Podcasts about sometimes god

     Scripture identifies two main forms of suffering that promote spiritual growth: corrective suffering, which restores the disobedient to fellowship, and perfective suffering, which refines the obedient toward greater maturity in Christ.      Corrective suffering arises from divine discipline when believers deviate from God's will and wander into disobedience. Such discipline is the measured response of a loving Father who seeks to restore His children to fellowship and fruitfulness. Israel's history provides a vivid backdrop to this principle. When the nation violated the Mosaic covenant, God responded with covenant curses designed to bring them back to Himself (Deut 28:15–68). Hosea depicts God hedging up Israel's path with thorns, frustrating her sinful pursuits so that she might return to Him (Hos 2:6–7). The author of Hebrews interprets such experiences as evidence of divine love: “For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives” (Heb 12:6). According to Warren Wiersbe: "Chastening is the evidence of the Father's love. Satan wants us to believe that the difficulties of life are proof that God does not love us, but just the opposite is true. Sometimes God's chastening is seen in His rebukes from the Word or from circumstances. At other times He shows His love by punishing us with some physical suffering. Whatever the experience, we can be sure that His chastening hand is controlled by His loving heart. The Father does not want us to be pampered babies; He wants us to become mature adult sons and daughters who can be trusted with the responsibilities of life."[1]      Divine correction is not rejection but affirmation of sonship. Paul also recognized this principle at work in the Corinthian church, where some believers suffered weakness, sickness, and even premature death because of their irreverence and selfishness at the Lord's Table (1 Cor 11:30–32). Even kings were not exempt, as seen in Solomon's later years when God raised up adversaries against him after his heart was turned away to idols (1 Kgs 11:14, 23–25). Corrective suffering, therefore, functions as God's gracious intervention to arrest further decline and restore obedience. It is the shepherd's rod that redirects the straying sheep. Yet this discipline, though loving in design, can be resisted if the believer hardens his heart. Still, the intention remains clear: corrective suffering seeks to break the power of rebellion, humble the soul, and lead God's child back into the blessing of fellowship with Him.      Perfective suffering, by contrast, is not punitive but refining. It does not arise from disobedience but from God's sovereign intention to deepen faith, expand endurance, and produce spiritual maturity. When a believer is walking faithfully with the Lord, obeying His Word, God may still permit suffering in order to shape character, purify motives, and equip His servant for greater usefulness. Job exemplifies this reality. Though declared blameless and upright, Job was permitted to endure severe affliction under Satan's hand, yet through the ordeal he came to a fuller appreciation of God's majesty, confessing at the end, “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; but now my eye sees You” (Job 42:5). Job's knowledge of God had grown because of what he'd learned through his sufferings. Paul's thorn in the flesh illustrates this same category. Though he prayed repeatedly for its removal, God left it in place to keep him humble and dependent, declaring, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness” (2 Cor 12:9). Rather than crushing Paul, this suffering became the very platform by which God's strength was displayed through his weakness. Perfective suffering, then, is a divine gift, the furnace in which faith is purified and the believer is transformed into greater conformity to Christ.      While suffering in Scripture may be manifold, the categories of corrective and perfective suffering provide a helpful lens for understanding God's purposes. In both, His love and sovereignty are evident. Corrective suffering restores us when we stray, and perfective suffering strengthens us as we obey, with the unifying aim that we be conformed to the image of His Son (Rom 8:28–29). The Integration of Blessings, Trials, and Sufferings      In God's perfect plan, blessings, trials, and sufferings are divinely orchestrated means for advancing the believer toward spiritual maturity. Blessing manifests the very essence of God's goodness and generosity, cultivating gratitude, humility, and faithful stewardship in the believer's life (Jam 1:17; 1 Tim 6:17–18; 1 Pet 4:10). Trials test faith under pressure, refining endurance and strengthening spiritual stability (Jam 1:2–4; 1 Pet 1:6–7). Sufferings train the soul to be dependent upon divine grace (1 Pet 5:10; 2 Cor 12:9). Each is a facet of divine pedagogy: blessing manifests God's grace and entrusts resources for service (2 Cor 9:8); trials expose and perfect faith (Gen 22:1; Heb 11:17; Jam 1:2–4); and suffering cultivates humility, patience, and deeper fellowship with Christ (2 Cor 12:7-10; Phil 3:10). Together, they form an important part of God's training program for His children, proving that prosperity and adversity alike are instruments of His unfailing love. As Job testified in the midst of both abundance and loss, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). Regardless of the circumstance, God is always at work conforming His sons and daughters to the likeness of Christ (Rom 8:28–29). What follows are biblical examples of suffering that helped advance believers to spiritual maturity (Jesus being the unique example). Steven R. Cook, D.Min., M.Div.   [1] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 324.

"But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty". 1 Corinthians 1:27 The message of this scripture is that God chooses those who are considered weak and foolish by the world's standards to shame and confound those who consider themselves wise and powerful, and to ensure that no one can boast victory due to their own strength or intellect. God often uses the same strategy in our lives to give us victory in answered prayer. This is a thought provoking message that might answer your questions about prayers in your life.

"But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty". 1 Corinthians 1:27 The message of this scripture is that God chooses those who are considered weak and foolish by the world's standards to shame and confound those who consider themselves wise and powerful, and to ensure that no one can boast victory due to their own strength or intellect. God often uses the same strategy in our lives to give us victory in answered prayer. This is a thought provoking message that might answer your questions about prayers in your life.

After a BMX crash left him paralysed, Nathan faced years of depression and doubt. Discover how faith, resilience, and community led to real hope.What happens when your body breaks, but your spirit refuses to? This powerful Christian mental health story follows one man's journey from a life-changing BMX accident and paralysis to discovering faith, purpose, and healing in the middle of depression.What We CoverThe Crash and the Aftermath – A broken neck, a wheelchair, and life in ICU.Faith in the Fog – Wrestling with God when prayers for healing go unanswered.Depression and Medication – Facing major depression, inpatient stays, and the courage to ask for help.TMS and Recovery – How new treatments and faith worked together to restore hope.Calling and Purpose – Finding a new mission through chaplaincy and service.What Healing Really Means – Why faith isn't about fixing everything but trusting through anything.ReflectionThis episode speaks to anyone battling mental illness, chronic pain, or grief — reminding us that hope is not found in perfection, but in perseverance.“Sometimes God doesn't give us our old life back. He gives us a new one — redeemed.”☀️ CONNECT with Sunburnt Souls Discover more from Sunburnt Souls — a Christian mental health podcast sharing real stories of faith, hope, and healing at sunburntsouls.com. Explore our library of Christian mental health resources, including podcasts, free devotionals, and online courses designed to help you strengthen your faith, overcome anxiety and depression, and experience emotional and spiritual renewal.

Sometimes God gives us a sign but we're too afraid to see it.Donate to Moody Radio: http://moodyradio.org/donateto/todayssinglechristianSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You and I are going to struggle with our humanity.  Surrender doesn't seem like a good idea to any of us. It feels like we are giving up and losing control, but when we surrender to God, we lose things we don't need to gain the things we really do.Main Points:1. Everything you need is on the other side of surrendering your life to God.2. Everything you need God can provide. Yet, often the provision doesn't come until we surrender to God. 3. God's plan is not about depriving us of good things. He delights to give His children good gifts. He also desires, above all else, for us to follow him and delight in him.  Sometimes God will make us sacrifice something we want to secure our hearts for the greatest good: Himself. Today's Scripture Verses:Matthew 26:39 - “Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, 'My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”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

Sometimes God's “no” feels like a dead end, but as we see in Acts 16, for Paul it became the doorway to revival. In this Sunday's message, Pastor Steve shares how God's redirection opens the way for His greater purpose. When we surrender to His voice and follow where He's leading, we begin to see a move of God take shape. Where in your life is God saying no, not to stop you, but to steer you? Recorded at Hope Church in Springfield, MO.

A HEART LIKE HIS Jonah 4 Gordon Dabbs, PhD When we last saw Jonah, he had just delivered the MOST successful sermon in history. Revival breaks out across the entire city. The twist: instead of throwing a celebration, the preacher is throwing a fit. Jonah 4.1 (ESV) But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. Why was Jonah furious? NOT because his message flopped… but because it worked. Jonah 4.2-3 (NLT) So he complained to the Lord about it: “Didn't I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people. Just kill me now, Lord! I'd rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen.” The one time in Scripture someone gets mad at God for being too nice. Jonah 4.6 (NLT) And the Lord God arranged for a leafy plant to grow there, and soon it spread its broad leaves over Jonah's head, shading him from the sun. This eased his discomfort, and Jonah was very grateful for the plant. Next morning: plant is dead, shade is gone, sun is back. Jonah is back to being furious: “I'm so angry I wish I were dead" (v8). Jonah 4.10-11 (NLT) Then the Lord said, “You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. It came quickly and died quickly. But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn't I feel sorry for such a great city?” We never find out how Jonah responds. God ends the conversation. We're left realizing the question isn't just for Jonah. It's for us. 3 Take-Homes. . . 1. Sometimes God lets our “plants” die to teach us what really matters. Comfort fades. Compassion endures. 2. Grace always feels unfair—at least until you remember you're one of its recipients. 3. We can't love God deeply without learning to love who He loves. “We show compassion to our neighbors not because they deserve it, and not because it's technically possible they might deserve it. We show compassion because Christ had compassion on us when we did not deserve it.” ~ Alan Noble Jonah's book is not flattering. But it helps us see ourselves… and that's the beginning of transformation.Subscribe to PRESTONCREST - with Gordon Dabbs on Soundwise

A HEART LIKE HIS Jonah 4 Gordon Dabbs, PhD When we last saw Jonah, he had just delivered the MOST successful sermon in history. Revival breaks out across the entire city. The twist: instead of throwing a celebration, the preacher is throwing a fit. Jonah 4.1 (ESV) But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. Why was Jonah furious? NOT because his message flopped… but because it worked. Jonah 4.2-3 (NLT) So he complained to the Lord about it: “Didn't I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people. Just kill me now, Lord! I'd rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen.” The one time in Scripture someone gets mad at God for being too nice. Jonah 4.6 (NLT) And the Lord God arranged for a leafy plant to grow there, and soon it spread its broad leaves over Jonah's head, shading him from the sun. This eased his discomfort, and Jonah was very grateful for the plant. Next morning: plant is dead, shade is gone, sun is back. Jonah is back to being furious: “I'm so angry I wish I were dead" (v8). Jonah 4.10-11 (NLT) Then the Lord said, “You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. It came quickly and died quickly. But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn't I feel sorry for such a great city?” We never find out how Jonah responds. God ends the conversation. We're left realizing the question isn't just for Jonah. It's for us. 3 Take-Homes. . . 1. Sometimes God lets our “plants” die to teach us what really matters. Comfort fades. Compassion endures. 2. Grace always feels unfair—at least until you remember you're one of its recipients. 3. We can't love God deeply without learning to love who He loves. “We show compassion to our neighbors not because they deserve it, and not because it's technically possible they might deserve it. We show compassion because Christ had compassion on us when we did not deserve it.” ~ Alan Noble Jonah's book is not flattering. But it helps us see ourselves… and that's the beginning of transformation.Subscribe to PRESTONCREST - with Gordon Dabbs on Soundwise

When the going gets tough—and the battles don't end as quickly as we hoped—it's easy to grow weary and discouraged. That's where Israel found themselves in Joshua 11. Victory didn't come in a single day or even a single campaign. It took years of relentless struggle.After conquering the land in central and southern Canaan, Joshua turned his focus to the north. There, he was confronted by a huge coalition army. Not only was Joshua outnumbered 7-to-1, but for the first time in battle, he faced horses and chariots—terrifying and effective war machines of the Bronze Age.Yet despite the odds, Joshua and his army ultimately triumphed. It didn't happen easily, and it didn't happen quickly. Estimates are that the Northern Campaign took more than seven years – seven painful, bloody years.Here's what we need to understand.  There is no record in chapter 11 of any sort of dramatic supernatural intervention. No rivers that parted…no walls that fell down…no hail from the sky…and no sun standing still.  For seven long years, God's people had to fight day after day after day.And that's something we need to grasp in our day.Sometimes God demonstrates that He is with us by moving in dramatic ways, which result in a quick victory. Other times, God demonstrates that He is with us by enabling us to doggedly fight on over the long haul.What can we learn from Joshua that can help us keep going when the going gets tough? 1.     Joshua demonstrated an unwavering trust in God. Joshua trusted that the God who had promised him ultimate victory would eventually take him there—even though there was pain and struggle along the way. Courageous faith soldiers on.  2.     Joshua demonstrated an uncompromising obedience to God. When the going gets tough, it's easy to begin cutting corners. A bit of compromise here or there. But Joshua recognized that the end does not justify the means. Obeying, even when it was difficult or didn't make sense, was the key to success.3.     Joshua demonstrated an unfaltering perseverance with God. When the going gets tough, it's no easy thing to keep on fighting day after day after day. Yet, during those long years of struggle and battle, Joshua never gave in…he never gave out…he never gave up.  And in the end, he realized victory. Text: Joshua 11 Originally recorded on October 30, 2016, at Fellowship Missionary Church, Fort Wayne, IN

When I think of my level of commitment to Trying things that seem impossible, I realize that it’s not very high. I find myself functioning from a realist mindset based in what I have determined is most likely to happen. While it’s not wrong to have a realistic view of things, there are definitely moments that God calls us to walk by faith and trust him to be the God who can do impossible things! When Moses saw a bush burning on the side of a mountain and went over to check out what was happening I don’t think he was expecting God to speak to him. I don’t think that was even on his radar as a possibility! His reactions to what God had called him to showed a struggle of identity in self, and also in God‘s identity. The Great I AM was ready to answer Moses’s doubts, and walk Moses to faith filled obedience. Moses was not ready. Sometimes God calls, and we want Him to call someone else. But when He calls, He equips, and He goes with and before us. Radical trust in Him leads to incredible things! Join us this Sunday for one of our worship services as we look at what it takes to live radical faith! -Pastor Ben Key Verse: Exodus 3:14 - God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ” For this week's Scripture and notes: http://bible.com/events/49496618

Lost donkeys led to Israel's first king. Sometimes God's biggest plans start with life's smallest interruptions. What ordinary circumstance might God be using to set up your next divine appointment? It's not how you start that matters - it's how you finish.

