Podcasts about trust in god

What should you actually do when worry starts? Psalm 37 gives us practical instructions for replacing worry with trust in God.

In this episode of the Prophecy Project, Chris and Andrew explore how to hear God during emotionally charged times, emphasizing the importance of self-awareness and checking one's motivations. The conversation also delves into the significance of identity and trust in God, especially during difficult moments, and highlights the role of community and support in the healing process.Visit the Accessible Prophecy Website for resources, workshops, and coaching etc⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.accessibleprophecy.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on social media:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/accessibleprophecy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/accessibleprophecy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/APProphecyPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Submit questions or suggestions for topicsvia adminaustralia@accessibleprophecy.comEnrol in the Prophetic Lifestyle CourseThis self-paced video course will equip you to walk closely with God, hear His voice, and respond effectively when He speaks.Enrol via this link:⁠https://bit.ly/applcourse⁠(the course is hosted on trellus.online which is built on the mighty networks platform)

The Tenpenny Files – Nichole Suvar explores the connection between faith, anxiety, and the need for control. Through her Garden of Eden framework, she encourages healthy boundaries, surrender, and trust in God's timing, reminding overwhelmed believers that cultivating peace does not require holding everything together or guaranteeing every outcome...

Life on this earth as we know it is extremely dangerous and getting more reckless by the moment. It's critical that we maintain safety and security by putting our full faith and trust in God. Without Him, everything falls apart. But when we choose to trust Him, even a very dangerous world can become an exciting and healthy place to live. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1459/29?v=20251111

Braxton Byerson grew up in a military family, played with both brothers at Virginia Union, then took the game to Uruguay and China before the ball stopped bouncing for him. Now he coaches, speaks, and writes about confidence, choices, and character, including the hard question he puts to young men: who are you when you do not get applause? Tommy talks with Braxton about getting cut, starting over with middle school girls basketball, life after a divorce, and why the words young people need most are I'm with you.What You'll Hear in This EpisodeBraxton grows up in Chester, VA, rooted in faith and humility by parents who cared more about character than applause.All three Byerson brothers play together at Virginia Union, a first in CIAA history.Pro ball in Uruguay and China puts him outside his language and comfort zone, and teaches him to sit back and listen.Confidence, choices, and character become his trifecta for student athletes.Getting cut in sixth grade, then again overseas, and choosing to show up anyway.Coaching a middle school girls team that had won three games in eight years into the playoffs four years running.Writing Stay on the Tracks, getting certified as a life coach, and taking the leap when fear and trust in God cannot share the same seat.Why youth open up when an adult says I'm with you, and Galatians 6:9 as the line he leaves people with.(0:00) Intro(3:50) Military kid to Chester, Virginia (7:45) Three brothers at Virginia Union (9:15) Pro ball in Uruguay and China(15:15) Confidence, choices, and character(19:25) Who are you without applause(20:45) The ring of existence(27:10) Bigger than basketball(27:35) Cut in sixth grade, then overseas(33:15) Coaching middle school girls(38:15) Writing and life coaching(48:30) I'm with you (57:05) Galatians 6:9 (58:27) How to connect with BraxtonStay on the Tracks, A Journey of Patience and Perseverance You've Got This, The Student Trifecta for Academic Achievement https://braxtonbyersonent.carrd.co https://www.instagram.com/braxb_7/ https://vuusports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/braxton-byerson/966 Instagram and TikTok: braxb_7 Facebook and LinkedIn: Braxton ByersonLove the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! http://tommythompson.org

The sermon introduces the first of eight visions in the book of Zechariah, defining resilience as an inner strength grounded in trust that God remains in control. It contrasts Old Testament revelations through dreams and visions with the sufficiency of Scripture in the current dispensation, emphasizing that new supernatural experiences are unnecessary for believers. The speaker explains that biblical understanding requires the illumination of the Holy Spirit, which was not available to prophets before the New Covenant. By examining Zechariah 1:8-13, the message highlights how God uses symbolic imagery to remind His people of His sovereignty and mercy despite their hardships. This study aims to encourage faithfulness and steady trust in God's plan during times of difficulty.

The sermon introduces the first of eight visions in the book of Zechariah, defining resilience as an inner strength grounded in trust that God remains in control. It contrasts Old Testament revelations through dreams and visions with the sufficiency of Scripture in the current dispensation, emphasizing that new supernatural experiences are unnecessary for believers. The speaker explains that biblical understanding requires the illumination of the Holy Spirit, which was not available to prophets before the New Covenant. By examining Zechariah 1:8-13, the message highlights how God uses symbolic imagery to remind His people of His sovereignty and mercy despite their hardships. This study aims to encourage faithfulness and steady trust in God's plan during times of difficulty.

Why does God's generosity sometimes bother us?Isaiah reminds us that God's thoughts are not our thoughts and God's ways are not our ways. Then Jesus gives us the wonderfully uncomfortable story of workers in a vineyard who all receive the same wage—even though some worked all day and others arrived at the last minute.If we're honest, God's generosity can mess with our sense of fairness.In this episode, I reflect on generosity, forgiveness, my two very generous grandmothers, and the invitation to give without constantly counting the cost.Maybe becoming more like God happens little by little: learning to become more loving, more generous, and less concerned with keeping score.What resonates with you from these readings? Where is God inviting you to become more generous?The Providence Podcast is offered by the Sisters of Divine Providence of Kentucky through God Space—a spiritual community for seekers, questioners, doubters, and anyone looking for a place of welcome and belonging.Come as you are. You belong here.by Sr. Leslie Keener, CDPYou can find all of the Scripture readings from the lectionary here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bible.usccb.org/readings/calendar⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠You can read the reflection and sign up to receive our weekly newsletter at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠GodSpaceCommunity.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Subscribe to the Providence Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts or at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠godspacecommunity.com/providencepodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.At God Space, you can come as you are. You belong here. God Space is an outreach ministry of the Sisters of Divine Providence of Kentucky, an international community of Catholic sisters with a mission to be witnesses of God's Providence. We place our trust in God as we care for God's people. Connect with the sisters at ⁠⁠⁠⁠CDPKentucky.org⁠⁠⁠⁠.Music credits: Thanks to Pixabay and these artists for their royalty free music: intro and outro music Acoustic Inspire by The_Mountain, reflection questions music, Relaxing Meditation Music by SamuelFrancisJohnson

The sermon introduces the first of eight visions in the book of Zechariah, defining resilience as an inner strength grounded in trust that God remains in control. It contrasts Old Testament revelations through dreams and visions with the sufficiency of Scripture in the current dispensation, emphasizing that new supernatural experiences are unnecessary for believers. The speaker explains that biblical understanding requires the illumination of the Holy Spirit, which was not available to prophets before the New Covenant. By examining Zechariah 1:8-13, the message highlights how God uses symbolic imagery to remind His people of His sovereignty and mercy despite their hardships. This study aims to encourage faithfulness and steady trust in God's plan during times of difficulty.

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Send us your feedback — we're listeningRomans 15:13 — May the God of Hope Fill You With All Joy and Peace: An Evening Prayer for Hope Themes: Hope • Joy • Peace Nations in this prayer: Uganda • Canada • Brazil • Hungary • Romania • Russia Evening gives us space to look back. Some things may have gone well, while other things may have disappointed us. But one difficult moment does not have to determine how we see tomorrow. Tonight, we turn our hearts again towards the God of hope. Scripture — Romans 15:13 (NIV) “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him.” Prayer Father, as evening comes, I pause and look back over this day. This morning You reminded me that You are with me. Then You helped me receive the day with gratitude. At midday, You reminded me that I can draw strength from Christ. Now, Lord, I bring You the things that have gone well and the things that have not. Some moments may have lifted my heart, while others may have disappointed me. But tonight I choose not to let one difficult circumstance decide what I believe about tomorrow. Your Word calls You the God of hope and asks that You fill Your people with all joy and peace as they trust in You. Lord, fill me again with that hope. I pray for Uganda, Canada, Brazil, Hungary, Romania and Russia. Meet people tonight who feel discouraged, disappointed or uncertain about what comes next. Let hope rise gently within them. Jesus, You are my hope. When I cannot see the whole picture, help me trust You with what I cannot understand. When an answer has not yet come, keep me from assuming that silence means You have forgotten me. Give me patience to wait and faith to continue. Holy Spirit, fill my heart with joy and peace. Let hope become stronger than fear and trust become deeper than disappointment. Father, I release the unfinished parts of this day to You. Tomorrow has not arrived yet, so I do not need to carry it tonight. Thank You for bringing me through this day. Let Your hope remain with me as I prepare to rest. Amen. Blessing May the God of hope fill your heart tonight with joy, peace and renewed confidence in His faithfulness. Evening prayer for hope, Romans 15:13 prayer, Christian prayer for peace, prayer when you feel discouraged, prayer for joy and hope, Jesus evening prayer. hope, evening, peace, joy, Romans15, Jesus, prayer, trust, encouragement, Christian An evening Christian prayer for listeners facing disappointment, uncertainty or discouragement. DailyPrayer.uk creates Jesus-centred prayer for a global audience, helping people end the day with renewed hope, peace and trust in God.Support the showDaily Prayer with Reverend Ben Cooper now reaches 185 countries and 3,012 cities worldwide through the Global Blend Radio network.This is a listener-funded global ministry. If these daily prayers strengthen your faith or help you through difficult seasons, would you consider becoming a monthly prayer partner for just £3 per month?Your support enables us to continue recording, hosting, and broadcasting daily biblical encouragement across the nations — keeping this ministry free and accessible to everyone who needs it.You can support today at GlobalBlendRadio.comTogether, we can keep prayer moving across the world.To submit a prayer request or connect with our global prayer community, visit DailyPrayer.ukBuy me a Coffee 

The sermon introduces the first of eight visions in the book of Zechariah, defining resilience as an inner strength grounded in trust that God remains in control. It contrasts Old Testament revelations through dreams and visions with the sufficiency of Scripture in the current dispensation, emphasizing that new supernatural experiences are unnecessary for believers. The speaker explains that biblical understanding requires the illumination of the Holy Spirit, which was not available to prophets before the New Covenant. By examining Zechariah 1:8-13, the message highlights how God uses symbolic imagery to remind His people of His sovereignty and mercy despite their hardships. This study aims to encourage faithfulness and steady trust in God's plan during times of difficulty.

Sometimes, God takes over full control to put us where we need to be. Todays guest, John Porter, talks about how God took over to place him exactly where he needed to be. John learned about the root of fear and how to make decisions rooted in faith and trust in God, instead of a place of fear.   In this episode, you'll discover…  Key trait to win at home and at work (1:28) The balance of bringing faith into the workplace (7:35) Establishing what your priorities are vs. boundaries (10:45)  Advice about the spirit of fear (13:45)   John's Bio:  John has successfully developed and managed multi-family and self-storage investment properties for 35 years. Before joining our firm in 1999, he was responsible for development and all property management aspects of a Midwest firm that operated 5,000 apartment units and self-storage rentals. For Charter, John leads the acquisition and development of residential communities and is a real estate broker in North and South Carolina. His expertise in planning, zoning, and infrastructure development adds valuable insight into projects. People find that John works collaboratively to ensure everyone is on the same path to reach the same goal. He likes being challenged every day to think in new ways. It keeps things interesting. In his free time, John is an avid gardener, golfer, and fisherman who likes to spend time with his wife and two boys. Helping his family and team reach their goals brings him deep joy. Many don't know that John is a musician and has traveled to Cuba many times. Next to his wife, his dream dinner companions are Winston Churchill, Jesus, and his father.   Learn more here   What's Next?  NEW!! Join the new RISE community. Check out my newest book, 'Rise and Go', HERE!

What do you do when you know God is good, but you're still heartbroken over something He allowed?In this episode of Worship Is My Weapon, Rita Springer gets deeply honest about the difference between being heart-sick and being brokenhearted, the wounds we learn to live around, and the places where repeated disappointment can quietly affect our trust in God.Rita shares how God began revealing broken pieces she thought she had already moved past and the invitation to finally hand those pieces back to Him.If you've been praying, waiting, grieving, or wondering why God hasn't changed something, this conversation is an invitation to be honest with Him, lay down the burden, and rediscover His nearness in the middle of your brokenness.00:00 Intro01:03 Welcome to Worship Is My Weapon03:36 Living With a Broken Heart05:39 Does God Allow Our Hearts to Be Broken?08:13 Staying Curious in Your Faith09:28 Giving God the Broken Pieces11:29 Amazing Kids12:26 Heart Sick vs. Brokenhearted16:11 When the Hits Keep Coming18:43 The Enemy Attacks Our Weaknesses20:31 Finding Strength After Brokenness26:11 God Is Near to the Brokenhearted30:01 Accepting God's Invitation to Draw Near33:28 How Crisis Reveals Our Relationship With God35:32 Breaking Cycles of Disappointment38:14 What Are You Still Holding Onto?41:12 Giving God the Burden of Your Brokenness42:42 Healing vs. Remaining Sensitive to the Wound46:18 God's Desire Is to Heal and Restore47:41 What to Do When God Feels Silent49:26 Are You Heart Sick or Brokenhearted?49:57 God Is Not Offended by Your Honesty51:51 Surrendering Without Having All the Answers52:30 Don't Let Worry Steal Your Wonder53:44 Letting God Repair a Broken HeartIf you're enjoying the show, please rate and review!Follow Rita on ALL Social Media: https://linktr.ee/ritaspringerIf you would like to support the Worship Is My Weapon podcast you can donate to Wearing Justice at https://give.tithe.ly/?formId=0f0e22b...

