Podcasts about Rahab

Is there something you know God is calling you to do — but you just haven't done it yet? A conversation you've been avoiding. A step you've been putting off. A river you can see but won't cross.In this message from our Uncharted: A Study in Joshua series, we look at two people in Joshua 2 and 3 who faced that exact moment — and what happened when they finally stepped in.Rahab had no safety net. The priests had no guarantee. But both of them stepped out in faith — and neither of them regretted it.The miracle doesn't come before the step. It comes after.Whatever your Jordan River is — this message is for you.

Tim Rice

The people of Jericho heard about what the Lord did for His people, and they were fearful, but only Rahab acted upon what she heard and was saved.

Media information about this sermon Title: God Honoured The Token of RahabIn Tamil: தேவன் ராகாபின் அடையாளத்தைக் கனம்பண்ணினார்Author: Pastor A. SamuelLanguage: TamilEvent: Sunday WorshipSession: Morning @ 8:30 AMTotal Duration: 2 Hours 51 Minutes Note: For any questions, please reach us from here

Adrian Rogers reveals four things about the power of faith from the story of Rahab the prostitute in Joshua 2. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/135/29?v=20251111

Here's part two of a fictional story I wrote called The Two Doors and the Merciful Judge. It's an allegory that serves as a companion to Kinda Judgy: Finding Mercy for Myself and Others in Six Stories of the Bible—my new book releasing with Moody Publishers!! (Order your copy here.)Order Kinda JudgyWatch the Replay of our Girls' Night Celebration!The Two Doors & the Merciful Judge SeriesHow Judgy Are You? (Take the Quiz)Find the whole series here.  Learn more at ShannonPopkin.com.

Adrian Rogers reveals four things about the power of faith from the story of Rahab the prostitute in Joshua 2. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/135/29?v=20251111

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And she said, According unto your words, so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window. (Joshua 2:21) **This is audio of Reading and Sermon only** - *See PDF for hymn sheet and scarlet line poem* ~~~~~~~~ A Thursday morning service in the lounge of Milward Pilgrim Home, Tunbridge Wells Kent. ~~~~~~~~ *1/ Who Rahab's faith looked to. 2/ How her faith was evidenced. 3/ How it proved true* **Sermon Summary:** The sermon centers on Rahab's faith as a Gentile woman whose trust in the God of Israel, demonstrated through her actions and the scarlet cord she bound in her window, secured her and her household's salvation. Her faith was rooted in the historical acts of God—particularly the parting of the Red Sea and the conquest of the Amorite kings—and culminated in a clear confession of the LORD as the one true God. This faith was evidenced not in words alone, but in her courageous decision to shelter the spies, risk her life, and seek a token of deliverance, which mirrored the Passover blood and pointed to Christ's atoning sacrifice. The scarlet cord became a visible sign of her reliance on God's promise, a testimony visible to all yet ultimately seen and honoured by God, who preserved her house which was on the wall when Jericho fell. Her inclusion in the lineage of Christ and the faith hall of Hebrews 11 affirms that true faith is both personal and life-transforming, leading to eternal belonging in God's people. The message calls believers to examine where their faith is placed, how it is evidenced in their lives, and to trust solely in Christ's blood as their only hope.

May 17,2026

Lecturas textuales de La Santa Palabra de Dios, Elohim Adonai1 Hermanos míos, no tengáis vuestra fe en nuestro glorioso Señor Jesucristo con una actitud de favoritismo. 2 Porque si en vuestra congregación entra un hombre con anillo de oro y vestido de ropa lujosa, y también entra un pobre con ropa sucia, 3 y dais atención especial al que lleva la ropa lujosa, y decís: Tú siéntate aquí, en un buen lugar; y al pobre decís: Tú estate allí de pie, o siéntate junto a mi estrado; 4 ¿no habéis hecho distinciones entre vosotros mismos, y habéis venido a ser jueces con malos pensamientos? 5 Hermanos míos amados, escuchad: ¿No escogió Dios a los pobres de este mundo para ser ricos en fe y herederos del reino que Él prometió a los que le aman? 6 Pero vosotros habéis menospreciado al pobre. ¿No son los ricos los que os oprimen y personalmente os arrastran a los tribunales? 7 ¿No blasfeman ellos el buen nombre por el cual habéis sido llamados? 8 Si en verdad cumplís la ley real conforme a la Escritura: Amarás a tu prójimo como a ti mismo, bien hacéis. 9 Pero si mostráis favoritismo, cometéis pecado y sois hallados culpables por la ley como transgresores. 10 Porque cualquiera que guarda toda la ley, pero tropieza en un punto, se ha hecho culpable de todos. 11 Pues el que dijo: No cometas adulterio, también dijo: No mates. Ahora bien, si tú no cometes adulterio, pero matas, te has convertido en transgresor de la ley. 12 Así hablad y así proceded, como los que han de ser juzgados por la ley de la libertad. 13 Porque el juicio será sin misericordia para el que no ha mostrado misericordia; la misericordia triunfa sobre el juicio.14 ¿De qué sirve, hermanos míos, si alguno dice que tiene fe, pero no tiene obras? ¿Acaso puede esa fe salvarlo? 15 Si un hermano o una hermana no tienen ropa y carecen del sustento diario, 16 y uno de vosotros les dice: Id en paz, calentaos y saciaos, pero no les dais lo necesario para su cuerpo, ¿de qué sirve? 17 Así también la fe por sí misma, si no tiene obras, está muerta. 18 Pero alguno dirá: Tú tienes fe y yo tengo obras. Muéstrame tu fe sin las obras, y yo te mostraré mi fe por mis obras. 19 Tú crees que Dios es uno. Haces bien; también los demonios creen, y tiemblan. 20 Pero, ¿estás dispuesto a admitir, oh hombre vano, que la fe sin obras es estéril? 21 ¿No fue justificado por las obras Abraham nuestro padre cuando ofreció a Isaac su hijo sobre el altar? 22 Ya ves que la fe actuaba juntamente con sus obras, y como resultado de las obras, la fe fue perfeccionada; 23 y se cumplió la Escritura que dice: Y Abraham creyó a Dios y le fue contado por justicia, y fue llamado amigo de Dios. 24 Vosotros veis que el hombre es justificado por las obras y no solo por la fe. 25 Y de la misma manera, ¿no fue la ramera Rahab también justificada por las obras cuando recibió a los mensajeros y los envió por otro camino? 26 Porque así como el cuerpo sin el espíritu está muerto, así también la fe sin las obras está muerta.--------------1986, 1995, 1997 by The Lockman FoundationMás información sobre La Biblia de las Américas

In this episode of "The Mom Next Door: Stories of Faith," guest Rhonda Stoppe reflects on the lessons she's learned from studying the mothers of the Bible. She challenges the myth that a mother's success is determined by her children's choices, and shares practical insight on handling mom guilt, comparison, and prodigal children. Highlighting fearless, flawed, and faithful biblical moms—including Rahab, Esther, Rebecca, Naomi, and unnamed women—Rhonda encourages listeners to focus on daily faithfulness, embrace mentorship, and trust God's work beyond what they can see. Her stories and biblical wisdom offer hope that ordinary, imperfect mothers can make an extraordinary impact.

Looking at three examples in the Bible of people who abandoned their previous group identity to join God's family, we see a pattern to emulate. Rather than thinking of yourself as an American or a businessman or a student who goes to church, think of yourself as a child of God who is also an American or a businessman or a student. Joshua 2:1-21 Rahab took a huge risk protecting the Israelite spies. She had heard about Yahweh who had demonstrated his power in Egypt and she wanted in. Joshua 6:15-25 She abandoned her Canaanite group identity to become an Israelite herself. She and Salmon had a son called Boaz who became a man of integrity and compassion. Ruth 1:7-9, 18 Ruth responded to Naomi's immense suffering through a self-sacrificial act of loyalty. She abandoned her Moabite identity to care for her mother-in-law, taking on her religious beliefs and practices. Ruth 3:10-11 Rahab's son, Boaz, took note of Ruth's character and loyalty. He married her and their child was the grandfather of the great king David. Philippians 3:4-6 Paul was a man of religious fervor and zeal. As a Pharisee, he adhered to the strictest sect of Judaism. That was his identity. Acts 9:3-6 When Jesus presented himself to Paul it resulted in his sudden abandonment of his previous group. Henceforth he threw his lot in with the Christians, the very people he had been persecuting. Philippians 3:7-9 Rather than mourning the loss of his old group identity, Paul now considered all his previous accomplishments as trash in comparison to “the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus.” What is your group identity? Do you first think of yourself as a child of God, part of his family, or does your identity lay elsewhere?The post Transformation 2: The Kind of People We Are first appeared on Living Hope.

Topics: Explanation of Epistle of James, James 2:14-26, James 2:14 and Faith Without Works Is Dead, Why Faith Alone Cannot Save According to James, The Historical Error of Justification Before Men, Even the Demons Believe, Misinterpreting the Dead Body Metaphor in James 2:26, Abraham Declared Righteous by Faith Decades Before Isaac in Genesis 15, How James Chapter Two Spits on the Cross, Rahab the Prostitute in Joshua 2, Demanding Old Testament Cleansing Rituals in New Covenant Times, Acts 15 and Why James Imposed Levitical Restrictions on Gentile Converts, Exposing the Legalistic Mixture of Jesus Plus Moses, The True Meaning of Faith Without Works Is Dead, Why James Only Mentions Grace Twice in His Letter, The Pre-Acts 15 Dating of the Epistle of James, Paul Stating the Complete Opposite of James in Romans 4:4, Why the Law of Liberty and Royal Law Is a Legalistic Oxymoron, Salvation Fully Apart from Law Observance in Romans 3:20, James Demanding Works of the Mosaic Law for Salvation, Works Competition with Demons, Disappearing Covenants and the Obsolete Law in Hebrews 8:13, The Nazarite Purification Ritual Forced Upon Paul in Acts 21, What the Pinned Down Thief on the Cross Proves, Cleansing Your Hands vs Being Already Washed, Drawing Near Through Animal Blood vs the Blood of Jesus, Why the Box Church Waters Down James, The Complete Sufficiency of Justification Solely by Grace, Unlearning the Covenant Mixture Found in James, How James Made Up the Timeline Accounts of Abraham and Rahab, The Exclusive Twelve Tribes Audience of the Epistle of James, Total Defeat of Sin Consciousness Under True GraceSupport the showSign up for Matt's free daily devotional!  https://mattmcmillen.com/newsletter

Message: Mark Christian, Senior MinisterPassage: Joshua 2:1-24Series: Joshua: A Man After God's Victory