Sometimes God doesn't take away the hard things... but He's always with us in them.In this message, Pastor Phil Kniesel shares how the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego reminds us that real faith isn't just believing God can, it's trusting Him even when He doesn't.When life feels heavy and uncertain, you can still find peace and strength in knowing God is in control and walking with you through the fire.Send us a text

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Check out our mission to teach every verse of the Bible on video in what we call Project23. Our text today is Judges 9:50-57. Then Abimelech went to Thebez and encamped against Thebez and captured it. But there was a strong tower within the city, and all the men and women and all the leaders of the city fled to it and shut themselves in, and they went up to the roof of the tower. And Abimelech came to the tower and fought against it and drew near to the door of the tower to burn it with fire. And a certain woman threw an upper millstone on Abimelech's head and crushed his skull. Then he called quickly to the young man his armor-bearer and said to him, “Draw your sword and kill me, lest they say of me, ‘A woman killed him.'” And his young man thrust him through, and he died. And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, everyone departed to his home. Thus God returned the evil of Abimelech, which he committed against his father in killing his seventy brothers. And God also made all the evil of the men of Shechem return on their heads, and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal. — Judges 9:50-57 After burning Shechem's tower with men and women inside, Abimelech attempts the same strategy at Thebez. But as he approaches the tower, a nameless woman lifts a millstone and hurls it down. It crashes into his skull, crushing the head of the tyrant who once slaughtered his own brothers. In desperation, Abimelech pleads for his armor-bearer to kill him so no one can say he died by a woman's hand. Yet the irony lingers louder than his pride: the man who exalted himself above all is remembered for humiliation, not greatness. There is no doubt Jotham's words have become his judgment, “Thus God returned the evil of Abimelech … and the curse of Jotham.” He is stoned by his pride. Abimelech's life should be a case study in what happens when pride consumes a leader. He clawed for power, torched his enemies, and trusted his own strength. But the very pride that lifted him up was the pride that took him down. Pride always ends this way. Sometimes God lets pride run its course to show us just how destructive it is. It looks confident at first, but it always turns violent, always spirals out of control, and always collapses in shame. Be careful—if you stay hardheaded with God, you may end up with a crushed head. This is why we can't play games with pride. We can't excuse selfish ambition or stubborn rebellion. Pride is never harmless—it's a ticking time bomb. So we must humble ourselves now before God humbles us later. Pride ends in ruin, but humility under God's hand leads to life. ASK THIS: Where am I being hardheaded with God right now? How have I seen pride come full circle in destructive ways? Do I believe God really does repay evil in His timing? What step of humility can I take today to soften my heart before Him? DO THIS: Write down one area where you've been hardheaded with God—resisting, delaying, or excusing. Pray over it and surrender it. Don't wait for the millstone moment to break you. PRAY THIS: Lord, break my pride before it breaks me. Keep me from being hardheaded with You, and teach me the humility that brings life under Your hand. Amen. PLAY THIS: "I Surrender All."

Sometimes God changes your dreams—because His plan is better. Trust Him.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible for Kids! In today's episode, host Hunter guides us through an extraordinary story from the Book of Acts. We hear about King Herod's persecution of the early church, the dramatic arrest of Peter, and the miraculous intervention of an angel who sets Peter free from prison. As believers gather to pray, God shows His power to rescue and help in times of trouble. Along the way, Hunter reminds us of the importance of prayer, the strength we get from God's presence, and the unshakable truth that we are deeply loved. Gather around for this inspiring adventure through scripture, and get ready to be encouraged in your own walk with God! TODAY'S DEVOTION: God hears the prayers of His people, and He is powerful to rescue. What an incredible story we hear today in the book of Acts! Peter was in a tough spot—arrested, imprisoned, and kept under heavy guard. It looked hopeless, but the church didn't give up. Instead, they prayed—earnestly, together. And God answered their prayers in a stunning way, sending an angel to set Peter free. Chains fell off, gates opened by themselves, and Peter walked right out of the prison, not even sure if it was real at first! Sometimes in life, we or our friends might face problems or things that seem impossible, just like Peter did. But God invites us to come to Him in prayer. He is strong, He is willing to help, and He is always with us. Sometimes the answer will surprise us, just like it did for Peter and the praying church. Sometimes God gives us strength to endure, or He sends help in ways we can't imagine. Psalm 46:1 says, God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. You're never alone—even when things seem dark or impossible. God's love and power can reach right into your situation. He can set you free, give you peace, and surround you with His care. So when you are in trouble, or when someone you know is facing something hard, turn to God. Ask for His help. Invite others to pray with you, too. Remember, our God is powerful and He loves you deeply. You are never out of His reach. That's a prayer I have for my own heart, for my family, and for you today: that we would remember to pray, to trust, and to lean on the God who rescues and provides. May it be so. DRB Kids  is a part of the one year Bible family of podcasts from the Daily Radio Bible. DRB Kids is a daily Bible reading podcast for kids. Children and families around the world gather to listen to amazing stories from the Bible. These short 5 minute podcasts will encourage your family, inspire your children, and help root your Child's life in the story of God's love for the world.    Find out more at www.drbkids.com   DONATE TO THE PODCAST to help kids around the world recieve these podcasts free everyday.  Thanks! Listen to the Bible in a Year  HERE on Spotify HERE on itunes Podcast Listen to our Daily Proverb Podcast HERE on Spotify HERE on itunes Podcasts Leave us a voicemail here: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible email Hunter for more information: hunter@dailyradiobible.com      

“Do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves. . . .” — Hebrews 12:5-6 Jesus teaches that there is a broad road that leads to destruction and a narrow road that leads to life (Matthew 7:13-14). And because God wants us to experience full life rather than destruction, he disciplines his children who are taking the wrong road. How does God discipline the ones he loves? Sometimes God causes a godly fear to fall on his people. For example, this could be a fear that reminds us, “If I do not mend my ways, I will separate myself from God.” Sometimes God uses our fellow believers to call us back to the right road. Sometimes God uses the church to call us back to faithful living. Sometimes God uses challenging situations in life to discipline his people. Discipline never seems pleasant at the time, and it can be painful. However, God designs discipline to produce a harvest of righteousness (Hebrews 12:11). When it comes to Christian discipline, we do well to pray that God will give us the grace to receive his discipline—and that he will give us wisdom, humility, and compassion when we are called to speak a word of correction to others. Loving God, we thank you that you discipline the ones you love rather than simply letting us stray down pathways that lead to destruction. Grant us grace and mercy in the face of discipline so that we may grow to love you more and more. Amen.

When the temple fell, Israel lost the visible symbol of God's presence—but not His presence itself. In exile, they learned to gather around Scripture, prayer, and community. That's actually where the early roots of the synagogue began.Sometimes God removes what's familiar so He can rebuild something enduring. Without Babylon, Israel may never have become a people of the Book—and without that, there would be no foundation for Jesus, the Word made flesh.“Seek the peace and prosperity of the city…” came before “I know the plans I have for you.” God's plan for their future depended on their faithfulness in the present.That means hope isn't passive waiting—it's active witness. God's people were told to plant gardens, build homes, and pray for their captors. Faith doesn't flourish by escaping Babylon—it grows by being faithful in Babylon.In Jerusalem, worship had become routine. In Babylon, it became real. Cut off from the temple, they rediscovered personal and communal prayer—the kind that wrestles and weeps.Sometimes it takes a season of dislocation to bring us back to conversation with God instead of consumption of religion.

Sometimes God leads us into valleys not to defeat us, but to bless us. In this episode, Valley of Blessing, we look at how God turns battles into breakthroughs and hardships into holy ground. When we trust God in the low places, He reveals His power in ways we could never see on the mountaintop. The valley you're walking through may be the very place where His greatest blessings are waiting.

Do you want the brook, or do you want the God of the brook? Elijah's story at the Brook Cherith reveals a powerful truth about faith and provision. Sometimes God uses dried-up brooks to move us from where we are to where He wants us to be. Are you staying too long at a comfortable place when God is calling you to your next season?

(This podcast was previously recorded and published on November 9, 2020)    Jesus Ministries, Joan Boney  ...    At the time we are born again, God gives us HIS Spirit to live in us to teach us all things, to remind us of all Jesus has said to us, to guide us into all truth and to show us things to come.  (John 14:26 &16:13)   A mighty power of God lives in us.   Ephesians 3:20  Now unto HIM that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,   * God brings thoughts to our minds by HIS Spirit to show us what to do.   * God speaks to us through dreams.   * God sometimes gives us an open vision.   * Angels are still used by God to deliver instructions.   * God gives us special gifts of the Holy Spirit to place us where HE wants us to serve HIM.   God has given the believer every advantage on this earth.   We grow and thrive through God.   *****   The Holy Spirit of Jesus lives in each believer and that Spirit searches the mind of God to show the believer the will of God in the issues pertaining to this present life.   II Corinthians 13:5   Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?   I Corinthians 2   9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.   10 But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.   11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.   12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.   13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.    ***   The Holy Spirit of Jesus dwells in us and is with us day and night.  We are never left alone.   The Spirit teaches us all things, reminds us of all that Jesus has said to us, guides us into all truth, and shows us things to come.  (John 14:26 & 16:13)   The Holy Spirit of Jesus speaks to us by bringing thoughts, concepts, ideas to our minds so we can know what to do in the specific issues of this present life.   And the Word of God also comes to us by dreams, visions, messages sent by angels.   Sometimes God just plants HIS will directly into our hearts as is described in the following scripture:   Hebrews 8  God says:   10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put MY laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to ME a people:   11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know ME, from the least to the greatest.    ***   John 6  Jesus says:   35  And Jesus said unto them, I (The Word) am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.   44  No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I (The Word) will raise him up at the last day.   Jesus comes "with a shout" and the dead in Christ rise first.  I Thessalonians 4:16   Then they which are alive on the earth are changed into their spiritual bodies and arise to meet Jesus and the dead who have risen "in the air".  And they are taken to the new heaven and new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness.  Revelation 21:1-5   The great tribulation from God comes to this earth to judge the wickedness of men.  Revelation 8-16   Then the heavens and earth as we know it are destroyed by fire from God.  II Peter 3:10-14 ***   But as long as God chooses to leave us on this present earth, HE guides us and teaches us by the Holy Spirit of Jesus who lives in us and we follow HIM.   We do not follow the ideas of man but we follow the Spirit of God and the Holy Scriptures.   Therefore we serve God by following HIS Spirit.   ***   Hebrews 1:1-2  God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,  Hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom HE hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also HE made the worlds;   John 1   1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.   2 The same was in the beginning with God.   3 All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made.   The Word comes to us today and we follow The Word.   ***   The kingdom of Jesus is not of this world.   John 18:36   Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.   When we learn this principle, we stop focusing on this world and we wait patiently to be taken off this world by Jesus and be taken to the new heaven and new earth created for God's people, wherein dwells only righteousness.   Revelation 22  Jesus says:   12 And, behold, I come quickly; and MY reward is with ME, to give every man according as his work shall be.   13 I (The Word) am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.   14 Blessed are they that do HIS commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.   15 For without are dogs, sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.  

Sometimes God's plan doesn't look like the route we expected. In this episode, Craig and Colin dive into the Apostle Paul's harrowing journey through a shipwreck in Acts 27—and what it teaches us about surrender, trust, and faith in life's storms. They explore the tension between divine sovereignty and human responsibility, how to “let go of the ship,” and why managing your margin isn't just a self-care trend—it's biblical. Get ready for an honest conversation about exhaustion, obedience, theology, and walking the middle road with wisdom. This is an episode for anyone who's facing uncertainty and wants to grow deeper in faith—not just survive the storm, but walk through it with strength. As always, shoot us your questions at info@missionhills.org and enjoy today's episode. Also, check out our YouTube Channel and the Playlist titled "Questions with Craig" for more resources. Or submit your PRAYER REQUESTS for our care team.

While we reject all “health and wealth gospels,” as though Jesus were a mechanical vending machine for worldly wealth and power, we fully affirm the personal and covenantal nature of the world, which includes blessings and curses both in this life and in the life to come (Mk. 10:29-30).Sometimes God sends hardships to His people for their sanctification, and those hardships are working for us an “exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (2 Cor. 4:17). Sometimes He gives the wicked great wealth, yet without His blessing, they do not have ability to truly enjoy it (Eccl. 5:19-6:3). However, sometimes God's people turn to idols and become debt slaves and are taken out of the fight, but we are called to freedom and dominion.The Text: “…The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them. And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.” (Dt. 28:1-14).King's Cross Church is a member congregation of the CREC in Moscow, ID. Visit our website at https://kingscrossmoscow.com.Follow us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/kingscrossmoscow.

