Podcasts about Satan

On today's Bible Answer Man broadcast (06/17/26), Hank affirms belief in creation as opposed to Darwinian Evolution.Hank answers the following questions:How do you answer the question “Who made God?” Ozzie - Florence, MS (6:17)How to interpret the Book of Jude on Satan and Michael fighting over bones of Moses? Jonathan - Kansas City, MO (15:12)Is it true that Mark 16:9-20 is not in the original manuscripts? Jeremy - Jackson, TN (19:28)I was offered several invitations from different churches to serve as the pastor. My passion is to serve the Lord. How do you determine God's Will? Jose - Tampa, FL (22:23)

“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.” (1 Peter 5:8–9 NLT) In our next set of devotions, we’re going to look at considering the cost of following Jesus. The first cost we’ll consider is the spiritual enemy we gain when we start to live for Christ. Anyone who has ever experienced the Christian life knows it is the greatest life there is. God takes a life that was empty, aimless, and headed to a certain judgment, and He turns it around and transforms it. He removes all our sin. That’s more than enough right there, but then He puts the righteousness of Jesus Christ into our spiritual bank account. That’s called justification. He removes the guilt that haunted us, fills the emptiness inside us, and takes up residence in our hearts. This all comes as a result of the gospel being believed and followed. That’s the good news. The bad news is that there are some new problems that come along with all of that. You get rid of an old set of problems and inherit new ones. As the great Bible commentator Ray Stedman once remarked, “A Christian is one who is: Completely fearless, Continually cheerful, and Constantly in trouble.” Once you become a Christian, you gain a very aggressive adversary who has set his crosshairs on you. That adversary is the devil, Satan, and he wants to undermine you. He wants to bring you down. The Bible warns that “everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12 NLT). To “suffer persecution” means to be hunted, to be harassed. We need to be aware of this so that we’re not surprised when attacks come. The Christian life isn’t a playground; it’s a battleground. I think a lot of people believe in a watered-down gospel, and thus they have a watered-down faith that isn’t really faith at all. They’ve heard so many sermonettes that they’ve turned into Christianettes. They’re not prepared for spiritual battle. We must not make that mistake. We need to understand who we’re up against. The apostle Peter wrote, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8 NLT). There’s no need to panic. But we must come to terms with the reality that if we live a godly life, persecution will follow. We need to prepare ourselves for the inevitable attacks. We need to strengthen our areas of vulnerability. We need to stay close to the Lord through prayer and Bible study. Our enemy is formidable, but he can be resisted. God has equipped us with everything we need to stand strong against the devil. Reflection question: What are the best strategies for standing strong against our spiritual enemy? The Harvest Crusade is coming to Angel Stadium on July 11! Stay updated on all important event details. — The audio production of the podcast "Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known." All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie. Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast Become a Harvest PartnerSupport the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Roman Catholicism stands in sharp contrast to the words of scripture, inverting everything that Christ taught and transforming the gospel into a system of spiritual slavery. Both history and the Bible testify to these things, and when we examine the major areas of theology and compare the Christ of Catholicism with the true Christ — we realize a startling truth. The Jesus of Catholicism is not Jesus at all, but rather a gnostic Christ, an invented figure, who acts as a mask for Satan to deceive the masses into destruction. Today we will back these serious claims up with plenty of evidence, and those who are brave enough will examine that evidence and learn to sharpen their discernment. * 00:00 - Introduction * 34:25 - False Christs* 54:34 - The Catholic Christ: Soteriology* 1:26:14 - The Catholic Christ: Christology* 1:41:53 - The Catholic Christ: Thanatology* 1:51:48 - The Catholic Christ: Ecclesiology & Eschatology* 2:12:59 - The Catholic Christ: Cosmology* 2:19:30 - The Catholic Christ: The Sabbath* 2:37:52 - Quick Review* 2:45:10 - The Mystery of Faith This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.danceoflife.com/subscribe

The early church didn't just baptize new believers. They delivered them first. For the first several centuries of Christianity, exorcism wasn't a dramatic spectacle reserved for extreme cases. It was woven into the baptismal rite itself, practiced across traditions, and considered a normal part of welcoming someone into the body of Christ. Somewhere along the way, we forgot.ABOUT THIS EPISODE:Matthew Esquivel returns to Remnant Radio to walk us through overlooked chapters in church history. We'll examine the deep and consistent link between baptism and deliverance in the early church. From the Apostolic Tradition attributed to Hippolytus of Rome in the third century, to the Seventh Council of Carthage in 258 AD, to the near-universal practice of renouncing Satan as part of the baptismal liturgy, the historical record is clear. The church fathers didn't see deliverance as a crisis intervention. They saw it as part of what it meant to cross from one kingdom into another.This episode is for believers who want to understand deliverance ministry historically and theologically. It's for people who've seen something real in deliverance prayer but haven't had the church history to back it up. And it's for the skeptics who wonder whether any of this has any grounding in Christian tradition.INTRODUCTION TO DELIVERANCE MINISTRY:https://www.theremnantradio.com/intro-to-deliverance-ministrySubscribe to The Remnant Radio newsletter and receive our FREE introduction to spiritual gifts eBook. Plus, get access to: discounts, news about upcoming shows, courses and conferences - and more. Subscribe now at TheRemnantRadio.com. Support the showABOUT THE REMNANT RADIO: The Remnant Radio exists to equip believers who are hungry for the radical middle of both Word and Spirit. Subscribe for twice-weekly content on theology, church history and the gifts of the Spirit.

In the final episode of the Mass Deception series, host Jeff Shepherd pulls back the curtain on a single, ancient lie that has infiltrated the church: the subtle promise that "you will become like God." This episode traces that deception from the Garden of Eden through the temptations of Jesus and into modern movements, showing how Satan takes God's truth, adds a small twist, and creates a devastating illusion. Topics covered include a close reading of the serpent's temptation, Jesus' responses in the wilderness, the mechanics of spiritual deception, and modern examples such as the “little God” doctrine and the seven mountains mandate. Jeff contrasts these distortions with clear biblical teaching, citing John 1:1, 14 and Isaiah 43:10, and explains how Scripture consistently points to Jesus as the eternal Son who became flesh, died for our sins, rose again, and will return as King. Key points include the pattern of taking true statements and inverting their meaning, the test to discern truth from counterfeit ("Would I sing or declare this standing in God's throne room?"), and encouragement for sincere seekers: God still meets those who pursue the real Jesus. Jeff emphasizes being a Berean—searching the Scriptures daily—so counterfeit teachings become obvious. Guests: solo presentation by Jeff Shepard (no guests). Expect a clear, biblical call to stand firm in the real Jesus, practical criteria for evaluating teachings and experiences, and a passionate invitation to love God, love your neighbor, and make a difference in your community. The episode closes with a call to like, comment, share, and subscribe so listeners can continue to grow in discernment. Thank you for Listening!. Prayerfully consider investing support to continue spreading the word. Please like, subscribe and share. Click Here for all links, Right on Community ROC, Podcast web links, Freebies, Products (healing mushrooms, EMP Protection) Social media, courses and more...https://linktr.ee/RightonRadio Live Right in the Real World! We talk God and Politics, Faith Based Broadcast News, views, Opinions and Attitudes Keep the Faith

"What is the chief end of man?" "Man's chief end (or purpose) is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever." That old chestnut from the Westminster Catechism comes to mind when we read the last 2 chapters of Revelation. This is what our Creator had planned all along: Perfect fellowship, safety and satisfaction. Today Jim concludes our series, God's Final Word. But the "final word" for Right Start has been postponed! Details after the message. Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand. You can purchase a copy of this message, unsegmented for broadcasting and in its entirety, for $7 on a single CD by calling +1 (800) 984-2313, and of course you can always listen online or download the message for free. RS06162026_0.mp3Scripture References: Revelation 19-21

Unforgiveness feels justified. It feels protective. Sometimes it even feels righteous. But what if the person you're hurting most is yourself? In this message from our BETRAYED series, we discover how Satan uses unforgiveness as a weapon, why bitterness spreads far beyond us, and how God's path of forgiveness leads to freedom, healing, and peace.

Satan uses the back door quite often in his attempt to deceive people.  His three-pronged attack is aimed at confusing us about Christ, the Gospel, and the Spirit of God. And he uses some crafty techniques to get us off track. One of his favorite targets is church leaders. Pastor Lloyd Pulley will show us how to avoid satan's snares today on Bridging the Gap.

Warlock available here: https://amzn.to/4qXZGS7  Matthew Pejkovic of Matt's Movie Reviews is joined by filmmaker Michael Pereira to talk about Warlock, the horror cult classic that stars Julian Sands as a son of Satan who travels from the late 17th century to the modern era with the mission of compiling the pieces of the Devil's bible in order to undo creation.  Watch Beyond the Chamber of Terror Prime Video: https://amzn.to/3Zf2r5N   TUBI: https://tubitv.com/en-au/movies/100026869/beyond-the-chamber-of-terror   Follow Michael Pereira here: https://linktr.ee/mike_vs_pereira?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=d636236b-d8d9-4b84-8844-e1d7d4fb3943  Matt's Movie Reviews Podcast listed in FeedSpot's Top 100 Movie Podcasts  Support Matt's Movie Reviews PayPal TeePublic Amazon Follow Matt's Movie Reviews Website  Youtube Facebook Instagram  Rumble

Chip tackles Satan's first agenda: to divide and conquer. Learn how to identify that tactic and protect yourself from it.ResourcesMessage NotesSpecial OffersDonate to the MatchDouble Your GiftConnect888-333-6003WebsiteChip Ingram AppInstagramFacebookPartner With UsDonate Online888-333-6003Resources Mentioned in TeachingBOOK - "The Screwtape Letters" by C.S. Lewis

- Wade Orsini - Genesis 3:1-7 Everything boils down to God's word vs. Satan's word. Who will image-bearers believe? This very reality creates a war of truth against falsehood. And fittingly, it begins here in Genesis, the book of beginnings. May you cling to God's Word like a light unto your path and steer clear of Satan's word, as it is the evil way that leads to darkness. Christ, be our Light. Soli Deo Gloria!

Correction Without Condemnation by Autumn Dickson David is one of our center characters this week as he rises to the throne and protects Israel. There are a lot famous stories this week, including the famous story of David and Goliath. However, I want to talk about a lesser studied portion of the Old Testament. It's a relatively tiny detail, but it can teach us a lot. David has conquered Jerusalem and brought the Ark of the Covenant there. After all the celebration, David is sitting in his palace and it occurs to him that the Lord doesn't have a proper place of worship. David is living in a house of cedar, but the Lord only has a tent. David feels a desire to correct this and approaches Nathan about it. Nathan approves and tells David to do what his heart desires; the Lord is with him. Later on, the Lord corrects Nathan. 2 Samuel 7:12-13 12 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. So interestingly enough, the Lord disagreed. That night, the Lord sends a revelation to Nathan. David will not build the temple; his son will. David is associated with war, and the Lord approved much of that conquest. However, from a symbolic and theological standpoint, the temple is associated with peace and rest. Solomon's reign was associated with rest, and so he was the one to build the temple. Nathan passes the message on to David, and David accepts this answer from the Lord. Perhaps this doesn't seem like that big of a deal in comparison to other scripture that we're reading this week, but that's actually partially my point. Making a decision all on your own and then being corrected by the Lord doesn't have to be that big of a deal. Let's delve in a tad deeper. Sometimes we get really caught up in making sure we're following the Lord. The problem isn't wanting to follow the Lord; the problem comes when we make it a problem. There are two fears that we can often run into in regards to revelation: Fear one. We don't want to do wrong by the Lord and get in trouble. I'm not 100% where this fear comes from…probably Satan? The Lord tells us over and over and over that He loves us and wants us to try and act. Yet despite His assurances, we get nervous about doing things wrong. As far as I can tell, the Lord wasn't angry with David or Nathan for getting excited about building a house for Him. I would be shocked if the Lord was anything less than beaming over two of His sons trying to worship Him. That didn't mean it was the right direction, but the Lord wasn't mad about it. The Lord wants us to act and move forward and do good things of our own free will. He will course correct as necessary. Which leads me to my next point. Fear two. Even if the Lord isn't angry, we don't want to end up in the wrong direction. We're often afraid to move forward without the explicit green light from the Lord. We don't want to take the wrong steps. When we were looking to get a house, I was really worried about making the wrong decision. I was praying about it and praying about it and praying about it. Conner didn't. I had a hard time wanting to move forward without the Lord's approval, but he approached the situation very differently. He weighed the pros and cons and went over our finances. He made the best decision he could with the information he had. And that was it. I don't think he prayed about it even once. It used to worry me. I wanted him to seek out the Lord's will more often than I thought he was, but I had an experience with him that shifted my perspective. We were looking at getting a car years and years ago. We stopped to look at this van on our way to a family dinner. I stayed in the car while he went and looked at the van. When he climbed back in, I asked if we were buying it. He answered in the negative. I asked him what was wrong with it (he's worked as a mechanic previously), and he told me that he didn't see anything that was wrong with it. When I asked him why we weren't buying it, he replied, “I had a bad feeling about it.” Conner didn't necessarily wait for green lights, but he listened to red lights when they came along as needed. That was the first step in a journey that changed how I approach revelation. I no longer feel held back by fear. I'm not afraid of the Lord being mad. I recognize that the Lord wants me to be wise like Him, and that requires practicing my decision-making skills like Him. He knows that allowing me to make decisions also means that I'm going to make mistakes, but He's not worried about that. Not to mention, He's happy to course correct as necessary. I make a decision that I truly want and think is best, and I trust Him to speak to me if I'm wrong. That's how I pictured the context of this particular conversation between David and Nathan. They were rejoicing and ready to worship the Lord. They were purposefully thinking of Him and trying to do good works without being directly asked. Then the Lord simply corrected them as needed. We can move forward in faith and excitement and trust the Lord to close the door or correct us if it's not the right path. There is no reason to be afraid. I testify that the Lord wants us to make decisions and become wise like Him. There is no other way to do this except to practice. I also testify that He is powerful and knows how to speak with us. He doesn't give us our agency so that He can condemn us when we make mistakes. He paid for those mistakes and stands ready to help us along. He knows how to speak to you if you're trying to listen. Trust that He can lead you along. Be excited about the decisions before you; the Lord can turn them all for your good when you're seeking to worship Him. 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 – 1 Samuel 17–18; 24–26; 2 Samuel 5–7 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

