Podcasts about second corinthians

The St. Paul Center's daily scripture reflections from the Mass for the Feast of St. Mary Magdalene by Dr. John Bergsma. Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene First Reading: Songs 3: 1-4b or Second Corinthians 5: 14-17  Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 63: 2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9  Gospel: John 20: 1-2, 11-18   Learn more about the Mass at www.stpaulcenter.com To register for the St. Paul Center's 25th Anniversary Gala Dinner, please visit stpaulcenter.com/gala Encounter Christ in Scripture and share Him with others. Join us at stpaulcenter.com/memberships

Episode 4184 │ July 19, 2026 Paul was stoned, dragged out, left for dead. He got up and walked back in. That is not a man trusting in himself. That is the gospel working. WHAT THIS EPISODE COVERS  Scott Kesterson and Brad Cummings open in Acts 14 — Paul stoned and left for dead outside Lystra, then rising and walking back into the same city — and use that single moment to dismantle the version of the gospel most people received: a shame management program built on man's decision-making, a transaction between a wrathful Father and a suffering Son, a club with dues and meetings and a form to fill out — none of which appears in the actual text, and none of which produces the power of an indestructible life. Brad traces the thread from 1 Timothy 4:10 through Second Corinthians, Deuteronomy's ox liability law, the rich young ruler, the boy's lunch in John 6, and the Alpha and Omega embedded untranslated in Genesis 1:1 — building the case that the gospel is not about your decision, your performance, or your discipline, but about the owner taking responsibility for what He created, the indestructible One who conquered death taking up residence in you, and the war already being over. The episode closes on the Viking oath as a lens for the founding generation's covenant with Christ — men who understood that giving their word was their sword arm and their bloodline, and that if the war is over and the King has won, the only move left is reconciliation. KEY QUESTIONS ADDRESSED What does Deuteronomy's ox liability law — the owner is responsible for what the ox does — reveal about the gospel that shame-management Christianity has systematically obscured, and why does Brad argue that God taking responsibility for His creation is the central truth the modern church has replaced with man's decision-making? Why does Brad argue that the cross was not the Father punishing the Son for your sin but the gift of the indestructible life — and what does getting that wrong do to your ability to fix your eyes on the Author and Finisher of your faith rather than on your own performance, discipline, and sincerity? What does the Viking oath — where giving your word was your sword arm and your bloodline, and stepping away from it was the most dishonoring act possible — reveal about why the founding generation's covenant with Christ produced a different kind of republic than any that had existed before, and what it would take to return to it? ABOUT BARDSFM BardsFM is a daily independent podcast covering faith, liberty, history, and information warfare. Hosted by Scott Kesterson — combat veteran, documentary filmmaker, and rancher. Over 4,100 episodes and 50 million lifetime downloads. New episodes every weekday. bards.fm This episode was researched and produced under the Spatial Terra Intelligence Methodology (STIM v5) — the analytical framework built by Scott Kesterson — with AI-assisted research synthesis at a 70/30 human/AI authorship ratio, fully disclosed. All analysis, conclusions, and editorial judgments are those of Scott Kesterson. BardsFM's faith archive includes hundreds of episodes on prayer, scripture, and walking the Way of Christ — available free in the full episode catalog. AFFILIATE LINKS Bards Nation Health Store: www.bardsnationhealth.com MYPillow promo code: BARDS >> Go to https://www.mypillow.com/bards and use the promo code BARDS or... Call 1-800-975-2939.  EMPShield protect your vehicles and home. Promo code BARDS: Click here Treadlite Broadforks...best garden tool EVER. Promo code BARDS26: TreadliteBroadforks.com EnviroKlenz Air Purification, promo code BARDS to save 10%: www.enviroklenz.com Morning Intro Music Provided by Brian Kahanek: www.briankahanek.com Founders Bible 20% discount code: BARDS >>> TheFoundersBible.com Windblown Media 20% Discount with promo code BARDS: windblownmedia.com White Oak Pastures Grassfed Meats, Get $20 off any order $150 or more. Promo Code BARDS: www.whiteoakpastures.com/BARDS Mission Darkness Faraday Bags and RF Shielding. Promo code BARDS: Click here DONATIONS: If you wish to support this podcast directly you can donate here... DONATE: Click here MAILING ADDRESS: Xpedition Cafe, LLC Attn. Scott Kesterson 591 E Central Ave, #740 Sutherlin, OR  97479

Pastor David Harris Wednesday July 8, 2026

If you've ever wondered why you can't see what everyone else sees about your own life, or why a doctor's explanation for your symptoms never quite sits right, this episode is for you. This is for the Christian woman dealing with exhaustion, autoimmune disease, or chronic symptoms who is tired of trying every protocol, supplement, and diet with nothing sticking, and is ready to understand what's really shaping the way she sees her health, her body, and her healing. Today we're talking about how the brain filters information, why that filtering system can actually keep us sick, and why renewing our minds according to Scripture is the starting point for real, holistic health, not just another treatment plan. How the Brain Filters What You See, Hear, and Feel Your brain is not a camera. It doesn't record reality as it is. It filters constantly, deciding in real time what deserves your attention and what gets tossed aside as background noise. You've experienced this without realizing it: You can hear your own name across a crowded room, even with dozens of conversations happening at once. You stop noticing your clothes on your skin within seconds of getting dressed. A strong smell in a house fades from your awareness within minutes, even though nothing about the smell changed. In a crisis, the body sometimes doesn't register pain from a serious injury until later. Once you notice a certain car model, suddenly you see that same car everywhere on the road. None of this is a flaw. It's how the brain is designed to function. Without this filtering, you'd be overwhelmed by every sound, sight, and sensation competing for your attention at once. When the Filter Becomes the Problem This filtering system becomes a real issue when our brains have been wired by trauma, repetition, or years of unexamined belief. Some people have been hurt so deeply that they perceive everyone around them as a threat. Others live in denial about a pattern in their life that everyone around them can clearly see, simply because their brain has never been trained to notice it. The same is true physically. Some nurses work entire shifts without eating or resting, because their bodies and brains have been trained to treat exhaustion as normal, until the body eventually breaks down. Once the brain has learned to see the world a certain way, it will keep seeing it that way until it is intentionally reprogrammed. Why This Matters for Your Health, Including the Medical Field Here's where this gets important for holistic health and chronic illness recovery: the medical field is not exempt from this filtering. Like everyone else, medical professionals are trained to see health through a specific lens, shaped by their education and the protocols they were taught. That training is not necessarily wrong, but it is not necessarily complete either. When you hear a diagnosis like diabetes, hyperlipidemia, or stroke, a very specific set of treatments and patient pictures likely comes to mind, because that's the programming behind it. This isn't a call to distrust your doctor or live in fear. It's a call to remember that every person offering you guidance, whether in medicine, media, or your own family, is operating from their own limited programming. That includes the news, social media, entertainment, and even the beliefs passed down in your own family or culture. Renewing Your Mind: A Faith-Based Approach to Health Scripture speaks directly to this pattern. Romans 12:2 instructs us not to be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewal of our minds, so that we can test and discern what is good, acceptable, and perfect. Second Corinthians 10:5 calls us to take every thought captive and hold it up against the truth of God's word. This means that when a doctor, a nurse practitioner, or anyone else tells you there is only one treatment option, or that there is no treatment at all, that statement deserves to be brought before God first. Ask what He says about your situation before accepting any single viewpoint as the final word. This same principle applies far beyond healthcare. Consider how our view of the world has been shaped since childhood, by our upbringing, our culture, our socioeconomic background, and our life experiences. None of us are neutral observers. We have all been programmed by something. The good news is that awareness is the first step. Once we recognize that our filters may be incomplete or inaccurate, we can bring every thought, every belief, and every diagnosis before God and ask Him to renew our minds. There Is Always Hope First Corinthians 13:7 reminds us that love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. Whatever you are walking through right now, whether it's exhaustion, chronic symptoms, or autoimmune disease, there is always hope when we bring it to the Lord first. Episode Highlights 00:00 – Your brain isn't showing you what's true; it's filtering it, and what gets filtered out may be the very thing keeping you sick 00:30 – The cocktail party effect and everyday examples of the brain's filtering system in action 00:57 – How the body filters out pain during crisis mode 01:24 – The "frequency illusion" explained through a simple personal story 01:54 – How trauma wires the brain to see the world through a distorted lens 02:52 – Why we can be blind to our own patterns, even when others clearly see them 03:20 – How the body and brain normalize unhealthy patterns over time 03:48 – Why the medical field's training and programming can be incomplete, ineffective, or wrong 04:48 – Romans 12:2 and the call to be transformed by the renewal of our minds 05:17 – Second Corinthians 10:5 and taking every thought captive 05:46 – What to do when a doctor says there is only one treatment, or none at all 06:43 – How culture, media, and family shape our personal programming 07:40 – Reflecting on how different backgrounds and experiences shape our view of health and life 09:08 – The call to renewal: awareness is the first step toward change 09:37 – 1 Corinthians 13:7 and the reminder that hope endures Key Takeaways The brain filters information constantly, and that filtering can either protect you or limit you. Trauma, repetition, and unexamined belief can wire the brain to see the world inaccurately, including your own health. The medical field operates from training and programming just like everyone else, which means it can be incomplete or wrong. This is not a reason to live in fear or distrust every medical professional. It is a reason to bring every thought and every diagnosis before God first. Romans 12:2 and Second Corinthians 10:5 call us to renew our minds and take every thought captive rather than simply accepting the world's programming at face value. Awareness is the starting point. You cannot reprogram a pattern you have never noticed. Whatever you are facing, chronic illness, exhaustion, or autoimmune disease, there is always hope when you go to God first. Ready for Clarity and a Real Next Step? If this episode named something you have felt but couldn't quite explain, you don't have to keep navigating it alone or stay stuck in overwhelm. If you are dealing with exhaustion, chronic symptoms, or autoimmune disease and you are ready to stop guessing and take a clear, focused next step, I invite you to book a More Energy Strategy Session. This is a one-on-one session where we look honestly at what's driving your exhaustion and map out real next steps for your healing, rooted in both sound holistic health personal your holistic health principles and your faith. This might not be for you right now. But if you are ready to move forward, visit herholistichealing.com/services to get started.

