Podcasts about Promised Land

We have merch now and you can buy it HERE: https://artistsonartistsonartistsonartists.com/shopGrab your spyglass, some hand-sized puzzle pieces, and 3-8 coworkers from your work retreat, it's time for an escape room! This week we talk with the actors behind Get Me Out 365, one of Tampa's premiere escape rooms and the largest in the world. The team gives us a behind the scenes look into their favorite rooms, the challenges and joys of escape room acting, and how deep and transformational (or sexy and silly) escape rooms can be. Will you escape the pod? Only one way to find out!Our guest this week is the incredible Artoun Nazareth! He made us laugh so much so find him on The Promised Land, on socials @artounnazareth, and on one of our earliest audio-only episodes Short Film Big Crew https://open.spotify.com/episode/164WxD0lRzxrF47tkv0fg0?si=raU7qH_-QVW6OmlDMXzOSwThis episode was filmed in the beautiful Dynasty Typewriter Theater, and tech-produced by Samuel Curtis. For live shows and events you can find more about them at dynastytypewriter.com. To learn more about the BTS of this episode and to find a world of challenges, games, inside scoop, and the Artists being themselves, subscribe to our Patreon! You won't be disappointed with what you find. Check out patreon.com/aoaoaoapod Artists on Artists on Artists on Artists is an improvised Hollywood roundtable podcast by Kylie Brakeman, Jeremy Culhane, Angela Giarratana, and Patrick McDonald. Produced by Laservision Productions. Music by Gabriel Ponton. Edited by Conner McCabe. Thumbnail art by Josh Fleury. Hollywood's talking. Make sure you're listening. Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Youtube! Please rate us five stars!

Chapter 11 of Hebrews is about "by faith"verses what can be accomplished; chapter 12 "with hope”verses patientlyenduring; chapter 13 "in love" the abiding overarching necessity for believers - these 3 (compare1 Corinthians 13verses13; Galatians 5verses5-6)). The writer completed the book on the great and lofty themes of God's Word. All good translations convey the sense of Hebrews 11 verses 1-3, that faith tells us that the framing, or adjusting, of this world's ages has been done with our Lord Jesus Christ in mind. Faith is the reality, substance, of the things being hoped for. Without faith, hope and love we would find ourselves living in a meaningless world. The chapter could also be called "Faith's family". From verses 4-7 the writer takes us to the roots of this family and looks at what was done by faith before the flood. Abel commences the list, and his name means "futility" - that is the human position apart from God (but with God all things are possible). Abel offered what God asked i.e. what God wanted. It cost Abel his life (as it had, and would still, cost the lives of the faithful readers of this book should they stand firm for their faith). But faith gave Abel an abiding and eternal life guaranteed by God. Similarly, Enoch's life was threatened by Lamech, whose power could not match that of our Almighty Sovereign. Verse 6 should be read slowly and pondered, "Without faith it is not possible to please God; for the ones who come to Him must wholeheartedly believe two things - God is; and He becomes a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him". Noah was warned of God about a coming flood, when as yet it had not even rained on earth. The readers were likewise being threatened to be overwhelmed by an impending and tumultuous unstoppable Roman tide, and if they were without God's provided ark (Christ) they could not survive. By faith Noah built the ark to save his family, commencing this labour 20 years before having any family.Consider Abraham and Sarah (Vv8-12). They, says the prophet Isaiah, were the human founding source of faith's family (51verses1-2). Both of them left a life of luxury to faithfully follow He who had promised them a land and city with foundations (verses 9-16; cp also Hebrews 6verses13-20). The writer shows that all the Father's family died in faith awaiting their future reward at Christ's coming. The book's readers, likewise, had in Jerusalem no continuing city; but were seeking the one which their God was building; and by faith they would constitute that city (Psalm 87). It was by faith (verses 17-19) that Abraham was able to offer, as a sacrifice, the heir of the promises. Abraham was fully and firmly convinced that Isaac would be resurrected. The members of the patriarchal family demonstrated their faith, often in small and simple ways - faith is frequently shown in the little things (verses 20-22). Moses' faith was evident when God used Moses to deliver Israel from Egypt. Faith gave Moses the capacity to endure suffering. Moses looked, not on what seemed to be, but believed what the Omnipotent had promised (so must the readers' faith sustain them in their trials). Faith brought Israel through the Red Sea (and it sustained would see them rewarded in the Promised Land). The writer says time was insufficient to keep naming the members of faith's family (verses 32-38); but consider the power of faith to sustain enduring trust in God to live faithfully in a godless world. And all of these together with us will receive the reward of the faithful when our Lord Jesus Christ comes to set up his kingdom on earth (verse 39).Thanks for joining us - we pray you found these comments helpful in your appreciation of God's words, join again tomorrow