[00:30] Our Violent Delights (46 minutes) This weekend was the ultimate contrast of God's culture versus Satan's culture. The FIFA World Cup, NBA championship, Stanley Cup and UFC 250 displayed celebrity worship, pleasure-seeking madness and violence. At the same time, North Carolina enjoyed Celtic Throne II and the Personal Appearance Campaign. [46:30] Herbert W. Armstrong Centennial, Part 1 (9 minutes)

What if artificial intelligence is more than just technology? What if the rapid rise of AI, transhumanism, digital currencies, surveillance systems, and technocratic control are all part of a much larger transformation taking place before our eyes? In this thought-provoking conversation, Cregg Lund, author of Silicon Satan and Silicon Inferno, joins Michael Jaco to discuss the accelerating AI revolution and the deeper spiritual, technological, and societal implications many people are only beginning to recognize. Drawing from his background as a software engineer and researcher, Cregg explores how artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping communication, finance, education, employment, government, and even human identity itself. The discussion examines the growing influence of AI systems, digital surveillance, biometric technologies, transhumanism, centralized control structures, and the potential risks associated with humanity becoming increasingly dependent on intelligent machines. Michael and Cregg also explore the spiritual dimensions of emerging technologies, asking important questions about free will, consciousness, morality, and what it truly means to remain human in an age of artificial intelligence. As AI capabilities continue advancing at unprecedented speed, the conversation challenges listeners to think critically about where society is heading and who ultimately controls the technologies shaping the future. This episode is not about fear. It's about awareness. It's about understanding the choices being made today that could impact generations to come. And it's about ensuring that technological advancement serves humanity rather than replacing it. Whether you're interested in artificial intelligence, digital currencies, technocracy, transhumanism, consciousness, faith, or the future of civilization, this is a fascinating discussion on one of the most important topics of our time.

Friends of the Rosary,In today's reading (Matthew 5:38-42), Christ the Lord, in the Sermon on the Mount, exhorts us to nonresistance to evil.By the way, this passage deeply influenced Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.From a Catholic perspective, the ordinary way to face evil and resist demonic attacks is through a deeper union with Christ, and never through fear or engagement with the demonic powers.The Church teaches that Jesus Christ has already conquered Satan through His death and Resurrection (cf. Colossians 2:15).Our strongest spiritual protection is a life rooted in God's grace, remaining in a state of grace.Pray daily and read the Scriptures and Catholic spiritual books. Prayer keeps us close to God and strengthens us against temptation. Especially, The Holy Rosary.Attend Mass regularly, especially on Sundays and, if possible, weekdays.Go to Confession frequently.Receive the Eucharist worthily and with devotion.Strive to avoid serious sin and occasions of sin.Let's not forget that the sacraments are powerful channels of God's grace.Ave Maria!Come, Holy Spirit, come!To Jesus through Mary!Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.Please give us the grace to respond with joy!+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New YorkEnhance your faith with the new Holy Rosary University app:Apple iOS | New! Android Google Play• ⁠June 15, 2026, Today's Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

"And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." We think of Revelation as a book of catastrophe and destruction. But the point is what comes after all that: A new beginning for mankind with God. We'll talk about that glorious New Creation, then I'll share some good news about the program. Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand. You can purchase a copy of this message, unsegmented for broadcasting and in its entirety, for $7 on a single CD by calling +1 (800) 984-2313, and of course you can always listen online or download the message for free. RS06152026_0.mp3Scripture References: Revelation 19-21

The devotional centers on the healing of two blind men in Matthew 20:29–34, using their physical restoration as a powerful metaphor for spiritual sight, emphasizing that true healing begins with recognizing Jesus as the promised Messiah and boldly requesting mercy. It underscores the transformative power of faith and gratitude, as the men's response to their healing—immediate following of Jesus—reflects a life transformed by divine grace. The preacher draws a compelling parallel to spiritual blindness, warning that Satan actively obscures the truth of God's love and acceptance, particularly in areas of identity, worth, and divine purpose. Through personal testimony, the message confronts common deceptions—such as equating success with numbers or external validation—and calls believers to pursue faithfulness over achievement, rooted in the unshakable truths of being accepted in Christ and loved eternally. Ultimately, the sermon challenges every listener to examine their spiritual sight, reject the world's standards, and commit to living faithfully, knowing that God's approval rests not on success but on steadfast obedience.

1 Timothy 1:18-2:718 This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, 19 holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, 20 among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme. 2 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man[a] Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. 7 For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.1 Timothy ResourcesBecoming Like Jesus - Matt ChandlerCreature of the Word - Eric Geiger, Matt Chandler, Josh Patterson1 Timothy series - Kyle Mercer1 Timothy series - Joby MartinNo More Excuses - Tony EvansDoctrine - Gary Breshears, Mark Driscoll

Romans 8 opens with one of the most powerful declarations in Scripture: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Gary Wilkerson preached a message about freedom from condemnation, freedom from self-effort, and freedom from the exhausting cycle of feeling “in and out” with God. Many believers wrestle with the thought that they are in the Spirit when they are doing well, but back in the flesh when they stumble, struggle, or feel weak. Romans 8 gives us a better word. Gary reminded students that the law of the Spirit of life has set us free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. The flesh could not save us. Trying harder could not save us. Religious effort, stronger promises, and moral performance could not deliver us. “For God” did what the law could not do by sending His own Son. “This is true all the time,” Gary said of the promise of no condemnation. He also declared, “You, however, are not in the flesh, but you're in the Spirit.” This message teaches that Jesus not only removes our sin, but gives us His righteousness. He changes the operating system of our lives. In Christ, we are not living in and out, up and down, condemned one day and accepted the next. We belong to Him. His Spirit dwells in us. His life is at work in us. The application is simple and powerful: stop trying to do in your own strength what only Jesus can do. Believe that there is no condemnation in Christ. Set your mind on the Spirit. Trust the righteousness Jesus has placed within you, and walk in the life and peace He has already won.

The communion table reminds us that our salvation is not based on our good works, but on the finished work of Jesus Christ. Walter Colace opened this message by leading students in the Lord's Supper, calling them to remember that they were purchased with the blood of Jesus and given immeasurable value before God. Communion is not just a ritual. It is a reminder that Christ's body was given, His blood was poured out, and His death is proclaimed until He comes again. From there, Walter preached from John 12 and the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. The crowd waved palm branches, a symbol of victory in Jewish history, expecting Jesus to deliver them from Rome. But Jesus came to bring a greater victory than political freedom. He came to conquer sin, the world, Satan, and death. “Jesus wasn't just coming into Jerusalem to give victory to Jewish people,” Walter said. “He was giving the victory to all of humanity that would come to Him in faith.” He also declared, “You have the victory because your victory is tethered to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.” This message points us to the Lamb who was worthy, the Savior who triumphed, and the King who is coming again. Jesus conquered sin so we no longer have to be enslaved to it. He overcame the world so we can have peace in tribulation. He defeated Satan and put the powers of darkness to open shame. He conquered death so that all who are united with Him will also share in His resurrection. The application is simple: receive the victory Jesus has already secured. Keep the Word of God in your heart. Guard your testimony. Stop living as though defeat is your only future. In Christ, you are an overcomer, and your victory is anchored in the cross, the empty tomb, and the Lamb who sits on the throne.

In this episode of Power Talk Podcast, Pastor Paul Ceccato and Campus Pastor Matthew DeLeon discuss how believers can unknowingly give Satan access to their lives through subtle footholds such as anger, offense, pride, deception, and unresolved issues. Using biblical examples and practical teaching, they explain the difference between spiritual influence and possession, the dangers of strongholds, and how staying rooted in God's Word, prayer, and obedience helps keep the enemy from gaining ground.

16 He that heareth you, heareth me; and he that despiseth you, despiseth me; and he that despiseth me, despiseth him that sent me.Qui vos audit, me audit : et qui vos spernit, me spernit. Qui autem me spernit, spernit eum qui misit me. 17 And the seventy-two returned with joy, saying: Lord, the devils also are subject to us in thy name.Reversi sunt autem septuaginta duo cum gaudio, dicentes : Domine, etiam daemonia subjiciuntur nobis in nomine tuo. 18 And he said to them: I saw Satan like lightning falling from heaven.Et ait illis : Videbam Satanam sicut fulgor de caelo cadentem. 19 Behold, I have given you power to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and upon all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall hurt you.Ecce dedi vobis potestatem calcandi supra serpentes, et scorpiones, et super omnem virtutem inimici : et nihil vobis nocebit. 20 But yet rejoice not in this, that spirits are subject unto you; but rejoice in this, that your names are written in heaven.Verumtamen in hoc nolite gaudere quia spiritus vobis subjiciuntur : gaudete autem, quod nomina vestra scripta sunt in caelis.Vitus, born of the illustrious Sicilian family, was arrested with his tutor and his nurse. After many sufferings, they were martyred A.D. 303.