Chapters (00:00:00) - Battleground: The Battle of the Mind(00:01:26) - Battle of the Mind(00:03:36) - Second Corinthians, Chapter 10(00:04:16) - Paul's Battle for the Mind(00:10:12) - Paul's Battle Against Strongholds(00:15:47) - strongholds in our life(00:22:00) - Taking Every Thought Into captivity(00:29:54) - Jesus Christ is Good Enough(00:30:50) - Taking Every Thought Captive(00:32:04) - The Greatest Stronghold in the Mind(00:34:56) - All God's strongholds

Pastor David Harris Wednesday June 24, 2026

Have you ever loved someone very deeply, poured your heart and soul into their life, and have that dedication met with ingratitude, or no love in return?  It's an experience that can be very hurtful and disheartening.  You might be surprised to find out that the apostle Paul experienced this too.  We're nearing the end of our series through Second Corinthians, and today we'll wrap up our look at chapter twelve.

 How do we know whether we are actually "Right with God?" Or we could put it this way, how do we know we are really a Christian?  Let's examine ourselves to see if we're in the faith today, with pastor Lloyd Pulley. We're glad you could join us as we begin the final message in our series through Second Corinthians.

Link to the most recent seminar click here!How many people do you need before your voice counts? In this episode of the Stuck No More Voices Podcast, Theresa Croft teaches on metron, the measure God assigned to your voice and your story.You were not given a crowd. You were given a field.If you are a Christian woman in business who feels like the best kept secret in her field, this one is for you. You will hear the difference between stuck and seen. You will learn why faithfulness comes before the bigger room, and how to tend the people God already placed in front of you.Theresa walks through Second Corinthians ten and the picture of metron, then Isaiah and the call to enlarge your tent. The order matters. God widens the fence after you tend what is already inside it.This is for Christian women leaders, Christian entrepreneurs, and faith driven women in business who are ready to be seen for their message.Next step. On July 1, Theresa is hosting a live seminar called The Calling Activation. Learn how to step into your calling, trust your voice, and be seen for your message, without overthinking or holding back.Take the Calling and Capacity audit here.Home TheresaCroft.comInstagram: https://instagram.com/theresacroftFacebook: https://Facebook.com/theresamcroftYouTube: https://YouTube.com/@theresacroftMore Podcast Episodes on Apple and Spotify

Pastor David Harris Wednesday June 17, 2026

First Timothy teaches us about the last days and Second Corinthians give us some insight into one of Satan's most effective strategies; religion, good works, and self-righteousness. Some things Christians do in the name of the faith, while not bad on their own, become evil when Christ, his finished work, and the message of rescue from death is subjugated to somehow trying to "make the world a better place" and performing rituals in an attempt to put God in our debt. Adding rituals makes us feel even more special.

One of the greatest frustrations in life is to express genuine love to someone, and have them turn around and give nothing back in return... except a cold shoulder or rejection. In chapter twelve of Second Corinthians, the apostle Paul draws our attention to his love for the church at Corinth. While he loved more and more, they gave less and less in return

Pastor David Harris Wednesday June 10, 2026

Rewards In Heaven Part #3 of Series: Heaven Changes Everything Josh Shook Examine My Heart Exchange My Sticks For Bricks Scriptures: First Corinthians 3:10b-15, Revelation 20:11-12,15, Second Corinthians 5:10, First Corinthians 3:15, Matthew 6:21, Colossians 3:23-24, Malachi 3:10, Mark 12:41-44, Hebrews 11:6 Topics: Heaven, Love, Hope