Great Restoration and Revival (1) (audio) David Eells 10/8/25 Tommy Hicks – 7/25/1961 (David's notes in red) (This is a powerful vision given to American preacher Tommy Hicks, who was a major figure in the 1954 Argentina Revival.) A vision of the Body of Christ in the End-time ministries. (My message begins July 25, about 2:30 in the morning at Winnipeg, Canada. I had hardly fallen asleep when the vision and the revelation that God gave me came before me. The vision came three times, exactly in detail, the morning of July 25, 1961. I was so stirred and so moved by the revelation that this has changed my complete outlook upon the body of Christ, and upon the end-time ministries. The greatest thing that the church of Jesus Christ has ever been given lies straight ahead. It is so hard to help men and women to realize and understand the thing that God is trying to give his people in the end times. I received a letter several weeks ago from one of our native evangelists down in Africa, down in Nairobi. This man and his wife were on their way to Tanganyika. They could neither read nor could they write, but we had been supporting them for over two years. As they entered into the territory of Tanganyika, they came across a small village. The entire village was evacuating because of a plague that had hit the village. He came across natives who were weeping, and he asked them what was wrong. They told him of their mother and father who had suddenly died, and they had been dead for three days. They had to leave. They were afraid to go in; they were leaving them in the cottage. He turned and asked them where they were. They pointed to the hut and he asked them to go with him, but they refused. They were afraid to go. The native and his wife went to this little cottage and entered where the man and woman had been dead for three days. He simply stretched forth his hand in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and spoke the man's name and the woman's name and said, “In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I command life to come back to your bodies.” Instantaneously, these two heathen people who had never known Jesus Christ as their Savior sat up and immediately began to praise God. The spirit and the power of God came into the life of those people. To us that may seem strange and a phenomenon, but that is the beginning of these end-time ministries.  (I talked to a sister 3-6-25 whose husband had been dead for 81/2 months when I called him back in the name of Jesus and by the grace of God he came to her in her kitchen. In another case a husband, wife and children had been killed by Satanists as witnessed by Eve and my angel and I called them back and all immediately returned by God's grace. God can use a donkey. Back to Tommy's message.) God is going to take the do-nothings, the nobodies, the unheard-of, the no-accounts. He is going to take every man and every woman and he is going to give them this outpouring of the Spirit of God. In the Book of Acts, we read that “In the last days,” God said, “I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh.” I wonder if we realized what God meant when He said, “I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh.” I do not think I fully realized nor could I understand the fullness of it, and then I read from the Book of Joel: “Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain…” (Joel 2:23). …He is going to give to his people in these last days a double portion of the power of God!) As the vision appeared to me after I was asleep, I suddenly found myself in a great high distance. Where I was, I do not know. But I was looking down upon the earth. Suddenly the whole earth came into my view. Every nation, every kindred, every tongue came before my sight from the east and the west, the north and the south. I recognized every country and many cities that I had been in, and I was almost in fear and trembling as I beheld the great sight before me: and at that moment when the world came into view, it began to lightning and thunder. As the lightning flashed over the face of the earth, my eyes went downward and I was facing the north. Suddenly I beheld what looked like a great giant, and as I stared and looked at it, I was almost bewildered by the sight. It was so gigantic and so great. His feet seemed to reach to the north pole and his head to the south. Its arms were stretched from sea to sea. (Meaning: A great corporate body of saints.) I could not even begin to understand whether this was a mountain or a giant, but as I watched, I suddenly beheld a great giant. I could see his head was struggling for life. He wanted to live, but his body was covered with debris from head to foot (Sin and false doctrines), and at times this great giant would move his body and act as though it would even raise up at times. And when it did, thousands of little creatures seemed to run away. (Demons) Hideous creatures would run away from this giant, and when he would become calm, they would come back. All of a sudden this great giant lifted his hand towards heaven, and then it lifted its other hand (Praising the Lord!), and when it did, these creatures by the thousands seemed to flee away from this giant and go into the darkness of the night. Slowly this great giant began to rise and as he did, his head and hands went into the clouds. As he rose to his feet he seemed to have cleansed himself from the debris and filth that was upon him, and he began to raise his hands into the heavens as though praising the Lord, and as he raised his hands, they went even unto the clouds. Suddenly, every cloud became silver, the most beautiful silver (purified through heavenly fire) I have ever known. As I watched this phenomenon, it was so great, I could not even begin to understand what it all meant. I was so stirred as I watched it, and I cried unto the Lord and I said, “Oh Lord, what is the meaning of this?” and I felt as if I was actually in the Spirit and I could feel the presence of the Lord even as I was asleep. And from those clouds suddenly there came great drops of liquid light raining down upon this mighty giant (light is truth), and slowly, slowly, this giant began to melt, began to sink itself in the very earth itself, and as he melted (bearing their cross), his whole form seemed to have melted upon the face of the earth, and this great rain began to come down. Liquid drops of light began to flood the very earth itself, and as I watched this giant that seemed to melt, suddenly it became millions of people over the face of the earth. As I beheld the sight before me, people stood up all over the world! They were lifting their hands and they were praising the Lord. At that very moment, there came a great thunder that seemed to roar from the heavens. I turned my eyes toward the heavens and suddenly I saw a figure in white, in glistening white; the most glorious thing that I have ever seen in my entire life. I did not see the face, but somehow I knew it was the Lord Jesus Christ, and he stretched forth his hand, and as he did, he would stretch it forth to one, and to another, and to another. And as he stretched forth his hand upon the nations and the people of the world, men and women, as he pointed toward them, this liquid light seemed to flow from his hands into them, and a mighty anointing of God came upon them (The latter rain), and those people began to go forth in the name of the Lord. I do not know how long I watched it. It seemed it went into days and weeks and months. And I beheld this Christ as he continued to stretch forth his hand, but there was a tragedy. There were many people, as he stretched forth his hand, who refused the anointing of God and the call of God. I saw men and women that I knew. People that I felt would certainly receive the call of God. But as he stretched forth his hand toward this one and toward that one, they simply bowed their head and began to back away. And each of those that seemed to bow down and back away seemed to go into darkness. Blackness seemed to swallow them everywhere. (Faction and falling away) I was bewildered as I watched it, but these people that he had anointed, hundreds of thousands of people all over the world, in Africa, England, Russia, China, America, all over the world, the anointing of God was upon these people as they went forward in the name of the Lord. I saw these men and women as they went forth. They were ditch diggers, they were washerwomen, they were rich men, they were poor men. I saw people who were bound with paralysis and sickness and blindness and deafness. As the Lord stretched forth to give them this anointing, they became well, they became healed, and they went forth exactly as the Lord did. And this is the miracle of it - this is the glorious miracle of it. It seemed as if there was this same liquid fire in their hands - those people would stretch forth their hands and say, “According to my word, be thou made whole.” These people continued in this mighty end-time ministry. I did not fully realize what it was, and I looked to the Lord and said, “What is the meaning of this?” And he said, “This is that which I will do in the last days. I will restore all that the cankerworm, the palmerworm, the caterpillar - I will restore all that they have destroyed. This, my people, in the end times will go forth. As a mighty army shall they sweep over the face of the earth.” As I was at this great height, I could behold the whole world. I watched these people as they were going to and fro over the face of the earth. Suddenly there was a man in Africa and in a moment he was transported by the Spirit of God, and perhaps he was in Russia, or China or America or some other place, and vice versa. All over the world these people went, and they came through fire, and through pestilence, and through famine. Neither fire nor persecution, nothing seemed to stop them. Angry mobs came to them with swords and with guns. And like Jesus, they passed through the multitudes and they could not find them, but they went forth in the name of the Lord, and everywhere they stretched forth their hands, the sick were healed, the blind eyes were opened. There was not a long prayer. And after I had reviewed the vision many times in my mind, and I thought about it many times, I realized that I never saw a church, and I never saw or heard a denomination, but these people were going in the name of the Lord of Hosts. Hallelujah! As they marched forth in everything they did, as the ministry of Christ in the end times, these people were ministering to the multitudes over the face of the earth. Tens of thousands, even millions, seemed to come to the Lord Jesus Christ as these people stood forth and gave the message of the kingdom, of the coming kingdom, in this last hour. It was so glorious, but it seems as though there were those who rebelled, and they would become angry and they tried to attack those workers who were giving the message. (As in Jesus' day so it is in ours) God is going to give the world a demonstration in this last hour that the world has never known. These men and women are of all walks of life; degrees will mean nothing. I saw these workers as they were going over the face of the earth. When one would stumble and fall, another would come and pick him up. There were no “big I's” and “little you's,” but every mountain was brought low and every valley was exalted, and they seemed to have one thing in common - there was a divine love, a divine love that seemed to flow forth from these people as they worked together, and as they lived together. It was the most glorious sight that I have ever known. Jesus Christ was the theme of their life. They continued and it seemed days went by as I stood and beheld this sight. I could only cry, and sometimes I laughed. It was so wonderful as these people went throughout the face of the whole earth, bringing forth in this last end time. As I watched from the very heaven itself, there were times when great deluges of this liquid light seemed to fall upon great congregations, and they would lift up their hands and seemingly praise God for hours and even days as the Spirit of God came upon them. God said, “I will pour my Spirit upon all flesh,” and that is exactly this thing. And to every man and woman that received this power and anointing of God, the miracles were without end. (We have talked about miracles. We have talked about signs and wonders, but I could not help but weep as I read again this morning, at 4 o'clock the letter from our native workers. This is only the evidence of the beginning for one man, a “do-nothing, an unheard-of,” who would go and stretch forth his hand and say, “In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I command life to flow into your body.” I dropped to my knees and began to pray again, and I said, “Lord, I know that this time is coming soon!”) And then again, as these people were going about the face of the earth, a great persecution seemed to come from every angle. Suddenly, there was another great clap of thunder that seemed to resound around the world, and I heard again the voice that seemed to speak, “Now this is my people. This is my beloved bride.” (In Revelation, we see the Bride in her “lampros,” liquid light garment who has been doing miracles all over the world. Rev.19:7 Let us rejoice and be exceeding glad, and let us give the glory unto him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 8 And it was given unto her that she should array herself in fine linen, bright (Lampros) and pure: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. John the Baptist saw Jesus' first fruits disciples and called them the Bride for he said, “He that hath the Bride is the Bridegroom.” This Bride went forth to do miracles in the gospels and in Acts and to pass this anointing on to the rest of the church. Then in Revelation we see the rest of the church in a white or “leukos” garment who are invited to the marriage. Rev.19:14 And the armies which are in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white (Leukos) and pure. And below we will see in Tommy's revelation the dead in Christ rising to be joined with them at the end of the seven-year tribulation.) And when the voice spoke, I looked upon the earth and I could see the lakes and the mountains. The graves were opened, and people from all over the world, the saints of all ages, seemed to be rising. (The dead in Christ will rise first.) And as they rose from the grave, suddenly all these people came from every direction. From the East and the West, from the North and the South, and they seemed to be forming again this gigantic body. As the dead in Christ seemed to be rising first I could hardly comprehend it. It was so marvelous. It was so far beyond anything I could ever dream or think of. But as this body suddenly began to form and take shape again, it was in the form of this mighty giant, but this time it was different. It was arrayed in the most beautiful, gorgeous white. (In Rev.19:14 this is the white or “leukos” garments of the church.) Its garments were without spot or wrinkle as its body began to form, and the people of all ages seemed to be gathered into this body, and slowly, slowly, as it began to form up into the very heavens, suddenly from the heavens above, the Lord Jesus came, and became the head.  (Now, Jesus is the head of the Bride, John said was Jerusalem, just as David, as a type of the Man-child reformers, was head of the Bride, Jerusalem. In this way Jesus and David were also the head of the rest of the Body of Israel; a type of the Church. We see this same relationship of Esther as the Bride head of the body of Israel and the Shulammite in Song of Solomon as the Bride head of Israel.) I heard another clap of thunder that said, “This is my beloved bride for whom I have waited. She will come forth even tried by fire. This is she that I have loved from the beginning of time.” As I watched, my eyes suddenly turned to the far north, and I saw destruction of men and women in anguish and crying out, and buildings in destruction. Then I heard again, the fourth voice that said, “Now is My wrath being poured out upon the face of the earth.” (The Day of the Lord's wrath upon those who persecuted God's people.) From the ends of the whole world, the wrath of God seemed to be poured out and it seemed that there were great vials of God's wrath being poured out upon the face of the earth. (The seals and trumps of the tribulation were followed by the vials of wrath in the day of the Lord. There are seven years before the Bride and Church are caught up followed by the year of wrath on the wicked who persecuted them. Isa.34:8 For Jehovah hath a day of vengeance, a year of recompense for the cause of Zion.) I can remember it as though it happened a moment ago. I shook and trembled as I beheld the awful sight of seeing the cities and whole nations going down into destruction. I could hear the weeping and wailing. I could hear people crying. They seemed to cry as they went into caves, but the caves in the mountains opened up. They leaped into the water, but the water would not drown them. There was nothing that could destroy them. They were wanting to take their lives, but they could not. Then again I turned my eyes to this glorious sight, this body arrayed in beautiful white, shining garments. Slowly, slowly, it began to lift from the earth, and as it did, I awoke. (This is the catching up of the lampros Bride and white Church body at the end of the tribulation before the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord.) What a sight I had beheld! I had seen the end-time ministries - the last hour. Again, on July 27, at 2:30 in the morning, the same revelation, the same vision came again exactly as it did before. My life has been changed as I realized that we are living in that end time, for all over the world God is anointing men and women with this ministry. It will not be doctrine. It will not be a churchianity. It is going to be Jesus Christ. They will give forth the word of the Lord. I heard it said so many times in the vision, “And according to my word it shall be done.”   Joel's Restoration Begins Sandy Shaw - 3/30/12 (David's notes in red) In this dream we were in a place that looked like Tahlequah, Oklahoma but it was bigger and prettier. It was really beautiful. (In Cherokee, Tahlequah means, “just two or two is enough”. Just as Jesus sent out the disciples and the 70 two by two, so it will be in our day when Jesus in the Man-child ministers will send out the two witnesses in the Great Revival.) There were a lot of people from UBM there, not just local but from all over. The people there were like-minded. There were many ages, from babies all the way up to old men. There was singing, praying, eating, and all kinds of fellowship and the kids were playing. It was like in a big meadow with a lot of shade trees. There was just ‘a oneness' there; it was peaceful and really beautiful. The sun felt so good. Then it started to rain while the sun was still shining, and the rain lasted only a few seconds before it began to pour down like a waterfall. It was just a steady, flowing stream of water hitting everyone there, from the babies to the oldest. (A renewal of the former rain upon the saints and then the beginning of the latter rain upon the David reformer ministries before it's given to the saints, just as Joel spoke of and the Gospels show in type: (Joe.2:22) Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field; for the pastures of the wilderness do spring, for the tree beareth its fruit, the fig-tree and the vine do yield their strength. (23) Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in Jehovah your God; for he giveth you the former rain in just measure, and he causeth to come down for you the rain, the former rain and the latter rain, in the first [month]. (Note: Hos.6:3… he (the Lord) will come unto us as the rain, as the latter rain that watereth the earth. The Lord will come as the anointing of the Holy Spirit not in the air or in a rapture of the Church!!) Back to Joel (24) And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil. (25) And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the canker-worm, and the caterpillar, and the palmer-worm (representing the curse on God's people), my great army which I sent among you. (26) And ye shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and shall praise the name of Jehovah your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you; and my people shall never be put to shame. (27) And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am Jehovah your God, and there is none else; and my people shall never be put to shame. (28) And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: (29) and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my Spirit. Everyone was feeling this water and it was filling us up. It was freshness and newness and it didn't feel like any other kind of anointing one has ever felt before. We knew that we knew, it was there to stay. Everyone had their faces up to the water, to the anointing, feeling the water. (I am not doing it justice in explaining how it felt; how it was filling us up and how we all felt; even to say, “Walking on a cloud” is not the right words but I don't know any other words.) I saw people walking on stones and stickers in the ground, and we were barefoot, and it didn't hurt us, like we didn't feel it. (Representing walking above the curses of this world with no hurt.) We knew that we knew, our entire body was anointed of God. We knew what we were doing was ordained of God and we were just doing it. There were no questions. (I just can't explain the oneness or the way our hands felt; like they were not our hands, but the Lord's hands. …Each step was ordained of the Lord. We knew that nothing could take away what God had given to us. We were being completely used by Him. It was like walking or moving on clouds.) ... When everyone was filled, ... that's when we heard God tell us, “Ok, get busy; we're going to work now”. (The beginning of the spread of the revival.)   Revival Beginning at UBM Charlie Smith - 12/12/12 (David's notes in red) Notice the date of this dream: 12/12/12, the fullness of the elect. In the early hours of the morning, the Lord gave me this dream. In it, suddenly, I appeared in a large room where I saw brother David (representing the David Man-child reformers) and about 10 or 12 brethren standing around. (I asked the Lord if this was 12 and got a yes, which fits with Jesus and his 12 when revival began then.) I knew David, but his features had changed some. I mean, he really looked great. I could really see God in the man like I never had before. (David, here is a type of the Man-child reformers who will start this revival, just as Jesus, the Son of David, did in His time. The things that have been are the things that will be.) And I knew him, but the other brethren I did not recognize, although I really did know who they were. As I stood looking, a man came over to me and He was the Lord! The brethren were being taught how to minister to the needs of the people. Brother David walked across the room to pray for a man who came for healing. He stood before the man and said, “Be healed,” and the man was healed instantly. David turned and walked back to the other side of the room. (God's power is made perfect in man's weakness, so that no flesh can glory.) The brethren, as well as I, were amazed that the man was healed, and we started praising God and giving thanks. As we rejoiced, another man came forward for healing who was blind. One of the brethren came forth and laid hands on the man's head, saying, “Receive your sight”. And the man cried out, “I'm healed and I can see!” Other people in the room who were in need came forth immediately, some with missing or deformed limbs, twisted bodies, crippled, all such of humanity that was so pitiful; they came up and every one of them was healed instantly. I said, “Oh, God, how is it that everyone was healed instantly, so fast, so easily? Some had hands laid on them and others did not, but they were all healed”. The Lord smiled and said, “You could not see”. Then the Lord opened my spiritual eyes and said, “Now look”. And He showed me again the part where David said to the man, “Be healed”. This time I could see the words “Be healed” coming out of David's mouth, like a mist, and entering into the man. And as the word went into the man, he was instantly healed. I received a few scriptures that go with this dream: (Isa.55:11) So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth. It shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please; and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. (Jer.1:12) I watch over my word to perform it. (Eze.12:25) For I am Jehovah and I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall be performed. (Rom.10:8) The word is nigh thee, in thy mouth and in thy heart. And I was still wondering about the mist that I saw, and I got (Joh.6:63) The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. So I understood that, like Jesus spoke the Word, and it came to pass, so these brethren operated on that level. The scene changed and we were in a different, larger room. David and about 100 or more other brethren were gathered together. The brethren were being taught how to minister and were then sent forth. They went forth preaching the Word and healing the sick everywhere. The brethren covered much of this area and you couldn't go anywhere without seeing them. (Many Man-child ministers are coming here and they will send forth disciples as Jesus did.) And then the scene quickly changed again, and we were at another place outside. It was a large, grassy area with parking nearby, but I don't know where it was. Brother David and maybe as many as 500 brethren were gathered together and crowds of people were coming from everywhere. It looked like thousands or even hundreds of thousands were coming. The meetings ran day and night. One night, all the people saw a pillar of fire burning in our midst. They were being drawn by the Lord, and it was a holy move of God. So many saints were now coming together. Again, the scene quickly changed and I was lifted up, looking down on the earth, and I saw the saints running through all the earth, spreading the gospel and the light was shining all over the earth. I think what I saw was a revival to prepare the saints to manifest sons of God in the earth to do the will of the Father. I also believe that this is a revival for the Man-child because in every one of those scenes where David and the brethren were gathered, they were being taught how to minister the Word and heal the sick. And I noticed that everything was on a higher level than what we're used to now. They didn't spend a lot of time and use a lot of words when they prayed; they just commanded it and it was immediately done. And when they gave the Gospel, they didn't have to stand there for hours trying to nail a point down. It was just like the glory of the Lord fell. When these brethren got around people out here on the streets to witness, the glory of the Lord was so strong that they just automatically fell down and cried, “Save me!” This was definitely a sign to us all that God's getting ready to do something wonderful here. I'm just like my brothers and sisters here. I want to be a part of it because I know God's going to do a fantastic work here and it's going to spread worldwide because I saw the lights cover the whole earth. I don't know when this is going to happen, but I know it will. Amen. We are informed by the Lord in many more dreams and scriptures that there is coming a great revival here and across the country and world. It will be in the midst of darkness and turmoil and many will come out of darkness. (Isa.60:1) Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of Jehovah is risen upon thee. (2) For, behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the peoples; but Jehovah will arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. (3) And nations shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. (4) Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: they all gather themselves together, they come to thee; thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be carried in the arms. (5) Then thou shalt see and be radiant, and thy heart shall thrill and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be turned unto thee, the wealth of the nations shall come unto thee. We have a part in this. The principalities and powers of darkness have been put under our feet, but we must fight the good fight of the faith and cast them down from over UBM, this area, the U.S, and many other countries. (Luk.10:18) And he said unto them, I beheld Satan fallen as lightning from heaven. (19) Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall in any wise hurt you. (20) Nevertheless in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rejoice that your names are written in heaven. Let us have fasting and prayer and praise meetings and confess our sins and cast down these powers. Let us decree freedom from bondage and darkness. I received this: (Job 22:28) Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee; And light shall shine upon thy ways. (29) When they cast [thee] down, thou shalt say, [There is] lifting up; And the humble person he will save. (30) He will deliver [even] him that is not innocent: Yea, he shall be delivered through the cleanness of thy hands.   Prophet Phillip shared this vision with us: (Spearheading the Man-child) I have prayed for three days now for the Holy Father's will in this matter of sharing the vision I received during a meeting with David as the speaker (in Phoenix, a type of resurrection life). (I had never seen Phillip before this.) I am permitted to share the following: As I prayed with David at the start of the meeting, I saw the room change into a stadium filled with people and David was at the podium shouting through a microphone that was in the shape of a shofar. He wore a silver yarmulke that glowed as he spoke, and from above it came a white golden light pouring down from the sky as a beam of glory growing brighter with each outpouring. From David's clothing came the same glory lights pouring through the tzit-tzit on his garment, flowing like fingers through the people. They touched the forehead and were grabbed by the right hand of people who became pregnant (with Christ) and began shouting as they were covered in glory. This is the vision I had at the meeting. The Holy Father says that David would know its meaning, if not now, very soon. (All glory to God, He chooses the weak to show this.  He can speak through a donkey.)   Months after that meeting, we received this from Phillip: Holy Yahweh is forming this ministry into His Image to spearhead the Man-child Ministry Birthing and Delivery to the World! Amen! He has given this to me in a mighty vision that ran and continued for three nights along with some other things that I can't say just yet. In short, brethren, the “white golden light pouring down from the sky as a beam of glory” will flow through obedient servants in whom Christ is manifested through the latter rain and belief in the truth. It will flow first through the man-child and then through the witnesses to the Church at large. (This light is pouring down from the sky upon the giant body of Christ in Tommy Hick's revelation.) Great Restoration and Revival (2) (audio) David Eells – 12/3/25 I would like to encourage you today with some older revelations we have about the latter rain revival we are looking forward to!   