:18 from the King James Version.Episode 145: The people of God needed a strong, courageous, godly King, and Uzziah provided that hope for the people. The young man was sixteen when he sat on the throne, and he sought God for wisdom just like Solomon did. He leaned on this wisdom of his elders and held the word of the prophet close. He sought God, fought battles against the Philistines, and gained the respect of the nations around him. However, as the stories about him grew, so did his ego. And in his arrogance, he walked into the temple of God without a priest and began to burn incense, as if he were a priest, beginning his downfall.Hear the Bible come to life as Pastor Jack Graham leads you through the official BibleinaYear.com podcast. This Biblical Audio Experience will help you master wisdom from the world's greatest book. In each episode, you will learn to apply Biblical principles to everyday life. Now understanding the Bible is easier than ever before; enjoy a cinematic audio experience full of inspirational storytelling, orchestral music, and profound commentary from world-renowned Pastor Jack Graham.Also, you can download the ⁠Pray.com⁠ app for more Christian content, including, Daily Prayers, Inspirational Testimonies, and Bedtime Bible Stories.Visit JackGraham.org for more resources on how to tap into God's power for successful Christian living.Pray.com is the digital destination of faith. With over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible, the Pray.com app has everything you need to keep your focus on the Lord. Make Prayer a priority and download the #1 App for Prayer and Sleep today in the Apple app store or Google Play store.Executive Producers: Steve Gatena & Max BardProducer: Ben GammonHosted by: Pastor Jack GrahamMusic by: Andrew Morgan SmithBible Story narration by: Todd Haberkorn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Most of us prefer the path to be direct and short. When life requires a longer route — application after application with no offer, a caregiving season that stretches on without relief, a waiting period that feels uncertain and never-ending — it is easy to become disillusioned not only with the situation but with God Himself. Why this way? Why so long? Why not the obvious route that was right there? The Israelites asked the same questions. After the miraculous liberation from Egypt, God led them away from the shortest path and around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. It made no sense — until it did. The longer route was not a delay. It was divine protection. If they had gone the direct way and encountered the Philistines in battle, they would have lost heart and run back to Egypt. And when Pharaoh's army bore down on them at the edge of the sea, what looked like the worst possible outcome became the stage for one of the greatest displays of God's power in all of Scripture. Psalm 27:14 calls us into the posture the Israelites ultimately had to choose: wait for the Lord, be strong, take heart, and wait. The three invitations this episode offers — pray to trust the detour, pray to see God at work, and pray until you praise — trace the same journey the Israelites traveled from fear to song. God is fighting for you. Stand firm long enough to see it. Today's Bible Verse "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."— Psalm 27:14, NIV Ponder Today The longer route is not a mistake — it may be divine protection. God led the Israelites away from the shortest path because He knew what lay on the other side of it. When His timing makes no sense, He may be shielding you from something you cannot yet see. What looks like the worst possible timing is often the setup for God's greatest display of faithfulness. The Israelites were trapped between Pharaoh's army and the Red Sea — and that was exactly where God chose to part the waters. Your impossible situation is not beyond His reach. Standing firm in fear is an opportunity to see God at work. Moses told the terrified Israelites to stand still and watch. That instruction still holds. When circumstances feel overwhelming, resist the urge to retreat to what feels familiar. Stay long enough to witness what God will do. A Prayer for You Today Lord God, when the road ahead feels uncertain, long, and tiring, I am tempted to lose heart. Help me to trust Your direction for my life and Your timing for the situation I face. Remind me that even when Your ways seem longer or less direct than I would like, You are still leading me with wisdom, protection, and care. Give me the courage to stand firm when fear rises and circumstances feel overwhelming. Open my eyes to see You at work in ways I might otherwise miss. Teach me to wait for You and to be strong even when I feel like quitting. I commit to waiting until my heart is once again filled with praise for Your majesty, grace, and faithfulness. Amen. Don't Miss an Episode If today's prayer helped you trust the detour you are currently walking, we'd love to stay connected. Subscribe to the LifeAudio newsletter at LifeAudio.com for daily prayers, devotionals, and more content to strengthen your heart while you wait on God's perfect timing. If you like this podcast, be sure to check out our sister podcast, Your Nightly Prayer - an evening Christian prayer podcast to help you end your day in conversation with God. https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-nightly-prayer/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.