What happens when your trust in God gets shaken, or even feels completely broken? In this honest conversation, Dot and Cara sit with Psalm 13 and David's raw prayer of doubt and praise, and open up about seasons in their own lives when trusting God felt like being led off a cliff. They talk through the real difference between a faith that's shaken and one that's severed, and why struggling with God is not the same as walking away from Him. Pull up a chair, grab your Bible, and lean in with us.Got a question about today's episode or something else you'd like to hear us talk about on the show? Let us know! Episode RecapIntro (00:00)Write this down: Psalm 13:1-6, David's raw, honest prayer that swings from "how long, O Lord" to pure praise (00:00)Dot wonders if David has a split personality, until Cara points out the psalm is a perfect picture of being honest with God (01:32)Today's real conversation starter: a dear friend admitted out loud that her trust in God had been broken, and how rarely we say that in Christian spaces (02:15)Cara opens up about a season where she felt like she trusted God all the way to the edge of a cliff, and He let her fall (08:08)Dot's pool illustration, her husband Howard catching the grandkids mid jump, even in the split second before he lets them go under (10:05)The difference between a faith that is shaken and a faith that is severed, and why struggling with God does not mean walking away from Him (17:16)Dot shares how she prayed, even before knowing the details, that Cara would never mistake her hard season for proof that God did not care (26:57)Cara looks back at Psalm 13:5, written in her Bible years before this season, and how her past tense trust became her present hope (30:01)Dot tells the story of Jacob wrestling with God all night, and how whatever your circumstances are saying, the cross already proved God is for you (32:26)Are you interested in having Dot come and speak to your community? Email us at hello@dotbowen.com.Watch Write this Down! on YouTubeFind Dot Bowen on Instagram and Facebook This Episode's Scripture VersePsalm 13:1-6 (ESV) — "How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? Consider and answer me, O LORD my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, lest my enemy say, 'I have prevailed over him,' lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken. But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, because he has dealt bountifully with me."

The Christian life requires absolute trust in God. But when times get tough, and obstacles come our way, do we really put our trust in God, or in ourselves? In this episode of The Verdict Pastor John Munro explores this perplexing question as he continues a series called What Would You Ask God?

The writer's mention of David's faith points to both its passive and active aspects. First, the passive aspect is highlighted at his anointing, as God selects David based on the condition of his heart (a heart given to David by God) rather than outward appearance, a human criterion. Likewise, David's example underscores that faith is a passive gift from God that transforms believers, enabling them to live in obedience and reflect His glory. Ultimately, we are encouraged to trust in God's sovereign choice and to offer our lives as living sacrifices, recognizing that our worth and destiny are eternally established solely on the fact that we are the Lord's beloved.

The writer's mention of David's faith points to both its passive and active aspects. First, the passive aspect is highlighted at his anointing, as God selects David based on the condition of his heart (a heart given to David by God) rather than outward appearance, a human criterion. Likewise, David's example underscores that faith is a passive gift from God that transforms believers, enabling them to live in obedience and reflect His glory. Ultimately, we are encouraged to trust in God's sovereign choice and to offer our lives as living sacrifices, recognizing that our worth and destiny are eternally established solely on the fact that we are the Lord's beloved.

This sermon examines the revival under King Hezekiah as recorded in 2 Chronicles, highlighting how God moved powerfully despite the widespread apostasy and wickedness of Judah. The message emphasizes that true revival begins with the realization of one's spiritual condition and the reestablishment of communion with God, leading to a unified congregation prepared for worship. It underscores the importance of inviting those who are distant from God, noting that Hezekiah's compassion for the ceremonially unclean northern tribes demonstrates that God values a contrite heart over ritual perfection. The preacher encourages believers to pray for revival, trust in God's ability to move suddenly, and actively reach out to backslidden loved ones with the assurance of God's mercy.

This sermon examines the voyage of Paul to Rome in Acts 27, emphasizing that God's sovereign providence governs all circumstances, including storms and apparent hindrances. The text argues that even when human resources are exhausted and hope seems lost, God remains in control, using trials to teach reliance and patience rather than allowing the enemy to thwart His will. Paul's confidence in the angelic promise serves as a model for believers to anchor their hope in Christ's faithfulness rather than in their own abilities or favorable conditions. The message encourages Christians to view adversity not as a deviation from God's plan, but as a means by which He reveals His glory and strengthens the faith of His people. Ultimately, the sermon calls for a steadfast trust in God's character, asserting that He works all things together for the good of those who love Him.

Are your words hindering the results you desire? On Believer's Voice of Victory, Courtney Copeland and Pastor Adalis Shuttlesworth explain why faith-filled words must come from a heart filled with God's Word. Learn how Pastor Adalis overcame fear by renewing her heart and developing an unwavering trust in God's Word. Fill your heart with God's Word, believe it and speak it with authority!Mentioned in this episode:BVOV Podcast Link HubBVOV Podcast Link HubBVOV Podcast Link HubBVOV Podcast Link Hub

Are your words hindering the results you desire? On Believer's Voice of Victory, Courtney Copeland and Pastor Adalis Shuttlesworth explain why faith-filled words must come from a heart filled with God's Word. Learn how Pastor Adalis overcame fear by renewing her heart and developing an unwavering trust in God's Word. Fill your heart with God's Word, believe it and speak it with authority!

Paige has decided to serve a mission! She received her call in June to Brazil. I have witnessed so many miracles take place as she places her trust in God and shows her faith. Join me today as I share just a few of the many miracles we have witnessed! "The greatest need in the world today is faith in God and courage to do His will." President David O. McKay "I am convinced that missionary work is not easy because salvation is not a cheap experience. Salvation never was easy...How could we believe it would be easy for us when it was never, ever easy for Him?" Elder Jeffery R. Holland

Tuesday, 15 September 2026   Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' Matthew 22:37   “The ‘also Jesus', He said to him, ‘You will love – ‘Lord, the God, yours' in all the ‘heart, yours', and in all the ‘soul, yours', and in all the ‘cognition, yours'.'” (CG)   In the previous verse, the jurisprudent asked Jesus his question, which was, “Teacher, which-such commandment – greatest in the law?” In response, Matthew records Jesus' words, beginning with, “The ‘also Jesus', He said to him, ‘You will love – ‘Lord, the God, yours'.'”   In Mark, Jesus begins with Deuteronomy 6:4, saying, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.'”   That is not so much a command as a statement of mental preparation and factual information about the nature of God. Matthew doesn't include this but goes directly to answering the question. Jesus words are found in Deuteronomy 6:5, saying that Israel is to love the Lord their God.   Love in this sense is not an emotional love, but a volitional one that places the object of the love above all else. Involved in this is the idea of honor, giving priority to, etc. That continues to be seen in the next words, “in all the ‘heart, yours'.”   In Scripture, the heart is the center of one's being. Not the physical being where the heart pumps blood, but the desire-producing center. In this thought there is included the idea of cognition, moral preference, etc. It is the point of man that establishes the “who I am” of the person in nature. Every bit of this is to be directed to the Lord God. And more, He continues with, “and in all the ‘soul, yours'.”   This speaks of the person's distinct identity, which leads to the thought of his individual personality. Thus, this establishes the “who I am” in personal identity. Israel is told they are to take everything that establishes them as individuals and to love the Lord God from that perspective. Also, Jesus says, “and in all the ‘cognition, yours'.”   Here is a new word, dianoia, deep thought. It is from dia, through, and nous, the mind or intellect. Thus, it is more than just the mind, but what is going on in the mind. The word cognition suits quite well, although in Ephesians 2:3, it is rendered in the plural and would need explanation for it when using the word “cognitions”, as in mental machinations.   Everything that goes on in Israel's gray matter was to be directed in a volitional love toward the Lord God. Jesus went from the jurisprudence's general which-such question to a specific answer that covers all laws within the Law of Moses. This is because all laws are covered through the sense of obedience, which is then reflected in the heart, soul, and cognition.   Life application: One can think of these aspects of a person's page on a social media site. The heart is seen in the overall profile of the person. The Who I Am in my nature in the overall presentation is seen in the heart. The Who I Am in my personal identity and preferences is seen in the soul. The Who I Am as I reveal myself through interactions with others and how I present my worldview would be reflected in the cognition aspect.   Each part reflects something about me that can be evaluated. Someone may see my general profile and say, “I want to share with this person.” He may see my identity and preferences and say, “This guy likes what I like. We can share our traits together.” Another person may see my posts and say, “He is spot on in how he evaluates the political wrangling going on. I want to watch as he interacts with people on this level.”   God is evaluating all of us on these things at all times. He knows our makeup, what identifies us as individuals, and how we interact with Him. But He also knows our limitations. The law did not allow for limitations. If Israel thought about the words of Deuteronomy 6:5, they would have seen, right from the beginning, that what is demanded is impossible to meet.   Some people focus on the Lord way, way more than others. And yet, they still fall short of the perfection demanded by the law. To violate one precept of the law is to have failed to meet the requirements of the truth stated in Deuteronomy 6:5. This is why Jesus said in Matthew 11 –   “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30   The law was a burden no person could carry. It only brought condemnation, apart from its allowances for sin forgiveness as provided in the sacrificial system. Jesus came, however, to fulfill the law. In His fulfillment of it, that burden has been removed from us.   This is known as grace. This is why it is so important that we never mar grace by reinserting the law into our lives or by attempting to insert it into the lives of others. We are to trust in God's grace, knowing it is sufficient to cover all our failings.   Our effort, after salvation, is to do our best to honor God with deeds of righteousness apart from the Law of Moses. We are never to set aside God's grace. That can only lead us to pride in self and giving up on the grace we so desperately need from moment to moment throughout our lives.   Lord God, thank You for the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank You. May we never attempt to override what He has done, but to rest in His fulfillment of the Law of Moses. May our deeds of righteousness be in honor of Jesus from this day forward. Amen.  

Part 1. What About Other Religions? In these six talks, Problems of Faith, Pawson addresses major objections and dilemmas that often trouble Christian belief: other religions, war, suffering, miracles, healing, and capital punishment. He examines each topic through careful biblical exposition rather than simplistic slogans or isolated proof-texts. Presenting Christianity as uniquely grounded in God's revelation through Jesus, while also wrestling honestly with the moral complexity of war, the mystery of suffering, and the possibility of divine intervention in miracles and healing. Throughout, he resists easy answers: suffering is not neatly explained, miracles cannot be dismissed by science alone, and healing requires discernment rather than rigid formulas. A consistent thread running through the series is Pawson's distinction between personal Christian conduct and the responsibilities of wider society or the state. He argues that believers must live by the values of Christ's kingdom while also recognizing, in areas such as war and capital punishment, the biblical role of government in restraining evil and administering justice. His conclusions are often cautious and nuanced rather than absolute, but the overall emphasis is clear: Christians should think from the whole Bible, hold together truth and compassion, and approach difficult questions with humility, moral seriousness, and trust in God.

