Podcasts about sovereign lord

He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing. — Isaiah 40:23 Isaiah points out the Lord's supremacy over the government leaders of this world. They rise to power and seem unshakable, but they are eventually overthrown and replaced.Where are the pharaohs of Egypt? Where is Sennacherib of Assyria? Where is Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon? Where is Cyrus of Persia? Where is Alexander the Great? Where are the caesars of Rome? Where are the dictators who ruled with an iron fist? Where are the judges who made the courts a place of injustice and oppression? They have all fallen and will fall.The Lord himself is the one who reduces them to nothing. No political power can stand against the Lord's sovereignty. No court, however respected, can annul God's decrees. Human power is limited. The powerful people of this age will fall. All who exalt themselves and crush the defenseless with inhuman brutality will be torn from the earth and will perish.God brings down the proud and exalts the humble. History shows that one empire on the earth will follow after another. Great kings and powerful generals and clever judges will fall. “But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength” and “soar on wings like eagles” (Isaiah 40:31). Sovereign Lord over all, you humble the proud and overthrow unjust powers. Teach us to trust in you, to defend the oppressed, and to wait on you with hope so that we may rise with renewed strength. In Jesus' name, Amen.

When life brings unexpected trials, it can feel like our strength, hope, and even our faith are beginning to fail. Psalm 73 reminds us that even when our flesh and hearts grow weak, God remains the strength that sustains us. He does not promise a life free from hardship, but He promises His presence through every valley we walk. Highlights: God remains our strength when our hearts and circumstances feel overwhelming Trials are a reality of living in a broken world, but God promises to walk with us through them True comfort comes from drawing near to God and trusting His presence God provides wisdom, peace, and guidance when we feel unable to move forward Even difficult seasons can reveal God’s faithfulness and deepen our dependence on Him Join the Conversation Have you experienced a time when God reminded you that He saw your pain, needs, or circumstances? How does knowing that God is El Roi—the God who sees you—change the way you approach difficult seasons? Continue the conversation with the Crosswalk community here: https://forums.crosswalk.com/ Do you want to listen ad-free? When you join Crosswalk Plus, you gain access to exclusive, in-depth Bible study guides, devotionals, sound biblical advice, and daily encouragement from trusted pastors and authors—resources designed to strengthen your faith and equip you to live it out boldly. PLUS ad free podcasts! Sign Up Today! Full Transcript Below: Even When the Heart FailsBy Megan J. Conner Bible Reading:“…I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever… it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.” Ps. 73:22-28 (NIV) Have you ever been through an unexpected trial and felt as if your heart and your flesh are failing? Where do you turn when the circumstances are so overwhelming, so oppressive, that it feels as if any and all physical strength has been drained out? Normal stamina and rigor seem to be completely absent, leaving you utterly exhausted from the simplest daily tasks. And if that isn’t challenging enough, your heart follows suit and struggles to carry the weight of your unwelcome burdens. Unfortunately, we all face hardships, disappointments, and at times even devastation. While the Bible is full of God’s promises, unending love, and hope for the future, it is also clear that sin and suffering are ever-present realities in this world. The consequences of these can wreak havoc on our hearts and minds. Our Heavenly Father understood this from the moment sin entered the world and forever changed the landscape of all of our lives. He made provision through His only Son to pay the penalty for sin, but that payment does not shield us from encountering heartbreak. While we cannot evade challenging and hurtful circumstances, God promises to walk side-by-side with us as we take every step through the valley. I don’t know where you find yourself today. Perhaps you are in a sweet season of joy and abundance. If so, I celebrate with you. Treasure the good gifts God has bestowed upon you during this time. But if you are facing a season of struggle, then I empathize and offer my deepest condolences. Today, I find myself wandering through yet another desert, confused, conflicted, and in desperate need of holy consolation. Yet even in this, I know God is still granting me “good” gifts, even if nothing about it feels “good.” There really are times when there is nothing here on earth that can satisfy or bring true comfort. Loved ones can be present, be a listening ear, and provide some measure of relief, but only the Lord can reach those dark caverns of our souls when the heart fails. He assures us that He is always with us, no matter how crushed and lost we feel. When we feel like we cannot possibly take one more step, He guides us with His counsel. He provides supernatural wisdom for the hard decisions we may have to make and a peace that surpasses all understanding. Though the wind and the waves may buffet our sails, the Lord declares, “Peace, be still.” As the Lord fulfills every one of these promises, He is granting us good gifts. He is demonstrating His unfailing love as He draws us closer to Him. God reveals Himself to us as we seek refuge in Him and in Him alone. We can trust Him. On the other side of the cross is resurrection. On the other side of whatever hardships and hurts you are facing today, there is glory. Will you join me today, as we remind ourselves of God’s goodness and promises shared in Psalm 73:22-28? “…I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever… it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.” (NIV) Intersecting Faith & Life: Are there circumstances in your life right now that have threatened to overtake your faith and peace? Do you feel as if your heart has failed? If so, how does today’s scripture offer you hope? Even if the pain and disappointment feel unbearable, can you sense God’s presence in the midst of all you are going through? Regardless of where you find yourself today, I pray that God’s faithfulness is evident in your life, and you can declare with me, “It is good to be near God.” Further Reading:Hebrews 13:5John 16:33 Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. — Isaiah 40:22 Isaiah reminds us that God's reign is not only in heaven but is also established over the entire earth. God rules over everything and everyone. All of the world's inhabitants—although great in number—cannot be compared to the immensity of God. The Lord is greater than all things.God is sovereign over the heavens and the earth. No empire or nation can compare to his reign. Before the greatness of God, humanity is tiny. No human being can be compared to God. Our strength is mere weakness, while God is all-powerful. Our wisdom is only foolishness, while God's wisdom is impenetrable. We need to place our trust in him.God is the Creator and sustainer of the universe. He created the world with a purpose and maintains it to fulfill that purpose. In the presence of God's divine majesty, the best we can do is bow down and worship the Lord in spirit and truth. The Lord of the universe loves and cares for us, and although we are small, he crowns us “with glory and honor.”Have you placed your trust in God? How have you surrendered the desires for your life to him today? Sovereign Lord of the universe, we are humbled before your majesty. Teach us to trust your wisdom, to yield our desires to you, and to worship you. Amen.

They Boldly Spoke the Word of God Acts 4 by William Klock Chapter and verse breaks in the Bible are not part of the original text.  Chapter breaks were added about eight hundred years ago and verses about five hundred.  There's an old biblical studies urban legend that Robert Estienne, the French printer who published one of the early New Testaments with verse division, marked them out while riding on horseback from Paris to Lyon, explaining the often frustrating way they cut through thoughts and sentences.  Chapter breaks can be just as annoying.  I say this because last week we left off our study of Acts at the end of Chapter 3, but the end of Chapter 3 isn't where this story ends.  You'll remember that this story about Peter and John and the lame man followed right on the heels of Pentecost.  Peter and John were on their way to the temple to pray when they met a lame man begging at the temple gate.  “Silver and gold have I none,” said Peter, “but such as I have I give.  In the name of the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, get up and walk!”  And he lifted up the man the man began to jump up and down and to praise God.  And as everyone began to gather around, Peter began to preach.  He reminded them of their own story, of God's promises going all the way back to Abraham, and how all those promises were fulfilled and how the story was brought to its climax in the death and resurrection and ascension of Jesus. I won't repeat everything I said last Sunday, but needless to say—and even if you aren't familiar with the story—you probably knew that trouble was coming.  But that pesky chapter break.  It saved you from an hour-long sermon, but it also cut the story in half.  So we'll pick up after the break, with Chapter 4, now.  [It's page 1083 in the pew Bibles.] Luke continues: “As they were speaking to the people, along came the priests, the chief of the temple guard, and the Sadducees.  They were greatly annoyed that they were teaching the people and proclaiming that the resurrection of the dead had begun to happen in Jesus.  They seized them and put them under guard until the next day, since it was already evening.  But a large number of the people who had heard the message believed it and the number of men grew to five thousand.” The idea of the resurrection of the dead was a big deal for the Jews and you'd think that announcing that it had somehow begun in Jesus would be good news.  And obviously it was for the thousands who believed.  Not so much for the Sadducees.  They were sad, you see, because they didn't believe in the resurrection of the dead.  Okay, not really.  Their name goes back to Zadok, the high priest in the days of David and Solomon.  That name, Zadok, is also related to the Hebrew word for righteousness.  So the Sadducees thought of themselves not only as the sons of Zadok, but also as the righteous ones.  And in the First Century, they controlled the priesthood.  They were aristocratic and they were in power and people like that don't usually like revolutionary ideas, and if there was there was a great revolutionary idea alive in Judah, it was the idea of the resurrection of the dead.  Resurrection means that things are broken and that God will, one day, come to set things to rights—and that implied that the Sadducees were part of the problem needing to be set right.  So they're upset at Peter's preaching.  The Pharisees didn't like this talk either.  As far as they—and everyone else who hoped for resurrection—were concerned, all God's people would be raised from the dead at the end of the age.  The idea that Jesus was raised all by himself was like heresy.  And, of course, if Jesus had been raised, it meant he was the Messiah and they refused to accept that idea.  So no matter how many eyewitnesses there were to the risen Jesus, it had never happened, so far as they were concerned. But back to the Sadducees.  They controlled the priesthood and the priests were the gatekeepers of Israel.  And this talk about Jesus as Messiah and his being resurrected, which means he'd initiated the age to come already, that was the sort of talk that might spark a revolution.  And, of course, a revolution was what was already happening as the gospel and the Spirit were beginning to do their work.  But just as they hadn't recognised it in Jesus, the leaders of Israel refuse to recognise it now and they have Peter and John locked up for the night.  Even still, Luke goes to the trouble to make the point that thousands believed anyway.  The gospel cannot and will not be stopped! Verse 5: “On the next day their rulers, the elders, and the scribes gathered in Jerusalem, along with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and all the members of the high-priestly family.  When they'd stood them in the midst, they asked, ‘How did you do this?  What power did you use?  What name did you invoke?'  Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit.  ‘Rulers of the people and elders,' he said, ‘if the question we're being asked today is about a good deed done for a sick man, and whose power it was that rescued him, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that this man stands before you fit and well because of the name of the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, whom you crucified, but whom God raised from the dead.  He is the stone which you builders rejected, but which has become the head cornerstone.  Rescue won't come from anyone else.  There is no other name given under heaven and among men by which we must be rescued.'” Do you remember that scene in Luke 11 where Jesus is confronted after casting out a demon?  “You can only cast them out, because you're one of them,” they accused him.  The same thing is happening again.  I think Luke wants to highlight that what's happening here might be an “act” happening through the apostles, but it's still ultimately Jesus acting.  Or the Spirit, which amounts to the same thing.  Luke makes a point of saying that Peter was full of the Spirit when he answered the accusation.  So just like Jesus, when the council asks them in whose name they healed the lame man, not only is Peter bold to announce that it's Jesus of Nazareth, they boldly assert that he is the Messiah—the one they crucified, but whom God raised from the dead.  So Peter is reasserting everything: It's Jesus.  Yes the one they crucified.  And this isn't just about a lame man walking again, this is about the resurrection of the dead.  It's about the fact that Jesus is Lord and that the revolution has begun.  The age to come, new creation, the kingdom of God is here.  In fact, they quote Psalm 118 at the council to explain it all.  Psalm 118 is a psalm of the temple.  It's about people going up to the temple to celebrate God's new day to claim his rescue, his salvation.  It's a psalm about God's life-giving power and it's about God bringing his people through trouble and rescuing them from danger. It's a psalm about trusting in God's mercy and it's a psalm about God's victory over the powers of the world.  “It is better trust in the Lord, than to put confidence in man…than to put confidence in princes,” says the Psalmist (vv. 8-9). So they're saying, “It's Jesus.  He really is the Messiah and he really has inaugurated God's new age.  But then it's like they're deliberately poking a stick in these folks' eye.  The Sadducees (and the Pharisees, too, and most people) were all about the temple.  It was the embodiment of Israel's hopes for God's rescue and for the fulfilment of his promises to one day come again to dwell with his people.  And so this whole episode started with a man who'd been sitting in the temple gate for years, hoping for a rescue, yet never healed, and now suddenly healed by Peter and John—in the power of Jesus.  So that's the first thing.  It says that God has, in fact, returned to dwell with is people, but instead of being in the holy of holies, he's indwelling the disciples of Jesus.  And then, in case they hadn't made the connection, Peter, inspired by the Spirit, quotes Psalm 118 at them.  Yes, the hope of God's return is happening—in Jesus.  Yes, God is now present in his temple—but that temple isn't made of stone, it's these Jesus people.  And yes, God has come to rescue us just as he promised, to set this broken world to rights, to wipe away the tears—through Jesus.  And at the same time, it would be hard for the council to miss the hint that the mortal princes, the people from whom God's people need to be rescued are not the pagan nations, but the Sadducees and elders and scribes who are rejecting Jesus.  (Yes, the pagan nations, too, but first, God's got to deal with the corrupt leaders of his own people.) It's the same thing Peter has been preaching, first on Pentecost, then to the crowd who gathered around the lame man when they saw him jumping up and down.  Every time, Peter grounds God's salvation in Jesus as the fulfilment of his promises and of Israel's story.  Every time, it's the announcement that Jesus is Lord; that he's come to rescue his people; and every time, it's a call to repentance and faith.  This sort of situational astuteness and gospel boldness is what it looks like to be full of God's Spirit.  And the council recognised this, even if they didn't want to admit what (or who) it was.  Verse 13: “When they saw how boldly Peter and John were speaking and realised that they were untrained, ordinary men, they were astonished and they recognised them as men who had been with Jesus.  And when they saw the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in reply.  They ordered them to be put out of the assembly while they conferred amongst themselves.  ‘What can we do to these men?' they said.  ‘This is a spectacular sign that has happened through them.  All Jerusalem knows it, and we can't deny it.  But we certainly don't want it to spread any further amongst the people.  So let's threaten them with awful consequences if they speak anymore in this name to anyone.'  So they called them in and gave them orders not to speak at all or to teach in the name of Jesus.” It's comical and I think that's what Luke intended.  It's like they've completely missed the significance of what Peter and John have seen.  They've seen Jesus risen from the grave.  They saw him ascend to his throne.  They heard everything he said.  They saw everything he did.  And now they're doing the same sorts of things themselves in his name.  They know, without a doubt, that in Jesus God has come, that Jesus is Lord, that the kingdom is now, and that the days of the principalities and powers, the old temple, and its priests are numbered.  Peter and John know which is the winning side…without a doubt.  Threatening them isn't going to change that. Brothers and Sisters, we really need to think on that.  Don't just read Acts and let it go in one ear and out the other.  Stick a finger in one ear if you have to, but let this sink in.  Because you and I have just as much reason to be as confident as Peter and John.  No, we aren't eyewitnesses to the resurrection or the ascension, but we have every reason to believe the accounts of them.  Someone a while ago asked me about difficulties with the creation accounts in Genesis and with the history of the Exodus.  There are difficulties in the Bible.  There are hard philosophical questions for which I haven't yet found the perfect answer.  But I do know that Jesus rose from the dead.  I've heard all the arguments against it.  And they don't hold up.  I don't want to get into those details here, because that's not what our text today is about.  My point is simply that we have every reason to believe that Jesus rose from the dead and just like St. Paul, confronted by that inescapable reality, we have to accept that Jesus is the Messiah and that the rest of it all is true—even we have to wait til the New Jerusalem to understand the ins and outs of exactly how some of it is true.  It's true.  As Matt reminded us last week: Christ has died.  Christ is risen.  Christ will come again.  And not only do those three facts change everything, they ought to give us confidence and boldness to proclaim the good news that Jesus is Lord, that God has come to our rescue, and that his kingdom is now.  I'm not terribly concerned, for example, about Bill C-9.  But even if I were, I'm not going to let it stop me proclaiming the good news.  Because Jesus is King and in him the resurrection of the dead has begun.  And that truth ought to be as revolutionary for us as it was for Peter and John and the King and his Parliament and his Prime Minister ought to be just as afraid of this resurrection revolution as the Sadducees, the elders, and the scribes were. So Luke goes on in verse 19: “But Peter and John gave them this reply: ‘You judge,' they said, ‘whether it's right before God to listen to you rather than to God.  As far as we're concerned, we can't stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.'  Then they [the council] threatened them some more, and let them go.  They couldn't find any way to punish them because of the people, since everyone was glorifying God for what had happened.  After all, the man to whom the sign of healing had happened was over forty years old. Brothers and Sisters, don't stop talking about what you have seen and heard.  Peter and John were witnesses to the resurrection and ascension of Jesus.  You know what you're a witness to?  You're witness to the transforming power of those events.  Somehow most Christians seem totally unaware of this witness.  Maybe it's because we're so oblivious to our own history.  Maybe we need to read up on history so that we'll be aware of the power of the gospel.  The very thing that Peter and John looked forward to is now—at least partially—in our past.  Luke says there were five thousand believers in those days just after Pentecost.  Brothers and Sisters, today there are 2.6 billion.  They lived in a world in which no one outside Judaea had ever heard of Jesus.  We live in a world where Jesus is known the world over.  They lived in a little Jewish pocket surrounded by pagan nations so mired in moral filth it's hard for us to image the depth of depravity, because even as bad as might think the world is today, it has been so dramatically transformed by the gospel.  Our world, even the secular parts of it, value things like mercy and compassion, because of the transforming power of the gospel.  Brothers and Sisters, we live in a world that has been radically transformed by the power of the gospel.  If Peter and John had reason to be confident, you and I have even more. But notice, too, what they do when faced with opposition.  Verse 23: “When they had been released, they went back to their own people and told them everything that the chief priests and the elders had said.  When they heard it, they all together lifted up their voices to God.  ‘Sovereign Lord,' they said, ‘you made heaven and earth and the sea and everything in them.  And you said through the Holy Spirit, by the mouth of our father David, your servant, “Why did the nations fly into a rage, and why did the peoples think empty thoughts?  The kings of the earth arose and rulers gathered themselves together against the Lord and against his anointed Messiah.” It's true, Herod and Pontius Pilate, together with the nations and the peoples of Israel, gathered themselves together in this very city against your holy servant Jesus, the one you anointed, to do whatever your hands and your plan had foreordained to take place.  So now, Lord, look on their threats and grant that we, your servants, may speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand for healing, so that signs and wonders may come about through the name of your holy servant Jesus.'” It would do us well—and it would do the kingdom well—if we responded to opposition the way the disciples did.  We need to pray more and fret less.  There is a battle raging in the world.  Jesus has won the decisive victory, but that doesn't mean that the powers of this old age aren't trying to maintain their grip.  They're like the bad guys in the movies, hanging on to the edge of the cliff with their fingers—doomed, but unwilling to give up.  To pray is to stomp on their fingers and to send them falling.  Pray.  Pray the psalms.  Pray Psalm 2 the way they do here.  This was Israel's prayer, but Jesus and the events surrounding those first Christians reoriented it.  They cry out with the Psalmist: Why do the nations rage?  Why do the peoples think with empty thoughts? The kings of the earth have huddled together against the Lord.  Except this time Israel herself had become one of the nations, her priests huddled together with Pontius Pilate.  They'd crucified Jesus.  And yet the disciples, in their prayer, also acknowledge that God is sovereign.  Remember that for Jews to quote a line from a Psalm was to call to mind the whole thing.  And in Psalm 2, yes the nations raged and their kings gathered together against his anointed, but then—do you remember Psalm 2?—God laughs at them, because they're fools.  And God establishes his king on Mount Zion.  The once raging nations become his inheritance.  And Peter and John and the rest knew that in Jesus this psalm was being fulfilled.  The Psalm concludes addressing those kings, “Now therefore, O Kings, be wise” and just so the disciples pray, “Now therefore, Lord, look on their threats and grant that we, your servants, may speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand for healing, so that signs and wonders may come about through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”  Brothers and Sisters, pray the Spirit-inspired scriptures back to God and things will happen.  Luke writes in verse 31: “When they had prayed the place where they were gathered was shaken.  They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and they boldly spoke the word of God.” We should learn this prayer.  When the principalities and powers of the old age push back, pray this prayer.  When the local council or the legislature or Parliament or the King or the courts push back, pray this prayer.  When the gospel gets you in trouble with your family or at school or in your work, pray this prayer.  When you become discouraged, if you're struggling to keep the faith, if you're wrestling with sin, if you feel cornered by the world, the flesh, and the devil, pray this prayer.  Remember that you are a witness to the power of the gospel in the world.  And pray this prayer. And immediately Luke shows us the church—not just boldly proclaiming the good news—but also living it out as a community.  Luke shows us the church as the working model of God's new creation in the midst of the old.  Luke shows us the church being the new temple: the place of God's presence and the fulfilment of his promises of abundance and generosity.  Look at verses 32-37.  I was tempted to save these for next week as they lead us into Chapter 5.  I actually think they could warrant their own sermon.  But look at them now: “The company of those who believed had one heart and one soul.”  Remember Paul telling the Philippians to “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Messiah Jesus”?  Be of one Jesus-like mind.  That plays out in all sorts of ways and Luke shows us one here: “Nobody said that they owned their property; instead they had everything in common.  The apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus with great power and great grace was upon all of them.  For there was no needy person among them, since any who possessed lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sale, and placed it at the feet of the apostles, who then gave to each according to their need.  Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, to whom the apostles gave the surname Barnabas, which means ‘son of encouragement', sold some land which belonged to him, brought the money, and laid it at the apostle's feet.” As I said a few weeks ago when we looked at Chapter 2, this doesn't mean they became a bunch of proto-Marxists.  Luke's point is that they became a family that live out the generosity and abundance of God's new creation.  We know from what we read later, that they had their own homes in which to meet.  And the focus of their charity was on the truly indigent, especially widows—on people notably with no family to take care of them.  And Paul will warn in his own letters that the able-bodied should get jobs instead of mooching off the community.  Again, the point here is that they very visible became the community in which torah itself was being fulfilled.  They've become the land of overflowing with milk and honey.  They've become the people who truly love their neighbours.  They've become the new temple in which God has returned to dwell with his people.  And they're doing and being this community right in Jerusalem: showing up the old Israel, exposing the priest and the council, showing that the old temple and its sacrifices are done.  God has fulfilled his promises and he's done so in Jesus and in the people who gathered around him in faith. And, Brothers and Sisters, we ought to be the same sort of new creation, heaven-on-earth community here.  As in Peter and John's day, the powers that be will tell us to go away and concentrate on heaven while they run the earth.  They'll warn us not to shove our religion down anyone's throat, while they, of course, will do their best to shove their materialism, their commercialism, their hedonism down our throats.  They'll get frustrated with us when we refuse to worship in their temples to money and power and sex and politics and war.  And when that happens, Brothers and Sisters, pray.  And remember that Jesus has died, Jesus has risen, and that Jesus will come again.  Be shaped by that story.  Be confident, knowing that God has and is and will fulfil his promises.  Be bold knowing that the gospel has power and that we live in a world transformed by that power, even if everyone ignores it or denies it.  Pray.  Remember.  Be bold.  And then remember that we are the family of the Messiah, marked out by his powerful name in our baptism and that in those baptismal waters, he's plunged us in to his Spirit.  He has made us new and we're not the family meant be and to bring and to live out his new creation, to live out heaven on earth in anticipation of the day when Jesus finally sets it all to rights.  We are the family that refuses to stop singing his praises and proclaiming his glory.  That's what we were created to do in the first place.  That's what Jesus has rescued us to do right now.  And it's what all creation will one day, by his grace, do again. Let's pray: O Lord, hear us in your mercy, we pray, and grant that we, to whom you have given the desire to pray, may be defended and comforted by your mighty aid, and strengthened in all dangers and adversities, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