Contentment is more than having enough. It is the deep peace that comes from trusting God, even when life feels uncertain. In this message, we look at the story of Jericho, Rahab, and Achan to discover how God's mercy, guidance, and grace lead us to lasting contentment.When the Israelites stood before the impossible walls of Jericho, God already had a plan. He used an unlikely person named Rahab and showed that no one is beyond His reach. The same God who made a way for them is still working in situations that seem impossible today.At the same time, the story of Achan reminds us that hidden sin robs us of peace. What promises happiness often leaves us restless, burdened, and distant from God. True contentment cannot grow where sin remains unconfessed.The good news is that failure is never the end of the story. Through Jesus, there is mercy, forgiveness, and restoration. When we bring our struggles to Him, He gives us the strength to overcome, the grace to begin again, and the joy that comes from living in close fellowship with Him.Subscribe to Our Channel! New to LifeRock? Click here: liferockchurch.org/get-connectedTo support this ministry and help us reach people in our community. Click here: liferockchurch.org/giveDo you need someone to pray for you? We will pray for you. Click here: liferockchurch.org/online-prayerFollow: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LifeRockColumbiaInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/LifeRockChurchX: https://www.x.com/LifeRockChurch

Group Guide Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week. 2 Samuel 16:15-17:29 Spencer Cary Download TranscriptMy name is Spencer and I am one of the pastors here. We are going to be in 2 Samuel chapter 16. We're going to go all the way through chapter 17 today. So, if you have a Bible around you, those black Bibles, you can grab one of those. We're going on page 306. and most of the text or all of this text will be on in those Bibles. We'll have some text on the screen as well. I'll try to cue when that comes up, but you can go ahead and follow along there. I've been following Jesus for 20 years at this point.And there are times when you follow Jesus long enough that just feel really dark. whether that's for suffering, whether that's affliction, sadness, all types of things that come upon us. But there are times where it just feels very very dark. But like the words we just sang, when darkness seems to hide his face, as the original hymn said, when darkness veils his lovely face. It's just this idea that if you follow God long enough, you're going to have times where you just don't feel the presence of God. you don't feel his goodness. And then when that happens, there are questions that begin to linger.Does God love me? Is he for me? Does he care about me? And those questions can linger in a way and surface and sometimes resurface when we are going through times that are difficult, when we're traveling through times that are very dark. Man, if you follow Christ long enough, that's that's going to happen. the reality of following Jesus this side of the fall. But then there are moments there are moments where God in the middle of darkness and his kindness breaks through. And it doesn't always mean that your circumstances get better. But in the middle of suffering, in the middle of what feels like hopelessness, God meets us in some wonderful and powerful ways.And that is the experience that all of God's people feel in the lifetime, the marathon of following Jesus. And maybe that's you right now. Maybe that maybe that's where you're at. That you just feel darkness and all the things that come with that we just talked about. And if that is you, and certainly for all of us, it will be us at some point. If that is you, then this part of the story of David is actually going to be, I think, wildly encouraging because David's been in it. We have I mean it's like week after week as we're following his story right now. He's living in the aftermath of his sin against Bathsheba and Uriah and he's dealing with the discipline of the Lord and it just feels unrelenting.But today, we're going to see that in the middle of all of this darkness that he's walking through, we're going to see God shine through like like a like like in a really difficult storm, like a light that just pierces through. We're going to see some hope that's found in that. And then as we look at this as Christians, we'll be able to take a step back and see that this is the hope that he has for us as well. So, I'm going to pray for us and then we're going to work through the story together. Heavenly Father, I thank you for the good news of the gospel that we just got to read, sing, and pray.I pray that you would help us as we seek to understand who you are even as we encounter the sufferings of this present life. So may you give us ears to hear in Jesus' name. Amen. All right. All right. So, before we jump into verse 15, let's recap a little bit where Mike took us last week. Absalom, the son of David, has been leading to this point a very successful rebellion, a civil war against his father, King David. And David has fled Jerusalem. Absalom has entered Jerusalem, is set up on the throne. And now Absalom is seeking to establish his reign. Picking up in verse 15. Now Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel came to Jerusalem and Ahithophel with him. Okay? So Absalom has a party of men of followers of leaders and it's going to be referred to as the men of Israel. And the most prominentfigure in that party is a man named Ahithophel. Ahithophel is a counselor to the king. He was a counselor to David. He was someone that David brought in to give wise counsel and advice. But now he's betrayed David and he's joined his son in this rebellion. And we don't really know why. Some have theorized that Ahithophel that when you follow his line, he has a son named Iliam. And that that might be the same Iliam that is the father of Bathsheba. That this might be the grandfather of Bathsheba and that he's exacting some type of revenge against David here. We don't know that to be true, but he has betrayed David and now he's joined in with Absalom and he's giving counsel to him. But he's not the only one seeking to give counsel to this new king. Verse 16.And when Hushai the Archite, David's friend, came to Absalom, Hushai said to Absalom, "Long live the king." Long live the king. Okay, we'll pause there. There are a lot of names as we're going to see in the story today. There's a lot of names last week, so some of this stuff is hard to track. But if you remember back from last week, Hushai is a spy that David has sent to disrupt Ahithophel. So in 2 Samuel 15, what we read last week in verse 34, this will be on the screen. It says, "But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, I will be your servant, O king, as I've been your father's servant in time past, so now I will be your servant. Then you will defeat for me the counsel of Ahithophel." This is David sending in Hushai to defeat the counsel of Ahithophel, which he knows is going to be veryhelpful to Absalom. And then in verse 37 it says, "So Hushai, David's friend, came into the city just as Absalom was entering Jerusalem." So that's what's happened here. He has sent he sent Hushai in to be rival counsel to Ahithophel to disrupt all of this. And Hushai, who's playing the part of double agent quite well, comes in immediately and says, "Long live the king."Now Absalom may be pretty but he's not that stupid because he knows that Hushai is a friend to David. So he responds verse 17. And Absalom said to Hushai, "Is this your loyalty to your friend? Why did you not go with your friend?" And Hushai said to Absalom, "No, for whom the Lord and this people and all that the men of Israel have chosen, his I will be, and with him I will remain. And again, whom should I serve? Should it not be his son? As I have served your father, so I will serve you." So Absalom says, " don't you like play golf with my dad?Like, aren't y'all boys? What's happening here? Why are you where why are you here?" And he's like, "No, no, no, no, no, no, no. I play golf with whoever sits on the throne. I'm for the position, not the man. And the Lord is with you and the people are with you. So I am with you. So I'm here to help you. And it's great. You're David's son. You're the next. So he plays the part of double agent quite well. He doesn't get immediately thrown out. The question is, is he going to be able to keep his cover as he's trying to infiltrate his way into Absalom's influence? Verse 20, then Absalom said to Ahithophel, "Give your counsel. What shall we do?" So he's looking to what's my next move is now that I've established my place in Jerusalem. And Ahithophel in verse 21 said to Absalom, "Go into your father's concubines whom he has left to keep thehouse and all Israel will hear that you've made yourself a stench to your father and the hands of all who are with you will be strengthened." Okay, that is a diabolical plan. All right, for a variety of reasons. First, this is a egregious sin. This is an egregious violation of the law. Leviticus 20:11 prohibits this. It gives the death penalty for anyone who will lay with his father's wife. And though concubines were seen as lesser status wives in the reign of the kings, they still are wives of the king. So what Ahithophel has recommended is a wicked and gross violation of the law. But as far as evil plans go in and its most brilliant base form, it's smart. From a worldly perspective, from a godless perspective, this is a massive power play. This is his way to show all the rebels that are fighting for him that I mean business.So it's wicked and it's evil and it's vile and it's obscene, but also it's very cunning. So Ahithophel gives him this counsel and Absalom listens. Verse 22. So they pitch a tent for Absalom on the roof. And Absalom went into his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel.Now in those days the counsel that Ahithophel gave was as if one consulted the word of God. So was all the counsel of Ahithophel esteemed both by David and by Absalom. And that's a way of saying that Ahithophel's counsel was so valued. It was like hearing the word of God. Meaning that the word of God says this, you do it. Ahithophel says this, you do it. And he recommends this rebellious, cunning, and wicked act. And Absalom does it. And they pitch a tent. And they work out this plan in front of all of Israel. But this is also fulfilling the prophecy of Nathan after David sinned with Bathsheba and murdering Uriah. For Nathan the prophet in 2 Samuel 12 will be on the screen. It says, "Thus says the Lord, behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house, and I will take your wives before your eyes and givethem to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of the sun. for you did it secretly, but I will do this before this thing before all Israel and before the sun. So God gives up Absalom to his own sinful desires. And this brings judgment upon David and his house. And Ahithophel's counsel is followed. And he makes himself a stench to David and his followers. Now he's got more counsel to give becausenow they've got to reckon with David himself. And this is where we're going to see rival counselors Ahithophel and then Hushai is going to come into the scene and both of them function like the cabinet of the king. Right? So if you follow US history every US president has a cabinet and if you follow some of the biggest battles that have happened between these cabinet members. These are counselors to the king. The biggest one is is the original cabinet. So in Washington's presidency, he had Jefferson and then he had Hamilton. And both of them represented two very different political philosophies. That's why he put them in the counsel in the first place in the cabinet because he wanted to see two rival philosophies go at it, which didn't work out very well. They actually ended up forming two different political parties that came out of that. But if you follow theythey've written all this down. If you follow some of the history of how they fought, there were times where Hamilton would go on these 45minute monologues. He just go on and on and on and on and on and on and on and it's and this recorded that Jefferson would just be like head back just like just so annoying. And then there are times where Jefferson would win the day and he would get the influence of Washington and it's recorded that he would like sneer and like make faces at Hamilton, which is just funny because these are our founding fathers. of the people that helped found this nation and we can all act like children in our own sinful state at times. But that's not abnormal.That's not just US history. That's ancient history. That's happened for thousands of years that kings and presidents and prime ministers and sovereign leaders, they have counsel that they bring in often to oppose one another to find what is the best way forward. So what we're going to see is that type of cabinet battle here starting in verse one of chapter 17. Moreover, Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Let me choose 12,000 men, and I will arise and pursue David tonight. I will come upon him while he is weary and discouraged and throw him into a panic, and all the people who are with him will flee. I will strike down only the king, and I will bring all the people back to you as a bride comes home to her husband. You seek the life of only one man and all the people will be at peace and the advice seemed right in the eyes ofAbsalom and all the elders of Israel. Okay. So Ahithophel's plan I'll be honest is very very good. This is a good plan. He says listen we have a standing army of 12,000 men tonight that we can ride out of here. In fact, I will lead this. I will lead. You can stay put. I'll lead these 12,000 men. And we're going to catch David because David's not just traveling with his warriors. He's also traveling with his wives and probably some of his children, but with some grandchildren. He's got and they're tired and they're discouraged and they're weary. And he says, "You know what's going to happen?We're going to come upon them. It's going to be like lightning warfare. Boom. We're going to come in quick. And then all we have to do is cut off the head of the snake. All we have to do is take out David. There won't be lots of bloodshed. Only one man has to die. And then guess what? You're good. There's no more threat. Everyone gets behind you and you're the king. Now, that's an objectively good plan. All the commentators, everyone's looked at this and said, "That's a smart way to do this." And they hear it and they say, "Absalom likes this. The elders who are sitting in counsel like this." Now seems to be happening here is you got Absalom with a counsel of elders. Ahithophel comes in he makes his pitch and they like it and then he exits. Then verse 5, then Absalom said call Hushai the Architealso and let us hear what he has to say. So Ahithophel leaves Hushai comes in and now Hushai has to follow up a very very good plan. And that's difficult because if you have to outdo a very very good plan, you it's hard. If someone said, you know what, you're going to have to out-pitch ice cream as the staple dessert. That's a hard thing to do. You know why? Because ice cream is amazing. The fact that you can take the best part of milk, which is cream, and slowly turn it to where it's not so hard where it's just like ice, and it's not too soft that it's just this perfectly formed. and you could throw chocolate in it and all types of things. The person who pitches that idea originally, that's a good pitch. It's for you to come in and try to pitch something else. Unless milkhates you, it's a pretty good dessert. So that's what's that's happening here. Hushai is has to come in. He's going to outdo a very very good plan. Verse six. When Hushai came to Absalom, Absalom said to him, "Thus has Ahithophel spoken. Shall we do what shall we do as he says? If not, you speak." So they tell him, "This is Ahithophel's plan. Should we do what he says?" Verse 7. Then Hushai said to Absalom, This time the counsel that Ahithophel has given is not good, which I so appreciate as the opener to what we're about to read as a monologue because it's like Ahithophel has chosen poorly. Like, this is just no. It's the equivalent of Trump just saying wrong when someone says something it's just no immediately we're diverging this is not a good plan so then he starts to pitch his plan first by poisoning thewell of Ahithophel's plan verse eight said you know that your father and his men are mighty men and that they are enraged like a bear robbed of her cubs in the field. Besides, your father is an expert in war. He will not spend the night with the people. Behold, even now he has hidden himself in one of the pits or in some other place. And as soon as some of the people fall at the first attack, whoever hears this, hears it will say, "There has been a slaughter among the people who follow Absalom." Then even the valiant men whose heart is like the heart of a lion will utterly melt with fear. For all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man and those who are with him are valiant men. All right, pause.Hushai basically chooses fear. He chooses fear, which I don't know if you've been bombarded with the most obnoxious political ads that have been ra running right now, but all of them, 95% of them are fear-based because fear is effective. So, he chooses fear. He says, "You ever seen a bear robbed of her cubs? It's not good. You don't want to get in the middle of that." And he's enraged. They're furious. They're very upset with you, Absalom. So, I know you're thinking, "We've got the numbers. We've got 12,000 men. We can catch them off guard. First off, no you won't. You think David is stupid? He's hiding. He's off. You remember how you used to be hiding in the caves all the time? You think you're going to find him easily cut off the head of the snake? No. No.No. You He's not with his people. You're about to enter a hornets's nest. And let me tell you something. This is what he does. He says he says, "Your men, they've got strong hearts. Some of them courageous like lions. But the moment they start taking L's on the battlefield, the moment they start getting slaughtered, it's going to spread like wildfire. And everyone knows that David and his mighty men are bad. And that is 100% true. I mean, you look at some of their resumes, they are bad to the bone. And he says the moment that they start hearing that people are getting slaughtered, your men'll run.Seeing them not super courageous once they start getting defeated, that's a bad plan. So that's how Hushai begins. He poisons the well with fear. Okay. Now that he's poisoned it, he's going to shift to his plan. Verse 11. But my counsel is that all Israel be gathered to you from Dan to Beersheba as the sand by the sea for multitude, and that you go to battle in person. So we shall come upon him in some place where he is to be found and we shall light upon him as dew falls on the ground and of him and all the men who are with him not one will be left. If he withdraws into a city then all Israel will bring ropes to that city. We shall drag it into the valley until not even a pebble is to be found there.Okay. So what Hushai just did is he is wisely buying time. That's what he's doing. Ahithophel's plan is quick. That night he says, "No, no, no, no, no, no, no. You don't want that. Already talked about this. This is this this is going to go wrong for you. Also, Ahithophel's super old. You want him leading you to battle?" No. Here's what's going to happen. We're going to slow it down. We're going to go from Dan to Beersheba, which is basically from north to south. Think Maine to Florida. Okay? We're going to gather all the people of Israel, not 12,000 men, hundreds of thousands of men. We're going to get all of them in our side. that we're going to find David and we're going to surround him. He doesn't matter how mighty his men are, we will have numbers upon numbers upon numbers. And then once we surround him, we're going to win. And ifsomehow he escapes and he makes it to a city where there's where there's walls, guess what? We'll have so many people we'll take ropes, throw it over the wall, rip the walls down, bring all the pebbles into the valley, and guess what? We'll kill every single one of them. That's the option. That's the one you should choose. It's guaranteed. It's going to take some time. But let me tell you something. You don't want to go out without the numbers. That is Hushai's plan. And you've got these two different plans. One, which still, I'll be honest, is way better. Very quick. 