TEMPO DE REFLETIR 01796 – 15 de junho de 2026 Mateus 5:29 – Se o teu olho direito te faz tropeçar, arranca-o e lança-o de ti; pois te convém que se perca um dos teus membros, e não seja todo o teu corpo lançado no inferno. O nervo ótico é uma das avenidas através das quais o pecado penetra na mente humana. Cristo disse que o adultério, por exemplo, começa com um olhar impuro (Mt 5:28). Então a solução proposta seria arrancar o olho direito, que, no conceito popular antigo, enxergava melhor. Mas, será que o problema ficaria resolvido? E o olho esquerdo não pode fazer alguém tropeçar? Obviamente, esse conselho de Cristo não deve ser interpretado literalmente, pois nesse caso teríamos um mundo de caolhos. No versículo seguinte Cristo dá o mesmo conselho caso a mão direita fizer você tropeçar: Corte-a fora! Assim, além de caolhos, você teria também uma multidão de manetas. E se você continuar cortando tudo o que o faz pecar, o que sobraria? Orígenes, um dos maiores eruditos da igreja, no século III, combinou esses textos com a declaração de Cristo de que há alguns homens “que a si mesmos se fizeram eunucos, por causa do reino dos céus” (Mt 19:12), e se castrou. Isso mostra que a interpretação literal de um simbolismo pode afetar a a vida física. “Cristo usa aqui uma figura de linguagem. Ele não requer a mutilação do corpo [que é o templo do Espírito Santo], mas o controle dos pensamentos. O recusar-se a contemplar o mal é tão eficaz como o fazer-se cego, e tem a vantagem adicional de reter a visão e utilizá-la para aquilo que é bom. Uma raposa às vezes rói a própria pata, presa numa armadilha, a fim de escapar. De igual modo um lagarto sacrifica sua cauda, ou uma lagosta suas tesouras. “Cristo aconselha simbolicamente arrancar o olho ou amputar a mão para salientar que se deve tomar uma decisão resoluta para resguardar-se do mal. O cristão faria bem em seguir o exemplo de Jó, o qual disse: ‘Fiz aliança com meus olhos; como, pois, os fixaria eu numa donzela?'” (Jó 31:1) (SDA Bible Commentary, v. 5, p. 337). Como podemos evitar maus pensamentos? Veja o conselho inspirado: “Os que não querem cair presa dos enganos de Satanás, devem guardar bem as vias de acesso à alma; devem-se esquivar de ler, ver ou ouvir tudo quanto sugira pensamentos impuros” (Atos dos Apóstolos, p. 518). Reflita sobre isso no dia de hoje e ore comigo agora: Grande Deus e a Pai: coloco os meus olhos, a minha boca, a minha mente, o meu coração, em Tuas mãos. Por favor. Toma conta de tudo isso. Toma conta de minha vida. Em nome de Jesus, amém! Saiba como receber as mensagens diárias do Tempo de Refletir: -> No celular, instale o aplicativo MANAH. -> Para ver/ouvir no YouTube, inscreva-se neste Canal: youtube.com/AmiltonMenezes7 -> Tenha os nossos aplicativos em seu celular: https://www.wgospel.com/aplicativos -> Para receber pelo WhatsApp, adicione 41 99893-2056 e mande um recadinho pedindo os áudios. -> Participe do nosso canal no TELEGRAM: TELEGRAM AMILTON MENEZES . -> Participe do nosso canal no WhatsApp: WHATSAPP CHANNEL Amilton Menezes . -> Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amiltonmenezes7/ -> Threads: https://www.threads.net/@amiltonmenezes7 -> X (Antigo Twitter): https://x.com/AmiltonMenezes -> Facebook: facebook.com/AmiltonMenezes

The Bible encourages those who follow Jesus that there will be thorns in the flesh at times. Thorns are messengers from Satan. They come to us in the form of people, illness, discouragement and spiritual attack. Thorns prevent the spoil of our heart. When God uses us, it comes with the risk of pride. Thorns in the flesh can be the very thing that keeps us qualified to continue to be used by the Lord. Thorns prove that God's grace is enough. Though God could remove all of our thorns, he sometimes chooses to allow them to remain so that we might rely upon his grace rather than a cure. The power of Christ is displayed in our weaknesses. Do you know Jesus today? Do you have a thorn in the flesh? Be encouraged as you rely upon God's grace to carry you.

The Bible encourages those who follow Jesus that there will be thorns in the flesh at times. Thorns are messengers from Satan. They come to us in the form of people, illness, discouragement and spiritual attack. Thorns prevent the spoil of our heart. When God uses us, it comes with the risk of pride. Thorns in the flesh can be the very thing that keeps us qualified to continue to be used by the Lord. Thorns prove that God's grace is enough. Though God could remove all of our thorns, he sometimes chooses to allow them to remain so that we might rely upon his grace rather than a cure. The power of Christ is displayed in our weaknesses. Do you know Jesus today? Do you have a thorn in the flesh? Be encouraged as you rely upon God's grace to carry you.

Welcome Graham fam! We are so glad you could watch Sunday morning online with us. Please Subscribe to our Youtube Channel!http://www.youtube.com/@GrahamChapel IntroductionFor the past two weeks we have been talking about the temptations that Christ went through, reviewing how He was tempted but did not sin, how He was prepared by being submitted to the Holy Spirit, how the Spirit leads us to hard places, and how Satan can use anything to tempt us. Last week we talked about the physical things that Satan will tempt you with, and today we are talking about the internal things that Satan comes at us with. Scripture* Matthew 4:1-11* Acts 20:29-30* Galatians 1:10* Deuteronomy 6:14-18 Sermon Points* Satan is no respecter of holy places!* Satan will double down on your identity!* All of us are tempted to take it for granted! ClosingWe are not to test God by disobeying him and testing his patience or grace with us. That is very unwise as we never know when it will run out. However, we are invited to test him as he promises us good things, such as in giving in Malachi 3:10. God invites us to obey him. He never invites disobedience! Watch past services: https://www.gcwesleyan.org/teaching/ Subscribe to Graham Chapel Youth: https://is.gd/grahamyouth Give to Graham Chapel: https://www.gcwesleyan.org/give/ Graham Chapel Wesleyan Church is in Mayo, SC near Cowpens and Chesnee in Spartanburg County. We'd love to have you join us in person on Sundays or Wednesdays for youth! Visit our website to learn more.

Mental sloth It is from the deceit of sin that the mind is spiritually slothful, by which it becomes negligent of this duty. The principal discharge of the mind's trust in this matter is expressed by "watching," which is the great caution that the Lord Jesus gave to His disciples in reference to all their dangers from sin and Satan. "I say unto all, Watch" (Mar 13:37). That is, use your utmost diligence and carefulness so that you are not surprised and entangled with temptations.

====================================================SUSCRIBETEhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNpffyr-7_zP1x1lS89ByaQ?sub_confirmation=1==================================================== LECCIÓN DE ESCUELA SABÁTICA         II TRIMESTRE DEL 2026Narrado por: Eddie RodriguezDesde: Guatemala, GuatemalaUna cortesía de DR'Ministries y Canaan Seventh-Day Adventist ChurchLUNES 15 DE JUNIOSIN FUERZA, PERO CON PODER¿Te preguntaste alguna vez cómo pudo Jesús mantener su motivación para trabajar, sanar, consolar, predicar y enseñar a tantas personas día tras día? Se nos dice que, “al ver a las multitudes, sintió compasión de ellas, porque estaban desamparadas y dispersas como ovejas sin pastor” (Mat. 9:36). Fue el amor y la compasión de Jesús hacia la humanidad lo que impulsó su labor. De la misma manera, el amor de Dios en nosotros debería impulsarnos a sentir el deber de conducir a las almas hacia él y su verdad (2 Cor. 5:14). ¿Contemplaste alguna vez los rostros de las personas en una multitud mientras pensabas en la Eternidad y te preguntaste si conocían a Jesús? ¿Has sentido alguna vez la manifestación del amor de Dios en ti hacia un extraño necesitado? El amor que Dios ha puesto en nuestro corazón nos motiva a sentir y asumir la responsabilidad de conducir almas a él. Jeremías expresó esto cuando dijo: “Su palabra fue en mi corazón como un fuego ardiente, prendido en mis huesos. Traté de sufrirlo, y no pude” (Jer. 20:9). Sin embargo, cuando compartimos a Dios con otros, no debemos tratar de forzarlos a aceptarlo a él o la verdad bíblica. La coerción es contraria al carácter de Dios. Él no obligó a Adán y a Eva a alejarse del árbol del conocimiento del bien y del mal (Gén. 2:16, 17). No obligó a los antediluvianos a entrar en el arca para salvarse del diluvio (Gén. 7:1). No obligó a los israelitas a permanecer fieles a su pacto con él (Deut. 4:29-31). Por el contrario, Jesús satisfizo las necesidades de las personas (Mat. 4:23-25) y luego las invitó a seguirlo. Jesús nunca obligó a nadie a ir en pos de él o a aceptar la verdad que proclamaba. Tampoco lo hace ahora. Sin embargo, nunca nos abandona (Mat. 23:37). Cuando testificamos, nuestro enfoque siempre debe reflejar el de Jesús. Elena de White dice: “No forma parte de la misión de Cristo obligar a los hombres a recibirlo. Satanás y los hombres impulsados por su espíritu son quienes procuran violentar las conciencias. [...] No puede haber una evidencia más concluyente de que poseemos el espíritu de Satanás que la disposición a dañar y destruir a quienes no aprecian nuestro trabajo u obran contrariamente a nuestras ideas” (El Deseado de todas las gentes, pp. 451, 452). Debemos ser un conducto al servicio de Dios. Vivimos en un mundo que odia la verdad, pero eso no debe impedirnos compartirla de manera reflexiva y amorosa. Recuerda que nuestro testimonio personal es lo que a menudo tendrá la mayor influencia, sobre todo en las primeras etapas de la testificación (Apoc. 12:11). Lee 2 Pedro 3:18. ¿De qué manera estás creciendo en gracia y conocimiento? ¿Cómo se manifiesta esto en tus interacciones con quienes te rodean? 

In this episode, we…Explore Paul's description of Satan as “the god of this age” who blinds unbelievers to the glory of ChristConsider how Satan can hinder gospel ministry and oppose the strengthening of the churchExamine Satan's role as the tempter, working through subtle deception, fear, discouragement, and distorted desiresReflect on why Paul calls believers to vigilance, discernment, and ordinary faithfulnessSee that Satan's power is real, but limited—and that God's grace is sufficientPaul gives us a serious and sobering picture of spiritual conflict, but he never leaves us in fear. Satan blinds, but God gives light. Satan hinders, but he cannot stop the advance of Christ's kingdom. Satan tempts, but God strengthens His people through truth, discernment, the fellowship of the church, and the grace of Christ.Join the Conversation:I'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode! Share your insights, questions, or reflections related to Satan's activity in Paul's letters, spiritual warfare, temptation, and the believer's confidence in Christ.Tune in now and join us as we continue to untangle the kingdoms and discover how to live in light of the gospel of Jesus Christ!ResourcesArticles:What Does It Mean that the God of This Age Has Blinded the Minds of Unbelievers? — GotQuestionsHow Much Authority Does Satan Have in the World? — John Piper @ Desiring GodResisting the Devil — Ephesians 2:1–3 — Dr. Craig S. KeenerSuffering and the Reality of Spiritual Warfare — SeedbedDifficult Bible Passages: 2 Corinthians 4:4 — Bill MuehlenbergPrepare for Spiritual Warfare with the Armor of God — Bible GatewayVideos:The Satan and Demons — BibleProjectThe Satan and Demons Question/Response — BibleProjectWhat Ephesians 6 Says about Spiritual Warfare — Dr. Clinton E. ArnoldRyan E. Stokes: The Satan: How God's Executioner Became the EnemyPodcasts:Evil and Satan — The Naked Bible PodcastSpiritual Warfare — BibleProject PodcastQ+R: Nephilim, Enoch, Satan and Demons — BibleProject PodcastSpiritual Warfare and the Powers of Darkness — Think Biblically Podcast with Dr. Clinton E. ArnoldSatan Unveiled — The After Class PodcastBooks:Powers of Darkness: Principalities & Powers in Paul's Letters by Dr. Clinton E. ArnoldThe Satan: How God's Executioner Became the Enemy by Dr. Ryan E. StokesSatan and the Problem of Evil: From the Bible to the Early Church Fathers by Dr. Archie T. WrightDemons: What the Bible Really Says About the Powers of Darkness by Dr. Michael S. HeiserAn Introduction to Second Temple Judaism by Dr. Lester L. GrabbeStay tuned for our next episode, where we'll continue exploring Satan in Paul's writings by turning to the schemes of the devil, the armor of God, and Paul's thorn in the flesh. Get full access to Entangled Kingdoms at www.entangledkingdoms.com/subscribe

ontext: Exposing the "Buttercup" Church, False Teachers, and the Truth About Biblical LoveEver notice how modern Christianity has fabricated a version of "love" where no one ever gets corrected, disciplined, or told they're out of line?In this video, Coach Shelby sits down—just four weeks out from his shoulder surgery and wearing his protective weight-room strap—to deliver a hard-hitting message on spiritual authority and biblical boundaries. Digging into the scrolls of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John, Coach tackles how the modern church has grown lazy because we rely too heavily on chapter and verse numbers instead of reading the Bible in its true, raw context.John wasn't writing a generic letter; he was dealing with an aggressive group of false teachers who were splitting the early church by claiming Jesus never actually came in a real "dirt suit." Coach exposes the danger of these ancient doctrines and shows how they've manifested today in a "syrupy sweet" theology that refuses to protect the flock. Just like a good coach has to be tough on his athletes because he loves them, leadership in the body of Christ demands clear correction. We are commanded to guard our pulpits, our small groups, and even our homes from those who reject sound doctrine. It's time to stop letting the world dictate our standards, test the fruit of those who claim to lead, and step up to our spiritual responsibilities.Classroom Highlights:The Post-Surgery Reality: Why Coach is wearing his protective gear in the gym and the aggressive handshake that forced him to keep it on.Lazy Reading Habits: How relying on chapters and verses has caused believers to miss the original flow and intent of the authors.The Dirt-Suit Heresy: Breaking down the specific false teachers John was fighting who denied that Jesus came in a real human body.The Fabricated Love Trap: Why a theology with zero discipline, correction, or pain is a completely false representation of God's heart.Guarding the Teaching Circle: Why pastors, supervisors, and CEOs have an obligation to keep unvetted, fruit-free novices out of leadership roles.Scriptures Studied:2 John 1:10 – If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him.1 Corinthians 5:5 – Deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved.Proverbs 12:1 – Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.#WordTime #CoachShelby #1John #BiblicalContext #TestingTheSpirits #SoundDoctrine #FalseTeachers #ChurchLeadership #ToughLoveChapters0:00 - Intro: Tying 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John Together0:21 - The Lazy Reader Trap: Missing the Original Intent of the Scrolls0:52 - The Flesh-Suit Heresy: Exposing the Ancient Deception1:15 - Once Saved, Always Saved? Challenging Common Theories with Scripture3:38 - The License to Sin: The Dangerous Side-Effect of Bad Doctrine4:28 - 2 John 1:10: Setting Harsh Boundaries for Your Home and Pulpit5:00 - The Syrupy Sweet Lie: Why Fabricated Love Avoids Discipline6:15 - The Gym Story: Coach's 4-Week Post-Surgery Update7:08 - Following Paul's Example: Removing the Rot to Protect the Body7:39 - The Athlete Mindset: Why Good Coaches Correct the Kids They Love8:05 - Addressing the "Judge Not" Comments: Proverbs 12:1 Doesn't Mince Words9:05 - Gangrene in the Pinky: The Urgency of Cutting Out False Fellowship10:32 - Guarding the Teaching Circle: Why Every Saved Person Isn't a Leader11:39 - True Authority: How God Appoints the Messengers Who Carry His Word12:56 - Outro: Preparing the Unqualified for the Glory of Yeshua