When profound suffering and trauma strike, it is easy to believe the lie that God has walked away. Diving into Job chapter 2 we see the raw, devastating afflictions of Job and the agonizing reality of navigating deep loss alongside his wife and friends. At the core of Job is a probing question: Is God enough, or do we only worship Him for the blessings He gives? Join us as we explore what "gutsy faith" looks like in the ash heap and how we can trust the Lord's absolute sovereignty when life no longer makes sense

Bishop Hannington

Before him all the nations are as nothing; they are regarded by him as worthless and less than nothing. — Isaiah 40:17 As he continues describing God in his majesty and superiority, Isaiah says that all the nations, in comparison, are “as nothing”—even “less than nothing.” This means there is no room for pride or any sense of self-accomplishment in the sight of God. When Isaiah wrote this passage, Babylon was the superpower in that part of the world. It conquered many nations and had dominion over them.Looking back, we see that the empires of the past fell. The great realm of Egypt lay covered with the dust of centuries. Assyria lost its far-reaching empire. Babylon, greater than Assyria, would soon fall into the hands of the Medo-Persians, and later Persia would fall to the Greeks. That is how it goes: nations rise and fall. Strong today, weak tomorrow. A nation may be rich and powerful for a time, but then it will crumble, fall, and eventually be forgotten— less than nothing.Only God is never removed from his throne. Only the glory of God never fades. Only the power of God is never confronted by a greater power. Proud nations drink the cup of failure, but the Lord God will never face defeat. Sovereign Lord, nations are as nothing before you, and yet you care for them and all people. Help us to trust in your unshakable rule. Root us in your eternal glory, unfailing power, and eternal reign that can never be challenged. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust. — Isaiah 40:15 Here the prophet Isaiah portrays God's superiority over all the nations of the earth. The world's great economic and military powers are no match for God. Empires rise and fall, but God remains the Sovereign Lord over all. Armies develop weapons and conquer other powers, but then other, stronger armies rise—and fall. In the meantime God remains on the throne of the universe. In poetic language, Isaiah says that all these nations, with all their power, are to God “like a drop in a bucket” or like dust on a set of scales. And islands, with their charm and beauty, are only like fine dust that can blow away in a breeze.God is incomparable in his power. He is unique in his wisdom. He is indisputable in his governing. He is infinitely greater than everything he has created. Nothing compares to God. No one can equal him. In today's world we have more than 200 nations. Even all of them together cannot compare with God. God is greater than the universe. He is infinitely greater than anything that exists.Despite his greatness, the Lord is the personal God who cares about each one of us. He knows your name. He loves you with an everlasting love and draws you to himself. He has never given up on loving you, and he wants you to have full life with him forever. Sovereign Lord, humble our hearts before you. Though you rule the universe, you know and love each one of us. Draw us close, and keep us in your never-ending care. Amen.

Jesus is both our Sovereign Lord who knows our failures, but also our Merciful Lord who forgives us.

