Podcasts about Your God

Welcome to the VOUS Church Podcast. In today's message, Pastor Rich kicks off our new collection Your God is Too Small, challenging us to tear down the boxes we've placed around God and allow Him to reshape how we see and live. Join us June 19–21 for VOUSCon, a gathering to encounter Jesus, equip the Church, and empower the next generation. Visit vouscon.com to learn more.

 Watch as the wrong ANALYSIS of God results in wrong action and wrong BELIEF of God results in wrong BEHAVIORS. This is in the shadow of God reminding them that I am YOUR God; I fight for you. I go before you. I show you the way to go. I carry you like a father carries his son.Even so, after God speaks to them so tenderly, they'll not obey, not follow and not really repent. There'll be lots for us to learn. Subscribe too: https://youtu.be/xG5HMZD-RXw

Statements of fact for the Israelites:I am YOUR God; I fight for you. I go before you. I give clear guideposts to you in the day and the night. I show you the way to go. And Most beautifully: I carry you when necessary. How far? All the way. When? when you are in the wilderness. Subscribe to be carried a bit tomorrow: https://youtu.be/nCZyPoQecW4

This wonderful passage shows our Savior, 700 years before the incarnation, suffering and receiving honor and glory. Chad gives such pastoral encouragement in his meditation on this scripture. The amazing Markita Knight sings "Don't Let Me Go Astray". Show Notes: Support 1517 Podcast Network 1517 Podcasts 1517 on Youtube 1517 Podcast Network on Apple Podcasts 1517 Events Schedule 1517 Academy - Free Theological Education What's New from 1517: Preorder Sinner Saint by Luke Kjolhaug The Impossible Prize: A Theology of Addiction by Donavan Riley Ditching the Checklist by Mark Mattes Broken Bonds: A Novel of the Reformation, Book 1 of 2 by Amy Mantravadi More from the hosts: Chad Bird Lyrics to "Don't Let me Go Astray" Isaiah 49: 1-6   You were there in ages past And called from the womb Called to redeem the lost And rise out of the tomb You are the Light Light of the nations  Until the end, and after My Salvation My Salvation Chorus Don't let me  go astray Don't let it be for nothing  Don't let me fall away As I wait for your coming My Salvation My Salvation You were despised and rejected  Your labor was not in vain In the shadow of Your hand, you hid me You saved me and know my name Open your ears, all you people Pay attention near and far Our salvation Our salvation But You said, “I have labored in vain;
    I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;
yet surely my right is with the Lord,
      my recompense with my God.”   And now the Lord says,
    he who formed You from the womb to be his servant,
to bring Jacob back to him;
    and that Israel might be gathered to him—
for You are honored in the eyes of the Lord,
    and Your God has become Your strength—.   Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia

How can Christian entrepreneurs can eliminate distractions, escape comparison, and focus on what truly matters? Garrett is joined today by Matt Farnham and together, they challenge the hustle narrative by encouraging listeners to work from approval, not for it, and to focus their energy on what brings purpose, significance, and eternal value.From the tension between work and family to the trap of perfectionism and the power of divine appointments, this episode is a roadmap to purpose-driven living in business and beyond. Garrett and Matt also introduce the launch of the One Life Podcast, created to help Christians live intentionally and fully aligned with their calling.Key Takeaways:✅ Distraction is one of the enemy's greatest tools—eliminate it to refocus on what's eternal✅ Comparison culture robs contentment and clarity✅ Harmony, not balance, is the key to integrating work and family✅ You are already approved in Christ—work from that truth✅ Focus on things that make tomorrow better than today✅ Spiritual warfare often looks like busyness and perfectionism✅ Your God-given talents point to your unique calling✅ Delegation and simplicity can free you to focus on significance✅ Presence > proximity when it comes to family✅ Faith should anchor both personal and professional decisions✅ Divine appointments often require slowing down to notice✅ You don't retire from a life of purpose—you lean deeper into itEpisode Chapters:⏳ 00:00 – Introduction to the One Life Journey

Mama, true beauty isn't just seen—it's felt in the words we speak and the peace we bring. Join us today as we reflect on what it means to be a gentle peacemaker and how your spirit, shaped by Christ, can shift the atmosphere of your home.“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!'” Isaiah 52:7

Episode Title: It's Not Over*The Purposefully Fit Podcast is designed to inspire, motivate, and encourage you to pursue YOUR God-given passion purposefully.Visit Coach NikE's Website: IAmNikE.com

Your purpose isn't about striving to be perfect or get it all together. Your God-given purpose is to become more and more like Jesus, little by little, each day!