Hope in the Waiting - Day 2- I Have Heard Your Prayers And Seen Your TearsIsaiah 38:5 “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life.”I love this verse because sometimes, when we have been waiting a long time for an answer to prayer, we begin to wonder if God is really listening. Maybe you have prayed the same prayer over and over again. Maybe you have cried more tears than you can count. If that is you today, I want you to hear these words personally: God has heard your prayers, and He has seen your tears.Just as it says in Isaiah 38:5, “This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life.” When I read this verse this morning, my first thought was of a friend of mine. She is really struggling right now, and I felt like God was talking to her when He said, “I have heard your prayers and seen your tears.” Then I got to thinking, and I actually have several friends who are struggling right now. Struggling with some really difficult issues. For all of you who are struggling right now, I want you to know that you are not alone. Life can be incredibly difficult, and sometimes it feels like one hardship gets piled on top of another. We have certainly walked through difficult seasons in our family too, and looking back, I can see that God was with us through all of it.What if you can't see that? What if you don't know where God was in all of it? You can be someone who loves God, someone who has a close relationship with God, and also you can question where God is and what his plan is. King David was anointed, and he had a very close relationship with God, yet even He questioned God. In Psalm 13:1-3 “How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?” Have you had these thoughts before? Have you, or are you going through something, and you are wondering how long you have to endure the suffering before God will save you, before He will answer your prayers?If this is your first time, I want to let you know that this is okay. Sometimes, we can make our pain worse because, on top of the pain of the situation, we feel guilty because we are questioning the Lord, or we are mad at the Lord. Sometimes our minds say things like, “If I were a good Christian, I would just trust God,” or “I've had a relationship with the Lord a long time; I shouldn't be worried or questioning.” God can handle our questioning and our anger. He is strong enough for anything you have for Him. He wants you to turn to Him in times of need. You are not the only person angry with God and questioning how long you will have to suffer. Trust me. There are many people in the same boat. Please let the guilt go. Please do not judge yourself for questioning. David questioned often; just read the psalms, and you will see just how often, and yet God chose David's lineage to bring forth the Savior of the world. Second, I want you to know that this scripture verse is for you. God wants to talk directly to you right now when he says, “I have heard your prayers, and seen your tears.” He is there with you, even when you can't see Him or feel Him. He is there every moment of your life. I know it is a struggle sometimes, many times, to understand why you had to go through some of the things you had to go through. I know that not knowing is sometimes the hardest part. I want to assure you that things will get better. I don't know how, and I don't know when. I do know that God wants ridiculously good things for you. It says in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” God will get you through these difficult times, and there will be great times on the other side of this hardship. Just hang on. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other, and you will make it through this hard time.I would like to give you two things that may help get you through this difficult time. The first is from the same psalm that I read from earlier. In Psalm 13, David was questioning the Lord and asking how long he was going to have to suffer. Then he ended the Psalm with verses 5-6: “But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord's praise, for he has been good to me.” David does question the Lord, and then he turns back to praising the Lord. Praising the Lord in a difficult time can really help us get through that difficult time. Now, I can already hear some of you saying, “But what if I am struggling to trust in God's unfailing love?” or “What if I don't know what to say?” This is ok. God knows this. When I struggle to believe in something, I go to Mark 9:24, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” Sometimes, we get to a place where we can't pray. Has this happened to you? If so, I want you to know you are in good company. I am not sure if you know this or not, but Mother Teresa had this happen to her. She was so close to the Lord; she was doing His work every single day, and yet she went through really long, like several years long, dry spells where she could not pray. She would enter into her prayer time, and nothing would come. The enemy has a way of making us feel like we are the only ones that these things happen to and that we are awful people because of it. I just want you to know that YOU ARE NOT ALONE. I think that is part of the reason why God raises up Saints. I think we usually put them on pedestals, and when we do, I think we are missing the point. I think the Saints are actually to show us very real people who are not perfect; they made mistakes, in some cases big mistakes, and yet still were capable of carrying out God's work. God does not use perfect people. He takes broken, imperfect people and makes them perfect through His grace. I think the Saints are showcasing God's redemption. If you read about the saints, you will quickly take them off the pedestal, and you will be able to see parts of yourself in them. If God could turn their lives around so completely, He could do it for all of us.The second thing is to read Scripture. If you are going through a difficult time and you are questioning if God is there, reading Scripture can be helpful. Seeing how God has shown up for others in the past can help you see how He may show up for you. If you struggle to trust in the Lord, read passages that talk about God's faithfulness. If you struggle to believe God loves you, read passages on God's love. I have recently learned of something called scripture writing. I had no idea what this was. Well, obviously, I could deduce what it meant, but I didn't know how to do it. How do you know what scripture to write? How much to write? I had several questions. The truth is, there is no one way to do it. The point is to familiarize yourself with Scripture, and you remember things better when you write them down. However, I like it when things have directions that I can follow. So, if you are like me, here is what I do. I go online and Google scripture writing plans. There will be tons of images that come up. Most of them have a theme, so I pick one that I feel resonates with me for that month. One month, I picked Be Bold; another month, I picked Repentance & Renewal. Then the plan tells you which verses to write each day. It is usually just a verse or two. I just got a notebook, and each day, I write the verse for the day. It has been really great, and I enjoy those 5-10 minutes with the Lord. If you are struggling right now, maybe give scripture writing or praising the Lord a try and see how you feel afterward. If you are not sure you know what to say when praising the Lord, you could always listen to Christian music and let the artists praise for you. If you are not sure what to pray, you can pray the scriptures. The Book of Psalms is also a great place to go for praising the Lord. If you feel like you can't praise the Lord in your circumstances, you can borrow David's praises. You will get through this hard time. God is with you! You are not alone. He may let you fall, but He will be there to catch you and put you back on even stronger ground. You are amazing, and God loves you more than you will ever know.Dear Heavenly Father, I ask that you be with everyone listening to this today. I ask that you let them see where you are in all of this. Lord, sometimes we don't understand Your plan or why we have to go through the hard times. We ask that you bless us with a supernatural trust in you. We ask that you help us to feel you in those really hard times. Lord, we ask that You fortify us with strength and protect us when we are weak. Lord, some of us are going through really difficult times and can't see the way out. I ask that you shine a light on each step of the way and fill us with assurance that you are there and are leading us out. Lord, I thank you for being strong enough to handle our questions and our anger. I thank you for your mercy that when we are angry with you or question where you are, you do not get angry with us. I thank you for the graces you give us each and every day. Lord, we love you and are constantly amazed by you. Father, we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus's holy name. AmenThank you for joining me on this journey to live boldly with Jesus. Do you know someone who has been praying and waiting for a long time? Would you consider sharing this episode—or the Hope in the Waiting series—with them? Sometimes God uses us to bring encouragement to someone who really needs it. I look forward to spending time with you again tomorrow. Have a blessed day!Today's Word from the Lord was received in February 2026 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today's Word from the Lord is, “My children, you're not children anymore. You are fully grown. You lean on my Father. You lean on the Spirit. Be bold. Be my representatives in all that you do and all that you think. I'm with you.” 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

Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) dates 2026: Begins sunset Friday, September 25 Ends nightfall Friday, October 2 ********************************************** In this teaching from under the sukkah, Rabbi Schneider and Dustin Roberts explore how Sukkot reminds us of Israel's 40 years in the wilderness and their complete dependence on God. Discover how difficult seasons can deepen your trust in God.

What is shaping your reality right now?Before we can renew our minds, we first have to become aware of what has been shaping them.In this episode of Friends With God, Joe Longo explores the thoughts, stories, content, fears, and beliefs we repeatedly consume and how they influence the way we experience our lives.Inspired by Matthew 6:21, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,” Joe asks four simple questions:What am I consuming?What am I thinking repeatedly?What am I believing simply because I've thought it for so long?And ultimately, does this bring me closer to God or further into fear?Joe also shares a personal realization about gratitude. Instead of constantly waiting for life to get better, what happens when we recognize how much goodness is already here?Gratitude doesn't mean pretending life isn't difficult. It means becoming aware of what is still good, taking the next step in front of us, and allowing God to begin renewing us from within.JOIN OUR FALL COMMUNITYBeginning October 5, our Monday Night Mastermind community will move through three movements together: RENEW. TRUST. RECEIVE.JOIN US THIS FALL We'll meet every other Monday at 7 PM ET on Zoom through the end of the year. Everyone receives the same experience, and you can join for FREE or choose a monthly contribution to help support the community.Use the link in the show notes to join us.EXPLORE THE SPACE BETWEENIf you're personally navigating a season where something is changing, ending, or falling away and you're not sure what comes next, explore The Space Between, Joe's six-week private faith-based coaching experience.This is a one-on-one space to slow down, quiet the noise, renew your mind, deepen your trust in God, and begin discerning what this season may be asking of you.Explore a Free Conversation

The sermon explores Paul's instruction to the Philippian church to work out their salvation with fear and trembling, defining this as a holistic pursuit of Christ rather than mere rule-following. By contrasting Moses' pessimistic warning in Deuteronomy 32 with Paul's confident assurance in Philippians 2, the text highlights how believers are now blameless children of God secured by Christ's blood. This secure identity enables Christians to serve without grumbling and shine as lights in a twisted generation through heartfelt obedience. The preacher emphasizes that true obedience stems from joy and trust in God's ongoing work, not from fear of failure or reliance on human effort. Ultimately, the message offers comfort and hope, assuring listeners that their spiritual journey is sustained by Christ's finished work and leads to eternal glory.

Today's episode we're discussing the real, raw fear... what if you never get pregnant? Let's take this to scripture and work through this together!    LAST DAY TO ENROLL!  WWF COHORT- begins 9/13/26 - enroll now!!  The Waiting Well Framework™ is an 8-week, Christ-centered discipleship experience for women navigating infertility who want to carry the wait with faith, peace, and purpose — not panic or despair. This Scripture-anchored journey helps women respond to disappointment without spiraling, rebuild trust in God's goodness, and live fully before motherhood comes. You don't have to walk this season alone.

Aging can bring mixed emotions, especially for parents watching their bodies change while their children grow into adulthood. The world often treats getting older as something to fight against, but Scripture offers a different perspective. Growing older can bring wisdom, deeper faith, greater compassion, and a renewed appreciation for the life God has given us. For parents entering their senior years, aging can become an opportunity to embrace a new season rather than mourn the one that has passed. Years of parenting, relationships, hardships, and answered prayers can produce a wisdom that younger generations need. As physical strength changes, our dependence on God can grow stronger, shifting our focus from temporary circumstances toward His eternal promises. There is also freedom to slow down, enjoy new adventures, invest in family, and discover simple joys that may have been difficult to make room for in earlier seasons. Highlights: Why parents can view aging as a gift rather than something to fear or avoid How growing older can deepen wisdom, compassion, patience, and grace Why aging can strengthen our trust in God’s eternal promises Learning to focus less on temporary circumstances and more on lasting hope How parents can embrace greater freedom, relaxation, hobbies, and new adventures Finding joy in relationships with adult children, grandchildren, and loved ones How faith can provide strength and renewal even as our physical bodies grow weaker Want more encouragement throughout your week? Subscribe to The Good Word, LifeAudio’s free weekly newsletter. Sign up at LifeAudio.com/thegoodword 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: 3 Good Reasons for Parents to Embrace Aging By: Lia Girard Bible Reading:"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day." - 2 Corinthians 4:16 We're all living in a world that wants us to believe it’s easy to find the next magic pill, new exercise, or diet strategy that will keep us eternally young—even in our old age. Yet we all know: this earthly life will end. None of us escapes this necessary passage, at whatever age God decides we're ready to stand in his presence. The longer I live… and the more sweet opportunities I’m given to be present with younger people managing life challenges… the more I understand that getting old is a crown of glory (see Proverbs 16:31). We don't all get to arrive in our senior years. As we near them, we may be feeling the pain of letting go of our own parents. It brings us face to face with the finality of this side of heaven. I've learned, though, while growing out my silver hair, wearing my glasses regularly, and giving up running for yoga, that life fosters compassion as your body weakens. If you're lucky enough to age into your 70s, 80s, 90s, and beyond, you will undoubtedly be required to practice a lot of grace. With yourself, your spouse, your parents, and your similarly-aged friends. A long life affords many blessings: raising children, buying homes, building or rebuilding marriages, watching adult children grow, hosting weddings, and so much more. But it also leaves your heart, soul, body, and mind a bit depleted of energy. The good news is that as you move up in years, you naturally overflow with experience. The kind of compassionate know-how that you simply didn't have when you were a teenager. Or when you were a new parent. Or when you were a new empty-nester. When you start seeing that more of your life involves medical visits than vacations, some may feel that aging is something to avoid at all costs. But I believe it is an earned reward, rich in the kind of contentment that deeply satisfies. Here are just three reasons for parents to embrace growing old: You’ve gained an abundance of wisdom. Watching yourself age, even as you try to live a healthy, active life, requires you to relax your expectations. It softens your countenance and fills you with empathy, while creating a wellspring of wisdom. And the things you now know—like how to budget, pay bills, plan events, renovate homes, soothe fussy babies, chaperone trips, and on and on—are gifts to those who need you to show them that it can be done. Of course, I'm not suggesting you force your wisdom on anyone, but it's a good feeling to know that your guidance is based on evidence and carries value. Your trust in God's eternal promises grows stronger than your anxiety about temporary circumstances. The older you get, the more fortunate you are to have been given time to shift your focus to an everlasting hope that will never fade. And maybe this is because you’ve seen so many things end, break, leave, let go, and die. As you age, you realize that the external strength and beauty of your youth are not what carry you through the deepest struggles. If you're a parent who's given the bonus of aging, there's hardly anything that compares to the privilege of loving your adult children as they advance in years as well. When you've lived long enough to see that people not only survive circumstances but thrive, you tend to worry less. No surficial issue becomes a be-all, end-all. Over time, the simple, quiet joys of life and love are what sustain you. Being rich in love and patience becomes more important than climbing the ladder, amazing outfits, or expensive vacations. What matters when you realize you're simply not as strong as you used to be ... is believing wholeheartedly that God is always strong enough to carry you through. You have more time and space for relaxation, joy, and new adventures. Parenting has many seasons, all of which involve remaining utterly in love with your children. If you're lucky enough to grow old enough that love can expand across grandchildren and great-grandchildren, too. However, in the senior years, you realize they have lives of their own now. And you, or you and your spouse, have more open space to explore amusements, interests, or places you may have only dreamed of when your house was filled with people, pets, and responsibilities in far-busier, younger decades. Hold on to the truth that although outwardly you may be “wasting away,” as our scripture says, your spirit is being renewed. So, go for those long walks. Ride your bike slowly. Take your kids out to dinner. Find weekend getaways. Or just enjoy a peaceful hobby that brings you joy. You’ve lived long enough to slow down… and let your faith be your strength. Intersecting Faith & Life: As you consider the joys and challenges of aging, why not: Find a new hobby that delights your soul Pick a place you’ve always wanted to see and go there with your spouse or best friend Choose several scripture verses that bring you peace and hope, and write them down somewhere you can see them regularly Further Reading:Psalm 91:16 Psalm 90:12 Psalm 92:12-14 Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Have you ever found yourself polluting your theology with ideas like luck, karma, or coincidence? Join us this week as we look at how we deepen our trust in God with moments that we have failed to see the sovereignty of God.