Title: Chosen To Obtain Glory Text: 2 Thessalonians 2:13-15 FCF: We often struggle with fear at the thought of falling away from our faith. Prop: Because those whom God has chosen for Himself will obtain the glory of Christ, we must hold fast to the truth with thanksgiving to God. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. In a moment we'll read from the New King James Version starting in verse 13 and reading through verse 15. You can follow along in the pew bible or in whatever version you prefer. As a reminder to you, I always make sermon notes for each sermon, so if you looking for a way to follow along or if notes typically help you attend better to what is being said, I'd encourage you to grab a set each week. There is also an outline of the book of 2 Thessalonians out there too, which should provide a nice snap shot of where we are, where we've been, and where we are going. Paul has, more or less, finished his discussion about the coming of the Day of the Lord which must be preceded by the apostasy, or the falling away of many professing believers, and then the coming of the Satanic Superman, the man of lawlessness. Certainly, it is comforting to the Thessalonians to know that they have not missed the Day of the Lord because something must happen first that hasn't happened. Most of Christendom understands that this has not yet ultimately come to pass. So, Paul's words are also a comfort to us… the Day of the Lord has not come, we are not living in the eternal state. Jesus has not yet judged the world. And that is good – because the world kinda stinks. But as comforting as it is that we have not missed His coming, it is terrifying to think that a great apostasy is still on the horizon and the man of lawlessness, the beast, the Anti-Christ, is still yet to come and be given power to overcome the saints. What Paul will say next, is designed to give full comfort to the Thessalonian church and by application, will also give all those who are truly God's people, comfort too. Please stand with me to give honor to and to focus on the Word of God as it is read. Invocation: All powerful, Good, Gracious, and Sovereign King. We are thankful that You are in control of all things, including the redemption of Your people. We recognize that we do not see all that You have planned. Your story has been written, but we as characters in your book do not know what our destiny is or even what our next moments will be. But it is enough to know that You are the author of it all. It is enough to know that You have written all things. It is enough to know that nothing and no one can keep You from accomplishing what You have purposed. Although we wrestle with Your absolute control while we seem to have freedom of will, and that may be something we continue to wrestle with for the rest of our lives, we must believe that You are Sovereign over all if we are to trust You and Your promises. So, Sovereign Lord, we ask that you would be with us today and help us. Give us comfort with Your Word, we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Transition: [Slide 2] “We do believe in eternal security, but we do not believe in eternal presumption. Let a man examine himself.” Donald Grey Barnhouse “Glory for the Christian is more certain than the grave.” John Blanchard [Slide 3] “The ultimate answer to the insecurity or security of the believer rests on the question of who does the work of salvation.” Lewis Sperry Chafer “The perseverance of the saints reminds us very forcefully that only those who persevere to the end are truly saints.” John Murray [Slide 4] “Though Christians be not kept altogether from falling, yet they are kept from falling altogether.” William Secker “It is a glorious truth that God will keep His people, but it is an abominable falsehood that sin will do them no harm.” C.H. Spurgeon [Slide 5] “God never repents of His electing love.” Thomas Watson “The question is not one of the retention of salvation based upon a persistence of faith, but of the possession of salvation as evidenced by a continuation of faith.” Kenneth Wuest Let these words prepare our hearts for the exposition of the text this morning. I.) Those whom God has chosen for Himself will obtain the glory of Christ, so we must give thanks to God. (13-14) a. [Slide 6] 13 - But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, i. Greek conjunctions are always somewhat of an interpretational issue. ii. The Greek conjunction here is typically translated either “but” “and” or “now.” iii. As far as coordinating conjunctions go, there isn't much difference in their role for the sentence. But as far as meaning, “and” is simply connecting two thoughts together, “now” progresses the thought, whereas “but” is providing an adversarial or contrasting meaning. iv. What helps us is that in almost every single major translation of this verse favors the adversarial “but” suggesting a contrasting point to that of the previous thought. v. Contextually we can see that quite well since before Paul was discussing the judgment of the perishing who did not believe the truth but took pleasure in unrighteousness, and what follows is clearly in contrast to the fate of the perishing. vi. This signals for us a distinct shift in Paul's intention. vii. While he was being comforting to the Thessalonians before, it was comfort with teeth. viii. While telling them the Day of the Lord had not come, he was also warning of a coming apostasy and the man of lawlessness who will deceive the perishing. ix. Paul shifts his topic to turn to their destiny, their future, which stands in stark contrast to that of the perishing. x. It also, as we will see, shows a distinct contrast in the activity of God. God actively sends a deluding influence to the perishing. God has also been active toward the Thessalonians too, but in an incredibly gracious way. xi. So much so, that Paul is yet again, BOUND or obligated to give thanks to God always for them. xii. And he even calls them, beloved by the Lord by which he certainly means the Lord Jesus. xiii. Paul is obliged to give thanks to God for these folks whom he knows are loved by Jesus Himself. xiv. But why does Paul feel that he must thank God for them? b. [Slide 7] because God from the beginning chose you for salvation i. There is a textual problem here that leaves the modern translations divided. ii. This is expected because the manuscript evidence is divided about evenly over both time and textual family. iii. There are two options, 1. Because God as first fruits chose you for salvation 2. Or 3. Because God from the beginning chose you for salvation 4. The difference between “as first fruits” and “from the beginning” is 1 Greek letter. iv. I won't go into too much detail but those who favor first fruits make a grammatical case and those who favor from the beginning make a contextual and theological case. v. I personally do not find the grammatical case compelling nor do they answer the theological and contextual issues with it. vi. If you want the full breakdown of one over the other, I'll be able to provide that this Thursday at prayer group and bible study. vii. But for me, “from the beginning”, seems like the most likely to be what Paul originally wrote. viii. With the threat of a great apostasy looming on the horizon, Paul comforts the Thessalonians by reminding them that even though the perishing will believe a lie and be judged in the END… they were chosen for salvation from the BEGINNING. ix. The word chosen here is also quite interesting. Paul uses a middle form of the verb meaning that God is doing the choosing as an action to or for Himself. It would be entirely appropriate to translate this “God has chosen you for Himself from the beginning for salvation” x. This highlights God's selection of a people for Himself as His own possession, whereas before we see His rejection of another people. xi. We should also note that this salvation is no doubt referring to their final salvation. Not simply their conversion, but eventually being caught up together with Christ. xii. So once again we note the time association. The perishing will be judged in the end. But they were chosen from the beginning to be saved in the end. xiii. But how? How does God go about getting them from His choosing them from the beginning to saving them in the end? c. [Slide 8] through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, i. Though Paul starts at the beginning with God choosing them, and jumps to the end with their salvation… now he moves backward from their salvation to outline exactly how God does this. ii. First, it is through sanctification by the Spirit. iii. There is a necessary component of salvation that evangelical pastors and churches avoid talking about. It isn't popular and if you don't explain it correctly it makes it sound like works-based salvation. iv. The bible makes it clear that only the righteous inherit the Kingdom of God. Only those who are holy will see God. Now we cannot go too far with this to suggest that somehow, we will be perfected in this life. That is an error other Christians make that the bible simply doesn't teach. v. We also cannot pendulum swing the other way and suggest that we must add to our trust in Christ our own works in order to be saved. vi. But we must understand, as Paul does here, that a NECESSARY component of a faith that leads to our eventual and final salvation, is a setting apart, a holifying of those being saved by the Spirit of God. vii. All those who will be saved on that Day… will continue their whole lives in a process of becoming more and more holy by the power of the Spirit of God. Not as a prerequisite for being declared righteous, but as a result of it. viii. The Holy Spirit is given to those who are declared righteous by faith, and as a necessary result of the Spirit indwelling God's people, they are made more holy. ix. But lest we think we can start that process on our own and simply try to be as good as possible, Paul goes another step back from our final salvation to speak of the belief of the truth. x. We receive the truth with faith. We depend on it. We surrender to it. True faith is rejection of everything else to grab hold of the gospel alone. xi. Notice how this is the opposite of the perishing. They did not receive the truth but took pleasure in unrighteousness. xii. Those chosen from the beginning for salvation, become more and more holy by the Spirit's power and have believed the truth. xiii. But how did they come to believe the truth? d. [Slide 9] 14 to which He called you by our gospel, i. God calls His people to this truth through the good news of Jesus Christ preached since the apostles' ministry. ii. The Word of God, the gospel, Christ crucified for sinners, risen, and coming again, is the foundation of the truth we believe. iii. That call is how God gives repentance and faith to those to whom He has chosen for salvation from the beginning. iv. But what is the goal of this salvation? Why would God do all this for us? e. [Slide 10] for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. i. Paul mentioned this earlier in chapter 1. ii. The purpose of God calling us is to bring glory to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and also that we might be glorified in that same name. iii. God's purpose in choosing the Thessalonians and all believers is so that they might obtain the glory of the Lord Jesus. iv. We… We are the reward of His suffering. f. [Slide 11] Summary of the Point: In contrast to the perishing who have not received the love of the truth and upon whom God will send a deluding influence to believe a lie unto their just judgment, God has actively chosen for Himself a people from before the world began for salvation. He will accomplish this by giving them His Spirit to make them more holy. And He will accomplish THIS by sending them truth through the gospel. And He will do all this in order that they might be honored with His Son. So that they might be a people accepted as part of His family by the righteousness of Jesus. In this the Thessalonians must take great comfort to know that if they are chosen by God, their fate has been determined since before the world began. So, what must those who are truly elect of God do according to this passage? Well first, they should give thanks to God for His choosing them. Transition: [Slide 12 (blank)] But unfortunately, many Christians stop here when they speak of their salvation or election. They conclude that since they are chosen by God and declared righteous by God, that they can kick back and wait for Him to save them. Paul absolutely obliterates that idea with verse 15. II.) Those whom God has chosen for Himself will obtain the glory of Christ, so we must hold fast to what we've been taught. (15) a. [Slide 13] 15 Therefore, brethren, i. A good tip that many have often repeated when you are reading or studying the Word of God, is that when you see the word “therefore” you need to stop and find out what it is there for. ii. One of the benefits of studying the bible verse by verse, is that when we come to the word therefore, we don't need to struggle to understand what it is referencing. We simply need to think back to what we just studied. iii. God has chosen the Thessalonians to obtain the glory of Christ. iv. He has done this from the beginning to call them with the gospel so that they might believe the truth and grow in sanctification and be saved to that glory. v. So, since God has done it all… they just sit tight and wait? Right? vi. Uh… NO! b. [Slide 14] stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle. i. Here we see that tension that is alive and well in the scriptures. ii. God's absolute control of everything doesn't negate human agency or responsibility. 1. Just because God is in complete control doesn't mean we don't pray. 2. Just because God chooses all those whom He will save, doesn't mean we don't repent and believe the gospel. 3. Just because God elects and predestines those who will be saved, doesn't mean we don't evangelize. 4. Just because God has revealed His will, doesn't mean we don't pray for it. iii. And so here… iv. Just because God has done all to save us, and won't let His own be swept away by the apostasy and believe a lie... doesn't mean we do nothing. v. God has given us responsibility and agency to stand fast and hold on. vi. To stand fast means to hold your ground. It means to maintain a position or remain upright. vii. To hold to means to seize or to arrest or to remain firmly committed to something. viii. But what does Paul mean by traditions? 1. In our context we have somewhat of a bad taste in our mouth when we speak of traditions. 2. Traditions, at least in our mind, are things that are man-made, that are culturally accepted as things we do, but should be discarded if they lose their meaning or purpose. 3. Is Paul telling them to stand their ground and remain committed to man-made traditions? This seems antithetical to things Paul has written before. 4. But the word tradition doesn't necessarily carry that meaning. In fact, in Greek the word typically refers to something that has been passed down from God Himself. 5. So, we should interpret traditions here primarily to refer to what Paul taught them about God, Jesus, the gospel, the End Times, and righteous living. 6. In short, it is the Christian tradition that he and all the apostles preached. ix. And Paul alludes again to the various sources from which they have received this teaching. x. Before Paul suggested that they might have heard by prophesy, by a letter, or by preaching that the Day of the Lord had come. xi. Here he says that they should stand their ground and remain committed to everything they had already received from Paul and his companions. Whether it was something they said in their presence or wrote to them in a letter. xii. Because God has chosen them for glory… they must stand firm and hold fast to what they have believed. c. [Slide 15] Summary of the Point: Paul comforts the Thessalonians further by reminding them that God has chosen them for Himself from the beginning to be saved. He has done this so they might obtain the honor and glory of Christ. He gave them the truth through the gospel. He has given His Spirit to make them progressively more holy. He will keep them from the lie because He has chosen them to receive the truth. Not only should they give thanks to God for this, but as Paul says here, as a response of God's work, they must stand firm and hold fast in what they have been taught. Because it is the truth that God gave to them to save them. They must stand firm and hold fast because that is part of the sanctifying work of the Spirit on them. They cannot be passive agents. They must actively cling to what they have received. For that is part of God's preservation of them to that glory. Conclusion: So, CBC, what have we learned today that refines our beliefs and guides our lifestyles? Basics of Faith and Practice: [Slide 16] Though Paul certainly speaks to the Thessalonians, we know from the rest of the New Testament scriptures that all those who will obtain the glory of Christ are those whom God has chosen for Himself from the beginning. They are those whom the Holy Spirit is progressively making more holy. They are those who have believed the truth which was given to them in the call of the gospel. In this, God's sovereign initiative in salvation is highlighted and set in contrast to His sovereign response in reprobation of those who are perishing. God acts in both, but in salvation He acts to bring truth to His people and in reprobation He acts as a response to the rejection of truth by those who are not His people. Paul gives two responses to this truth of God's sovereign activity, that we must observe. He demonstrates thanksgiving, that God would save His people this way. And He commands perseverance. That BECAUSE God has chosen us from the beginning, we must hold fast to the truth we have received. God's choosing us to receive the truth should prompt our adherence to that truth, since God gave it to us in the gospel so that we might obtain the glory of Christ. But what does this mean for us in our daily walk? What should we do as a result of all this? 1.) [Slide 17] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that God has chosen for Himself from the beginning a people for salvation to obtain the glory of Christ. a. This is perhaps one of the most divisive and controversial teachings in the scriptures. b. Although most believers would readily admit that salvation is all of God and none of us, when they discover passages such as these, they cannot help but attempt to put all kinds of caveats and exceptions in to make room for man's free will to have some say in who is saved. c. Entire systems are built to try to soften the contradiction of a belief that affirms that salvation is all of God but must be appropriated by man's choice. d. All that is accomplished is damage to the clear teaching of the scripture. e. This doctrine of election or predestination is not in conflict with the command for and even the need for us to repent and believe the gospel. f. But in order to give man's agency and responsibility their proper place, we must put them where Paul does here. g. As Paul says here, the belief of the person chosen is part of the means by which God carries out the intention of His choosing. h. Thus, God uses the agency and responsibility of man in His process of bringing those He has chosen to salvation to obtain the glory of Christ. i. In this, God remains absolutely sovereign over salvation while man is still responsible to respond. j. In the Old Testament we see a similar idea surrounding the selection of Israel as God's portion from the nations. He says that they were chosen because He chose to choose them. k. We also see this develop later in the Old Testament to God talking about a remnant. There were many Israelites who were ungodly and worshipped other gods. But God continues to keep and preserve a remnant for Himself. l. Meaning of course that what Paul says later was true… Not all Israel was Israel. But the Remnant that God preserved… that was His true people. m. In short, the idea that God selects and preserves His own people, is a universal biblical truth. It was not invented in the classical Geek era but was instead part of God's redemptive process since the beginning. n. And interestingly enough… whenever this doctrine is brought up in the New Testament it is brought up, not to start a debate… but to give God's people comfort. Not pride… but comfort. To know that God called and chose them. o. Therefore, we must confess it to be doctrinally true that God chose for Himself from the beginning, a people for salvation to obtain the glory of Christ. p. God chose, even before the fall of man into sin, a people whom He would rescue from their sin and preserve them to be given honor and reign with His Son in a new Kingdom. q. He has selected a family. A bride for His Son, selected from among the harlots and purified through marriage to the King. Children whom He has adopted out of another family with an abusive father named Satan. r. And God wants us to KNOW, to be assured that He did call us and chose us for His family. s. It is not humility or some added measure of piety to say that you are not sure whether you are chosen or elect of God. t. Peter commands in 2 Peter 1, that people who profess Christ should make their calling and election sure. u. But how do we know if we have been chosen by God? How do we make our calling and election sure? 2.) [Slide 18] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that all who have been chosen will receive the truth of the gospel and grow in holiness by the power of the Holy Spirit. a. The truth is that we don't have some physical and sure sign to know who is in God's family and who isn't. b. But He has told us how someone He has chosen is saved to obtain the glory of Christ. c. They believe the truth of the gospel, and they take pleasure in growing in holiness by the power of the Spirit. d. So long as a person believes and continues to believe the truth of the gospel and continues to grow in holiness by the Spirit's power, then they have assurance that they are chosen by God to obtain glory in Christ. e. This is true not just for assuring ourselves that we are elect of God, but also to give us assurance of the election of others who have professed Christ. f. A person who keeps turning from sin, agreeing with God that it is detestable and a person who loves, obeys, worships, and serves God, Father, Son, and Spirit– that is a person who can rest assured that they are His. g. A person who continues to see growth in their life as they become more and more like Jesus and continue to follow His teachings and commands. That is a person who is assured that they have been chosen before the foundation of the world. h. Because God does this, because God is active in literally every part of bringing His choice to its intention, and because every chosen one follows this path, we can rest assured that every person who is chosen of God will believe the truth and grow in holiness. i. So, what must we do with these two truths? 3.) [Slide 19] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must give thanks to God for His sovereign choice in salvation. a. The Jews of the first century had completely misunderstood the nature of God's choosing Israel as His portion. They assumed that since they were children of Abraham, by his blood alone, that they would be accepted by God. b. But they crucified their own Messiah. They hunted down Christians and put them to death. Why? Because the Christian message was that their bloodline to Abraham was not enough to save them from their sin. That God would NOT accept them simply on this basis. They must believe the truth of the gospel and submit to the Lordship of Jesus as their King and Messiah. c. Sadly, some Christians gain a similar arrogance at being chosen of God. They see themselves as superior to unbelievers and wicked people. They are pious and arrogant. d. While God certainly wants us to gain assurance of our calling and election, pride in that calling is well beyond what He means by assurance. e. Now… if we believe that we choose God, and it is our choosing God that saves us – we should be proud. We should be vaulting ourselves over and above the wicked. After all – We chose God. We saw the truth. They were too evil to see it. But we saw it… f. But my friends… if God chose us… then it is absolutely illogical to boast. g. Some say, “well maybe He chose us because He saw we would choose Him? Maybe He saw something special in us.” h. Well, we don't actually have to guess at the reason that God chose His elect. i. Paul, in another letter, relays exactly why God chose us. It is not an answer that satisfies our curiosity but it is an answer. j. God says, I chose you according to the counsel of my will. k. Well, what does that mean? l. I consulted what I willed and chose based on that. Well, what does that mean? m. I chose you because I chose you. That is what it means. n. He didn't choose us because we'd choose Him. He didn't choose us because we were special. He didn't choose us because we were strong. He didn't choose us because we had great potential. o. He chose us… because He chose us. p. There is only one response that should come from God's people when they are assured that God has chosen them… q. Humble praise. r. We should cry out WHY ME! I am NOTHING! Praise You God for choosing me! Me! Of all people?! s. That should be our response. We must, we are obligated to both be assured of our calling and election, but also to humbly give thanks to God for choosing us… t. And if that wasn't comforting enough let me bring a little more… 4.) [Slide 20] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” All who have been chosen by God for salvation will obtain the glory of Christ and will not fall away. a. The flow of this passage and the context leads to an inescapable conclusion that is made even more plain in other passages of scripture. b. Unlike the perishing who God sends a deluding influence upon as a response to their rejection of the truth and their pleasure in wickedness – God's chosen will not be deceived. c. All those whom God has chosen for salvation will obtain the glory of Christ. They won't fall away. Why? d. Because God is IN every single aspect of their preservation. God won't fail… indeed God cannot fail. e. Who is going to slap God's hand away and tell Him no? f. God will preserve those whom He has chosen. They will not fall away. They will not abandon their faith. g. But three things come into this that bring us to our final exhortation. i. Remember first that those who are chosen are not revealed. They must seek assurance of their own calling and election. ii. Secondly, their assurance is bound up in their ongoing belief in the truth and growth in holiness by the power of the Spirit. iii. And finally, we must remember that Paul has told the Thessalonians. They must not let themselves be deceived. h. So even though we know that it is impossible for those truly chosen by God to fall away… that can't lead to passivity or arrogance. i. Instead… 5.) [Slide 21] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must stand firm and hold fast to what we have received from Christ through the apostles. a. This is how God's chosen people will obtain the glory of Christ. b. This is part of the means God uses to preserve His chosen people from falling away and believing lies. c. He gives us His word. He gives us warnings and commands. d. Just like Paul gave to the Thessalonians. He gives them also to us. e. We must stand firm in what we have been taught. We must cling to the Scriptures and the faithful transmission of Christ's words to His church through the apostles and their inspired books. f. We must not put the scriptures secondary and doubt what they have taught about anything – especially what they have taught about God, the gospel, and the sinfulness of humanity. g. We must hold fast to the truth and the godly lifestyles that the scriptures teach. We must not seek ways to reinterpret the text in order to allow for us to break God's clear laws. h. We must pursue holiness – not lustful passions. We must pursue Christ not money. We must keep our eyes fixed on following Jesus and serving and obeying all that He has said. i. That is, in part, how God preserves His chosen people. He has given them a faith… that they cannot walk away from. A faith that continues to work. A faith they love holding on to. j. So, hold fast and stand firm. k. It is a command that those who are truly elect of God desire and will have the power of the Holy Spirit to obey. 6.) [Slide 22] Evangelism: “What about this text points us to Jesus Christ, the gospel, and how we are restored?” All who have been chosen continue to turn from sin and believe the truth of the gospel while growing in holiness. a. With all this talk about being chosen of God, you might think that since it isn't up to you, you might as well just sit and wait for the end and let God sort it out. b. My friend… God is calling you to respond… today. c. His story is written but you, are merely a character in the story. You don't know how it ends. You don't know your destiny. d. But you do know something about those whose destiny it is to obtain the glory of Christ. e. What do you know about them? f. They believe the truth of the gospel. That Christ died to save sinners and that He rose and has been given a name above all names and is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and that He will come again one day to judge all men. g. You also know that they believe this so much… that they are continually becoming more and more devoted to God and serving Him and obeying Him and loving Him. h. You also know how those who will believe a lie and be judged live. They don't believe the gospel and they take pleasure in sinful lifestyles. i. What will YOU do with Jesus Christ? j. Will you trust Him or not? k. Will you serve Him or not? l. Will you follow Him or not? m. Your choice today won't CHANGE your destiny… n. But if you choose to turn from sin and follow Christ today, and continue to choose this for the rest of your days… it will CONFIRM your destiny. o. As a preacher of the gospel, as a minister of God's Word, as an instrument playing God's Message – I command you to turn from your sin and believe on and submit to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. [Slide 23] Let me close with a prayer by the reformer Lancelot Andrews O Lord, my Lord, I give you thanks for my being, for my life. Thank you for nurturing, protecting, and guiding me. Thank you for teaching me, for freedom, and for faith. For your gifts of grace, for my redemption and regeneration. For calling me and recalling me—yes, for recalling me again and again. For your patience and longsuffering to me, many times, many years, up to this day. For success you've granted me, and all the good things you've done for me. For things present, for your promise, and for hope of the enjoyment of good things to come. For my family and teachers, and for those who have blessed me. (I will never forget them.) For brothers and sisters in faith, thoughtful listeners, true friends, faithful co-workers. For all who have helped me by what they have written and preached, for conversations, prayers, examples, rebukes, injuries. ... For all these, and all others which I know, which I know not, for things open and hidden, for that which I've remembered and forgotten, or done when I wished-and even when I did not wish, I bless you, Lord. And I will bless. I give thanks to you, Lord. And I will give thanks, all the days of my life. Who am I that you should look on someone like me? How could I ever pay you back, Lord, for all the benefits you have given me? What thanks could I ever give you for sparing me, and bearing with me? Holy, holy, holy! You are worthy, our Lord and God, the Holy One, to receive glory and honor and power. For you have made all things. And for your pleasure they are-and were-created. We pray this in Jesus' name, Amen. Benediction: May you be blessed whose strength is in the Lord You who have set your hearts in pilgrimage, Who go from strength to strength, Til you appear before God in the heavenly Zion. Until we meet again, Grace and Peace to you.

See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm. See, his reward is with him. . . . — Isaiah 40:10 Having introduced the Lord to his people, Isaiah describes the majestic revelation of God.First, he is the Sovereign LORD, the Lord Almighty. The Lord is neither a pagan deity nor a tribal idol; he is the one, true God, clothed with power and majesty. Since he is all-powerful, nothing is too difficult for the Lord.Second, the Lord has control over the universe, history, and nations, for his mighty arm rules over all things. Kingdoms rise and fall, but the Lord remains King over all. He is the one who gives life and takes it away. He is the one who exalts and brings low. He is the one who raises up presidents, prime ministers, and other rulers on the earth, and yet before him they are like nothing, no more than a drop in a bucket (Isaiah 40:15-17).Third, he is the God who rewards. The Lord saves by his grace and brings rewards by his goodness. Scripture says, “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them” (Hebrews 6:10). And “when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away” (1 Peter 5:4).The Lord our God is sovereign, almighty, in control, and faithful to his promises. Lord, you rule with all power and majesty over all nations and all time. Strengthen our faith. Help us to serve you with love, trusting that you see, remember, and reward us with the gift of full life with you. Amen.

Luke 2:25-40 New International Version 25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: 29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss[a] your servant in peace.30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.” 33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” 36 There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four.[b] She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. 39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ask God To Guide You Through Troubles And Not To Remove. You Will Grow As A Result Acts 4:23-24 23On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.