Judgment and Then Revival Marie Kelton - 10/09/2016 (David's notes in red) I had this vision at the prayer meeting this morning while we were praying. (One thing we prayed about was God bringing down the evil in our government.) When I closed my eyes, I saw a hurricane storm. I couldn't see anything but two trees and a lot of water and rain being blown against them by strong wind. The sky was a light grayish color. (Missy and I cast lots and asked if the storm was economic and received three heads. Then we asked if the two trees represent Obama and Hillary, and got three heads.) Below are the verses I received. (Since this vision was given, the storm against Obama and Hillary has picked up quite a bit with the Wikileaks emails and many scandals coming forth and the military coming out against what is going on and the UN accusing them of war crimes by supporting ISIS, Al Qaeda, and the like to overthrow governments and murder many, including Christians.) Zec.14:13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from Jehovah shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbor, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbor. The Lord will go forth to fight as He fought in the day of battle by turning the enemy against each other in our government and in turning other governments against them. As they have factioned the world governments, they will be factioned. The Trump administration is arresting many DSers and many are turning states evidence to get leniency. The threats against the true people of God will be taken down as Pharaoh at the Red Sea, Sennacherib at Jerusalem, Haman and his against the people of God, the armies against Jehoshaphat and Jerusalem. This will enable the people of God to go into the wilderness singing and rejoicing as they did on the far side of the Red Sea. This is not to say that because of the quakes, tsunamis and volcanoes, there won't be many in FEMA camps or under martial law. God will bring them guidance and deliverance even there. Deb just received this word after I wrote the above note: Jer.44:30 Thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will give Pharaoh Hophra (meaning “a pharaoh” - Obama is often pictured as Pharaoh and is a leader of an attempted coupe, which is not going well.) king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies (spiritual and physical), and into the hand of them that seek his life; as I gave Zedekiah (the apostate leadership of God's people) king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon (Obama in another parable), who was his enemy, and sought his life. Act.2:38 And Peter said unto them, Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For to you is the promise, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call unto him. After the judgment on the wicked (DS) who would have attacked God's people in the first verse, an outpouring will come on the righteous, as in this text, just as it was in Joel chapter 2. The storm will be a judgment on the wicked and a blessing to the righteous, as the hurricane below. Gen.42:21 And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us. The factious in Church and government are being judged because of what they did to Joseph the Man-child. They will reap the faction they sowed and the elect among them will repent in the revival, and the rest will be reprobated. Heb.10:11 And every priest indeed standeth day by day ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, the which can never take away sins: 12 but he, when he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; 13 henceforth expecting till his enemies be made the footstool of his feet. The enemies will be judged, but God will forgive those who repent and believe in the sacrifice of Jesus. I asked this about the two trees and got Ezekiel 7:1 and here is the context: Eze.7:1 Moreover the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, 2 And thou, son of man, thus saith the Lord Jehovah unto the land of Israel, An end: the end is come upon the four corners of the land. A judgment that will encompass America and the world. This is probably the volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, etc,. 3 Now is the end upon thee, and I will send mine anger upon thee, and will judge thee according to thy ways; and I will bring upon thee all thine abominations. 4 And mine eye shall not spare thee, neither will I have pity; but I will bring thy ways upon thee, and thine abominations shall be in the midst of thee: and ye shall know that I am Jehovah. Many will repent and believe in the revival that comes because of the fierce judgment. The days of plenty will give way to tribulation. 5 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: An evil, an only evil; behold, it cometh. 6 An end is come, the end is come; it awaketh against thee; behold, it cometh. 7 Thy doom is come unto thee, O inhabitant of the land: the time is come, the day is near, a day of tumult, and not of joyful shouting, upon the mountains. 8 Now will I shortly pour out my wrath upon thee, and accomplish mine anger against thee, and will judge thee according to thy ways; and I will bring upon thee all thine abominations. 9 And mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: I will bring upon thee according to thy ways; and thine abominations shall be in the midst of thee; and ye shall know that I, Jehovah, do smite. 10 Behold, the day, behold, it cometh: thy doom is gone forth; the rod hath blossomed, pride hath budded. Aaron's rod of the Man-child to have authority over the proud wicked but the fruit of revival will come of it. 11 Violence is risen up into a rod of wickedness; none of them shall remain, nor of their multitude, nor of their wealth: neither shall there be eminency among them. This evil leadership is being taken down. 12 The time is come, the day draweth near: let not the buyer rejoice, nor the seller mourn; for wrath is upon all the multitude thereof. Economic collapse. 13 For the seller shall not return to that which is sold, although they be yet alive (judgment shall overshadow business): for the vision is touching the whole multitude thereof, none shall return; neither shall any strengthen himself in the iniquity of his life. 14 They have blown the trumpet, and have made all ready; but none goeth to the battle (We have already had an undeclared World War between the DS and the Alliance, which is winning. There is nothing the jihadists, including those in the DS, would love more than for East and West to destroy each other, leaving them the undisputed rulers. But if God's people will pray, God will cast it down until the red horse rider of war in Revelation 6:3.); for my wrath is upon all the multitude thereof. And then comes the pale horse rider, sword, death, and famine spoken of in Revelation 6:7. 15 The sword is without, and the pestilence and the famine within: he that is in the field shall die with the sword: and he that is in the city, famine and pestilence shall devour him. 16 But those of them that escape shall escape, and shall be on the mountains like doves of the valleys, all of them moaning, every one in his iniquity. Many will come to repentance when they see the carnage. 17 All hands shall be feeble, and all knees shall be weak as water. 18 They shall also gird themselves with sackcloth, and horror shall cover them; and shame shall be upon all faces, and baldness upon all their heads. Many will come to repentance in these days, much due to the Man-child ministries.   Watch for a Hurricane of Blessings and Abundance! Veronika West - 10/05/2016 (David's notes in red) A word to the righteous! Watch for a hurricane of blessings and abundance! (On the far side of the Red Sea.) Early hours of this morning, I was praying concerning Hurricane Matthew (A sign of things to come), which is now sweeping across the nations. As I cried out to the LORD, immediately I heard the Spirit say, “Daughter, come up higher.” As I pressed into the LORD, suddenly my spirit became illuminated and it was as if I was standing high above the earth, looking down at the hurricane which was moving violently upon the nations. I saw its fierce winds and its rising waters, but then suddenly, in an instant, the picture of devastation and death changed, and I saw the hand of God moving swiftly and mightily upon the earth. (Judgment turning to mercy.) Then I heard Him say, “Daughter, watch! As My hand of blessing and abundance now moves like a mighty hurricane upon my righteous in this hour and season, watch! For it will come suddenly, violently, and with great force. It will cause the plans and purposes of the enemy to be overtaken and overturned. (Judgment will overturn the enemy's plans like Pharaoh at the Red Sea. This could be the Global Currency Reset and the R&R being fulfilled now but this will not last for the world.) “My mighty hurricane of blessing (revival and outpouring) and abundance will be unstoppable, uncontainable, and unprecedented (meaning greater than in all of history). It will cause many in My Kingdom to be suddenly accelerated, activated and advanced (bringing the gospel to the world). It will happen in the twinkling of an eye. “Watch! As My Spirit winds begin to blow upon My people, to remove every encumbrance and every entanglement. (The Spirit will remove all bondage to the old man, like at the Red Sea.) My hurricane of blessing and abundance will create new pathways for the rivers of My glory, goodness, and grace to flow (much more opportunity for the gifts to spread). “The waters of My glory will rise, and the winds of My blessing will blow mightily upon many, causing them to become perfectly aligned and awakened to My Kingdom purposes in the nations”, says God. (Instead of being aligned with the worldly, false kingdoms of men and religion.) After hearing the LORD speak, I felt led to look up the meaning of the name Matthew, which means “gift of Yahweh”. Listen, friends, it is so important that we see with the eyes of the spirit in this hour. Get ready! Be expectant for His mighty hurricane of blessing and abundance that is coming suddenly, violently, and with great force; it will be unstoppable, uncontainable, and unprecedented! I declare: Satan's plans will not prosper. It takes the eyes of faith to see that God is always good and is always working all things for our good! Amen! Quantum faith, saints!   Big Shaking, Intermission, then Crazing? Bill Steenland - 03/01/2015 (David's notes in red) We don't know much for sure here, but we offer it in obedience to the Word in hopes that some other member of the gifted body has a piece of the puzzle. I dreamed David Eells, M.G. and another guy, and I were walking in a big parking garage to find my car. We passed Michael Hare on our left and found my Volvo convertible. (I think this car, which is broken right now, that was working in the dream, speaks of restoration.) Only David and I got in the car. David got into the driver's seat, and I got into the passenger seat. I told David that I really wanted to drive, and I didn't like him driving my vehicle instead of me, but then I just kind of got over it. (Allowing Jesus in the David Man-child ministers “son of David” to take over and rest in their abilities and submit to their control.) We went home to our house. David sat down in a chair, and I was standing next to him, looking down at him. David had a faraway look in his eyes, as if he was thinking about a lot of stuff at once, wondering how everything was going to play out. He was bigger in the dream; he was about 200 pounds and looked very strong. (This speaks of spiritual strength of the Davids.) Then David said to me, “Bill, there is going to be a big shaking soon (or very soon -- can't remember which). Then there is going to be a calm and everything is going to be normal again for a little while. Then it's going to get crazy” (or nuts -- can't remember which). I believe this is speaking of a spiritual shaking to prepare the Man-child and Bride. There was an earthquake at the death and resurrection of Jesus as a type of the Man-child. However, this shaking could be spiritual, as a separation of some from the factious to return, just like there was a prophesied shaking in 2011 with a separation of them from us. This would bring a return to normality for a little while before the physical earthquakes come as a time of craziness. Pam said she saw a crazing pattern at the time of the earthquakes. Wikipedia: 'Crazing' looks like a network of fine cracks on the surface of a material, for example, in a glaze layer. Sandy Shaw, in her dreams of the New Madrid quake, saw cracks running everywhere. We also believe that a soon-coming New Madrid quake down the center of the country, which will cause disruption. A craziness. Here is the Word I got from the Lord on Friday. My finger came down on verse 9 (underlined). Isa.66:7 Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man-child. 8 Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall a land be born in one day? shall a nation be brought forth at once? for as soon as Zion (the Bride) travailed, she brought forth her children. 9 Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith Jehovah: shall I that cause to bring forth shut the womb? saith thy God. The Man-child's coming will be great news to the Bride who has suffered at the hands of the wicked. 10 Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn over her; 11 that ye may suck and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory. 12 For thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream: and ye shall suck thereof; ye shall be borne upon the side, and shall be dandled upon the knees. 13 As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem. How awesome we know the truth and the truth will set us free. What a great example a pregnant woman is. The child is coming; it's as sure as a pregnant woman. Wow! It reminds me of John 6, where Peter's response is so encouraging: Joh.6:68 Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. 69 And we have believed and know that thou art the Holy One of God. Come, Lord Jesus!   He Will Come As the Latter Rain Eve Brast - 09/15/2014 (David's notes in red) Dream #1: I dreamed I was in a storybook setting. I was a girl playing and observing inside this setting. I was happy and carefree. I was running around and playing inside a large white castle. The castle was two stories high with large support pillars and black and white checkered tile on the ground floor and a large grand staircase that led from the central entry area up to the top floor. (Eve here represents the Bride as the wife of the last Adam, Jesus Christ. Compared to the anointing that is coming to her, her ability and power to do the work of God and live in the castle of the King is as a child.) There had been a massive volume of water, a wave of some sort, that had come into the castle from the upper floor windows and had washed through the entire upper floor and then had headed down the grand staircase. (The upper room Christians in Acts received the former rain, as did many, and it did continue on down through history for a ways.  But due to apostasy there was a falling away. Apostate preachers have spoken against the baptism of the Holy Spirit and are guilty of the blood of the saints who would have been greatly strengthened by this anointing.) The wave had all frozen solid by the time it reached the black and white tiled floor at the base of the stairway. It had been frozen in time like this for many, many years. (Father withdrew His anointing, as apostates counted His gift unclean.) Job.37:9 Out of the chamber of the south cometh the storm, And cold out of the north. 10 By the breath of God ice is given; And the breadth of the waters is straitened. ... Job.38:28 Hath the rain a father? Or who hath begotten the drops of dew? 29 Out of whose womb came the ice? And the hoary frost of heaven, who hath gendered it? 30 The waters hide themselves and become like stone, And the face of the deep is frozen. (I believe the former rain became mostly frozen in time, so to speak, for the last 2000 years that the Church has fallen away from the true Gospel that they heard from the beginning. Act 2:38  And Peter said unto them, Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  (As to the black and white lower floor: The overwhelming majority of lower-level, sometimes white and sometimes black, lukewarm Christianity, have never received the great wave of the former rain. Even for those who have received a portion of the former rain, it seems the anointing is small. As I have said so often, “If we do what they did, we will get what they got and if we get what they got, we will do what they did”.) Hos.5:15 I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me earnestly. 6:1 Come, and let us return unto Jehovah; for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. 2 After two days will he revive us: on the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live before him. We are now at the third thousand-year day since the coming of Christ. 3 And let us know, let us follow on to know Jehovah: his going forth is sure as the morning; and he will come unto us as the rain, as the latter rain that watereth the earth. Notice the King is coming as the latter rain and His power and holiness will be manifested. Returning to the Lord is not black and white; it is white with the Holy Spirit. WooHoo! - Come, Lord Jesus!) As a little girl in this dream, I was sliding down the frozen waves on the grand staircase and then climbing back up to the top floor to do it again. (With child-like faith, we can rise above the curse, being carefree and enjoying His abundant life as we rest in Christ.) Mar.10:15 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall in no wise enter therein. (As a child, the Bride sometimes fluctuates between the top floor and the black and white floor below, but that is temporary for them, for they will receive of the Spirit refreshing and rest of the Holy Spirit which has been frozen in time for many. Isa.28:11 Nay, but by [men of] strange lips and with another tongue will he speak to this people; 12 to whom he said, This is the rest, give ye rest to him that is weary; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear. As we can see, many have not heard, and some will not hear this great news.) Suddenly, the water waves began to melt as I observed a regal prince dressed in royal robes come riding into the storybook setting on his white horse. (Notice: “he will come unto us as the rain”. This thawing wave will be released on the lower floor so that they may also live the Kingdom life with power. Act.1:8 But ye shall receive power, when the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and ye shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.) (The regal “King” Jesus will return manifested in the Prince, the first fruits Man-child ministry. [He comes as the white horse rider of the first seal of Revelation to melt the long-frozen water of the former and the latter rain of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the King of kings, but this is the Prince, the son of the King in whom His life's blood flows.]) He rode up over the melting ice wave and up the grand staircase toward the right side of the upper floor, where a lady dressed in royal gowns was standing with her hands clasped together, waiting for him. (Notice the Bride has grown up and is living on the top floor now.) He then dismounted his horse and took her hand in his and kissed it and told her to come with him; it was time for their marriage. Rev.6:2 And I saw, and behold, a white horse, and he that sat thereon had a bow; and there was given unto him a crown: and he came forth conquering, and to conquer. Isa.61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, and my soul shall be joyful in my God: for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation: and with the robe of justice he hath covered me, as a bridegroom decked with a crown, and as a bride adorned with her jewels. Rev.21:2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven of God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. Then I woke up. When I fell back to sleep, I was given dream #2 as a continuation of the first dream above, with the addition that the false accusers are silenced. I turned and walked toward my right out of the upper room of the castle. At this point, I was a woman, and I walked out onto a freshly laid parking lot, which seemed to be an extension of the upper floor of the castle. (Maturity and rest lives on the top floor.) I saw a very large, white, hand-sewn quilt, larger than king-size, spread out on the parking lot. (A spread is for rest and a parking lot is a place where mobile vessels, which we are, are at rest.) Pro.31:22 She maketh for herself carpets of tapestry; Her clothing is fine linen and purple. (One translation says “quilts”.) King Solomon was sitting on it, dressed in his finest royal robes. There were luxurious pillows all around him on the quilt for reclining. I went and sat down next to him, at his right hand. Psa.45:9 Kings daughters are among thy honorable women: At thy right hand doth stand the queen in gold of Ophir. My son Elijah was a grown man and was a defense lawyer in King Solomon's court. He was dressed in a white dress shirt and suit pants with highly polished dress shoes and was standing in front of the king. (Elijah, the Man-child born of the Bride, was being here in Greek a Parakletos, translated “comforter” or “advocate,” meaning a defense lawyer who pleads our case before the judge. Jesus and Moses, as Man-children, also did this. Moses quite successfully pleaded Israel's case a few times. Jesus was saying He was a defense lawyer when He told the disciples He would go, but the Father would send “another Comforter” or Parakletos. So Jesus was a defence lawyer. Joh.14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter (Parakletos), that he may be with you for ever... 1Jn.2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you that ye may not sin. And if any man sin, we have an Advocate (Parakletos) with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. So Jesus, as Man-child, was a defense lawyer for the Bride when He was with the disciples and afterward when He was glorified.) In front of me, there was a female Australian Shepherd dog pacing back and forth with hatred in her eyes. It had long white fur with big black spots all over it. (We are told to “hate the garment spotted by the flesh” or sin. Aussies have also been called “pastor dogs”. They are not as tall [mature] as many shepherds. They are very competitive and territorial. Why is the pastor dog shown as female? Because they should be receiving the seed and bearing the fruit instead of their lust to sow, which they are not equipped to do.) This dog could talk and it was constantly accusing me to the king of things that were not true about me. (This represents the hatred and lies of the factious leaders. Satan is the accuser of the brethren and these dogs work for him.) Elijah said to the king, “This dog makes false accusations against my mother, O King!” (The Man-child intercedes for the Bride before the Judge.) The king did nothing at first (testing and crucifying the Bride), as we all suffered this lying dog to pace back and forth in front of me, speaking lie after lie against me. (Isa 56:11  Yea, the dogs are greedy, they can never have enough; and these are shepherds that cannot understand: they have all turned to their own way, each one to his gain, from every quarter.  Psa.31:20 In the covert of thy presence wilt thou hide them from the plottings of man: Thou wilt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues. (At this time, the faction that crucified the Bride and Man-child and separated those who are not part of these bodies. The dogs are no longer needed because of the maturity and rest they have entered into through this crucifixion.) After a little while, the king nodded at me (giving His authority to the Bride over the accusers) and I got up from the quilt and went over to the dog and picked it up, subduing it under my left arm. I then grabbed its snout with my right hand and shut its mouth. (The righteous have the authority to bind and loose with the King's nod of approval.) It could no longer accuse me after this. It was temporarily able to break its mouth loose from my grip once, trying to open its mouth to bite my thumb, but the power of God kept its mouth shut supernaturally, and it was powerless to do me any harm. (Charlie had a revelation that the Lord was telling him that everything is about to change and that He was able to save us and scatter the enemy.) Psa.63:11 But the king shall rejoice in God: Every one that sweareth by him shall glory; For the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped. Then I woke up. The testing is almost over, and the murmurers are dying in the wilderness, disqualified to live in the Promised Land.   Last Days World Revival  Debra Klein - 07/30/2014 (David's notes in red) In a dream, I woke up in the Middle East among sandy dunes. All I could see in all of the atmosphere from heaven to earth and 360 degrees around me was the Aurora Borealis. It was shockingly beautiful. (I believe this represented the glory of God.) (Certainly, the many colors are attributes of the light which God is.) I turned to see a crowd of people from all over the world. They were somewhat scared and didn't know what was happening. I turned to the right and saw a pitched tent, and in front of it was a simple wooden podium. With my Bible, I went to the podium and turned to Matthew 24 (judgments of the end times, which will help bring revivals). I began to tell the people that this is what the Lord said would happen. I began to preach the Gospel to them. The words came out of my mouth as a roar that shook the earth. (I believe that Debra here spiritually represents the Bride, as she has in other dreams. (In the natural women aren't allowed to teach men.1Tim.2:12) As in the Gospels, these will be sent forth by the Man-child ministry to preach. Among them were the disciples of Jesus, the 12 and the 70 and multitudes of other discipled by them as a type for our time.) In the crowd closest to me was a man who was dressed as an Arab prince. Upon hearing what was said, he threw back his head, exclaiming loudly with joy, “Jesus is alive!” The people began to rejoice. They were being saved. There was joy among them. I woke up sweating. The Lord said to me, “This is the last days world revival”. (Since the observers were people from all nations, I suggest that a great move of revival will spread from the Middle East to the world. I believe the Jeremiah 25 wars will bring many Muslim people to misery to call out to God, Who will answer them and reveal Himself to them. Revival will spread from the people who have hated and killed Christians, kind of like it did with Paul.)   The School of Revival Anonymous - 1/13/22 (David's notes in red) I had a dream that I went to the elementary school that I went to as a child, and all the people I went to school with were still there. They were all gathered together. I went up to them all and just started sharing my testimonies of Christ, and I was speaking the Word and Truth in Spirit. I felt such a strong amplified love and energy for Christ in spirit. It was like 100x amplified beyond anything I have felt when awake. Just a strong desire for Christ and strong exercise of speaking Truth and the Word with nothing hindering me. I didn't have to struggle with carnal worries of offending anyone or being embarrassed. Nothing was hindering me or fighting me from proclaiming Jesus. And it was all out of holy love and not out of obligation, and I felt love for everyone, even those who had hurt me so much or hated me in the past. I had such strong pure love for all of them, not in a carnal way but spiritually. It was a real witness as they knew how evil I was as a child, more than most. But they now saw Jesus had transformed my life, they could see the Light of Christ, and so many of them repented and turned to Christ in spirit and truth. A big revival throughout the school broke out, starting with repentance. I walked around to different areas talking about Jesus to everyone. Many others repented and were awakened to the truth and began telling others. The fire of God spread so quickly throughout the school, and most came to repentance and love for Jesus, and a few that didn't repent were surrounded by those who did, and either they started desiring Christ, or they had to run away from the school and not come back. To stay in the school, they would have to be in Christ. The Spirit was contagious, and it was so beautiful seeing true repentance in spirit and truth and love for Christ came so quickly. I went into a classroom and there were students sitting down, and a woman teacher was teaching. I went over to the teacher and said that what they are doing is meaningless and a waste of time. (Meaning time is run out. Its now time to know of the Word.)  I then turned to the class and started singing Be Thou My Vision, praising God, and all the students started singing also. After the song, I prayed in front of everyone, and I asked God in faith that every person who has ever been to this school in all of time would all have the gift of repentance and faith before leaving earth, and that they will all be in the Kingdom for eternity. I then heard that I will remember this moment asking God for this because it will and has been answered. Then I woke up.   A Sudden Move of God Debbie Fenske - 1/16/23 (David's notes in red) During our morning Zoom meeting, the Lord allowed me to see in the Spirit those whom we would call the lowliest of people, and those addicted to every kind of sin. I could see the Spirit of the Lord suddenly coming upon them, moving in their spirits. I could discern their intense desire for God. These were dry, needy, and homeless people on the streets. (These represent spiritually homeless people.) I could see them dropping to their knees and raising their hands to heaven with a sudden, but awesome desire for Jesus, to truly want to know Him. Then I heard Him say: “I am doing this. I am doing the work. But even My people, who know My truths and are walking in My ways, will see and wonder if such persons could be touched in such a way. But I say to you, ‘What a remnant I am bringing forth!' So, I warn you, I warn My people to be prepared. Be ready to receive My gift to minister to those whom I will allow you to run into as you go about your business of the day. And I say, do not let their appearance stop you from being moved by My Spirit, to minister by My Spirit as I bring you face-to-face with them. Be alert and do the work of God. Even those affluent ones who have sat before Bible teachers hearing My Word preached, and receiving it with joy, and walking in My ways to the best of their knowledge, now will suddenly receive revelation from My Spirit that they are yet so empty, and needy of the deeper truths of My Word. They are going to suddenly desire more of Me, and they will seek Me with all their hearts, praying with earnest out of a sudden yearning desire which I will suddenly impart to them. (In revivals in the past, sinners and self-righteous people suddenly, for no apparent reason, have been overcome with grief for their sins and cried out to God.) And many will find you and will truly find Me through the ministry and revelation truths you have received in Me through My Word and are so freely giving out. Be ready, My People. For I will suddenly do a quick work. Have you not heard? The harvest is read