12,000 men coming upon them as they've been running. They've got women and children with them. Boom. Kill David. Done. or Hushai's plan which is long drawn out buying time.What are you going to choose? Both are given. Verse 14. And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, "The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel. For the Lord had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel so that the Lord might bring harm upon Absalom. So they choose Hushai's plan. And what we see in this is this is what David prayed for. If you remember back in 2 Samuel 15:31, it says, "And David said this on the screen." Oh Lord, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness. He prays this and God answers this prayer. For it says, "The Lord had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel so the Lord might bring harm upon Absalom." David's prayer is answered because ultimately God is going to bring judgment upon Absalom for his wickedness and his rebellion against David, the Lord's anointed king.So while that's happening, Hushai seemingly he's out of the room. So he's left the room. They're in here discussing this and they are making the decision that Hushai's plan is very very good. Hushai outside the room is now not going to wait to see what happens next because he heard Ahithophel's plan and that's a good plan. So he has got to get a word to David because David is exactly where Ahithophel said he would be. He's out in the open. He's not hiding. So that was all smoke and mirrors and he's got to get word to David in case Ahithophel's plan is taken. And that's what we pick up in verse 15. Then Hushai said to Zadok and Abiathar the priest. Okay, we got a lot of names here. Stay with me. Zadok and Abiathar are priests, Levitical priests that were loyal to David. So Hushai said to Zadok and Abiathar, the priest,thus and so did Ahithophel's counsel, Ahithophel counsel, Absalom and the elders of Israel. And thus and so have I counseled. Now therefore send quickly and tell David do not stay tonight at the fords of the wilderness but by all means pass over lest the king and all the people who are with him be swallowed up. So he says you've got to leave now. If they follow Ahithophel's plan they're going to catch you. You've got to get out of town. You got to get out of the wilderness. You got to get away as far as you can. So that's the word they give to Zadok and Abiathar. Verse 17. Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were waiting at En-rogel. Okay. Jonathan and Ahimaaz are sons of Zadok and Abiathar. They are Levitical priests as well. And they're waiting at En-rogel which is just outside of Jerusalem. And it says a femaleservant was to go and tell them. And they were to go and tell King David for they were not to be seen entering the city. So what we have here is a chain of spies. One to the next to the next to the next to get to David. so that David and his crew can leave and flee danger. But verse 18, the young man saw them and told Absalom. So both of them went away quickly and came to the house at a man at Bahurim who had who had a well in his courtyard. And they went down into it. And the woman took and spread a covering over the well's mouth and scattered grain on it, and nothing was known of it. So while they're trying to get the message out, one of Absalom's men sees what happens. So they go, they hide in a well and then the woman very smartly spreadscovering over the well, puts grain on top of it, very much like Rahab and the spies in Jericho and hides them so that they can evade capture. Verse 20. When Absalom's servants came to the woman of the house, they said, "Where is Ahimaaz and Jonathan?" And the woman said to them, "They have gone over the brook of water." And when they had sought and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem. So they successfully evade capture. Verse 21. After they had gone, the men came up out of the well and went and told King David. They said to David, "Arise and go quickly over the water, for thus and so has Ahithophel counseled against you."Then David arose and all the people who were with them, and they crossed the Jordan. By daybreak, not one was left who had not crossed the Jordan. So chain of spies works. They cross and guess what? They didn't even need to because Hushai's plan won. And Ahithophel's plan was defeated because God has determined to bring his judgment upon Absalom. And that plan is now in full effect. And Ahithophel cannot handle the defeat of this rival counselor. Verse 23. When Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his donkey and went off home to his own city. He set his house in order and hanged himself and he died and was buried in the tomb of his father. Now, it's possible that Ahithophel was so poisoned by his own pride and self-worth and his own great advice, his own great counsel that the moment that he's defeated, he can't handle it and hecommits suicide. It is also possible that at this point he may see the writing on the wall and that David is actually going to win this war and he'd rather take care of it himself as opposed to falling to David's sword. We don't know for sure. I lean towards the former. I think the text more I think pushes in that direction that when he says his counsel was not followed I think what's bound up in here is pride which just for the moment is a very good case study and a warning sign to anyone who puts their worth and their value and their work and their abilities and their talents and what they do. Because if you put so much value into those things and those things are taken from you, what you've done is you've set up an idol to worship. And when that idol is taken, it can lead you to some very dark places.And what this serves as is a cautionary tale to be mindful of not putting so much of your value and your worship and the things that you do because that's what I think Ahithophel does. And when his counsel is not followed because of his shame, he goes and takes his life.So let's finish out the chapter verse 24. Then David came to Mahanaim and Absalom crossed the Jordan with all the men of Israel. Now Absalom had set Amasa over the army instead of Joab. Amasa was the son of a man named Ithra the Ishmaelite who had married Abigail, the daughter of Nahash, the sister of Zeruiah, Joab's mother. and Israel and Absalom encamped in the land of Gilead. Verse 27. When David came to Mahanaim, Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites and Machir the son of Ammiel from Lo-debar and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim brought beds, basins and earthen vessels, wheat, barley, flour, parched, beans and lentils, honey and curds and sheep, and cheese from the herd. for David and the people with him to eat. For they said the people are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness.The chapter ends with even though they're in the wilderness and even though they're on the run for their lives and even though it seems like things are going against them, God still cares and raises a people to provide provisions for them in the wilderness. And that closes chapter 17 to set up next week which we will see is the great battle between Absalom's men and David's men.Okay. So, if you've been with us the last few weeks, if you study this just in its immediate context, it's very hard to see the light in all of this darkness because we've seen so much of it. At this point, David has suffered for years under the discipline of God. He's watched his family be torn apart. He's watched his nation be torn apart. He's had to deal with the emotional agony of his own son leading a rebellion against him to murder him. I mean, he it's all these chapters, it's dark. And in the middle of all this darkness, in the middle of all this brokenness, in the middle of all of this pain and suffering, is a reminder that God is still for David.Because what commentators will say is that in all these chapters of suffering, right in the middle in verse 14 of chapter 17 is this shining light that breaks through the storm. So it says, "For the Lord had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, so that the Lord might bring harm upon Absalom." And that right there is the glimmer of hope that the wickedness and the evil, the dishonor of his father, the dishonor of his nation, the dishonor of his God, Absalom will be judged. and that the covenant that God made with David is remembered. Does David deserve to have favor? Absolutely not. Does God remember his covenant of favor towards David?Absolutely. That no matter how dark it has gotten, no matter how bad has gotten for David, God remembers his covenant to him. God remembers his covenant to his people. That is the glimpse of light that breaks through the storm of all of this darkness that we're reading. And as you take a step back as a Christian, it is a helpful reminder for us because we I think also we forget this because we will go through seasons of intense present darkness, of suffering, of affliction. And in the middle of all of the suffering, in the middle of the affliction, in the middle of all of it, those questions can linger. Is God for me?Does he care about me? Does he love me? Because it doesn't feel like it right now. If you follow Jesus long enough, you will have been there. And the good news is we don't just have the scriptures that testify to how God meets his people in the middle of darkness. We also have wonderful stories from church history. In the modern missions movement in the 19th century, there's a lot of missionaries that went out to parts of the world that were very difficult to reach and very difficult to reach with the gospel. One of them was named John Paton. John Paton was a missionary.Him and his wife, they went to the island of the New Hebrides Islands in the 19th century. It's an island that had zero Christians, had tribes that were cannibals. And he arrived on the island then not long after arriving there, his wife died. And then their infant son also died. And in his autobiography he says, "Then in a moment altogether unexpectedly, she died on March 3rd to crown my sorrows and complete my loneliness, the dear baby boy whom we had named after her father, Peter Robert Robson, was taken from me after one week's sickness on the 20th of March.Let those who have ever passed through any similar darkness as a midnight field for me, as for all others, it would be more than vain to try to paint my sorrows. And he just says that after losing his wife, after losing his son, after being obedient to the Great Commission to go and make disciples of nations that did not know him, that he felt such an intense loneliness it would be vain to try to paint and describe his sorrows. So he dug two graves with his hands and buried his wife and buried his son. and he's alone on an island with people who are trying to kill him.And this is what he writes. I'll put this on the screen. Stunned by that dreadful loss and entering upon this field of labor to which the Lord had himself so evidently led me, my reason seemed for a time almost to give way. The ever merciful Lord sustained me. But for Jesus and the fellowship he vouchsafed to me there, I must have gone mad and died beside that lonely grave. And it's such a wonderful reminder that even in the darkest of moments, even when all hope seems lost, even as he's buried his wife and his son and he's alone on an island under the threat of death, that in the intense darkness that he faced, Jesus Christ came. He says, "The ever merciful Lord sustained me. but for Jesus and the fellowship vouchsafed to me there, he says without it I would have gone mad beside that lonely grave and that story in some versions happenedover and over and over again and he continued and now that island for centuries at this point was converted to Jesus and has a legacy of Christ but God's people sometimes go through intense bouts of suffering I don't think any of us have ever faced anything like that. But in the middle of darkness, in the middle of complete what seems like hopelessness, God shines through to his people. And the reason he does this is because when he saves you and redeems you and seals you with the Holy Spirit, he never leaves or forsakes us. He is for us. And even though darkness may seem like it's prevailing, even though hope may seem like it is lost, even though it feels so sad and lonely, God is for you if you belong to him. He is for your good. It may not seem like it and he may not answer you with the circumstantialchange that you want, but God breaks through to his people. I don't know why some of you have suffered in the way that you have. I don't know why you feel the way that you do, but I do know that if you belong to Jesus Christ, he is with you. And my hope and my prayer is that you would sense it just like Paton did. That he would break through. That you would sense it just like David did and be reminded that just as David had a covenant that was made with him, we because we belong to Jesus Christ have a covenant that was made with us by his blood. that when Jesus Christ goes to the cross and sheds blood for our sin and then captures us and brings us into the family of God, that covenant is remembered and it is never forgotten that our God is for you. And wecelebrate that regularly and remember that as we come to the table. George is going to come up and we're going to prepare to take the Lord's Supper, which is a meal of remembrance that Jesus instituted and gave to the church. On the night that he was betrayed, he took bread and he broke it. He said, "This is my body that was broken for you." And then he took the cup of the new covenant. He said, "This is my blood that was shed for you that as often as you eat and drink this, you proclaim my death until I return." And Jesus gives us that meal to remember the covenant that was made with his blood.That God loves you so much that he gave up his one and only son. that you even in this life that is filled sometimes with suffering and darkness would persevere by faith trusting in the finished work of Christ and finding those moments where God encounters us with his presence and breaks through the dark questions that linger in our soul looking forward to a day when there will be no more questions like that because there will be no more suffering or sin or brokenness. There will only be him in eternity. So as a Christian you get to come to the table remembering the work of Jesus Christ as a reminder as a memorial as remembrance that he is for you. Even if it doesn't feel like it right now he is.So may you prepare your hearts and then in a moment you can come to the table. There's gluten-free at that table back there. If you do not belong to Jesus Christ, we don't want you to come to the table. We want you to come to Jesus. We want you to place your faith in him. We want you to see what it is like to walk with a God who loves you so deeply that he gave himself for you.And the invitation is for you to follow Christ. And if you want to know more about that, find me, find another pastor, find a Christian who brought you here today, and we can show you what it means to follow Jesus Christ. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, I pray that you might prepare our hearts to receive this meal of remembrance. God, I pray that you might help us, especially those of us that belong to you that are right now feeling so hopeless, feeling such darkness as so many of your people have done and felt. God, I pray that you would as they take this meal, would you break through the darkness, would you help them see that you love them, that you're for them, that they belong to you, that they're treasured by you.May they remember who you are. And for those who do not belong to you, I pray, God that you would compel them to faith in you this morning. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Come when you are ready.