Luke 2:21-35 New International Version 21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived. Jesus Presented in the Temple 22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”[a]), 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”[b] 25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: 29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss[c] your servant in peace.30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.” 33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Drawing from Asaph’s transparent confession in Psalm 73:2-3, this reflection explores how unresolved hurt and constant focus on injustice can slowly lead us toward disillusionment. Like Asaph, many believers struggle when they see harmful people thriving while their own wounds deepen. Yet the turning point in the psalm comes when Asaph intentionally enters God’s sanctuary and regains an eternal perspective. In God’s presence, he remembers that earthly success is temporary, but God’s love, justice, and guidance are eternal. This devotional encourages Christians to stop carrying pain alone and instead seek refuge in the Lord. God does not dismiss our hurt or ignore injustice. He sees every wound, strengthens weary hearts, and offers healing to those who draw near to Him. Even when circumstances remain difficult, His presence steadies us and renews our faith. Highlights Psalm 73 honestly addresses discouragement over injustice and evil. Comparing our suffering to others’ success can lead to bitterness and despair. Rumination and isolation often pull us further away from God’s peace. Asaph found clarity only after intentionally entering God’s presence. God offers refuge, healing, and perspective in seasons of pain. Justice may seem delayed, but God remains faithful and sovereign. Drawing near to God strengthens faith and quiets fear. Do you want to listen ad-free? When you join Crosswalk Plus, you gain access to exclusive, in-depth Bible study guides, devotionals, sound biblical advice, and daily encouragement from trusted pastors and authors—resources designed to strengthen your faith and equip you to live it out boldly. PLUS ad free podcasts! Sign Up Today! Full Transcript Below: When We Feel Discouraged by the Evil in Our WorldBy: Jennifer Slattery Bible Reading:But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;I had nearly lost my foothold.For I envied the arrogantwhen I saw the prosperity of the wicked. - Psalm 73:2-3 (NIV) Some time ago, I met with a sweet woman trying to heal from some deep emotional wounds. Because of past harm, she struggled to trust others and feel safe in relationships. Relatively new in her faith and transformation journey, she was just beginning to make sense of her emotions and inner world. As her understanding grew, so did her anger. This multiplied when she learned the person who’d most harmed her had slandered her to others, causing some to misjudge her and others to withdraw completely. She felt like she would never break free from her pain and bitterness. Worse, her offender didn’t seem to suffer any consequences for her actions. The person actually seemed to be thriving. Have you been there? Watching someone else treat others with ruthless cruelty, and not only get away with it, but benefit from your pain and the wreckage they caused? We can all probably think of situations in which injustice left us deeply wounded, wondering why God allowed us to experience such pain. We’ve also probably watched others seem to get away with horrendous behavior, while our suffering only increases. This was precisely how Asaph, the royal musician who penned Psalm 73, felt. We don’t know when he wrote this passage. But if this is the same Asaph who served during the time of King David, he may have been watching the betrayal David experienced at the hands of his son. Or perhaps the wickedness he refers to hits closer to home. His words might also stem from a more existential reflection on considering the world at large. At times, it does seem like the wealthy, powerful, and unscrupulous thrive, with little worries or pain, while we fall into one crisis after another. And in those seasons when someone else’s success seems to mock our pain, it’s easy to question the heart, promises, and plans of God. Unfortunately, if we cease tending to our souls, our sorrow can turn to disillusionment and eventually bitterness. Our inner angst can turn us from, rather than to, the One who knows us fully, loves us deeply, and is always working on our behalf. When we sense ourselves tiptoeing toward disillusionment and despair, we can follow Asaph’s example, as revealed in verses 16-17. Initially, he attempted to make sense of his circumstances on his own (v. 16). This only increased his inner angst. But then, in the next verse, we read: “… till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny” (NIV). He intentionally turned to God. I don’t know how far he needed to travel to reach the Temple. But this required effort and determination. It also meant setting aside whatever other tasks he wanted to complete that day. When we’re hurting, frightened, or struggling with doubt, it’s easy to get stuck in our heads as we rehearse all the evils we’ve experienced or seen. The more we ruminate on what feels hard and uncertain, the more powerless and discouraged, and potentially, even abandoned, we feel. And our mind rarely remains focused on the inciting incident. Often, one negative thought leads to another, then another, until we’re overwhelmed. And like I said earlier, unmitigated introspection can pull us further from God, which only increases our fear or despair. But the converse occurs, as well. When we turn to God, seek His presence, and authentically engage with Him, He meets us in the intensity of our emotions and speaks clarity to our confusion, truth to our doubts, and surrounds us with His love. Did you catch how the Lord did this for Asaph? In God’s sanctuary, the place in which His presence dwelt, He gained faith-building understanding. Yes, the wicked seemed to thrive without any concerns or consequences. But justice would come, and Asaph would experience God’s goodness. Notice how he ended his poetic prayer. In verses 23-26, we read: Yet I am always with you;you hold me by my right hand.You guide me with your counsel,and afterward you will take me into glory.Whom have I in heaven but you?And earth has nothing I desire besides you.My flesh and my heart may fail,but God is the strength of my heartand my portion forever. And then, in verse 28: But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; Intersecting Life & Faith: I don’t know what you’re going through currently, what feels heavy and unfair and unjust. But I do know God sees you, loves you, and is for you. He won’t abandon you in your pain, nor will He allow the wicked to thrive forever. He brings justice, healing, hope, and refuge. If you’re feeling disillusioned by someone else’s sinful behavior, bring your emotions, unfiltered, to God and trust Him to meet and to heal you there. To shield and uphold you in His love. Before you sign off, if this episode hit a tender place in your soul and you’re struggling to make sense of some relational patterns that are leading to more anxiety than joy, visit the Faith Over Fear podcast to listen to my conversation with Jennifer Renee Watson on the threads of people pleasing and how to gain the confidence to tend to your soul—when others try to beat you down. That episode is titled "When People Take Advantage of Your Kindness: Biblical Help for People Pleasing." Further Reading: Psalm 37:1-7 Romans 12:19 Psalm 94:1-3 Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Sit quietly with grace, and let it work its slow, substantial change. Nothing is more common for those whose hearts have been divinely warmed than to pledge themselves to new, exacting duties. We'll read our Bibles for an hour each day; pray for all our friends and even for some enemies; tell “unconverted” colleagues, neighbors—even strangers—of their task to do as we have done. We move at hyper-speed as if to make up for the months—the years—when we ourselves were unresponsive to the gospel. But what we need—and what our friends and enemies much need—is that we answer the first call of grace: “Be still, and know that I am God” (Ps 46:10). Our rush to vow new righteous duties, work new holy deeds, and tell what we have only started to experience is often just another act of foolish self-atonement. Heaven wisely urges us to quiet. “This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: ‘Only in returning to Me and resting in Me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength'” (Isa 30:15-16). Grace received always grows into grace well-lived. But beware of pledging your good deeds until you've more fully learned all that the Lord has kindly done for you. And stay in grace. -Bill Knott

Sit quietly with grace, and let it work its slow, substantial change. Nothing is more common for those whose hearts have been divinely warmed than to pledge themselves to new, exacting duties. We'll read our Bibles for an hour each day; pray for all our friends and even for some enemies; tell “unconverted” colleagues, neighbors—even strangers—of their task to do as we have done. We move at hyper-speed as if to make up for the months—the years—when we ourselves were unresponsive to the gospel. But what we need—and what our friends and enemies much need—is that we answer the first call of grace: “Be still, and know that I am God” (Ps 46:10). Our rush to vow new righteous duties, work new holy deeds, and tell what we have only started to experience is often just another act of foolish self-atonement. Heaven wisely urges us to quiet. “This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: ‘Only in returning to Me and resting in Me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength'” (Isa 30:15-16). Grace received always grows into grace well-lived. But beware of pledging your good deeds until you've more fully learned all that the Lord has kindly done for you. And stay in grace. -Bill Knott

My friend Shana Reif suffered from Cystic Fibrosis, a genetic disease that primarily affects the lungs and other organs. It causes thick, sticky mucus to build up in the airways, leading to repeated infections, inflammation, and progressive lung damage. In many cases, the disease can advance until the lungs can no longer do what God created them to dobring oxygen into the body and sustain life. Cystic Fibrosis is a horrible and incurable disease, and it was the disease Shana endured all her life. When she was born, her parents were told she would not live much past her twentieth birthday. But Shana lived to be thirty-two. I came to know Shana in high school, not long after I became a follower of Jesus. After high school, we became very close friends. She edited my Bible college papers, and I visited her often during her many hospital stays. I also visited her at home as she recovered from the latest infection. By 2003, her lungs had been so damaged by chronic infections that she was placed on the waiting list for new lungs. She received a double lung transplant in 2004, but even then, her suffering did not fully end. Her body remained fragile. Her fight continued. But Shana loved Jesus. Though she struggled deeply with her disease, she held onto the hope of the gospel. One of the last emails I received from her was signed with words from her favorite hymn: Great is Thy faithfulness. In 2007, Shana died from complications after a procedure to reopen a constricted airway. When someone you love suffers like that, the question How long? is not theoretical. How long will disease ravage bodies? How long will death take those we love? How long will Gods people suffer in a world still broken by sin? How long before Christ makes all things new? Revelation 6:911 brings us to that question. But here, the cry comes specifically from those who have been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they maintained. The Martyrs: The Cost of Their Witness (v. 9) There are three cycles of judgment in Revelation: the seals, the trumpets, and the bowls. These cycles do not unfold in strict linear successionseals, then trumpets, then bowlsbut recapitulate the same period of history with increasing intensity, like birth pains. For our purposes, I simply want you to notice one pattern that helps us understand what is happening in this passage. In each cyclethe seals, trumpets, and bowlsthe first four judgments affect the world in broad, visible ways, but the fifth shifts the focus. The fifth seal shows the saints crying out for justice (Rev. 6:911). The fifth trumpet shows judgment beginning to fall on the enemies of Godthose who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads (Rev. 9:112; especially 9:4). The fifth bowl shows judgment reaching the very throne of the beast, whose kingdom wages war against all who refuse to worship him (Rev. 16:1011; cf. Rev. 13:78, 15). This is why the first four seals show us the horsemen riding across the earth. But when the fifth seal is opened, the focus shifts from what is happening on earth to what heaven sees when Gods people suffer because of the word of God and the testimony they maintain. These martyrs are not beneath the altar because they were victims of history. They are there because they belonged to the Lamb and remained faithful to the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. Their witness cost them their lives. John is showing us what Jesus had already told His disciples: If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me (Matt. 16:24; NASB). The fifth seal reminds us that following Jesus is not merely a call to believe certain truths about Him; it is a call to bear faithful witness to those truths, even when obedience is costly. Polycarp is said to have been a disciple of the apostle John and later became the bishop of Smyrna. Smyrna, you may remember, was one of the seven churches Jesus addressed in Revelation. Jesus told that suffering church, Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life (Rev. 2:10). Years later, Polycarp was arrested and ordered to deny Christ. When pressed to renounce Jesus, he replied, Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He never did me any injury: how then can I blaspheme my King and my Saviour? Polycarps witness cost him his life, but heaven did not see his death as Rome did. Rome saw a criminal to be silenced. Heaven saw a faithful witness beneath the altar. And we do not have to go back to Polycarp to see this kind of witness. You may remember the twenty-one Coptic Christians who were taken by ISIS in Libya and led onto a beach in orange jumpsuits. They were ordinary men who refused to renounce their faith in Jesus. Their blood was shed on earth, but Revelation 6 reminds us that heaven did not miss a drop. The world saw men being led to execution. Heaven saw faithful witnesses beneath the altar. Since 2015, conservative estimates suggest that more than 50,000 Christians have been killed for faith-related reasons around the world. According to Open Doors 2026 World Watch List, North Korea remains the most dangerous country in the world to be a Christian, while Nigeria is the deadliest, accounting for 3,490 of the 4,849 Christians killed for their faith during the latest reporting period. The seals describe the birth pains that mark this present age. The first four seals show us a world marked by conquest, war, famine, and death. But when the fifth seal is opened, we are shown what heaven sees when Gods people suffer because of the word of God and the testimony they maintain. The Altar: The Cry Before God (v. 10) Notice that John not only tells us that these faithful Christ-followers suffered and died for their faith, but also tells us where he saw these Christians. They are under the altar. This is a crucial detail that you can only understand if you know something about the Old Testament tabernacle that God told Moses to build. Scripture tells us that the earthly tabernacle was a copy and shadow of the one in heaven (Heb. 8:4-5; Exod. 25-31; 35-40). So when John sees an altar in heaven, he is not seeing something new, but the heavenly reality to which Israels worship had always pointed. Within the tabernacle, there were two primary altars. The bronze altar stood in the courtyard, where sacrifices were offered. The altar of incense stood near the Most Holy Place, close to the ark of the covenant, which represented the throne of God. Both altars help us understand what John sees. The blood of the sacrifice was poured at the altars base, and the incense rising before the Lord symbolized the prayers of Gods people ascending into His presence. So when John sees the souls of the martyrs beneath the altar, he sees their lives as precious before God and their prayers as heard before His throne. In the earthly tabernacle, a veil stood between the priests and God's immediate presence. But in heaven, no curtain hides His throne from His redeemed people. The martyrs are not far from God. They are beneath the altar, before the throne, and in the presence of the Lord God Almighty. Now, picture what is happening before Johns eyes. Those who suffered the ultimate cost for following Jesus are not behind the altar, nor are they on top of the altar. These saints are under the altar, which tells us that they are closest to the throne. Also, the martyrs are not passive, but are actively pleading for vindication in Gods heavenly court. There is no magical language here, for their cries are raw and honest. There is no anger hurled before God, but cries of vindication in light of their understanding of who God is! Notice what these dear saints include in their prayer: O Sovereign Lord, holy and true... Now lets stop there for a moment. The ESV translates the word well asSovereign Lord.The Greek word used here is not the most common term for Lord,kyrios, butdespotēs, and this is the only time it appears in the entire book of Revelation. The word these martyred saints use conveys absolute ownership, supreme authority, and sovereign mastery. We get our English worddespotfrom this word, but whiledespotusually carries a negative meaning in English, that is not the case whendespotēs is used of God in the New Testament. When used of God, it emphasizes His complete authority over creation, His servants, history, judgment, and justice. This matters because these Christians are not merely crying out to God as sufferers, asking whether He cares. They are crying out to the One they know to be the Sovereign Master over all things. They are appealing to the One who has the authority to judge, avenge, vindicate, and bring history to its appointed end. They are not crying out in doubt. They are crying out in faith. They know He is able. They know He is holy. They know He is true. And they know that the Sovereign Lord will do what is right. Notice what the saints attribute to God next. Not only is He the Sovereign Master, but He is holy. These saints who have suffered much understand that their God is utterly set apart from all evil, corruption, compromise, and injustice. He is not like the kingdoms and the kings of this world. He is not indifferent to injustice and the bloodshed at the hands of the wicked. He is not morally conflicted. He is pure in all His judgments, righteous in all His ways, and completely opposed to everything wicked. He is holy and these saints know it! God is not only holy; He is also true. When these saints plead their case before the throne of God, they do so knowing that He is faithful to all He has promised. He does not forget. He does not make empty threats or hollow promises. What He has spoken, He will do (Num. 23:19; Josh. 21:45; Isa. 55:1011; Titus 1:2; Heb. 10:23). So when these martyrs cry, How long? they are not questioning Gods goodness, nor are they doubting that He will keep His word. They are asking when the God who is holy and true will act in perfect faithfulness to His word and to those He has promised never to forsake (Deut. 31:6; Heb. 13:5; Rev). The breaking of the fifth seal and the prayer of these suffering saints teach us an important truth about how we can and should pray. They pray from their understanding of who God truly is. This is the kind of thing we read about in Daniel 11:32: ...the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action. These saints know their God, and so they cry out, O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth? This prayer is not a contradiction of Jesus command to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Matt. 5:44). It is a plea to the holy and true God to judge evil, vindicate His people, and set the world right. Their cry is rooted in the justice of God, knowing that His Word teaches that vengeance belongs to Him and not to His people (Deut. 32:35; Rom. 12:19). The martyrs beneath the altar are asking God to do what only God has the right and authority to do. The Throne: The Completion of Gods Purpose (v. 11) Now, notice what happens next. God responds, meaning He heard their prayer. But He does not respond as we might initially expect. The God who is sovereign, holy, and true responds by giving these Christians white robes as a sign of honor, purity, and vindication. These robes signify the righteousness that is theirs because of Jesus. When we see this great multitude again in Revelation 7, we are told, They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb (Rev. 7:14). These martyred saints represent every faithful witness who has been slain for the word of God and the testimony they upheldfrom the earliest martyrs of the church to our brothers and sisters suffering for Christ today. They are not treated as victims of random violence but as saints who belong to Christ and whose witness is precious before God. God responds by giving them white robes and telling them to do the thing we all hate: wait. Verse 11 says they were told to rest a little longer. That word, rest, matters. God is not dismissing their cry. He is not ignoring their suffering. He is calling them to rest in His presence, assured that perfect justice will come in His appointed time and in His sovereign way. Why must they wait? Because other Christians will suffer as they did, and they must wait until their number is complete. This means Gods justice is not delayed because He is indifferent. It is delayed because His purpose is not yet complete. There are still more witnesses to be gathered, more saints to be strengthened, and more glory to be given to Christ through the faithful endurance of His people. Gods answer to their prayer was to wait a little while longer. Conclusion My friend Shana frequently asked the same question you may have asked more than you can count: How long O Sovereign Lord, holy and true... It is the plea of the suffering. Shana was not a martyr, she was not killed by persecutors because of the word of God. She died on the operating table due to complications at the hands of surgeons who were trying to ease her suffering. Let me tell you what Shana did know. She knew what it meant to suffer in a world that is still waiting for Christ to make all things new. She knew what it meant to groan. She knew what it meant to wait. She knew what it meant to hope. I know that God used her life to encourage and strengthen the faith of others. Revelation 6:9-11 teaches us that we need not pretend the pain we experience is small. We need not pretend injustice does not matter. We need not pretend that death is natural. We can cry How long and do so in faith, not despair. We can cry it to the Sovereign Lord, who is holy and true. The Lamb who opens the fifth seal, is the Lamb who sees the suffering of His people. He honors the witness of His redeemed. He gives those who follow Him rest. The Lamb who died for you, is the Lord who will bring His purpose to completion for His glory and for your good! So, my dear brothers and sisters, we wait. But we do not wait as people forgotten by the One who sits upon the throne. We wait as those who belong to the Lamb. We wait as those whose lives are precious before the One on the throne. And we wait with confidence that the One who is sovereign, holy, and true will do exactly what He has promised. We can trust Him to do what is good and right because that is who He is.