Stubborn sin – the sort that just keeps coming back again and again, no matter how hard we try –is a fact of life for so many. And we have a choice – we can just accept it and its devastating consequences, or we can believe God's Word that where there's a will, there's a way.   THE BIG CON Today we are kicking off a new series of programmes for the next four weeks. It's called "Overcoming Stubborn Sin – Once and For All." And God triggered in my heart, just the other day, when I was sitting talking to a man – but more about him later. Now let me ask you, have you ever had a pen in your pocket and it's leaked? More common for men, I guess – we'll put a pen in our shirt pocket or maybe on the inside pocket of our jacket and then, for one reason or another, the pen leaks and you end up with an ink stain all over your shirt or your jacket. Now that stain, it's called a stubborn stain, isn't it? At least that's how we refer to it where I come from. And the reason we call it a stubborn stain is that, no matter what you wash it with or scrub it with – it doesn't matter what you do to it – it just won't come out. I remember when that happened to one of my favourite jackets, years ago now. I mean, I really liked this jacket; it was soft and comfortable and it looked great. I spent a fortune at the dry cleaners, but it doesn't matter what they tried, the stain didn't come out. And so I simply couldn't wear it out any more. I mean, it would have looked ridiculous. But isn't it funny, these days, when we have a stain like that on our characters, it seems we almost wear it out with pride, or at the very least, we just put up with it. After all, it's a stubborn stain – nothing we can do about it. And that's the attitude of that man that I was telling you about at the beginning of the programme. Here's the thing: he rang the other day and wanted to catch up for a coffee. I agreed and as we sat down in the cafe, we had a bit of small chit-chat and then the crunch issue – the thing he wanted to talk to me about. Well, it was his sin. It was a sin he'd been struggling with all his life. It turned out that his particular Achilles heel was his temper. A lovely man but he has a hot temper and just flies of the handle at the drop of a hat. He was sharing with me what had happened just a few days before. A situation where he'd hurt some people that really mattered to him and the more I listened, the more I got this impression that as far as he was concerned, this was something he was stuck with and the best he could do was to manage the symptoms. There wasn't a single thought in his head of treating the disease. And the reason this shocked me was this man is a Christian with a powerful heart after God and a commitment to God's Word. So I listened without saying too much but the more I turned this conversation over and over in my head, the more disturbing it became. It was like he had a stubborn ink stain on his jacket but he was intent on wearing that same jacket out, day after day, with that stain on it. There was no thought of changing the jacket. Do you see the point? We wouldn't think of wearing an ink stained jacket out to work and yet we'll take who we are - with this great big stubborn stain, smack bang in the middle of our character and our personality, so prominent; so obvious that nobody could ever miss it - and wear it out day after day after day, for a whole life time, resigned to what we think is the fact that there's just nothing we can do about it. Changing the jacket never crosses our mind. Have a listen to this. In the context of what we have just been talking about – stubborn sin – Galatians chapter 3, verse 27: "As many of you as were baptised into Christ, have clothed yourselves with Christ." And again this: Ephesians chapter 4, verses 22 to 27: "You were taught to put away your former way of life; your old self, corrupt and deluded by its lusts, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds and to clothe yourselves with a new self, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbours, for we are members of one another. Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil." Both of these Scriptures from the Word of God are very, very clear. They're about putting on a new jacket; they're about clothing ourselves in Christ; clothing ourselves in the new creation that we become when we put our trust and our faith in Him. There's nothing ... nothing, so far as I can find in God's Word which says that sin is normal. Sure, it's common; all too common but normal it ain't! Have you put your trust in Jesus Christ? Have you? Then you are a new creation. The old things have passed away and all things ... ALL THINGS are new. That comes from Second Corinthians chapter 5, verse 17. We all have one or two stubborn sins in our lives. For some people it's temper and anger, for others it lust, for others it's always seeking glory and recognition, for others again it's low self esteem or un-forgiveness or gossiping or slander. Other people are addicted to gambling or perhaps it's worshipping other gods. Some people don't seem to be able to help themselves – some are involved in the occult. My friend, the list goes on and we sometimes behave as if the only person who has this stubborn sin stain on us is us! Listen to me – it's everyone! I've never met a person who hasn't had to grapple with at least one stubborn, persistent, ongoing form of sin in their lives. So many men are addicted to pornography, which now with the internet, has over half ... over half of all men addicted to this – something we are going to talk about in the coming weeks – and they live in secret shame, imagining that there's nothing they can do about it. And over half of all women, in Western society as least, suffer clinically from low self esteem. And each one of these stubborn sins is the devil's way of robbing us of life. Sure, so many of them are dressed up to look respectable – so seductive; so normal. Now the person who puts their faith in Jesus, kind of knows they're not right, but like that man that I was talking about at the beginning of the programme, they've kind of resigned themselves into believing that there's nothing they can do about their particular brand of stubborn sin. Whether it's a red stain or a blue stain or a black stain, "Well, that's just my coloured stain and there's just nothing I can do about it." Let me give you this very direct and very blunt response to that kind of thinking: rubbish; its absolute rubbish! That's a deception of the devil and you won't find it in the Bible. Jesus said, quoting Isaiah chapter 61, verse 1. He said: "God had sent him to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners." Now, there's no fine print in there that provides you or me with a personal exclusion for our particular colour of stubborn sin. Now, I'm a man who has had more than his share of stubborn sins to work through – anger, temper – all sorts of stuff and because I am one of those strong willed people, those things have had even a stronger hold on me than most. And here's what I've discovered along the way and I'm still discovering it – Jesus came to set me free from every sin that robs me of life. He came to set you free from every sin that robs you of life – to clothe us in Christ, to make us a new creation that shines His glory and His image into this lost and hurting world. That is the truth!   WAKE UP One of the worst feelings that we can have in life is that sense of being trapped ... trapped in a place, trapped in our circumstances, trapped in our own destructive patterns of behaviour. And try as we might, we just can't get out. Now, God has a name for those destructive behaviours; a much shorter name – He calls them 'sin' and that's exactly what sin is – behaviour that's destructive; behaviour that misses the whole point of life. And it seems to be the case that pretty much each one of us has one particular pattern of destructive behaviour; one sin that seems to be stubborn in our lives. Like a stubborn stain that just won't wash out – as much as we wish we could get rid of it. We've tried and tried and tried and tried over the years – we just can't. For many people it feels like they're trapped; like there's no way out. It's a pattern of behaviour that we seem to be locked into – repeating over and over and over again. And so many people have just resigned themselves to the fact that that's the way it is and that nothing's ever going to change – they're trapped; hopelessly trapped in sin and there's no way out and so they just have to live life with the painful consequences of that sin. Well, if that kind of resonates a bit with you, I have some good news for you – in fact, it's some great news. Stubborn sin comes in so many different forms. Have a quick listen to this list written by Paul the Apostle, a couple of thousand years ago. It comes from Galatians chapter 5, verses 19 to 21: "Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." Some people are just naturally prone to being critical or argumentative. Some are locked into patterns of jealousy or sexually immorality. And in this world of 'anything goes', where cheating on your wife or your husband has been reduced to a lifestyle choice, it's easy for us to rationalise our particular form of stubborn sin away, as being just that. "Well, the world's moved on, you know – we think differently these days. Sleeping around – hey, what's wrong with that? Arguing, criticising, pulling other people down, flying off the handle, ranting, raving, getting drunk until all hours – aw, they're just the way we do things these days." But no matter how much we rationalise our sin away, if we are going to be brutally honest with ourselves, most of us – with just a few minutes thinking about it – will be able to point to the one sin that seems to recur over and over and over again in our lives. And come on, let's be honest – there are consequences; serious consequences to our sin. And those consequences hurt – they hurt us and they hurt other people. And I don't know, maybe we have tried to break out of that pattern of behaviour from time to time, but it's so easy to fall back into it again and that's when we feel trapped. That's when we feel like there's no way out ... no escape. And the worse thing is, it feels like, well, like we're the only ones with this problem. Well, have a listen to what God has to say. Come on, because, I for one, am prepared to take Him at His Word. Let's have a listen – it comes from First Corinthians chapter 10, verse 13. It says that: "No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it." Now, that's powerful stuff, so let's take just a few minutes to unpack this because my hunch is the power here in God's Word is going to set some people down a path of actually believing that God can make a difference ... that God wants to set them free. "No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone." Testing is about a trial and a temptation – it's testing our fidelity to God. Let's take a man walking down the street: a young, scantily clad woman comes walking towards him. Now there's a test of his fidelity to his wife. What's he going to do with his eyes; what's he going to do with his imagination? I heard an interesting statistic from research conducted by an American Jewellers Association on employee theft. Have a listen to this: Ten percent of people will always steal, no matter what. Ten percent will never, ever steal, but eighty percent will steal if given the opportunity and if they think they won't get caught. So, for eighty percent of us, our honesty and integrity is tested on a daily basis. Testing happens all the time and nothing that you and I are tested with is unique to us – indeed it's common to everyone. We all go through this. Sometimes we feel condemned because we think that it's just us that are being tempted with this or with that. No! Everyone is tempted ... but and here's the great BUT, "but God is faithful and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength." I love that – that's a promise from God. When we feel trapped and weak and impossibly vulnerable, the promise of God is that He will never allow us to be tempted by our own desires or by the devil or, as is so often the case, by both, to an extent that is one hair's breadth further than our capacity to withstand or resist the temptation. So many of us head into temptation just expecting defeat – just planning on failure – so, well, we fail the test; we yield to the temptation. The great news is this: that God is faithful, and He will not let us be tested beyond our strength. Instead, with the testing He will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it. And over the coming weeks on the programme, what we are going to be doing is investigating that way out – a practical; rubber hits the road, expose of how to stop this stubborn sin dead in its tracks, because God's Word is so incredibly practical. For the man who for years has been caught in a cycle of shame and addiction to pornography; for the woman who for years, has had a miserable life because of her low self esteem; for anyone and everyone who has ever felt trapped and completely powerless in their destructive patterns of behaviour that lash at their soul like a whip that never stops tearing into their flesh. For you, I have this good news – First Corinthians chapter 10, verse 13: "No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it." You're not alone! You're not unique and God is faithful. He has already prepared the way out for you; a way out of the shame and the pain of persistent, stubborn sin. And I want you to remember this – these aren't my words. This is God's Word and God's Word is sharper that any two edged sword. God's Word has the power to change us; a power that we simply can't begin to understand, until we experience it for ourselves. That's what we are going to be talking about next.   BACK TO PLAN "A" Have you ever noticed that we can be chugging alone okay, living in victory for a week or two or maybe even a month or two and then all of a sudden – WHAM – that sin comes back and pounds us like a battering ram. It pounds the living daylights out of us. Have you ever wondered why that is? Why these ebbs and flows? Why is it sometimes I can live in victory over this thing and other times, I feel completely and utterly powerless to do anything at all to overcome this destructive behaviour called "sin". Well, here's my take on it. Well, actually, no, no, it's not my take at all, it's God's take – it's God's truth from God's Word. We live on a spiritual battlefield and our enemy, the devil, is always prowling around, waiting for a good time to strike. He did that even with Jesus. After Jesus resisted the devil's temptations when He had been in the wilderness for forty days and forty nights, Luke tells us in chapter 4 of his Gospel, verse 13 that: "When the devil had finished testing Jesus, he (the devil) departed to wait for a more opportune time." So here we have this picture of the devil prowling around looking for someone to devour. He has the element of surprise and that's why we feel powerless when he strikes. Well, today and over the next few weeks, we are going to take an intensely practical look at how to be ready for him. As I said before, we all have this Achilles heel; a part of our makeup or our personality or who we are, that's more vulnerable to attack than others. I was telling you before on the programme about this man whom I met who struggled with his temper and for other people it's their sexuality and for others again it's pride or they are addicted to money or recognition – we all have some area in our lives where we are vulnerable. And we all have times when we are more vulnerable than others in our lives. Now sometimes we have learned to exercise self control over our tempers but then, you know, the pressure is on and we're tired and the circumstances just seem to conspire to make us snap. So it doesn't matter what our particular weak point is, there are times when we feel stronger and times when we feel weaker. And there are times when we feel completely tossed around and completely vulnerable, like we have no strength at all to resist the prowling devil who is just sitting back waiting, like a lion in the grass, to pounce and attack while we are feeling weak. Now, what I'm about to say may sound completely perverse. In fact, if we judge it by the world's wisdom, actually it is. God's wisdom often seems perverse by the world's standards, but have a listen to God's wisdom about our weakness. It's written by the Apostle Paul in the New Testament – Second Corinthians chapter 12, verses 7 to 9. Paul says: ... to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, but he said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Now, we never discover what the thorn in the flesh was – was it a physical ailment? Was it a particular temptation to which Paul was prone? We're not told, what we do know is that it was a messenger from Satan to torment him. And God doesn't take this torment away because, God, it appears, is quite content with Paul's weakness. He doesn't actually want Paul to be strong, in and of himself but instead, He wants to give Paul the real thing - God's perfect power amidst Paul's weaknesses. And so that completely changes everything for Paul. Instead of being ashamed of his weakness, he boasts all the more gladly of it so that the power of Christ may dwell in him. And here's the crunch: anyone who has tried and tried and tried to be strong to overcome stubborn sin and overcome the devil will know that working hard at it doesn't work, but it's in our weakness that we have the opportunity to discover the good and perfect awesome power of God to achieve what we can't; to achieve victory over stubborn sin. My friend, this is fantastic news – it's liberating news! The opportunity to give up trying and to tap into the power that works – it's divine power. Have a listen again to Paul – Second Corinthians chapter 10, verses 4 to 5: For the weapons of our warfare are not merely human but they have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every proud obstacle raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ. Paul's saying that we are living on a battlefield and instead of just using human weapons, we actually have God's divine power to destroy strongholds; the fortresses. And the strongholds that Paul is specifically talking about here are the thoughts, ideas beliefs, behaviours in people who believe in Jesus. Not something way out there – the strongholds in us that we can't seem to defeat. God has given us weapons with divine power to overcome our sin. You know what a stronghold is? It's something we hang onto so strong that we can't seem to let go. And if we are holding onto sin that strong we can't take the hold of the good plans that God has for us. We can't let go of stubborn sin in our own strength. We can't break down those strongholds with weapons that are merely human – we need divine power and right here, right in the middle of our weaknesses is where God wants to give us His divine power. And over the next couple of weeks on the programme we are going to look at just that – how to use that divine power to eliminate stubborn sin, once and for all.