DRB Kids  is a part of the one year Bible family of podcasts from the Daily Radio Bible. DRB Kids is a daily Bible reading podcast for kids. Children and families around the world gather to listen to amazing stories from the Bible. These short 5 minute podcasts will encourage your family, inspire your children, and help root your Child's life in the story of God's love for the world.    Find out more at www.drbkids.com   Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible for Kids! In today's episode, host Hunter invites kids from around the world to journey through the Bible together, reading powerful passages and discovering the incredible stories within. As we turn to Acts chapter 8, we'll find out how Philip follows the guidance of an angel to meet an Ethiopian official who's eager to learn about Jesus—and what happens when the Ethiopian asks Philip for baptism. Hunter also thanks listeners who volunteered as guest readers and gives a sneak peek at the upcoming Friday Friends segment. Plus, we're reminded from 1 Chronicles 16:23 to proclaim the good news every day. Tune in for encouragement, inspiration, and the reminder that you are deeply loved! TODAY'S DEVOTION: Philip listened and obeyed. Today, we saw how the Holy Spirit led Philip to a man from Ethiopia who was searching for understanding and truth. All it took was Philip's willingness to listen for God's guidance—and then obey. He didn't hesitate or question; he just did what God asked him to do. And because Philip listened, the Ethiopian man heard the good news about Jesus, believed, and wanted to be baptized right away! Sometimes, we might think that sharing the good news about Jesus is only for special people or big moments. But today's story reminds us that God can use anyone, anytime, anywhere, if we are paying attention to his leading. Philip met the Ethiopian where he was, answered his questions, and introduced him to the hope and love found in Jesus. And that's the opportunity God gives us, too. If we're willing to pay attention to the nudges of the Holy Spirit—to the little thoughts that encourage us to speak, share, invite, or simply show love—we might be surprised how God can use us. Sometimes God will prompt us to help a friend, talk to someone who's lonely, or even read the Bible with someone who has questions. The good news of Jesus is for everyone, everywhere. Let's ask God to help us be ready to see those opportunities and to give us words to say. Like Philip, let's step out with courage and trust that God will use us to bring his good news to the world. The Bible tells us, “Let the whole earth sing to the Lord! Each day proclaim the good news that he saves.” (1 Chronicles 16:23) That's my prayer for my own heart, for my family, and for you. May we listen, obey, and be ready to share God's love and the story of Jesus wherever we go. DONATE TO THE PODCAST to help kids around the world recieve these podcasts free everyday.  Thanks! Listen to the Bible in a Year  HERE on Spotify HERE on itunes Podcast Listen to our Daily Proverb Podcast HERE on Spotify HERE on itunes Podcasts Leave us a voicemail here: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible email Hunter for more information: hunter@dailyradiobible.com      

Sometimes God sends you to deliver sermons in Egypt and sometimes He calls you back to the safety of Goshen. Don't be enamored by the grander of the pyramids and abandon the place of simple pastures. There is a time and a season for everything under heaven. Know what the Spirit of the Lord is saying, because obeying in safety when the plagues of Egypt are coming. 

SALVATION COMES FROM THE LORD Jonah 2.1-10 Jonah 2.1-10 (NLT) Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside the fish. He said, “I cried out to the Lord in my great trouble, and he answered me. I called to you from the land of the dead, and Lord, you heard me! You threw me into the ocean depths, and I sank down to the heart of the sea. The mighty waters engulfed me; I was buried beneath your wild and stormy waves. Then I said, ‘O Lord, you have driven me from your presence. Yet I will look once more toward your holy Temple.' I sank beneath the waves, and the waters closed over me. Seaweed wrapped itself around my head. I sank down to the very roots of the mountains. I was imprisoned in the earth, whose gates lock shut forever. But you, O Lord my God, snatched me from the jaws of death! As my life was slipping away, I remembered the Lord. And my earnest prayer went out to you in your holy Temple. Those who worship false gods turn their backs on all God's mercies. But I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows. For my salvation comes from the Lord alone.” Then the Lord ordered the fish to spit Jonah out onto the beach. Jonah's story is our story. We've all run from God. Romans 3.23 (ESV)For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. James 3.2 (ESV)For we all stumble in many ways. We head toward something we think will fulfill us… • More money (the wealth-ship) • A relationship (the relation-ship) • Escapism: substances, entertainment, social media, or the next thrill (the cruise-ship of distraction) There are a lot of things God does — but He does not give up on us. And He does not pretend that our sin doesn't matter. He confronts, He disciplines, and he does it all with redemption in mind. Jonah realizes his only option is God. He can't swim out. He can't bargain his way out. He prays: “Salvation belongs to the Lord.” (v. 9) KEY TRUTHS: 1. Reject the self-salvation project. “Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.” V.8 2. Trust that God can save. “Salvation comes from the Lord.” V.9 3. Trust that God has already made provision. “You brought my life up from the pit, O Lord my God.” V.6 Acts 4.11-12 (NLT) Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, ‘"The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone." There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved. Acts 4.12 (NLT)There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved. Maybe you feel overwhelmed today. The storm in your life is just too much. That's the Gospel. Storms are real. But Christ is stronger. Jonah's prayer didn't get him out of the fish instantly. But it aligned his heart with God. Sometimes God changes our circumstances. Sometimes He changes us in the middle of our circumstances. Either way… He saves.Subscribe to PRESTONCREST - with Gordon Dabbs on Soundwise

SALVATION COMES FROM THE LORD Jonah 2.1-10 Jonah 2.1-10 (NLT) Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside the fish. He said, “I cried out to the Lord in my great trouble, and he answered me. I called to you from the land of the dead, and Lord, you heard me! You threw me into the ocean depths, and I sank down to the heart of the sea. The mighty waters engulfed me; I was buried beneath your wild and stormy waves. Then I said, ‘O Lord, you have driven me from your presence. Yet I will look once more toward your holy Temple.' I sank beneath the waves, and the waters closed over me. Seaweed wrapped itself around my head. I sank down to the very roots of the mountains. I was imprisoned in the earth, whose gates lock shut forever. But you, O Lord my God, snatched me from the jaws of death! As my life was slipping away, I remembered the Lord. And my earnest prayer went out to you in your holy Temple. Those who worship false gods turn their backs on all God's mercies. But I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows. For my salvation comes from the Lord alone.” Then the Lord ordered the fish to spit Jonah out onto the beach. Jonah's story is our story. We've all run from God. Romans 3.23 (ESV)For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. James 3.2 (ESV)For we all stumble in many ways. We head toward something we think will fulfill us… • More money (the wealth-ship) • A relationship (the relation-ship) • Escapism: substances, entertainment, social media, or the next thrill (the cruise-ship of distraction) There are a lot of things God does — but He does not give up on us. And He does not pretend that our sin doesn't matter. He confronts, He disciplines, and he does it all with redemption in mind. Jonah realizes his only option is God. He can't swim out. He can't bargain his way out. He prays: “Salvation belongs to the Lord.” (v. 9) KEY TRUTHS: 1. Reject the self-salvation project. “Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.” V.8 2. Trust that God can save. “Salvation comes from the Lord.” V.9 3. Trust that God has already made provision. “You brought my life up from the pit, O Lord my God.” V.6 Acts 4.11-12 (NLT) Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, ‘"The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone." There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved. Acts 4.12 (NLT)There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved. Maybe you feel overwhelmed today. The storm in your life is just too much. That's the Gospel. Storms are real. But Christ is stronger. Jonah's prayer didn't get him out of the fish instantly. But it aligned his heart with God. Sometimes God changes our circumstances. Sometimes He changes us in the middle of our circumstances. Either way… He saves.Subscribe to PRESTONCREST - with Gordon Dabbs on Soundwise

Sometimes God calls us to step into the fog... to obey even when it doesn't make sense. In this message, Pastor Justin shows how unclear obedience often unlocks unseen blessings. Like Peter, we may not understand until later, but when we trust God's word above our understanding, miracles are already waiting in the water. Don't wait to understand, but instead, step out in obedience!

This Sunday, studied Acts 13:13-52. The apostle Paul is invited to give a message of encouragement at the synagogue in Antioch in Pisidia. What makes this sermon especially noteworthy is that Paul is speaking immediately after something very disappointing happens to his missionary team. Sometimes God calls on us to encourage others when we aren't feeling so encouraged ourselves. In His kindness, God positions us to share with others the very truths our own souls desperately need. He is so wise and He is so kind. If you need a word of encouragement (and who doesn't), this message is a great reminder that God is faithful even when we are not. Our hope rests not in our perfection or performance but in God's unfailing and unrelenting faithfulness.

In this message we explore Matthew 9 and the story of the paralyzed man carried by his friends to Jesus. Before the miracle happened, Jesus first spoke words of encouragement: “Take heart, your sins are forgiven.” Breakthrough doesn't begin with circumstances changing—it begins with a heart open to receive what God wants to do. Sometimes God lifts discouragement before He lifts the problem. Sometimes He deals with eternity before He changes the present. If you've ever wrestled with doubt, discouragement, or barriers between you and Jesus, this message will remind you: guard your encouragement, keep your heart open, and trust that God is preparing you for breakthrough.

In this powerful message from Mark 8:22–26, Pastor Jason Daughdrill unpacks the story of the blind man who experienced healing in stages. Sometimes God works instantly, but often He works progressively—reminding us that sanctification is a process, not just a moment.If you've ever felt stuck, blurry, or waiting for clarity, this message will encourage you to stay close to Jesus. He always finishes what He starts (Philippians 1:6).

Pruning never feels good... but it's always for good. Sometimes God asks us to let go of things that aren't bearing fruit so He can grow something better.

Sometimes God calls us long before He crowns us. In this message, Pastor Dustin unpacks the moment David spares Saul's life in the cave of En Gedi (1 Samuel 24) and shows us why waiting on God's timing is worth it. From the battlefield where David defeated Goliath to the hidden caves where he learned restraint, David's story reminds us that promotion without preparation can destroy us, and that God tests the heart in secret before He trusts it in public. You'll discover: Why premature promotion can derail your calling How waiting tests integrity and shapes character How patience builds influence and defines legacy If you've ever felt overlooked, delayed, or tempted to take matters into your own hands, this message will help you trust God's timing and lead with integrity. Key Scriptures: 1 Samuel 17 | 1 Samuel 18 | 1 Samuel 19 | 1 Samuel 21–22 | 1 Samuel 24 Questions to reflect on: Am I letting impatience lead me, or is integrity guiding me? How am I responding to conflict — with restraint or revenge? Am I building trust through consistency even when unseen? Do I care more about being seen today, or carrying influence tomorrow?