Dr. Lee Warren is a neurosurgeon and author of The Life-Changing Art of Self-Brain Surgery, but his story goes far beyond medicine. After losing his son tragically and unexpectedly, he found himself navigating unimaginable grief. Yet on the very same day as his son's funeral, the birth of his granddaughter gave him a glimpse of hope in the darkness.   In this deeply moving conversation, Dr. Warren shares what suffering taught him about God, hope, and the power of our thoughts. Blending biblical truth with neuroscience, he offers practical steps on how to renew your mind, care for your mental health, and find hope – even in the hardest seasons.   If you're walking through grief, trauma, or uncertainty, this conversation will remind you … you're not alone – and there is hope.   Subscribe to the podcast and tune in each week as Haley and Dustin share with you what the Bible says about real-life issues with compassion, warmth, and wit.   So you have every reason for hope, for every challenge in life. Because hope means everything.   Hope Talks is a podcast of the ministry of Hope for the Heart.   Listen in to learn more    Dr. Lee Warren Resources   Get Dr. Warren's book, The Life-Changing Art of Self-Brain Surgery: https://wleewarrenmd.com/books/the-life-changing-art-of-self-brain-surgery/    Learn more about Dr. Lee Warren: https://wleewarrenmd.com/    Listen to the Dr. Lee Warren podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@drleewarren  Hope for the Heart resources   Connect with Hope for the Heart on social!    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hopefortheheart   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopefortheheart    Learn more about the ministry and resources of Hope for the Heart: https://www.hopefortheheart.org/    Learn more about Hope Talks and catch up on past episodes: https://www.hopefortheheart.org/hopetalks/    Want to talk with June Hunt on Hope in the Night about a difficult life issue? Schedule a time here: https://resource.hopefortheheart.org/talk-with-june-hope-in-the-night   God's plan for you: https://www.hopefortheheart.org/gods-plan-for-you/   Give to the ministry of Hope for the Heart: https://hopefortheheart.donorsupport.co/page/hope-talks -------------- Bible verses mentioned in this episode Isaiah 30:15 – “This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.”   John 10:10 – “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Romans 5:3-5 -- “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”   2 Corinthians 10:5 – “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”   Philippians 4:8 – “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”   Titus 2:10 – “showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.”

Welcome to Day 2863 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom. Day 2863 – Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 127:1-5 – Daily Wisdom Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2863 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2863 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. The title for today's Wisdom-Trek is: The Song of Ascent – The Architect, the Watchman, and the Warrior In our previous episode on this grand expedition, we climbed through the seventh Song of Ascent, Psalm One Hundred Twenty-Six. We stood in the tension of the “already, but not yet,” remembering the unbelievable, dream-like rescue of God's people from exile, while desperately praying for a fresh outpouring of His grace. We learned the profound, agricultural lesson of the sower. We discovered that in the contested territory of this fallen world, we often have to plant our seeds in tears, exhausted by the spiritual warfare around us. Yet, we anchored our souls to the unbreakable, cosmic guarantee that those who weep as they plant will eventually return singing, carrying a massive, joyful harvest. Today, we take our next deliberate steps upward on this ancient pilgrim trail. We are exploring the eighth song in this magnificent collection. We are turning our attention to Psalm One Hundred Twenty-Seven, verses one through five, in the New Living Translation. Interestingly, this specific psalm is attributed to King Solomon. Solomon was the ultimate builder of the ancient world; he built the glorious Temple, fortified cities, and amassed unprecedented wealth. Yet, in this psalm, he pauses to deliver a sobering warning about the futility of human ambition. He teaches us that building a physical empire, or a lasting family legacy, is entirely useless if the Architect of the cosmos is not the one holding the blueprints. Let us step onto the trail, and learn how to build a legacy that actually lasts. The first segment is: The Futility of Autonomous Ambition Psalm One Hundred Twenty-Seven: verses one and two. Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good. It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones. This magnificent stanza opens with a definitive, double-sided declaration of human limitation. “Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good.” To truly grasp the weight of these words, we must view them through the lens of the Ancient Israelite worldview, specifically regarding the Divine Council and the cosmic rebellion. When human beings attempt to build a house, a dynasty, or a fortified city without the authorization and the active presence of Yahweh, they are essentially repeating the catastrophic sin of the Tower of Babel. At Babel, humanity sought to build a localized empire, a massive tower to reach the heavens, in order to make a great name for themselves, completely autonomous from the Creator. That act of autonomous ambition resulted in God disinheriting the nations, confusing their languages, and placing them under the jurisdiction of lesser, rebel spiritual principalities, the fallen elohim. Therefore, any city, or any human institution, built outside the cosmic order of God, is inherently vulnerable. It belongs to the chaotic, unstable realm of the rebel gods. You can hire the greatest architects, lay the thickest foundation stones, and post the most highly trained sentries on the walls, but if the Most High God is not the active Protector of that territory, the entire enterprise is spiritually bankrupt. It is destined to collapse into the dust. This reality brings us to the deeply psychological, and practical, observation in verse two. “It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones.” The rebel gods of the surrounding pagan cultures demanded endless, anxious labor from their followers. The deities of Canaan, Egypt, and Babylon were viewed as cruel taskmasters, requiring constant sacrifices and frantic appeasement just to ensure the rains would fall, and the crops would grow. The kingdom of darkness thrives on human anxiety. It wants you waking up before dawn, terrified of failure, and going to bed late, exhausted and consumed by the stress of basic survival. But Solomon, the wisest king of Israel, calls this frantic, autonomous striving “useless.” It is vanity. It is chasing the wind. He draws a sharp, beautiful contrast between the oppressive systems of the world, and the loving economy of Yahweh. “For God gives rest to his loved ones.” Other translations say, “He provides for His beloved even in his sleep.” The God of the Bible is not a cruel taskmaster. He is the loving Father who provides Shalom—complete, restful wholeness. This does not mean that believers are called to be lazy. We are called to be diligent, responsible stewards of creation. But the motivation changes entirely. We do not work out of a suffocating, paralyzing fear of starvation, or a desperate need to build our own autonomous empires. We work from a place of profound rest, knowing that the Sovereign Lord is the ultimate Provider, and that He is intimately guarding the house we are building. The second segment is: The Divine Gift and the Rejection of the Fertility Cults Psalm One Hundred Twenty-Seven: verse three. Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him. Suddenly, the psalm pivots. Solomon shifts the metaphor from building a physical house out of stones and cedar, to building a household, a dynasty, made out of human lives. He declares, “Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.” In our modern culture, we might read this simply as a sweet, sentimental statement about the joy of parenting. But in the ancient Near East, this was a massive, aggressive theological claim. It was an act of profound spiritual warfare. The nations surrounding Israel were deeply entrenched in fertility cults. They worshiped gods like Baal and Asherah, believing that these localized, rebel deities controlled the womb, the rain, and the harvest. When a couple wanted to conceive a child, they would participate in the corrupt, often deeply immoral, rituals of the pagan temples, frantically trying to manipulate the gods into granting them fertility. By stating that “Children are a gift from the Lord,” the psalmist is explicitly stripping all power and authority away from the false gods of Canaan. He is reminding the pilgrims that Baal has absolutely no jurisdiction over human life. The womb is not controlled by the chaotic forces of nature; it is the exclusive, sovereign domain of Yahweh. Every single child is a direct, intentional inheritance, and a precious reward, handed down by the Creator of the universe. To build a family legacy, you do not turn to the frantic, anxious practices of the world; you look upward, to the Giver of all good things. The third segment is: The Warrior's Quiver and the Expansion of the Kingdom Psalm One Hundred Twenty-Seven: verses four and five. Children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior's hands. How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them! He will not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates. Having established the divine origin of the family, Solomon introduces one of the most striking, martial metaphors in the entire Psalter. “Children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior's hands.” Why does he compare children to weapons of war? Because, in the biblical worldview, raising a family is not a neutral, passive activity. It is an act of strategic, generational combat. The world is contested territory, deeply infected by the lies, the injustice, and the chaotic rebellion of the dark spiritual principalities. When you raise children in the fear and admonition of the Lord, you are intentionally shaping imagers of God, preparing them to push back against the darkness. Consider the nature of an arrow. An arrow is not meant to be kept safely inside the quiver forever. A warrior carefully shapes the shaft, balances the weight, sharpens the arrowhead, and attaches the fletching. All of this meticulous, grueling preparation is done for one specific purpose: to launch the arrow outward, into enemy...

Acts 4 21 After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened. 22 For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years old. The Threats of Confidence    23 On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them.    24 When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. "Sovereign Lord," they said, "you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.    25 You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: "'Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 26 The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed one.'   27 Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. 28 They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.      29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30 Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus."     31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.   32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.    33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God's grace was so powerfully at work in them all    34 that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.

On this episode of The King's Healing Room Podcast,  Dr. Lacey dives into her sermonSermon References: (NIV Version):ISAIAH 41:10: See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power,and he rules with a mighty arm.See, his reward is with him,and his recompense accompanies him.PHILIPPIANS 1:6: being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.HEBREWS 12:2: fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.James 4:7: Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.Nehemiah 8:10: Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”Genesis 19:9: Get out of our way,” they replied. “This fellow came here as a foreigner, and now he wants to play the judge! We'll treat you worse than them.” They kept bringing pressure on Lot and moved forward to break down the door.We are Located in Syracuse, NY The King's Healing Room4326 Fay RoadSyracuse, NY 13219Founder/Senior Bishop: Bishop. Brian K. Hill Sr.Executive Pastor: Elder. Yulon JonesWe can be reached at 315-516-8110Giving Experience:To give today:Givelify: Search: The King's Healing RoomPay Pal:TKHROFFICE@gmail.comTKHR now offers Text to Give...Here's how it works:5 Steps...1.   Text - "give " to 1 (844) 981-2759 which is unique to TKHR2.  You will receive a text with instructions 3.  Follow the instructions to set up a giving account4. Text the amount you want to give and the designation (eg. tithe, offering, general fund)5. You will receive a receipt via email confirming your giftI did it and it works!Mailing:The King's Healing Room4326 Fay RoadSyracuse, NY 13219Check out our website:tkhrchurch.com Linktree:Linktr.ee/TKHRChurchWatch our weekly services live on: Facebook.com/TKHRChurchWeekly Services:Sundays:Kingdom Academy: Sunday 9:30amSunday Service: Sunday 11amThursdays:Intercessory Prayer Meeting:Every Thursday @ 12pm Dial in @ (978) 990-5000; Access Code 596853Monthly Services:Saturdays:Youth Ministry: 2nd Saturday's: 12pm to 4pmWomen's Ministry: 3rd Saturday's from 11am to 1pmMATA: Men's Group: 4th Saturday's from 12p to 2pm___________________________________Podcasting:If you want to listen to the sermon on audio podcast here are the links below:Apple Podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-kings-healing-room-podcast/id1494591065?uo=4Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/4LDhQ58s0Ysk6PYJ9vKMboBreaker:https://www.breaker.audio/the-kings-healing-room-podcastGoogle Podcast: https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy8xMjJjOWQ4OC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw==Overcast:https://overcast.fm/itunes1494591065/the-kings-healing-room-podcastPocket Cast:https://pca.st/bv1ufvf7Radio Public:https://radiopublic.com/the-kings-healing-room-podcast-WJ2LL1____________________________________Social Media:Follow us on all social media platforms at @TKHRChurch and use our hashtag #TKHRCHURCHX: https://x.com/TKHRChurchFacebook: https://facebook.com/TKHRChurchInstagram: https://instagram.com/TKHRChurchSnapchat: https://snapchat.com/TKHRChurchYouTube: Youtube.com/@TKHRChurchThank you for listening to The King's Healing Room Podcast, “We Are A Kingdom Ministry with a Global Presence”.

From “In the Beginning” to Amen – Honest to God Honest to God God Invites Honesty, Not Performance The Psalms Model a Full Emotional Life Lived in God's Presence, But Willing to Learn and Be Shaped Psalm 73:21-28 (NIV)“When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you. Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you. But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.”  1.      Joy And Praise - Loads of It 2.      Fear and Anxiety 3.      Anger and Frustration 4.     Grief and Despair 5.      Honesty and Repentance God Is Not Intimidated by Emotional Complexity - He Created Us… God Desires Relationship Over Ritual Authenticity Is Central to a Deep Spiritual Life God Desires Your Real Heart, not a Rehearsed One

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260430dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Psalm 23:5 With Jesus My Shepherd, I Am Honored The story arc of Psalm 23 moves fast enough to make your head spin. It begins with David identifying with a lowly sheep, content to recline in the presence of the Lord, his loving Shepherd, knowing that plenty of green grass and clean water are available. Then Shepherd and sheep are up and walking, and the paths seem right—until suddenly all is dark and scary. Fortunately, David is aware that the Shepherd is with him in that shadowy valley, fending off unknown and unseen assailants on every hand. One verse later, the darkness is lifted, revealing the enemies before him, but the tables have turned in an unexpected way. The lowly sheep from the pasture is now the guest of honor at the Lord’s own Table. Those who meant harm to him can do nothing but watch in humiliation and defeat, as he receives every sign of hospitality and honor. Perhaps this sequence of events reflects the way King David looked back on his own life. He went from a young man tending his father’s sheep to a giant-slayer to being hunted by the king as a traitor to being anointed and crowned king himself. How could a young shepherd ever imagine receiving such honor? In gratitude for all these blessings and more, David prayed, “Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?” (2 Samual 7:18). He knew better than anyone that it was only by God’s grace that he was blessed in this way. Jesus Christ—both David's descendant and his Lord—is the Shepherd King who displays lavish hospitality on us, the sheep of his flock. He took our shame and lowliness upon himself, dying in our place, so that he might share his glory with us. When Satan points out our sin, Jesus stuns him into silence, graciously inviting us to his Table where our Lord’s own body and blood assure us of forgiveness. Jesus, our Shepherd, welcomes us as honored guests, anointing us with joy and the Holy Spirit. Prayer: (CW, 552:5) You spread a table in my sight, A banquet here bestowing; Your oil of welcome, my delight; My cup is overflowing. Amen. Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260430dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Psalm 23:5 With Jesus My Shepherd, I Am Honored The story arc of Psalm 23 moves fast enough to make your head spin. It begins with David identifying with a lowly sheep, content to recline in the presence of the Lord, his loving Shepherd, knowing that plenty of green grass and clean water are available. Then Shepherd and sheep are up and walking, and the paths seem right—until suddenly all is dark and scary. Fortunately, David is aware that the Shepherd is with him in that shadowy valley, fending off unknown and unseen assailants on every hand. One verse later, the darkness is lifted, revealing the enemies before him, but the tables have turned in an unexpected way. The lowly sheep from the pasture is now the guest of honor at the Lord’s own Table. Those who meant harm to him can do nothing but watch in humiliation and defeat, as he receives every sign of hospitality and honor. Perhaps this sequence of events reflects the way King David looked back on his own life. He went from a young man tending his father’s sheep to a giant-slayer to being hunted by the king as a traitor to being anointed and crowned king himself. How could a young shepherd ever imagine receiving such honor? In gratitude for all these blessings and more, David prayed, “Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?” (2 Samual 7:18). He knew better than anyone that it was only by God’s grace that he was blessed in this way. Jesus Christ—both David's descendant and his Lord—is the Shepherd King who displays lavish hospitality on us, the sheep of his flock. He took our shame and lowliness upon himself, dying in our place, so that he might share his glory with us. When Satan points out our sin, Jesus stuns him into silence, graciously inviting us to his Table where our Lord’s own body and blood assure us of forgiveness. Jesus, our Shepherd, welcomes us as honored guests, anointing us with joy and the Holy Spirit. Prayer: (CW, 552:5) You spread a table in my sight, A banquet here bestowing; Your oil of welcome, my delight; My cup is overflowing. Amen. Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Yesterday I gave you a new name you couldn't pronounce, but a powerful promise from our God through a name he reveals. Remember, Yahweh M – God’s promise of actively sanctifying you to make you holy simply by relationship with him. Not through your perfection, but through his. Not by your works, but the works already done for you. And because of this, you can surrender and find sweet rest. Now today, we will study a name you really know. A name you can pronounce. A name you can understand. And we will see God's perfect fulfillment of this name in the work of Jesus. Psalm 23:1 (You complete the sentence) – “The LORD is my …. SHEPHERD” Yes, God is our shepherd, meaning he is our guide, our provider, and our protector. He is present, and he is personally aware of YOU. This is your game changer! Recognize, you are the sheep. The one created and designed to need help. You were never intended to know the way. You were never expected to get there on your own. You simply can't – you're the sheep. You were designed to need a shepherd. Ezekiel 34:11-12, This is what the Sovereign LORD says, “I myself will search and find my sheep. I will be like a shepherd looking for his scattered flock. I will find my sheep and rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on that dark and cloudy day.” Have you ever had one of those dark, cloudy days? One of those days that rocked your world and caused you to get lost in the darkness? One of those days that made you question everything you thought you knew. Yes, those are the days when sheep tend to get scattered. We run and hide in our thoughts and try to isolate from the pain. And my friend, don't you know that's when you are in the most danger? Running and hiding is never your answer. If you watch a few nature shows on Africa, you will quickly see the lesson play out. If there's a group of zebra (which by the way are called a dazzle), and those zebra are being chased by a lion, they are safe as long as they stay together. But inevitably, do you know what happens – there's one who strays from the dazzle and runs to hide by itself. THAT'S THE ONE THAT GETS EAT EVERY TIME. What's the moral of the story? Don't run and hide. Stay with your people. I've intentionally created my own small zebra herd to go through life with. We are accountability sisters. We don't let each other hide. If one is suffering, we all gather around. If one is struggling, we pick them up. We continually call on the God for each other. Because here's the truth, our enemy is like a lion! 1 Peter 5:8, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” God tells us he is the shepherd finding his sheep that have scattered. He is rescuing them from the places where they run on their dark, hard days of life. Girl, if you've been hiding, he's looking for you! Ezekiel 34 goes on to say in verses 15-16, “I myself will tend my sheep and give them a place to lie down in peace, says the Sovereign LORD. I will search for my lost ones who strayed away, and I will bring them safely home again. I will bandage the injured and strengthen the weak.” Wow, what a promise we have from God. He is our shepherd. To study a shepherd is to study the ways of our God. A shepherd doesn't just watch sheep, he LEADS his sheep. The shepherd knows what his sheep need and he knows where to find it. He knows where those green pastures are. He knows where those still waters are. Every step, he leads his sheep to what they need. A shepherd fights for his sheep. There's always a lion looking to devour that helpless sheep and without a shepherd to protect them, they will never survive. Scripture talks about King David as a young boy being a shepherd to his father's sheep. He became strong and ready for battle against the giant Goliath because he had been fighting off lions to protect his father's sheep for a long time. A shepherd is actively fighting to protect his sheep. You simply have no idea the battles God fought for you just YESTERDAY. You are very likely completely unaware of all God did to protect you from harm. That's the thing about sheep – we can be completely clueless about the dangers. We can be so hyper focused on trying to run to the next pasture that we are oblivious of the lion that was waiting around that corner. But the shepherd knew and the shepherd protected. Do you ever wonder why where you wanted to go and what you wanted to do didn't work out? Do you ever wonder why you can't just go where you want to go and have it the way you want it? LIONS!!!!!! Hidden dangers of the enemy. You may be clueless, but your shepherd is not. He redirects you out of protection. How about you stop fighting against his guidance and trust him. Once again, we're back to that same word again – SURRENDER. The LORD is your shepherd – sweet sheep, will you trust him? Will you go where he is leading you? Will you trust where he guides? Will you lay down and rest when he says to stop? Will you stop wandering off convinced there's something better somewhere else? When a sheep is injured, the shepherd literally carries them. He lovingly binds up their wounds and brings them healing. He restores them. This is the work of the shepherd. And the LORD says, THAT IS WHO I AM FOR YOU, my girl. I AM YOUR SHEPHERD. A shepherd doesn't just show up for working hours and then leave. No, a shepherd lives with his sheep. He walks with them. He lays down with them. He stays with the sheep. The truth is, you are never alone. You are never in this by yourself. You never have to look out for yourself all on your own. Whether you know it or not, you've had a shepherd right there with you every day of your life. If the Lord is your shepherd, you are never lost, you are never alone, and you are never without what you truly need. You are perfectly cared for. You can call on the Shepherd. That's who God is for you. He is your guide. He is your provider. He is your protector. And he's sent a GOOD SHEPHERD to be forever with you. That's our Jesus! Here's what Jesus says in John 10, starting in verse 11, “I am the GOOD SHEPHERD. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. I am the GOOD SHEPHERD: I know my own sheep, and they know me.” You can call him GOOD SHEPHERD. You can CALL ON the GOOD SHEPHERD. You can absolutely COUNT ON the GOOD SHEPHERD to show up for you. He literally knows you. He knows precisely where you are at this very moment, and he has a good place to take you to next. Isn't that amazing to think that our Good Shepherd actually sees what is ahead for you and is continually leading you to that good place?!!! And he knows every threat along the way so he protects you. He knows every need for the journey so he provides for you. If you get hurt on the way, he heals you. He stays close. But if you get yourself a wild hair and decide to not stay close to the Good Shepherd, he will go search for you and rescue you. If you're the one who is hiding, he is looking for you. If you're the one who has strayed, you're not beyond his reach, just fall back into his arms. If you're one who is hurting, let him heal you. If you're one who is worried about future pastures, stay close and let him show you the way. God made a promise to be your shepherd, and he sent his only son to be YOUR GOOD SHEPHERD! You can call him by name now. Good Shepherd, this sheep really needs you today. Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