God Empowers the Weak (3) (audio) David Eells, 9/13/26 Let me share a testimony with you. Back when I was in the world, I had a deficiency that was passed on to me from my daddy. His daddy had this really bad sinus problem. My daddy used to pack around this bottle of Neo-Synephrine. It opened up the sinuses, and he carried it year-round. Growing up, I had the same problem. My sinuses would close up, and so I used that stuff to open up my breathing, but eventually it will eat the lining right out of your nose, and then I would have to use it even more. Well, when I saw that Jesus healed me at the cross, I threw that bottle away. God healed my nose then and it hasn't stopped up to this day. That was in my low twenties when I threw that bottle out by faith. And I've had head colds since then, but my nostrils haven't stopped up. When I threw that bottle out, that honored God so much that He just took it out. I used to have a natural problem with colds and sinuses, chest congestion, and all that left. The doctors gave me so much penicillin that it no longer worked for me.  Then I caught on to vitamin C, and I started taking it, and let me tell you, it did twice the good that the drugs and Neo-Synephrine had done. I saw it worked so much better than the shots, medicine, and stuff, but when I found out what Jesus did for me, I stopped taking vitamin C and I got deliverance from the whole curse of colds, congestion and sinuses. Even though the vitamin C worked better than the drugs because my system totally just was ignoring them by that point, I threw the vitamin C out, too. When I'd get a cold back then, and we'd have orange juice in the ice box, God would say, “Don't drink any of that; just totally avoid it.” He wanted to prove to me that the deliverance I was getting was from Him; it didn't have anything to do with vitamin C. Listen, I got delivered of something I had all of my life to that point. It was so bad that the infection would get in my inner ears, then my eardrums would burst, and I had fluid draining out of my ears. When God delivered me, I threw out the Neo-Synephrine, and I threw out the drugs and the vitamin C; I got total deliverance from that. It's no longer a problem.  So, what is it to walk by faith? We can pick up parts of walking by faith by looking at one another, but we need to get an image of what God's faith is. Look at Mark 11:22. Most versions read, “And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.” But in the original version, it says, “Have God's faith” and the Numeric Bible says that, too. I thought about that, and I felt like the Lord told me that God's faith is not the faith of man in God, but the faith of God inside of man. It's hard for us to work up enough faith in God, but it's our right and privilege from the Scriptures to have God's faith in us, which is what salvation is all about. (Php.2:13) For it is God who worketh in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure. And you know it's our right because that's what Jesus did. He made reconciliation. Reconciliation is an exchange. Jesus took our unbelief; He put it on the cross along with the curse and He gave us His faith. We have to reckon ourselves to be dead unto sin (Romans 6:11). Self is the unbeliever, but your spiritual man is not able to walk in unbelief because he is born again. He's born of God. The problem is our old carnal man gets in the way. From the time we are children, our carnal man is being trained to be our savior, to be a grown-up, but Jesus taught us that we have to become as children, or we won't enter into the Kingdom with its benefits. Now, we know that we're entering into the Kingdom because Jesus said, “the kingdom of God is within you” (Luk.17:21) and some translations say “among you” instead of “within you.” Both are true.  So we are entering into the Kingdom, but we can't enter into the Kingdom without being a child. And that means we are weak. That's not a grown-up, right? The qualities the world calls “grown-up” are not considered to be qualities in the Kingdom of Heaven. Casting all our cares upon Him (1 Peter 5:7) and putting our total trust in Him to be our supplier (Genesis 17:1), our Savior (Ephesians 5:23), our Healer (Exodus 15:26) – these things please God. (Heb.11:6) Without faith it is impossible to be well-pleasing [unto him]; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that seek after him. So what we need is what He says in Mark 11:22. We need to “have God's faith” in us.  When you get a picture of Jesus, you may get a picture of a faith that you don't have by manifestation. Let me say that you can have that faith. The Bible says, We all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory…. (2Co.3:18). You have to see it as an accomplished fact. You have to see the fact that Jesus has already given you everything that He is, and that includes His faith (Romans 5:10,11). And that's the way faith works. It speaks the end from the beginning. It calleth the things that are not, as though they were (Rom.4:17).  When we look in the mirror and we are to see Jesus. The Bible promises us that for this we'll be transformed into that image, from glory to glory, so we need to get a picture of His faith because that's our faith. It is the faith of God inside of man, not the faith of man in God, because the carnal man has no ability to walk in faith. We try and try to work faith up in ourselves, and that is the faith of man in God. But the faith of God inside of man is the Father's free gift given to us by grace. It's by grace we are drawn to the Father; that's His gift to us. And He will keep us in the same faith He put in us to cause us to come to Him at the beginning, if we continue to walk in that faith. He's given us the faith that we need. He's given “us all things that pertain unto life and godliness” (2Pe.1:3). He's given us all things. His divine power hath granted unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness (3) and faith is the victory that overcomes the world (1 John 5:4). (Eph.2:8) For by grace have ye been saved through faith…. “Have you been saved” is what it says in the original and that's what the Numeric says and that's what the Nestles Text says. I believe the Received Text says that, too. “By grace have ye been saved through faith.” Faith always looks back. Faith believes you have received. It's always past tense. Hope is future tense. Hope is looking forward to something, confident that you will receive something, a firm expectation. Strong's says the Greek word elpis, meaning “hope,” is “a favorable or confident expectation.” But faith is looking back at something, not forward to something. It's something that you have already received. It's calling “the things that are not, as though they were” (Rom.4:17). So whatever salvation is, whatever salvation incorporates, it comes by grace through faith and it comes by looking back. And since our salvation is past tense, it makes being weak of primary importance. If you obey the Word of God, if you obey the principles of Jesus, you will be weak in yourself. You will cease from your struggling to save yourself in situations; you will enter into the sabbath and cease from your works so that God can do His.  Some time back, I ran into this one woman in Louisiana. She had been to “who's who” in the healing circuit. She had gone to everybody. She had two very large, inoperable tumors, and she gave me a list of all the people she had gone to. She said, “David, I just don't understand why I haven't been healed.” And I said, “Well, I believe the reason just came out of your mouth as to why you haven't been healed. You're looking forward to healing and the Bible teaches us to look back at healing, for by His stripes you were healed.” (1 Peter 2:24) Faith is always in the past. The sacrifice of Jesus was at the beginning of this Testament so that we would always look back and accept what was done there, accept it as ours, because it is past tense. If we accept it as past tense and done, then it causes us to be weak because it causes us to cease from our works and we enter into the sabbath rest. If you believe it's done, then you don't have to keep working to try to bring it to pass. If it's in the future, you'll never know what method God wants to use to bring it to pass, but since it's in the past, you can accept it as a free gift. (Eph.2:8) For by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, [it is] the gift of God; (9) not of works, that no man should glory. (10) For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works…. So we do have works to do; only they're not our works, they're the works of God. Whatever God's work is between here and the manifestation, our work is to believe what the Bible says, and the Bible says, “by whose stripes ye were healed” (1Pe.2:24). We should never be moved away from that for any reason that would say, “Maybe not, maybe not in this case,” because we'll never be able to have faith if we're not convinced that what the Bible says is true about our healing. See, Jesus came to reveal the Will of the Father and He did that by healing everyone who came to Him. Our problem is that we can't come to Jesus physically and touch Him, but we can all come to Him by faith. We can confess our sins that we may be healed. (Jas.5:16) Confess therefore your sins one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. We have the ability to get things out of the way that would hinder healing. So we confess our sins that we may be healed, as the Bible says, and then we can “touch” Jesus by faith. He healed everyone who came to Him. He came to show us the way and to be an example. Everybody who came to Jesus was healed, so why isn't everybody healed today? The number one reason is that it's not being taught that by His stripes you were healed (1 Peter 2:24). You, as a Christian, were healed. This is not something you have to look forward to. That's hope. See, that's the problem with many Christians – they're looking forward to something that they need to be looking back to. We were all healed at the cross. And we enter into that by ceasing from our own thinking and our own reasoning and saying, “God, I repent. Your Word is true.” What does it mean to “repent”? It means to “change your mind.” The Word is true. If it says by His stripes you were healed, then change your mind; you were healed.  What we need to understand here is this word “salvation,” or in Greek, sozo. The Scripture says, “for by grace have ye been saved through faith” (Eph.2:8). Now, I point out to you that faith is past tense. It's always believing for something that you've received. When you pray, Jesus said, “believe you have received and you shall have it” (Mark 11:24). That's the way that faith works. That identifies how our salvation is going to come, our sozo, our “saved,” is going to come. Grace is another thing that identifies God's method for bringing you sozo, “salvation,” “saved.” Let's look carefully at this example. (Rom.4:4) Now to him that worketh, the reward is not reckoned as of grace, but as of debt. It says, if it's grace, it's not your works. If it's grace, you have to cease from your works. See, many people are seeking healing and deliverance because they have hope. But hope will not get you either. Faith will. If you have to work for it, or pay for it, if you have to earn it, it's not something that's coming through grace because “grace” is “unmerited favor.” Much of the church is caught up in their own works. They say, “You're not saved by your works,” but they believe that only refers to their soul. When the Bible talks about salvation in other areas, like “deliverance” or sozo, “saved” in other areas, it's, “Oh, well, no; now God does it this way.” So they continue in their own works. He says here, “To him that worketh, the reward is not reckoned as of grace, but as of debt.” In other words, God would owe it to you if you could work it up in yourself. But it's not grace if you have to work for it because God would owe it to you. It would be a debt. He refuses to cooperate with you in that. (Rom.4:5) But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is reckoned for righteousness. Notice: “to him that worketh not…” Grace comes “to him that worketh not.” Here's another example. (Rom.11:6) But if it is by grace, it is no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. Whatever salvation is, salvation is very big. It's much bigger than your soul going to Heaven when you die. Salvation is here and now. Salvation covers everything that Jesus did on the cross. It covers everything having to do with the curse of sin and of death. We've been delivered from the curse of sin and of death (Romans 8:2), and that's what salvation is all about. But if any part of that salvation is by works, then that's not salvation through grace. There are salvations out there that are not God's method for His people. The world always wants to be your savior. The arm of the flesh always wants to be your savior. I.e.,“Let me do it my way, Lord. I know how to take care of myself. I'll do it.” The worldly ways of deliverance don't cause us to grow closer to God; they don't cause us to manifest Christ, nor do they cause us to grow in faith. They are salvations that are of the world. When the children of Israel were brought out into the wilderness, they wanted to run back to Egypt for their salvation (Exodus 16:3). They said, “Let's go back to the flesh-pots.” God said in effect, “No, you stay in the wilderness. Your salvation is coming out of Heaven.” But they continued to murmur. “Well, we would rather have Egypt's salvation; it's easier on the flesh; it's not so much of a trial. Let's go back to Egypt.” Every time the Israelites got into a tight spot, every time they lacked water, or food, or whatever, God put them in that spot. He brought them there, and He put them there so that they would come to the end of themselves and put their trust in Him. Instead, they kept crying, “Let's go back and get Egypt's salvation.” Egypt had a salvation. The world has a salvation for you; it has a deliverance, but it's not an eternal deliverance, and the end is always a curse. The Bible says, “Cursed is he who trusts in man, in the arm of the flesh” (Jeremiah 17:5). Maybe you don't see it, but in some way, whenever the world saves you, there's always a curse in it. Maybe you don't see it yet, but there's one there. When Christ saves you, it is eternal. It causes you to grow in faith. It causes you to grow in manifesting Him. It's an affront to Him to think that you can pay for His benefits. You remember when Peter and John were praying for people and they were receiving the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:15,17), that Simon the magician also received the Holy Spirit, but he wanted to pay Peter and John for this ability. (Act.8:20) But Peter said unto him, Thy silver perish with thee, because thou hast thought to obtain the gift of God with money. (21) Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right before God. Simon wanted this gift to be able to lay hands on people to impart the Holy Spirit. That's all he wanted, but we need to see that the principle here covers much more than just this gift of imparting the Holy Spirit. Peter said, “Thy silver perish with thee, because thou hast thought to obtain the gift of God with money”; in other words, it's not something that you can earn or ever pay for. The gift of God doesn't come through your ability, nor does it come through your earning it. You cannot pay for it. It has to be free. Do you know what happens when you go and pay for the world's salvation and call that God? Because it's not God; it's going back to Egypt. You get an answer and you may grow, too, but you grow in the world; you don't grow in God. You see, the Lord explained something to me about the image of the beast. The image of the beast is being manifested in this world right now. I'm not going to deny what anybody else has to say about the image of the beast in the future, but the Bible says that Christ was the image of God (Hebrews 1:3) and that His Body is made up of saviors. The Bible even says, “and saviors shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau” (Oba.21). “Saviors” is plural. God's body is made up of people (1 Corinthians 12:27) whom He has gifted in different gifts (1 Corinthians 12,13,14) to enable them to do the work of Jesus in this earth, works that Jesus wanted done: of deliverance, of saving, of healing, of providing. But, you know what? First of all, God's administering these gifts through Spirit-filled believers. Don't twist the Word, as many Christians do, and say, “Well, now God administers these gifts through pagans.” No. Not so. Although God can give you many gifts through pagans, and although the Holy Spirit does not have to go through a man, these particular gifts He's talking about only come through Spirit-filled believers. None of these gifts can be bought. If you have to buy it, or pay for something that you call “God's salvation,” it's not grace and faith. Grace and faith cause you to be weak; it causes you to cease from your trusting in Egypt and in the ways of the world. God's gift is free. You can't pay for it, you can't earn it, you can't be good enough for it. It comes by faith. Faith is believing you have received. When you believe you have received, it causes you to stop seeking it. Stop and think about it. If you believe you have received healing, are you going to keep running after it? No, because faith always cuts off the works and the methods of men. When you believe you have received, you can rest; you can cease from your works; you can enter into rest. Everything can come from God that way. Everything will come from God that way. It's the most perfect way to receive from God. You say, “Well, doesn't God keep Egypt going?” Sure He does, but God wants Egypt for the Egyptians. God has planned the wilderness for Christians. Does God give strength to Egypt to keep running? Of course. (Act.17:28) For in him we live, and move, and have our being…. He gives you your very breath. The world gets its breath from God, but the world is not God's method for Christians.  God's method for Christians is receiving every salvation that comes from Christ through grace and faith. That's His method. It is offensive to God to think that you would want to buy from Him any gift that He has already given to you. He has chosen it to be a gift. (Eph.2:8) For by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, [it is] the gift of God. Note the word translated “saved” here is the word sozo. “For by grace have ye been saved,” Sozo. That word is used over and over in the Scriptures. If we can find the places where this word is used, then every place this word is used, it should come by grace through faith. That means not of your works. A free gift of God; exercising faith in God. That's what pure faith is. That is what God's faith in man is. The other is not real faith and fails us. I want to give you an example of what salvation encompasses, one probably every Christian would agree on. This was the sinful woman who anointed Jesus, and Jesus pronounced her forgiven of sins. (Luk.7:47) Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, [the same] loveth little. (48) And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. (49) And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that even forgiveth sins? (50) And he said unto the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace. Now I believe everybody who is a Christian would agree with me that forgiveness of sins is salvation, and it comes by grace through faith. As we look at some of the other places where the same word, sozo, is used, you may question whether that salvation still comes by grace through faith, but I can assure you, any kind of salvation that comes from God is a free gift that comes by grace through faith. Wherever this word is used, it fits into Ephesians 2:8. Everywhere it fits in there, no matter what we identify as being this salvation. I once asked a Greek man, who spoke Greek as his native language, “What does the word soteria mean to you?” Soteria is the noun of sozo in the Greek and is the word in the Scriptures for “salvation.” He said, “Well, it means to us Greeks, ‘all of your needs supplied like a little baby; all of your needs supplied.'” See, we have such a very narrow idea of what salvation is. Most of the churches that we've been raised in have taught us that salvation is only getting to go to Heaven when this life is over. But when we look at that word and identify it in the Scriptures, we find out it's very big, very broad, and that every bit of it is incorporated in these promises concerning being saved. (Eph.2:8) For by grace have ye been saved through faith…. This woman, to whom Jesus said, “thy faith hath saved thee,” was saved by grace through faith. This was where her sozo came from. All her needs were supplied like a little baby. A little baby needs all his needs supplied. We have to come to Jesus as a child, in need of our needs being supplied. Adults are used to going out and supplying their own needs; they're used to taking care of themselves, but God desires this sozo kind of relationship with us. He desires that we would keep the sabbath, cease from our works, and enter into the rest through faith in the promises of God, as the Bible says. (2Co.7:1) Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Now, that's a broad promise, but salvation is very big.  Let me give you another example of this word, sozo, and let's see if “by grace have you been saved through faith” still applies. This is the story of the 10 lepers. Remember the one leper who returned and gave glory to God (Luke 17:15)? Here's what Jesus told him: (Luk.17:19) And he said unto him, Arise, and go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole. And the word for “made thee whole” here is the word sozo, “saved.” “Thy faith hath made thee whole.” What the leper received from God can only be obtained in the wilderness, not in Egypt. Sometimes there is a salvation in Egypt, but just like the mark of the beast, there are two marks. There is a mark of the beast, and there is the mark of God. Exodus 13:16, speaks about the mark of God on the forehead and on the back of the hand, and the mark of God was to have the Word of God. The Israelites would write the Word of God, put them in these little boxes, and then they'd tie them right across their forehead and put them on the back of their hand (Deuteronomy 11:18). But, guess what? The corresponding verse in Revelation 13:16 talks about the mark of the beast. So, if it's the Word of God being manifested in your mind and in your works, that's the mark of God. In contrast, the mark of the beast can be the word of the flesh, the word of the devil, the word of the world, the thinking of the world being manifest, the mind of flesh being manifested in your mind and in your works. That might be just a spiritual revelation of it, but accept it because it's still Scriptural.  See, if we walk after our own thinking and after our own works, it's because we're trusting in our own ability. We're not walking by faith in Jesus, and your mind is not being renewed by the Word of God. You walk as a beast. I don't care if you walk in church; you still walk as a beast if you walk after the mind of the flesh and if your salvation comes from the world. So we have the image of the beast being manifested in the world, while the image of Christ is being manifested in the Church. Christ's Body is made up of people, each of whom has been given gifts to serve the rest of the Body. Do you know the world is made up the same way? Jesus said there are only two men in the earth (Matthew 24:40) – there's Christ and there's antichrist. The world works the same way. The only difference is that the saviors who make up the image of the beast want to save you from Christ's salvation, and Christ wants to save you from their salvation. His salvation is free. Theirs is not free; theirs is very costly. The Lord has a better way. He showed it to us in the Gospels. What Jesus gave in His provision was free; it didn't come through the works of man, the ability of man, or man's money. When you have to pay for it, believe me, that's not salvation by grace through faith. This leper found that out. What did he have to pay for this sozo? He received a sozo that came by grace through faith. You know, a third example can be found in the story of the blind man. (Luk.18:38) And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. (40) And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, (41) What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. (42) And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath made thee whole. Sozo, “saved.” “Thy faith hath saved thee.” That's what He's talking about that saves you. Salvation covers healing, and it's always covered healing, even in the Old Testament. The word right here is sozo. It's “saved.” The leper was “saved” of his leprosy. The blind man was “saved” of his blindness. See, they've translated the same word different ways. They've translated it “saved”; they've translated it “made whole,” but the original word is still only one word; it's the same word. I have the three most ancient manuscripts, and it's the word sozo. Sozo is the word in the Scriptures for “saved.” Everywhere Scripture uses the word “saved” in talking about our eternal salvation, it's the word sozo. We see now it's also used for healing, which tells us that healing is involved. Remember, Jesus came to deliver us from the curse of sin and of death (Romans 8:2). Sin brought death. What was incorporated in death? Sickness, disease, everything else was incorporated in death.  Our salvation is double; it's dual. It saves us not only from sin, but it saves us from the penalty for sin. What is the penalty for sin? The curse. In Deuteronomy 28, God expounded the penalty for sin and He gave us the curse there. When you go back and read it, you'll find out that the curse covers not only sickness, but everything detrimental that ever happened to man because of his sin. Everything that came against man from the beginning because of his sin is a part of the curse. And you know what? Jesus became accursed for us that we might have Abraham's blessings. He became a curse on that cross. Everybody who's put on a cross is accursed (Galatians 3:13). What Jesus bore was not only the sin; it was the curse for that sin. Why would God say, “I'm going to take away your sin,” but not take away the curse? So now we see this word, sozo covers all of that. It covers not only the sin, but also the curse. We've just looked at three people who were delivered of the curse of sin, and they were delivered of it because it was by grace through faith. Let me give you yet another example to show you the difference between God's salvation and the world's salvation. Let's not change the Scriptures. What we see in Jesus is still the truth. He's the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). He is our Salvation. What He did, was to prove to us what He wanted to do. What He did in the Gospels, He does today to everybody who believes. The Gospel is the power of God to save everyone who believes (Romans 1:16). What's the Gospel? It's the Good News. It's the promises of God. And it doesn't matter if you're a “Christian.” What matters is: are you a believer? Do you believe what the Gospel says? There are Christians who are unbelieving Christians because they only believe what they want to believe. We have to believe in the Jesus of the Bible and that He really is the same yesterday, today and forever. Jesus still heals everybody who comes to Him. Let's not make up another Jesus. Paul talked about those who would come to you with another Jesus. No, we don't need another Jesus. We need this Jesus. The problem is not with God. People blame the problem on God. The problem is not with God because God has already healed you. It's not a matter of God deciding whom He's going to heal and whom He's not going to heal. That's not what the Bible says.  The Bible says that by His stripes you were healed (1 Peter 2:24). This is your decision to make. (Rom.1:16) For I am not ashamed of the gospel: for it is the power of God unto salvation (soteria) to every one that believeth…. Look, the condition is on you believing. The condition is not whether God wants to heal you. The Bible says all of the promises of God are “yes” (2 Corinthians 1:20). Don't believe the people who say, “Sometimes it's ‘no.'” No, all the promises of God are “yes,” and through him is the Amen (2Co.1:20). That means “the so be it.” That means it will come to pass through Him. What we have to do is renew our mind and get back to the real Jesus. The real Jesus of salvation covers your body and your circumstances. Now let's look at this example. (Luk.8:43) And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, who had spent all her living upon physicians…. You know what? She was trying to buy salvation here. She was trying to buy sozo. The word “saved” is used in this text. She was trying to buy it. This is not God's method for you to receive it. God's method for you to receive this comes the same way as it did in the Scriptures: through the laying on of hands (Mark 16:18) and the confession of faith (Romans 10:10). That's His method. You know why? Because it excludes all of man's glorying in it. Nobody but God can take credit when you do it God's way. (Jas.5:14) Is any among you sick? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: (15) and the prayer of faith shall save him that is sick, and the Lord shall raise him up … This doesn't say it “would” or it “might”; this says it “shall” raise them up. The Bible says if any two of you agree as touching anything, it shall be done (Matthew 18:19), and I consider that to mean the person being prayed for and the person doing the praying. That's two, right?  