Today, we'll continue our series though Second Corinthians with an important message about false teachers. Now, every message based on the words of the bible is important, but in the day and age we live in, warnings about false teaching are especially important. False teachers are everywhere today, and the deceptions are sometimes very subtle. But they are also very dangerous.

The word of God is being watered down and outright misinterpreted these days, and there results can be devastating. Our series in Second Corinthians continues today as pastor Lloyd takes is to chapter ten, beginning in verse twelve.

As believers in Christ, it would be foolish to try to fight our daily battles without the spiritual weaponry that God has provided.  Today on Bridging the Gap, pastor Lloyd Pulley shows us how to use our spiritual weapons in this spiritual war we find ourselves in.  It's part of our study in Second Corinthians.

Second Corinthians 10:3-5 warns believers against spiritual strongholds in our lives. Today we examine what strongholds are, their danger, and how to experience victory over strongholds.

Spiritual battles are a part of the life of the Christian. Much depends on what we do before the wars begin.  We'll give you some tips from scripture on how best to prepare today on Bridging the Gap, as part of our study of Second Corinthians.

Today on Bridging the Gap we're going to talk about the great privilege we have to give back to Him.  Pastor Lloyd Pulley is going to draw out a few valuable principles for giving from Second Corinthians nine.  Among the things we'll discuss is how much should we give, and what our attitude should be when we drop a check in the collection box. As Lloyd has mentioned, God is much more interested in the attitude, not the amount.