Brooke Lovingood | RespondIn this session, Brooke walks through Joshua 1 and the story of Rahab to talk about shame, labels, and the kind of faith God honors. Rahab's past didn't disqualify her from being part of God's redemption story, and her faith became part of the line leading to Jesus.Through the scarlet cord, we see a picture of rescue, covering, and God's faithfulness in messy, uncertain moments. If you've ever felt defined by your past, struggled with doubt, or wondered if your faith is enough, this conversation is a reminder that God still makes room for you in His story.Respond Women's RetreatPlease leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

www.michaelbasham.com Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, [a]the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]. 2 For by [faith—[b]trust and holy fervor born of faith] the men of old had divine testimony borne to them and obtained a good report. 3 By faith we understand that the worlds [during the successive ages] were framed (fashioned, put in order, and equipped for their intended purpose) by the word of God, so that what we see was not made out of things which are visible. 4 [Prompted, actuated] by faith Abel brought God a better and more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, because of which it was testified of him that he was righteous [that he was upright and in right standing with God], and God bore witness by accepting and acknowledging his gifts. And though he died, yet [through the incident] he is still speaking. 5 Because of faith Enoch was caught up and transferred to heaven, so that he did not have a glimpse of death; and he was not found, because God had translated him. For even before he was taken to heaven, he received testimony [still on record] that he had pleased and been satisfactory to God. 6 But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out]. 7 [Prompted] by faith Noah, being forewarned by God concerning events of which as yet there was no visible sign, took heed and diligently and reverently constructed and prepared an ark for the deliverance of his own family. By this [his faith which relied on God] he passed judgment and sentence on the world's unbelief and became an heir and possessor of righteousness ([c]that relation of being right into which God puts the person who has faith). 8 [Urged on] by faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed and went forth to a place which he was destined to receive as an inheritance; and he went, although he did not know or trouble his mind about where he was to go. 9 [Prompted] by faith he dwelt as a temporary resident in the land which was designated in the promise [of God, though he was like a stranger] in a strange country, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was [waiting expectantly and confidently] looking forward to the city which has fixed and firm foundations, whose Architect and Builder is God. 11 Because of faith also Sarah herself received physical power to conceive a child, even when she was long past the age for it, because she considered [God] Who had given her the promise to be reliable and trustworthy and true to His word. 12 So from one man, though he was physically as good as dead, there have sprung descendants whose number is as the stars of heaven and as countless as the innumerable sands on the seashore. 13 These people all died controlled and sustained by their faith, but not having received the tangible fulfillment of [God's] promises, only having seen it and greeted it from a great distance by faith, and all the while acknowledging and confessing that they were strangers and temporary residents and exiles upon the earth. 14 Now those people who talk as they did show plainly that they are in search of a fatherland (their own country). 15 If they had been thinking with [homesick] remembrance of that country from which they were emigrants, they would have found constant opportunity to return to it. 16 But the truth is that they were yearning for and aspiring to a better and more desirable country, that is, a heavenly [one]. For that reason God is not ashamed to be called their God [even to be surnamed their God—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob], for He has prepared a city for them. 17 By faith Abraham, when he was put to the test [while the testing of his faith was [d]still in progress], [e]had already brought Isaac for an offering; he who had gladly received and welcomed [God's] promises was ready to sacrifice his only son, 18 Of whom it was said, Through Isaac shall your descendants be reckoned. 19 For he reasoned that God was able to raise [him] up even from among the dead. Indeed in the sense that Isaac was figuratively dead [potentially sacrificed], he did [actually] receive him back from the dead. 20 [With eyes of] faith Isaac, looking far into the future, invoked blessings upon Jacob and Esau. 21 [Prompted] by faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons and bowed in prayer over the top of his staff. 22 [Actuated] by faith Joseph, when nearing the end of his life, referred to [the promise of God for] the departure of the Israelites out of Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his own bones. 23 [Prompted] by faith Moses, after his birth, was kept concealed for three months by his parents, because they saw how comely the child was; and they were not overawed and terrified by the king's decree. 24 [Aroused] by faith Moses, when he had grown to maturity and [f]become great, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, 25 Because he preferred to share the oppression [suffer the hardships] and bear the shame of the people of God rather than to have the fleeting enjoyment of a sinful life. 26 He considered the contempt and abuse and shame [borne for] the Christ (the Messiah Who was to come) to be greater wealth than all the treasures of Egypt, for he looked forward and away to the reward (recompense). 27 [Motivated] by faith he left Egypt behind him, being unawed and undismayed by the wrath of the king; for he never flinched but held staunchly to his purpose and endured steadfastly as one who gazed on Him Who is invisible. 28 By faith (simple trust and confidence in God) he instituted and carried out the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood [on the doorposts], so that the destroyer of the firstborn (the angel) might not touch those [of the children of Israel]. 29 [Urged on] by faith the people crossed the Red Sea as [though] on dry land, but when the Egyptians tried to do the same thing they were swallowed up [by the sea]. 30 Because of faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encompassed for seven days [by the Israelites]. 31 [Prompted] by faith Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed along with those who refused to believe and obey, because she had received the spies in peace [without enmity]. 32 And what shall I say further? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, 33 Who by [the help of] faith subdued kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promised blessings, closed the mouths of lions, 34 Extinguished the power of raging fire, escaped the devourings of the sword, out of frailty and weakness won strength and became stalwart, even mighty and resistless in battle, routing alien hosts. 35 [Some] women received again their dead by a resurrection. Others were tortured [g]to death with clubs, refusing to accept release [offered on the terms of denying their faith], so that they might be resurrected to a better life. 36 Others had to suffer the trial of mocking and scourging and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned to death; they were lured with tempting offers [to renounce their faith]; they were sawn asunder; they were slaughtered by the sword; [while they were alive] they had to go about wrapped in the skins of sheep and goats, utterly destitute, oppressed, cruelly treated— 38 [Men] of whom the world was not worthy—roaming over the desolate places and the mountains, and [living] in caves and caverns and holes of the earth. 39 And all of these, though they won divine approval by [means of] their faith, did not receive the fulfillment of what was promised, 40 Because God had us in mind and had something better and greater in view for us, so that they [these heroes and heroines of faith] should not come to perfection apart from us [before we could join them].