Let's continue with our example. (Luk.8:43) And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, who had spent all her living upon physicians, and could not be healed of any. Some of you have been there. I've been there, too, only to find out that God gave it freely when I gave up. God gave it freely. Look at this same story in Mark. (Mar.5:25) And a woman, who had an issue of blood twelve years, (26) and had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse … I just wanted to point that out to you: she spent all that she had. She came to the end of herself. I've been there. You don't have to try everything but God. You can start out with God. God is faithful. He is faithful Who promised (Hebrews 10:23). He will not fail you. There is no “maybe.” You can't exercise faith if you think, “Maybe God will, maybe He won't.” The Bible doesn't say “maybe” He will, “maybe” He won't. It says He's already done it. When this woman was healed, it didn't have anything to do with Jesus' faith because she came up and touched Him, but Jesus didn't know it until after it was all over. I do want to make a point here, though. This salvation she had been looking for was not sozo because it was not grace through faith. It was not. Why? Because if it's grace, it's no more works. If it's a gift of God, you can't pay for it. And if it's faith, it's past tense. She was looking for it in the future. She sought to receive it. But if it's faith, she was looking the wrong way, just like this lady I told you about who had those two tumors. I told her, “Turn around and look the other way; you're looking the wrong way.” That's when God gave this to me, this thought of “You're looking the wrong way. Turn around and look at the cross.” When the serpent on the pole was raised up in the wilderness, everybody who got their eyes on that serpent on the pole was healed (Numbers 21:9). You had to get your eyes off the snakebite and on the serpent on the pole to be healed. I told her, “Turn around and look at the cross. That's where your healing happened. You're looking in the future.” Tomorrow never comes. Faith never works that way. Faith believes that you have received (Mark 11:24). Faith turns around and looks back at the cross because the Bible says, by His stripes you were healed (1 Peter 2:24). Your healing is certain. It was accomplished at the cross. Reconciliation was accomplished (Colossians 1:20). What is that? Exchange. At the cross, Jesus gave you His healthy body and He took your old, unhealthy one. He gave you His clean, pure soul, and He took your old, unclean one. He gave you His righteousness and His blessings, and He took away your unrighteousness and your cursings. The exchange was made. This is how faith works. (2Co.5:17) Wherefore if any man is in Christ, [he is] a new creature: the old things are passed away; behold, they are become new. Now our old things have become new. What are we? New creations. New creatures in Christ. This is how faith works. Faith sees the end from the beginning; faith accepts it, grasps it; and faith holds on to it. That's why this particular method is God's method. You ask, “Can God do it?” Sure. God keeps all the Egyptians alive until they come to know Jesus. Do you understand that when we come out of Egypt and go into the wilderness, we still need “Egyptology” to come out of us? Yes! When we come out of Egypt and go into the wilderness, we need to be delivered of Egypt. I'm not talking Law here; I'm talking about a privilege. It is our privilege to accept our salvation in Jesus Christ as an accomplished fact and what I'm telling you is just how big the salvation is. (Luk.8:43) And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, who had spent all her living upon physicians, and could not be healed of any, (44) came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately the issue of her blood stanched. (45) And Jesus said, Who is it that touched me? And when all denied, Peter said, and they that were with him, Master, the multitudes press thee and crush [thee]. (46) But Jesus said, Some one did touch me; for I perceived that power had gone forth from me. By the way, I know the King James says “virtue” here, but the word is “power”; it's dunamis. In fact, the King James does translate it “power” in other places in the Bible, like in Luke 10:19. The word “power” there is the word dunamis. So it was power that came out of Jesus, but if it was power that came out of Jesus, it didn't have anything to do with His faith. In this particular case, all that was necessary was for this woman to touch Him by faith. It wasn't a matter of Jesus making up His mind whether to heal this woman or not.  Jesus never turned anybody away anyway and He's not going to tell you “no.” In fact, if there's a “no,” the “no” is going to be in you; it's not going to be in Him. Our problem is we listen to the devil; we listen to the flesh. We don't listen to the Bible. Confess your sins and believe. That's all you have to do. Now, if you have willful disobedience in your life, it will come between you and healing because you won't have faith toward God. The Bible says, “if our heart condemn us not, we have boldness toward God” (1Jn.3:21). That's why you have to confess your sins to get them out of your way. But Jesus always said, “Yes.” Do you think that there were some of those people who came to Jesus who needed something worked out in their lives? I guarantee you that all of those people who came to Jesus had something that needed working out in their lives, but that didn't stop Jesus from healing. You know what did stop Jesus from healing some? When He went to His own hometown, their unbelief stopped Him. He could not. It doesn't say He would not. (Mat.13:58) And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief. Now, we need to have the faith of God in us. This salvation has been accomplished. It's not a matter of you asking Him to accomplish it; “it is finished” (Joh.19:30). I have overcome the world (16:33). This is not a matter of Jesus doing something in the future. Ask Him, “Will You do it?” He'll tell you just what the Bible says. “I did it.” He won't say, “I will do it.” He never says that. The Bible doesn't say that. He's always going to agree with the Word. He won't tell you something contrary to the Word. I knew a man one time who was asking God to heal his wife of cancer, and God told him, “She's healed.” You know what? His wife died. He was sure God told him that she was healed, and he was angry with God. I said, “Bud, God told you exactly what the Bible says. He's not going to disagree with His Word. The problem is, do you agree with His Word? He's going to tell you to believe the Bible every time. He's going to tell you, ‘You are healed.' By his stripes you were healed. What else is He going to say? Are you going to ask Him to tell you something besides what the Bible says? He's only going to tell you what the Bible says.” I know calling “the things that are not, as though they were” (Rom.4:17) appears like a lie to the world, but it's not a lie because you're in agreement with the Scriptures. You agree with God Almighty, the One Who does not dwell in time, and what He says goes. (Rom.3:4) … Let God be found true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy words, And mightest prevail when thou comest into judgment. Now, when you come under the judgment of the curse, what you need is justification. Justification is God calling you righteous. And He calls you righteous when you come under the curse, if you agree with the Bible concerning what Jesus did about the curse. Can you agree with the Bible about what Jesus did for you? He became accursed for you so that you could have the blessings of Abraham. (Isa.53:5) But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Do you agree with the Bible? See, if you're not agreeing with the Bible, you're going to consider, “Well, I need this.” Or “I'll have to handle it. The crucifixion of Jesus was not enough, I'll have to handle a little bit of it myself.” The worldly teachers will convince you of that, and you will be a double-minded person because you are not agreeing with God's Word. Jesus only preached to those people who had eyes to see and ears to hear (Matthew 13:9-11). He wasn't talking about the physical eyes and ears; they all had them. He meant spiritual eyes and ears. (2Pe.1:3) Seeing that his divine power hath granted unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness…. Do you see that? Do you see with your spiritual eyes that God has already given you everything that pertains unto life? It's not a matter of Him accomplishing it. He did that almost 2000 years ago. Now the problem is, are you going to agree with Him? Two can't walk together except they be agreed (Amos 3:3). You can't walk with Jesus except to the extent you agree with Him. Now, how are you going to agree with Him? I told Bud, “The Lord told you what the Bible says. The problem is you didn't believe in it. You were waiting to see something first. That is not the way faith works. Faith accepts it as a fact before seeing it. If you walk by faith, you'll see it, but if you walk by sight, you'll never see it because that's not the way it works. That's not faith. Faith is looking back at the cross.” So, Bud was angry at God because God didn't do what He said He was going to do. But it wasn't God's fault. See, we enter into the Covenant. The Bible says that the Gospel “is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth” (Rom.1:16). Listen, the power of God has already accomplished everything. What He's done is already accomplished. Your part is to enter into that Covenant by your faith. That's what brings it to pass. God's part is sure; it is finished, and it is final. Now we enter into our part of it by faith. That's our part of keeping the Covenant. When the disciples asked Jesus, “what must we do, that we may work the works of God?” (Joh.6:28), He said just one thing: “believe on him whom he hath sent” (29). All we have to do to do the works of God, whatever they are, is “believe on him whom he hath sent.” Does everybody have to die under the curse? Does everybody have to leave this life under the curse? The world has taken for granted that you're going to die of something. Do you have to die under the curse, or can you keep believing all the way up to the end, until you leave this life? Has everybody died of the curse? No, they did not. In fact, I have some books describing people who died on their deathbeds, and there was absolutely no pain in their bodies, and they couldn't find anything wrong with them; they just went to be with the Lord. This is not to condemn the ones who do die, but we have to get our sight and our vision on Jesus. You can't go somewhere that you can't see, you know. The Bible says, if you can see Jesus in the mirror, you can go there. Of course, everybody's not going to go there to the same extent. Look, one person received one talent, another two and another five (Matthew 25:14-30). Everybody doesn't get the same gift. Everybody doesn't manifest the same fruit, do they? There's 30-, 60- and 100-fold fruit (Matthew 13:8,23). Do you want to enter into only what you see other people entering into, or do you want to enter into everything that God has for you? That's the point. We're supposed to be looking at Jesus, not looking at our neighbor. Get your eyes on Jesus. He'll show you what you can enter into. God is going to do a special thing in these days. Did you know that He's going to do something He's never done before? The Bible says He's coming “to be glorified in his saints, and to be marvelled at in all them that believed (because our testimony unto you was believed) in that day” (2Th.1:10). Oh, glory to God! The apostle Paul said there was a day in the future when his words would finally be believed and that Jesus would be glorified in those people in that day because they did believe that word.  You know, God gives grace for us to enter into believing just as much as we can believe. God gives grace for us to reach out to places people have never reached out to. In this day there is more grace to believe more than there's ever been. Do you understand what that verse says? He said, “in that day.” Paul was saying that they weren't believing it in his day, but that's what we're seeking right now. We don't want to stop with what religion has accepted; we want to go on and get everything God has given us. (Eph.2:8) By grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, [it is] the gift of God; (9) not of works, that no man should glory. That's one work. Now, here's another work: (10) For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works…. The first is talking about your work, the work of the flesh, the efforts of man, the efforts of self, the buying of God's gift, all those things. The second is talking about God's work. So let's just use healing again as a “for instance” because we're talking about it already. Do you know what? When you have faith that Jesus healed you, which is the only one that's a Scriptural faith, that faith is going to be walked out by your feet; it's going to come out of your mouth; it's going to be seen in your actions. That is a work that comes from faith. You know what the other work is? It's a work that comes before faith. Works of the flesh come before faith; works of God come after faith. When you believe, you're able to walk just like you received, and do you know what happens when you do that? You do what the 10 lepers did. Jesus said to them, “go and show yourselves unto the priests” (Luk.17:14). Well, they understood that because in the Law of Moses, when a person was healed of leprosy, he went to show himself to the priests. Then the priest inspected the person and took his turtle dove and gave his offering. But these lepers went to show themselves to the priests before their healing was manifested. Their walk was a walk of faith. But the way of the world would stand right there and say, “Well, I'm not healed.” Those lepers would look at themselves and say, “Well, I'm not healed yet. It's not the time to go show myself to the priest.” That's a carnal walk. That's walking by sight and not walking by faith. So there is a work that follows faith. Faith without works is dead. If you believe that you're healed, let me hear it come out of your mouth and let me see it in your feet. And if you believe that Jesus delivered you from sin, let's see that come out of your mouth and see it in your feet. Do you understand? When you believe something, your actions have to agree with that belief. Faith, if it have not works, is dead in itself (Jas.2:17), or it's incomplete. It's not real faith until it's put into works that agree with what the Bible says. But the world says, “I can see you're not healed,” but your feet keep on saying, “I'm healed. Look at me walk,” because your works are going to agree with faith. So if you're just healed by faith, you know you're not healed by manifestation. As long as you're healed by faith, you're believing for something that you don't yet see. That's the way faith works. And if you don't do it there, you'll never see it by manifestation. We have to repent of our worldly thinking. We have to repent of our Babylonish doctrine that's been given to us. We must change our minds, and we say, “God, You're right.” You have to say that before you can enter into it. (Rom.3:4) Let God be found true, but every man a liar…. Justification comes from agreeing with God. Agree with God; even if you're failing, agree with God. God's not going to condemn anyone. You don't condemn your child if your child is a toddler and stumbles and falls. There's no way you would condemn that child because that's the way they learn to walk. That's the way children are. They don't always get it right the first time. Now, as they get older and they're stumbling, you start asking what's wrong with them. So when we start out on a faith walk, we stumble and fall, but we get up. If you don't get up, you're not overcoming. You get up, you walk a little farther, you stumble, you walk a little farther. Every time you get up, you're walking farther, and you keep going. But if you decide, “I'm just going to sit right here because it's too dangerous to stand up,” then you're going to be an unprofitable servant (Matthew 25:30) because you've been given knowledge and you're doing nothing with it. Remember, it's God's faith inside of you; it's not your faith in Him. You'll fail as long as it's just your faith in Him. It's God's faith inside of you. Remember that God has given you His faith. Accept it as a gift. Reconciliation has given you this gift. Unbelief was taken away from you at the cross. Did you know that? All your sins were put on that cross, including the one that's at the foundation of every sin – unbelief. But that's at the cross, and you've been delivered. The Bible says, “reckon ye also yourselves to be dead unto sin” (Rom.6:11). That means to reckon your old unbelieving self to be dead and gone. “I'm delivered from unbelief.” Do you understand? That's not a confession of faith in yourself; that's a confession of faith in God. We are new (2 Corinthians 5:17). You have been made free from sin (Romans 6:22). You're free from unbelief. Believe and accept it.  Don't get anxious when you fail God because of your unbelief, and don't let anybody put a guilt trip on you. Don't let anybody put you under the Law to do what they expect. Don't be moved by peer pressure because somebody else has faith. Don't look at any of that. Get your eyes on Jesus. He will give you the faith that you need to do these things. It's His free gift to you. You don't have to be anxious or try to work it up yourself. You can't pick yourself up off the floor by your bootstraps. It's just not possible. It has to come from the outside in. It's nothing that you can do from the inside out. So don't be condemned if you're not able to do everything that you see Jesus do or that you see others do. Don't worry about it. It's God Who started the good work in you, and it's He Who's going to finish it (Philippians 1:6). The people who put others under legalism cause a lot of people hurt. This is wrong. And I'll tell you what, they ultimately get hurt, too, because what you sow, you reap (Galatians 6:7) and you can't sow that legalistic thing without it coming back on you. You can't judge others without being judged (Romans 14:4). I'm just offering you the knowledge. I'm trying to put the picture of Jesus there in front of you. Look at Jesus and you'll be transformed into that image from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18). Don't look at any religion or put another Jesus up there because, believe me, you can be transformed into any Jesus. Religions do it all the time. The only Jesus we want to reflect is the One the Father sent. Look in your Bible. The only way you'll see the true Jesus is to look in this Book. Look at Him. This is Jesus. He's the same. He hasn't changed. Men try to change Him; they have made a comfortable Jesus. One that the flesh could be comfortable with, a Jesus that wouldn't bring you through any kind of a trial of your faith. It's easy to have the Jesus that religion has. Let's look at the Jesus in the Bible. I tell you the reason we're not seeing the works of Jesus on this earth; it's because they've made another Jesus and they're being transformed into that image from glory to glory. That's the problem. Let's get back to the Word and believe it. Jesus sent His disciples out to do the same things He did. How can you do the same things He did unless you agree with Him? So now let's read the rest of the story from where Jesus perceived that power, sozo, went forth from Him. I really want to get beyond healings being included in salvation because I believe a lot of people already understand that, and I want to show you how broad salvation is. And it's all going to come by grace through faith. All of it. The rest of it, let me tell you, is man's works. (Luk.8:47) And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people for what cause she touched him, and how she was healed immediately. (48) And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath (my Bible says “made thee whole,” but the word there is sozo) saved thee; go in peace. He saved her. This is a part of salvation. She was saved. Remember, she sought the physicians.  The Bible clearly shows you the difference between seeking deliverance from the physicians and seeking it from Jesus. (2Ch.16:12) And in the thirty and ninth year of his reign Asa was diseased in his feet; his disease was exceeding great: yet he sought not to the Lord, but to the physicians. (13) And Asa slept with his fathers…. The Scripture makes a difference between seeking the salvation that normally comes from the world and the salvation that comes from God. Now, did you know that those Jews received their healing from God for many, many years. They started being drawn away from that when Solomon brought in all of his pagan wives, who brought the physicians into Israel. Up until that time, they got their healing from God. And when they went to Babylon, they started falling into many of the things of the world that weren't Scriptural. And the word in Scripture for “healing by the use of medicine” is the word pharmakia – just what we use today. Pharmakia is the word for “sorcery” or “witchcraft,” depending on which Bible you have, and is where we get our word “pharmacy.” Jesus has a better way, and it won't cost you anything, and believe me, you'll get out of so much trouble. If you live a life of the carnal Christian, by the end of your life you will have spent a lot of money on Egypt. But I tell you, God will get you out of that; it's His free gift. Don't say, “I have to do this.” No, it is a privilege. God gives you a privilege. You don't earn it; He's given it to you freely. This is His sozo. This is a part of His deliverance.  Years ago, way back at the beginning of our Christian walk, my wife, Mary, and I were riding motorcycles up in Mississippi. And this was a real hilly area. We were on two dirt bikes, and this was new territory to us, so it was kind of crazy what we did. We were each on a bike and we came over this hill, and she turned one way, and I turned another way. Well, on her side it was almost a cliff. It just went nearly straight down. And I heard her screaming all the way to the bottom of that hill, “MOMMAAA!” And she was mashing the foot peg as hard as she could, but I don't think she ever mashed on the brake because I never saw the wheels skid or anything. I mean, she was flying when she hit the bottom of that hill. It was painful for me to watch. I saw her bounce off a few trees, and I went down in there and scraped her off those trees and put her on the back of my bike. And then I took her out of there and got her to a hospital. This was during the same time that Mary was taking some medicine to try to clear up an infection, so the doctors were talking about operating on her kidneys. But a friend of ours told us about the promises in the Scriptures about healing, and we went to this church that believed in healing. So she went down in front of the church, and they prayed over her. Well, nothing physical happened. We went home, and it was probably a week or two later when she was meditating and thinking on it all, and the Lord spoke to her. And you know what He said? He said, “If you believe that I have healed you, why are you taking all that medicine?” Because the Bible says, ‘He has healed you'. And you know what? When Mary ran into the bathroom and started pouring her medicine down the commode because of that voice of the Lord, she was instantly healed. And not only was she healed of the kidney problem from hitting the tree, but she was healed from a natural kidney deficiency that she'd had since she was a little girl. She was healed of always having infections. God did a miracle. He did it freely. The doctors were going to charge us an awful lot to do that, but God did it for free.  God will ask you the same thing one day. He says, “If you believe that I have healed you …” God expects us to believe, not because of what we see or feel, but because He expects us to believe what the Scripture says. We need no other grounds. Peter stepped out of the boat because of what Jesus said. “Bid me to come unto you, Lord” (Matthew 14:28). And when Jesus said, “Come,” that's all Peter needed to step out (Matthew 14:29). All Peter needed was the Word of God, and he stepped out on that Word and the water held him up.  If you're walking by sight, you'll never be able to walk where we're talking about walking because you're calling the things that are as though they are, instead of calling the things that are not as though they were (Romans 4:17). God chose the things that are not to bring to nothing the things that are (1 Corinthians 1:28). Think about it again now. God chose the things that are not to bring to nothing the things that are. How does He do that? What are the things that are not? The promise. “By His stripes you were healed” (1 Peter 2:24), when you look at yourselves and say, “Well, I don't see myself healed. I still feel sick. I still look sick.” See, the things that are not, are these promises that are not manifested yet. So how do you translate that into this present physical time? It's very simple. We do it the way the Bible tells us to: by calling “the things that are not, as though they were” (Rom.4:17). Please understand. If God chose the things that “are not” to bring to nothing the things “that are,” then He did not choose the things “that are” to bring to nothing the things “that are.” Did you get that? Read it again. He chose the things that “are not” to do away with the things “that are.” What are the things “that are”? The curse. What are the things that “are not”? The promise. Don't say, “God chose this method” or “He chose that method,” when you're talking about the things that are, because the Bible says He chose the things that are not, to bring to nothing the things that are. That's the promise. When you don't see the promise, and you say, “Well, now God chooses doctors or lawyers or bankers or going in debt,” etc., if you say that God uses or chooses the things “that are” to bring about the promise, you're contrary to the Scriptures. In the Scriptures, the men of God used faith to bring to pass everything.  Do you understand what I'm saying? The world will tell you, because it's very convenient or comfortable for them, they'll say, “Well, now God uses this method, now God uses that...” No, He doesn't use “now methods”. That's not Scriptural. He uses the things that are not. He still uses the things that are not. Jesus doesn't have to heal you because He already healed you. You can prove it for yourself. Find one place in the Scripture, find just one place, where anybody who ministered healing to anybody else stopped and prayed and asked God to heal somebody. Find it. They didn't do it, and do you know why? Because it was already an accomplished fact. You know what they did? “Be healed in the Name of Jesus.” They laid hands and they commanded them to be healed. They commanded healing in the authority of God. “As the Father sent me, so send I you,” Jesus said (John 20:21). So we do the same thing Jesus did: We command healing in the name of Jesus. The reason we can do that is that there shouldn't be any question in our mind that it's already an accomplished fact. None of the disciples in the Book of Acts ever stopped and prayed, “Lord, will You heal this person?”  Now God gave us conditions. He said, for instance, it's “the children's bread” (Matthew 15:26). That's for us. He called deliverance from demons and healing the children's bread. It's ours. Is God ever going to deny the children their bread? No. May they go hungry? They might go hungry but it won't be because He's denying them their bread. That woman who was not one of the children, she said, “Well, even the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table” (Matthew 15:27). She exercised faith. She proved herself to be a believer. I'm not saying that God can't do more than what it says in the Scripture. He won't do less, but I'm not saying He can't do more.  When Paul was shipwrecked on the island of Melita (Acts 28:1), it didn't say anybody there believed him, but he prayed for the sick, and God healed them (Acts 28:8,9). He prayed for a bunch of pagans, and you have to get God's permission to do that because Jesus said it's not right to cast the children's bread to the dogs. You have to get God's permission to do that. He might give it to you. He might do it as a witness. He may do it as an evangelistic tool. He may do it for those reasons, but He doesn't have to because you can't hold Him to any Scripture for that. The Bible says it's the children's bread. You may question, “What about the mercy ships and the mercy planes that have doctors and nurses specialized in a lot of the surgeries they do for cleft palates and so on?” Well, is it using the things that are or using the things that are not? I'm sure not going to condemn them, but let's get our eyes just on Jesus and look at His perfect way and His perfect Will. Did you ever see Jesus doing that? No. Did you ever see any of His disciples doing that? No. Wasn't Luke a physician? Maybe. Did you ever see him practicing that? No. Not after he came to Christ; you don't see him practicing that. So we don't have an example; we don't have a foundation to do it that way. I'm not condemning them; I'm not going to come against them. I'm just trying to get back to the Scriptures. I'm just trying to get back to God's method, God's way. You can make a mistake trusting in man and it can be dangerous because man can surely fail you. But it's never dangerous to trust in God. He never fails. He's never failed to heal me in almost 57 years, and I've gotten in some places where I needed healing. I've had broken bones; I've had cancer and He's healed me every time. God has never failed me. It didn't matter if it was a cold or a hangnail. It doesn't make any difference. You see, it doesn't matter how big it is. Jesus knew that He had the authority of the Father to come against all the works of the devil and destroy them. And that's the very same authority He gave us.