Send us Fan MailWords can sound holy and still be deadly. We sit with Romans 3 and let Paul's diagnosis land where it hurts most: our speech. He doesn't treat lying, cursing, and bitterness as random “bad moments.” He traces a straight line from inner corruption to the throat, tongue, lips, and mouth, calling it what it is: spiritual death spilling outward. If you've ever wondered why online “discernment,” spiritual hot takes, and smooth religious talk can wreck people so quickly, this passage explains the mechanics.From there, we press into a hard comparison: the serpent in Eden. Satan's temptation isn't always loud or obvious, it's often gentle, logical, and motivating. We talk about how modern self-help Christianity can mirror that same pattern by teaching people to trust themselves, believe in themselves, and look inward for strength. Then we draw a bright line back to the gospel: Jesus doesn't point us to the self. Scripture keeps pointing us to Christ, the only One who heals, saves, and crushes the serpent.We also widen the lens from speech to conduct as Paul moves to “feet swift to shed blood,” destruction and misery, and the world's failure to find real peace. That includes a sober word about politics, a courtroom picture of human guilt before God, and the root issue underneath it all: no fear of God before their eyes. If you want a clear, Scripture-driven episode on total depravity, repentance, and why peace is impossible without reverence for God, press play. Subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.Support the showBE PROVOKED AND BE PERSUADED!

The heart, which is the seat of our emotions, is most vulnerable to the attacks of Satan. Doubts, fears, anxieties, worry are the fiery arrows which our adversary the devil shoots into our hearts.The author of Hebrews gives us our defense: "It is a good thing that the heart be established with grace."What does it mean for the heart to be established, and then how is the heart established with grace?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the new electricity, promising to radically transform our world. Today’s science fiction could become reality with AI, leading to a future where superintelligent machines oversee most tasks. This progress may affect human relevance without timely safeguards. Bob Maginnis will join us to remind us that we must embrace God’s purpose for man while rejecting the notion that AI is our replacement as secular futurists claim. Rather, it can become Satan’s tool to undermine God’s plan for humankind and the instrument the coming. antichrist could use in his failed quest to take over the world at the prophetic end times.Become a Parshall Partner: http://moodyradio.org/donateto/inthemarket/partnersSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Having thus far treated of the nature of this disease, it remains for us still to point out the remedies. These are: certain preventatives and antidotes, which may be brought under these three heads. First, all hindrances and causes that make this evil greater must be removed; next, one must flee and reject the false means of healing; finally, one must take in hand and use the right means. I. The hindrances which must be removed are all heresies, all sins, and all those things which we have already enumerated under the foregoing and outwardly moving causes, namely: the harmful doctrine of the falling away of the saints, of free will, and of the meritoriousness of good works, etc. Besides these, too great solitude and melancholy, which the man of God Luther not so unjustly calls: the bath of Satan.

Think about the last time you heard a powerful message — a word that landed so hard you thought it would change everything.Now think about where that word is today.Most people never ask that question. And the enemy is counting on that.Matthew 13 contains a parable that Jesus told to the crowd — and then pulled His disciples aside to explain privately. Not because the crowd could not hear it. Because most of them would never understand what He was actually revealing about the way the enemy operates against every single person who sits in a service, watches a message, or opens a Bible.There is something that happens the MOMENT the Word of God enters your hearing. Something that most believers have experienced hundreds of times — and have never once identified as the enemy's hand.It is not random. It is not coincidence. It is a strategy — one that is so consistent, so precise, so immediate that Jesus described it with a single word in the interpretation of this parable that most people read past without stopping.Here is what makes this dangerous — the enemy does not wait. He does not give the Word time to settle. He does not attack it after it has taken root. His move happens at a moment that is so close to the receiving that by the time most people realize what occurred — the Word is already gone.And here is the part that nobody is teaching — there is a specific condition that makes the enemy's strategy completely ineffective. A condition that when present stops him from being able to do what he does every single time. Jesus described it clearly in the same passage. But it requires something from you that most believers have never been shown how to cultivate.What is that condition?What is the specific word Jesus used to describe the timing of the enemy's move?And what does the 100-fold, 60-fold, 30-fold at the end of this parable reveal about what the enemy fears more than anything you could ever do against him?