Sowing and reaping. There is such a long gap, often between those too, have you noticed how long it takes to reap that harvest? And sometimes, frankly, we get sick of the wait. It's a bit like a farmer becoming impatient and walking off the land, the week before his crop springs out of the ground.   Seed Time and Harvest Over the last few weeks on Christianityworks we've been looking at "Reaping God's Harvest in my life" and in your life. How, when, why should we sow seeds? How do we get God's harvest? What does God's harvest look like anyway? God's harvest is awesome – God's harvest is righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. That's what Paul writes in Romans chapter 14 and verse 17. He says,“Look, it's not about food or drink. It's not about all the physical things and sure, God is in our physical needs; God wants to supply and provide and He does do that, but at the end of the day, the Kingdom of God isn't about food or drink but it‘s about righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. And I don't know a single person on this planet who doesn't want that sort of a harvest; of goodness and peace and joy in their lives. And sometimes we go through life and it's a big drought. We feel dry, we feel like we're in a wilderness, – not always, but more often than not – it's because in some area of our lives we have rebelled against God. And God's a good Dad, it's like being a parent to a teenager, you know, when you're bringing up kids and you want to see them grow up and have a wonderful life, but when they rebel, some times you have to withdraw some of the blessings, some of the privileges from their lives to bring them to a point where they learn. God's like that too. God loves to rain His blessing down in our lives but when we rebel; when we turn against Him, when we turn our back on Him – maybe not in our whole life, maybe just in one little bit of our lives – God says: “Well, you know, it's time for some pruning; it's time for some teaching.” And so, sometimes, when we are going through a drought in our lives, when it's all dry and that blessing isn't flowing the way it should be, we need to ask ourselves: “What's this drought about?” Maybe I have a problem with a relationship, maybe I'm not giving God my top priorities, maybe there's some area of my life. And when we figure that out, we say, “God is speaking to me in this drought”. That's the first step. That's admitting that we have a need and then the Holy Spirit – the Holy Spirit ends up calling us to plant a seed somewhere. You know, when we have a need; when we are struggling with something, we want to feed that need. We want to say, “Ok God, if you want me to plant some seeds somewhere; if I have financial problems, maybe I have to hoard all my money to deal with my financial problems and God says, “No, I actually don't want you to feed your need right now. I want you to sow some seed in another field.” And it's a really weird thing because often you say to God, “Hang on a minute, God, my problem is over here yet you want me to sow a seed in the ground over there? What are you doing? What's going on? It doesn't make sense – the two don't even add up!” So that's what we have been looking at over the last few weeks and if you haven't been with us the whole time, I really would encourage you - this is one of those teaching series that will just make a huge difference to your life as we learn what it's about – to sow and to reap – because it's a Spiritual principle that occurs right through the Scriptures, from the Old Testament to the New Testament. Sowing and reaping and why God sometimes calls us to sow in a different field because it's counter-intuitive; it's a step of faith. I remember when I first met my wife, Jacqui, gee, it's twelve years ago now and she just came to our church one Sunday morning and I was preaching. I wasn't feeling very well and I was only going to be preaching that morning and she was only going to be in church that morning because she was visiting from a different city and she had really wanted to go down to some markets that were near the church. She had a few hundred dollars in her pocket and she really wanted to go and spend this money down at the markets but somehow her mum dragged her, kicking and screaming, to church that morning and I was in the middle of preaching a message and I looked out and I didn't know who this woman was and I just felt God saying to me, “That woman is going to be your wife.” And it turns out God was saying that to her about me while she was sitting there. But in the middle of the service, when the offering came around, she felt God calling her to take all the money that she had in her pocket, a few hundred dollars – which is a lot of money to her – and put it into the offering. God was calling her to sow a seed and she obeyed Him and I believe that if she hadn't done that - if she hadn't honoured God's call just to do that; to be obedient to Him – I just don't believe that she and I would be husband and wife and we would not have the wonderful marriage that we do. Sometimes God calls us to do things that are counter-intuitive, that don't make sense, and so we decide against our better judgment sometimes to plant that seed and we put the seed in the ground and we wait and we wait and we wait and we wait and in this Mc-world where we live in with the hamburgers and instant access by mobile phones and the internet – we expect everything instantly. We think, “Ok God, I've planted the seed, I want it now! Ok, I'll wait another five minutes – tick, tick, tick, tick. Ok, ten minutes – tick, tick, tick – that's it, I've had enough, I'm out of here, it's taking too long!” We're like that, aren't we? We are pretty impatient. You know, the seed that Jacqui sowed that day that we met, it took months before we became a couple and ultimately, got married. I mean, it didn't happen instantly. When you think about it, you plant a seed into the ground and that seed doesn't instantly sprout and give a harvest that same day – it takes time. Yet we do that and we say, “It's too long, I'm out of here. I know this stupid idea of planting seeds in different fields was never going to work, aw!” And we storm off – but hidden away under the ground, that seed is doing something amazing – it's germinating; life is sprouting out of it. The Bible talks about ‘seed time and harvest' and yet we miss the time bit. You plant a seed and there's time before the harvest. We get impatient and we get bored and we walk off in disgust and we leave the land just as the little green shoot is about to break through the soil. I remember the first time I went to Disney Land, in Orange County in Los Angeles. The Americans do queues much better than we Australians because there are more of them and they're used to standing in queues longer than we are. We Australians get quite impatient with queues and what I noticed, some of the best rides at Disney Land – at the time, Star Wars ride was there – it was like an hour or an hour and a half wait. And they were really clever with the queues; firstly, they went around bends and corners so you couldn't see how many people were in the queue or how long you had to wait. But the second thing they did was they put entertainment along the queue, so you were entertained the whole time, so you didn't really realise you were waiting quite as long as you were waiting. Well, God is like that too. God has got a sense of humour and God knows that we get impatient and God knows that when we plant a seed and nothing happens for a while and we are waiting for the harvest, He doesn't want us to get bored and He has some things for us to do. What are they?   Weed and Feed Well, sowing and reaping is one of the Spiritual principles that God has throughout His Word, right from beginning to end and when you think about it – when a farmer sows seed into the ground, the farmer just doesn't sit there for the next few months and do nothing, there's a bit of work that has to go on. A bit like a garden – there's nothing like a beautiful garden but its hard work too – just doesn't happen. Planting, in a sense, is the easy bit but we need to feed and weed and water sometimes. It's amazing how weeds grow about five times faster than any of the plants that we paid a fortune for! You know the thistles and the rubbish in the garden; they can take over the garden, just in a few weeks. I remember mum and dad when I was a kid, had a compost heap out in the back of the yard and we had pumpkins and watermelon and they'd throw the rubbish onto the compost heap, but invariably, the pumpkin seed and the watermelon seed would end up not dying and would germinate in the garden and all of a sudden this wonderful garden they had would be taken over by a pumpkin and watermelon. Jesus talked a bit about weeds -–He talked about weeds in the context of a church and said in a church there are good plants and there are weeds and He talked about weeds and thorns in terms of faith. He said: Look, the thorns can rise up and choke our faith. So as much as seed time and harvest, reaping and sowing are godly principles, so is weed and feed. You sow a seed and you believe for a harvest, the enemy is sure to come along and put some weeds in that to try and choke it all up. Have you ever experienced that? You go out on a limb, you believe God, you follow Him, you plant the seed – it's a risk, it's a sacrifice, you think, "it's going to go well" – and all of a sudden you do that – you take that step of faith – and all of a sudden it all turns to custard; it all gets hard. So we need to become vigilant, alert gardeners. God wants us to be involved in the process. Maybe we've been walking through a time of drought in our lives; we've strayed in some area and we come to the realisation that God is calling us home again. And so He takes us through this time of drought and we plant the seed, which is a step of faith – it might be forgiving someone or it might be giving some money away, it might be any sort of obedience and sacrifice that God is calling us to do – and He wants us to be stronger at the end of that. But along the way there's a lesson, there's a journey and that journey is the important bit. Isn't it amazing how when we are going through a time of drought, all we want to do is grumble and complain about the fact that there's a drought and we're all waiting for the rains to come? But there's a journey happening there, I mean, the drought's the drought, there's nothing we can do about it. Today is the journey; tomorrow is the journey and that journey – where we do the learning – is important. If you have a Bible, open it at the Book of Galatians, in the New Testament, chapter 6 verses 7 to 10 and this is about sowing and reaping and it's about the journey, and it's about what we do on that journey. Let's have a read: Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. if you sow to your own flesh, you'll reap corruption from the flesh, but if you sow to the Spirit, you'll reap eternal life from the Spirit. So let us not grow weary in doing what is right for we will reap a harvest at harvest time if we do not give up. Ain't that the truth? Let's get a revelation – we plants seeds whatever we do. We can either plant them into our flesh, into our human nature, our selfish nature, or we can plant them where the Spirit of God tells us to plant them. And so we do that; we get a revelation, we plant a seed in the Spirit where God is calling us to plant that seed, and we believe and we wait and we wait and we wait. But it takes a long time for the harvest to come and we wait and we wait and we wait, but it takes a long time for the harvest to come and we wait and we wait and we wait and then we lose heart and then we give up and before we know it, we're back sowing to the flesh again. Sowing a seed where the Spirit tells us to, is an act of faith. Maybe your marriage isn't going well and the Holy Spirit whispers to you, “So, um, how's your time with God going? How's your prayer time going?” And we come to conviction and the realisation that we've just let our relationship with God go to the wind. And so we go, “You know something, I think the Holy Spirit is calling me to really get close to God,” and that's the seed we sow; we say, “You know, that's my step of obedience. That's what God is doing here. I can't change what is happening in my marriage right now but what I can change is my relationship with God and I'm going to spend some time with Him. I'm going to do that, I'm going to believe in that,” and so we do that. And we set a time aside and the days go by and the weeks go by and time goes by and we don't see any change in the marriage and the seed's germinating but we don't see the harvest and then all of a sudden we say, “This isn't working and I'm getting up every morning and I'm praying and nothing's happening. God where are you?” and we give up. All along God is sorting out our priorities, all along God wants us to exalt Him above all. All along He's ready to make the changes in that husband and wife and that marriage that need to be made; that only He can make, but at the end He gets the glory. Ever felt that way? You know God's called you to some act of faith, some seed to plant and it just doesn't happen quickly enough and we want to give up. Maybe right here, right now, there's a word from God for you – in season for you. "Let us not grow weary of doing what is right, for we will reap a harvest at harvest time if we don't give up." You plant that Spiritual seed and you wait and you just keep doing what's right and you reap the harvest. That's God's way; that's God's promise. When we plant those seeds in the field, we have to keep doing what is right. I call that ‘weed and feed'. Pulling out the weeds and nurturing His Word, nurturing His call, nurturing the thing that He whispered in our heart through the Holy Spirit, that we felt to be obedient to. That has to be nurtured and we are going to look at some practical ways of doing exactly that, next.   Our Eyes on Heavenly Things Well, we've been going through a wilderness experience; a drought, and we know that God has called us in the middle of that drought to plant a seed – to plant a seed, not in our field; not to feed my need but to plant a seed in God's field – and we do that as an act of faith; as an act of obedience. I have mentioned that sometimes God is pointing out, through difficulties in relationships that we are having, that maybe we have let our relationship with Him slide. It's really interesting – the Holy Spirit comes along when we are suffering through a drought and He'll speak to us and He'll tell us exactly what the problem is. So we plant that seed and we're waiting and we're waiting and we're waiting for the harvest and we're waiting for the harvest and nothing happens and we get disheartened. You know, we're human and sometimes it's just so hard. What are some practical things that we can do when we're in that space; when we've honoured God, when we have obeyed Him but we feel like we are losing heart? The first one we will find in Colossians chapter 3 verses 1 to 3. I love this; this is one of my favourite verses. Colossians 3:1-3 says this: So if you have been raised with Christ seek the things that are above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds of the things that are above not on the things that are on earth for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. I call this "feeding". You know, when we take a step of faith, it's inevitably counter-intuitive. Faith always is because faith is a choice between what God is calling us to do in the Spirit and what we want to do in the flesh. And so when we listen to God and we go and follow Him in the Spirit, the flesh says: “You shouldn't be doing that, that does not make sense, that is not going to work.” And so when we take a step of faith and go and plant God's seed where He has called us to plant it, our flesh is going to rise up and say: “Give me a break – that is not going to work.” Here Paul is writing to the Colossians and he is saying: Set your mind on heavenly things, not on the stuff you can see, not on the things on earth but on heavenly things. Keep your eye on the ball, keep your eyes and your hearts on God, your prayer life, the time you spend in God's Word, the time you spend worshipping God, this is your Spiritual nourishment you need to feed yourself. You need to feed your spirit with the Holy Spirit. And that's what you are doing right now. That's why I'd like you to get the Study Guide for this series and we're making it available at no cost because I just believe the more we spend time in God's Word, listening to Him, we are fed, we are made whole, we are growing strong. Pick up a good Christian book, sing Christian songs, be filled with the Holy Spirit, set your minds on heavenly things, let the word of Christ dwell richly in you. The closer we get to Jesus, the more we are changed, and the shorter the drought and the closer the harvest because the purpose of what God is doing when we're going through drought and the purpose of what God is calling us to do – to plant the seed in the middle of a drought – is to change us. So let me encourage you, when you are in that space  when you have stepped out in faith, when you've planted the seed, when you're waiting in faith for God's harvest, set your mind on the things that are above - set your mind on heavenly things, spend time in prayer, spend time in God's Word. Don't let those things slide because those are the very things that we need to get us through the drought – being close to Jesus. The second thing is to crucify the flesh. The Spirit is life, the flesh is death. That's what Paul says here in Galatians: “Don't be deceived; God isn't mocked, you reap whatever you sow. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh, but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit,” and right now there is a battle going on. If you are in this place of drought and you've planted a seed in faith and you've taken a stand to be obedient to God, you are on a spiritual battlefield and the flesh; the carnate, the old man inside us is going to act up; is going to get irritable and complain or get impatient or something else in our lives will flair up. Maybe a conflict at the office, maybe we are sowing seed in a particular area and we end up in a deep argument with someone over there. These things are the weeds; this is the enemy coming along to try and rob us of God's harvest and the only thing to do with weeds is to pull them out. We don't want to pander to the flesh. Paul writes this in Romans chapter 13:11-13, He says: Lay aside the works of the darkness and put on the armour of light. Let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarrelling and jealousy. Instead put on the Lord Jesus Christ and wait for this, make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. You've got weeds coming up, your flesh is acting up against your step of spiritual faith to plant that seed, do not make any provisions for the flesh. The one thing to do with weeds is to pull them up and throw them into the fire. That is the only thing that we should be doing with that. But we want to pander to the flesh as it whimpers; as it is dying. The flesh always whimpers when it's dying, it doesn't want to die but God wants us to live in the Spirit, not in the flesh. God wants us to walk in the Spirit, not in the flesh. Is God's harvest a priority in your life? Righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit? Then make no provision for the flesh. Pull out the weeds. Don't let them choke the harvest. Don't let the devil or your flesh rob you of that harvest of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. That peace is awesome, that joy is awesome! Look at this passage again. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh but if you sow to the Spirit you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. So let us not grow weary in doing what is right. Let us not grow weary in doing what is right for we will reap at harvest time if we do not give up. We will reap – that's God's promise – we will reap at harvest time, at God's time and part of that harvest – a big part of that harvest – is a changed me and a changed you. As God works on us inside in a way that He couldn't do if we weren't in the middle of that drought, in a way that we couldn't do if He hadn't called us to plant a seed in His field in faith. If you're struggling through drought, could I ask you to find out what the drought is about? To go to God and say, “Lord, what's going on in my life? Why am I struggling here?” And as the Holy Spirit answers you and speaks His Word into your life and says, “You know something, the reason you're going through this at the moment is because this area in your life, you've rebelled, or this area in your life is broken. I want to fix that.” And we go and plant that seed where God is calling us to plant it and we nurture it and we feed it. That's God's plan that we should live through that, that we should be changed through that, that we should rejoice in that, that we should experience His harvest of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. That's it; that's God's plan; that's the process of becoming more like Jesus. It's exciting; it's awesome; it's part of what is ahead of us in our lives. Let me encourage you to sow into the Spirit; to sow a seed into the field that God is calling you to sow in and then to live and walk and breathe in faith, in the presence of the Holy Spirit and you will reap a harvest at harvest time. That's God's plan!