This message examines Deuteronomy chapters two and three, highlighting God's absolute sovereignty over nations and history as He guides Israel toward the Promised Land. The teacher emphasizes that despite facing formidable enemies like giants and fortified cities, the Lord has already secured victory for His people. Key theological themes include God's faithfulness in providing for His people during their wilderness wanderings and His role as the ultimate judge of sinful kingdoms. The message serves to encourage believers to trust in God's presence and power rather than relying on their own strength. Ultimately, the sermon calls listeners to hold fast to faith, knowing that if God is for them, no opposition can stand against them.

Welcome to Be Bold for Jesus MinistriesOur mission is to equip believers to live boldly for Christ with discernment, obedience, and unwavering trust in God, especially during seasons of waiting, uncertainty, and unanswered questions. Led by Lee Arnold and Jaclyn Arnold, Be Bold for Jesus Ministries teaches God's Word with clarity and conviction, helping believers trust God's timing even when His plan isn't yet visible.Today's Message“When God Says, ‘NOT YET'”What Is God Doing While You Wait?Lee Arnold Live Scripture: Esther 5:1-14Have you ever known exactly what God wanted you to do, yet felt like the timing wasn't right?Esther found herself in precisely that situation.After three days of fasting and prayer, Esther courageously walked into the king's court, risking her life to save her people. She had prepared. She had prayed. She had committed herself fully to God's purpose.The king extended the golden scepter.The door was open.The opportunity had arrived.Yet surprisingly, Esther didn't immediately make her request. Twice the king asked what she wanted. Twice Esther waited.Why?Because sometimes faith means moving forward.And sometimes faith means waiting for God's perfect timing.What Esther couldn't see was that while she was waiting, God was working behind the scenes, arranging circumstances that would change everything.Key Takeaways• Faith requires both courage and patience • Obedience means trusting God's timing, not just His direction • While you are waiting, God is working • God's silence does not mean God's absence • Wisdom knows the difference between waiting and fear • Bitterness can blind us to God's blessings • Pride prepares its own destruction • Humility invites God's favor • We are responsible for obedience, not outcomes • God is always working behind the scenes, even when we cannot see itToday's ReminderEsther couldn't control the king.She couldn't control the scepter.She couldn't control the outcome.She could only control her obedience.Sometimes that's exactly where God calls us to live.There comes a point when you've prayed.You've prepared.You've sought wise counsel.You've searched the Scriptures.And then you simply trust God with what only He can do.But there's another challenge:Sometimes God says, "Not yet."And waiting can be just as difficult as stepping out in faith.The danger is assuming that because we don't see movement, nothing is happening.But Esther chapter 5 reminds us:While You Are Waiting, God Is Working.Esther couldn't see what God was preparing.Mordecai couldn't see it.Haman certainly couldn't see it.But God was arranging every detail perfectly.Three Powerful Lessons from Esther 51. Courage Takes the First StepEsther entered the king's court despite the risk.Faith does what God asks us to do and trusts God with the results.2. While You Are Waiting, God Is WorkingSometimes God's answer is not "No."Sometimes it's simply:"Not yet."God's timing is often accomplishing things we cannot see.3. Pride and Bitterness Are DangerousHaman had wealth, power, influence, and privilege.Yet one man robbed him of all his joy.Bitterness magnified the one thing wrong in his life until he lost sight of everything that was right.Questions for Reflection• Is God calling me to GO, but I've been calling fear "patience"? • Is God calling me to WAIT, but I'm trying to force my own timing? • Is there a "Mordecai" in my life that I'm allowing to steal my joy? • Have pride or bitterness taken root in my heart? • Am I trusting God's timing as much as I trust His promises?