“How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” — Revelation 6:10 Are you waiting for anything these days? Maybe a longplanned vacation or an important birthday? Or maybe you're waiting for healing after a surgery, or for a relationship to be restored.In our text for today we see a gathering of waiting saints. This is part of the amazing sequence of visions God gave to the apostle John to write down as the book of Revelation. The saints in this passage have been killed for their faith in Jesus, and they want to know how long they will have to wait for justice, for the Lord's vengeance, and for the completion of God's kingdom to come.It's a question that all of us who are “in Christ” ask in one form or another. When will our faith be made sight? When will God's remaking of creation, which began at Christ's resurrection, be complete? When will suffering on this earth be over? When will joy become truly everlasting?“Wait just a little longer” is the answer. No calendar date is provided, but the Lord promises that it will happen. All of us who are “in Christ” will be able to enjoy full life in God's new creation someday. In the meantime, we new creations, all of us who are “in Christ,” are held, loved, and kept for the arrival of that big new creation the Lord is working on. Lord, we are eager for your kingdom to come in its fullness. But we will wait, and as we try to do that in faith, with trust in you and love for one another, help us to serve you faithfully. In Jesus' name, Amen.

In his presentation on Revelation 6, Ben explores the apocalyptic visions triggered when the Lamb opens the first six seals of the scroll. The sequence begins with the four horsemen—riding white, red, black, and pale horses—who are released to bring conquest, violence, economic hardship, and death to a quarter of the earth. The fifth seal shifts the focus to the souls of martyrs beneath the altar who cry out to the Sovereign Lord for justice, receiving white robes and a command to rest until the appointed number of their fellow sufferers is complete. Following this, the sixth seal unleashes severe cosmic upheaval, including a blackened sun, a blood-red moon, and a vanishing sky, driving people of all earthly statuses to hide in terror from the wrath of the Lamb. These intense themes of suffering and judgment are grounded in the apostle Paul's desire to know the fellowship of Christ's sufferings, highlighting that Jesus himself endured the full spectrum of human and demonic evil—such as betrayal, injustice, racism, and corrupt institutions—during his crucifixion.

There is a particular kind of weariness that comes from feeling stuck — when you have tried every solution you can think of, waited longer than feels reasonable, and still find yourself in the same place, wondering if anything will ever change. In those moments, it is tempting to conclude that you have simply reached the end of what is possible. But what if the end of your possibilities is precisely where God's begin? Jeremiah 32:17 is a declaration that refuses to be contained by our circumstances: the God who made the heavens and the earth by His great power and outstretched arm is the same God who is present in your stuck place right now. Nothing — not your complicated relationship, your unanswered question, your closed door, your exhausted imagination — is too hard for Him. The obstacles that loom so large in our vision are remarkably small compared to the power of the One who spoke galaxies into existence. He is not intimidated by what you are facing. And He is not finished. New possibilities do not always arrive as dramatic breakthroughs — sometimes they come as a quiet nudge, a fresh perspective, a creative idea that hadn't occurred to you before. But they come. Keep your eyes open, keep bringing your questions to God, and keep trusting the One who can do what you cannot. Something new may be closer than you think. Today's Bible Verse "Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you." — Jeremiah 32:17, NIV Ponder Today Feeling stuck is not the same as being without hope — the God who created the heavens and the earth is never limited by the circumstances that feel impossible to us. When we focus first on God's greatness rather than our problems, our perspective shifts — the obstacles are still real, but they are suddenly much smaller than the power available to us. New possibilities don't always arrive dramatically — sometimes God moves through a fresh idea, a subtle nudge, or a creative solution that opens a door we hadn't noticed before. God doesn't expect us to figure everything out on our own — He invites us to bring every question and uncertainty to Him, and to ask for guidance at every step of the way. God's timing may look different from ours, but He is always at work — even when we cannot yet see results, new possibilities are forming beneath the surface of what is visible to us. Today's Prayer Dear God, You are the Creator of heaven and earth, and Your love and power are unlimited. You see exactly where I feel stuck, and I confess that I sometimes focus more on the size of my problems than on the greatness of You. Help me trust You to bring new possibilities into my life. Open my eyes to solutions, ideas, and opportunities I might be missing. When I don't know what to do next, guide me step by step. Remind me that nothing is too hard for You, and give me patience when Your answers don't come right away. I trust that You are at work, creating something new. Thank You for walking with me. Amen. Enjoy Today's Prayer? If this episode encouraged you, we'd love to stay connected! Subscribe to the LifeAudio newsletter at LifeAudio.com for daily prayers, devotionals, and faith-filled content delivered straight to your inbox. Don't miss an episode — subscribe and share with someone who needs encouragement today. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Episode Summary: Are you weary from constantly striving, juggling endless responsibilities, and living at a pace that leaves you burned out and exhausted? You’re not alone. In this episode of Your Hope-Filled Perspective, I’m joined by Dr. Portia Preston, a public health expert, two-time TEDx speaker, and author of Hustle, Flow, or Let It Go? Her compassionate, shame-free approach to wellness helps us release hustle culture and create sustainable wellness so we can live with greater balance, peace, and joy. Quotables from the episode: This chronic stress is when I lose connection with myself. That's really the best way I know. Where am I in relation to myself and the things that I value most? If I am being irritable in my relationships, something's off. Because these are people that I love. If you had asked me a decade ago about my experience with burnout, I would have pointed directly to my career. And always feeling like it was on me to provide because who else would do it? But it's only been in recent years when I've found that burnout extends to all facets of my life. Surrender isn't about what you can do. The to-do list narrows our perspective. It's asking us to show up as the person who does these things. So immediately we are taken out of connection with our reality and our capacity. And we've been conditioned to say, well, that's the way that it should be. So, if what I have today doesn't measure up to that, then I'm the problem. And I'm not saying the list is bad. There is a saying that says that we are human beings, not human doings. You were born with worth. That it was a part of you. And it's not something that can be taken away from you. God never designed us to go full speed all the time. And recognizing the rhythm of the seasons frees us to honor time of work and time of rest. Scripture References: Isaiah 30:15 (NLT) “This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: ‘Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength.’” Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NRSV) “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” Recommended Resources: Hustle, Flow, or Let It Go? A Guide to Shame-Free Wellness That Honors Your Reality and Gives You Life by Portia Preston, DrPH Sacred Scars: Resting in God’s Promise That Your Past Is Not Wasted by Dr. Michelle Bengtson The Hem of His Garment: Reaching Out To God When Pain Overwhelms by Dr. Michelle Bengtson Today is Going to be a Good Day: 90 Promises from God to Start Your Day Off Right by Dr. Michelle Bengtson Breaking Anxiety’s Grip: How to Reclaim the Peace God Promises by Dr. Michelle Bengtson Breaking Anxiety’s Grip Free Study Guide Free PDF Resource: How to Fight Fearful/Anxious Thoughts and Win Hope Prevails: Insights from a Doctor’s Personal Journey Through Depression by Dr. Michelle Bengtson Hope Prevails Bible Study by Dr. Michelle Bengtson Free Webinar: Help for When You’re Feeling Blue Social Media Links for Host and Guest: Connect with Dr. Portia Preston: Website / Instagram Connect with Dr. Bengtson: Order Book Sacred Scars / Order Book The Hem of His Garment / Order Book Today is Going to be a Good Day / Order Book Breaking Anxiety’s Grip / Order Book Hope Prevails / Website / Blog / Facebook / Twitter (@DrMBengtson) / LinkedIn / Instagram / Pinterest / YouTube / Podcast on Apple Guest: Dr. Portia Preston is a public health expert, two-time TEDx speaker, and founder of Empowered to Exhale. She holds degrees from Stanford, the University of Michigan, and UCLA, and currently serves as a faculty member at California State University, Fullerton. Through her groundbreaking work, Dr. Preston helps individuals and organizations create a culture of sustainable wellness and performance. Her new book, Hustle, Flow, or Let It Go?, offers a compassionate, shame-free roadmap to releasing hustle culture and embracing wellness that truly honors our unique realities. Hosted By: Dr. Michelle Bengtson Audio Technical Support: Ashton Bengtson Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Psalms 93-99 are all about God's reign as King. Psalm 96 sit at the heart of this collection, and Psalm 100 serves as a kind of postscript. Find out what they reveal to us about the rule of our Sovereign Lord.----------------------------Please follow us on these platforms:Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JointhesearchPodcast: https://thesearch.buzzsprout.com/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jointhesearchInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/jointhesearchtodayFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/jointhesearchtoday

God's power is immeasurable. You can't calculate or quantify the power of God. It is beyond what we can see, know, and understand. God's power is without limit. When we pray, God can do more than we ask or imagine.Main Points:1. Most of us, in our moments of despair, have cried out to the Lord and asked, “God, can you meet my needs? Are you able to provide what I need?” Theologically, we know God can do anything. We know He has all power. We understand He is the creator of all things, yet, when our back is up against the wall, we question whether God can and will meet our needs. But as we read His Word, we learn of His power, His might, and His ability. In reality, the question is not “What can God do? But what can God not do?”2. There is no lack with God. God never runs out of resources. He is never in short supply of whatever we need. He is a God of abundance.3. Speak truth to your own soul. Stand upon the never-changing Word of God. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.Today's Scripture Verses:Ephesians 3:20 - “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us…”Jeremiah 32:17 - “Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.”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

Have you noticed how quickly disappointment follows when expectations are placed on the wrong things—people, circumstances, plans, even your own strength? In today's episode of the MY Devotional Podcast, Dr. Michael Youssef reminds us that only God's promises can carry the full weight of our expectations. Dr. Youssef takes us to Luke 2:25–35, where we meet Simeon—an ordinary man with extraordinary hope. Simeon had spent his life waiting for the Messiah, trusting God's Word that he would personally see the Christ. After years of watching and waiting, Simeon finally held the infant Jesus in his arms and prayed with calm certainty: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised… you may now dismiss your servant in peace” (Luke 2:29–32). Simeon wasn't shocked that God came through—he expected it, because his hope was rooted in the faithfulness of God. This devotional will help you contrast Simeon's steady confidence with the shaky expectations we often place on this world—and call you to re-anchor your heart in what never fails. God's timing may stretch longer than you'd like and His methods may surprise you, but He will always fulfill His promises. Prayer: God, help me to place my expectations in You, not in this world. I know that You will never disappoint me. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen. “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God” (Psalm 42:11). Learn more in Dr. Michael A. Youssef's sermon Unrealistic Expectations, Hope That Will Not Disappoint: WATCH NOW   The voice you hear on the MY Devotional podcast is digitally generated with Dr. Youssef's permission. If today's devotional stirred a question, burden, or need for prayer, you don't have to walk through it alone.

God's desire is that we love Him above all else. We are to love Him with all of our hearts, all of our souls, all of our minds, and all of our strength. Only God can satisfy the deepest longings of our souls. Everything else we would turn to is an idol, something we run to instead of God. Yet, every time the idol leaves us empty. It produces regret, shame, and even fear.Main Points:1. We seek God first in our lives because He alone is worthy. We love Him above all things because He is Lord of all, and because He has loved us with an incomparable love. We refuse to have idols in our lives because none of them compares to God and what He can do for us.2. An idol can be a person or a relationship. An idol can be our work, our talents, or our career goals. An idol can be food or other substances we consume. An idol can be something we use to fill our time such as: tv, movies, and social media. As we see, idolatry really could be anything we turn to instead of God. 3. Idols are fake imitations of God. Let's search our hearts, ask for God's forgiveness, and relinquish any idols we may have worshipped. Let's give our allegiance to the one true God and remove modern-day idols.Today's Scripture Verses:Exodus 20:3 - “You shall have no other gods before me.”Proverbs 4:23 - “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”Ezekiel 14:3 - “These men have set up idols in their hearts”Ezekiel 14:6 - “Therefore say to the people of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Repent! Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices!”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

Holy Spirit April 12 2026 Teacher: Pastor Doug McHenry The Holy Spirit is the life-giving presence of God. “Now the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” – Genesis 2:7 The Trinity is One Being, Three Persons; one essence, three personalities; Father, Son, Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the life-giving presence of God and breathes into our lives, makes us new and we're born again. It's not something we achieve; it's something we receive. We are not self-generated. “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” – 2 Corinthians 3:17 “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.” “That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realm…” – Eph. 1:18-20 “Then he said to me: ‘Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.'” “Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘My people, I am going to bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them.” “I will put my Spirit in you and you will live…Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it,' declares the Lord.” – Ezekiel 37:11-14 The Breath of God, the Holy Spirit, alone can bring dead things back to life. The Holy Spirit is the life-giving presence of God from the first breath in Eden to the new life of resurrection.