Welcome back to Gnostic Insights and to the Gnostic Reformation on Substack. This week, we’re going to follow up on last week’s episode, which was called Gnostic Pentecost, and that was first broadcast on the 6th of June, 2026. I have a lot more examples out of the New Testament of the Bible about Pentecost, and as we learned last week, Pentecost is what we’ve been calling the coming of the Third Order of Powers here in this Gnosticism out of the Tripartite Tractate that I share with you at Gnostic Insights. Here’s a quote from last week’s episode where it says, Jesus stood up and said loudly, ‘if anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and let him drink. Whoever has faith in me, just as scripture has said, out of his parts, living streams of water will flow.' Now he said this in regard to the spirit whom those who had faith in him were about to receive, for as yet there was no spirit, because Jesus had not yet been glorified. [Hart's New Testament, John, Chapter 7, verse 37] And this is speaking of what we call the Holy Spirit, because of course we have spirit. We’re born with spirit, because we have the Fullness of God within us. That is the First Order of Powers. But Jesus here is talking of the Third Order of Powers, the army of Christ that has come after Jesus is, glorified. And glorified means risen from the dead, ascended into the sky in front of hundreds of witnesses. And glorified means that Jesus is living above, just as we will all be living above in a glorified body in the presence of the Father. So I shared that with you last week, and if you haven’t heard last week’s episode, again it’s called Gnostic Pentecost, go back and listen to it, because it’s a deep dive—what we call hermeneutics in theology or philosophy. It’s a deep deconstruction of a couple of very important passages in the Old and New Testament that have to do with the coming of what is called Pentecost. And Pentecost was when the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, came and sat upon the disciples while they were gathered in the upper room after Jesus had left and gone back above. But we’ve been talking about Pentecost all along here at Gnostic Insights as the coming of the Third Order of Powers that is the army of Christ. I’m going to quote a whole lot of New Testament for you today, and I take this out of The New Testament by David Bentley Hart, published by Yale University Press. So let’s start with John 14:16-30, and this is Jesus speaking. ‘And I shall entreat the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, that he may be with you throughout the age.' Now, by the way, when Hart and all translators translate throughout the age, they’re talking about Aeons. The word is Aeons. And so an alternate translation that Hart mentions in the footnote to this passage, throughout the age, can also mean, or until the Aeons come, or until the return to the Aeons. So listen to this again. ‘And I shall entreat the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, that he may be with you throughout the coming of the Aeons.' And of course here at Gnostic Insights and in Gnosticism, we believe that these Aeons are units of consciousness, that they’re parts of the Son, they’re parts of the mind of God. It’s not a measure of time, but a measure of consciousness. Carrying on with John 14:16. ‘The Spirit of Truth, which the cosmos cannot receive, because it neither sees nor knows it, you know it because it abides with you and will be within you. I shall not leave you orphans. I am coming to you. Just a little while, and the cosmos no longer sees me, but you see me. Because I live, you too will live. On that day, [and he’s referring to Pentecost, the coming of the Third Order of Powers], you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, that one is the one who loves me. And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.' Then Judas, not Iscariot, says to him, ‘Lord, what has happened then that you were about to manifest yourself to us and not to the cosmos?' Jesus answered and said to him, ‘if someone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him, and we’ll make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words, and the word that you hear is not mine, but rather that of the Father who has sent me. These things I’ve spoken to you while remaining with you, but the Advocate, the Spirit, the Holy One, which the Father will send in my name, he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. Peace I leave you, my peace I give to you. I give to you not as the cosmos gives. Do not let your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. I will no longer speak much with you, but the Archon of the cosmos is coming, and he has no hold in me, but so that the cosmos may know that I love the Father, and that just as the Father has commanded me, so I do.' Now, what Jesus was sharing with the disciples in this passage was that his physical body was about to go away. We know that he was about to be crucified and gone. They don’t exactly understand what’s about to happen because they can’t see the future, but Jesus can. He says, I’m going to go away, but don’t worry, I’m going to send a Spirit called the Advocate, and it will come in my name, and in the name of the Father, and it will advise you. Right now you walk with me physically, and I am outside of you, but when the Advocate comes, it will be inside of you. And here at Gnostic Insights, I describe the coming of the Third Order of Powers as overlaying our Second Order Power. See, it’s like your cells of your body. Imagine that there is another version of you that is perfected, that is cleansed of all illness, or cleansed of all poor cellular replication. We’re making an analogy here between cells and spiritual parts, but right now I’m just talking about cells. So let’s say you’ve got all these kind of little faults in your body that have developed over the years. Now imagine there was a perfected body that slipped right into you, like a sort of like a ghost, the Holy Ghost, overlaying upon your cells that cause your cells to pattern themselves after it. It’s like stepping into your body and overlaying what has been damaged over the years. Well, that is what happens with our spiritual bodies. We are what are called Second Order Powers, and we are made up of various combinations of, I hate to get confusing here for you, but of the First Order Powers. The First Order Powers were the Aeons. The Second Order Powers are all of us living things. We Second Order Powers are the children of the Aeons of the Fullness–the First Order Powers, who are themselves the Totality of the Son. The Third Order Powers are the army of the Christ, who represent all of the Powers of the ethereal plane, individually and collectively working for our redemption. The Third Order Powers are the perfected Christly powers. We are the fruit of the First Order Powers. Each of us is unique, a unique combination of various First Order Powers, and they make up our body. It’s like the recipe. Each of us has a different recipe. Down here, we manifest that recipe. That is who I am. You have a slightly different recipe, but mainly we’re the same. When the Third Order of Powers come, they overlay upon your unique combination and my unique combination. The Third Order Powers are unique to each one of us because they are made to be in our countenance so that we will recognize them. These perfected Third Order Powers, the army of Christ, steps into our soul, steps into our spirit, and overlays upon our pattern, upon our recipe. That’s what brings us the perfection of the Christ. But it only happens if you ask for it. It only happens when you allow it and you seek it out. Now, at the end of that quote I just read you out of John, he says, peace I leave you, my peace I give to you. I give to you not as the cosmos gives. And you see, the distinction is that the cosmos, that’s our material instantiation. That’s the material part of our bodies. It’s the material world. It’s matter itself. And Jesus is saying that when he gives you something, it’s not the way that the Demiurge gives it to you, with strings, lots of strings. Jesus says, do not let your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. So we’re not supposed to live in a spirit of fear. There’s no need to be afraid. When you trust in the Father, when you trust in the Christ and the Holy Spirit, you are imbued with the most powerful energy that has ever been. It far outweighs the energy of the cosmos, the energy of the material, the energy of the Demiurge, the energy of the archons. It outranks them, it outweighs them, it’s more powerful. And when you allow it to come inside of you, then you have that power within you to overcome the archons, the cosmos, the Demiurge. Jesus says, I will no longer speak much with you, [that is physically, because he’s about to be crucified], for the archon of the cosmos is coming. He’s speaking of the Demiurge in the form of the Roman soldiers that are about to arrest him and put him to death. And he has no hold in me. [So he’s saying that even though the archon of the cosmos is coming, it couldn’t contain him except that Jesus is allowing it.] He has no hold in me, [because Jesus is more powerful, because Jesus embodies the Christ]. He’s the first perfected human to embody the energy of the Third Order Powers. That’s what it means by being fully human and fully God. Jesus says, but so that the cosmos may know that I love the Father, and that just as the Father has commanded me to do so. And what is this commandment of Jesus? Well, that’s described in Matthew 22:37-39—the teaching most often referred to as Jesus’s commandment and what is called the great commandment. And Jesus summarizes God’s law, all of those laws of the Old Testament that the Demiurge had constructed. He summarizes them into two main commands. 1: Love God completely. 2: Two, love others as yourself. And here’s the quote, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your reason. This is the great and first commandment. The second is like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. All the law and the prophets depend upon these two commandments.' Together, these two are described as the foundation of all the other laws and teachings. Of course, when the Demiurge had this transcribed, he had the hundreds and hundreds and thousands of rules added onto it, because the Demiurge is law-bound, and he can only work through law. But Jesus said, don’t worry about all those little laws that you’ve been burdened with. All you have to know is love your neighbor, and love the Father, love God, and then all the other commandments will take care of themselves, because the power of love will be working through you. The book of John, chapter 15:17-27, puts it this way: ‘These things I command you so that you love one another. If the cosmos hates you, you know that it has hated me before you. If you were of the cosmos, the cosmos would have loved its own. But since you are not of the cosmos, the cosmos therefore hates you. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know the one who has sent me. Whoever hates me also hates my Father. But they have both seen and hated both me and my Father. And thus might the passage written in the law, [and that’s the law of Jehovah, of the Old Testament], be fulfilled.' And here’s what the passage said, ‘When the Advocate comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth who comes forth from the Father, he will testify concerning me. And you too must testify, for you are with me from the beginning.' Now, this from the beginning—that's a Gnostic term, and that was before the material cosmos was created from the Fall. In the Tripartite Tractate, it says that only those things which were from the beginning will continue through eternity. The rest will be disappeared. So, Jesus is saying that the number one command is to love. And he’s also saying that the cosmos will hate you if you do, because the cosmos hates love. Again, from the New Testament book of John, in chapter 16, verses 1 through 15, Jesus says, ‘I’ve spoken these things to you so that you might not be caused to falter. They will make you exiles from the synagogue, [and I add, and the churches and the mosques], and an hour is coming in which everyone who kills you thinks he is offering a service to God. And they will do these things because they have known neither the Father nor me. But I tell you the truth, it is for your own good that I should go away. For if I do not go away, the Advocate, [that is the Holy Spirit, that is the Third Order Powers, that is the army of Christ], surely is not coming to you. But if I go, I shall send him to you. And when he comes, it will prove the cosmos wrong concerning righteousness and concerning judgment, concerning sin.' And by the way, sin means literally to miss the mark, as if you’re shooting an arrow at a target. It’s to miss the bullseye. It means to fail, to fall short, as if your arrow fell short of the bullseye. So that’s what sin is. It’s not a list of naughty things. It simply means to miss the mark. So Jesus is saying, when that one comes, the Spirit of Truth, ‘He will prove the cosmos wrong concerning righteousness and concerning judgment, concerning sin because they do not have faith in me, and concerning righteousness because I am going to the Father and you no longer see me, and concerning judgment because the archon of this cosmos, the Demiurge, has been judged. I still have many things to tell you, but right now you cannot hear them. But when that one comes, the Spirit of Truth, he will guide you on the way to all truth, for he will not speak from himself, but will speak what he hears, and he will announce to you things to come. That one will glorify me because he will receive from what is mine and will announce it to you. All that the Father has is mine. That is why I said that he receives from what is mine and will announce it to you.' Now in this passage, when Jesus is talking about the Spirit of Truth and that it will come to the disciples after he is physically disembodied, it will come to everyone who accepts the coming of the Spirit of truth—that Spirit of truth, that’s gnosis. That is gnosis. That’s all there is to it. It’s not lists of this and lists of that that you have to memorize. It’s not the names of the angels and the names of the archons and the names of the Aeons. It’s not the order of the planets or the astrology. It’s not the secrets of alchemy. Those are not the gnosis of which Jesus is speaking. It doesn’t have to do with having magical powers over the cosmos. The cosmos is the cosmos. This is the kingdom of the Demiurge. This is the kingdom of the archon of the cosmos. This is the valley of death. The Spirit of Truth, the gnosis that comes from above, is all about the Father. It’s about eternity and the ethereal plane. It’s simply about love and the fact that we come from love and that we will return to love and that this down here is mostly delusion. It’s mostly falsehoods. That’s why the Holy Spirit is known as the Spirit of Truth. It’s what combats the Spirit of delusion, the falsity of the deficiency, the falsity of the imitation, as we know it here in Gnosticism. So you see these quotes in the New Testament, they’re all about gnosis. They are Gnostic. It’s just that we are not familiar with them if we are Christians nowadays, because the gnosis was taken out. The true references, the definitions of these phrases, were taken out. That’s why I call this the Gnostic Reformation. I’m literally sitting here attempting to return Christianity to its roots, to what Jesus is teaching here. He’s teaching of the Father above, not the God of this world. Now you’ve heard the Holy Spirit being referred to as the Advocate, which is a legal term. And when Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit, he called it the Advocate. And the Advocate’s role is to teach us, to guide us, to remind us, and to empower us as believers. The Son of Man, whom Jesus was known as, is a messianic title from Daniel 7 of the Old Testament, one of the prophets of the Old Testament. The Son of Man is a title that refers to one who receives authority, kingship, and judgment. He’s the representative human who rules God’s kingdom. So the role of the Messiah, or the Son of Man, is judge, king, mediator of God’s reign. And the Holy Spirit is our Advocate. He’s the defense attorney. So who’s the prosecution? It’s the Accuser, and that is the original word used whenever you see the word Satan referred to. It’s actually the Accuser. So the Accuser is the Demiurge, or one of his chief henchmen, one of his archons, that we call Satan. He’s our prosecutor. It’s its job to make us feel bad, to accuse us of crimes and sins and petty misdeeds, and not being loving enough or not being good enough to even talk to God. But the Holy Spirit is our defense attorney on the other side, who says, of course they’re good enough. Of course you’re fine. If you love me, if you love the Father, all is good. That’s his job. And it’s the job of the Son of Man, the king, to judge. So I’m going to put a little chart in the transcript here of the difference between the Son of Man and the Advocate. The Son of Man is the Messiah, King, Judge. The Advocate is the presence of God within. Role Son of Man (Jesus) Advocate (Spirit) Identity Messiah, King, Judge Presence of God within Mission Establish kingdom, redeem humanity Continue and internalize that work Authority Given dominion over all Acts with Jesus' authority Relationship to believers External presence (historical) Internal presence (ongoing) You see, it’s always within. So this notion that the Third Order Powers comes into us and overlays upon our Second Orderness, that’s not Gnostic hyperbole. That’s not my imagination. It says this in the Bible. It’s the presence of God within. The mission of the Son of Man, of Jesus, was to establish the kingdom here in the cosmos. Because after the Fall, the cosmos was entirely ruled by the Archon of the cosmos. But after the coming of the Son of Man, that is our most perfect human being from above, it is the Son of Man’s job, his mission to establish the kingdom here in the cosmos, to redeem us. And the Advocate’s job is to continue and to internalize that work, to bring it inside of each and every human being on the planet. But it can’t do that without cooperation, without being invited. So this is God outside of us and God inside of us, an internal presence, and it’s ongoing. In Gnostic terms, the ongoing Spirit, the Advocate, that brings the presence of the Son into us is the Third Order of Powers that comes with each of our countenances, or our faces, so that we can recognize the one to whom we pray. That’s a paraphrase out of the Tripartite Tractate, that the Third Order Power, the Christ, comes with the face of everyone who prays for help. It also comes with the face of every  one of the Aeons above, and with the face of the Son of God. So you can see it’s the most powerful thing that exists. The Third Order of Powers replaces our Second Order Power with a renewed and repaired indwelling of Spirit. We can’t rectify our own flaws. Redemption must come from a wiser, greater source. If you could fix yourself, you’d have fixed yourself by now. It’s called pulling yourself up from your own bootstraps. You can’t lift yourself off the ground by pulling up on your shoelaces. You need a more powerful figure from the outside. If they pull up on your shoelaces, they can lift you up from the ground. You see, that’s the expression known as being lifted by your bootstraps. I don’t know if you remember that or not. Anyway, we can’t rectify our own flaws. Redemption must come from a wiser, greater source. The Christ was formed for that very purpose and duty. The Son of Man is our perfected genotype of humanity. Let me repeat John 16, 7 to 11 again. ‘For if I do not go away, the Advocate surely is not coming to you. But if I go, I shall send him to you. And when he comes, he will prove the cosmos wrong concerning righteousness and concerning judgment, concerning sin because they do not have faith in me, concerning righteousness because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me, concerning judgment because the archon of this cosmos has been judged.' Do you understand that phrase better now? Now from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 3, verse 18 through 23. ‘Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks to be a wise man in this age, let him become foolish in order to become wise. For the wisdom of this cosmos is folly before God. For it has been written, He catches the wise in their craftiness. And again, the Lord knows the ponderings of the wise that they are vapid. Hence, let no one boast in human beings, for all things are yours, and you the anointed and the anointed gods.' And this bit about appearing foolish in the eyes of the world—I know that when we profess to follow these Gnostic teachings, that people who think themselves so wise, so smart, and so much better than we are, think we’re stupid jerks. We are much reviled for being innocent, for being true believers. But that is how we are to be. We are to believe as children, fully believing with all of our hearts and minds and reason. Don’t hold back because you’re afraid that people are going to think you’re stupid. They’ve always thought that. They mocked Jesus. Of course they’re going to mock you. But the wisdom of this cosmos is folly before God, it says. And it also says that the ponderings of the wise are vapid. Vapid means empty, like vapor. So people that think they’re so darn smart, they’re not. They’re just serving the archon of the cosmos. But it’s folly. It’s foolishness. You can’t take it with you. All that matters is your connection to the Father above, and your love for the Father, and your love for your fellow humans. Not pretending, not professing to be love that arises from hatred, but true love, true righteousness. And when you ask the Third Order Powers to come and help you, to come and redeem you, that’s between you and the Father. That’s between you and the Aeons. That’s between you and the Christ. It doesn’t have to do with some priest, or some minister, or some internet influencer. It’s a private matter. But once you do have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and you’ll know it when it happens, that’s that born-again experience. You’ll be filled with reassurance. You’ll be flooded with love. You’ll know that it happens. And then you will know that you are the anointed, that is, that you belong to Christ, and that you belong to the anointed God, that is, the Father. So in conclusion, from the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 2, verse 38, it says, And Peter said to them, Change your hearts, [and that’s from the hearts of stone to hearts of receptive flesh, like we talked about last week], change your hearts. Let each of you be baptized upon the name of Jesus, the Anointed, for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, [that is, the army of the Christ, the Third Order of Powers, sent to battle the archons of this cosmos on your behalf]. God bless us all. Onward and upward. If you would like to contribute to this ongoing work, please use the form below. You are appreciated! 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പരീക്ഷണങ്ങളിലും ദൈവത്തിൽ ആശ്രയിക്കുക | Trusting God Through Every Trial | Malayalam Christian Message | Br. Damien Antony | Morning Glory 1944 | 13 June 2026ജീവിതത്തിലെ വലിയ ഭാരങ്ങളും പ്രതിസന്ധികളും നിങ്ങളെ തകർക്കാനല്ല, മറിച്ച് തീയിൽ ശുദ്ധീകരിച്ച സ്വർണ്ണം പോലെ നിങ്ങളെ മാറ്റിയെടുക്കാനുള്ള ദൈവത്തിന്റെ പരീക്ഷണശാലയാണത്.When intense life pressures hit, many believers mistake the testing of faith as a sign of God's abandonment. This powerful Malayalam Christian message deeply breaks down the theological truth behind spiritual trials and endurance based on James 1:3. There is an absolute difference between temptation from the devil and spiritual testing from Almighty God. Satan tempts you to destroy your destiny, plunge your soul into sin, and cause spiritual backsliding. However, God tests you to refine your character, expose hidden inner weaknesses, and promote your spirit to the next level of anointing and spiritual authority.ദൈവവചനത്തിൻ്റെ അനുഗ്രഹങ്ങൾക്കായി Blessing Today ചാനൽ ഇപ്പോൾ തന്നെ Subscribe ചെയ്യൂ! ✨പുതിയ വീഡിയോകൾക്കായി Bell Icon അമർത്തുക.