The sermon introduces the second major section of the Book of Jeremiah, contrasting the earlier focus on national dismantling with a new emphasis on hope and divine deliverance. It examines Jeremiah 26, where the prophet faces a death sentence for his temple sermon but responds with unwavering confidence in God's sovereignty rather than lamentation. The narrative highlights how God raises up unexpected helpers, such as officials and elders, to spare Jeremiah's life and prevent the nation from bearing the guilt of murdering a faithful messenger. This passage illustrates the multifaceted nature of Jeremiah's ministry, showing him as both inwardly compassionate for his people and outwardly stalwart in proclaiming God's word. Ultimately, the message encourages believers to trust in God's protection and purpose even amidst severe opposition and impending judgment.

The sermon explores the comforting presence of God during trials by examining Psalm 23:4 and the symbolism of the shepherd's rod and staff. It interprets the rod as a representation of divine authority, illustrated through Moses' confrontation with Pharaoh, and the staff as a tool for guidance and protection that lifts believers from distress. The message connects these physical metaphors to the spiritual reality of Scripture, which serves as God's authoritative word to correct, instruct, and sustain faith. Drawing on Martin Luther's insights, it emphasizes that believers rely on this divine word rather than visible signs to navigate life's difficulties. Ultimately, the teaching encourages trust in God's sufficient care and protection through His word and the redemptive work of Christ.

The sermon introduces the second major section of the Book of Jeremiah, contrasting the earlier focus on national dismantling with a new emphasis on hope and divine deliverance. It examines Jeremiah 26, where the prophet faces a death sentence for his temple sermon but responds with unwavering confidence in God's sovereignty rather than lamentation. The narrative highlights how God raises up unexpected helpers, such as officials and elders, to spare Jeremiah's life and prevent the nation from bearing the guilt of murdering a faithful messenger. This passage illustrates the multifaceted nature of Jeremiah's ministry, showing him as both inwardly compassionate for his people and outwardly stalwart in proclaiming God's word. Ultimately, the message encourages believers to trust in God's protection and purpose even amidst severe opposition and impending judgment.

This episode explores the doctrine of God's eternal and unchangeable decree, emphasizing that all events occur according to His sovereign will, rather than just His mere foresight of human actions. It refutes theological errors such as Arminianism and Molinism by affirming that God's knowledge is rooted in His own decrees, not external conditions. The episode highlights the dual outcomes of this decree: the predestination of some to everlasting life and others to eternal death, all for the manifestation of God's glory. This teaching serves to comfort believers by assuring them that salvation depends entirely on God's mercy and power, not human will. Ultimately, the episode calls for humility and trust in God's wisdom, recognizing His absolute control over history and individual destinies.