There's one common ingredient found in people who experience breakthroughs: They all passionately seek after God. In this series, Pastor Rick teaches you how to supercharge your prayer life and overcome obstacles.Sometimes it feels like we're not making any progress in life—and we need a breakthrough. Join Pastor Rick as shares principles from God's Word about how prayer and fasting can lead to breakthroughs in our health, finances, relationships, and emotions.Sometimes God tests us with stress before he trusts us with success. In this message, Pastor Rick talks about the importance of remembering to seek God at all times. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1103/29

Faith for the Coming Wilderness (4) (audio) David Eells – 9/14/25 I want to back up a little from what I shared last time, when we knew we were to move to Florida and share how we got a little ahead of the Lord. Sometimes the Lord will wait before He answers because He wants to see if we are going to get out there in the flesh and that's what we did. We came over a little early and started looking around Pensacola, but we didn't see anything, and we went back home. We started crying out to the Lord, “Okay, Lord, we know this is the time; we know it's coming,” and so on. And the next time, we waited until the Lord sent us. We even had a Christian realtor in Pensacola looking around for us, and we described the house to him because we had already seen it in dreams and visions. He was looking all over Pensacola, trying to find the house, until, finally, one day, in a little frustration after having sought the Lord, I stopped the man. I said, “Look, let's get your map.” So he got his map and we stretched it out on the hood of his car, and I said, “Listen, this is where the house is, right here!” I wasn't even looking where I was pointing, but I stuck my finger down on the map and he said, “Okay, we'll go there and look.” As we were looking, I told the man just exactly how much we were going to pay for the house. I could tell he wasn't used to that, but he said, “Okay.” He drove us through the area where my finger came down and we passed by the house we had seen in our dreams and visions. The lady who owned it had just stuck a “For Sale By Owner” sign in the ground. And since this was a realtor and it was a For Sale By Owner sign, he was just driving right on by, but I had my pad and pencil out. I wrote down the phone number and called her later. So after we looked at the house, I felt led to offer her $1000 less than I knew I was going to pay because some people like to haggle. She said, “Well, I don't know.” And I said, “Well, I tell you what, leave the curtains,” which I knew she was planning on doing anyway, “and I'll give you this much,” which was the amount the Lord told me. And she said, “Okay.” Praise the Lord! I do want to tell you that the realtor was a good Christian man who had done a good job looking for the house, and we actually gave him his commission. He had worked for his due, and we figured we'd give it to him anyway. He told us, “Man, I could never have found you a deal like this!” Now this lady was a Baptist, but one of her relatives was the pastor of a large, full-Gospel church in Pensacola. He and other people had been witnessing to her. And at the time when we came to Pensacola, she was having a problem with her eyes, so we asked her, “Would you let us pray for you? Will you let us lay hands on you for those eyes, so God will heal them?” I pointed out some verses to her and so on. She said, “Well, I don't know so much of that laying on of hands stuff, but I would like you to pray for me.” I answered, “Okay, we will pray for you without the laying on of hands.” That's what we did; we prayed for her, and God healed her. She was so jubilant to come to find out that God would do this for her because her doctrine didn't permit that kind of miraculous healing. She didn't really believe in those kinds of miraculous healings, but she received a miraculous healing, and her eyes were suddenly opened to the true Gospel. Then, when the time came for us to move in, she still wasn't ready to move out for another week, so she lived with us for a week, and we were able to witness to her even more. We had our stuff all piled up on one end of the house, and we were kind of living together like that until, finally, we had the house to ourselves. You see, God did a miracle. And it was through our weakness that we got this miracle. God paid for it; we didn't pay for anything. The money He gave us was enough to buy the house and a new car because our small car was a Toyota, which was good for doing small jobs, but we had five kids. So we bought a large, brand new station wagon, and God also did many miracles on that station wagon for us over the years. But the miracle was that God paid for both of these. We didn't have any money or save any money, and we just continued to give to any need that came our way. Whenever we saw a need, we gave to it. We didn't believe in storing up our treasures on earth, so we put no money in the bank. We did what Jesus says. (Luk.12:33) Sell that which ye have, and give alms; make for yourselves purses which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief draweth near, neither moth destroyeth. “Faileth not.” I want to remind you that no credit goes to us. Eph 2:8  for by grace (unmerited favor) have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9  not of works, that no man should glory.  When you store up your treasures in Heaven by meeting the needs of the brethren, you can always get it back because as the Lord said, it “faileth not.” For many years, I made a very good living, and I met the needs of the brethren around me. Whenever I saw a need, it wasn't a burden to me to take care of it by the grace of God, Who put it in my heart to do that. When you read the Word of God and you love the Word of God, and you love to act and live on the Word of God, the Word gets into your heart. The Word in you is Jesus in you. So we just gave where we saw to give; we didn't save up money and we didn't borrow money. Borrowing was out of the question for us because we were walking by faith, and even up to today, I haven't for 55 years. But because I give, the money is always there when I need it. As I've shared with you, the Lord taught me never to borrow, never to tell my needs, never to go into the business of buying and selling. Another was, never to take any government help. Recently the Lord had me sighn up for Social Security at 76 which didn't belong to the government but me, but I have given it away ever since. One of the things the young man said happened in his dream was that when he walked up to me, I told him, “I'm never going to work for man again,” and it was true. After I retired from Exxon, I never worked for man again. Now, everybody has to work, as the Bible says: (2Th.3:10) For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, If any will not work, neither let him eat. So I've worked diligently for the Lord and still do, but I've never been a burden on people. I made sure of that, and I never made my needs known. I haven't received any income from UBM. God put it in people's hearts to meet our needs separately. I don't believe in being a freeloader or “mooching.” It's wrong and it's evil. If you're truly walking by faith, God's going to support you. (Luk.10:7) And in that same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the laborer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house. (Mat.10:10) Get you no gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses; (10) no wallet for your journey, neither two coats, nor shoes, nor staff: for the laborer is worthy of his food. God supports those who work for Him. Apostle Paul is our example. At the beginning of his ministry, he worked for a living. (1Co.9:11) If we sowed unto you spiritual things, is it a great matter if we shall reap your carnal things? (12) If others partake of [this] right over you, do not we yet more? Nevertheless we did not use this right; but we bear all things, that we may cause no hindrance to the gospel of Christ. But later on (2 Corinthians 9; Philippians 2), it seems very clear that Paul was receiving freewill offerings from brethren so that he could continue on with his ministering and not be distracted by any work. It was that way for the first part of my ministry, too. I worked for many years while I ministered. I learned to walk by faith and, in that weakness, God was miraculous. Most people don't get to see the miracles of God because they are not willing to be weak. They're always strong and do for themselves; it's salvation by works. Remember that the Greek word for “salvation,” which is the noun soteria or the verb sozo, is translated in many different ways to cover every kind of salvation. For instance, when Jesus healed someone, (Mat.9:22) But Jesus turning and seeing her said, Daughter, be of good cheer; thy faith hath made thee whole (sozo). And the woman was made whole (sozo) from that hour. When He delivered people from demons, (Luk.8:36) And they that saw it told them how he that was possessed with demons was made whole (sozo). When the disciples were in the sinking boat, (Mat.8:25) And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Save (sozo), Lord; we perish. Salvation is very, very big! Jesus saved us from sin and its curse. (2Co.5:21) Him who knew no sin he made [to be] sin on our behalf; that we might become the righteousness of God in him. Did you know, in the Scriptures, poverty is a curse? (Deu.28:47) Because thou servedst not the Lord thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, by reason of the abundance of all things; (48) therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies that Jehovah shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee. Unless it is a sacrificial self-imposed poverty for the sake of others, it's a curse. How many of you know that Jesus wasn't poverty-stricken? He had His needs met everywhere He went. Now, He didn't have riches, according to the way the world likes riches. The world likes the material kind of riches in which they can trust. Jesus didn't have that, but His needs were met wherever He went, and so were His disciples. They weren't poor, but they were poor to the world. (Jas.2:5) Hearken, my beloved brethren; did not God choose them that are poor as to the world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to them that love him? People who are poor to the world are in a position of weakness, where they have to trust in God. You have to come out from under the principles of the world and the teachings of the worldly, Babylonish Church. You learn to obey the principles that Jesus gave us in the New Testament. Make sure your brother's needs are met sacrificially out of what you have, and God will make sure you don't ever have a need that isn't met by God's faith in us. Paul said, (Php.4:19) And my God shall supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. He said that because his needs were being met by the brethren and He made that promise to the Philippians. Well, we lost a car, had been injured, and didn't have any money, but in our weakness, God was made strong. We didn't have to sell or borrow or beg or do anything of the sort; all we did was give. I want you to walk in the same blessings, and God will do that for you if you start living according to His principles. By the way, because the second part of the money that came in from the wreck was delayed and delayed, God made an opportunity for me to give away my first station wagon that I had when I was in Baton Rouge. I gave it away to a mission in town where I had preached quite a few times because they needed transportation for the people in the mission. God blessed me with that car, and I never had any problems with it that Father didn't fix. When we prayed for a car, my youngest daughter had a vision of that car being in New Orleans. She even saw the color of the car. Sure enough, I couldn't find anything in Baton Rouge that I liked, so I went to New Orleans, and I saw the car and bought it. That was the car I gave to the mission. And I'd never put any spares in that car because I was trusting God to keep my tires, but the day I put the keys in the preacher's hand in my living room and we walked outside, it was sitting on a flat. I never had a flat as long as I had that car because I never carried a spare, but as soon as it got out of my hand and into his, it had a flat. And since I mentioned New Orleans, think about what happened there, folks. God brought a Category 5 hurricane (Hurricane Katrina: August 29, 2005) to that big sin city and, just as it was about to hit land, He sent in a wave of dry air from the northwest that suddenly knocked that hurricane down to a Category 3. That same gust of dry air pushed the hurricane to the east. A Category 5 hurricane that was about to hit that area would have driven the waters of Lake Pontchartrain over into the city and drowned 40,000 to 50,000 people because the water would have come in there so fast. Think about man's efforts to save himself with the levees and those great big monster pumps that they have in that city. They thought they could keep that city dry. Had a Category 5 hit that city head-on, or even a Category 3, it would have pushed the water in there faster than the pumps could handle. Most of New Orleans is 20 feet below sea level and some of it is more than 20 feet below sea level. What chance did man have to save himself from just one of God's judgments? As it was, He didn't let the city escape, even after moving the hurricane over a little bit. The levees gave out when they became saturated and the city started filling up with water, but it was slow enough to give people a little time to move out of the way. It was astounding how the mercy of God saved those people. The meteorologists pointed out on radar how this gust of dry air came in and moved the hurricane; they were totally amazed by it. They had never seen anything like it. That was purely an act of God that spared them when they couldn't have saved themselves, even with all of their efforts. They knew if a major hurricane hit them, the city would drown. God didn't completely spare the city, but He spared an untold number of people, including many brethren. I'm sure some people in New Orleans with faith were praying until God, at the last moment, suddenly dropped the strength of that hurricane and moved it over. Hurricane Dennis did exactly the same thing as it was coming toward Pensacola. I was praying the whole time and I was asking, “Lord, do you want me to command that hurricane to back off and go the other way?” The Lord said, “No. Just wait,” so I didn't do anything. All of a sudden, when it hit the land, I felt in my heart that the Lord wanted me to command it to be broken up, and that's exactly when it started breaking up. The strength dropped down, and it veered a little bit to the right of Pensacola. I know that there were some people over there in New Orleans doing the exact same thing and God answered the exact same way. You see, God has it all planned out. He just uses His faith in us to bring it to pass. We can put our trust in the living God. Nothing that man can do will save you from the judgments that are coming. The wilderness is where you learn to walk by faith in the Lord. You learn to put your faith in Him and you give up your efforts and your power; you give up your ability to do anything. The promises of God are past tense. He became a curse for you, He bore your curse, and He healed your body. He already did all of this, and since all of these promises are past tense, what can you do to bring it to pass? Jesus taught us, (Mar.11:24) Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye received them, and ye shall have them. If you believe you have received, there's nothing for you to do to bring them to pass. Believing the promises brings us into a position of weakness where we can't save ourselves. You've probably heard the old saying, “God helps those who help themselves.” Well, that's a lie. The Bible says just the opposite: (Jer.17:5) Thus saith the Lord: Cursed is the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. The power of God is made perfect in weakness; that's what He told Paul: (2Co.12:9) And he hath said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my power is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Paul couldn't save himself in those situations that he got into, but he said, (2Ti.4:18) The Lord will deliver me from every evil work, and will save me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. In his weakness, and faith, God's power was made perfect. Keep the Sabbath, and don't bring a burden into God's Holy City on this Sabbath. Cease from your own works or, in other words, cease from the works of man. As God told Moses and the children of Israel, (Exo.14:13) And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you to-day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to-day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. (14) The Lord will fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. He said, “Stand still.” They were trying to figure out what to do. Here was Pharaoh's army coming up behind them and they would have never thought about parting the Red Sea. (Exo.14:15) And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward. (16) And lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thy hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go into the midst of the sea on dry ground. You see, God has ways far beyond our ways. (Isa.55:8) For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. (9) For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. That's why He had to tell them, “stand still.” It's the same for us. Sometimes we're just so busy running around, trying to figure out a way out of this or a way out of that. We've been trained from our youth to solve our problems for ourselves, when God just wants us to be believers in His promises. Get your Bible and diligently read it. Underline those promises and start acting on them. (Jas.2:17) Even so faith, if it have not works, is dead in itself. Faith without works is dead. Remember that Jesus told us, (Mar.11:24) … All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye received them, and ye shall have them. How would you act if you believed you had received what you prayed for? You would stop trying to bring it to pass for yourself. You would cease from your own labors and, if you cease from your own labors on His Sabbath, you will find God's power is made perfect. Glory be to God! Now, I want to remind you that the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart over and over before the Israelites were set free from Egypt to go into their wilderness. (Exo.7:1) And the Lord said unto Moses, See, I have made thee as God to Pharaoh; and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet. (2) Thou shalt speak all that I command thee; and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land. (3) And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt. (4) But Pharaoh will not hearken unto you, and I will lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. (5) And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch forth my hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them. Why did He do that? Why did the Lord harden Pharaoh's heart? (Exo.10:1) And the Lord said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh: for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I may show these my signs in the midst of them, (2) and that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son's son, what things I have wrought upon Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that ye may know that I am the Lord. The Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart because He wanted to judge Egypt and He wanted to prove His great power to deliver the Israelites. By the time the Israelites left Egypt, the land had been devastated, and the economy was in ruins. (Exo.10:7) And Pharaoh's servants said unto him, How long shall this man be a snare unto us? let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God: knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed? You know, He's going to do that again in our day! (Ecc.1:9) That which hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. History is going to repeat. Judgments are coming upon the United States, but God is merciful, and He sends warnings to us so His people will pray. I'm totally convinced that the prayers of the saints have delayed a time of judgment. We have been receiving many revelations of judgments, some of them with actual dates that have since come and gone, and the Lord showed me that these were true revelations, yet they didn't come to pass. You see, the Lord gives you a warning of things to come for the purpose of having you seek Him for grace. (Jas.4:2) … ye have not, because ye ask not. God's people don't pray and they don't seek Him for His grace and mercy! It takes a threat for His people to seek Him for grace and mercy. When God wants to give us grace and mercy, He almost has to tell us what's going to happen if we don't seek Him. I know what the Lord did with those revelations that never came to pass: He put those warnings out there so His people would seek Him for grace and He gave it. By the way, if you don't believe God dates prophecies, you haven't read very much of the Bible because there are many of them in there (Daniel 7; 9; Jonah 3; Revelation 12; etc.) The brethren who share these warnings sometimes wonder if God just forgot about them or if He left them, or if they were deceived. The same thing happened with Jonah. (Jon.4:1) But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. Jonah had prophesied Nineveh would be overthrown in 40 days, and yet, God had mercy when the people cried out to Him. God had mercy, and Jonah was angry because now he was going to look like a false prophet. (2) And he prayed unto the Lord, and said, I pray thee, O Lord, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I hasted to flee unto Tarshish; for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness, and repentest thee of the evil. (3) Therefore now, O Lord, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live. Jonah didn't want to face the world. He felt as if the Lord had let him down. He had prophesied their destruction, but he also knew that God was merciful and would repent of the prophesied evil. However, God reminded Jonah there was something a lot more important than his pride. (Jon.4:11) And should not I have regard for Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than six score thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle? Can you imagine, He was even having mercy on the cattle! God was showing it wasn't important that Jonah might look like a false prophet, but it was important that God was going to have mercy on these people. That's the thing we have to keep in mind. Remember, we've been put here to be of no reputation anyway, according to the Scriptures. (Php.2:5) Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: (6) who, existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, (7) but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men; (8) and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross. We're supposed to have the same mind as Christ. We're here to lose our reputation in the eyes of the world. The wilderness is a place of hopelessness for the flesh because the flesh really can't help God. Just like the wilderness was a place of weakness for Israel, a place where the world couldn't supply the needs of God's people, so it is, and will be, for us in our day. What the Church has been teaching for so long is, “God helps those who help themselves.” That's their doctrine. Well, God doesn't like that and it's a stench in His nostrils. The Bible says (Eph.2:8) For by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. We are saved by His works, His efforts, and His wisdom. The Lord has already accomplished everything for us at the cross. (Php.4:19) And my God shall supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. He supplied our needs at the cross, so God doesn't appreciate that the Church is preaching salvation by works. He said, (2Co.12:9) … My grace is sufficient for thee: for my power is made perfect in weakness.... I'd like to share with you the difference between assurance and insurance because this is part of my wilderness. Many people have their trust in the “idol” of insurance. They think they've insulated themselves from anything bad that could come from this world, but it's going to fail. Every idol that you stand up to the Lord will fall over and be crushed like Dagon. (1Sa.5:3) And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again. (4) And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands lay cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him. God is going to judge all the idols of Egypt; they will all fail. Even insurance companies are not going to be able to save America. As a matter of fact, insurance companies have been leaving several states, including Florida, where judgments such as hurricanes are becoming more and more frequent. They've been leaving those states to avoid going bankrupt. And they get permission to not pay up if doing so would harm them. But God's going to continue hitting big sin cities all around the United States with one form of judgment or another, and there aren't enough insurance companies in the world to save America. If you're interested in my wilderness experiences and teachings from the Bible, I ask that you get our free e-book, Sovereign God For Us And Through Us, on our website: ubm1.org. He is sovereign for us and He wants to be sovereign through us. He wants to administer His authority in this earth through His people. I want to share some excerpts with you here from Chapter 18. It's titled “Assurance Versus Insurance,” and I hope it will give you a desire to read the rest of the book. We receive testimonies every day of people who are being empowered by God and helped and delivered by this book. (The excerpts are italicized, and my commentary is in parentheses.) (Psa.91:9) For thou, O Lord, art my refuge!.... This confession of faith and the deliverance that comes of it are merely acting on what the Word says. I received a revelation years ago in Louisiana, before it was a law to have any form of auto insurance. Even now there are are laws to have the minimum PIP/PD but that covers the other guy, not you. So I have had this to obey the law and have been rewarded greatly because the other guy was a fault and paid me. The Lord began spiritually to reason with me. It occurred to me that God is sovereign over what we call “accidents.” (We're always insulating ourselves with insurance, but there is really no such thing as an accident, is there?) (Joh.3:27) A man can receive nothing, except it have been given him from heaven. That doesn't sound like there are accidents (It sounds like there is a sovereign God!); therefore, an accident could not come without God sending it. Since He said that if we prayed believing we would receive, then I could ask Him to keep my vehicles, or let the other guy be at fault and pay me, which has profited me greatly. Why would I need insurance if I believed the assurance just given in His promises? (Psa.91:9) For thou, O Lord, art my refuge! (Notice the good confession and its resulting benefit. (Jas.2:26) For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead. Faith without works is dead, but the good confession brings a benefit.) Thou hast made the Most High thy habitation; (10) There shall no evil befall thee, Neither shall any plague come nigh thy tent. (I know a lot of people don't believe or teach this nowadays, but it's the Word of the Lord. Who are we to say otherwise!) (11) For he will give his angels charge over thee, To keep thee in all thy ways. (12) They shall bear thee up in their hands, Lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. (Or, in other words, “lest you have an accident.”) Notice that when we abide in Christ by faith (and hold fast this good confession; that's the promise of God), angels keep us from what men call “accidents.” An exception to this can be an experience like Job's to show hidden faults (Job.32:1-2). As in his case, God strictly controls the chastening and later restores what is taken. God restored to Job twice as much as he had and without insurance. God desires to be our security. We don't need security in the world; we need our God to be our security. (Psa.119:122) Be surety (Hebrew: “to give or be security”) for thy servant for good.... (Heb.7:22) By so much also hath Jesus become the surety of a better covenant. God and His promises are the believers' assurance of provision and protection. After seeing what the Lord was saying to me, I dropped my auto insurance back before it was required. Then I called my life insurance man and he came over. I told him that I would not need insurance anymore because God would be my assurance. He was a good Lutheran man who sincerely tried to reason with this fanatic, but to no avail. The week after I did this, I drove to a Stop-N-Go mart and went in to get some food. While I was walking down an aisle, I heard a crash that shook the store windows. I looked up over the isle to see that my car had been in a wreck without me! I went out and found a heavy old Buick's front end wrapped around the back corner of my Datsun station wagon. The driver backed the car up a foot or so, and we both stood there speechless. We just couldn't really understand how this could happen. The hood, grill and bumper of his all steel car were notched back about six inches, as if it had hit a big oak tree. Here is the good part. Datsun station wagons were tin boxes and could be dented with an elbow. This tank hit my car on the left rear wrap-around, plastic tail lens! I reached out and with my thumbnail, scraped a piece of paint from his hood off the plastic tail lens, and we stood there for a moment looking at this miracle. There was not a scratch, dent or crack on my car anywhere. Awesome God! He made my wimpy car, which should have been totaled, invincible to this old tank of a car. The assurance of God saved me from any need of insurance. The man said, “I think my brakes went out,” and then he mumbled, “They sure make ‘em better than they used to.” As I was thinking about how ludicrous that statement was (and I knew he didn't believe it anyway), he got in his car and left. Suddenly, it hit me that I missed the best chance in the entire world to witness to someone. I jumped into my car and caught him at the next red light (where his brakes, obviously, had stopped him). I grabbed some tracts out of the glove box and hurried to his door. I said, “Sir, that was a miracle.” He said, “It had to be.” I said, “I didn't have any insurance on my car and I was trusting God to keep it and He did.” The light turned green and we parted company. Since then, I have never had any insurance that covers our family, vehicles or home, other than what the law demands. We now have to have liability, which covers the other guy but not you. However, when the Lord tells you that you do not need insurance He means it. That first wreck, or lack thereof, was an awesome testimony, but we did not plunder Egypt, as we did with later wrecks. Since then, God has not always protected our vehicles or bodies, but in every case, it was to our advantage, for He healed our bodies once and greatly blessed us financially. (When you trust in the Lord, He's working all things for your good, as Romans 8:28 says.) During this time, though we sued no one, the other guy's insurance blessed us with money for the following: to repair a motorcycle with money leftover in my pocket for a new one; to repair a Toyota pickup that needed painting anyway, and I ended up after fixing the pickup, painting it with a beautiful paint job with $1,500 left in my pocket; to buy two cars, one new; to buy our home; to enable us to buy and give cars to others; to enable us to give our home away; and to buy a travel trailer for a homeless woman and her son. Besides all that and more, we have not spent God's money on many years' worth of insurance. (If you obey God, you can't lose! If you obey God and walk by faith in Him and let His assurance be your insurance and not the world, then you'll see the miracles of God.) Now, I can hear someone say, “But David, what if ... ?” What if what? What if God Almighty fell off His throne? (God made these promises; we're just depending upon Him.) (Rom.10:11) For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be put to shame. (The devil tells you that you will be put to shame, but that's a lie.) (Jer.17:7) Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose trust the Lord is. By the grace of God, it has been many years since we have had a wreck. Praise God! (So God can keep you from wrecks, but when you do get into them, He can make them bless you.) One day, in that same Datsun station wagon, I was driving along rather frustrated because I had had three flats on relatively new tires. Most people would be complaining to the manufacturer, but I believed that God was in control, so I was complaining to the Lord. A little frustrated, I said, “Lord, can't You keep my tires?” He said to me very clearly, “Don't you believe that I can keep your tires?” I replied in my ignorance, “Yes, I believe You can keep them.” He replied, “Then why do you keep putting that spare back there?” To be honest, I put the spare in the trunk because it was traditional and I had not questioned it, but also, the underlying reason was in case God didn't keep my tires. (I'm not trying to make a new doctrine on spares, just share a lesson God gave to me.) Fear and unbelief cause us to try to insulate ourselves from any possibility of lack, loss or threat. Since we are trusting in insurance besides the Lord, we usually end up needing it. (That's what people don't understand. If you trust in something besides the Lord, you end up having to use it. Of course, some people say, “Aha! You see, I needed it!” But they have it all backwards. When you trust in any idol and not in the Lord, you're going to need it.) Jesus sent out His disciples in a way that would make them dependent on living by faith. He sent them without their own provision so that in their weakness His power would be proven. (Mat.10:9) Get you no gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses; (10) no wallet for [your] journey, neither two coats, nor shoes, nor staff: for the laborer is worthy of his food. Later, Jesus wanted to see what they learned from this experience of depending upon God's supply. (Luk.22:35) And he said unto them, When I sent you forth without purse, and wallet, and shoes, lacked ye anything? And they said, Nothing. (For those of you who believe that only applied to the disciples, remember Jesus commanded His disciples to make disciples and teach them to observe everything that He commanded the first disciples to observe (Matthew 28:20). In other words, what He spoke to them, He spoke to us, but man came in there with religion and thwarted the whole mission that God sent us on.) In the wilderness of man's supply, God's provision was evident. (When Jesus sent out the disciples without their own supply, He basically made a wilderness wherever these men went because they didn't bring enough with them out of “Egypt” to supply their needs.) God starts His works when we finish ours. His power is made perfect in our weakness. That was my experience with those tires. I threw out my spare and I never had another flat on that car, and the neighbors who used to borrow it quit! (I would tell them, “Look, if you're going to drive this car, you have to drive it by faith because I don't have a spare back there.” Well, they quit borrowing my car, which I guess was another benefit.) The moral of that story is, if you prepare for a rainy day, it will come. With the next car, I had the same experience: no flats. When I decided after many years to give it to a mission, I put the keys and title into the hand of the pastor in my living room. We walked outside and the car was on a flat. (I was the one walking by faith and now that it was his car, now that the key was in his hand, it was sitting on a flat! Well, inside I just chuckled. I understood exactly what He was saying to me.) God made His point. As long as I owned the car, putting my trust in Him, there was never a flat. In other words, trusting in God takes away the need for insurance. (And, again, I'm not making any laws about this; I'm not condemning anybody for having spares. God was teaching me, and He'll teach you. He may use other methods, but He wants to teach you to walk in this wilderness, to walk in a lack of man's provision, but in your weakness, God will be made strong.) Men serve insurance companies, H.M.O.s, banks and store up their treasures on earth for the security they think it gives them. (Mat.6:19) Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal. Y2K revealed the paranoia and lack of trust in those who stored up their treasures on earth, contrary to the Lord's command. (It's fear that causes people to do such things, but God's power is made perfect in our weakness.) Quite a few I showed these principles to went home to give their store away and found it full of bugs, just as Jesus said, “thieves break through and steal.” Jesus told of a man who found peace in the insurance of storing up his goods in greater barns (Luke 12:18). He said to himself, (Luk.12:19) ...Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, be merry. (That's the thinking of man: “I have all I need; this will keep me for a long time.”) His misplaced trust brought judgment. (20) But God said unto him, Thou foolish one, this night is thy soul required (Greek: “they require thy soul”) of thee; and the things which thou hast prepared, whose shall they be? (21) So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. (Now, to be “rich toward God” is to be “rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom.” (Jas.2:5) Hearken, my beloved brethren; did not God choose them that are poor as to the world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to them that love him? Why did He choose the “poor as to the world”? He chose them because they have to trust in God, they have to put their faith in God. That's what God did with the Israelites when He brought them into the wilderness. He made them poor to the world, and He expected them to put their faith in Him.) Notice that it was his stored-up treasures that required his soul. Jesus promised the unfailing Kingdom provisions to those who would store up their treasures in Heaven by giving. (32) Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. (33) Sell that which ye have, and give alms; make for yourselves purses which wax not old (not storing up), a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief draweth near, neither moth destroyeth. As long as we are on this earth, we can draw on our Heavenly bank account if we have deposited by giving to the needs of others. “Give, and it shall be given unto you.” If we have stored up on earth instead, the promise is that it will be stolen by thieves of one kind or another. Our heart will be on our treasures, falsely thinking them to be our security. (Luk.12:34) For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (And God cannot lie!) (I'm told that Psalm 118:8 is the center verse in the Bible and I'm sure that it is at least central to God's heart.) (Psa.118:8) It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in man. Our trust in man is what brings the curse to pass. (Jer.17:5) Thus saith the Lord: Cursed is the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. (People are trusting in their insurance of many different kinds; they're trusting in their insurance companies, but they are all going to fail. Everything but God is going to fail in the days ahead!) As we can see, the insurances themselves bring the curse that they are thought to relieve. (The man who stored up “much goods” found that they brought the curse upon him. God is not offended with the world doing it; He's offended with His people doing these things.) God is offended with those who call themselves believers, yet trust in man's strength and insurances. This is a heart that departs from the Lord. In 2 Chronicles 16:1-6, Asa, king of Judah, put his trust in the worldly king of Syria for insurance against his enemies. This offended God, Who sent judgment. (2Ch.16:7) And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and hast not relied on the Lord thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thy hand. (8) Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubim a huge host, with chariots and horsemen exceeding many? yet, because thou didst rely on the Lord, he delivered them into thy hand. (9) For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly; for from henceforth thou shalt have wars. God is eager to show signs and wonders to those who trust in Him with a perfect heart. (Obviously, a “perfect heart” is not one that trusts in the world.) You would think that Asa would have learned this lesson, but his trust in man cost him his life, as it does for so many. (12) And in the thirty and ninth year of his reign Asa was diseased in his feet; his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the Lord, but to the physicians (13) And Asa slept with his fathers.... Christians justify their misplaced trust in man's insurances, not realizing that this brings the judgment in the first place. Let me share this experience with you. M.J. and I were about to go to work on a large crude oil pump for Exxon. The process department had blocked it out of line and drained it, or so we thought. What we did not know was that the pressure gauge read “0” because it was broken and the drain valve, though open, was stopped up, so there was a little pressure still in the pump. We took the bolts out of the head plate to remove it, but it was stuck. I stood up and took about four steps away to get something to break it loose when I heard a “pop” sound and turned around to see M.J. drenched with black crude from head to foot. As he opened his eyes, he sarcastically looked at me and said, “David, you did this to me.” Well, I could not contain myself and busted out laughing. The thought of me stepping away in the nick of time so that M.J. could get plastered was too much for me. Attempting to sound serious, he said, “Dave, you're never going to do this to me again.” I said, “M.J., you had better watch those self-confident statements. You know God is listening.” Then, he repeated his statement and said, “Bring me up to the shower house. I have a spare set of clothes up there.” I said, “Oh, now I know why you got it instead of me.” He asked, “Why?” I said, “Because I don't have a spare set of clothes and God knew it.” He looked at me kind of inquisitively. I explained that planning for a catastrophe is the same as having faith for it. It also proves that you do not believe that God will protect or provide. Later that day, we were working on another pump. M.J. was next to me as we used an impact gun to take off some bolts. Suddenly, slurry squirted down one of the open bolt holes and hit M.J. in the middle of his chest, leaving me untouched. (Slurry is a crude that will stain anything; you cannot get it out. If it gets on your clothes, you can just forget it because that's the color they are now. In fact, it's that way on skin; it's just terribly staining. So this slurry squirted down the bolt hole, down the side of the thread and hit him right in the chest.) He looked at me in disbelief. I playfully said, “M.J., I told you God doesn't like those self-confident statements,” but we both knew that God was speaking in this. We could not remember when this had happened to us before, much less twice in one day. (Truly, in the wilderness that's coming, we can put our trust only in the living God; nothing else is going to save us.) Now, back to that old Datsun station wagon; I want you to know the Lord used that vehicle to teach me many other lessons. When I was about to buy a new car, I really kind of favored the Toyota because I felt it was the better car, but I always left things up to the Lord. I asked, “Lord, which one do you want me to buy, the Toyota or the Datsun?” And I was surprised when the Lord said, “I want you to get the Datsun station wagon.” Now, a person would think that when the Lord tells you to do something, everything would be just fine since, obviously, the Lord is looking out for your good. Well, He was looking out for my good, but not in the way you would think sometimes. I told you the tire story, but other things went wrong with that car. Sometimes God wants you to have victory in trials. It wasn't all that long after I bought the car that the carburetor started acting erratically. And since I was a pretty good machinist and a pretty good mechanic, I knew the carburetor was plugged. I also knew that I didn't feel like tearing down the carburetor because the most precious thing in my life is my time. I used every spare moment I had to read the Bible, to study the Word. I was literally drawn, hungering and thirsting for the Word. Anyway, I just commanded that thing to be healed and kept on driving the Datsun. It went on like that, acting kind of erratically for a couple of weeks, but I just kept on holding fast to my confession. (Heb.10:23) Let us hold fast the confession of our hope that it waver not; for he is faithful that promised. The Lord will try you; just because you don't get the answer right away doesn't mean He hasn't heard you. After I held on like this for a couple of weeks, suddenly it started getting better and better until the problem was gone. In a few more weeks, I was faced with a different problem. The transmission started slipping and I thought it was just crazy for a relatively new car to be doing things like this, but I did all the normal things that a mechanic would do, like checking the fluid, for example, to make sure it was at the right level. And again, I knew that I didn't want to mess with that transmission by working on it myself, and I didn't want to take it to a shop. My time was valuable to me. In the wilderness, it will be a different story. You may not be able to find somebody to work on it, or you may not have the money to work on it, or the parts may not be available, etc. Even though in those days I had plenty of money, I just wouldn't spend it. I considered that what I made belonged to the Kingdom, and I wanted to use it to meet the Kingdom's needs, not spend it on vehicles and things like that. So instead, I just commanded that transmission to “Be healed in the name of Jesus,” but it still went on slipping for a while. Of course, your mind is telling you, “Hey, if you keep letting it slip like that, you're going to have to replace the clutch,” and all the other things that normally go bad when it starts slipping. I just ignored it and kept on going, and as I held fast my confession, my transmission gradually got better and better, until I never had any more problems with it. So, the Lord had me by that car so He could try me and show me He could fix anything. Some of the times when the Lord was teaching me these lessons, I got in the flesh to do things myself, and nothing worked out right. For instance, I told you how, when the insurance money came in, I bought a new Chevrolet station wagon. Well, I'd watched a lot of advertisements for a product called “Slick 50” that showed how you could put it in an engine, run it in there a while, and afterward actually dump out the oil and the engine would still run. I was impressed with that. I thought, “Wow! That will keep my engine. It will make it last a long, long time.” But, folks, I already had a God Who would keep my engine and make it last a long, long time. He's a jealous God. He really wanted me to put my trust in Him. Do you know what I did? I put that Slick 50 in there, even though they said not to use it unless you have 40,000 or 50,000 miles on the car. Well, I stuck it in there a little early and they warn you that you can break some rings doing that. At the time, I still lived in Florida, and I had to go on a teaching tour in Texas. So all of my family and I got in the car and we took off, and before I got very far down the road, the car started pouring smoke out of the tailpipe. I looked in the rear-view mirror, and it was just solid smoke back there. I said, “What in the world has happened to my new car?” I checked the PCV and things like that but couldn't find anything wrong. The only thing I determined was that I must have broken rings, as they said I might do if I put Slick 50 in an engine that didn't have extra clearance in it. I would go a few miles down the road and pour a quart of oil in it, go a few miles and pour another quart in it, so I decided I was going to pray over the engine. I said, “Lord, forgive me for getting in the flesh, and I'm going to trust You to keep this engine.” So I prayed over the engine and I commanded it to be healed in the name of Jesus. I don't know where I got into the terminology of calling it “healed.” I've prayed over vehicles, refrigerators, washing machines, and things like that, and I would always just call it “healing.” Anyway, I prayed over that engine and commanded it to “be healed in the name of Jesus,” because it's not the terminology that you use. Your theology might be a little bit wrong, but the Lord knows what you're meaning. Well, I got back into the car and we went on our way. We got a lot farther down the road, and I think I had to put one more quart in that car on the whole trip to Texas and back. God repaired those broken rings and we had no more problem with that. I didn't have much trouble with that car for many, many years, but I had the water pump stop working on it once when my wife and I were out driving. She cranked the car, and water started just pouring out on the ground. I asked her to get out of the car and come lay hands on the hood with me, which we did. We laid hands on the hood and commanded that water pump to “stop leaking in the name of Jesus.” And that water pump seal immediately sealed back up and we drove off. I've had many miracles like that, but most people never think about doing that. The first thing that comes to their mind is, “Well, I have a warranty on this car; or “I have enough money to hire a mechanic to fix it.” I wanted to stay in the wilderness because I wanted to learn those lessons that, one day, everybody is going to have to learn, so I took every opportunity to stay in the wilderness The Israelites wanted to run back to Egypt whenever they came into a place where God would try them, but God put it in my heart to want to stay out there. I wanted to learn; I wanted to see God do these miracles. Besides that, God told me, “I'm bringing you through a wilderness, so you can tell My people that I still supply there.” I treasured these experiences. Some people would call them terrible tribulation, but I treasured them and I enjoyed seeing God do these things. Let me tell you about my washing machine. One time, after we had moved to Florida, the washing machine started leaking. Mary came and told me, “The seal in the washer has gone out; the pump is leaking onto the ground.” I thought, “I'm going to go pray for it.” So I went and prayed for it and commanded it to be healed, then I sopped up the water and told her to go ahead and use it. Well, she did the rest of the laundry, and the machine didn't leak any more water. Then, just a few weeks later, she said, “That machine is leaking again,” so I went back in there and did the same thing. It went for a few more weeks, and for a third time she said to me, “David, that washer is leaking again.” I said, “No, it's not. It's not leaking; that thing is healed. It's okay, it's fine, just wash and don't worry about it.” You see, I didn't want to go back on what I had spoken. I wanted to keep my trust in the Lord and, sure enough, it sealed up. I told my wife, “If you see it leak, don't confess it, just thank God that it's not leaking and it's fixed.” And, you know, I kept that washing machine until somebody gave me another one that was a lot newer. I remember another time, back when we were in Louisiana, when my two young sons were playing in the living room and I was sitting there studying. My wife came in and she said, “That washing machine won't run. It won't even come on.” I said, “Well, Corban and Nathan, you two go back there and lay hands on that washing machine and just command it to run in the name of Jesus and it will run.” So they did that; they went back there and they laid hands on that thing and they commanded it to run and it took off. I taught all my children to lay hands on this and that, and they got to see the power of God in their simple, childlike faith. Children will always have awesome faith if you teach them about God and you show them the truths in the Bible. We had this lawnmower, and we pulled it out after the winter so we could cut the grass in the early spring. I pulled and pulled and pulled on this lawnmower, but it wouldn't start. My boys were really young at the time, and they were just standing around, looking at me. Well, I pulled the spark plug wire off, put it alongside the block, and pulled it. There was no spark. Now, by this time, I was sweating, tired and I wanted to get it over with. I called my boys to me and said to them, “Let's pray for this thing. Let's command it to run in the name of Jesus. I don't care if it has a spark or not; I just want it to run.” So my boys came over and we all laid hands on the lawnmower, and I commanded it to run in the name of Jesus. Then I cranked it up and mowed the lawn. I don't know if it ever had a spark or not. That didn't make any difference; it just had to run. (Mat.21:21) And Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do what is done to the fig tree, but even if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou taken up and cast into the sea, it shall be done. (22) And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. The Lord told us, if you speak to a mountain and don't doubt, that what we say will come to pass, and I tell you, teach your children. They have more faith than you. When you tell a child something, the child just believes you, and that's the way we ought to be with God. (Mat.18:2) And he called to him a little child, and set him in the midst of them, (3) and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye turn, and become as little children, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven. We need to become like a child and, with childlike faith, just believe in our God, just believe that He will do it.