In this message from our "We Can Be Heroes" series, we explore the surprising story of Rahab — a Canaanite prostitute living in the wall of Jericho who ends up in the Bible's Hall of Faith and in the genealogy of Jesus. Just like high school graduation celebrates the unlikely heroes nobody saw coming, God consistently chooses flawed, faithful people over the talented and popular. Through Rahab's story in Joshua 2, we discover that true faith isn't defined by a clean record or a thick theology — it's marked by quiet strength that protects the innocent and steady courage that proclaims what is true. If your past feels like it disqualifies you, Rahab's story is your answer: God kept his promise down to the last brick, and he's still in that same business today.

Tomorrow is launch day for Kinda Judgy: Finding Mercy for Myself and Others in Six Stories of the Bible—my new book releasing with Moody Publishers.I'm celebrating by sharing something special with you!Over the next six episodes, I'll be sharing The Two Doors and the Merciful Judge, an allegory I wrote as a companion to Kinda Judgy. Through the imaginative setting of the Grand Courtroom of the World, we'll revisit the same six Bible stories featured in the book—Noah, Rahab, Jonah, the sinful woman, the blind man, and the criminal on the cross—and encounter the same unchanging Judge of All.In Part 1, we'll enter the Grand Courtroom, notice the mysterious Mercy Door, and meet a man named Noah who walks with the Judge in the midst of a dark generation that ignores Him.My hope is that this allegory will help you see more clearly—and love more deeply—the Judge who holds the Final Gavel.Welcome to the Grand Courtroom of the World.Order Kinda JudgyJoin our Girls' Night Celebration!The Two Doors & the Merciful Judge SeriesHow Judgy Are You? (Take the Quiz) Learn more at ShannonPopkin.com.

God's Mercy With Gideon's Doubt by Autumn Dickson The book of Judges records a time period in which Israel had no centralized prophet. There was apostasy and partial restorations as the Israelites would sway into worshipping like the Canaanites did. The Lord sometimes sent judges to help Israel against their enemies. These judges were charismatic, military leaders. Some of the judges would save all of Israel; other judges were more regional. Gideon was one of these regional judges, primarily protecting Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, Naphtali, and Ephraim. Gideon is interesting because he struggled with his faith in the Lord, and yet, the Lord was merciful. There are plenty of instances in the scriptures where the Lord doesn't seem to respond to that very well. Right after the Red Sea parted, the Israelites demanded a sign of Moses to show his favor with God. They were complaining and challenging Moses to show a sign. The place was named Massah as a memorial to their lack of faith. When Zechariah was told that his wife would have a son, he didn't believe it because she was old. He was struck as a mute. Thomas the apostle was likewise rebuked for his lack of faith. Gideon receives not just one, but multiple signs from the Lord. The angel burns up his offering to the Lord. His blanket is covered with dew while the ground is dry one night; his blanket is dry while the ground is wet one night. As he stands in the camp with his 300 men to go against the Midianites, the Lord encourages him to go spy on the Midianites and see what they're saying in order to receive comfort. He does so and overhears a Midianite sharing a dream in which a barley loaf came and flattened a tent. The Midianite's companion interprets it as God helping Israel defeat them. Here is Gideon's response. Judges 7:15 And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the Lord hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian. Multiple signs! God continually blesses Gideon and gives him signs to encourage him along. In fact, Gideon didn't even ask for the last sign. The Lord just gave it to him, and He gave it to Gideon in a powerful way. It would have been one thing to send a dream to Gideon about defeating the Midianites. It would have been easy for Gideon to wonder if it was just wishful thinking. In comparison, hearing the mighty Midianites have a dream and interpret it as defeat by the Israelites was much more powerful in calming Gideon's fears. So why did Gideon get multiple signs while others seem to be rebuked for asking for the same thing? I think there are a lot of reasons because the Lord works according to individual circumstances, but I want to talk about two potential reasons that can be applied in our own lives as we work to approach the Lord. The first reason the Lord was willing to work with Gideon is because the Lord is wise enough to understand that Gideon didn't have much of a relationship with the Lord. The fact that his father had a Baal altar implies that Gideon's family had fallen into idolatry. How much did Gideon know about God? We know Gideon had some knowledge of God because he asks about the deliverance from Egypt, but how much had Gideon experienced God? There's a difference. How much could the Lord reasonably expect Gideon to trust Him? The Lord knew Gideon, but did Gideon know the Lord? The Lord isn't looking for blind, obedient dogs. He is looking to have a true relationship with us. The fact that Gideon was cautious about running into danger isn't a sign that Gideon is faithless; it is more an indication that Gideon did not yet know the Lord. So what does this teach us about our own lives? The Lord will not begrudge us the time it takes to learn how to trust Him; He doesn't mind allowing us to approach Him until we've built up a number of encounters and start to understand His character. David fought off two wild animals before he fought off Goliath. We recently read about Moses whose trust in the Lord was extremely fragile in the beginning; Moses grew to the point where he encouraged the Israelites to have faith in the face of certain death even though he did not yet know the plan for rescue. The Old Testament gives us a front row seat to watching people experience the Lord and grow in their trust of Him. In contrast, imagine a powerful stranger coming up to you and saying, “Trust me.” When you ask them why you should trust them, they respond with, “Because I told you to.” Um…what? You may not immediately hate them or be wary of them, but you're not going to give them your darkest secrets or social security number (or hopefully you won't…). The Lord understands that He is a stranger to us; He is the one who put the veil there. He understands that we need experiences with Him before we're ready to run into danger when He asks. Once again, He isn't looking for blind, obedient dogs. He wants His children to be wise and consciously and voluntarily choose Him. He gave Gideon experiences because Gideon likely hadn't had many previously. He was patient with Israel. He was patient with Moses. The Lord has no problem being patient. If He seems impatient in specific scenarios, we can usually assume it's for the benefit of the person He is working with. He is trying to get their attention or get them moving. Which leads me to my second reason: The Lord allowed Gideon to approach Him multiple times for signs because Gideon's heart was soft. Over and over and over and over and over we read about the Lord responding with intensity in response to a hard heart and responding with mercy and encouragement to a soft heart. Gideon's heart was obviously soft. Look at this verse. Judges 6:17 And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me. Gideon approaches the Lord so humbly. When the angel gave him a sign, Gideon immediately built an altar unto the Lord. That night, Gideon went and took down the altar of Baal according to the direction of the Lord. We see this multiple times with Gideon. He approaches the Lord in humility and asks for help knowing the truth. Gideon was willing to follow the truth and power and peace; Gideon was just trying to make sure he was looking in the right direction before moving forward. It is only when we've closed our heart off to that truth and power and peace that the Lord shakes the earth to reach us. I think of the Egyptians that saw all the same signs as the Israelites but didn't bother to ask whether they should follow after the same God as the Israelites. I think of Rahab and her people. The Canaanites were all terrified, but it didn't change who they put their faith in. Only Rahab was willing to follow the Israelite God and was spared because of it. You would think that people would open their eyes and ask, “Is there something here?” You would think that they would pause long enough and open their hearts so that the Lord could speak to them. Gideon asked, but Gideon was likewise prepared to follow through. This was part of why the Lord was so willing to encourage him along. I testify of a Lord that responds with wisdom. He knows what He is doing. He will not condemn us for approaching Him for reassurances if we're doing so with the intent to follow after Him. He doesn't even condemn us when we struggle; His intensity is not a sign of condemnation. It's a sign of God's love in trying to reach us! However the Lord is working in your life, you can take it with the perspective that He is trying to do what's best for you. I'm grateful for a Lord who is wise and can train me so purposefully and deliberately. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Judges 2–4; 6–8; 13–16 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

This is the final portion of Hebrews eleven, exploring the faith of several individuals from the Old Testament, including Rahab, Samson, Gideon, and David. These stories serve as a testament to the power of faith in the face of adversity, and the speaker highlights Faith led to the walls of Jericho tumbling down. Faith led to surviving through fire and escaping death by sword. Faith led to shutting lion's mouths and conquering nations. Faith is not just about believing but acting on that belief, even in the face of danger or persecution. Since we understand the mystery of the Messiah, Christians today have even more reason to act in faith than the people of the Old Testament Jenn encourages listeners to take action and live out their faith and not stay silent when it comes to sharing the Gospel with others. Related Episodes: 1 Thessalonians 3 - How Christians Will Handle Persecution John 15:17-27 (From Christ) - How to Evangelize to a World that Hates Christians There are so many other things P40 does! Check it out: YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hnh-aqfg8rw Ko-Fi - https://ko-fi.com/p40ministries Website - https://www.p40ministries.com Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/p40ministries Contact - jenn@p40ministries.com Rumble - https://rumble.com/c/c-6493869 Books - https://www.amazon.com/Jenn-Kokal/e/B095JCRNHY/ref=aufs_dp_fta_dsk Merch - https://www.p40ministries.com/shop YouVersion - https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/38267-out-of-the-mire-trusting-god-in-the-middle Check out LifeAudio for other faith-based podcasts on parenting, studying Scripture, and more:www.lifeaudio.com Become a Coffee-Tier member to gain access to The Bible Explained on Fridays: https://ko-fi.com/p40ministries Support babies and get quality coffee with Seven Weeks Coffee https://sevenweekscoffee.com/?ref=P40 Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

In this episode of Open Our Bible Together, we pick up right after Israel crosses the Jordan River on dry ground into the Promised Land—and things move forward, but not in the way you might expect. Instead of rushing straight into battle, God first tells His people to remember. Twelve stones are taken from the Jordan and set up in Gilgal as a memorial, so every generation would know—it was the Lord who made a way through the water. Then, before anything else happens, God brings Israel back to who they are. Through circumcision and the Passover, He reminds them that they are His chosen people. The manna stops after 40 years, and for the first time, they're eating from the land He promised them. It's a clear turning point—wilderness to promise… right in front of their eyes. And then they're standing in front of Jericho. No battle plan that makes sense on paper. Just instructions that require trust. Walk. Be silent. Wait. Repeat. For six days, nothing seems to happen. But on the seventh day, everything changes. The trumpets sound, the people shout, and the walls of Jericho come down—not because of military strength, but because God kept His word. And right in the middle of it all, we see Rahab and a scarlet cord—a quiet but powerful picture of rescue and redemption that points us forward to something even greater. From stones in the river to silence around a city, Joshua 4–6 reminds us that God is faithful in every step of the journey. He calls His people to trust Him, follow Him, and watch Him do what only He can do. Because when the walls come down… it's always Him. ❤ For the full episode show notes, please go to https://mfahring.com/joshua-4-6/

Everyone Is Called To Reveal God's Truth, Even The ProstituteScripture References:Josha 2:1-11Key Points:1.  Rahab the prostitute declared that the Israelites served the supreme God of Heaven and Earth, yet so many highly educated have no clue what a relationship with God is worth.Joshua 2:12-242.  The Spies gave Joshua the message they heard from Rahab, because she spoke with wisdom and sincerity they didn't make a big deal about her job.Matthew 1:4-6Genesis 38:1-303.  Judah, where the Lion of his tribe came from, declared that a temporary prostitute was more righteous than him for speaking the truth. Matthew 1:3Luke 8:1-2Mark 16:9-144.  Jesus cast out 7 demons from Mary Magdalene, then used her to deliver the message of His resurrection to His disciples whose unbelief was very mean.Mark 16:15-20

Guest Speaker Cory Snelson shared an encouraging message about Rahab the prostitute.  Rahab's sin was turned into a wonderful redemption story and she is found in the lineage of Jesus our Savior.  Like Rahab we don't have to let our sin define us, but we can have a future of redemption too.