Kris McGregor reflects on St. Bernard of Clairvaux's stages of contemplation and how standing firmly on Christ, honest self-knowledge, and trust in God's goodness help us discern his will. The post Standing on the Rock – St. Bernard of Clairvaux on the Stages of Contemplation | The Spiritual Journey for the Discerning Heart Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

Welcome to Day 2946 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain and today is Day 2946 – Theology Thursday – Sirach and the Fight for Israel's Soul Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2946 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps!   I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2946 of our Trek.   The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Our current series of Theology Thursday lessons is written by theologian and teacher John Daniels. I have found that his lessons are short, easy to understand, doctrinally sound, and applicable to all who desire to learn more of God's Word. John's lessons are available on his website, theologyinfive.com.  Sirach and the Fight for Israel's Soul. The Book of Sirach stands at a turning point in the history of Israel. After the conquests of Alexander the Great, the ancient world changed forever. Greek culture, language, philosophy, and civic life spread across the Near East with remarkable speed. This cultural tide carried enormous pressure, because Hellenism was not simply a set of interesting ideas. It was a full identity system that sought to redefine what it meant to be human. In this environment, many Jews abandoned the covenant, believing that Greek customs offered a path to prosperity, prestige, and modernity. Sirach emerges from this crisis as a call to renewed loyalty to Yahweh. It confronts the seductive promises of Hellenism and offers a vision of wisdom anchored in the covenant rather than the philosophies of the nations. The first segment is: What Hellenism Was. Hellenism reshaped the world by promoting a single cultural framework grounded in the Greek language and the ideals of classical Greece. It elevated philosophical schools like the Stoics and Epicureans. It introduced gymnasiums that celebrated physical excellence, public honor, and the pursuit of fame. It established theaters that portrayed Greek mythology as the universal story of humanity. It encouraged participation in Greek civic life, which often required honoring Greek gods and adopting Greek moral values. This cultural system promised enlightenment and unity, presenting itself as the natural next step for any society wishing to progress. It was attractive because it offered social mobility and respect in a world where power had shifted decisively toward Greek norms. The second segment is: Why Hellenism Threatened Israel For Israel, the spread of Hellenism created a direct conflict with the covenant. Greek philosophy grounded virtue in human reason rather than in obedience to the God of Abraham. Greek athletics celebrated the human body in ways that clashed with Jewish modesty and purity laws. Greek civic rituals often involved sacrifices or festivals to the Greek gods. Even the Greek language and educational system encouraged a worldview that placed human achievement at the center rather than Yahweh. Many young Jews saw Hellenism as sophisticated and forward-looking. They wanted to join the gymnasium, study philosophy, adopt Greek names, and climb the social ladder. This was not a casual interest. It required abandoning parts of Jewish identity. Circumcision was mocked as barbaric. Loyalty to Yahweh was treated as narrow-minded. The pressure to assimilate was immense. The third segment is: The Jewish Conflict Under Hellenistic Pressure. This cultural tension fractured Jewish society. A group later known as the Hasidim resisted assimilation and insisted on faithfulness to the covenant. Other Jews, particularly those in positions of power, embraced Hellenism as the path to political and social advancement. Competition between these groups intensified until it eventually set the stage for the crisis under Antiochus IV. Even before that explosion, the conflict was already reshaping daily life in Jerusalem. The Book of Sirach comes from this period when assimilation was growing rapidly, and the faithful needed clear guidance to resist it. The fourth segment is: Sirach as Resistance Literature. Sirach is not merely a collection of sayings. It is a deliberate pushback against the cultural takeover of Hellenism. Ben Sira confronts the idea that wisdom can be defined by human intellect or philosophical speculation. He insists that the fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom and that true understanding comes only through covenant obedience. This stands in sharp contrast with Greek philosophical traditions that grounded virtue in reason, logic, or the disciplined human will. Sirach places humility at the center of wisdom in a world that celebrated fame, glory, and self-elevation. Sirach counters Greek ideals by teaching that wisdom begins with awe before the Creator, not with human insight. He rebukes the pursuit of honor for its own sake, warns against the destructive power of pride, and emphasizes the holiness of marriage, family, and righteous speech in a culture that glorified pleasure, ambition, and the art of persuasive rhetoric. The fifth segment is: Sirach's Strategy for Preserving Israel. Ben Sira sought to form a community capable of resisting assimilation. He taught that honoring parents was not merely good manners but a foundation of covenant life. He linked generosity to trust in God rather than to Greek ideals of civic virtue. He rooted ethics in the commandments, not in philosophical debates. He warned against false friendships and manipulative speech, both of which characterized political life in Hellenistic cities. Every part of his instruction was aimed at creating a resilient identity grounded in Yahweh rather than the prestige of Greek culture. Sirach's approach was simple and profound. If Israel remained faithful in daily life, it would remain faithful in moments of crisis. If Israel treasured humility, purity, and obedience, the temptations of Hellenism would lose their appeal. His wisdom was not abstract. It was a way of life designed to protect the covenant community. The sixth segment is: The Praise of the Fathers as Cultural Warfare. Chapters 44 through 50 form one of the most deliberate acts of cultural resistance in ancient Jewish literature. Greek culture filled the world with heroic narratives that celebrated men who were born from unions between gods and human women. Figures like Achilles, Heracles, Perseus, and Helen were remembered as half divine beings whose power, stature, and physical prowess exceeded normal human limits. They were not described as towering giants like the Titans or the Gigantes, but ancient writers often portrayed them as unusually large, strong, or imposing when compared with ordinary people of their time. Their scale and abilities placed them within the same broad category of divine human hybrids that the Bible associates with the Nephilim, even if their size was not monstrous. Ben Sira understood what these stories represented. The Greek heroic tradition did not simply offer entertaining myths. It offered an identity system rooted in beings connected to the spiritual rebellion described in Genesis. Their greatness was measured through violence, pride, sensuality, and the pursuit of glory. Their stories shaped the imagination of those who admired them and encouraged the moral values at the heart of Hellenistic culture. Sirach responded by presenting a different lineage of greatness. Instead of exalting demigods, he lifted up Enoch, who walked with God, Abraham, who trusted God, Moses, who confronted empires, Aaro,n who guarded holiness, Phinehas, who defended purity, Davi,d who shepherded Israel, and Elija,h who opposed idolatry. These were faithful humans rather than hybrids born of rebellious spirits. They represented humility, obedience, covenant identity, and devotion to Yahweh. In doing this, Ben Sira declared that Israel did not need the myths of the nations to define true greatness. Israel already had a sacred history rooted in the work of the Most High. The Praise of the Fathers was therefore an act of cultural warfare. It rejected the spiritual corruption behind Greek heroic tradition and replaced it with a godly vision of strength and virtue. The seventh segment is: How Sirach Shaped the World of Jesus. When Jesus walked the hills of Galilee, the struggle between faithfulness and Hellenism was still shaping Jewish life. The moral vocabulary promoted by Sirach influenced the world in which Jesus taught. Many of His teachings on generosity, integrity, humility, and wise...

Explore the profound lessons from King David's life. Discover why David was called "a man after God's own heart" as we delve into his faith, humility, and unwavering trust in God. Compare David's godly leadership with Saul's worldly reign, highlighting the importance of obedience and patience in following God's plan. Learn how David's life exemplifies the power of repentance, forgiveness, and God's grace, even in the face of grave sins. Support the showRead along with us in the Bible Brief App! Try the Bible Brief book for an offline experience!Get your free Bible Timeline with the 10 Steps: Timeline LinkSupport the show: Tap here to become a monthly supporter!Review the show: Tap here!Want to go deeper?...Download the Bible Brief App!iPhone: App Store LinkAndroid: Play Store LinkWant a physical book? Check out "Bible Brief" by our founder!Amazon: Amazon LinkWebsite: biblebrief.orgInstagram: @realbiblebriefX: @biblebriefFacebook: @realbiblebriefEmail the Show: biblebrief@biblelit.orgWant to learn the Bible languages (Greek & Hebrew)? Check out our partner Biblingo (and use our link/code for a discount!): https://biblin...

God is everlasting and eternal—we can always depend on God. Our goods, on the other hand, will not last, they wear out or we look for something better. There is no question in WHOM we should trust.

God provides peace when you respond to loneliness with truth.Loneliness does not have to control a believer's thinking or produce bitterness, anxiety, or emotional reactions. Learn how God's Word redirects your thinking toward Him, provides perfect peace, and gives you the capacity to handle difficult circumstances without being dominated by people or circumstances.Key Takeaways:• Learn why loneliness can begin with preoccupation with self.• Understand how to respond to loneliness by thinking rather than reacting emotionally.• See how Isaiah 26:3 connects a steadfast mind, trust in God, and perfect peace.• Learn how Philippians 4:8 provides a biblical pattern for what to think about.• Understand how spiritual maturity produces capacity for life, peace, and happiness.⬇Download Transcript: https://rhem.pub/1098-transcriptRequest the books Rick references. No charge or obligation! • Christian Problem Solving — covers the 10 problem-solving devices of the FLOT Line.• Bible Promises and Principles — provides biblical promises and principles for applying Scripture to life's difficulties.• Your Christian Spiritual Life — addresses spiritual maturity and developing capacity for life.⁠https://rhem.pub/request-publications⁠

Trying to conceive can feel incredibly lonely—even when you're surrounded by people who love you. In this episode, we're talking about why God didn't design us to carry the heartbreak, questions, and faith battles of infertility alone—and what can change when you finally have women beside you who truly understand.   LAST WEEK TO ENROLL!  WWF COHORT- begins 9/13/26 - enroll now!!  The Waiting Well Framework™ is an 8-week, Christ-centered discipleship experience for women navigating infertility who want to carry the wait with faith, peace, and purpose — not panic or despair. This Scripture-anchored journey helps women respond to disappointment without spiraling, rebuild trust in God's goodness, and live fully before motherhood comes. You don't have to walk this season alone.

The more we divide our attention, the more scattered our thoughts become — and yet the pressure to multitask, to keep every plate spinning at once, can feel inescapable in a life this full and this fast. Multitasking can feel productive on the surface, and others may even admire how much we seem to be managing. But concentration weakens, stress compounds, and the peace God intends for us quietly disappears under the weight of too many simultaneous demands. Psalm 46:10 offers a redirection that cuts through all of it: be still, and know that I am God. This is not a command to accomplish more by resting first. The purpose of being still is not improved productivity. It is knowing God more. He is directing our attention away from our own performance and back to His character — reminding us that He is in ultimate control over the nations, the earth, and every detail of our lives. When we carry the pressure of feeling like everything depends on our own effort, multitasking becomes a survival mechanism rather than a strategy. But when we genuinely know that God is in control, we no longer have to carry the weight of controlling everything ourselves. We can give our full attention to whatever is directly in front of us, trust Him with the outcome, and experience the freedom that focused, unhurried presence actually provides. Breaking the multitasking habit is gradual and practical, but it begins in the same place Psalm 46 points us — stillness before the God who is already holding what we keep trying to manage on our own. Bible Verse "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."— Psalm 46:10, NIV Ponder Today Multitasking scatters the mind and steals the peace God wants you to enjoy. The feeling of accomplishment that comes from doing many things at once is largely an illusion. Concentration weakens, stress increases, and real productivity decreases when attention is divided. The command to be still is about knowing God, not accomplishing more. God is not redirecting our attention so we can return to the to-do list refreshed. He is directing our attention to Himself, because knowing Him is the point. Multitasking often comes from the belief that everything depends on us. When we release that pressure and genuinely trust God to be in control, the compulsive need to manage everything simultaneously begins to loosen its grip. Being still expands perspective. Multitasking narrows our view until we can only see the immediate demands in front of us. Stillness opens us to the larger story God is writing and restores the awareness that our life is part of something far bigger than today's task list. Focusing on one thing at a time is a form of trust in God. When we give our full attention to what is directly in front of us and trust God with the outcome, we are not being less responsible. We are living from a place of genuine faith that He holds what we cannot. A Prayer for You Today Dear God, my life often feels rushed and stressful, and I admit I try to handle too much at once. Multitasking sometimes makes me feel productive, but I can see now that it just scatters my thoughts and steals the peace You want me to enjoy. Please help me break the habit of multitasking and learn to focus on one thing at a time. Teach me to slow down and be still before You. Help me release the pressure of trying to control everything and remember that You are God and I am not. When I am busy and distracted, draw my attention back to Your presence. Show me how to focus on what truly matters and give me the courage to let go of what does not. As I learn to be still, help me grow closer to You each day. Thank You, God. Amen. Don't Miss an Episode If today's prayer helped you release the pressure of doing everything at once and rest in the God who holds it all, we'd love to stay connected. Subscribe to the LifeAudio newsletter at LifeAudio.com for daily prayers, devotionals, and more content to help you slow down, focus well, and know God more every day. Want More? Sign up for our free newsletter, The Good Word, for weekly biblical wisdom and encouragement delivered right to your inbox. Join our community today: https://www.lifeaudio.com/thegoodword/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

FAITH IS… with Pastor Rick Stevens – Faith grows strongest when uncertainty, suffering, conflict, and difficult questions test our trust in God. Through prayer, biblical truth, hope, and compassion, believers face antisemitism, despair, and end-times concerns while remembering that God remains faithful, life is sacred, and Christ calls His people to courage...

Selections from Job 22–24 The unfair criticism continues . . . so how does Job respond? With grace, even under immense pressure. Pastor Chuck Swindoll explores Job's unwavering trust in God during a season of deep pain (Job 22–24). Even though Job couldn't locate the presence of God, understand His plan, or justify God's permissions, he wholeheartedly trusted in Him. Believe God is still in control!

Fr. Mike reflects on the story of Susanna's righteousness in the book of Daniel. While celebrating Susanna's virtue, Daniel's wisdom, and God's faithfulness, Fr. Mike also warns us that, like the corrupt elders in the story, we too can allow our hearts to become perverted by the things we fix our eyes on. The readings are Jeremiah 30, Daniel 12-13, and Proverbs 16:17-20. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/bibleinayear. Please note: The Bible contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

The origin, motive, and object of the theological virtues are God himself. Today, we dive into the theological virtues, beginning with the virtue of Faith. Fr. Mike unpacks the meaning and purpose of the virtue of Faith and emphasizes that Faith is deeply rooted in trust in God. Lastly, Fr. Mike reminds us that Faith should be lived out along with Hope, and Love, and also professed to those who do know yet know God. Today's readings are Catechism paragraphs 1812-1816. This episode has been found to be in conformity with the Catechism by the Institute on the Catechism, under the Subcommittee on the Catechism, USCCB. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/ciy Please note: The Catechism of the Catholic Church contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.