In chapter 5 Eliphaz continues his first talk. He says that, although the fool appears to prosper this is only for a time. As verse 7 indicates, the trouble for which that type of person was born will soon come upon them. This is not the case for the upright, contends Eliphaz. In verse 17 the words of Eliphaz are directed at Job - "Behold, blessed is the one whom God reproves; therefore, despise not the discipline of the Almighty" (Hebrews 12verses5-11). The supposed friend is saying, since you are suffering greatly your secret sin must be great; so be grateful for the chastisement that has come from God. And when you repent you will find lasting peace. The prophecy of Micah related to the period BC 787 to BC 721. Chapter 1 tells of the kings whose reign the prophecy spanned; and include an allusion to the earthquake of BC 786 - once more establishing Micah's authority as Yahweh's prophet (cp Deuteronomy 18). The prophet Micah was from a rural area - Moresheth. Verses 2-16 tell of the coming destruction, and like the pattern in Amos, the following chapter outlines the reasons for this judgment. The prophet Micah was a contemporary of the prophet Amos. Both prophets extensively use the device of ascending numeration - i.e. if (x) is sufficient, then (x+1) will be more than enough. Our God is beyond "sufficient", He is super abundant - Exodus 34verses6-7 “Abounding in steadfast love (chesed) and faithfulness (eduth) .. keeping steadfast love (chesed) for thousands" ESV; compare also the thoughts of 2 Corinthians 8 and 9. Verse 2 echoes Isaiah 1verses2, and once again we are dealing with two contemporary prophets - Micah to the northern kingdom of Israel; and Isaiah the southern kingdom of Judah. By contrast to Micah Isaiah was the prophet in Jerusalem who was constantly able to advise the king. The language of Yahweh coming out of His place to judge is prominent among the prophets of this era. Micah declared that Yahweh will roar out of His place against the idols in showing His wrath. Israel's wounds were incurable and so God was left with no alternative, but to execute justice. From verses 10 to the chapter's end is an itinerary of the path the Assyrians took on their March through the Land. It is also a great play on words, i.e. tell it not in tell town; then, in the house of dust, roll yourselves in dust... v16 make yourselves bald like the bald eagle etc. After the conqueror had taken the prophesied route the foe would then take the population of the northern kingdom to exile in Assyria. Chapter 11 of Hebrews is about "by faith"verses what can be accomplished; chapter 12 "with hope”verses patiently enduring; chapter 13 "in love" the abiding overarching necessity for believers - these 3 (compare 1 Corinthians 13verses13; Galatians 5verses5-6)). The writer completed the book on the great and lofty themes of God's Word. All good translations convey the sense of Hebrews 11 verses 1-3, that faith tells us that the framing, or adjusting, of this world's ages has been done with our Lord Jesus Christ in mind. Faith is the reality, substance, of the things being hoped for. Without faith, hope and love we would find ourselves living in a meaningless world. The chapter could also be called "Faith's family". From verses 4-7 the writer takes us to the roots of this family and looks at what was done by faith before the flood. Abel commences the list, and his name means "futility" - that is the human position apart from God (but with God all things are possible). Abel offered what God asked i.e. what God wanted. It cost Abel his life (as it had, and would still, cost the lives of the faithful readers of this book should they stand firm for their faith). But faith gave Abel an abiding and eternal life guaranteed by God. Similarly, Enoch's life was threatened by Lamech, whose power could not match that of our Almighty Sovereign. Verse 6 should be read slowly and pondered, "Without faith it is not possible to please God; for the ones who come to Him must wholeheartedly believe two things - God is; and He becomes a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him". Noah was warned of God about a coming flood, when as yet it had not even rained on earth. The readers were likewise being threatened to be overwhelmed by an impending and tumultuous unstoppable Roman tide, and if they were without God's provided ark (Christ) they could not survive. By faith Noah built the ark to save his family, commencing this labour 20 years before having any family. Consider Abraham and Sarah (Vv8-12). They, says the prophet Isaiah, were the human founding source of faith's family (51verses1-2). Both of them left a life of luxury to faithfully follow He who had promised them a land and city with foundations (verses 9-16; cp also Hebrews 6verses13-20). The writer shows that all the Father's family died in faith awaiting their future reward at Christ's coming. The book's readers, likewise, had in Jerusalem no continuing city; but were seeking the one which their God was building; and by faith they would constitute that city (Psalm 87). It was by faith (verses 17-19) that Abraham was able to offer,   as a sacrifice, the heir of the promises. Abraham was fully and firmly convinced that Isaac would be resurrected. The members of the patriarchal family demonstrated their faith, often in small and simple ways - faith is frequently shown in the little things (verses 20-22). Moses' faith was evident when God used Moses to deliver Israel from Egypt. Faith gave Moses the capacity to endure suffering. Moses looked, not on what seemed to be, but believed what the Omnipotent had promised (so must the readers' faith sustain them in their trials). Faith brought Israel through the Red Sea (and it sustained would see them rewarded in the Promised Land). The writer says time was insufficient to keep naming the members of faith's family (verses 32-38); but consider the power of faith to sustain enduring trust in God to live faithfully in a godless world. And all of these together with us will receive the reward of the faithful when our Lord Jesus Christ comes to set up his kingdom on earth (verse 39). Thanks for joining us - we pray you found these comments helpful in your appreciation of God's words, join again tomorrow 