Pastor David Harris Wednesday June 3, 2026

Discover the true meaning of biblical generosity and how it transforms your relationship with God and money. This comprehensive guide explores what the Bible really teaches about giving, stewardship, and financial freedom through faith. Learn about the three essential categories of biblical giving: tithing, offerings, and almsgiving, and understand how each plays a vital role in spiritual growth and community building.Explore the Apostle Paul's powerful teachings from Second Corinthians about the Macedonian churches who gave sacrificially despite their poverty, and discover how their example reveals the heart of Christian generosity. Understand the agricultural principles of sowing and reaping that Jesus taught, and learn why God blesses us not to raise our standard of living, but to raise our standard of giving.This biblical teaching covers the five essential characteristics of godly giving: sacrificial, regular, proportional, voluntary, and joyful giving. Learn how to avoid the prosperity gospel trap while still understanding God's promises to generous givers. Discover practical steps for building generosity into your daily rhythm and how giving trains your soul to trust God rather than your bank account.Whether you're new to faith or looking to deepen your understanding of biblical stewardship, this teaching provides clear, practical guidance on money management from a Christian perspective. Learn how generosity connects you to God's heart, builds kingdom community, and creates lasting spiritual transformation. Perfect for anyone seeking to understand what the Bible teaches about money, giving, tithing, and financial stewardship.This sermon was recorded at a Sunday morning gathering at Church of the Lookout in Longmont, Colorado.Visit our websiteFollow us on FacebookFollow us on Instagram