Marcus, Henry, and Ed return to the story of Anton LaVey as the Church of Satan enters the spotlight, crossing paths with Susan Atkins, Michael Aquino, and the heavily borrowed Satanic Bible. But as the rituals get bigger and the followers get weirder, LaVey finally makes it in Hollywood, where his influence reaches The Devil's Rain and Mr. Show Business himself, Sammy Davis Jr. For Live Shows, Merch, and More Visit: www.LastPodcastOnTheLeft.comKevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of Last Podcast on the Left ad-free, plus get Friday episodes a whole week early. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Alright, my armored up sister – we have a battle all around us – what are we going to do about it? Well, here's what we're NOT called to do – we're not called to run head first into battles with the enemy.  We're not told to sneak into enemy territory and plan an attack.  We're told to put on our armor and STAND FIRM.  Do not waver.  Do not back down.  Don't give an inch of territory.  Don't settle.  STAND FIRM. Our job is to stand with our armor, eyes fixed on Jesus.  Hey Rambo, settle down!  Lone Ranger, you're not supposed to do this alone.  God has a resounding message for us throughout scripture: Exodus 14:14 – “The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Deuteronomy 1:30 – “The LORD your God… will fight for you.” Deuteronomy 3:22 – “The LORD your God himself will fight for you.” Deuteronomy 20:4 – “For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies.” Joshua 23:10 – “The LORD your God fights for you.” 2 Chronicles 20:15 – “The battle is not yours, but God’s.” Nehemiah 4:20 – “Our God will fight for us.” God is fighting – you are to be standing firm.  If you're in the middle of a battle, you keep standing and trust God to fight for you as he promises.  But make sure you have all your armor on! Let me tell you what is NOT part of God's armor: • Worrying • Whining • Wallowing Paul tells us there's one final thing we must do in the spiritual battle in the unseen … After all this armor, we MUST STAY IN COMMUNICATION WITH OUR COMMANDER.  All the armor in the world will do you no good if you're out Rambo-ing alone.  God isn't looking for a Lone Ranger. Ephesians 6:18, “Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion.  Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.” Oh if we truly had any idea of the power of our prayers, we would never fail to pray about anything ever again.  We just don't see how our prayers move Heaven.  We don't see how our prayers allocate God's divine power.  We don't see how an army of angels are dispatched for the battle with our prayers. Prayer is your communication with your commander.  The one who holds the battle plan, the one who sees every detail, the one who promises the victory – you have a direct line of communication with Him!  And yet here we are, God's girls with divine armor, trying to fight our battles without talking to God first. Remember when Paul writes the book of Ephesians and tells us about this Armor of God in chapter 6, he's likely chained to a literal Roman soldier, keeping him in prison.  He's looking at this soldier, recognizing piece by piece how his armor relates to everything God has given us for the battle we’re against Satan and his demons.  And he's witnessing this soldier receiving orders from his commander.  The soldier is there doing what he's been told to do.  He's not alone, he's on assignment. He's seeking his commander for his next move.  He's on the orders of a higher power than himself. Girl, you're on the orders of a higher power than yourself.  You can't afford to be running off into battles, trying things your own way, hoping to fix and save everyone, without constant communication with your Commander.  PRAY IN THE SPIRIT AT ALL TIMES AND ON EVERY OCCASION. The Greek word translated “Pray in”  means “in connection to” and “with the help of”.  This isn't about the words we are saying.  This is about HOW we are praying.  This is a connection with God through the Holy Spirit to receive divine orders. Now we can make this complicated and messy and really awkward if we want, but it doesn't have to be that way.  Some say this means you have to be speaking in tongues, but scripture tells me that praying in a language you cannot personally understand is a GIFT.  Some have that spiritual gift, while others have different spiritual gifts.  Praying in an unknown language is not a badge of spiritual superiority.  Don't make this weird.  Don't make what God has given as a gift to some as a reason to be divided or turned away. Praying in the spirit is a heart posture.  It is a yearning for God's will above your own.  It is a surrender, a submission.  It is a connection void of boxes to check and vain words to repeat.  This isn't habit or custom.  Praying in the Spirit is a connection with God through conversation. If I'm praying for you in the Spirit, it means more than just speaking your name in prayer.  It means I'm allowing the Holy Spirit to direct my prayer.  When the Holy Spirit is directing, you begin praying over things you may not even know about.  Chains to be broken that you don't even see.  Healing to happen from within.  This is an unrushed, unscripted prayer directed by the Spirit.  THAT IS WHAT WE ARE CALLED TO. Praying in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion is a continual connection with your commander.  It's seeking his plan and receiving his plan. “Pray in the Spirit”: This means praying under the influence, guidance, and power of the Holy Spirit. It involves aligning your desires with God’s will rather than just listing personal wants. “At all times”: This calls for a constant posture of awareness and communication with God. It means maintaining an open, internal dialogue with God throughout the day, not just during formal prayer times. “On every occasion”: This tells us to bring everything—both joys and crises, routine tasks and major decisions—to God. No event is too small or too large for prayer. A few weeks ago, I found myself on my knees with a woman on the busy walkways in Venice.  This was a hurting soul.  Aching as thousands of people walked by her day after day.  There she lay on her face continually in prayer, begging God for the healing of her 12 year old daughter and the rescuing of her family.  My BIG Life sister Jessica and I wrapped our arms around her, cried with her and connected with our Commander.  We prayed for her in the Spirit, meaning, we let the Holy Spirit guide us in what to pray because we didn't know how to fix her situation. Now keep in mind, there was a massive language barrier.  Yet somehow (and I know how) we were able to understand her and she was able to understand us.  Jessica prayed aloud in English, not knowing what to pray, but allowing the Spirit to guide her.  The words flowed.  Words she couldn't have orchestrated on her own.  Requests she didn't even know to make. We returned to find her the next morning in the same place, kneeling, on her face, literally begging God.  And that day, we sat with her and shared a picnic breakfast.  We treated her like a friend.  We laughed.  We connected.  We shared.  We loved.  It didn't matter who saw us.  It didn't matter what a single other soul thought.  And then we once again sought our Commander in this battle.  We prayed as the Spirit instructed. Every day since I've been on my knees for Maria and her family.  I don't need to be a Lone Ranger out fixing her situation.  My money isn't needed.  I have a direct line of communication with the Commander of Heaven's Armies, and I'm calling on him for his will, his move, his power, his healing. No Lone Ranger.  No Rambo.  Just a girl in communication with the Commander through the Holy Spirit.  And as he prompts me to pray for her, I do.  Not to check a box.  Not out of habit or routine.  But out of relationship with the One who can truly battle for her. Ephesians 6:18 in the Amplified Bible says, “With all prayer and petition pray [with specific requests] at all times [on every occasion and in every season] in the Spirit, and with this in view, stay alert with all perseverance and petition [interceding in prayer] for all God's people.” The Message translation says, “Prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.” This prayer is a continuous, divinely guided LIFESTYLE rather than an occasional activity.  God really isn't interested in what you do once in a while or even what you do out of routine, he's interested in true relationship and connection with YOU!  Isn't it wild to think the Creator of the entire Universe desires a real relationship with you, and the way you have it is through continual conversation with him?! Prayer is the ultimate weapon that activates all the other pieces of spiritual armor.  Without communication with our Commander, we're just girls with all the armor, running in the wrong direction, fighting battles we have no business fighting. Let's shift from routine to lifestyle.  Move from treating prayer as a morning or evening chore to practicing it as an ongoing conversation. Let's rely on spiritual guidance.  When you don't know what to pray, pause and ask the Holy Spirit to guide your thoughts and words.  You don't have to make it weird. Let's cover all situation.  Bring your daily work, your stress, your relationships and your gratitude to God instantly as they happen. Talk to your Commander!  Don't be the Lone Ranger out trying to do this alone! Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

God Gives Us What We Ask For by Autumn Dickson In the last post, we talked a bit about how the people implored Samuel for a monarchy. They were insistent, and Samuel saw their folly. He tried warning them; he understood what they were really asking for even if they didn't. Here is a modern rendition of that conversation. Israelites-We want a king! Give us a king like other nations! Samuel-Do you even understand what you're asking? Kings take your sons for war and your daughters to be servants. They take the best of your property. They serve themselves. Why do you want a king? Israelites-Give us a king! Samuel knew Who they were rejecting, and he knew they were trying to replace the ultimate Defender with a mortal. The Israelites already had a King, but they wanted a different one. They insisted on it. And interestingly enough, the Lord tells Samuel to go ahead. Samuel 8:22 And the Lord said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go ye every man unto his city. The Lord tells Samuel to give them a king, and then He guides Samuel through the process of selecting and anointing kings. He gives the people what they want. The Lord literally just gives it to them. He didn't directly condemn them. He literally just gave them the curse they asked for. What I want to share today is my own interpretation of Judgment Day. I do not know exactly how Judgment Day or the eternities will look, but this is what I have come to believe thus far as I've studied the words of prophets and scripture. I'm sure it will evolve as I grow older, but this is my working theory. Part (and I emphasize part because I'm sure there are exceptions to this) of Judgment Day is the Lord saying, “Give them what they want.” I think we often picture the Lord condemning and cursing and exiling people, but I think we've got it a bit wrong. I think people choose where they're going more often than not. Let me give some examples of what I mean. Woman-I refuse to be a baby factory. I won't be oppressed like this. Heavenly Father-Okay. I won't force you. I'm not trying to make you a baby factory, I'm trying to make you a mother. I'm trying to save you from eternal emptiness, but I will give you what you want. Woman-You can't fool me! You're just trying to control me! The woman separates herself from what she perceives is a controlling, power-hungry god. She separates herself because she doesn't know the true God, because she doesn't understand what He's trying to offer her. It drives me nuts when people mischaracterize the Lord. Eternity is going to be painfully empty without posterity. PAINFUL. What do you even live for? Do you really think being single and childless is going to fulfill you for eternity? Sure, you'll be fine for a while, but there will come a day when you realize that you have no purpose because there is no progression or struggle. Eternity will be hell, and you will have put yourself there. Someday you're going to wake up and realize that God was trying to bless you, and you cursed yourself instead. It often blows my mind how people get things so wrong, but this has been prophesied. In the latter-days, people will call good evil and evil good. As a mother, I've been experimenting with how much agency to give my kids. And when I say “experiment,” I mean I get so tired of giving them instructions and being labelled a bad guy that I hide out in my room and let them go Lord of the Flies on each other. It usually gives me a small reprieve in exchange for hours of fixing the problems that cropped up while I was hiding. If I were to let them choose exactly what they wanted, they would refuse any kind of schooling, sports, self-development, and anything else that is essential for healthy adjustment to adult life. The irony is that for a long time, they would likely think they were happy, but I can see the misery that would come from never learning to read or work with a team. I can see the misery that would stem from watching their friends move on without them, watching the whole world move on without them. And if I allowed them to completely sink into TV and iPads, they would live there and be miserable and not even know it. If I let them take full control of their tiny-human-inclinations, they would scream at each other and kick each other, and they would turn into mean, miserable little gremlins who no one wants to be around. I get it, Heavenly Father. It's exhausting. It's so frustrating to give your loved ones everything they need to be truly happy and live a worthwhile life only to be labelled bossy and mean. Now that's a pretty bleak assessment of my parenting right there, and it's not always like that. Sometimes they appreciate me coaching them into better people. Sometimes I wake up and they're making bagels for their baby sisters without me. Sometimes I watch them play games with each other for hours. I watch them control their anger or forgive each other or do any number of wonderful, mature, Christlike things. So we're not complete failures over here, but I've definitely learned important lessons after becoming a mom. I have learned that humans often love making themselves miserable. Heavenly Father doesn't even have to curse us or send us to hell. We walk there willingly. We choose oppressive kings and empty saviors to fight our battles. We choose hell. How much of Judgment Day will be arrogant people cursing His name because they supposedly know better? How much of Judgment Day will be people walking away from the Lord because they have Him all wrong? How long will it take for them to wake up and realize the path they took is a curse and He was trying to save them? I testify of a Lord who is not a tyrant. He doesn't force our hand. He is the one who gave us our agency and protects it. Despite all that it costs Him, He preserves our agency while Satan would try to destroy it and enslave us. Despite the fact that He had to pay for it with the blood of His Son, despite the fact that He is spit upon by His enemies because He allows them to, despite the fact that He gets labelled as an oppressive tyrant (ironic when you consider the fact that He is allowing them to call Him a tyrant), He protects our agency. He will let us walk away and choose those difficult lessons. Don't choose the difficult lessons. I testify that He knows what He's doing. Follow Him! Let Him be your King. 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 – 1 Samuel 8–10; 13; 15–16 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Garth Heckman The David Alliance TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com Gravity  -  You can't beat it. Client lost 265 pounds… Box jump 2 inches… to 20 inches.   You can't beat gravity… but you can improve.   Eph. 3 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.   Look at the dot of an “I” in your bible. That is the sun, it holds 1 million earths Our current earth is the galaxy it lives in THERE ARE PLANETS OUT IN OTHER GALAXIES THAT ARE BIGGER THAN OUR GALAXY.      Paul is essentially praying that his listeners will do the impossible: to intellectually comprehend something that is inherently beyond intellectual comprehension, all so they can be entirely consumed by the divine.   He is telling you to try to beat gravity… you won't but you can experience it greater and greater.      A teacher in bible college put it this way… Describe to someone what the ocean is who has never SEEN THE OCEAN AND NEVER experienced anything liquid.     God calls us to grasp how wide, long, high and deep his love is… knowing we never will fully grasp it.      But the attempt is clear: ALWAYS FOCUS ON GODS LOVE FOR US!        When you focus on Gods love 3 things happen in your life!        - 1. Sin We don't have a sin problem,  we have a knowing God problem.     Knowing His Supreme love keeps us tender and sinless - think of the time you were most whipped in love. I can. Kim and I were dating and she was in the car leaning forward fiddling with the radio. I was outside standing behind my car filling it up with gas. I looked at my buddy Pele and said can you believe that girl loves me? I literally could not fathom it… He looked at me in disbelief and said “it makes no sense”. **But what if he then said “how many times do you think she will let you fool around  with other girls… how many times will she let you smack her around, lie to her, steal from her, gossip about her… etc… I would have had a mental breakdown and sparks shoot from a short circuit in my head… that would make no sense to me. Knowing God's love keeps us from asking how far can I go in the world...     Satan will take your sin, your past, your guilt and try to make you feel like a servant. ITS CALLED SIN CONCIOUS   John 14:31 If you love the father you will obey his commandments. Love God = the fruit is obedience.   *if you focus on the commands you will be religious and guilt ridden and sin conscious.     You will fall into the trap of trying to push yourself away from your sin Using willpower Discipline Rules Accountability    What did Joseph say when he was tempted by Potiphar's wife? He remembers the 7th commandment: Thou shalt not have adultery… NOPE!  