On this episode of The Truth Changes Everything Podcast, Dr. Jeff Myers welcomes Bible teacher, preacher, and counselor Jeremy Dehut to explore the documentary Out of Egypt. Jeremy shares his journey into the story of the Exodus, retracing the Israelites' path from slavery to the Promised Land while uncovering surprising connections between biblical history and ancient Egyptian culture. They dive into fresh insights from the Exodus story—how God uses familiar cultural symbols to reveal deeper truths, the challenge of events like the death of the firstborn, and the lessons of covenant faithfulness highlighted in episodes such as the Golden Calf. Jeremy also reflects on his experience climbing Mt. Sinai and how encountering the physical and spiritual weight of the mountain deepened his understanding of God's presence. Finally, they explore how Christians today can draw inspiration from the Exodus story, seeing Jesus as the ultimate deliverer and participating in God's mission of freedom and restoration in the world. Send us your feedback and questions to: podcast@summit.org

In this episode, Chad and Robert unpack the story of Israel standing at the edge of the Promised Land, paralyzed by fear. They draw parallels to our everyday lives and the spiritual battles we face when fear, excuses, and pride hold us back. This conversation offers practical encouragement for stepping into the place of blessing God has already prepared for us.Subscribe to receive our latest videos!Website: https://www.sunvalleycc.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sunvalleycc/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunvalleycc/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sunvalleyccTo support Sun Valley and help us continue to reach people all around the world click here: https://www.sunvalleycc.com/givingGod loves you no matter who you are, what you've done, or what's been done to you. This is the vision of Sun Valley Community Church, led by Pastor Chad Moore and based in Gilbert, AZ with multiple locations throughout the Phoenix valley.Chapters:00:51 Faith, Courage, and the Promised Land  02:04 Why the Israelites Chose Fear Over Faith  03:42 Surviving vs. Thriving in God's Plan  05:13 God's Provision Isn't the Same as His Promise  06:06 The Angel of the Lord and the Question of Sides  07:46 Jesus Doesn't Take Sides08:58 Walking Into Blessing Means Walking With God  10:14 The Real Problem: It's Not Information, It's Application  11:47 The Danger of Being Self-Focused  12:30 What's the Breakthrough You're Avoiding?  13:24 Listening to the Holy Spirit in Daily Life  15:12 Daily Disciplines and Forgetting What God Told Us  16:31 Facing Giants With God  17:18 Learning from Daniel's Rhythms of Faithfulness  19:08 Growing in Faith  20:21 Talk to God All the Time22:12 Most Breakthroughs Are On the Other Side of Obedience  23:59 The Big “But” That's Blocking Your Breakthrough

Second Baptist Church - Houston, TX | As the Israelites are on the cusp of the wilderness and are about to cross into the Promised Land, their leader Moses is on the cusp of life and is about to cross into eternity. And after years of shepherding, he leaves them with famous 'last words' so that they can step confidently into the future God has for them. 