When the storms of life hit, as they do, right, what we do is that instinctively we grab a life vest, we look for a lifeline here on earth, a worldly solution if you will … instead of turning to the One who can calm the storm. So, you have to ask yourself then, who exactly is the Lord of our lives?   Just Like the Rest Over these last few weeks we have been looking at what it means to get our feet back on solid ground in life. You know, when we are going through storms we are bobbing around like a tiny little boat floundering on an angry sea and sometimes we don't know which way to head – which way is up, which way is down. All we want to do is put our feet back on solid ground. And it turns out that you don't always find that solid ground exactly where you expect to find it. And we have been exploring this whole idea of getting our feet on solid ground through the story of a humble woman called Hannah who honoured God and turned to Him in the midst of her storm - and at completely the other end of the scale, a priest called Eli and his sons Hophni and Phinehas. They were evil guys and they got their just rewards and the nation of Israel who struggled with their God. If you've got a Bible, grab it and open it up. Over these last three weeks we have been looking at the first seven chapters of the Book of First Samuel. Now First Samuel appears about a third of the way through the Old Testament. We are going to finish off that series today with the crux of what this is all about. We are going to have a look at the decision that ultimately determines whether our feet are on solid ground or not. It's a decision between the obvious and the not so obvious. What is it that you and I can decide to do that will absolutely ensure that no matter what comes our way, our feet are on solid ground? Now the pivot of this whole story – the contrast of Hannah on the one hand and Hophni and Phinehas and their dad, Eli, on the other – happens, if you remember the verse – if you have been with us over these last few weeks – in First Samuel chapter 2, verse 30, where God says: Those who honour Me, I will honour but those who despise Me will be treated with contempt. We are going to pick up that story today. The priests are dead, they've got their just rewards, Hannah's son – she couldn't have a son remember, but she now has a son, he is grown up – Samuel is the judge and the prophet and the leader over all Israel. Now that's a really important concept – they didn't have a King. All the other nations had a King but Israel did not because Israel's system of government was a theocracy – that meant that God was their King. And God appointed judges and prophets to declare His Word over the people of Israel. So He administered justice – this was Samuel – he was a prophet who declared the will of God and God was the King to the people. Now that was unique among the nations and as we saw over the last few weeks, when they honoured God; when they obeyed Him, that nations' feet were on solid ground. Now the story takes an interesting twist. We are going to pick it up in chapter 8 of the Book of First Samuel. Here's how it goes: When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel. The name of his first born son was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah and they were judges in Beer-sheba. Yet his sons didn't follow in his ways but turned aside after gain – they took bribes and perverted justice. Then all the elders of Israel came together and they came to Samuel at Ramah and they said to Samuel "You are old and your sons don't follow in your ways, appoint for us then, a King to govern over us like the other nations." But this displeased Samuel when they said "Give us a King to govern us. So Samuel prayed to the Lord and the Lord said to Samuel "Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being King over them. Just as they have done to Me from the day I brought them up out of Egypt to this day, forsaking Me, serving other gods so also they are doing to you. Now then, listen to their voice – only you shall solemnly warn them and show the ways of the King who shall reign over them." So Samuel reported all the words of God to the people who were asking him for a King. He said these will be the ways of the King who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horse men and to run before his chariots and he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties and some will plough his ground and reap his harvest and to make his implements of war and to make his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and your vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his courtiers. He will take one tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give them to his officers and his courtiers. He will take your male and female slaves and the best of your cattle and donkeys and put them to his work. He will take one tenth of your flocks and you shall be his slaves and in that day you will cry out because of your King whom you have chosen for yourselves but the Lord will not answer you in that day. But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel. They said "No, we are determined to have a King over us so that we may also be like the other nations and that our King may govern us and go out before us and fight our battles." Isn't that interesting? All this time you go right back to the slavery, when Israel was in slavery in Egypt and God released them through some major miracles and through the parting of the Red Sea and then into the Promised Land and they captured the Land, battle after battle. All this time it was a simple, simple principle that God honours those who honour Him. And God did and God won the battles for them and God delivered them. And now they reject their King, their God who is able and willing to bless them and to protect them. Why? Well, actually, first they blame Samuel's sons and no doubt there is something in that, but actually you find out the reason towards the end of that verse. Look again at the passage we have just read: verses 19 and 20 of chapter 8: But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel. They said "No, we are determined to have a King over us so that we also may be like other nations and that our King may govern us and go to battle and fight our battles for us." They wanted to be like all the other nations. Now, let's think about that. Israel is unique – God is their King, He promised them the Promised Land, He has the power to make it happen. Whenever they honour Him He does make it happen and yet they want to reject Him – why? So that they can be like all the other nations! Is that stupid or what? None of the other nations have an invincible god as their king so why do they want to be like the other nations? Because in the heat of the battle they want a king they can see – a king of flesh and blood! Their enemies have a king at the head of their army so they want one too and they are prepared to give up the perfect power of the King of Kings for a poor substitute so that they can have a king that they can see! How often do we do that? How often do we put our faith in things that we can see – in our investment portfolio to provide wealth is fine until the economy goes belly up, in our career, which is fine until our health fails, in other people, which is fine until they desert us or fail us? See when we hit a storm you know what we want to do? We want to reach out and put a life preserver on instead of go to the One who can stop the storm. We want something we can see and touch and feel, instead of putting our faith in the One whom we can't see. A favourite Scripture you hear people quote is Second Corinthians chapter 5, verse 7 that says "We walk by faith and not by sight" and that's great until the storm hits, when we will definitely go for something that we can see and touch and feel, ahead of someone we can only see by faith – we'll pick that anytime. And that's the point – when we step off solid ground onto a stormy ocean.   What's the Problem? Yea, just like Israel, we want to be just like everyone else some days; just normal, everyday people who put our faith in things that we can touch and feel. It is something the Apostle Paul rejected – have a listen – Second Corinthians chapter 5, beginning at verse 1. He says: We know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house, not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, if indeed, when we have taken it off, we will not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan under our burden because we wish not to be unclothed but to be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing, is God, who has given us His Spirit as a guarantee so we are always confident, even though we know that while we are at home in the body, we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith not by sight. Yes, we do have confidence and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. See, here Paul is talking about the struggle between the temporal and the eternal – between what we can see and what we can't see. And Paul is saying "Look, I have got a body; I've got a tent but one day that is going to pass away and my faith isn't in the "here and now" – my faith is in God – I walk by faith not by sight." It's about where he puts his confidence. Now, let me tell you how easy it is to appoint an earthly King, like what Israel was trying to do and to reject the King of Kings – even when we are out and about doing God's work. This ministry that I am involved in, Christianityworks, it has been going for fifty years out of Australia and yet when I took over four years ago, there were hardly any people supporting the ministry. It had almost no income, it was going broke, there were no programmes going to air. And four years ago – it's still pretty fresh – I remember the panic attacks over finances – you see the money dwindling away and wondering when we are going to go broke – not if but when. You see, what I was doing: I wanted a big bank balance – something that would provide security that I could see and I had to turn away from that. I had to put my trust in God alone and these days, sometimes, let me tell you, things are still very, very tight. And whilst I do my part in all of that, as a good steward of the money that supporters entrust to the ministry, over and over and over and over again, let me tell you, as we have done our best just to simply honour God in all that we do here in the ministry of Christianityworks, He has honoured us. It's as simple as that! Now, let's get back to the story and find out where the real problem was here with Israel and the Kingship of God. Well, Israel got its very first King like all the other nations and God, through the prophet Samuel, appointed Saul. Let's have a look at it in the first couple of verses of chapter 9 of the Book of First Samuel: There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish son Abiel son of Zeror son Becorath son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite, a man of wealth. He had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he – he stood head and shoulders above everyone else. So the prophet hears from God and God says "Saul is the King. If they want a King they are going to get Saul". And initially at least, after he is anointed, Saul has success because even though God was rejected by His people in favour of Saul, God is a God of grace and He continued to honour them and bless them even though He warned them of how the King would turn out. We saw that earlier. See, sometimes when we reject the Kingship of God in our lives and choose something else – career or wealth or whatever it is – initially we have some success but as we will see later, Saul ended up in abject failure. In fact, Saul (if you want to read it in First Samuel chapter 31) committed suicide in the middle of battle. It's easy for you and me to say "Well, what's the problem here? It's probably not a bad thing that they had a King to lead the nation. What's the problem? I do have to invest and plan for my retirement, sure, but do we do it under the Kingship of God?" When God is calling us to give a substantial amount of our money to let's say the poor, do we do that? Or do we sock it away for our retirement? Who or what do we put our trust in, who or what do we submit to? Listen again to what Samuel said to Israel – First Samuel chapter 10, beginning at verse 17: Samuel summoned the people to the Lord at Mizpah and he said to them "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, "I brought you up out of Egypt – I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you. But today, you have rejected your God, the God who saves you from all your calamities and all your distresses and you have said "No! but set a King over us." That's the problem – they rejected their God; they rejected the great Unseen for a King who was far inferior to God but whom they could see. See, despite all that they knew – they knew that God had brought them out of Egypt; they knew that He had rescued them from the Egyptians; they knew that He had rescued them from all their oppressors. God said "I did all that. Couldn't you see that I was your King? Couldn't you see that I am worthy of your trust? Couldn't you see that with Me you have your feet on solid ground? Couldn't you see that?" No, they couldn't see and no, some days we can't see it either. We are blinded by the dazzle of what this world has to offer. It never ceases to amaze me, you know, in times of economic prosperity, people behave as though there is no tomorrow. They put their faith in the money they are earning, their stock portfolio that is growing and the house that's mortgaged up to the hilt and the new car and all that stuff. But then, when the economy eventually takes a dive - as mind you, it always does – they cry out and scream at the price of petrol and the high interest rates and the risk of losing their home. Can I tell you something? You can't live a life of peace if you are putting your trust in an inferior king. You can't have security when you put your faith in those things that will fail. You can't! I can't! It just doesn't work.   Choose your King I want to take us right back now to the beginning of this series – to the first chapter of First Samuel. It's the story of a simple woman called Hannah - she was one of Elkanah's two wives. The other wife Peninnah had children, Hannah had none. And if you have ever been in that situation where you can't have kids or you know someone in that situation, you know how incredibly painful that is and to make it worse the other wife Peninnah, would give Hannah a hard time over this. Pretty tough! There is a real storm that was going on year after year after year – this pain of being childless. Now Hannah had a lot of choices in that space. She could have been angry, she could have lashed out or she could have withdrawn. Her husband didn't help her much so what does Hannah do? First Samuel chapter 1, verse 9: Once they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on a chair by the doorpost of the Lord's temple. In the bitterness of her soul, Hannah wept and prayed to the Lord and she made a vow. She said "Lord God Almighty, if You will only look upon Your servant's misery and remember me and do not forget Your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life and no razor will ever be used on his head. And as she kept praying to the Lord, Eli the priest, looked at her mouth – Hannah was praying in her heart – her lips were moving but her voice couldn't be heard. Now, Eli thought she was drunk and said to her "How long will you keep on getting drunk. Get rid of your wine." She said "Not so, my lord, I'm a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord. (Isn't that beautiful?) Don't take your servant for a wicked woman. I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief." And Eli answered "Well, go in peace and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked for." She said "May your servant find favour in your eyes." Then she went away and she ate something and her face was no longer downcast. Now it turns out – see, Hannah was a "nobody", not like the priest – she wasn't a man in the social structure – she wasn't a priest, she was a "nobody". She just goes and pours out her heart to God amidst the bitterness of her soul. Turns out God honours those who honour Him, as she does have a son, she calls him Samuel. She gives him back to Eli; she gives him over to God as soon as he is weaned and he comes and serves as a priest in the temple, under Eli, whom she discovers later, is a bad dude. This priest is supposed to be a go-between between God and His people, yet he and his sons have no respect for God and His people at all, so Samuel is put there by faith by her. Now we have heard the story: Samuel grows up, he becomes a mighty man of God. Do you know why that happened? Because Hannah honoured God! And God says "I will honour those who honour Me but those who despise Me, will be treated with contempt". And that's what Eli and his sons Hophni and Phinehas found out when they died because they did not honour God. And then we saw how, because of them, Israel ends up rejecting God. And you know how that ends up? In defeat! Saul ends up committing suicide – you can look at it in chapter 31, the last chapter of the Book of First Samuel. Israel rejected God as its King and God said "Well ok, I am going to warn you – you're rejecting Me. I am going to give you a King but this is not going to go well for you." And because they wanted a King that they could see, they rejected God anyway, they chose Saul and it ended up not well for them. The Philistines defeated them, Saul died. The one who is honoured by God is the one who honoured Him! How did she do that? In her misery and her pain; in the bitterness of her soul – she didn't act up, she didn't complain, she didn't grumble – she put her trust simply in God. She poured her soul out to Him, God honoured her. Eli didn't, his sons didn't! At the end of the day, Saul didn't, Israel certainly didn't – the one who did was Hannah and God honoured her because she honoured Him. I want to lay a challenge before each one of us today through this story. We all go through times, you know, when we would like to have our feet on solid ground and yet we are all over the place and things don't seem to be working out and everyone is coming up against us. I want to lay a challenge before each one of us today – you and me – we have to choose our King – it's either God or it is something else we trust in. You can't have both – you can't serve two kings, you can't serve two masters. It's either going to be God, the great unseen reality; the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords or its going to be something we see – a life preserver that we can grab onto. Problem is, life preservers might stop us from sinking for a while but they can't stop the storm. Only God can stop the storm! There are people listening today and your life seems to be one endless storm. Maybe you are absolutely sick to death of being tossed around by angry waves; maybe you are in that boat today. Well, it is time to put your feet back on solid ground. It is time to say "You know something? I may be a nobody like Hannah, it may be that I am not an Eli, I'm not a Samuel, I'm not a David, I'm not some big person – I'm some little unknown person like Hannah, that may will be the case. And yet in this whole story she is the only one who received God's blessing because she is the only one who honoured God. She received her son Samuel who had such a mighty influence over the history of her nation." And Hannah was onto something! Maybe today is time to say "I choose my King". Either we are going to choose God or we are going to reject Him and choose something that we can feel or touch. I can choose a "Saul" in my life – you can choose a 'Saul' in your life and it may give us a sense of security for a little while. You know, when that boat is bobbing round the ocean, you grab for the life preserver – that's a pretty good thing. Probably a pretty good feeling but the life preserver doesn't get us out of the storm. It just keeps us floating there for a bit longer. Only One – the only One – that can get us out of the storm; the only One that can put our feet back on solid ground is our King, God. You want your feet on solid ground? This whole story that we have been looking at over the last four weeks in the first nine or ten chapters of First Samuel – this story is about the Kingship of God. And the story tells us very clearly – you want to put your feet on solid ground? Go honour God – go choose Him as your King – go submit to Him as your King! Let me ask you something – which one is going to work, the King of Kings or Saul? Which one is going to put your feet back on solid ground? Which King will you choose in your life?