Caleb Froedge discusses Acts 5:1-4—“But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles' feet. But Peter said, ‘Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.'”

Hello, I'm Jeff Shepard. Welcome back. We have reached part 9 of 10 in this series. Over the past several episodes, we have traced one single lie from the Garden of Eden through every layer of deception that has entered the church. You will be like God. We saw how Helena Blavatsky and Alice Bailey laid the occult foundation. We examined Azusa Street and the Ladder Rain movement, where signs and wonders were mixed with chaos, extra-biblical revelations, and the elevation of man. Then we heard modern teachers openly declare that we are little gods, that Jesus was not fully God until his baptism or resurrection, and that we can ascend to the same level. Today, we pull it all together and look at the modern expression, the Seven Mountain Mandate and the not-so-secret New World Order Church. The Seven Mountain Mandate teaches that the church must take dominion over seven spheres, or mountains, of society, the government, media, education, business, family, religion, and arts and entertainment, and build the kingdom of God on earth before Jesus can return. Lance Wallnau, one of the leading voices of this teaching, explains it this way. There are seven molders of culture. He who could take those kingdoms could take the harvest of nations. These seven fields of influence can literally shape the agenda that forms nations. Johnny Enloe, in his book The Seven Mountain Prophecy, takes it even further. The father says to the son, once you have purchased redemption, you will remain up there as the head and your body on earth will crush your enemies. Your body, in fact, will not be a beautiful bride until she has accomplished this by crushing Satan. This is dominionism and Kingdom Now theology in action. The church is called to conquer and rule the nation so Jesus can finally return. It sounds spiritual, it sounds victorious, but it directly contradicts the clear teaching of Scripture. Jesus himself said in Matthew 24, 4-5, See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in my name saying, I am the Christ, and they will mislead many. The Apostle Paul warned in 1 Timothy 4-1, but the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons. And in 2 Timothy 4, 3-4, For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. Revelation makes it plain, Jesus brings his kingdom when he returns. We are not called to build it for him. We are called to be faithful witnesses, to make disciples of individuals, and to live as salt and light in a fallen world until he comes. Even in the middle of all this mixture, God is still there for anyone who is genuinely seeking the real Jesus, the eternal Son of God who became flesh, died for our sins, rose again, and is coming back as King. He meets sincere seekers wherever they are. But we are commanded to test everything. We cannot accept teachers who deny the deity of Christ, who call us little gods, or who say we must conquer the nations before Jesus returns. The focus must remain on the unchanging word of God. Be a Berean. Search the scriptures daily. Do not let anyone, no matter how famous or how many miracles they claim to pull you away from the truth that Jesus is Lord, fully God, and fully man, and that salvation is found in Him alone. I'm Jeff Shepard. This series has been about exposing the subtle shift so you will not be deceived. Next episode, we conclude with Part 10. I ask that you share this series with other believers, church leaders, and loved ones. Also, make sure to like each episode and subscribe. In the meantime, remember to love the one true God with all your heart, love your family, love your neighbor as yourself, and make a difference in your community. Thank you for Listening!. Prayerfully consider investing support to continue spreading the word. Please like, subscribe and share. Click Here for all links, Right on Community ROC, Podcast web links, Freebies, Products (healing mushrooms, EMP Protection) Social media, courses and more...https://linktr.ee/RightonRadio Live Right in the Real World! We talk God and Politics, Faith Based Broadcast News, views, Opinions and Attitudes Keep the Faith

If you go to Hell, it will be over Jesus' dead body. I hope my opening didn't sound irreverent. What I mean is that Jesus died to keep you out of Hell. It takes serious determination to refuse God's grace for a lifetime. But many people are just that determined, and today we'll see them at the Great White Throne. That's the final of the "final judgments." If you haven't heard the news about the program - or if you have - please stay with us after we hear from Jim. Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand. You can purchase a copy of this message, unsegmented for broadcasting and in its entirety, for $7 on a single CD by calling +1 (800) 984-2313, and of course you can always listen online or download the message for free. RS06122026_0.mp3Scripture References: Revelation 20 & 21

Rejection is a part of every person's life. At some point we will all face the pain of being betrayed, dismissed, or unwanted. Satan's goal is to use rejection to cripple us — to stop us, silence us, and break us.But in the hands of God the Father, rejection is used as a launching pad into blessing, ministry, purpose, and destiny. A major rejection almost always occurs before a major blessing.When we learn how to handle rejection through the strength and power of the Holy Spirit, it becomes a turning point instead of a breaking point. The very thing that was meant to shut us down becomes the thing God uses to move us forward.In this teaching, we uncover the biblical patterns and Scriptures where rejection was not the end of the story, but the divine doorway into something much greater. Again and again, we see that rejection never destroyed God's people when they surrendered it to Him. Instead, it redirected them and led them to much greater blessing.As children of God, truly devoted to the Lord, rejection never defines us. It launches us.

Behind the walls of H.H. Holmes' "World's Fair Hotel" waited trap doors, gas chambers, and a basement of acid vats — and more than a century after the Murder Castle burned, something still lingers at 63rd and Wallace.EPISODE BLOG PAGE (includes sources): https://weirddarkness.com/HHHolmesHotelREAD or DOWNLOAD the full transcript of this episode: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/57djvd7fFEATURED STORIES IN THIS EPISODE: It's one of the most infamous and macabre subjects of Chicago history – it even served as inspiration for TV's “American Horror Story: Hotel”. It's what has become known as “The Murder Castle” where serial killer H.H. Holmes committed his monstrous crimes. But even today, Holmes continues to terrify… in spectral form. (H.H. Holmes' Hellish Hotel And Lingering Haunting) *** A woman tries to save the soul of her daughter, believing her to be possessed… but her solution to drive out the demon was to murder her daughter using a holy crucifix. (Murder By Crucifix) *** What's worse than proclaiming yourself to be a supernatural being and starting your own cult? How about telling your followers you are God so you could do drugs and have sex with teenage girls? It's the disturbing true story of the cult called “The Group”. (Theodore Rinaldo – The Drug Cult Rapist) *** Shrunken heads – believe it or not, they are real. And some tribal peoples create them even today – from real human heads. But why do it at all? We'll look at the reality behind shrunken heads, the reason they are created… and even how they are created. (The History and How of Shrunken Heads) *** A terrifying series of paranormal activities invade a family's home in Wales. (The Swansea Entity) *** Tenome is a Japanese Urban Legend about a blind man who was robbed and murdered. His dying wish? To have eyes on his hands so he could see. (The Seeing Hands of Tenome) *** Unsolved mysteries are intriguing simply because they are unsolved. That's why we are so fascinated by stories of people disappearing without a trace. But one man's disappearance is so bizarre, so weird, that upon hearing the story you'll be scratching your head wondering what the heck you just heard. (The Strangest Disappearance at Sea in History) CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…00:00:00.000 = The Foreboding00:01:27.539 = Show Open00:04:09.416 = H.H. Holmes' Hellish Hotel and Lingering Haunting00:22:02.613 = The Seeing Hands of Tenome ***00:25:29.843 = The Strangest Disappearance at Sea In History00:36:31.904 = Murder By Crucifix ***00:42:31.316 = The Swansea Entity00:52:22.872 = The History and How of Shrunken Heads ***00:58:56.160 = Theodore Rinaldo: The Drug Cult Rapist01:05:34.000 = Show Close*** = Begins immediately after inserted ad breakLISTEN ON PODCAST APPS: Look for this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, and other podcast apps. Get a list of free listening apps here: https://weirddarkness.com/wdapps*No AI Voices Are Used In The Narration Of This Podcast*SOURCES and RESOURCES:“The Swansea Entity” by Brent Swancer for Mysterious Universe: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/3pt262t4“Murder By Crucifix” by Inigo Gonzalez for Ranker's Graveyard Shift: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/4h6mjabw“The Strangest Disappearance at Sea in History” from Strange Company: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/nsrhjdew“Theodore Rinaldo – The Drug Cult Rapist” by Matthew Lavelle for Ranker's Unspeakable Times:https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/yx2hmzus“The Seeing Hands of Tenome” from The Scare Chamber: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/y4dnxee6“The History and How of Shrunken Heads” by Bipin Dimri for Historic Mysteries: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/4wdznwwc“H.H. Holmes' Hellish Hotel and Lingering Haunting” from Chicago Hauntings: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/pvthp98(Over time links may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness.Originally aired: November, 2021This episode of Weird Darkness moves from the haunted ground of H.H. Holmes' Chicago Murder Castle to a flesh-eating Japanese yokai, a millionaire's impossible vanishing at sea, an Oklahoma exorcism that ended in murder, a violent Welsh poltergeist, the real-world practice of shrinking human heads, and the Washington State drug cult led by a man who claimed to be God.It opens in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood, where Herman W. Mudgett — better known as H.H. Holmes, America's first serial killer and the inspiration for the Hotel Cortez in American Horror Story: Hotel — built his three-story "World's Fair Hotel" at 63rd and Wallace to prey on visitors to the 1893 Columbian Exposition. The building held sixty rooms riddled with trap doors, hidden staircases, gas chambers, and a basement furnished with a dissecting table and vats of acid and lime. Holmes confessed to 27 murders before his hanging in Philadelphia on May 7, 1896, though some historians put his victim count at 200 or more, and the strange deaths that followed his execution — a poisoned forensics expert, a suicidal prison superintendent, a priest beaten to death in his own churchyard — fed talk of a Holmes curse for decades. The site was never excavated, and employees at the Englewood post office built beside the old Castle property still report stacking chairs, a singing woman no one can find, and apparitions on the grass where the hotel once stood. Even Holmes' own descendant, Jeff Mudgett, author of Bloodstains and the figure behind the History Channel's American Ripper, walked out of that basement a changed man.From there the episode crosses to Japan and the legend of Tenome, a blind old man robbed and beaten to death in a field who returned as a vengeful yokai with eyes on the palms of his hands. First recorded in the Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, the creature hunts graveyards and open fields by scent, feeds on fresh human bones, and inspired the Pale Man of Pan's Labyrinth. The segment ends with the Kyoto tale of a young man who hid from the Tenome inside a locked temple chest — and was found afterward as an empty sack of skin, his bones sucked out through his flesh.Next comes the 1931 disappearance of Hisashi Fujimura, the Japanese-born silk millionaire who vanished from the Red Star liner Belgenland somewhere between Halifax and New York on the night of August 13. Fujimura had told a friend he feared gamblers would follow him aboard, his mistress Mary Reissner was registered under a false name as a governess, and his bank account had dropped from over $333,000 to $2.65 in five months. The ship's captain saw him talking to an unseen person at 2:45 a.m.; by morning his bed was unslept-in and his seven-year-old daughter was alone in the stateroom. Federal investigators closed the case without answers, a dust-free wallet bearing his name later surfaced in an empty Manhattan flat, and Fujimura was declared legally dead in 1938 — leaving murder, suicide, accident, and a staged escape all equally possible.The darkness turns domestic with the 2016 killing of 33-year-old Geneva Gomez in Oklahoma City, beaten to death by her own mother, Juanita Gomez, who claimed she was performing an exorcism to drive Satan from her daughter. Juanita punched Geneva repeatedly, forced a crucifix and religious medallion down her throat, then arranged the body in the shape of a cross with a wooden crucifix on her chest. A forensic psychologist concluded she was feigning incompetence, the insanity plea collapsed, and in January 2018 a jury needed only 20 minutes to convict her of first-degree murder and recommend life without parole.The episode then travels to Rhondda Street in Swansea, Wales, where in 1965 Marcia and David Howells, their two small children, and Marcia's grandmother endured a poltergeist that began with choking sensations in the night and escalated to bottles flying off mantelpieces, rooms ransacked in minutes, the gas stove turning itself on, and a double bed found hurled on top of the baby's empty cot behind a barred door. Police, reporters, and a priest all came to the little house; the only room ever left untouched was the grandmother's. The family finally moved out, the activity stopped, and no tragedy in the home's history was ever found to explain it — leaving psychokinesis, spirit attachment, and Marcia's own verdict, a demon, on the table.From haunted houses the show turns to a practice that is grimly real: the shrunken heads, or tsantsas, of the Jivaro people of northern Peru and southern Ecuador. Warriors severed the heads of slain enemies in the belief that shrinking them enslaved the victim's vengeful spirit, then boiled the skin free of the skull, packed it with hot stones and sand, blackened it with charcoal ash, and sewed the lips shut to seal the spirit inside — reducing a human head to a third of its size. Genu