Her reputation couldn't have been worse, but her faith placed her in Scripture's hall of fame. Dr. Tony Evans explores the lessons we can learn from imperfect people.

Moses could get Israel to the Promised Land, but he couldn't get them in. To cross the Jordan, Israel needed a new leader with a familiar name: Joshua. Discover why the transition from the Law to Grace is the only way to claim your divine inheritance. Summary: In this episode, we study the Book of Joshua. We move beyond the battles and the trumpets to find the deep spiritual transformation required to stop wandering and start inheriting. Filling the Shoes of a Giant: We analyze the transition from Moses to Joshua—and from Peter to Jesus—exploring how God stays with the successor just as He was with the predecessor. Crossing the Jordan: We look at the "dry ground" miracle at the Jordan River and how the priests had to step into the water before it parted. Strange Strategies: We discuss the "foolish" tactics used at Jericho. Why does God ask us to do small and simple things—like family prayer or scripture study—that seem unrelated to the "walls" we are trying to bring down? The Valley of Achor: We look at the cautionary tale of Achan and how "one man's sin" can affect an entire community, and how God turns our "valleys of trouble" into "doors of hope." Choose You This Day: We conclude with Joshua's final plea at Shechem. We learn that our obedience lasts only as long as our memory, and why we must choose—every single day—whom we will serve. Call-to-Action: Joshua told the people that the stones of the altar had "heard" their promises. What "witnesses" have you set up in your life to remind you of your covenants? Share your thoughts in the comments! To keep your faith "Unshaken" as we enter the era of the Judges, please like, subscribe, and share this video. Chapter Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction 5:31 Joshua, filling shoes 16:37 Preparing for the Promised Land 34:05 Rahab in Jericho 53:34 Crossing the Jordan River 1:08:02 Magnifying, Memorializing, and Renewing Covenants 1:30:19 The Battle of Jericho 1:46:45 Achan the Accursed 2:19:53 The Battle of Ai 2:25:42 The Gibeonites' Trick 2:37:11 God Fighting Battles & Lengthening Days 2:53:11 The Conquest Continues & Caleb Stakes a Claim 3:10:28 Inheritances in Israel 3:30:15 Mainstream & Margin, Exceptions & Rules 4:12:59 Conclusion

Rahab: From Prostitute to Type of Christ by Autumn Dickson How could I not take some time to speak about Rahab? She was incredible. Here is our introduction to Rahab. Joshua 2:1 And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot's house, named Rahab, and lodged there. Rahab was a prostitute who hid Israeli spies as they were coming to look at Jericho. In exchange for hiding them, she asked them to spare her and her family. They gave her a red cord to put in the window, and all of Jericho was destroyed except for her and her family. In order to understand precisely why she was so great, it's important to understand the background she was born into. Jericho was getting utterly destroyed. There have been times throughout history where the Lord helped His people conquer without utterly destroying everything. Jericho was not one of those times. The land of Canaan was “full” of sin to the extent that destruction was necessary. It was so filled with misery that it needed a clean slate. Except for Rahab. The fact that she's a prostitute during this time period isn't unsurprising. What she's had to go through is not a sign of her moral failings but of her society failing her. We can see the type of person she is from her reactions. She is willing to follow the Lord after hearing the testimony of others. She wants to save her family, not just herself. She utilized her circumstances for the Lord's work. These are not the only reasons Rahab is incredible. The fact that she married is also amazing when you learn what trauma she likely accrued because of her circumstances. This is not a comprehensive list of her good qualities, but I specifically chose these ones. These qualities are what make her like the Savior. Rahab is a type of Christ. Let's talk about a couple of things in her life that reflect the Savior. 1) She is willing to follow the Lord despite what the society around her is doing. Rahab could have been blinded by her own society. She could have followed what everyone else was doing and simply been afraid. Imagine if the rest of the Canaanites had the heart that Rahab had. Imagine if all of them had approached the Israelite army and were like, “We heard how your God protected you and took care of you. We would like to follow Him too.” Imagine if all of us were able to look at what was going on around us and be willing to follow a better way. The Jews were not especially righteous when Christ came to fulfill His mortal ministry. In fact, many of them were evil. If Christ had been born to any other nation, they would have recognized Him as God. Some of the Jews of this time period were too wicked to see Him for what He was. Jesus broke a lot of their made up rules. He followed the Law of Moses perfectly, but He broke a lot of the rules that they had built up around that law. He looked at society and knew there was a better way to live. 2) She wants to save her family, not just herself. Rahab could have followed the spies out. Perhaps that would have been easier than sitting in her home and hoping all the soldiers followed the direction to spare her. We don't know all the reasons why Rahab stayed, but we do know she sought out her family and brought them into her home where they could be protected too. She cared enough about her family that she sought saving them too. Maybe she even felt that being saved wouldn't be worth it if her family couldn't be saved too. Christ's heart also pushed Him to look beyond Himself. Christ is the only One who was perfect enough to go to heaven. He could have come down here, lived perfectly, and gone on to live in heaven forever, but He loved us too much. He put Himself through difficult things in order to save us too. He was concerned with saving His family. He obviously didn't think heaven was going to be good enough without us despite our many failings. He loved us, and looked beyond Himself. 3) She utilized her circumstances for the Lord's work. It was actually important that Rahab was a prostitute. With all of the tension in the air from the Israelite army, it would have been difficult for the spies to get into Jericho. Because she was a prostitute, it allowed them to enter into the city. It wasn't as uncommon for strangers and foreigners to visit brothels in comparison to visiting repectable houses. Not to mention, Rahab's house was within the city wall and allowed them to escape. Now, the fact that she was a prostitute did not mean that the spies went undetected. Somehow, the residents of Jericho noticed the spies and they came knocking. Rahab hid them on the roof before helping them escape. This is actually also an important reflection of Christ. Only Christ was in the correct circumstances to save us. Because of His birth, He held power that no one else had. He had the ability to save us because of His circumstances. But, it was still ultimately His decision to save us. Rahab's circumstances put her in an ideal situation to save her family and help the Lord's work, but her choices and faith were absolutely key as well. Sometimes our circumstances make it difficult to believe that we could ever be like Christ. Sometimes what we've been through or are currently going through make us think that we can't serve. Sometimes our circumstances are the very things that put is in a position to be like Christ. I testify that like Rahab, we are all given opportunities to be like our Savior. I also testify that like Rahab, following the Lord and His prophet will ultimately save us. It doesn't matter where we started; we can make choices that will put us in line with the Lord's people. He can save us, and He can utilize us if we're willing to leave our old lives behind. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Joshua 1–8; 23–24 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Her reputation couldn't have been worse, but her faith placed her in Scripture's hall of fame. Dr. Tony Evans explores the lessons we can learn from imperfect people.

What does God's Word say about judging others, showing mercy, and walking in humility?In this powerful episode I sit down with Shannon Popkin to have an honest conversation about judgment, criticism, mercy, and the condition of our hearts. In a culture where opinions are loud and criticism is constant, it's easy to slip into a judging mindset without even realizing it. Drawing from her new book Kinda Judgy: Finding Mercy for Myself and Others in Six Stories of the Bible, Shannon shares biblical wisdom, relatable stories, and practical truth to help us recognize self-righteousness, comparison, offense, and critical thinking patterns that can quietly shape our hearts. Through six powerful Bible stories—including Noah, Rahab, Jonah, Simon the Pharisee, the blind man, and the second thief—she reveals the difference between righteous discernment and sinful judgment while pointing us back to the mercy of God.This conversation is freeing, convicting, and filled with grace as Shannon discusses how to melt judgy pride, extend compassion to others, and live as daughters of the merciful Judge. If you've ever struggled with criticism, comparison, offense, or feeling hurt by others' opinions, this episode will encourage you to draw closer to Jesus and allow His mercy to transform your heart.Tune in for a heartfelt conversation that will challenge you to see others through the lens of God's grace and help you live out biblical truth in your everyday relationships.Connect with Shannon Popkin https://www.shannonpopkin.com/Amazon: https://a.co/d/0aiiFekATake Shannon's Quiz:subscribepage.io/kindajudgy

This week we take a closer look at the story of Rahab from Joshua Ch 2 and look at how her story foreshadows the gospel, what it tells us about the character of God and whether or not her lie to save the Israelite spies was justified.