Welcome to Day 2840 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom. Day 2840 – Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 119:121-128 – Daily Wisdom Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2840 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2840 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. The title for today's Wisdom-Trek is: The Ayin of Anticipation – Eyes Straining for Cosmic Justice In our previous episode on this grand expedition, we navigated the fifteenth stanza of Psalm One Hundred Nineteen, the “Samekh” section. We witnessed the psalmist draw a hard, unyielding boundary line in the sand. He declared his absolute hatred for divided loyalties, and he begged the Creator to prop him up, acting as a sturdy pillar and a protective shield against the relentless pressure of a compromised culture. We learned what it means to tremble in the holy, bristling awe of God's justice, realizing that the Sovereign Lord will ultimately skim the wicked off the earth, just like dross is skimmed from a boiling crucible of silver. Today, we take our next courageous step forward, transitioning from the imagery of a sturdy shield, to the piercing reality of human vision. We are entering the sixteenth stanza of this magnificent, alphabetical mountain. We are exploring the “Ayin” section, covering Psalm One Hundred Nineteen, verses one hundred twenty-one through one hundred twenty-eight, in the New Living Translation. In the ancient Hebrew alphabet, the letter “Ayin” was originally depicted as an eye. It represents seeing, perceiving, understanding, and even weeping. This visual imagery is woven perfectly into the very fabric of this stanza. The psalmist is standing on the edge of his endurance. He is looking out at a world that is deeply broken, straining his eyes to see the promised rescue of Yahweh. He is begging for the spiritual vision, the discernment, to understand the cosmic blueprint, and he is watching, with righteous indignation, as the rebel forces violate the Creator's laws. Let us step onto the trail, open our eyes, and learn how to watch for the intervention of the King. The first segment is: The Plea for a Cosmic Guarantor Psalm One Hundred Nineteen: verses one hundred twenty-one and one hundred twenty-two. Don't leave me to my enemies, for I have done what is right and just. Please guarantee a blessing for me. Don't let the arrogant oppress me! The stanza opens with a bold, legally framed petition. The psalmist stands before the throne of the universe, and he submits his record for inspection: “I have done what is right and just.” This is not a boast of sinless perfection. In the Ancient Israelite worldview, doing what is “right and just” meant maintaining covenant loyalty. It meant that, despite the overwhelming pressure to adopt the idolatrous practices of the surrounding pagan nations, the psalmist had maintained his integrity. He had refused to participate in the corrupt, oppressive systems governed by the rebel gods of the Divine Council. Because he has maintained his allegiance to Yahweh, he asks for the reciprocal protection of the covenant: “Don't leave me to my enemies.” He then makes a fascinating, highly specific request: “Please guarantee a blessing for me.” The Hebrew word translated as “guarantee” is 'arab, which means to act as a surety, to pledge, or to co-sign. In the ancient commercial world, if a person owed a massive debt they could not pay, or faced a powerful opponent they could not defeat, a wealthier, stronger individual could step in as their surety. The guarantor would place their own reputation, and their own assets, on the line to protect the vulnerable person. The psalmist realizes that he is completely outmatched by his enemies. The “arrogant” individuals oppressing him are not just schoolyard bullies; they are the wealthy, powerful proxies of the dark spiritual realm. Therefore, he looks up to the Most High God, and essentially prays, “Lord, I need You to co-sign my life. I need You to step in as my cosmic Guarantor. Put the infinite weight of Your reputation between me and my oppressors, so that they cannot destroy me.” The second segment is: The Exhaustion of the Watchman Psalm One Hundred Nineteen: verse one hundred twenty-three. My eyes strain to see your rescue, to see the truth of your promise fulfilled. Here, we encounter the direct connection to the Hebrew letter “Ayin,” the eye. The psalmist confesses, “My eyes strain to see your rescue.” Other translations render this, “My eyes fail, looking for your salvation.” This paints a vivid, heartbreaking picture of spiritual and physical exhaustion. Imagine a watchman standing on the high wall of a besieged city. The enemy army has surrounded the gates, the food supplies are running out, and the watchman is staring out at the distant horizon, looking for the dust cloud of a rescuing army. He stares for hours, days, and weeks, until his eyes burn, blur, and literally begin to fail from the sheer intensity of the vigil. This is the agonizing reality of living in the “already, but not yet” phase of God's redemption. The psalmist knows that God has promised deliverance. He knows the character of Yahweh. But the waiting is taking a devastating toll on his physical body. He is straining to see the truth of the promise materialize in real time. It is a profound comfort to realize that the Bible does not gloss over the fatigue of the faithful. It is incredibly tiring to live a life of integrity in a world that rewards corruption. It is exhausting to keep your eyes fixed on the horizon of God's justice, when the present moment is filled with the taunts of the arrogant. Yet, even as his eyes fail, the psalmist refuses to stop looking. He will not lower his gaze to the mud; he keeps his vision locked on the heavens, anticipating the arrival of the King. The third segment is: The Privileges of the Servant Psalm One Hundred Nineteen: verses one hundred twenty-four and one hundred twenty-five. I am your servant; deal with me in unfailing love, and teach me your decrees. Give discernment to me, your servant; then I will understand your laws. In the midst of his exhaustion, the psalmist re-establishes his identity. Twice in these two verses, he declares, “I am your servant.” In our modern, democratic culture, we often view the title of “servant” as something degrading, or lowly. But in the ancient Near East, to be the direct servant of a sovereign king was a position of immense privilege, authority, and protection. A king was legally and morally obligated to provide for, and protect, the members of his royal household. By claiming the title of “servant,” the psalmist is invoking the royal obligations of Yahweh. He is saying, “Lord, I belong to Your administration. I work for Your kingdom. Therefore, deal with me in unfailing love.” Here is our bedrock, anchor word once again: Hesed. He is not asking God to deal with him based on his own merit, or his own strength, because his strength is currently failing. He asks God to treat him according to His loyal, stubborn, covenant-keeping affection. And what does this weary servant request from his Master? He does not ask for gold, silver, or an immediate, magical escape from his problems. He asks for education. “...and teach me your decrees. Give discernment to me... then I will understand your laws.” The psalmist realizes that his physical eyes might be failing, but his spiritual eyes desperately need to be sharpened. The Hebrew word for discernment means to separate, to distinguish, or to perceive with clarity. He wants the ability to look at the chaotic, confusing events of his life, and perceive the underlying, cosmic architecture of God's plan. He knows that true comfort does not come from a change of circumstances; true comfort comes from a deep, profound understanding of the Creator's laws. The fourth segment is: The Courtroom Demand for Cosmic Justice Psalm One Hundred Nineteen: verse one hundred twenty-six. Lord, it is time for you to act, for these evil people have violated your instructions. This single verse is one of the most remarkable, audacious prayers in the entire Psalter. The psalmist shifts from the posture of a weary servant, to the posture of a prosecuting attorney in the divine courtroom. He looks up at the throne, and declares, “Lord, it is time for you to act.” This is a direct, legal petition to the Divine Council. The psalmist is not being disrespectful; he is being intensely prophetic. He is surveying the cultural landscape, and he sees that the rebellion of the arrogant has reached a critical, unsustainable tipping point. He presents his evidence: “...for these evil people have violated your instructions.” Literally, the Hebrew says, “They...

When we see Jesus as He really is, the Sovereign Lord of creation changes everything about our lives. There is no part of life that He is not sovereign over.

Calvary Chapel North Country Podcast

It's Friday, April 10th, A.D. 2026. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Adam McManus Maunday Thursday Massacre: Muslims killed 43 Christians in Congo On April 2nd, the Islamic Allied Democratic Forces killed dozens of Christians in Mambasa Territory located in the Democratic Republic of Congo, reports International Christian Concern. The attack in the African nation occurred on Maundy Thursday, a day during Holy Week when Christians remember the Last Supper. A religious freedom advocate, who wanted to remain anonymous for safety purposes, said, “The initial death toll of 43 may rise further; some victims were burned inside their homes, and others are still in the bush. The attackers surprised the population in their sleep. The victims were killed by gunfire, and several were beheaded with machetes. The images are unbearable.” In Revelation 6:9-10, “When [Jesus] opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the Word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, ‘How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until You judge the inhabitants of the Earth and avenge our blood?'” White House envoy to Netanyahu: Stop bombing Lebanon Iran's new Supreme Leader issued a chilling message after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was scolded by U.S. President Donald Trump for nearly jeopardizing the shaky ceasefire. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Netanyahu held a phone call between President Trump and White House envoy Steve Witkoff, according to Axios. Witkoff reportedly told Netanyahu to “calm down” the strikes in Lebanon and open peace negotiations. Amid Trump's two-week ceasefire with Iran, Israel has continued to bombard urban population centers in Lebanon, including Beirut, killing and injuring civilians. Trump's request came as the United States prepares to meet with Iranian leaders in Pakistan to negotiate an end to the war. Iran claims Lebanon was part of the ceasefire deal with the U.S. and is now threatening to abandon peace talks and keep the Strait of Hormuz closed unless Israel stops attacking its proxy, Hezbollah, in the region. However, U.S. and Israeli diplomats deny that the ceasefire with the Iranian Islamic regime applies to Netanyahu's ground offensive against Lebanon. New evidence reveals deep pro-abortion bias at Biden's DOJ A nearly 60-page report from the Trump Department of Justice contains “evidence of collusion and unethical behavior” between the Biden-era DOJ and pro-abortion entities, including the National Abortion Federation, reports LifeSiteNews.com. According to MS Now, formerly known as MSNBC, the draft says, “Upon assuming office, the Biden DOJ shattered the public's trust by weaponizing the [Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act of 1994] to advance a pro-abortion agenda, and the DOJ's Civil Rights Division was at the forefront of this weaponization.” Randall Terry, founder of Operation Rescue, who has seen the evidence on which the report was based, spoke to LifeSiteNews after the leak of the document. Terry told LifeSite that he and Terrisa Bukovinac, founder of Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising, were granted access to the unredacted records on March 4, 2026. Bukovinac and Terry met with Trump's DOJ officials in Washington, D.C., because the documents reference Terry by name and Bukovinac's organization. Terry said the report contains clear evidence of unethical coordination between Biden lead prosecutor Sanjay Patel and pro-abortion groups, including the National Abortion Federation. At the same time, 70 attacks on pro-life pregnancy centers went largely uninvestigated and unprosecuted in the months after Roe v. Wade was overturned. The Department of Justice documents include: an email in which Sanjay Patel was helping National Abortion Federation obtain a significant financial grant, Patel allegedly suggested ways to increase prison time for pro-lifers engaged in peaceful activities, to create fear among pro-life activists. 'Gas & Glory': Tenn church gives hundreds of commuters free gas And finally, amid rapidly escalating gas prices worldwide, a Tennessee church recently pumped out free gasoline for hundreds of commuters, reports The Christian Post. Overcoming Believers Church of Knoxville, which has a membership of 1,500 people, held its “Gas & Glory” event on Saturday at a local Thumbs Up Exxon station. They blessed 400 drivers with $20 worth of free gas. Additionally, volunteers provided free T-shirts, candy for children, and invited drivers to join them for worship on Easter Sunday. Karen Swint, a spokeswoman for the church, said, “People need to see us be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us to ‘Go and make disciples.' I truly believe this is the best way to do [it]. We are to be doers of the Word, not only hearers or speakers.” James 1:22 says, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only.” The “Gas & Glory” event comes at a time when gas prices worldwide have been sharply increasing amid the ongoing conflict between Iran and the United States and Israel, rising above $4.00 a gallon in the U.S. Close And that's The Worldview on this Friday, April 10th, in the year of our Lord 2026. Follow us on X or subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music, or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com.  Plus, you can get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

Scripture: Obadiah 1:15-18 Title: The Day of the Lord SHOW NOTES: For encouragement on your spiritual journey, we invite you to visit our ministry website, Discover God's Truth, where you can access additional resources to enrich your Walk with God. NEW! Watch us ONLINE! Click here!The book of Obadiah is a vision from the Sovereign LORD concerning the land of Edom. We might overlook this message because we don't understand the prophecy or because it doesn't seem relevant to us today. However, the truth found in these twenty-one verses can transform the way we live each day.Pride in our hearts can lead to mistreatment and violence toward others. This happened with the Edomites. They were misled by their pride and boasted of their importance and safety, living in a rock fortress.The “Day of the LORD,” a key theme in Israel's end-times beliefs, points to future events. This DAY signifies the time when God's rule is established in human history, and He judges all enemies who oppose His reign. This “day,” then, decides the fate of Edom and other nations that oppose Israel. The day is near when I, the LORD, will judge all godless nations! As you have done to Israel, so it will be done to you. All your evil deeds will fall back on your own heads. Obadiah 1:15 We serve a holy and righteous God, who is the perfect Judge over all. This calls us to follow Him and live according to His commands and Holy Law. Lord, shine Your light on our sins of pride and selfishness. It is our desire to walk faithfully with God. Song: On That Day - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McX9SdQS4mI&list=RDMcX9SdQS4mI&start_radio=1

Episode #1208 He Is Series – Adonai (Lord/Master) — When You Don't Understand God's Ways but Still Long to Trust Him Isaiah 40:10 “See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.” The name Adonai means “Lord” or “Master.” It means God has authority over our lives—but not in a harsh or distant way. He is a loving Lord, a good Master who leads, protects, and cares for His people. In this verse, Isaiah says, “The Sovereign Lord comes with power, and He rules with a mighty arm.” I think we can all agree that we like the part about God coming with power. Many of us have seen God's power in our lives. And if we haven't noticed it, it may just be that we haven't been looking—because God is always at work. But the part that says He “rules with a mighty arm” can feel harder to understand. It can even feel intimidating at first. When we read the Old Testament, we see moments where God corrects His people. Not because He is harsh, but because He is leading them. He is teaching them how to trust Him and how to live in the freedom He created them for. For example, in Numbers 21, the Israelites complained and spoke against God and Moses. They had seen God perform miracles—He had freed them, provided for them, and stayed with them in the wilderness—yet they still struggled to trust Him. There were consequences. But even in that, we see God's mercy. When the people turned back to Him, He provided a way for them to be healed. We see something similar in Numbers 13 and 14, when the Israelites were afraid to enter the promised land. Even though God had promised to give it to them, they doubted Him. Again, there were consequences—not because God wanted to harm them, but because He was forming them. He was teaching them what it means to trust Him as their Lord. This is what it means for God to be Adonai. He is not just powerful—He is Lord. He has authority over our lives. But His authority is not something to fear. It is something we can trust. Just like a loving parent sets boundaries for their children, God gives us guidance so we can grow, learn, and live the life He created for us. God is just, and He tells us how He wants us to live. Then He lovingly gives us the choice whether to follow His ways. If we choose not to, there are consequences. Not because He wants to punish us, but because that is how we learn. If there were no consequences, we wouldn't really have free will—God would be choosing for us. The next part of the verse brings so much hope: “See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.” Even though God rules with authority and lovingly corrects us, He also rewards us when we live according to His will. 1 Corinthians 2:9 says, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard… what God has prepared for those who love him.” The verse also says His recompense accompanies Him. Recompense means to make up for loss or harm—to restore. I love this. I love the idea that God restores what we have lost and rewards what we have endured for Him. Romans 8:17 reminds us that if we suffer with Christ, we will also be glorified with Him. We suffer with Him so that we may be glorified with Him. I don't know about you, but I am looking forward to that. Yes, there may be suffering here, but it is temporary compared to eternity with Him. Trust in the Lord. He comes with power, and He will reward you for your faithfulness. Adonai is not just the Lord over our lives—He is the Lord we can trust with our lives. Dear Heavenly Father, I ask that you bless all those listening today. Lord, thank you for being a just and loving God. Thank you for giving us clear direction. Help us follow your ways. Help us see when we are about to make a mistake and give us the strength to stop. Lord, you are amazing, and we thank you for all you do for us. We love you and ask this in Jesus' holy name, Amen. Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I. Have a blessed day! Today's Word from the Lord was received in October 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today's Word from the Lord is, “I am the Lord, there is no other. I am the beginning and the end.” www.findingtruenorthcoaching.comCLICK HERE TO DONATECLICK HERE to sign up for Mentoring CLICK HERE to sign up for Daily "Word from the Lord" emailsCLICK HERE to sign up for my newsletter & receive a free audio training about inviting Jesus into your daily lifeCLICK HERE to buy my book Total Trust in God's Safe Embrace

I thought my life was over. Dead. Gone. Never to return. When my husband died from cancer at 33, I didn’t know how life could possibly go on. The future we dreamed about together, the vision we shared, the trips we planned, the dream home we hoped for, all gone. Wiped away in that one final breath. Bible Reading:“Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! … I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.’” - Ezekiel 37:4-6 I walked out of that stale hospital room putting one foot in front of the other, not knowing how I would take a million more steps without him. I was forced to begin again. From scratch. Ezekiel wrote this passage around 600 B.C. while living in exile. Jerusalem had been destroyed. Israel was conquered. The temple was gone. The people felt spiritually dead, defeated and scattered. “Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.” - Ezekiel 37:11 During that dark season, God gave Ezekiel a vision: a valley filled with dry bones. Not recently dead, very dry. Long gone. God asked him, “Can these bones live?” Ezekiel answered wisely, “Sovereign Lord, You alone know.” (v.3) The real question underneath the vision is this:Do we believe God can bring dead things back to life? God assured Ezekiel that He would restore what had been lost. “These bones are the whole house of Israel… I will open your graves and bring you up from them… I will put My Spirit in you, and you will live.” (vv. 11–14) Life can usher us into seasons so dark we wonder if light will ever return. We can find ourselves in valleys that feel permanent. Hopeless. But God is in the business of restoration. After my loss, I began to see my life slowly take shape again. Small pieces of hope returned. I noticed light breaking through. I felt a faint but steady glimmer of what my new life could become. God gathered the broken pieces and resurrected the hope that had once felt buried. He can do that for you, too. When we surrender our loss, our pain, and our hopelessness, we create space for God to rebuild. When Jesus died on the cross, the disciples were devastated. Confused. If He truly was the Son of God, why did they watch His lifeless body breathe its last and be laid in a tomb? A stone rolled over the entrance. It seemed final. Deep disappointment feels that way.Like the stone has sealed what we loved forever. But three days later, resurrection came. Just as Jesus rose from the grave, God can breathe life into the areas of our lives that feel buried. No matter how devastating the loss, when we seek Him in our disappointment and pain, we will begin to see dry bones stir. “After you have suffered a little while, He will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” - 1 Peter 5:10 Resurrection is still what He does. Let’s Pray: Lord, there are areas in my life that feel dead. I carry the ache of things I may never get back. I live with regret, disappointment, and moments of hopelessness. I wish certain things had turned out differently. They didn’t unfold the way I envisioned, and it’s hard to reconcile the dreams I once held with the life I’m living now. But Lord, I don’t want to live in hopelessness. I don’t want lost dreams to steal the joy from my days. I want to see your hand even in hardship. I want to trust that you can rebuild what has been lost. Help me to view my struggles through the lens of Your goodness and hope. I trust that you can bring dead things back to life. I believe that the same God who raised Jesus from the tomb can resurrect the places in my life that feel buried. I want to live with hope, with trust, and with the belief that hardship does not have the final word. You did not create us for a life of comfort, but for a life that reflects Your goodness, even when it’s hard. I believe that You work all things together for good for those who love You. Help me to see that goodness. Give me patience when change feels slow, and restoration seems far away. Teach me to surrender instead of control. Help me to keep bringing everything to You in prayer. And most of all, Lord, help me to live like Christ, encouraging others even as You are restoring me. Thank You, Jesus, for loving me through the difficulty. Thank You for my salvation. In Your precious name we pray,Amen. If you like this podcast, be sure to check out our sister podcast, Your Nightly Prayer - an evening Christian prayer podcast to help you end your day in conversation with God. https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-nightly-prayer/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