Leslie continues The Steadfast Heart series with a look at spiritual warfare and how the enemy's hinderance can impact our emotions. In this episode, Leslie encourages us to look at the areas of your life where we feel defeated, discouraged, or hopeless and consider whether Satan may be attacking us in those areas. She presents a Biblical strategy for being aware of enemy hinderance and attack, and resisting those attacks through the power of Jesus' name.For more resources from Leslie, visit https://setapart.org/. To learn more about the 2026 online Set Apart Conference, visit https://setapart.org/2026-set-apart-conference/. To learn more about the Ellerslie 5-Week Late Summer Discipleship Program, visit https://ellerslie.com/be-discipled/. To support Set Apart Ministries, visit https://setapart.org/support/.

Welcome to Day 2881 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – The Bible as a Polemic: Confronting the Powers that Rebelled Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2881 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps!   I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2881 of our Trek.   The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Our current series of Theology Thursday lessons is written by theologian and teacher John Daniels. I have found that his lessons are short, easy to understand, doctrinally sound, and applicable to all who desire to learn more of God's Word. John's lessons can be found on his website   theologyinfive.com.   Today's lesson is titled:  The Bible as a Polemic: Confronting the Powers that Rebelled To modern readers shaped by pluralism and academic detachment, the confrontational tone of the Bible may seem abrasive. But this response overlooks what the Bible truly is. It is not a disinterested theological reflection. It is a weapon. It is a series of books forged in the heart of a spiritual and historical rebellion. Its message was not formed in a vacuum but in the aftermath of Babel and the divine treason of the bene elohim who had been placed over the nations. Understanding the polemical nature of the Bible begins by understanding the world it was written to confront. The first segment is: What Is a Polemic? And Why the ANE Was Full of Them A polemic is a targeted argument or critique meant to expose, undermine, or discredit a rival idea, practice, or system. Unlike a simple disagreement or neutral description, a polemic is written to confront. It deliberately challenges an existing claim and seeks to replace it. In the ancient world, polemics were often theological, political, and cultural all at once. The gods, kings, and cities of rival nations were not treated as irrelevant. They were treated as threats that had to be addressed. In the context of the Ancient Near East, polemics were deeply embedded in the stories nations told about themselves. Every origin story, temple hymn, or divine genealogy was not just a description of how things came to be. It was a claim of legitimacy. To say your god created the world or defeated the sea monster or chose your king was to declare supremacy over other peoples and their gods. It was to say, “Our story is the true one. Yours is a counterfeit.” For example, when Babylon claimed that Marduk created the world by killing the goddess Tiamat, it was not just promoting cosmology. It was justifying Babylon's imperial authority as the city of the supreme god. When Egypt said that Ma'at held the universe together through the Pharaoh's divine rulership, it was declaring that Egyptian order was the divine ideal, and everyone else lived in chaos. In such a world, writing something like Genesis 1 was not a quiet religious reflection. It was a direct challenge to every claim made by Egypt, Babylon, and Canaan. It was a polemic. And in the Bible, this polemical instinct is not occasional. It is foundational. Israel's Scriptures were not meant to fit within the theological frameworks of other nations. They were meant to shatter them. The second segment is: Babel and the Reordering of the World Genesis 11 describes a human rebellion that goes far deeper than building a tower. At Babel, humanity attempted to unify under its own authority and defy Yahweh's mandate to fill the earth. But the judgment that followed did more than scatter languages. According to Deuteronomy 32, verses eight and nine, when Yahweh divided the nations, He appointed the bene elohim, divine sons of God, to oversee them. Only Israel would remain His direct possession. The nations were not abandoned without guidance. But over time, the spiritual beings given authority over them failed in their stewardship. They began to crave worship and corrupted the justice they were meant to uphold. Psalm 82 records Yahweh standing in judgment over these divine rulers, declaring that they would fall like mortals. This cosmic judgment sets the stage for the mission of Israel and the tone of Scripture itself. The third segment is: Israel: The Counter-Nation Unlike the nations that inherited rebellious rulers, Israel was created from scratch. Yahweh did not reform an existing people. He called Abram from among the disinherited nations and made a new people who would be His portion. Israel was not simply chosen for privilege but created for purpose. As stated in Exodus 19 verse six, they were to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. This priestly identity means Israel's role was inherently polemical. Their laws, festivals, temples, and scriptures were not private religious expressions. They were public declarations that the gods of the nations were false, the powers behind them were corrupt, and that Yahweh alone was Most High over all the earth. The Bible, as the written witness of Israel's calling, reflects this purpose. The Fourth Segment is: Polemics in the Biblical Texts The polemical nature of the Bible is woven deeply into its stories, laws, songs, and prophecies. These are not culturally isolated documents. They are intentional confrontations with the dominant worldviews shaped by the fallen gods of the nations. The Fifth segment is: Creation and the Flood Genesis one is not merely an account of beginnings. It is a direct response to Mesopotamian creation myths such as Enuma Elish, which portray creation as the result of divine violence and chaos. In contrast, the biblical God creates through speech, with order and intention. There is no struggle, no divine bloodshed, no pantheon. It is a declaration that the gods of Babylon are not creators but pretenders. Likewise, the flood account in Genesis six through nine subverts the flood stories of the surrounding cultures. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the gods send the flood in terror and regret it. In the Bible, the flood is just, purposeful, and moral. It is a surgical judgment on a world corrupted by human violence and divine rebellion, not the panicked act of unstable deities. The sixth segment is: Conquest and the Defeat of the Gods When Israel enters the land of Canaan, the conquest is not simply a political campaign. It is a cosmic battle against the corrupted spiritual rulers of the land. The defeat of Pharaoh in Egypt is explicitly described as Yahweh executing judgment on the gods of Egypt. The plagues are not random punishments but targeted humiliations of Egypt's divine protectors. Jericho's fall, the silencing of Baal on Mount Carmel, the defeat of Dagon before the Ark in 1 Samuel 5, and the crushing of Leviathan imagery in the Psalms all follow the same pattern. The text is not just reporting history. It is declaring war on the false gods and the unseen rulers who manipulated the nations into darkness. The seventh Segment is: Psalms and Prophets as Weapons The Psalms, often viewed only as worship poetry, are filled with divine council imagery and subversion of Canaanite theology. Psalm 29, for instance, uses storm language that sounds like a Baal hymn but places Yahweh as the one who rides the storm and subdues the waters. In Ugaritic myth, Baal defeats Yam to earn his throne. In the Bible, Yahweh sits enthroned above the flood before it ever lifts its head. The prophets likewise deliver blistering critiques of the nations and their gods. Isaiah 19 declares judgment not just on Egypt but on its idols, priests, and necromancers. Ezekiel 28 mocks the divine claims of the Prince of Tyre, unmasking him as a fallen being in Eden. These are not veiled jabs. They are open condemnations of spiritual rebellion embedded in political empires. The Eighth segment is: The New Testament: The War Reaches Its Climax By the time of Christ, the powers of the nations had not been dethroned. The world remained under their sway. Jesus refers to Satan as the ruler of this world and frames His ministry as a battle to bind the strong man and plunder his house. Every healing, exorcism, and storm-calming miracle is a polemic in action. Jesus is not just showing compassion. He is confronting the gods. The cross itself is the ultimate polemic. It appears to be a defeat but is actually a triumph. As Paul writes in Colossians 2:15, Christ disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame. This is courtroom and battlefield language. The spiritual powers that once ruled unchallenged were publicly exposed as weak, condemned, and temporary. The apostles carry this mission forward. Paul sees the preaching of the gospel as a cosmic declaration to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms. The church is not merely a new religious community. It is the living proof that

Holiness is not about rules and performance, but about wisdom, love, and protecting your heart from deception. In Episode 14 of "The Fear of the Lord," Duane Sheriff teaches that true holiness flows from understanding God's nature and recognizing the deadly and deceptive consequences of sin. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and that wisdom helps believers discern how sin slowly hardens the heart, dulls spiritual sensitivity, and pulls people away from God.Holiness is not about earning God's love or acceptance through religious performance. Through faith in Jesus Christ, believers have already been made righteous and holy before God. Yet wisdom teaches us that sin still damages lives, harms relationships, hinders our witness, and opens the door for Satan to steal, kill, and destroy. As hearts become hardened through the deceitfulness of sin, people lose sensitivity to God's voice and become blind to the consequences of their actions.This episode reveals how the fear of the Lord produces wisdom that guards the heart, keeps believers spiritually sensitive, and empowers them to walk in holiness out of love for God and others.Click for FREE offer ➡️https://pastorduane.com/landing/the-fear-of-the-lord

Faith requires courage. Faith is not something that we hold in our hearts and minds. True faith is something that is lived out. Faith calls us to action and this requires courage.Main Points:1.  God's desire is for you and me to demonstrate courageous faith? Anyone can have a timid or fearful faith. Anyone can have faith in isolation. But will we live our faith out loud and in public? Will we be courageous? 2. Our current culture has convinced many Christians to keep their faith in Christ personal and quiet. We've been told it is rude, unkind, and obnoxious to tell others what about your Christian faith. We must recognize this is a tactic of Satan to silence the witness of Christians about the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Remember, God has given us good news to share.3. Pray and ask God where you can demonstrate courageous faith in your life today.Today's Scripture Verses:Acts 1:8 - “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”Psalm 27:14 - “Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.”Joshua 1:9 - “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”Luke 9:26 - “If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels.”Quick Links:Donate to support this podcastLeave a review on Apple PodcastsGet a copy of The 5 Minute Discipleship JournalConnect on SocialJoin The 5 Minute Discipleship Facebook Group