Today on Bridging the Gap, we're certainly not going to shy away from the topic of giving as we go verse by verse through Second Corinthians.  Chapter nine offers great principles for giving.  Let's join pastor Lloyd Pulley and see what they are.

 This is Bridging the Gap and we're about to resume our series in Second Corinthians.  We left off in chapter eight, verse thirteen.  In this part of Paul's letter, he is discussing giving.  When it comes to giving, God is more concerned with our heart than the amount.  Remember the poor widow who gave two mites?  Though that gift may not have caught the attention of people, it sure caught the Lord's attention in a good way!

Martin Luther was heard to say, "I have tried to keep things in my hands and lost them all, but what I have given into God's hands I still possess!"  That was the mindset of the Corinthians as well as they gave sacrificially, generously and cheerfully.  Today on Bridging the Gap, we'll gain the right motivation for giving to the Lord as we visit Second Corinthians eight.

We're talking about giving, and the right and wrong way to go about it.  When you give is it out of reluctance, or some sort of obligation?  We'll be introduced to a group of Christians who had a much better motivation than that… they gave because they loved the Lord and cared about those around them.  Let's take notice of the heart behind their giving as we join pastor Lloyd Pulley in Second Corinthians eight.

Heaven Changes Everything Part #1 of Series: Heaven Changes Everything Pastor Kerry Shook Heaven Is A Place Of SO MUCH MORE Heaven Is A Place Of NO MORE Heaven Is A Place Of ONE WAY Scriptures: First Corinthians 2:9, Matthew 6:9-13, First Corinthians 2:7-10, Colossians 3:1, Second Corinthians 5:1, First Corinthians 13:12, Revelation 21:4, Revelation 21:5a, John 14:6, Ephesians 2:8-9, John 1:12, First Thessalonians 1:8-9, Second Peter 3:9, Matthew 28:19, Luke 9:26 Topics: Heaven, Love, Hope

You're listening to Bridging the Gap.  We'll be joined by pastor Lloyd Pulley in just a bit.  We get right back into Second Corinthians today, and touch on a sensitive subject to say the least.  I've heard it said the most sensitive nerves in the human body are the nerves that extend from the heart to the pocketbook.  The Lord has a lot to say about how we handle our finances, and giving, and so if it's important to Him it should be important to us.  And so today we give attention to giving and generosity.

Mass Readings for Sunday May 31, 2026 Reading 1, Exodus 34:4-6, 8-9 Responsorial Psalm, Daniel 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56 Reading 2, Second Corinthians 13:11-13 Gospel, John 3:16-18

Today Lloyd will continue our study of Second Corinthians, and we aim to complete chapter seven. In First Corinthians, Paul had sent a scathing letter about the sin going on in the church at Corinth. Now, he's explaining to them why he was so harsh, and at the sometime, he's commending them for their response to his criticism. That's the gist of the book of Second Corinthians.

Today pastor Lloyd Pulley begins a message in Second Corinthians chapter seven. Godly repentance is one of the most important parts of the Christian life. God has called us to be separate from the world and live a life that reflects that we've been saved by His wonderful grace. We're no longer to be living for ourselves, but rather for the Lord. That comes to our attention here in chapter seven.

Why is it we often clam up when God calls us to point out the sin in a person's life and help them to get back on track?  The stakes are so high, we can't afford to look the other way. Pastor Lloyd is about to show us the real need for humility, gentleness and love when delivering a corrective word. Join us in Second Corinthians six.

There is a right and a wrong way to bring a word of correction. We'll talk about both today on Bridging the Gap. We're in Second Corinthians six looking at a period in time when Paul had to deliver correction, but he did so in love!

We'll continue looking at Second Corinthians chapter six today in a message Lloyd has titled, "A Heart Transformed By Grace". Does that describe you and your relationship with Jesus Christ? I sure hope so. When we experience the grace of God, the evidence should be easy for anyone to see. A transformed life. What does that look like? We're going to find out with pastor Lloyd, so join us in Second Corinthians chapter six.

We open Second Corinthians chapter six today and explore the wonderful message of grace and reconciliation we have to share with those around us. Let that sink in for a moment.  God wants to work together with us, and allows us to be a part of something of great eternal significance. Isn't that awesome? And maybe a bit intimidating?