There is something almost incomprehensible in this passage from St. Anastasios and St. Maximos because it reveals just how surrounded we are by mercy while continuing to behave as though condemnation were wisdom. The Fathers do not merely tell us not to judge. They overwhelm us with reasons not to judge. They show us a universe saturated with the patience of God, the intercession of angels, the prayers of saints, the tears of repentance, the mystery of hidden transformation, the power of baptism, the healing of affliction, the medicine of chastisement, the compassion of Christ, and the joy of Heaven itself over the salvation of even one sinner. And still we condemn. That is the horror. We condemn while standing inside the greatest revelation of mercy the world has ever known. St. Anastasios says plainly: you do not know what has happened between God and that soul after the moment you witnessed his sin. Not five years later. Not tomorrow. Ten steps later. That is how quickly grace can act. A man may fall publicly and repent secretly. A woman may appear outwardly shattered while inwardly clinging to God with tears unknown to the world. A soul everyone has dismissed may already be visited by the Holy Spirit. And the Fathers insist that we understand this: we know almost nothing. We see fragments and imagine ourselves judges of the whole human being. We see behavior but not wounds. Actions but not warfare. Falls but not repentance. Scandal but not tears. Weakness but not humility. Temptation but not hidden prayer. Worst of all, we do not see what God Himself is doing inside another person. The Fathers say there are souls purified through illness. Souls purified through humiliation. Souls purified through temptation. Souls purified through demonic assault endured with thanksgiving. Souls saved through the prayers of others. Souls restored in their final moments. Souls secretly reconciled to God before death. How then dare we speak so confidently about anyone? The terrifying thing is that we do this while calling ourselves Christians. Christians. Those who claim to worship the God who became man for sinners. The Incarnation alone should silence every condemning tongue forever. The angels themselves longed to behold this mystery: that God would unite Himself to fallen humanity. Not to idealized humanity. Not to polished humanity. Fallen humanity. Christ assumed the very flesh we despise in one another. He entered the human condition completely apart from sin so that no sinner could ever again say: “God does not know what I am.” He knows. He entered it willingly. And Heaven never ceased rejoicing over this mystery. St. Anastasios says the angels love mankind precisely because they beheld God become man. Imagine that. The bodiless powers who never fell into flesh are astonished by what humanity has become through Christ. Meanwhile we, who were baptized into Him, often despise one another mercilessly. The Fathers remind us that every baptized person has been entrusted to an angel. Every baptized person has been sealed by the Spirit. Every baptized person has become the object of heavenly concern. The angels themselves plead for us. Think of that. While we gossip about one another, the angels intercede for one another. While we expose each other's failures, Heaven labors for each other's salvation. While we speak words that crush souls, the saints and angels beg God to heal them. And still we continue as though condemnation were normal. St. Maximos says Heaven is astonished at this. Astounded. The earth quakes. But we are “insensible and unabashed.” Insensible because we no longer perceive the mystery of redemption correctly. Unabashed because we condemn others without trembling. The saints trembled before judging another human being because they knew that judgment belongs to Christ alone. To judge another is not merely to commit a moral fault. St. Anastasios says it is to usurp the office of the Lord Himself. This is why the Fathers speak so fiercely. The judging heart has forgotten the Gospel. It has forgotten the thief entering Paradise in a single moment. It has forgotten Rahab the harlot. It has forgotten the Publican justified by a sigh. It has forgotten Manasses forgiven after decades of horror. It has forgotten Peter restored after denial. It has forgotten that Judas stood among the Apostles while the thief hung among murderers, and yet by evening their places were reversed. The saints understood something we resist with all our strength: human beings are not static creatures. A single moment of real repentance can alter eternity. And because of this, the saints became exceedingly merciful. Not naïve about evil. Not indifferent to sin. But deeply aware that every person stands inside a battle for salvation surrounded by mysteries unseen to human eyes. The demons accuse. Christ heals. The demons reduce persons to failures. Christ beholds the image buried beneath the ruin. The demons delight in exposure. Christ covers nakedness. And the terrible thing is how often religious people unknowingly participate in the work of accusation while imagining themselves defenders of righteousness. The Fathers knew better. This is why the holiest among them became gentlest toward sinners and harshest toward themselves. Because the closer one comes to God, the more clearly one sees that he himself survives only by mercy. And once a man truly knows this, condemnation becomes impossible. He no longer stands above humanity. He stands beside it, beating his breast, praying: “To You, O Lord, belongs mercy.” --- Text of chat during the group: 00:02:05 Fr. Charbel Abernethy: https://www.philokaliaministries.org/post/nazareth-and-the-hidden-life 00:34:49 Julie: It feels like there is no rest 00:35:43 Julie: With the senses I mean, to cut the thought straight away 00:36:19 Bob Čihák, AZ: P. 18 paragraph 1 00:36:31 Nypaver Clan: Reacted to "P. 18 paragraph 1" with

James 2 challenges believers to examine whether their faith is genuine by looking at their actions. Written by Jesus' half-brother to persecuted early Christians, this passage addresses the problem of showing favoritism based on wealth or appearance. James argues that true faith naturally produces good works - not to earn salvation, but to demonstrate it. He uses examples like Abraham and Rahab to show how authentic faith requires action, not just intellectual belief. Even demons believe in God, but their belief doesn't save them. James concludes that faith without works is like a body without spirit - dead and lifeless.Thank you for joining us at NorthRidge Church! For more information please visit us online at http://www.northridgethomaston.com.

Why They Marched Around Jericho 7 Times by Autumn Dickson The Fall of Jericho is epic for many reasons. There are a lot of details that we could talk about that would teach us about the Savior, but let's just cover a few. Jericho was a large city that was meant for the Israelites. The Lord was helping them gain their land one bit at a time. When Jericho saw the Israelites coming, they closed their gates and settled in for a siege. The Lord commanded the Israelites to circle the city every day for six days. Then on the last day, they were to do this. Joshua 6:15 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on that day they compassed the city seven times. I can't speak for the whole of the commandment (walking once a day for six days); I would need to study it further. However, I want to talk about the last day. The Israelites were to walk around the city seven times, trumpets would blow, and the people were to start yelling. They did so, and the walls fell. The Israelites flooded in and took the city. No one was spared except for Rahab and her house because she had helped the Israelites. It is significant that the Israelites had to walk around Jericho seven times. Seven was a symbol of the covenant, and it was also symbolic of fullness or being complete. Jericho was the promised land; the Israelites needed completeness. In the New Testament, the Lord commands His people to be perfect. Perfect was a translation from the word “teleios,” which has an alternate translation. It also means “end” or “complete.” The Savior might also be commanding His people to reach their full spiritual maturity in comparison to going constantly without error. I find it beautiful that the Israelites needed to symbolically be “complete” in order to enter the promised land. I also find it beautiful that their completeness didn't make the walls come down. They needed to keep the commandment to go around the city seven times, but that's not what brought them into the promised land. Here is another important verse. Joshua 6:16 And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the Lord hath given you the city. The walls hadn't fallen down yet when Joshua said this to the people, and yet, Joshua is speaking as though it already happened. “The Lord has given you this city, so shout!” Joshua knew the promises of the Lord were good for the money. He had no doubt that the city was their's, and it reflected in the way he spoke to the Israelites. So what do we learn from this? The Lord was the one who brought them into the promised land, and He did so after they had become complete. The Lord is the one who brings us into heaven, and He does so “after” we are complete. I use quotation marks because “after” is a bit relative. There are many aspects of heaven that we already get to enjoy: family relationships, peace, freedom from past sins, and many more. In some ways, the Lord has already allowed me into heaven. I know that those blessings are a direct result of His atonement, and yet, He still wants me to walk towards completion. It is only when we have become complete, that we can truly enjoy heaven. For example, in my imperfection, I am still working on fully appreciating the most important things in order to bring more heaven into my life. Because of my insistence on completing tasks, I often prioritize my to-do lists over my relationship with my kids. It is very difficult for me to set aside these tasks that I make monumentally important in my life, and my ability to feel heaven suffers. I inadvertently start to view my kids as obstacles rather than the treasures that they are, and my happiness lessens because of it. I get irritable and don't treat them as good as they deserve, or I simply don't go out and be with them. Becoming complete isn't about never losing my temper again, though that's a nice side effect. Becoming complete is about spiritually maturing. It means taking a step back often enough that I change. I change to value my kids the way that Heavenly Father values me, and as I do that, I find more happiness than I could ever find within my completed tasks. It means that I become the kind of person who no longer feels a need to yell; it's much better than trying the perfectionist route. As I walk towards completeness, I gain more and more access to the promised land. This is not because I'm taking a hammer to the walls. I just work towards spiritual maturity, and the Savior is the one who actually delivers the promised land. He is the only one who can offer the promised land. We can't get it ourselves; it has to be given to us. And yet, the Lord still asks us to walk towards completeness. He does this because it's no use being in the promised land if we're all keeping ourselves from being happy through our own values and choices. The Lord asks us to keep His commandments and change towards completeness, but keeping His commandments doesn't earn heaven. It enables us to appreciate the heaven that He is delivering to us. The Old Testament is cool. The scriptures are cool. The Lord knows exactly what He's doing as He tries to teach us about the reality of the Plan of Salvation. The more I study the scriptures, the more I see that He knows what He's doing. I testify that the Lord knows us. I testify that He is the One who delivers heaven through His sacrifice. He gives it to us. It's a gift. He simultaneously pushes us and gives us commandments because He knows our growth is essential for our happiness. We can't enjoy His gift unless we become like Him. I'm grateful for His sacrifice, His commandments, and His support every step of this process. I'm grateful He loves me enough to work this hard for my joy and benefit. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Joshua 1–8; 23–24 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

In Week 3 of the Women of Grace series, Pastor Jamie Wright unpacks the story of Rahab—a woman living behind the walls of Jericho who becomes a powerful picture of God's redeeming grace. This message reveals how grace finds people in hidden places, covers what we cannot fix, and ultimately brings outsiders into God's family. No matter the walls of shame, fear, or failure we build, the Gospel shows that Jesus tears them down and invites us to the table.

→ Watch on YouTube → Detailed Show Notes → Timestamps: (00:00) A brief overview of these chapters.(02:47) Balancing the violence in Joshua with modern revelation and other ways of interpreting the text.(12:49) If we want the Lord's help in conflict, then we need to do things the Lord's way. The three rules of conflict: have the right attitude, have the right motive, and do not be guilty of the first or second offense.(21:46) Some archaeological evidence does not match the book of Joshua's description of the conquest of the Land of Canaan.(28:00) Models of how Israel came to exist in scholarship.(32:28) Get off the beach. Joshua illustrates how the Lord guides us and how revelation works.(41:43) What mean these stones? The God who did wonderful things in the past will do wonderful things in your life.(46:03) The circular pattern of stones at Gilgal can invite readers to see Joshua as an ascension text.(51:33) Joshua taking the land as a type of Jesus conquering sin and death. Rahab and the scarlet thread as symbols of sin and the atonement.(1:06:14) Joshua's final speech. “Choose you this day whom ye will serve: … but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” → For more of Bryce Dunford’s podcast classes, click here. → Enroll in Institute → YouTube → Apple Podcasts → Spotify → Amazon Music → Facebook The post Ep 372 | Joshua, Come Follow Me 2026 (May 18-24) appeared first on LDS Scripture Teachings.