One in four of us—perhaps even more—have a messy relationship with our bodies as well as with food. What if a struggle with food and our bodies is not a failure, but a place Jesus longs to meet us with mercy? In this tender conversation, deeper stories beneath diet culture are gently uncovered, inviting compassion, healing, and hope. Nothing in our story is beyond His care. Come and begin to receive a kinder way forward. This is Part 1 of a 2-part conversation.…..SHOW NOTES:…..VERSES: Isaiah 61:1 (NIV) – The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.Luke 4:18 (NIV) – The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free.Song of Songs 2:14 (NIV) – My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hiding places on the mountainside, show me your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.Ecclesiastes 1:14 (NIV) – I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.…..DIANE SUMMERSWebsite:⁠HopeNutritionTherapy.com⁠BIODiane Summers, MS, RDN has had the immense privilege of providing nutrition therapy for folks from all walks of life as they heal from the full spectrum of eating concerns and struggles, to include but not limited to severe eating disorders, chronic dieting and weight cycling, and orthorexia. She has a private practice, Hope Nutrition Therapy, and works virtually with clients all over the world. She has done this work for 22 years and absolutely loves it, as it's an incredible joy to show up for her clients and journey alongside them as they seek healing, freedom, and peace. Diane attends a neighborhood based church, serving on the board and occasionally preaching. She is a believer that we heal in the context of relationship and community. In her free time, you will find her exploring the Pacific Northwest beaches during low tide and geeking out on sea creatures, enjoying coffee from a local shop, traveling to see friends and family, leading Story Workshop and Narrative Focused Trauma Care groups with The Allender Center, dining out on delicious food, hosting friends in her home, hitting the ski slopes, or prepping for her soon to arrive golden retriever puppy who will hopefully become a therapy dog in her practice one day.Diane's Podcast Appearances:The Allender Center Podcast — Food & Body Series ⁠https://theallendercenter.org/category/podcast/food-and-body/⁠The Allender Center Podcast — Food Insecurity: ⁠https://theallendercenter.org/2023/11/food-insecurity/⁠Life Unrestricted: EP 32 – There is hope for healing and achieving a life free from body issues ⁠https://open.spotify.com/episode/5Sv77OBYNMiOQnJ8AuiM2m⁠Impossible Beauty Podcast —⁠⁠Lent, Fasting, & Diet Culture: ⁠https://www.impossible-beauty.com/podcast/lent-fasting-and-diet-culture⁠…..ADDITIONAL RESOURCESHealth At Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight by Linda Bacon⁠https://www.amazon.com/Health-At-Every-Size-Surprising/dp/1935618253/ref=sr_1_1⁠Association for Size Diversity and Health (ASDAH) — An organization promoting Health at Every Size® principles and inclusive, weight-neutral care. ⁠https://asdah.org⁠Research:  ⁠https://www.intuitiveeating.org/studies/⁠Substack:  ⁠https://weightandhealthcare.substack.com/⁠…..Don't Miss Out on the Next Episode—Subscribe for FreeSubscribe using your favorite podcast app:YouTube – ⁠https://wahe.art/4h8DelL⁠Spotify Podcasts – ⁠https://wahe.art/496zdfn⁠Apple Podcasts – ⁠https://apple.co/42E0oZ1⁠ Amazon Music & Audible – ⁠https://amzn.to/3M9u6hJ⁠

Spring Break Interlude | March 25Psalm 73:3-6, 16-28 | The Strength of My HeartSHOW NOTES: For encouragement on your spiritual journey, we invite you to visit our ministry website, Discover God's Truth, where you will find additional resources to enrich your Walk with God. NEW! Watch us ONLINE! Click here!Psalm 73:3-6, 16-28 3 - I envied the proud when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness.4 - They seem to live such painless lives; their bodies are so healthy and strong.5 - They don't have troubles like other people; they're not plagued with problems like everyone else.6 - They wear pride like a jeweled necklace and clothe themselves with cruelty.16 – So, I tried to understand why the wicked prosper. But what a difficult task it is!17 - Then I went into your sanctuary, O God, and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked.18 - Truly, you put them on a slippery path and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction.19 - In an instant, they are destroyed, completely swept away by terrors.20 - When you arise, O Lord, you will laugh at their silly ideas as a person laughs at dreams in the morning.21 - Then I realized that my heart was bitter, and I was all torn up inside.22 - I was so foolish and ignorant—I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you.23 - Yet I still belong to you; you hold my right hand.24 - You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny.25 - Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth.26 - My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.27 - Those who desert him will perish, for you destroy those who abandon you.28 - But as for me, how good it is to be near God! I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do.Song: As For Me (Psalm 73) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZp2k7AcHh8&list=RDjZp2k7AcHh8&start_radio=1

Let's go see the meteor shower! Man, when it happens, it's all over the news. It's one of the few times astronomers make the front page. I mean, earth moves into this dust trail of a comet that passes through, and this thing happens about every 130 years. When that happened the last time, we went out at the prescribed time with our trusted binoculars. My son got out his telescope. He found a place where he could get away from as many lights as possible, because at that point we were living near a major city. And others went too; apparently they had read the same stuff we had. And they were in various chiropractic poses with their necks, bending back trying to see this spectacular meteor shower. Everything was in readiness, and they said on the news that there were some meteor fireworks that night. Of course, we didn't see any. Oh yeah, just about show time, the clouds decided to roll in. I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Clouds Covering God." Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Joshua 7. After the incredible victory at Jericho, the Jews have lost in a smaller, far less challenging battle at a city called Ai. They'd been told not to take any loot or plunder anything from the city of Jericho or God would judge them. Well, they've just now lost at Ai. Joshua couldn't figure out what happened. It says, "Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell face-down to the ground before the ark of the Lord, remaining there till evening. The elders of Israel did the same and sprinkled dust on their heads." "What's happened, Lord? What went wrong?" "And Joshua said, 'Ah, Sovereign Lord, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan!" Oh, Joshua, you don't know what the problem really is. "The Lord said to Joshua, 'Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? Israel has sinned.'" See, God's people had been experiencing God's power; they'd been experiencing victory; they'd been experiencing obvious closeness to the Lord, but something was wrong, and Joshua was thinking of everything, "Maybe it's this. Maybe it's that." He's complaining, "Why can't we see Your brightness any more, Lord?" Feels a little like that night we looked for the meteor fireworks. They were there, but there was something between us; something keeping us from experiencing it. We couldn't see that. Well, God says, "Joshua, get up! You're going down the wrong trail here. The problem is that Israel has sinned." Same Joshua, same Jehovah at Jericho, but God's blessing has been withheld because there is besetting sin. When it is dealt with aggressively later in the chapter, the blessing of God returns. Maybe you have that feeling right now. "Something's wrong. It just doesn't feel like it used to between God and me." Maybe you're not feeling the power and the victory; the supernatural things you were seeing. And like Joshua you're wondering where the blame goes. While you're trying to reason it out, God is saying, "It's sin. There's a cloud that's come between you and Me. You can't see Me. You don't have a clear look at Me because of that sin." Think about it. Have you dealt with the thing that might be causing God to withhold His blessing? Have you even asked Him about it? It could be a broken relationship, a resentment that's slipped in, the return of an old habit or an old way of thinking. Maybe it's a compromise you've been making. Or you've returned to self-managing things that you had surrendered to Him. Or you've been shoving your mate or your family aside or compromising your integrity. I don't know what it is, but the Lord's saying, "That's the reason. That's where the clouds are. That's why you can't see Me." It's the last place you like to look for an answer for what's wrong. But could it be that sin has crept into your camp? Could it be that the clouds of compromise have come between you and the Lord, who once blazed so dramatically through your life? You see, the Lord Jesus is still producing spiritual fireworks. What He's done before, He wants to do again. But those fireworks can only be seen by those who don't let sin block the view.

Let's go see the meteor shower! Man, when it happens, it's all over the news. It's one of the few times astronomers make the front page. I mean, earth moves into this dust trail of a comet that passes through, and this thing happens about every 130 years. When that happened the last time, we went out at the prescribed time with our trusted binoculars. My son got out his telescope. He found a place where he could get away from as many lights as possible, because at that point we were living near a major city. And others went too; apparently they had read the same stuff we had. And they were in various chiropractic poses with their necks, bending back trying to see this spectacular meteor shower. Everything was in readiness, and they said on the news that there were some meteor fireworks that night. Of course, we didn't see any. Oh yeah, just about show time, the clouds decided to roll in. I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Clouds Covering God." Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Joshua 7. After the incredible victory at Jericho, the Jews have lost in a smaller, far less challenging battle at a city called Ai. They'd been told not to take any loot or plunder anything from the city of Jericho or God would judge them. Well, they've just now lost at Ai. Joshua couldn't figure out what happened. It says, "Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell face-down to the ground before the ark of the Lord, remaining there till evening. The elders of Israel did the same and sprinkled dust on their heads." "What's happened, Lord? What went wrong?" "And Joshua said, 'Ah, Sovereign Lord, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan!" Oh, Joshua, you don't know what the problem really is. "The Lord said to Joshua, 'Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? Israel has sinned.'" See, God's people had been experiencing God's power; they'd been experiencing victory; they'd been experiencing obvious closeness to the Lord, but something was wrong, and Joshua was thinking of everything, "Maybe it's this. Maybe it's that." He's complaining, "Why can't we see Your brightness any more, Lord?" Feels a little like that night we looked for the meteor fireworks. They were there, but there was something between us; something keeping us from experiencing it. We couldn't see that. Well, God says, "Joshua, get up! You're going down the wrong trail here. The problem is that Israel has sinned." Same Joshua, same Jehovah at Jericho, but God's blessing has been withheld because there is besetting sin. When it is dealt with aggressively later in the chapter, the blessing of God returns. Maybe you have that feeling right now. "Something's wrong. It just doesn't feel like it used to between God and me." Maybe you're not feeling the power and the victory; the supernatural things you were seeing. And like Joshua you're wondering where the blame goes. While you're trying to reason it out, God is saying, "It's sin. There's a cloud that's come between you and Me. You can't see Me. You don't have a clear look at Me because of that sin." Think about it. Have you dealt with the thing that might be causing God to withhold His blessing? Have you even asked Him about it? It could be a broken relationship, a resentment that's slipped in, the return of an old habit or an old way of thinking. Maybe it's a compromise you've been making. Or you've returned to self-managing things that you had surrendered to Him. Or you've been shoving your mate or your family aside or compromising your integrity. I don't know what it is, but the Lord's saying, "That's the reason. That's where the clouds are. That's why you can't see Me." It's the last place you like to look for an answer for what's wrong. But could it be that sin has crept into your camp? Could it be that the clouds of compromise have come between you and the Lord, who once blazed so dramatically through your life? You see, the Lord Jesus is still producing spiritual fireworks. What He's done before, He wants to do again. But those fireworks can only be seen by those who don't let sin block the view.

No matter how messy or complicated our story may feel, God is the one who begins, sustains, and completes the work within us. Even in seasons of wandering, failure, or doubt, His grace remains active—reshaping our hearts and drawing us closer to Him. This devotional highlights the powerful truth that we are continually being transformed, and God is faithful to finish what He started. Highlights God Initiates Growth: Our transformation begins with God, not our own efforts (Philippians 1:6). Jesus Rescues: We cannot save ourselves—Christ is the one who pulls us out of sin and restores us. Messy Testimonies Matter: Faith journeys aren’t always clean or simple, but God is still writing the story (Hebrews 12:2). God’s Faithfulness: Even when we fall short, He remains constant and committed (2 Timothy 2:13). Sanctification is Ongoing: Spiritual growth happens over time through Scripture, prayer, and obedience. Renewed Mindset: The Holy Spirit transforms our thinking, helping us focus on eternal priorities. Progress Over Perfection: God is continually shaping us into Christ’s image, step by step. Intersecting Faith & Life It’s easy to become discouraged when your spiritual growth doesn’t look the way you expected. But God never asked for instant perfection—He invites you into a process. Every step of obedience, every moment in Scripture, and every prayer contributes to the work He is doing in your life. This episode is sponsored by Trinity Debt Management. If you are struggling with debt call Trinity today. Trinity's counselors have the knowledge and resources to make a difference. Our intention is to help people become debt-free, and most importantly, remain debt-free for keeps!" If your debt has you down, we should talk. Call us at 1-800-793-8548 | https://trinitycredit.org TrinityCredit – Call us at 1-800-793-8548. Whether we're helping people pay off their unsecured debt or offering assistance to those behind in their mortgage payments. https://trinitycredit.org Full Transcript Below: You Are God’s Work in Progress By: Emily Rose Massey Bible Reading: “…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6, NIV). A new friend recently asked me, “Emily… how long have you known the Lord?”I wanted to be as concise as possible but also transparent. I explained that I have been coming to grips recently that I was most likely a false convert when I was a teen into my early 20s and didn’t truly start following Christ until the summer after I graduated college. It’s the only way I can seem to make sense of the mess I lived in for six years after my profession of faith, after responding to an altar call at a youth conference.As I walked the aisle at that church, I responded to the news that Jesus died for my sins to be forgiven then eventually ran right back into the same ditch like a dumb sheep thinking I could rely on my own works and not Christ’s finished work of the cross, and God allowed me to fail, fall, and create a home in my pit of self-righteousness and sin for six years. But thanks be to God, that wasn’t the end of my story- the Lord didn’t leave me in that pit because one day, I was rescued. We must first remember that we cannot rescue ourselves out of a pit of sin- Jesus is the Great Shepherd who rescues His sheep. It is God who begins the work in our hearts, turning them from a heart of stone to a heart of flesh, and the longer we walk with Him, the more He will continue to mold our hearts. I don’t believe all our testimonies of coming to faith in Christ can be packaged up into a nice little box with a bow. It’s because we aren’t the author of the story- our Sovereign Lord is the author and finisher, or perfecter, of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). Scripture tells us that He is faithful to complete that work that He began in us: “…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6, NIV). Intersecting Faith & Life:You may also have a messy and complicated testimony and cannot fully explain all of what you think the Lord was doing in your heart and when, but I can tell you that even when you have been faithless, God has been incredibly faithful (2 Timothy 2:13). Even when I’m extremely dumb, hard-headed, and rebellious, He is wise, patient, and perfect on my behalf. He doesn’t give up on His children! And just as God is sovereign in salvation, He is also sovereign in our sanctification as we learn to partner with Him in our growth in Christ. He is the one who is in charge of seeing us mature on our walk with Him. The same grace that saved us is the very same grace that keeps us and molds us into the image of Christ, each new day. We will never be perfect this side of heaven, which is why we rest in the finished work of the cross of Christ, but we should be walking in holiness little by little each passing day. One way this occurs in our lives is through studying the scriptures and other spiritual disciplines such as prayer, serving others, and consistent discipleship and evangelism. The Spirit of God guides us into all truth and convicts our hearts of sin. The more we study the Bible and exercise spiritual discipline, the more the Holy Spirit renews our minds. This renewal of the mind helps us to think on eternal matters, and soon, worldly thinking and fleshly desires become less of a temptation for us the longer we walk with the Lord. Our behavior and attitude begin to change, and God gives us a desire to love, obey, and serve Him with fervor! From the moment of your conversion, you became God’s work-in-progress, and the greatest news of all is that He doesn’t grow weary, stressed, or exhausted with you. He will complete the work He began in you! Further Reading: Galatians 2:20 1 Thessalonians 5:23 2 Peter 1:2- Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Today’s Bible Verse: “The Sovereign Lord has given me a well-instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.” — Isaiah 50:4 Isaiah 50:4 reminds us that God equips His people to bring encouragement to others. The verse paints a picture of someone who listens to God each morning and then speaks words that strengthen the weary. Before we can encourage well, we must first learn to listen. Want to listen without ads? Become a BibleStudyTools.com PLUS Member today: https://www.biblestudytools.com/subscribe Meet Today’s Host: Carol Ogle McCracken

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This is Christian Meditation for A Bigger Life – a time for you to relax your body and refocus your mind to experience the reality of God's presence. I'm Dave Cover. I want to help you with Christian meditation where you can break through all the distractions and experience God's presence through biblically guided imagination.  Acts 17:25 NIV “...He himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.” Job 34:14-15 NIV “If it were his intention and he withdrew his spirit and breath, all humanity would perish together and mankind would return to the dust.” Psalms 68:20 (NIV) “Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign LORD comes escape from death.” Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it. Follow Dave Cover on X (Twitter) @davecover Follow A Bigger Life on X @ABiggerLifePod Our audio engineer is Matthew Matlack. This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.