Welcome to Day 2866 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Interacting with the Spirit: Discernment and Devotion. Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2866 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps!   I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2866 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:  Interacting with the Spirit: Discernment and Devotion. In a time when spiritual experiences are common but theological clarity is often lacking, many believers are left wondering how to rightly interact with the Holy Spirit. Should every spiritual prompting be obeyed without question? Can pastors or teachers claim the Spirit's authority and remain above critique? And how can we know when something is truly from God or when it is a counterfeit? Scripture answers these concerns not with vague encouragement but with strong instruction. The Holy Spirit is real, personal, and present. Yet we are commanded to test the spirits, to examine prophetic claims, and to remain anchored in the Word. This lesson explores both who the Holy Spirit is and how the people of God are called to respond to His voice with reverence, wisdom, and truth. The first segment is: Who Is the Holy Spirit? Yahweh Among Us The Holy Spirit is not a mystical force or a divine power switch. He is the third Person of the Trinity, fully God, fully eternal, and fully personal. From the very first pages of Scripture, we see Him present in creation, hovering over the waters as the breath of Yahweh. He does what only God can do. He speaks, commands, empowers, and gives life. The New Testament affirms this divine identity. Peter tells Ananias in Acts 5 that he has lied to the Holy Spirit, and then immediately states he has lied to God. Paul in Second Corinthians 3 refers to the Spirit as “the Lord.” The Spirit is not a created being nor an impersonal wind. He is Yahweh, and to interact with Him is to encounter the living God. In the Old Testament, the Spirit came upon judges, prophets, and kings to empower them for specific roles. He anointed artisans, guided leaders, and spoke through messengers. Yet He did not dwell permanently within all of God's people. His presence was selective and often temporary. This was not due to any deficiency, but because the covenant had not yet reached its fulfillment. The temple was sacred space. Only after the atoning work of Christ could human hearts become that temple. At Pentecost, this changed. The Spirit descended not on a mountain or a sanctuary but on the gathered body of believers. He came to dwell within them, not just with them. This marked a new chapter in the life of God's people. Every believer now becomes a temple of the Holy Spirit. The same God who descended on Sinai and filled the Tabernacle now fills the hearts of those who belong to Christ. This matters deeply for discernment. When we speak of testing the spirits, we are not dealing with vague impressions or spiritual atmospheres. We are discerning whether what we are hearing or experiencing aligns with the character, authority, and truth of the One who is Yahweh, the Spirit of God. The second segment is: The Call to Discernment John gives a direct and sobering command: do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. This is not a warning against all supernatural experiences. It is a call to distinguish between what is truly from the Spirit of God and what is false. The early church faced false prophets, counterfeit visions, and teachings that claimed divine authority. Today is no different. Paul writes to the Thessalonians, urging them not to quench the Spirit and not to despise prophecy, but to test everything and hold fast to what is good. The balance is clear. We must be open to the Spirit's work while remaining grounded in discernment. Testing is not opposition to the Spirit. It is obedience to Him. Testing involves examining whether a message or experience lines up with Scripture. The Spirit never contradicts the Word He inspired. Isaiah tells the people of his day that if someone does not speak according to the law and the testimony, there is no light in them. This remains true. The Spirit of truth does not speak lies or encourage rebellion against God's Word. We also test by fruit. Jesus said a tree is known by its fruit. Does the spiritual experience or message produce love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and self-control? Or does it bring division, fear, pride, and confusion? The Spirit builds up the Church in holiness and unity. He does not lead people into chaos or flattery. Another test is whether the Spirit glorifies Christ. Jesus said the Spirit would not speak on His own authority but would take what belongs to Christ and declare it. The Spirit always lifts up Jesus. Any voice or experience that shifts attention away from Him is not of God. Finally, discernment happens in community. Paul instructed the Corinthians that prophetic words should be weighed by others. Even sincere believers can mishear, misunderstand, or be misled. A healthy church does not operate on private revelations that cannot be tested. The Bereans were praised for examining Paul's words against the Scriptures. True spiritual leadership invites scrutiny because it is committed to the truth, not to control. The Third Segment is: Spiritual Abuse and the Misuse of Authority One of the most dangerous distortions of the Spirit's work is when spiritual leaders use His name to shield themselves from accountability. If a pastor or teacher tells the congregation that their words must be accepted without question because they are Spirit-led, something is deeply wrong. No one is above testing. Not even Paul was exempt. In Galatians, Peter is corrected publicly for behavior that contradicted the gospel. True authority submits to the Word of God. When leaders resist examination, they are not protecting the Spirit. They are protecting themselves. The Holy Spirit does not bless pride, manipulation, or spiritual intimidation. He convicts sin but never controls through fear. He leads but does not coerce. He exalts Christ, not personalities. Discernment is not rebellion. It is loyalty to the One who gave us His Spirit and called us to walk in truth. The fourth segment is: Blaspheming the Holy Spirit: The Sin That Will Not Be Forgiven Jesus' warning about the unforgivable sin has caused confusion and fear for generations. In Matthew 12, after the Pharisees accuse Him of casting out demons by the power of Satan, Jesus responds with a grave rebuke. Every sin and blasphemy can be forgiven, He says, except for blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. That sin will not be forgiven in this age or in the age to come. To understand this, we must consider the context. The religious leaders had witnessed undeniable evidence of the Spirit's power through Christ. A man was healed and delivered right before their eyes. But instead of responding in humility, they hardened their hearts and claimed the work of the Holy Spirit was demonic. This was not a one-time slip. It was a willful rejection of the truth. They saw the Spirit at work and chose to call Him evil. Their hearts were not just mistaken; they were closed off to repentance. That is what makes the sin unforgivable. It is not a single act. It is a settled posture of rejection that cuts a person off from the very One who brings conviction, faith, and renewal. Blaspheming the Holy Spirit means knowingly and persistently attributing the work of God to the enemy, resisting the Spirit's witness to Christ, and rejecting the truth with full knowledge of what is being denied. It is not a careless word or a moment of doubt. It is a defiant rejection of the Spirit's testimony. For believers who fear they may have committed this sin, that very fear is evidence that they have not. The unforgivable sin is not something someone accidentally stumbles into. It is a deliberate and final refusal of God's offer of mercy. Those who grieve over sin, seek forgiveness, and desire to walk with the Spirit are not guilty of blaspheming Him. This warning matters deeply in our age. When discernment becomes slander, when people mock what is genuinely from God because it does not fit their tradition, when leaders reject conviction and call it attack, they risk silencing the Spirit they claim to serve. The warning is not just for the ancient Pharisees. It is for anyone who hardens their heart and declares what is holy to be unclean. We must test

Today on Bridging the Gap, pastor Lloyd Pulley will help us get a better understanding of who we are in Christ through a study of Second Corinthians five. Where do you find your identity these days?

Pastor David Harris Wednesday May 20, 2026

When we come to Christ we're made into a new creation. The old has passed away, and those things we are not proud of have been forgotten about by God, as if they never happened!  We'll take some time to unpack that wonderful truth as we get back into Second Corinthians five with pastor Lloyd Pulley

Pastor Lloyd Pulley, has been taking us through the Book of Second Corinthians and we invite you to open your Bible or your bible App, to chapter five. Today Pastor Lloyd will discuss, among other things, what our attitudes as believers should be concerning life, death, and ultimately, eternity.

Don't Waste Your Failures Pastor Kerry Shook SURRENDER MY WAY FOR GOD'S WAY DON'T RUN FROM YOUR SHAME, RUN TO CHRIST'S GRACE SURRENDER MY PLAN TO GOD'S PURPOSE Scriptures: Psalms 27:1, John 21:4-14, John 21:4-6, Luke 5:4-7, Luke 5:8, Luke 5:9, John 21:9, Luke 22:55-57, Hebrews 4:16, John 21:15-17, John 15:5, Second Corinthians 12:7-10, John 21:18-19 Topics: Lessons, Love, Hope

In Christ we have a glorious future to look forward to.  Pastor Lloyd Pulley believes keeping an eternal mindset is a key to living victoriously and making it through the suffering we're bound to face.  We join him today in Second Corinthians five.

Today on Bridging the Gap we take you to Second Corinthians four.  Perhaps the timing couldn't be better as you're in the middle of a trial as we speak.  Allow the Lord to minister to you and help you see God's great purpose.

Today on Bridging the Gap, pastor Lloyd Pulley will share from his own experience, and the experiences of others, and relate it to what Second Corinthians four has to say. Whether you're on the verge of quitting too soon, feeling discouraged, or are quite happy about the way things are going… I think you'll benefit a great deal from today's message.

How do we forgive the people who have hurt our loved ones? Drawing from Second Corinthians and Gospel of Matthew, Jeff unpacks St. Paul's striking statement—“I forgive whom you forgive”—and reveals how harboring secondhand offenses can quietly entrap our hearts. Email us with comments or questions at thejeffcavinsshow@ascensionpress.com. Text “jeffcavins” to 33-777 to subscribe and get Jeff's shownotes delivered straight to your email! Or visit https://media.ascensionpress.com/?s=&page=2&category%5B0%5D=Ascension%20Podcasts&category%5B1%5D=The%20Jeff%20Cavins%20Show for full shownotes!