What do a former harlot, a river that parted on faith, and a pile of rocks have in common–and what does God want you to remember about all three? Dr. Camille Fronk Olson unpacks the first four chapters of Joshua from Rahab's unlikely covenant to the twelve stones pulled from the Jordan riverbed as a reminder that the Lord's power is worth remembering.SHOW NOTES/TRANSCRIPTSEnglish: https://tinyurl.com/podcastOT221ENFrench: https://tinyurl.com/podcastOT221FRGerman: https://tinyurl.com/podcastOT221DEPortuguese: https://tinyurl.com/podcastOT221PTSpanish: https://tinyurl.com/podcastOT221ESYOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/z7y3dJlV5N4FREE PDF DOWNLOADS OF followHIM QUOTE BOOKSNew Testament: https://tinyurl.com/PodcastNTBookOld Testament: https://tinyurl.com/PodcastOTBookBook of Mormon: https://tinyurl.com/PodcastBMBook WEEKLY NEWSLETTERhttps://tinyurl.com/followHIMnewsletter SOCIAL MEDIAInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/followHIMpodcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/followhimpodcastTIMECODE:00:00 - Part 1 - Dr. Camille Fronk Olson00:23 Hank receives Robert J. Matthew Teaching Award3:12 Guest intro5:05 Overview of the Book of Joshua8:49 Joshua as Moses's successor15:35 Joshua's background and qualifications20:23 The Lord's charge to Joshua28:18 The people sustain Joshua31:59 Introduction of Rahab38:02 Rahab's testimony45:11 Rahab the Harlot–why the title matters49:19 Covenant with Rahab54:10 Crossing the Jordan River58:52 The priests step into the water1:03:26 The twelve stones1:07:53 Modern memorials1:08:45  End of Part 1 - Dr. Camille Fronk OlsonThanks to the followHIM team:Steve & Shannon Sorensen: Cofounder, Executive Producer, SponsorDavid & Verla Sorensen: SponsorsDr. Hank Smith: Co-hostJohn Bytheway: Co-hostDavid Perry: ProducerKyle Nelson: Marketing, SponsorLisa Spice: Client Relations, Editor, Show NotesWill Stoughton: Video EditorKrystal Roberts: Translation Team, English & French Transcripts, WebsiteAriel Cuadra: Spanish TranscriptsAmelia Kabwika: Portuguese TranscriptsHeather Barlow: Communications DirectorSydney Smith: Social Media, Graphic Design "Let Zion in Her Beauty Rise" by Marshall McDonaldhttps://www.marshallmcdonaldmusic.com

Pastor Jan Anderson shares a powerful Mother's Day message honoring the strength, value, and God-given calling of mothers and women. Through the stories of Hagar, Rahab, and Samson's mother, this sermon reminds us that God sees every tear, redeems every broken place, and calls women to arise in courage, faith, and truth. No matter your story or season, God is your Rock, your Redeemer, and your sustaining hope.

In this episode of Handmaidens, Harems, and Heroines, Dr. Lynne Hilton Wilson explores the powerful women and pivotal covenant moments found in the book of Joshua. As the children of Israel finally cross the Jordan River and enter the Promised Land under Joshua's leadership, we witness the fulfillment of promises made generations earlier. From the miraculous crossing of the Jordan to the dramatic fall of Jericho's walls, this episode highlights how faith, obedience, and covenant loyalty shaped Israel's destiny. A special focus is placed on Rahab, one of the most surprising and courageous women in the Old Testament. Though known as Rahab the harlot, her story becomes one of redemption, faith, and divine protection as she risks everything to shelter Israelite spies and align herself with the God of Israel. Dr. Wilson examines Rahab's remarkable transformation from outsider to covenant participant and discusses her lasting legacy in scripture. Join us as we uncover how women like Rahab played essential roles in God's unfolding covenant story and what their examples teach us today.

Joshua 2:1-24; 6:17, 22-23 reveal one of the most powerful yet often overlooked truths in Scripture: God often works through unseen faithfulness.   Rahab was not a king, prophet, warrior, or priest. She was an unlikely woman living in a pagan city under judgment. Yet through quiet courage, hidden obedience, and sacrificial faith, God used her to preserve His people and place her in the lineage of the Messiah.   This message explores The Power of Unseen Faithfulness through the life of Rahab and the scarlet thread of redemption woven throughout Scripture. The world celebrates fame, power, and visibility, but Heaven honors faithfulness.   Most believers will never stand on a public stage or lead armies into battle. Instead, faithfulness is lived out quietly in homes, workplaces, prayer closets, hospital rooms, classrooms, and churches through consistent obedience when no one is watching. Rahab teaches us that hidden acts of faith can carry eternal consequences.   In this sermon: • Rahab's courageous faith in the midst of fear • The meaning of the scarlet cord and its connection to redemption • Why God delights in using unlikely people • The eternal value of ordinary obedience • How unseen service advances God's kingdom • Why faithfulness matters more than recognition • The hidden heroes Heaven celebrates   This message will encourage mothers, fathers, servants, workers, caregivers, and every believer who has ever wondered if their quiet obedience matters to God.

Faith can sound convincing in words, but James asks a deeper question: is it alive? In this message, we explore the difference between claimed faith and living faith, the kind of faith that produces mercy, obedience, surrender, and love. From Abraham to Rahab, James shows us that real faith is not perfect, but it is visible. If faith alone saves, what does living faith actually look like?

In this episode of Don't Miss This, Dave Butler and Grace Freeman study Joshua 1–8; 23–24 and step into the long awaited moment when the children of Israel finally enter the promised land after years of wandering in the wilderness. As Joshua takes Moses' place, the Lord repeats the same invitation again and again: “Be strong and of a good courage.” These chapters become a reminder that faith often means stepping forward before the miracle happens. From crossing the Jordan River on dry ground, to carrying stones of remembrance, to walking around the walls of Jericho day after day, the people are invited to trust a God who keeps His promises even when the outcome cannot yet be seen. This episode highlights what it looks like to live in the realm of miracles. Dave and Grace explore the courage to follow God into unfamiliar places, the importance of remembering His goodness, and the power of believing before the walls fall. The story of Rahab becomes a beautiful witness that faith can change everything, and that God delights in rescuing, welcoming, and redeeming every person who chooses to believe. This episode invites us to look at our own life and ask where God may already be moving. Because sometimes faith looks like stepping into the water before it parts, walking around the walls one more time, or building reminders of the miracles we never want to forget. And through every chapter, Joshua reminds us that the God who led His people before is still the God who leads us now. Chapters: 00:00 INTRO 06:22 Being an encourager in tough times 10:27 Reflecting on meaningful scripture 17:19 Living a Meaningful Life 26:04 Missionary work and sacrifice 28:31 Power of a believing woman 35:02 Crossing the Jordan River 41:12 Joshua's moment of encouragement 45:19 Believing in miracles and taking risks 49:12 Building a memorial with stones 57:05 Feeling stuck and going in circles 01:02:45 Personal faith testimony 01:03:58 Signing off and social media plugs Sign up for the Don't Miss This newsletter at www.dontmissthisstudy.com #dontmissthis #comefollowme NEWSLETTER LINK: The Don't Miss This video, the prayer poster, and tip-ins for kids, teens, couples and individuals can all be found in this week's newsletter. Sign-up link in bio if you haven't had a chance yet!! www.dontmissthisstudy.com Instagram: @dontmissthisstudy Podcast: Don't Miss This Study Facebook: Don't Miss This Study Follow Grace Instagram @thisweeksgrace Follow David Instagram: @mrdavebutler Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mrdavebutler/ Subscribe to the Don't Miss This App https://www.dontmissthisstudy.com/app

Joshua 2:1-24; 6:17, 22-23 reveal one of the most powerful yet often overlooked truths in Scripture: God often works through unseen faithfulness. Rahab was not a king, prophet, warrior, or priest. She was an unlikely woman living in a pagan city under judgment. Yet through quiet courage, hidden obedience, and sacrificial faith, God used her to preserve His people and place her in the lineage of the Messiah. This message explores The Power of Unseen Faithfulness through the life of Rahab and the scarlet thread of redemption woven throughout Scripture. The world celebrates fame, power, and visibility, but Heaven honors faithfulness. Most believers will never stand on a public stage or lead armies into battle. Instead, faithfulness is lived out quietly in homes, workplaces, prayer closets, hospital rooms, classrooms, and churches through consistent obedience when no one is watching. Rahab teaches us that hidden acts of faith can carry eternal consequences. In this sermon: • Rahab's courageous faith in the midst of fear • The meaning of the scarlet cord and its connection to redemption • Why God delights in using unlikely people • The eternal value of ordinary obedience • How unseen service advances God's kingdom • Why faithfulness matters more than recognition • The hidden heroes Heaven celebrates This message will encourage mothers, fathers, servants, workers, caregivers, and every believer who has ever wondered if their quiet obedience matters to God.

What if your past doesn't define you—your faith does? In this powerful Mother's Day message, Pastor Becky dives into the story of Rahab. Discover how God uses unlikely people to accomplish extraordinary purpose. If you've ever felt disqualified, overlooked, or stuck in your past, this sermon will show you how faith can rewrite your story, redeem your future, and leave a legacy that points to Jesus.

A man is cold and hungry and you tell him "hope things get better." James wants to know what kind of faith that is. Martin Luther wrestled with this passage because it sounds like James is saying your works save you. He isn't. He's saying a living faith moves your hands, the same way a living body breathes. Abraham and Rahab both trusted God, and that trust showed up in what they did. Faith that doesn't move is a corpse, but the Christ who gives faith also gives the life that moves it. The Rev. Dr. Peter Elliot, pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church, Seattle, WA, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study James 2:14-26. To learn more about Messiah Lutheran, visit messiahseattle.org. Luther called it an “epistle of straw,” but then preached from it for the rest of his life as the Word of God. In this series, host Pastor Phil Booe and guest pastors walk verse by verse through the Letter of James, written by the brother of our Lord, the leading pastor of the Jerusalem church, and a man who thought Jesus had lost His mind until the resurrection proved otherwise. James writes to scattered Christians who are suffering, squabbling, playing favorites with the rich, and letting their tongues run wild. This series takes James at his word, reading him as a confessor of Christ who stands with Paul and not against him. Faith without works is dead, he tells them, and then he spends the rest of the letter showing them a better way.   Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God's Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org.

In this first episode of our Daughters series, we're diving into the powerful and unexpected story of Rahab—a woman whose life reminds us that no one is too far gone for God's redemption. We unpack how her bold faith in the middle of a broken story reveals the heart of God toward His daughters. As we explore her story in the city of Jericho, we're reminded that God sees, pursues, and deeply loves each of us—no matter our past. We also share personal stories of how God has pursued us in our own lives, showing us that His love crosses every boundary and reaches into every season. This episode is an invitation to see yourself in scripture, to believe that God is after your heart, and to trust that He's still writing redemption stories today—including yours. In This Episode [02:30] Our Story & Love for Scripture [05:30] Meet Rahab [06:00] Rahab's Story [09:30] Redemption in Jesus' Lineage [10:30] Relating to Rahab [11:30] A Moment in Jericho [16:00] God's Heart for His Daughters [17:30] Kenz's Story of Being Pursued [20:30] God's Relentless Pursuit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ORDER OUR NEW STUDY!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ This seven-week, verse-by-verse study through the book of Acts invites you to embrace the unpredictable, sometimes challenging adventure of Spirit-led living that characterized the early church. Delight Ministries Looking for a Delight Chapter near you? Check out⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Delightministries.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to find one. If there's not one near you, and you want to help start one, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠let us know⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! We would love to talk. Get on the list for updates on Kenz's new venture ⁠Plenty Nutrition⁠! Thanks to Our Sponsors ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Winshape⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Learn more or submit your application today⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you'd like to partner with For The Girl as a sponsor, fill out our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Advertise With Us⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ form! Follow us!