277. Breaking Through Addiction in Marriage with Matthew and Joanna Raabsmith   *DISCLAIMER* This episode is intended for adults.   1 John 1:9 AMP "If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just [true to His own nature and promises], and will forgive our sins and cleanse us continually from all unrighteousness [our wrongdoing, everything not in conformity with His will and purpose].”   *Transcription Below*   Thank You to Our Sponsor: Leman Property Management Company   Matthew and Joanna Raabsmith are clinicians, speakers, and authors with over 20 years of combined experience in counseling, coaching, and guiding couples toward healing and transformation. Their mission is to help couples navigate the complexities of relational challenges, particularly in the aftermath of sexual addiction and betrayal trauma, fostering deep restoration and growth.   Matthew is a Professional Certified Coach (ICF) with a background in pastoral leadership, while Joanna is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, EMDR practitioner, and Certified Clinical Partner Specialist through APSATS. Both hold Master of Divinity degrees and have served together on multiple church leadership teams. Currently, they co-lead their private practice, The Raabsmith Team, where they specialize in helping couples rebuild connection, trust, and intimacy.   Their passion for this work stems from their own journey of restoration. After experiencing the devastating effects of sexual addiction and betrayal in their marriage, Matthew and Joanna embarked on a years-long pursuit of reconciliation. This transformative experience led to the creation of tools like The Intimacy Pyramid™, a practical model for relational restoration and growth co-created with colleague Dan Drake.    Their first book, Building True Intimacy (2023), has sold over 1,000 copies and provides practical guidance for couples to use the Intimacy Pyramid to create enduring connections. They also founded Renewing Us Recovery™, a comprehensive program designed to support couples in the later stages of relational restoration. In November 2025, they will host the inaugural Renewing Us Couples Retreat, offering workshops and connection opportunities for couples on similar paths of recovery and growth.   Matthew and Joanna live in Memphis, Tennessee with their three young children. They prioritize self-care through shared adventures, new experiences, and a weekly game of pickleball.   Free Resource Mentioned in Episode   Building True Intimacy book   Questions and Topics Discussed: What were the warning signs that you noticed when you were newlyweds that tipped you off to believing things weren't quite as they seemed? Are there any common life circumstances, whether nature or nurture, that predispose someone to be more likely to struggle with a sexual addiction? As couples seek to thrive in marriage, will you give us an overview of the intimacy pyramid you wrote a book about?   Other Episodes Mentioned During Episode: Pornography: Protecting Children, Personal Healing, Recovery, and Victory in Christ with Sam Black Pornography Addiction and Helpful Recovery with Crystal Renaud Day   Additional Related Episodes on The Savvy Sauce: Anatomy of an Affair with Dave Carder Protecting Your Marriage Against Unfaithfulness with Dave Carder Stories Series: Recovery From Sexual Sin in Marriage with Garrett and Brenna Naufel Supernatural Restoration Story with Bob and Audrey Meisner Special Patreon Re-Release Wholehearted Quiet Time with Naomi Vacaro   Gospel Scripture: (all NIV) Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”   Romans 3:24 “and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”   Romans 3:25 (a) “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.”   Hebrews 9:22 (b) “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”    Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”    Romans 5:11 “Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”   John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”   Romans 10:9 “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”    Luke 15:10 says “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”   Romans 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”   Ephesians 1:13–14 “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession- to the praise of his glory.”   Ephesians 1:15–23 “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”   Ephesians 2:8–10 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God‘s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.“   Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.“   Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”   *Transcription*   Music: (0:00 – 0:12)   Laura Dugger: (0:13 - 1:38) Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, where we have practical chats for intentional living. I'm your host, Laura Dugger, and I'm so glad you're here.   Today's message is not intended for little ears. We'll be discussing some adult themes, and I want you to be aware before you listen to this message.   Leman Property Management Company has the apartment you will be able to call home, with over 1,700 apartment units available in Central Illinois. Visit them today at lemanproperties.com, or connect with them on Facebook.   Matthew and Joanna Raabsmith are my guests today. They are clinicians, speakers, and authors with over 20 years of combined experience in counseling, coaching, and guiding couples toward healing and transformation. Our conversation takes a few turns, from getting to hear their incredible and vulnerable story of healing and then getting tips for talking to our children about topics like sex, and also even receiving some practical wisdom and tips for enhancing our own marital enjoyment.   Here's our chat. Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, Matthew and Joanna.   Matthew Raabsmith: (1:39 - 1:40) So good to be here.   Joanna Raabsmith: (1:40 - 1:42) So glad to be here. Thanks for having us.   Laura Dugger: (1:42 - 1:51) Oh, truly my pleasure. And let's just start here. Can you share your story going back to meeting and falling in love and your first part of marriage?   Matthew Raabsmith: (1:53 - 2:17) Sure, yeah. It was a little bumpy at first, actually. So, I knew Joanna through her brother. Joanna's brother was one of my best friends, and I got to meet her whenever she would come in town and visit, and she would invade guy night. He would usually bring her along to like a Lord of the Rings movie or something, and I would be a little frustrated because I would be like, oh, you brought your sister. Great. That's wonderful.   Joanna Raabsmith: (2:18 - 2:24) A little off-putting, not super friendly. And I was like, your friend's kind of a jerk. We did not like each other at all in the beginning.   Matthew Raabsmith: (2:24 - 2:54) Not big fans. And eventually over some time, we started to realize we had a lot in common. We liked to do a lot of the same things.   And one summer that Joanna was in town, we started hanging out, started doing more and more together, and really just kind of developed a friendship, which was really fun. And at the very end of the summer, realized that there was something between us. And so, we went on one date.   Our first date, we entered a golf tournament. We won it, and that was a good sign.   Joanna Raabsmith: (2:54 - 2:55) That's a pretty good sign.   Matthew Raabsmith: (2:55 - 3:02) And we went on three more dates over the course of two months and got engaged.   Joanna Raabsmith: (3:03 - 3:07) And then two months after that, we got married.   Matthew Raabsmith: (3:07 - 3:16) Yeah. So, her brother went from like, yeah, it's cool you date my sister, to like, you're not ready to get married. But he's come around now.   Joanna Raabsmith: (3:17 - 3:19) 15 years later. Yeah.   Matthew Raabsmith: (3:19 - 3:40) And, you know, a lot of it was, I think we had a definite sense of being kind of called together, being, you know, something special about who we were as a couple. And also, a recognition that we wanted to figure out what a good marriage looked like. We were really excited about marriage, but we didn't really know what we were doing.   Joanna Raabsmith: (3:41 - 4:15) Yeah, I've had a really great model of healthy relationship. My parents have a wonderful marriage. They work really well as a team.   And so, I knew, like, I want something like that. But as soon as we got married, we realized, but how do you actually build that? There's no, like, instruction manual for, okay, here are the things to do to have a great relationship.   And so, we read books. We went to conferences. You know, we did what we could, but we still found ourselves getting stuck, not able to really create, like, that deep sense of, like, connection intimacy that we really wanted.   Matthew Raabsmith: (4:15 - 5:17) And we started kind of hunting more and more for resources. We found some incredible resources that really changed our understanding of the way relationships work, the way people work, and really, for us, shifted our entire focus of kind of what we wanted to do, even with our life. And as we started to do that, though, we still kind of found ourselves at this kind of glass wall.   We felt like no matter what we tried, there was always this kind of distance between us. And that started to grow kind of over the years that we were together. It wasn't getting better.   It was actually kind of getting worse and worse and worse. And so, Joanna had actually decided to, after we finished our first grad degree together, the idea was we were going to go be pastors. And so, we had finished our kind of theological training.   Joanna decided she wanted to get a master's in marriage and family therapy so we could do some work around marriages and ministry in that way. And her very first-class kind of just set our life in a completely different direction.   Joanna Raabsmith: (5:17 - 6:26) Yes. So, my first class in the MFT program was a two-week intensive called Shame and Guilt. So, that's a really fun two-week intensive to be a part of. And as a part of that, though, they had an anonymous pastor come and share his testimony of struggling with sex addiction, becoming sober, getting into good recovery, healing and restoration in his marriage, kind of like that whole journey. And as he was talking, something inside of me started stirring. And I knew, OK, what he's saying is resonating way too much with me right now.   I think this is the thing. This is what is keeping us stuck, not able to really create the relationship we want. And so, that day I went home and first I just kind of started talking about my class, what I learned, what this pastor had shared.   Right. And nothing. Right.   We're just kind of talking generally about it. And so, finally I couldn't do it anymore. And I just stopped and I looked him square in the eyes and I said, “Are you struggling with this in our marriage right now?”   Matthew Raabsmith: (6:26 - 8:03) Yeah. And for the first time in my life, 20 years, I had been struggling with pornography, sexual addiction, and acting out in our marriage. And for the first time in my life, I was honest.   I had lied for years, both with Joanna and everyone else. And the kind of floodgates just kind of opened up. And I finally said yes.   And it was really hearing the story, I think, is what did it for me. I think it was knowing that somebody else had made it, that their life hadn't come crashing down because that was the greatest fear for me. That the moment anyone found this out, everything in my life would be over. Everything that I loved would be gone.   And so, this kind of story of hope gave me a little bit of courage that day, to be honest. But that started a really long journey for us because there was a lot of damage that was done in both of my hiding. And now kind of this revelation, all the pain kind of came crashing down on Joanna and kind of her shoulders.   And so, we started a quite intensive recovery process. We talked about it being kind of a full-time job. I went to recovery for my addiction and for kind of my acting out behaviors. Joanna had to begin a process of healing from the trauma of this discovery. And that process took us a number of years. It really was a long kind of arduous journey, but one that we ultimately survived and now thrive in our marriage and get the incredible luxury and the kind of gift of helping other couples do that.   So, that's kind of where we find ourselves.   Laura Dugger: (8:04 - 8:30) That is incredible. I just really appreciate you sharing your story. Clearly, stories are so powerful and that's what led to some healing for you and hopefully can open the floodgates for somebody else listening.   So, if we go back in your story, then, Joanna, I'd love to start with you. What were some of those red flags in early marriage that things aren't quite as they seem?   Joanna Raabsmith: (8:31 - 10:28) Yeah, there are a few. You know, I think that, you know, one of the pieces we kind of talked about, like, OK, we knew we're still getting stuck because there's 90 percent that felt really good. But then 10 percent that was extremely chaotic, really destructive.   Right. We would get we call the pain cycles when we get emotionally dysregulated. And there would be some things that, right.   Sometimes we would get into pain cycles, get dysregulated. And I kind of understand why. Right.   Like something happened. There was the disagreement. But other times I couldn't put my finger on it.   Right. Matthew would just get really angry and really shut down. And I wouldn't be able to connect it to anything that had happened in our life.   And so, it was very confusing. It was really hard to understand what was going on. And I think kind of in the same way, when I would pull too close into that connection, that intimacy, he would pull back.   Right. And it felt like even though we both named this goal and this desire, he would never actually partner with me in it. And so, again, that was really confusing because the actions were not matching up with reality and what was happening.   And I think the other piece that was kind of true for us and true for a lot of other people is that our own sexual relationship was fraught with pain. And so, there was, again, a lot that was really good, but also a lot that was really painful and confusing. And some of the pieces just didn't connect.   Right. And I would wonder, OK, what's going on? Well, I guess this is just the reality that like this is how much we get to expect in this area of our life, right.   In our relationship. And so, it was when the pastor started describing his life and addiction and what that looked like emotionally, sexually, relationally. I was like, oh, those are all the things that I'm currently experiencing.   Here's one thing that would answer all those questions that I have. And so, I think that was part of it. He kind of told me, like, OK, this is it.   Laura Dugger: (10:28 - 11:00) That would be so eye opening. And my heart's going out to the couple who is maybe starting to identify with this. Was it and share whatever you're comfortable with from your story or the person's story who opened things up to you?   So, sexually, I'm wondering if it was for you, Joanna, if you were hoping to connect sexually and that wasn't happening and that was confusing. You didn't feel pursued. But I don't want to fill in the blanks.   So, could you elaborate?   Joanna Raabsmith: (11:00 - 12:03) Absolutely. Yeah. And we find it a lot of different ways than couples that we work with.   Right. And so, it can be sometimes on either side of the extreme. And so, for us, it was where there would be kind of times when he'd be fully present and interested and engaged. Right. And then all of a sudden, kind of like I described emotionally, he would just withdraw and not be there. And I would reach out to connect.   And that was this like non-response. And which, again, didn't match up with those other times when he was engaged and wanting to connect. And he would give some sort of excuse that didn't totally make sense.   Right. But I was kind of like, what else? What was I left with except that?   So, I would kind of believe that and go with it, even though it didn't sit right. And so, yeah, I think that was part of it. We will see on the other side for some other couples.   It's the opposite. And maybe that spouse is hypersexual in the relationship. Right.   To the point where there might be pressure, even pressure to do things sexually that people aren't comfortable with. And so, yeah, it can look a lot of different ways. But that was kind of what our disconnect looked like.   Laura Dugger: (12:04 - 12:33) That's so helpful. And there's two different directions I want to go, Matthew. So, I'll set it up.   I guess I'm thinking of the guilt and shame and how those are usually so present. So, I have two questions. Were you when Joanna came to you, were you at a point where you recognize something was off and you wanted freedom from this and or had tried freedom before?   Let's start with that and then I'll go into the other one.   Matthew Raabsmith: (12:34 - 14:40) Yeah, it really was holy timing in a lot of ways. I, you know, for a lot of years I had I hated what I did. I didn't feel like I could stop it, but didn't have a lot of interest in kind of doing anything to stop it.   I kind of just like would just say, “OK, this is going to be the last time.” And then, you know, of course it would come back. But I think at this point I had really started to see the damage that was happening to our relationship.   I could feel us growing close, growing further apart. I could see kind of Joanna and the confusion that she was having. And like she couldn't understand things.   She would ask me a lot of questions that I didn't have answers to. And so, I actually a couple of months earlier, we were at a worship service, and they had said like, “hey, if you are ready to give something up, if you feel like there's something holding you back, come forward and confess it.” And Joanna and I were sitting next to each other, and I remember feeling like the Holy Spirit just like pulling me to like get up out of my seat and I wouldn't move.   I was like, no, because she's going to ask me what I went down for. I'm going there's you know, there's a random kind of prayer partner at the front. I'm like, I'm not going and confessing this to some random person.   And so, I was ready. But I think like I said, I think there was no path forward. It was kind of confess this and everything stops and ends.   But everything like marriage ends, life ends. And so, when she when she brought this, it really did feel like God had kind of been answering a prayer that I've been praying of like, if you give me a way out, I'll take it. I'm desperate.   I want it to stop. And it felt like that. I think it was both this kind of terror and this hope that day.   And even when I said, yes, it was a little bit like, what have I done? Like, could this have been different? Should I have just gone and told someone else privately?   Right. But I think ultimately that it was out between the two of us and that we kind of knew it. We knew what we were dealing with made a huge difference.   But I mean, God had been working in my life, offering opportunities for so long. I just been saying no, no, no. And then finally, you know, I think my heart just broke and it was like, yes, OK, I'm ready for this.   Laura Dugger: (14:40 - 15:14) I love how the Holy Spirit equipped you with that humility and courage to be brave in that moment. And it's such a blessing for all of us to get to see the end or I guess not the end of the story, but you at this point in your story where you're thriving. And so, I hope that offers a lot of hope to people listening.   But let's also pause. And so, going back further in time, Matthew, this was the other part of my question. What was life and attachment and your growing up journey like?   Matthew Raabsmith: (15:15 - 18:09) Yeah, I didn't know that at the time. Right. I a lot of this I figured out in the last couple of years of recovery.   You know, if you would have asked me, you know, as I was growing up about my life, I would have told you I had the perfect family. I had the perfect life. I think I did not realize that some of the things that I was going through weren't perfect, were harder.   And part of that was because I think the way my family dynamic worked was we just swept everything under the rug. You know, whatever happened, we just kind of went, OK, and moved on from. And I learned to do that as a kid.   And that meant a lot of emotional chaos. There was a lot of physical chaos and kind of volatility in our house growing up. And even though I had parents who are still married to this day, have stayed together and have tried to create kind of a stable life.   There was a lot of emotional and kind of relational instability. We moved around a lot. And then once we started moving, I found myself more and more kind of isolated at school. I started dealing with bullying and some things that really kind of left me not knowing how to deal with the pain that I was going through. And so, my way of stuffing things under the rug was getting, you know, escaping, you know, kind of escaping into anything that I could. I watched a lot of TV.   I was a latchkey kid, so I would come home. I'd watch TV a lot in the afternoon and then TV kind of just turned to more and more. And I was exposed pretty young to pornography, actually at a church camp.   I was at a summer church camp. Someone brought a Playboy magazine, and I was exposed to pornography. And I kind of felt that high, that rush.   And that just became kind of a mode of my escape. Right. Of whatever I could do to engage sexually, whether with my mind or with others.   That's how I could get out of the pain I was in. That's how I could stop feeling kind of the chaos that I was having and not realizing that it was becoming this kind of adaptive habit, that it would just be this thing I would go back to more and more. And I grew up at a time that technology was still emerging.   So, I can remember when we got our first computer and no one was talking about safeguards or anything. And so, it was just kind of exposure. Here you go.   Here's everything you could ever want and don't need. And that really became my life. And the more and more that I did, the better and better I got at lying and hiding and even being kind of vulnerable in kind of fake ways.   I would mention things like, yeah, we all have this struggle. And even Joanna, I had told like, you know, that was a struggle of mine in the past, but I've moved on from it. Right.   I told myself and other people just kind of lie after lie after lie so that I could have really this double life. I could appear one way and then I could be acting a completely different way, kind of in the dark.   Laura Dugger: (18:10 - 20:41) Yeah. And that makes sense. I'm thinking back to two episodes.   We did one with a male, Sam Black from Covenant Eyes, and he speaks so much of the origins of pornography and that foothold that Satan gets. And so many times it is in childhood, unwittingly you're exposed and then what it can turn into. And then Crystal Renaud Day came on to share a lot of females struggle with this as well.   And so, I'll link to those if those are a help.   And now a brief message from our sponsor. 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For me, I had to figure out what had really gone on in my life and what was really happening.   Because, like I said, I had become such an expert at hiding from myself and others that I didn't really know how to live any other way. And so, I, you know, Joanna kind of handed me a list of everything this pastor had done. She was like, here you go.   Right. She kind of handed me that list and was like, good luck. And so, I dove in.   I went to a men's intensive. And I think that was probably one of the key places for me to tell my story for the first time. I really took a look at my life and had some people help me take a look and recognize the trauma that I had as a kid exposure that I had experienced and what that really meant to me and helped me understand what I was doing.   But also, kind of what I was doing to myself, how I was really kind of killing myself from the inside out and preventing myself from having the kind of relationship I wanted with God and other people. And so, that discovery was in really ways kind of invigorating for me. I felt like I was living for the first time.   I think I had started to kind of get out of this kind of burden, this fear of always being caught. I told Joanna kind of the history of everything that had happened in my life and our relationship. And so, I was feeling this kind of renewed sense of like energy and excitement of like, this is good.   I want this life. I want the life there that I'm not in constant kind of fear and in constant kind of connection to this thing I hate. And so, which is really different than what Joanna was experiencing.   Joanna Raabsmith: (22:30 - 25:07) Yeah. So, for me, it was very jarring in the beginning. Everything I thought was real came crashing down around me.   And that was especially jarring because I had left kind of the direction, the path that I was on. Right. We talked about our story earlier.   It included two months of dating, two months of engagement before we got married. And that also included me dropping out of law school, getting married and moving to California to pursue a ministry degree so we could work as pastors together or do something together. And so, in that moment, all of that came crashing down.   And I kind of was very lost, not just in our relationship, but in kind of what in the world am I even doing here? What am I going to do moving forward if he doesn't choose recovery? Right.   And so, just all of those question marks, all in that one moment of him answering that question affirmative. And so, so there was like that heaviness on one side and then on the other side was this relief of finally everything I've been experiencing makes sense. Right. Finally, I feel like I actually know what's going on. And because of that, there could maybe be a path forward for us as well. So, is this very, very weird dichotomy in that moment? And so, but I think I knew right away, like, I can't be vulnerable. I can't be intimate with him anymore. Right.   I have to step back in our relationship and wait and see what he chooses to do. Is he going to choose to do the work of recovery and get healthy and start to be honest and safe or not? And so, that's so we kind of did kind of there's some space for a very long period of time while we focused on our own individual recoveries.   And that, again, was a little bumpy for me. This is over a decade ago. And so, there is very little information about what partners experience.   We call it betrayal trauma, and that just wasn't a very common word at the time. And so, some of the resources I plugged into came from a more we would call it codependent, co-addict focus, which just really didn't fit. So, I struggled to find resources that felt like they fit for my journey.   But once I did, it all again, my own healing process started to make sense. And it was so like freeing and liberating to understand. Like, oh, OK, this is what I'm going through. This is why I feel this way.   This is what it looks like to heal and move forward. And so, kind of beginning that process was so important because then when Matthew was kind of in a healthy, safe place, I was as well, and we can start to step in towards each other on that kind of more couples' journey at that point.   Laura Dugger: (25:07 - 25:17) I love how you did that wisely, though, separate first, not rushing into couples at that time. Absolutely.   Matthew Raabsmith: (25:18 - 26:33) Appreciate you calling it wise. I think we were terrified. Yeah, we'll take God's help.   I think he was like, you guys just work on your own stuff for a while. And in some ways, like I said, it was we didn't know what we were doing. But I think we knew we wanted there to be a future between the two of us.   But we knew it had to be completely different in some ways than what we had before, which was scary because we liked what we had before. Like we had a really great marriage in many ways. Right.   There was this portion of it, this hidden portion that was really infecting and killing it all. But what we did have together, we didn't want to totally lose. It just was really hard to know, especially early on, what's going to come forward.   Like, who are we still going to be as we go forward? Are we still going to be a couple who does things together? Right. Who works together? Or is that all kind of going to have to be different? Is that the only way that we have kind of moving forward?   And so, that was that was probably the hardest part was having like this sense of like not wanting to lose us. We were like, if we lost that, that was going to be miserable. And I think a lot of our work was about how do we eventually reclaim this marriage that we want, that we love?   Laura Dugger: (26:34 - 27:04) Yes, because from what I'm sensing, you're friends with each other, you're on purpose or on mission with God. He did a course correction change, putting you on this path to help couples. But your desire to work together, it's like He still honored that in the ministry of reconciliation.   And I'm assuming abundantly blessed it beyond what you could ever dreamed up what we're doing now.   Joanna Raabsmith: (27:04 - 27:42) Right. It's been amazing to see what God has done, how he's used our story, which is so fitting because it was someone sharing their story that brought our healing. And I think because of that and it wasn't right away; it took some time to get to the place where we felt open to God using our story to bring healing to others. But we found as we stepped into that, that we have received such a blessing.   Right. And just being able to sit with other couples in that journey and see them go from that place of pain and confusion to this place of restoration and thriving. Like there is no better work that we could have imagined for ourselves.   Laura Dugger: (27:42 - 28:09) Love that. And really, you did have to pioneer a path. There weren't many resources at that time.   So, that's another reason I'm grateful you can share your story, because I hope it unlocks freedom for others. So, if we're turning more outward now and you're helping as you work with couples, how do you help them identify the difference between sexual struggles and sexual addiction?   Matthew Raabsmith: (28:10 - 30:15) Yeah, that's a great question. And I think that it really kind of exists on a spectrum. And so, everything kind of exists under what we call problematic sexual behavior or unwanted sexual behavior.   Whenever someone is acting in a way sexually that doesn't align with their values. And then the question is, is how often, how compulsive, right? How habituated, right?   How really embedded is that practice? Because the more and more embedded it is and the more and more that I continue to act on that, seeing the damage that it's doing, that's really what qualifies as the addiction. The addiction is when I know that this is causing harm and I and I feel that even though I want to stop it and I've tried to stop.   Right. I can't stop the 12 steps has a great line. They say addicts, you know, addicts have no problem stopping.   It's staying stopped. That's hard for an addict. Right.   And so, that's usually a sign that there's an addiction. And really what that means is that just means that I'm going to have to be even more kind of thorough and scrupulous in my willingness to change a lot. Because if I have built an addictive lifestyle, that means everything I do kind of functions to support that lifestyle.   Right. And so, my part of that was this hiding. I lied about everything.   I would lie about anything just to make sure that I was in control of the narrative. And so, for me, it was recognizing that if I was going to move forward free of my addiction, then it had to begin with honesty, with this kind of radical honesty and transparency and growing in that consistently, because that was the way that I manifested this addiction and kind of kept it going. And so, that's really what the addiction is about, is recognizing what are the kind of pieces in my life that are supporting this addiction to continue to exist?   And how is God going to dismantle those things? Right. And how am I going to be a part of that dismantling?   Laura Dugger: (30:16 - 30:33) That's well said. And also, I'm curious, are there any common life circumstances, whether that's nature or nurture, that are more likely to predispose someone to more likely have this struggle with sexual addiction?   Matthew Raabsmith: (30:34 - 32:30) I mean, there are, I think, you know, the things that we tend to look for are trauma and trauma comes in so many different forms. So, trauma is more it's rare that it's a single event. It's often more a kind of consistent occurrences.   As I mentioned, you know, I can't speak to kind of one event in my life that I say this was the traumatic moment in which everything changed. But it was more of the chaos. And so, I grew up in a family that could be really, really, really loving and incredibly encouraging and fun and silly and in a heartbeat switch into one that was verbally and physically just chaotic and terrifying.   And it was that chaos that kept me on edge. What it did was it created in me kind of a system of always wanting to be on high alert. And that would exhaust me.   That would kind of wear me out. And I would want to kind of numb that kind of feeling away. And so, I think those traumas, I do think early exposure.   Right. I mean, I was exposed early before my brain was ready to really understand what it was dealing with. And I think the third component that we often see is a low level or a kind of really a void of sexual education.   There was I'm sure I had a small talk with my dad at some point, but we were not talking about pornography. We weren't talking about bodies. We weren't talking about sex from a kind of healthy, good way.   I grew up in the church, and it was kind of don't do this until you're married and then you'll be fine. Right. That was the sexual education message.   And so, those things, right, trauma, exposure and lack of kind of education usually forms in someone a difficulty of knowing what they're doing, knowing that it's destroying them before it's really kind of gotten a deep hole.   Joanna Raabsmith: (32:30 - 33:20) I think like the brain. The brain aspect to when we talk about addiction, there are usually chemicals involved in addiction being formed, being created. And so, I think also co-occurring disorders, right, that emotional pain, also things like anxiety, depression, ADHD, where my brain really likes the dopamine it gets from sexual acting out. Right.   And you can actually need it to feel OK. That can also be a factor in kind of especially that addictive side of these behaviors. When my brain gets really attached to that dopamine release that it's getting because maybe I have some other things going on or I just have emotional pain.   I don't know what to deal with, how to handle it, how to regulate that in a healthy way.   Laura Dugger: (33:20 - 34:30) There's so many good points there. I'll just highlight one because there's a profound piece that you were talking about with early exposure to evil and the corruption of it is extremely harmful. And yet not being exposed to God's good design for sex and hopefully being coached by our parents, that is both of those play a part in the addiction. And so, I'm thinking even as we shift to think about parents, I know I've had parents come to me and just say, I don't want to talk about this with my kids.   I don't want to rob their innocence. And my approach is if God made it, this is good. We can talk to them.   You're not robbing their innocence when you're sharing the good age-appropriate parts of sex. And it's so great to be that first one to share with them. And I think it does the opposite of what we would expect.   We're afraid that that might make them hyper sexualized. But would you speak to that? Any encouragement for parents?   Matthew Raabsmith: (34:30 - 36:37) Yeah, it's tricky. I mean, even as parents, we've got kids and its still kind of navigating it. But I do think what it does is it lets someone learn the things they need to in the timeline they need to.   I think part of one of the things is that, you know, really good sexual education starts young. I mean, they start six and seven years old or even younger, just talking about our bodies. Right.   Because I think that's part of it. Really, this is about understanding the goodness of our bodies. This body was created by God, the maker of heaven and earth, and he called it good.   And so, I think part of a good sexual education begins with that. And then, what's really nice is once you've started the conversation, that means if your children are exposed or if they're presented with things that don't line up with what they've been hearing, they now feel safe to come and talk about that. Because that's really what this was about.   I didn't feel safe to talk about what I was exposed to, what people were doing. Right. And what people were encouraging me to engage in.   And so, you know, my parents would ask me how it's going. I would not tell them anything because it wasn't a conversation that they were having with me. And so, I didn't think it was a conversation I was going to have with them.   And so, that meant that as I found myself further and further away from my values, I felt like, who am I going to share this with? And so, part of having the conversation is it normalizes with our kids that this is OK to talk about, which is actually what adults need. I mean, part of our work with couples as adults, we have to get them talking about sex and body parts.   I mean, it's amazing to have 30, 40, and 50-year-olds in our offices and in our sessions. And they're so uncomfortable. Right.   They don't want to talk about sex. They don't want to talk about their bodies. They don't want to talk about what their bodies do.   Right. And we keep being like, this is God's good stuff. Right.   There is goodness here. But you have to begin by talking about it. Right.   Having these conversations.   Joanna Raabsmith: (36:38 - 37:54) I tell all the parents I work with, your kids are going to pick up a narrative about what sex is and what sexuality is, whether you want them to or not. And so, would you rather be the first person to step in and give them a healthy view, a healthy narrative to understand? Right.   And this is beyond kind of the nuts and bolts that everything our kids are learning. They're trying to find a deeper meaning. They don't think it's unconscious when they're young. Right. But they're taking it and they're going, what meaning does this have for me? How does this inform my self-worth, my view of my own value as a human in my body?   And how does it inform my experience of the world and my safety in the world? And am I empowered to make decisions? Am I connected?   Do I belong? Right. All of those questions are asking.   And so, as they're confronted with issues of sexuality, it's going to inform those things. And the world will not give them a healthy narrative about it. Right.   And so, being able as a parent to step in and give them that healthy meaning, that narrative, that understanding of their worth and their safety as they're piecing together kind of sexuality, again, at that age-appropriate level is so important.   Laura Dugger: (37:54 - 38:30) Guess what? We are no longer an audio only podcast. We now have video included as well.   If you want to view the conversation each week, make sure you watch our videos. We're on YouTube and you can access videos or find answers to any of your other questions about the podcast when you visit thesavvysauce.com. And I love that you're talking about this with couples you work with.   So, will you give us an overview of the intimacy pyramid that you actually wrote a book about and you teach to couples?   Joanna Raabsmith: (38:30 - 38:31) Absolutely.   Matthew Raabsmith: (38:31 - 39:15) Yeah. I mean, it was born out of our journey because, as you said, we wandered for a while and we felt a little bit like Israel, just kind of, you know, knowing that the Promised Land was out there, but never really feeling like we could find it. And when we started to piece together, I think the kind of relationship that we had dreamed of reclaiming, we really ask ourselves, how can we make this a more direct, a simpler process, not just for couples who went through what we went through, but really for any couple who's hungry for this, for the couple like us when we were first starting.   It really wants an amazing marriage. And so, we really focused on a kind of simplistic idea of what are the core kind of foundational levels of building really healthy intimacy.   Joanna Raabsmith: (39:16 - 40:10) Yeah. So, the intimacy pyramid, it's actually a triangle. There's a visual that goes along with it.   So, if you imagine the different levels of the triangle, very similar to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, starting at the bottom, you have to start with honesty. And so, we definitely experienced that reality in our own relationship. Right.   This is something we learned from Couples in Betrayal, but like Matthew said, we realized this is where every couple starts. Am I willing to be fully open, fully honest and transparent in this relationship? Am I being my authentic self?   Right. And after that level of honesty, that's when we start to build safety. And that has to do with our ability to communicate in really healthy, constructive ways.   Even when it's hard, even when we're disagreeing, even when we feel like yelling at each other. Are we able to show up with that belief that we both have the same goal? We're trying to build something together.   Matthew Raabsmith: (40:10 - 41:57) And with honesty and safety, that's where we get to work on trust as a couple. That's that next level. And trust is where we start to be more partners, where we're really starting to kind of lean in, work together, kind of be courageous and saying, “Hey, this isn't just my life anymore, right?”   This is our life together. And as that trust is established, this is what allows for the incredible work of vulnerability. And there's been all these studies about vulnerability over the last few years and how important it is.   What we recognize, though, is vulnerability on top of nothing is actually really risky and kind of even dangerous. It's vulnerability that's built on healthy trust where we step in and we do share some of those deeper pains in those wounds, those fears. We start to really heal some of those kind of early traumas that we experience.   It's in that vulnerability. That's what allows a couple to be truly intimate. And it's when they've worked through each of these levels, what we find is these couples, when they reach this kind of this intimacy level, they're passionate about who they are as a couple. They love kind of their relationship itself. They have a purpose to it. They have a sense that like our marriage, our relationship exists for a reason, but they're also really playful.   They're silly. They're really kind of comfortable in their own skin. And it's those five levels really working together that allows them to experience a relationship that gives life. I think one of the things we know is that when God creates, it gives life. And so, God created marriage not to burden us, right? Not to kind of, you know, not even just to get us through, you know, kind of surviving life, but actually to bring more life.   Right. And not just life within the relationship itself, but life outside of it.   Laura Dugger: (41:58 - 42:22) Oh, I love it. And you're also working with couples. I've heard you speak before about the working on offering your spouse the gift of self-awareness. And so, what could couples expect? How do you actually work with them to grow in self-awareness and recognize things like the emotional process they go through in marriage?   Joanna Raabsmith: (42:22 - 43:48) Absolutely. So, awareness. So, in our book, we obviously detail the intimacy period much more.   And that's Building True Intimacy is the name of the book. But each of those levels we just walked through have different components that go into that. And awareness is kind of like one of the most important components of that honesty foundation.   So, we have to start with awareness and we can't really build anything if there's a lack of self-awareness. And so, when we work with couples, one of the first places we start is we kind of look at the past. Are they aware of what they've been through, what those experiences are, and how those experiences have shaped them into the person that is now in the present, showing up with their spouse.   Right. And so, once I start to have that insight from my past, from those experiences, how they shape me, I can better understand my present. What are the things that I feel and why do I feel those things in particular?   Right. And then when I feel those things in a relationship, and these are typically those kind of heavier, more challenging, more painful emotions. How do I respond?   How am I showing up? Because the reality is that all of us cope with emotional pain the same way we cope with physical pain. We go into fight or flight.   That part of our brain gets triggered and we respond with these kind of destructive relational coping behaviors that then hurt my partner.   Matthew Raabsmith: (43:48 - 46:22) Yeah. Like, for example, I told you about that chaos I experienced as a kid. And so, those would always happen around conflicts.   My parents would disagree about something. There would be some type of argument about, you know, and it could be anything where we were going for dinner or what color the curtains were. Right.   But it would create this chaotic environment. So, as I got married, the thing that I didn't like the least was any type of conflict. Joanna and I would get in when I could sense us disagreeing and we are both passionate.   We have opinions and we believe things and we get into this kind of disagreement and argument. It would freak my system out. And I didn't realize that because I didn't really know my past.   I didn't know what was going on. I would just really do anything to shut it down. I get angry and I try to get loud, or I just walk away in the middle of a conversation.   As Joanna was talking, I would just leave the room and my acting out was just a further manifestation of that kind of leaving the relationship. And so, part of my healing journey was to learn about my story and recognize, oh, OK, I can see what's happening. And what's really interesting is it still happens in our life today.   I've been in recovery for 12 years. I still feel the same things. Now it's more like when my kids are getting involved.   Right. And there's energy in the room and people are online. And then I go, oh, yeah, there it is.   There's my system again. It's starting to feel unsafe. It's starting to feel alone. And I know what it wants to do. It wants to get angry, or it wants to just shut down and walk away. And what's incredible is that we've learned the ability to see where we're at but also speak directly to that.   And so, what I get to do for myself now is I get to go, “OK, I know I'm feeling unsafe and I know I'm feeling alone. And I know I want to get angry to solve it, but it won't do it. But here's the truth. The truth is that I'm safe in God's economy. I'm empowered. I have an incredible partner in my life. I've never been alone. I've always had someone there for me. And Joanna is the perfect example of that.”   And that totally changes my sense of really kind of where I am. And it changes how I show up. I tend to be much more calm.   I ask questions rather than make demands. And it's that ability to kind of see where we're at and shift. That's just been such a game changer for our family and just for our own relationship.   We still have to work on it. You know, it doesn't always look that pretty. Right.   But when we do, it's amazing how different it goes.   Laura Dugger: (46:24 - 46:44) And then I just think of the generational impacts that has when people are willing to do the work. And so, if there's a brave couple out there who wants to seek their own help and healing, can you share where they can go for help, including the Raabsmith team and all that you have to offer?   Matthew Raabsmith: (46:46 - 47:30) Yeah, you know, we would love them to connect with us because I think one of the things we recognize was having guides along the way. I mean, we had to figure a lot out ourselves, but we also had some really incredible guides, some mentors, some coaches, some therapists. And so, we always just say, hey, connect with us.   You can find us at raabsmithteam.com. We have a heart for couples who want restoration and reconciliation because that's what we're getting to live and experience. And what's cool is our whole team, they're couples who've been through this work, but who also have been professionally trained to help other couples to just continue to guide and to grow relationships so that they're thriving and they're kind of giving that life.   Joanna Raabsmith: (47:30 - 48:10) Absolutely. We also love to give out resources. And so, we have the kind of we call it the honest connection.   And so, again, if you're starting this journey or even this is for any couple who wants deeper connection, deeper intimacy, learning how to do that on a daily basis in small ways is so important. And so, we have a worksheet that couples can take and use. We're happy to provide that for them for free and kind of try this for 30 days and notice the changes that you experience in your relationship.   And so, that's a great starting point wherever you are in relationship to begin that journey of connection.   Matthew Raabsmith: (48:10 - 48:14) And you just go to raabsmithteam.com/free and that resource is all yours.   Laura Dugger: (48:15 - 48:26) Wonderful. Add links for that in the show notes for today's episode. And is this then for any couple worldwide, nationwide?   Can you work with people?   Matthew Raabsmith: (48:27 - 48:55) We have we've got couples across the world, which is really fun. It's been really neat just to see the way that God has used our work. One of the things when we first started this journey, we started getting couples calling us saying, “Hey, I don't have anybody in my area that specializes in this, that understands this journey. Can I work with you?” And so, we kind of felt a calling to say we want to make sure that we connect with people wherever they are. And so, absolutely.   If you can hear our voice, you can work with us.   Laura Dugger: (48:55 - 49:14) I love that. And just as a little bonus practical tip, you kind of mentioned being proactive to thriving in marriage. Is there any encouragement that you could share or a specific practical tip that anybody could start to incorporate if they want to take their marriage to that thriving level?   Matthew Raabsmith: (49:15 - 50:12) Yeah, I think just the ability to slow down. We have a  nine, seven and six-year-old. We own our own business, and we like life and life can get incredibly fast.   And I think what we have found is when, as I was mentioning, when I learned the ability just to slow down, even if I don't fully just know myself slowing down and checking in, just where am I at right now? Where's my heart? Right. Where do I want to be?   I think I realize that so often my values and my actions aren't aligned when I'm moving too quickly. I'm not being the person that I want to be. And we see that in so many couples. We meet so many couples and there are two really great people who have a hard time working together. They have a hard time kind of being a team.   And it's usually because they're working so fast. They don't realize they're kind of working against each other. So, slowing down, I think, is such a big thing.   Joanna Raabsmith: (50:12 - 51:18) Another piece that's, again, really easy to start right away. A lot of couples we work with, and I think probably even us when we start a relationship, was there were two individuals in a relationship, and it was kind of either me or you. And starting to understand there's this third thing between you, the relationship. There's a third almost entity that really needs care. It needs nurture. It needs you to focus on its needs from time to time.   And so, beginning to approach the day, even approach conversations with this question of like, what does our relationship need right now? And even as you're trying to make decisions, what is the way we can decide this in a way that's good for our relationship or what decision benefits our relationship rather than does it benefit you or me? Because when you get into that struggle, it can become a competition.   It can become transactional really quickly. So, starting to ask that question, starting to talk about the needs and caring for the relationship very intentionally can be a way to shift that.   Laura Dugger: (51:20 - 51:38) Thank you for sharing that. I think that leads into my last question, because you already know we're called The Savvy Sauce because savvy is synonymous with practical knowledge. And so, as my final question for both of you, Matthew and Joanna, what is your savvy sauce?   Matthew Raabsmith: (51:39 - 52:22) I kind of mentioned this, but I think it's the willingness to be honest. I was so willing to lie to myself and kind of really hide from other people. And I didn't even know that I was doing it.   But as I have learned to be more honest in really kind of healthy ways, right. You can dump, you can whine, you can complain, you can get angry. But truly being honest meant just looking at what I was feeling and trying to kind of figure that out and name that.   As I have learned that ability to be honest with myself and with others, it has just opened up a new world of possibilities. And it has shown me how many people care for me; how much God cares for me. So, I think that honesty is something I just want to practice more and more every day.   Joanna Raabsmith: (52:22 - 53:30) I think for me, just in my own journey and working with so many partners, that importance of being able to make empowered decisions in my life. Right. That I am really intentionally choosing the direction I'm going in life.   Realizing that instead of going into this more helpless, powerless victim stance is such a difference. And really the only thing that changes a lot of times is mindset. You don't have to overhaul your entire life.   Right. You have to add in like four hours of self-care and all of these things. But starting to shift that mindset into, wait, I have power in the decisions I make.   And one of the ways that's really important to do that is growing that self-awareness. I cannot make empowered decisions if I'm not aware of where I'm at emotionally, physically, spiritually. Right.   If I'm not aware of my needs on a regular basis. And so, slowing down to check those things in, sometimes even multiple times in the day if you're not used to that. So, you're more connected to yourself, to what you need, what you want.   So, you can start making those empowered decisions.   Laura Dugger: (53:32 - 54:00) I love that. It's just so enjoyable to host a very lively couple who's humble and you've done your work. And then you're willing to share all this overflow of goodness with all of us.   So, I think my prayer is that the Lord would richly bless you for this open-handed generosity of wisdom and your story and experience that you've shared with us and modeled for us today. So, thank you to both of you for being my guest.   Joanna Raabsmith: (54:00 - 54:03) Thank you so much. It's a joy being here.   Laura Dugger: (54:05 - 57:47) One more thing before you go, have you heard the term gospel before? It simply means good news. And I want to share the best news with you, but it starts with the bad news.   Every single one of us were born sinners, but Christ desires to rescue us from our sin, which is something we cannot do for ourselves. This means there's absolutely no chance we can make it to heaven on our own. So, for you and for me, it means we deserve death, and we can never pay back the sacrifice we owe to be saved.   We need a savior, but God loved us so much. He made a way for his only son to willingly die in our place as the perfect substitute. This gives us hope of life forever in right relationship with him.   That is good news. Jesus lived the perfect life. We could never live and died in our place for our sin.   This was God's plan to make a way to reconcile with us so that God can look at us and see Jesus. We can be covered and justified through the work Jesus finished. If we choose to receive what he has done for us, Romans 10:9 says, “that if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”   So, you pray with me now. Heavenly father, thank you for sending Jesus to take our place. I pray someone today right now is touched and chooses to turn their life over to you.   Will you clearly guide them and help them take their next step in faith to declare you as Lord of their life? We trust you to work and change lives now for eternity. In Jesus name we pray.   Amen. If you prayed that prayer, you are declaring him for me. So, me for him, you get the opportunity to live your life for him.   And at this podcast, we're called The Savvy Sauce for a reason. We want to give you practical tools to implement the knowledge you have learned. So, you're ready to get started.   First, tell someone, say it out loud, get a Bible. The first day I made this decision, my parents took me to Barnes and Noble and let me choose my own Bible. I selected the Quest NIV Bible and I love it.   You can start by reading the book of John. Also get connected locally, which just means tell someone who's a part of a church in your community that you made a decision to follow Christ. I'm assuming they will be thrilled to talk with you about further steps such as going to church and getting connected to other believers to encourage you.   We want to celebrate with you too. So, feel free to leave a comment for us here. If you did make a decision to follow Christ, we also have show notes included where you can read scripture that describes this process.   And finally, be encouraged. Luke 15:10 says, “in the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” The heavens are praising with you for your decision today.   And if you've already received this good news, I pray you have someone to share it with. You are loved and I look forward to meeting you here next time.