Sometimes God's response leaves us shaking our heads now, and in awe later. In “Faith Test in Tough Times” from 1 Kings 17:7–24, Pastor Fred shows how Elijah encountered God's unexpected provision and power in the midst of scarcity, loss, and testing—reminding us that faith often grows strongest in life's hardest moments.

We're reminded that God is not distant from our weakness but draws near as Yahweh Ropheka — the Lord our Healer. James shows us that prayer is powerful, not just for physical sickness but for the whole person: body, mind, and soul. Sometimes God heals immediately, sometimes He allows weakness to remain, but His promise is certain — He will raise us up. This message calls us to bring our struggles into the light, seek prayer, and trust the God who saves, forgives, and restores.

We're reminded that God is not distant from our weakness but draws near as Yahweh Ropheka — the Lord our Healer. James shows us that prayer is powerful, not just for physical sickness but for the whole person: body, mind, and soul. Sometimes God heals immediately, sometimes He allows weakness to remain, but His promise is certain — He will raise us up. This message calls us to bring our struggles into the light, seek prayer, and trust the God who saves, forgives, and restores.

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Support our mission to teach every verse of the Bible. Read more here: Project23 Our text today is Judges 3:31 After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed 600 of the Philistines with an oxgoad, and he also saved Israel. — Judges 3:31 Can one person really make a difference? Shamgar barely gets a verse. No long backstory. No detailed battle plan. Just a man with an oxgoad—a farmer's tool, not a warrior's weapon. Yet with it, he struck down 600 Philistines and saved Israel. That's it. No fanfare. No epic speeches. Just simple faith, raw courage, and God's power behind an ordinary tool. Sometimes God writes his biggest stories with the smallest brushstrokes. Shamgar's life reminds us: impact isn't about having the best weapon, but about putting what's in your hand into God's hand. Stop waiting for perfect conditions or better tools. God's not asking for what you don't have. He's asking for what you do have. Your oxgoad might be a kind word, a simple prayer, a skill you think is too small to matter. But in God's hands, ordinary becomes extraordinary. Never underestimate the difference one willing man or woman can make when they give God their tool and their trust. ASK THIS: What's the “oxgoad” in my hand that I've overlooked as insignificant? Do I believe God can use my ordinary life for extraordinary impact? Where is God calling me to step up, even if I feel unprepared? How can I trust God today to multiply my small obedience into big impact? DO THIS: Take one small, practical step of obedience today using whatever “oxgoad” God has placed in your hand. PRAY THIS: Lord, take what I have—even if it feels small—and use it for your glory. Make me bold like Shamgar to step into the fight with what you've given me. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Available."

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In week 20 of our Gospel of Mark series, Pastor Kevin teaches from Mark 6:45-56, when Jesus walked on water and the disciples were terrified, thinking He was a ghost. This passage reminds us that everyone puts faith in something, but only Jesus is worthy of our trust. Sometimes God allows us to walk through […]

Welcome to the Motion Church Podcast. Today, we gather around a message that isn't easy to hear — but one that carries the power of truth, healing, and redemption. Our guest pastor Chris Johnson begins with honesty: not every word in Scripture is lighthearted or easy. Sometimes God calls us into the deep places — the places of pain, loss, and struggle. And today, that call is clear: the topic is Broken. What does it mean to live in brokenness, and yet discover that God is still present? How do we face the parts of our lives that feel shattered, and trust that the pieces are not wasted in His hands? This is not a comfortable conversation, but it is a necessary one — because in the breaking, God often begins His greatest work of restoration. So lean in with us today. May you find that even in the hard truths, there is hope. May you hear the voice of God calling you beyond comfort, and into transformation. This is the Motion Church Podcast — and here is today's message: Broken.

Finding direction in life's journey often leaves us longing for clear signs and unmistakable guidance. But what if God's direction comes through everyday moments rather than dramatic supernatural events?In this powerful exploration of discerning God's will, we discover four key ways God guides us through life's complexities: open doors, closed doors, frustrated plans, and everyday choices. Drawing wisdom from the Apostle Paul's ministry journey, we see how even this spiritual giant navigated uncertainty with faith rather than perfect clarity.When God opens doors of opportunity, opposition often follows—proving that divine direction doesn't guarantee smooth paths. Sometimes God protects us through closed doors, saying "no" even when our intentions are pure. Our frustrated plans, those painful moments when everything falls apart, can actually draw us closer to God when we bring our honest frustrations to Him.Most profoundly, we learn that while we desperately want a complete map for our lives, God typically provides just enough light for the next step. "Your word is a lamp unto my feet," not a spotlight illuminating the entire journey ahead. This tension requires faith—trusting the Good Shepherd even when we can't see the full path.God's ultimate concern isn't about what we do but who we become. He weaves our successes, failures, and everyday choices into His redemptive story, working all things together for good as we learn to trust His loving guidance.Ready to discover God's direction in your ordinary moments? Take your next step of faith today, knowing the Shepherd's eyes are always on you.Support the showMade a decision to follow Jesus? We want to know about it! Fill out our connect card here: https://local.churchcenter.com/people/forms/115766Thank you for your generosity. For information on how to give, visit https://localvineyard.church/give.

“God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.” (Psalm 46:1 NLT) When I was a kid, I attended Southern California Military Academy in Long Beach. We would have mandatory chapel every Sunday. Not being raised in a Christian home, I can recall it was the only time, for the most part, that I was ever in a church service. I remember one of the songs we sang in chapel was “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” At the time, I was experiencing a storm of my own because of the way my mom lived as an alcoholic. I remember singing, “When you walk through a storm, hold your head up high, and don’t be afraid of the dark. At the end of the storm there’s a golden sky and the sweet silver song of the lark. Walk on through the wind. Walk on through the rain.” The problem was that there was no mention of God in those lyrics. As we sang, “Walk on with hope in your heart, and you’ll never walk alone,” I thought, “Who is with me? The lark that we’re singing about? Who is here?” As Christians, we do walk through storms in life. But we can hold our heads high—not because of some bird singing but because the Lord is with us. He was with me as a little boy, though I hadn’t yet put my faith in Him completely. God was there as I cried out to Him. God was there when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into a fiery furnace because they refused to bow down to an idol. King Nebuchadnezzar, who ordered that the sentence be carried out, expected to see their incineration. Instead, he saw something amazing. “‘Look!’ Nebuchadnezzar shouted. ‘I see four men, unbound, walking around in the fire unharmed! And the fourth looks like a god!’” (Daniel 3:25 NLT). God was there when Daniel was thrown into a lions’ den for faithfully praying to Him. When King Darius (Nebuchadnezzar’s successor) came to check on him, Daniel said, “My God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me” (Daniel 6:22 NLT). God was there when Jonah—who tried to get away from Him by boarding a boat—was thrown overboard in the middle of a terrible storm and swallowed by a great fish. Jonah 1:17 says, “Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah” (NLT). These stories and countless others in Scripture reinforce an important lesson. We’re safer with God in a storm than anywhere else without Him. I would rather be with Jesus in a storm than in the plushest, most luxurious place on earth without Him. The Bible tells us that “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble” (Psalm 46:1 NLT). Sometimes God will calm or even stop the storms, but He is always with us through them. Reflection question: When have you gotten the sense that you were not walking alone through a storm in your life? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship! — The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" 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.

Sometimes God will lead us to a calling that we are not meant to see all the way through. Sometimes He might only want us to be a part of the beginning, the middle, or the end. Samson was prophesied to begin the deliverance of Israel, but he was never meant to see it all the way through. How often have we been loyal to a calling after God has left because we believe we are supposed to stay?    Monologue: Autumn shares a profound finding from her studies for her master's degree about the martyrs of the early church.   Message: Autumn explains how Samson's entire purpose was never to see the deliverance through to the end, but rather to begin the deliverance of God's chosen people, because God Himself would be the one to see it to the end.    Question: “Every time I go into ministry, there is serious opposition happening. I know it's the enemy, but how do I combat this?”   Bible References: Judges 16   Links from the show BOOKS: www.autumnmiles.com/resources SPEAKING: www.autumnmiles.com/speaking MERCH: autumnmiles.square.site   PRE-ORDER HOLY GHOSTED HERE! https://www.amazon.com/Holy-Ghosted-Teaches-Surviving-Spiritual/dp/1636415431    Sponsors: NuWell Online Christian Counseling https://nuwellonline.com/ Purpose Jewelry https://purposejewelry.org code AUTUMN2024   If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of the show, send us an email at hello@autumnmiles.com   If you have a suggestion for the ministry, a question for Autumn, a testimony to share, or other inquiry for the Autumn Miles Ministries, click here and fill out the form, or send us an email at hello@autumnmiles.com    Join us on social media! Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheAutumnMiles/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/autumnmiles/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AutumnMiles   Click here to join our weekly and monthly newsletters and get updates on our podcast and exclusive content!   If you feel led to give to the Autumn Miles Ministries, click here to donate. Thank you for supporting Autumn Miles Ministries!

308 – Do you ever feel separated from God?Maybe because of something hurtful someone said or did to you? Or maybe because of bad choices you made that weren't good for you or someone else? Or maybe it's just because of all the problems the world is facing right now? Where is God in all this? Sometimes God does seem far away.In this week's episode we're going to talk about God's nature as omnipresent, that God is everywhere, what that actually means, and how it affects your life. You are never separated from God or God's love for you, which was and is manifested through Christ. You are in the presence of God, now and always. And you have the ability to be aware of this. Whenever you feel God is far away, remember this prayer of affirmation—and say it as often as you need to, "I am in the presence of God."Show notes – For full transcript and Bible quotes, go to: thebiblespeakstoyou.com/308Text me your questions or comments.Support the showIf you enjoy the podcast, please rate and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify__________________James Early, the Jesus Mindset Coach, is a Bible teacher, speaker, and podcaster. His focus is on getting back to the original Christianity of Jesus by embracing the mindset of Christ in daily life. Reach out today if you need a speaker or Bible workshop for your church or organization (online and in person) Subscribe to the podcast (and get your copy of Praying with the Mindset of Jesus) Make a donation to support the show Schedule a free one hour coaching call to see if the Jesus Mindset Coaching program is a good fit for you Contact James here

Sometimes God calls us to stay close, and sometimes He calls us to go and tell others about Him. Mark 5 reminds me: Jesus set me free, not just for me, but so others can hear of His mercy too.

“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.” (Romans 5:3–4 NLT) Years ago, I had a friend who was very sick and asked me to pray for him. I did. He got worse. He said, “I don’t ever want you to pray for me again.” In our estimation, sometimes things go the wrong way. We may pray, “Lord, heal this person. Be glorified through this.” But the Lord might say, “I will be glorified, but I’m not going to do it the way you want Me to. I’m going to do this other thing instead.” Sometimes God will remove the affliction. Sometimes God will heal the illness. Sometimes God will take away the cancer. But sometimes the person will get worse. We usually don’t like that. But it is in these times that God can be glorified. Everyone suffers in life. Christians suffer, too. When a Christian is suffering and can still glorify God, that is a powerful testimony to a lost world. When non-Christians see us honoring the Lord through our suffering, it shows them how real our faith is. And guess what? It shows us how real our faith is, too. Do you think your faith would get stronger if everything were easy in life? No, your faith will get stronger through hardship. Here’s something that might surprise you: You will develop even more hope through tribulation. Romans 5:3–4 says, “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation” (NLT). We must remember that as steel is tempered to make it stronger, God is tempering us to give us strength. Hebrews 4:16 says, “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most” (NLT). But that boldness must also be tempered with a sense of humility, recognizing that we don’t know what’s best in a given situation. So, instead of offering suggestions as to how God might relieve our suffering, a better approach is to ask Him for the strength, courage, and faith to endure. Ask Him for the wisdom and discernment to recognize the lessons in our predicament. We must learn to look at every circumstance as an opportunity to grow and to understand the Lord better. Hope grows in the garden of pain. It doesn’t grow without challenges or difficulty. It grows in hard times. It’s sort of like building muscle. You build it up by breaking it down. Then, as you keep working out, that muscle will get stronger. You develop strength through your weaknesses. This is true of Christians in their spiritual lives as well. Reflection question: What would it look like for you to glorify God when you’re suffering? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship! — The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" 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.

Sometimes God makes seemingly strong people weaker so that his divine power will be the more evident.