11/30/25 Message from Andy Smith. Advent Week 1. Continuing in the series "Imago Dei"

What could and should have been an eleven day trip has taken them 40 years to bring them to this place in this moment — because they were afraid to follow God into the Promised Land. Forty years in the wilderness was not so much punishment as it was spiritual formation.A chapter-a-day podcast from Deuteronomy 1. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

The book of Job was, perhaps, the first written among the Old Testament books. From the people mentioned in the book it would seem to have been told between the time of Abraham and the Exodus of the children of Israel from Egypt. Perhaps between 40 to 80 years before the exodus. This would place the time of writing between BC 1571 and BC 1531. Its author may have been Moses. The place of the events described is in the area of Midian, to the south-east of the Promised Land. There are many views as to whether the events told actually happened, or were rather an ancient drama to instruct faithful believers. From what has been written in James 5 it would seem more likely to be a record of what actually occurred (James 5verses11). What an introduction to the man Job - he was the greatest of all men from the east. But, chiefly, his greatness lay in that, he "was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil" (verse 1 ESV). He is a family-oriented man, who brought up his family in "the fear and admonition of the LORD". Verses 6-12 introduces us to "the Satan" of the book. Note, that this time I have used an upper-case S, because the book is dealing with a specific adversary, or opponent - as the Hebrew word indicates - though the name of this adversary is not revealed). As a common noun the word occurs numerous times in the Old Testament, and in the vast majority of cases is without the definite article ("ha" in the Hebrew). The majority of the occurrences where the definite article is used are in Job and Zechariah (both of these books focus on an identifiable opponent, and in these two books that opponent is easily identified). Verse 6 speaks of a day when God's children presented themselves before Him and this tells of a time for gathering together for a specific purpose - such as when Israel gathered at the appointments of the Festivals. Or, when in this age, believers gather to memorialise the Lord's supper (coined "communion"). Job's adversary may have been a disaffected believer. He proposes that Job's reverence for God is conditional on Job's favoured status. God's advice to the adversary is that Job's uprightness is not related to the blessings Job receives. To prove the point God, for a time, gives the opponent power to test this. The Satan has no independent power (see Job 42verses11). From verses 13-21 we read of a succession of disasters which the adversary requested God to bring upon Job and his family.The chapter finishes by telling us that Job failed not. Job admits that it is Yahweh's right to treat us as He sees fit. Again, when the believers assemble together the adversary is there. Job's opponent is again confronted by God; but the adversary says that all mankind are essentially selfish. Yes, but says Job's foe, smite his health and Job will forsake his uprightness. This affliction of Job's health was permitted, and Job was smitten with leprosy (a loathsome, itching, superinfection of boils). Job receives no let up from the pain that this induced. Job's wife could endure no more and calls for her husband to curse God and die. Job rebukes her folly. From verses 11-13 we are told that when the news of their friend's suffering reached Job's 3 friends they came and sat in silence with him for seven days.

The book of Job was, perhaps, the first written among the Old Testament books. From the people mentioned in the book it would seem to have been told between the time of Abraham and the Exodus of the children of Israel from Egypt. Perhaps between 40 to 80 years before the exodus. This would place the time of writing between BC 1571 and BC 1531. Its author may have been Moses. The place of the events described is in the area of Midian, to the south-east of the Promised Land. There are many views as to whether the events told actually happened, or were rather an ancient drama to instruct faithful believers. From what has been written in James 5 it would seem more likely to be a record of what actually occurred (James 5verses11). What an introduction to the man Job - he was the greatest of all men from the east. But, chiefly, his greatness lay in that, he "was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil" (verse 1 ESV). He is a family-oriented man, who brought up his family in "the fear and admonition of the LORD". Verses 6-12 introduces us to "the Satan" of the book. Note, that this time I have used an upper-case S, because the book is dealing with a specific adversary, or opponent - as the Hebrew word indicates - though the name of this adversary is not revealed). As a common noun the word occurs numerous times in the Old Testament, and in the vast majority of cases is without the definite article ("ha" in the Hebrew). The majority of the occurrences where the definite article is used are in Job and Zechariah (both of these books focus on an identifiable opponent, and in these two books that opponent is easily identified). Verse 6 speaks of a day when God's children presented themselves before Him and this tells of a time for gathering together for a specific purpose - such as when Israel gathered at the appointments of the Festivals. Or, when in this age, believers gather to memorialise the Lord's supper (coined "communion"). Job's adversary may have been a disaffected believer. He proposes that Job's reverence for God is conditional on Job's favoured status. God's advice to the adversary is that Job's uprightness is not related to the blessings Job receives. To prove the point God, for a time, gives the opponent power to test this. The Satan has no independent power (see Job 42verses11). From verses 13-21 we read of a succession of disasters which the adversary requested God to bring upon Job and his family. The chapter finishes by telling us that Job failed not. Job admits that it is Yahweh's right to treat us as He sees fit. Again, when the believers assemble together the adversary is there. Job's opponent is again confronted by God; but the adversary says that all mankind are essentially selfish. Yes, but says Job's foe, smite his health and Job will forsake his uprightness. This affliction of Job's health was permitted, and Job was smitten with leprosy (a loathsome, itching, superinfection of boils). Job receives no let up from the pain that this induced. Job's wife could endure no more and calls for her husband to curse God and die. Job rebukes her folly. From verses 11-13 we are told that when the news of their friend's suffering reached Job's 3 friends they came and sat in silence with him for seven days.

Do you feel like you're wandering in a spiritual wilderness? In this message, Ann Nunnally, founding co-pastor of Victory Fellowship Church, shares how to leave your spiritual wilderness and enter the promised land that God has prepared for you. "The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure."1 Corinthians 10:13 NLTGod is still there in the place of wilderness and trials. Sometimes temptation doesn't find us, we find it. Yet, God is always with us. 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 tells us of the wilderness journey of the Hebrew people. There are 5 "scorpions" from the wilderness that we need to be aware of. Serpents and scorpions are used to describe our spiritual enemy. They hide in the darkness and live in the desert places. Don't walk in the desert, walk in the fullness of what God has for you. 1) Lust - desire for "more" - strong intense desire to please oneself through possessions, greed, money, or power. 2) Idolatry - a sin of spiritually immature people - Saul's idol was his self-image in front of the people. Aaron made the golden calf (sin of idolatry because of what the people wanted; he wanted to please the people). Idolatry is when something is more important to you than God. When the Lord corrects you, it's not because He hates you; it's because He loves you. 3) Sexual Immorality - God cannot bless sexual immorality. he cannot bless what He doesn't ordain. God blesses those united in covenant marriage. 4) Tempting the Lord - When you have the attitude that I am the exception. It is not the Lord's responsibility to help you sin. You can't defy sound judgement and expect God to make things right. God is not a vending machine. 5) Murmuring and Complaining - this indicates a lack of faith in God's will. Murmuring and complaining is the path to division. We want to have thankful hearts. A thankful heart is the gateway into the presence of God. Are you wondering in the wilderness unable to walk in all God has for you?God wants you to walk in victory. Luke 10:19 : God gives His disciples authority over the enemy. Luke 4:1-14 : Jesus was tempted and He overcame the enemy by the word of God. He came out with the power of the Spirit. The wilderness is a place where you learn to tread on serpents and you come out in the power of the Spirit. The purpose of temptation is not death by scorpion bite, but victory and the ability to walk in the power of the Spirit. 

Before God brought the Children of Israel into the Promised Land, he first took them through the desert, in the liminal space, in order to shape them and equip them for the Promised Land. Likewise, God will often take us through our desert to prepare us for what is to come, and that is often where we experience His glory.

In Peter Pan, the boy who never grew up sings proudly, “I'll never grow up — not me!” Perhaps we have sung that same tune in our faith? This week's […] The post From Neverland to the Promised Land appeared first on Broken Door Ministries.

At the end of his life, Joshua has some words of wisdom for the Israelites, now that they are in the Promised Land. We see this in the last two chapters of the Book of Joshua. He tells them that while the big things are done, there is still work to do and that they need to stick to their values and objectives. The same is true for us today – we live in the "now" and the "not yet." We have been redeemed through Jesus, but we need to stand firm in the faith, and continue to take ground for the Kingdom. We need to live a promised life.

Today, we'll see a Midian plunder: some goes to the Lord. The clans are counted at the Jordan shore across from Jericho. Joshua appointed leader and Moses gets to look at the Promised Land. Numbers 31:25-54; 26:1-65; 27:12-23.#everydaychristians

Key Takeaways: Leadership Challenges: Episode three highlights the contrast between effective and ineffective leadership, focusing on Aaron's struggles without Moses. Golden Calf Incident: This moment in biblical history is critically depicted, emphasizing the narrative's serious undertones amidst a humorous setup. Law and Order: The episode subtly showcases how ancient laws were necessary due to societal behavior, creating a connection to modern governance. Real-Life Applications: Laura and Ben praise the series for its valuable leadership insights applicable in today's world, elevating its significance beyond just entertainment. Balancing Humor and Seriousness: The series succeeds in maintaining a balance between comedic elements and profound messages, making it distinct in its genre. Notable Quotes: "When they bring something in like the Golden Calf moment, you have to take it seriously." - Laura Bennett "You don't do what the people want. You need to lead them, you need to guide them." - Ben McEachen "The internal monologue happening helps you realize your approach to leadership is less well-thought than it appears." - Laura Bennett "I liked that a sitcom actually went for it and put that up on screen." - Ben McEachen "These kind of leadership gems that you just take on board for real life." - Laura Bennett Land as Ben and Laura continue to dissect and explore each episode's deeper meanings and real-life applications. Don't miss out on engaging content that bridges ancient wisdom with modern-day lessons.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When God led His people into the Promised Land, He told them to drive out the enemies that dwelt there; but they failed to do so.  The enemies turned God's people away from Him, and God did to His people what He had planned to do to their enemies.  Some tribes were greatly diminished even before the Assyrian and Babylonian deportations.  But God preserved some of each tribe, and they must all return to that land in preparation for the Second Coming of Christ.  VF-2352 Watch, Listen and Learn 24x7 at PastorMelissaScott.com Pastor Melissa Scott teaches from Faith Center in Glendale. Call 1-800-338-3030 24x7 to leave a message for Pastor Scott. You may make reservations to attend a live service, leave a prayer request or make a commitment. Pastor Scott appreciates messages and reads them often during live broadcasts. Follow @Pastor_Scott on Twitter and visit her official Facebook page @Pastor.M.Scott. Download Pastor Scott's "Understand the Bible" app for iPhone, iPad and iPod at the Apple App Store and for Android devices in the Google Store. Pastor Scott can also be seen 24x7 on Roku and Amazon Fire on the "Understand the Bible?" channel. ©2025 Pastor Melissa Scott, Ph.D., All Rights Reserved

What do we learn about the people of Israel and God's promises to them in the last chapters of Numbers? The Rev. Dr. Reed Lessing (Professor of Theology & Ministry, Paul Edwin F. and Esther L. Laatsch Chair of Old Testament Studies, Director of the Pre-Seminary Program, and Director of The Center for Biblical Studies at Concordia University, St. Paul) joins Andy and Sarah for Episode 4 of our series on his book Hope in the Wilderness: Practical Insights from the Book of Numbers to talk about Israel's track record of idolatry, the account of Balaam and Balak and how it points us to Christ, why the account of Zelophehad's daughters is unique, the last Promised Land update in Numbers, and how Numbers point us to Christ, our Conqueror and Redeemer. Find Hope in the Wilderness: Practical Insights from the Book of Numbers from Concordia Publishing House at cph.org/hope-in-the-wilderness-practical-insights-from-the-book-of-numbers. As you grab your morning coffee (and pastry, let's be honest), join hosts Andy Bates and Sarah Gulseth as they bring you stories of the intersection of Lutheran life and a secular world. Catch real-life stories of mercy work of the LCMS and partners, updates from missionaries across the ocean, and practical talk about how to live boldly Lutheran. Have a topic you'd like to hear about on The Coffee Hour? Contact us at: listener@kfuo.org.

God has a place of promise, victory, and inheritance for every believer. In this message, Pastor Corey Erman teaches how faith, obedience, and endurance lead you into your God-given promises. Break free from wandering and step into the land God has prepared for you. “Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon I have given you…” - Joshua 1:3To support this ministry and help us reach the nations with revival visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠RiverWPB.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or text GIVE and any amount to (855) 968-3708.

Listen to this week's sermon, In the Wilderness preached by Pastor Jason Dunn from Numbers 28-36.Scripture Reading: Numbers 33:1-2; 33:55-56; 34:1-2; 35:34

Before the Israelites crossed into the Promised Land, they were instructed to consecrate themselves in preparation for the new season. Consecration is the key to fulfilling God's promises in our lives. What is the mark of consecration and how can we step from promise into our divine fulfilment? 

Before the Israelites crossed into the Promised Land, they were instructed to consecrate themselves in preparation for the new season. Consecration is the key to fulfilling God's promises in our lives. What is the mark of consecration and how can we step from promise into our divine fulfilment? 

Edward Plumptre wrote this hymn as a processional hymn, inviting those who sing to consider themselves as pilgrims through this life to the eternal life in Christ's presence. As we journey together, we sing our praises together with the whole Church, following Christ crucified as our leader. We sing with our fathers who have come before us, with saints now, and with angel choirs, toiling as the Lord's army through the struggles of sin. We find strength knowing that our march comes to an end in the heavenly Promised Land where we will dwell with the Triune God forever.  Rev. David Vandercook, pastor at Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church in Crawford, NE and Redeemer Evangelical Lutheran Church in Harrison, NE, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study LSB 813, “Rejoice, O Pilgrim Throng.”  To learn more about Bethlehem and Redeemer Lutheran, visit belccrawford.org and relcharrison.org. “Songs and Thankfulness and Praise” is a mini-series on Sharper Iron that studies a variety of hymns of thanksgiving from Lutheran Service Book. Thanksgiving is a way of life for Christians as we realize that all gifts come from God's fatherly love for us. In times of joy and sorrow, we return our thanks to Him for His never-ending goodness and mercy.   Sharper Iron, hosted by Rev. Timothy Appel, looks at the text of Holy Scripture both in its broad context and its narrow detail, all for the sake of proclaiming Christ crucified and risen for sinners. Two pastors engage with God's Word to sharpen not only their own faith and knowledge, but the faith and knowledge of all who listen. Submit comments or questions to: listener@kfuo.org

Welcome to the final episode of our Binge the Bible Podcast!During the Binge the Bible sermon series, we're exploring the first five books of the Bible — Genesis through Deuteronomy — to see how Scripture forms one connected story that reveals who God is and how we can follow Him.Each week, pastors from our teaching team sit down to go deeper into Sunday's message and unpack the major themes of the Bible together.In this episode, we're talking about the book of Deuteronomy — Moses' final speech given on the very last day of his life. We'll discuss the difference between the "Egypt Generation" and the "Wilderness Generation," and why the call to "choose life" is just as urgent for us today as it was for the Israelites standing on the edge of the Promised Land.Join us as we talk about the "Second Law," the importance of remembering God's faithfulness, the spiritual hunger we are seeing in the next generation (Gen Z), and how Deuteronomy calls us to be set apart through justice, mercy, and faith.

In this episode, we're diving into the difference between God's increase and His stretch. So often, we pray for more but sometimes, God's answer isn't to add something new, it's to expand what's already in our hands.Key Scriptures Mentioned: - Mathew 14:13-22 - John 6:1-14Resources: ★ Journal Mastery Academy - Coachyourwaytowealth.com/Journalmasteryacademy★ Start Your Own Podcast Course - https://www.skillshare.com/en/classes/How-To-Start-A-Podcast-For-Beginners/1142543427?teacherRef=958930354&via=teacher-referral&utm_campaign=teacher-referral-1142543427&utm_source=Skillshare&utm_medium=class-teacher-referral-email★ The Royal Faith Journal - https://prosperingwithchrist.systeme.io/theroyalfaithjournalFollow Us On YouTube, Tiktok, Instagram, and Facebook: @ProsperingWithChrist

Ezra 7-8

An expository sermon from Numbers 34:1-12 on the location, possession and rightful inhabitants of the Promised Land.

November 23, 2025Pastor Matt KendrickAre We There Yet?Numbers 13-14God delivered His people over and over in dramatic and only-God-could-do-it ways. Then they face a trial, and all seems lost. All of a sudden, they began to see themselves as grasshoppers to be stepped on instead of seeing themselves as God's chosen people. The people of Israel idolized the Promised Land over God Himself. Idols cannot simply be removed. They need to be replaced. By what? By Jesus taking the burden of sin and shame from you, and by looking to Him for ultimate satisfaction, joy, fulfillment, identity, and more. Thank you for listening!For more info on Redemption City Church check out our website. If you'd like to connect with us further, please fill out a Connection Card and one of our staff will get in touch with you.Follow us on on social media: Instagram, Facebook and YouTube

Title: Courage Against GiantsSpeaker: Pastor Andrew RiggsDate: 24th January 2016Location: Sydney, Australia This episode explores the theme of courage and faith when facing challenges that seem far beyond our strength. Using the story of the twelve spies in Numbers 13–14, the message highlights how God’s promises cut through fear, doubt, and overwhelming circumstances. Caleb and Joshua become key examples—men who saw the same giants as everyone else but trusted God more than the obstacles. The episode draws a clear line between recognising real problems and allowing those problems to rule our decisions. It encourages staying spiritually strong, fuelling faith through prayer, fellowship, and the Word, and trusting God for the miracles only He can provide—just as Israel needed when crossing the Jordan. The story concludes with Caleb, now 85, finally overcoming the same giants that once caused Israel to retreat, reinforcing that perseverance in faith always leads to victory. The message ultimately points to the greater inheritance ahead: eternal life, the true Promised Land for all who follow the Lord wholeheartedly. 3 Key Takeaways Courage grows when God’s promise is valued above the size of the problem. Consistent faith—fed through prayer, fellowship, and Scripture—keeps us strong through long-term battles. Perseverance leads to victory; like Caleb, some giants fall only after years of steadfast walking with God. Scripture References Numbers 13–14 Joshua 1 Joshua 3 Joshua 13 Joshua 14 Deuteronomy (general references to blessing) Hebrews (reference to entering in through belief) Listen to the entire Podcast Revival library by visiting https://podcastrevival.com The Revival Fellowship is a Bible-directed, Spirit-filled Church and we welcome visitors to our meetings at any of our locations worldwide. To find your nearest venue visit https://therevivalfellowship.com © 2025 The Revival Fellowship. All Rights Reserved.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we conclude our Be Strong series we are challenged with a powerful call to commitment from Joshua 24. It’s a moment of decision—a time to declare boldly whom we will serve. Joshua challenged God’s people to choose that day, and we’re invited to do the same. Come ready for a meaningful time of reflection and renewed devotion as we seek to live out our life mission with a “Joshua kind of faith”. Discussion Questions: In verses 1–13, Joshua walks the people back through God’s faithfulness across generations. As you look at that list, what stands out to you about who God is and how He has acted for His people? How does remembering God’s past work prepare them (and us) for renewed commitment? In verse 14, Joshua tells Israel to “fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and in faithfulness.” Based on the text, what does that kind of service look like? What specific actions does Joshua connect to wholehearted devotion? Joshua tells the people in verse 23 to “put away the foreign gods” that were still in their lives. Jon reminded us that we often hold on to our own idols even while following the Lord. What are the things in your life that, if God asked you to release them, you’d struggle the most to surrender? Where have you seen those things function as idols - shaping your decisions, your emotions, or your sense of security? Joshua tells the people to choose whom they will serve, but he’s also honest that they can’t be faithful in their own strength (v. 19). That tension points us forward to Jesus—the One who perfectly kept God’s covenant, cleanses us from our idols, and enables us to serve God wholeheartedly as we look toward our true Promised Land, the place of eternal rest (Heb. 4). How does fixing your eyes on Christ reshape the way you hear and respond to Joshua’s challenge today?

Pastor Chris begins our teaching series entitled “The Wonder of a Coming King: Advent 2025.” In this first study of the series, “The Blessing of a Coming King,” we study in the book of Numbers out of a unique part of Israel's story when a foreign king seeks to curse them as they await to end the Promised Land. God turns this moment into a blessing and one of the earliest proclamations of the Messiah who would come to fulfill the promises of God.

After the golden calf, God tells Israel He will still give them the Promised Land—but He will not go with them. What sounds like mercy becomes “a disastrous word,” because the people finally realize that the true gift was never the land or the blessings, but God's presence. As Israel mourns and Moses intercedes, the question rises with clarity: Do we want God's gifts, or do we want God Himself? Moses models a heart that cries, “If Your presence will not go with us, do not bring us up from here,” calling us to examine what we truly desire—the promise, or the Presence.

All month long, we're diving into the story of Joshua — a man chosen and equipped by God to lead His people into the Promised Land. This week, we're looking at the destruction of Jericho and the defeat at Ai, but how obedience brings breakthrough and disobedience brings defeat. But we can experience victory in the Lord. We hope you will join us!

Responding to questions from listeners about the Promised Land series on YouTube, did Rahab break the 9th commandment to protect the spies, how can an older pastor mentor a younger pastor, and are Jesus action figures a violation of the second commandment? Visit wwutt.com for all of our videos!

Everyone has struggles with a work/life balance. But how does that work when not only both spouses work in the film industry but specifically in the producer realm. That's what I'm talking to Richie & Bethany Johns about today as we talk producing as a husband and wife team in the context of their upcoming feature film Still Hope and the streaming series The Promised Land.Tell us your thoughts about today's episode: micah.theproducerpodcast@gmail.comHost: Micah VersemannGuests: Richie & Bethany Johns⁠⁠⁠Save 20% on your copy of The Producer's Life today!⁠

How does Numbers point us to Christ, our conqueror and redeemer? The Rev. Dr. Reed Lessing (Professor of Theology & Ministry, Paul Edwin F. and Esther L. Laatsch Chair of Old Testament Studies, Director of the Pre-Seminary Program, and Director of The Center for Biblical Studies at Concordia University, St. Paul) joins Andy and Sarah for Episode 3 of our series on his book Hope in the Wilderness: Practical Insights from the Book of Numbers to talk about the account of Moses striking the rock to receive water, why God barred Moses from the Promised Land, the account of the bronze serpent and how this points to Christ, what we learn about Israel's relationship with other nations, and an introduction to Balaam and Balak. Find Hope in the Wilderness: Practical Insights from the Book of Numbers from Concordia Publishing House at cph.org/hope-in-the-wilderness-practical-insights-from-the-book-of-numbers. As you grab your morning coffee (and pastry, let's be honest), join hosts Andy Bates and Sarah Gulseth as they bring you stories of the intersection of Lutheran life and a secular world. Catch real-life stories of mercy work of the LCMS and partners, updates from missionaries across the ocean, and practical talk about how to live boldly Lutheran. Have a topic you'd like to hear about on The Coffee Hour? Contact us at: listener@kfuo.org.

The Lord sends quail but it doesn't go well with the Israelites. Aaron & Miriam complain about Moses. Moses sends 12 spies into the Promised Land. The report back is not unanimous. Numbers 11:24-25; 12:1-16; 13:1-25, 26-33. #everydaychristians

The people turn on Moses. Those who were afraid to go into the Promised Land receive bad news. Korah & followers oppose Moses. Numbers 14:1-12,13-38, 39-45; 15:32-42; 16:1-14. #everydaychristians

Welcome to SHIPWRECKED & COMATOSE, an in-depth podcast dedicated to the classic BBC science-fiction sitcom, Red Dwarf. After finishing out coverage of The Promised Land, we're nearly out of 'proper' Red Dwarf content now! There's a few specials and DVD extras that we're going to look at in 2026, but we've covered all the episodes of the show now! As such, we're going to embrace our love of specials covering weird and wonderful stuff peripheral to our favourite sci-fi sitcom!   Welcome to our look at Blade Runner. This iconic film is acknowledged by Doug Naylor as one of his greatest influences and is homaged (plagiarised?) in Back To Earth. Matt, Kurt and Mark take a look at this cult film and compare it to Back To Earth.   Host: Matt Latham Co-Hosts: Mark Adams and Kurt North Editor: Matt Latham   BlueSky/Insta: @RedDwarfPod Our network on BlueSky: @filmstories Our network on Insta: @filmstoriesmagazineuk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After settling in the Promised Land, God makes a promise to His people. Obey Him and be blessed or go their own way and face the consequences. Will the people choose to follow God? U-Nite TV Uniting kids with the God's Word in a fun, engaging way to help kids understand and apply biblical truths to their lives. Stream animated adventures, music videos, missionary stories, and more! Available on Android, iOS, Android TV, and Apple TV. https://www.cefonline.com/unitetv/ Copyright © 2025 Child Evangelism Fellowship Inc. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

We are all seeking a place to belong and dwell. Only in Jesus can we experience rest and satisfaction. Jesus is our dwelling place. He is our home. He is our Promised Land. Have you been blessed by our podcast? Give and support this ministry at LivingRevelations.com/donationsWant to join our Online Bible Studies? Have any questions, prayer requests, or testimonies? Email us at info@livingrevelations.com.REGISTER for the 2026 Created with Purpose Conference happening May 15-16, 2026: livingrevelations.com/discover-your-purpose-conferenceFollow us on Instagram: @livingrevelationsFollow us on Facebook: @livingrevelationsSubscribe on Youtube: @livingrevelationsSupport the show

Worship led by Danny Gutierrez

For a long time, there's been this mostly unspoken rule that “real” outdoor experiences have to be rugged. You've got to rough it, hike ten miles in the rain, sleep on the ground and eat beans from a can — or else it somehow doesn't count. Luckily, that's changing. More and more people are discovering that you don't have to give up comfort to connect with the outdoors. Here in Pennsylvania – especially in state parks - that change has been evident. Instead of only offering tent sites, state parks have cottages, cabins, yurts and other accommodations. Many offer amenities like stoves, refrigerators, microwaves, tables and chairs.No longer are you forced to pack up everything you own for a weekend in the woods. You can book a comfortable accommodation AND still be in nature. However, these upgraded accommodations still have rubbed people the wrong way. It isn't “real' camping. What does that even mean anyway? Real camping? Does it mean sleeping on the ground. Waking up with a sore back and condensation in the tent. Cold and miserable. No thanks. It's that sort of attitude that I despise in the outdoors. You're not a real hiker unless. You're not a real hunter unless. You're not really camping unless. It's such a pointless and divisive way of thinking. Thankfully, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources does not think that way. They are more considered with getting people outdoors and meeting them where they are in their outdoor recreation journey. As opposed to bending them to their will.That's why I was so excited when they announced in 2025 that they were partnering with Timberline Glamping Company to bring glamping to seven Pennsylvania state parks in 2026. The public would have the chance to reserve one of the 54 fully outfitted sites —no gear needed. Glamping will be available in Pymatuning, Hills Creek, Promised Land, Hickory Run, French Creek, Codorus and Laurel Hill State Parks. Timberline will provide the beds, heat, air conditioning, coffee maker, linens, pillows and comfortable accommodations. All you have to bring is an open mind and a sense of adventure. These wonderful glamping spots are creating space for everyone to experience the magic of nature in their own way. By making the outdoors accessible for everyone- from people who don't own camping gear to those physically unable to sleep in a tent - glamping is opening doors, breaking down barriers and reimagining what it means to “get outside.” Because nature belongs to all of us — whether you're sleeping under the stars or under a heated canopy.On this episode I speak with Nathan and Rebeka Self, founders of Timberline Glamping Company, and Kaitlyn Gundersen-Thorpe, manager of the French Creek State Park Complex. Be sure to support our 2025 sponsors:Keystone Trails AssociationPurple Lizard MapsPennsylvania Parks and Forests FoundationSisters' SunflowersSupport the showVisit our website to learn more about the podcast, to purchase merch and to find out about our incredible sponsors. Follow us on Instagram and Meta to stay connected. Hosting, production and editing: Christian AlexandersenMusic: Jon SauerGraphics: Matt Davis

This week, Pastor Will turns to Deuteronomy 30:11–20 and invites us on a kind of “time travel” through Scripture—standing with Moses on the edge of the Promised Land, with the exiles in Babylon, and right here in our own mid-November moment. In a world of endless daily decisions and modern idols, we hear God's simple, challenging call to us as a community: choose life, together, and build a future of hope.Scripture references: Psalm 1:1-3; John 15:1-11; and Deuteronomy 30:11-20“WE CHOOSE PRAISE”  -- CCLI Song # 7238059  |  Dameon Aranda | David Wellman | Dustin Smith | Stephen Cole  |  © Acorns To Oaks Publishing; Bell Music Publishing; Life.Church Publishing Group; Remaining portion is unaffiliated  |  For use solely with the SongSelect® Terms of Use. All rights reserved. www.ccli.com"GO NOW IN PEACE" – Words by Nancy Price and Don Besig -- Music by Don Besig -- Copyright (c) 1988 by Harold Flammer Music, a Division of Shawnee Press, Inc. -- International Copyright Secured   All Rights Reserved 

The Wilderness Hyperlink Episode (E12) — In every theme study, we try to isolate a biblical topic and trace its appearances in the biblical story. But it's important to remember that biblical themes all harmonize and play off of one another, like instruments in an orchestra. That's why as we went back through our library of episodes, the wilderness setting came up often. How did Moses fail his test in the wilderness? How did Jesus succeed in the wilderness? How does the wilderness lead us all into final Sabbath rest? In this hyperlink episode, we'll listen to clips from previous podcast series where the theme of the wilderness came up in Jon and Tim's conversations.View all of our resources for The Wilderness →CHAPTERS  Why Couldn't Moses Enter the Promised Land? (0:00-19:37)Jesus With the Wild Beasts (19:37-33:35)Hebrews: The Quest for Final Rest (33:35-41:52)OFFICIAL EPISODE TRANSCRIPTView this episode's official transcript.REFERENCED RESOURCESClip 1 is from “Why Couldn't Moses Enter the Promised Land?”, episode 6 in our 2022 series, Numbers Scroll.Clip 2 is from “Jesus With the Wild Beasts,” episode 7 in our 2019 series Son of Man.Clip 3 is from “Hebrews: The Quest for Final Rest,” episode 14 in our 2019 series Seventh-Day Rest - Sabbath.The Last Adam: A Theology of the Obedient Life of Jesus in the Gospels by Brandon CroweYou can view annotations for this episode—plus our entire library of videos, podcasts, articles, and classes—in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.Check out Tim's extensive collection of recommended books here.SHOW MUSIC“milk & honey.” by Lofi Sunday, PAINT WITH SOUND“Cool Breeze” by Lofi Sunday, TbabzBibleProject theme song by TENTSSHOW CREDITSProduction of today's episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Tyler Bailey is our supervising engineer, who also edited today's episode and provided the sound design and mix. JB Witty does our show notes, and Hannah Woo provides the annotations for our app. Our host for today is Michelle Jones. Our creative director is Jon Collins, and our lead scholar is Tim Mackie. Powered and distributed by Simplecast. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the tenth episode of "The Mystery of Seeds," Duane Sheriff reveals the biblical truth about the dual nature of reaping, which can be either a blessing or a hardship. While we often reap what we sow, there are also instances where we reap where we did not sow.This dual reality, rooted in John 4:35-38, shows that when the Israelites entered the Promised Land, they reaped cities they had not built and vineyards they had not planted. This parallel helps us to recognize the unearned blessings in our lives, while also understanding our responsibility to sow good seeds.This mystery reveals why some believers struggle with self-condemnation when facing challenges, not realizing they're experiencing casualties of living in a fallen world. Understanding this principle offers incredible freedom—no longer questioning, "what did I do wrong?" Instead, focus on sowing good seeds by faith through God's grace.The Mystery of Seeds - Duane Sheriff Ministries

Fr. Mike discusses our call to deny ourselves and take up our cross, specifically focusing on God's call to renounce all that is ours and trust in him. He also highlights the story of Mary and Martha and encourages us not to allow the cares of life to choke the life of God out of our lives as Martha allowed her troubles and anxieties to do. Today's readings are from Luke 9-10 and Proverbs 26:4-6. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/bibleinayear. Please note: The Bible contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

Fr. Mike elaborates on the significance of the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River. He points out that the location of the Jordan River is particularly noteworthy because it's the same river that Joshua crossed over to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land, signifying that Jesus will bring about a new exodus. Additionally, it's the lowest spot on the planet, symbolizing Jesus' humility. Finally, Fr. Mike emphasizes that when we are baptized, we are adopted as beloved sons and daughters of God because what belongs to Jesus by his nature is given to us by God's grace. Today we read Luke 3-5 and Proverbs 25:27-28. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/bibleinayear. Please note: The Bible contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.