The Gospel: Our Need of a King Introduction: “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.'” (Isaiah 52:7 ESV). You will notice in the above text that the good news […] The post The Gospel: Our Need of a King appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Your purpose isn't about striving to be perfect or get it all together. Your God-given purpose is to become more and more like Jesus, little by little, each day!

Thank you Dr. Bryan Loritts, another play of the day.  Thank you Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, TX, for hosting and sharing.  We both agree.  Bryan is an annointed speaker for a season such as this.  I strongly encourage you to listen to the rest of that message.  Simply click the YouTube link in the show description or search "Your God is Too Small" and Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship. https://www.youtube.com/live/qg02n4VfoSM?si=Z7KAiIg7iMKBwyQKThat is such a mic drop that I'm a bit speechless.  Do you know a story like that?  If so, please let us know at FriDudes.com. On the flip side, I know people that filed for divorce for a lot, lot, less.  Heck, I've been upset with my wife of 30+ years for a lot, lot less.  As I've said countless times on this podcast, any relationship you care about, you don't have to be married to get this, any relationship you care about...will not last without grace.  Choosing to give grace, forgiveness.  Choosing to love.  For those 'IN LOVE', falling in and out of love is for rookies.  Sooner or later, you are going to have to choose to love on certain days.  Most certainly, you are going to need to choose forgiveness and grace to keep going.Back to you, that is your relationship with God.  You've cheated on God somewhere.  How do I know that?  Rom 3:23.  Yet we have this amazing gift in Rom 8:1.  Wouldn't we be the ultimate hypocrites is we didn't extend the same.  As stated before, doesn't mean you need to hug it out with that person that hurt you.  It does mean you hand over that hurt to God.  Quit carrying that hurt around like a tattoo on your face.  As for that unbelievable dude in that Play of the Day.  Think about it.  His selflessness kept a family together.  It kept a marriage together.  Most important, it added a new member to the forever kingdom.  A truly amazing story that I am already relaying.  Maybe you too.  Spread what works.Matt 22:  36-40

Episode Title: Make a Decision*The Purposefully Fit Podcast is designed to inspire, motivate, and encourage you to pursue YOUR God-given passion purposefully.Visit Coach NikE's Website: IAmNikE.com

#589 Walk humbly with Your God.    Imaging taking a walk with God?  How about dinner with Jesus?  How about taking God to work with you, inviting His into every facet of your life?  This is actually what our faith offers us, a daily connection and inclusion of God in our every day living.  What could be greater?  Ready to get into this exciting topic? Let's go….                         

Episode Title: Live Beyond The Post*The Purposefully Fit Podcast is designed to inspire, motivate, and encourage you to pursue YOUR God-given passion purposefully.Visit Coach NikE's Website: IAmNikE.com

Episode Title: Ditch the Distractions*The Purposefully Fit Podcast is designed to inspire, motivate, and encourage you to pursue YOUR God-given passion purposefully.Visit Coach NikE's Website: IAmNikE.com

Immeasurably More// Faith Under Fire// March 30, 2025Ephesians 6:10-20 (NIV)“Finally, BE STRONG in the Lord and in the strength of HIS MIGHT. Put on the full armor of God so we can take our stand against the devil's schemes because our battle is not against flesh and blood but against rulers and against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NIV)“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does…On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”Isaiah 59:14-17 (NIV)“So, justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter. Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey. The Lord looked and was displeased that there was no justice. He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene, so his own arm achieved salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him. He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.” The armor is about confidence in God's ability to hold all those elements of the armor true and together.  The Helmet is His Salvation Isaiah 12:2 (NIV)“Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.” Ephesians 2:8 (NIV)“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.”   The Breastplate is His RighteousnessPhilippians 3:8-9 (NIV)“What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.” The Belt is His TruthPsalm 33:4 (KJV)“For the word of the LORD is right, and all His work is done in truth.” Ephesians 4:14 (NIV)“Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.” The Sword of the Spirit is His WordHebrews 4:12 (NIV) “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”  The Shoes are His Gospel of PeaceIsaiah 52:7 (NIV)“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!” The gospel is meant to be peace with God and peace with one another. The Shield of FaithFaith is deliberate confidence in the character of God.Faith is not about my ability to believe but it's about His ability to BE.His unfailing character and person.  Faith is not about my ability to believe but it's about His ability to BE.  John 14:26,27 (NIV)“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you…Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”  

Episode Title: Embrace the Interruptions*The Purposefully Fit Podcast is designed to inspire, motivate, and encourage you to pursue YOUR God-given passion purposefully.Visit Coach NikE's Website: IAmNikE.com

Year C – Third Sunday in Lent – March 23, 2025 Pastor Megan Floyd Luke 13:1-9 Isaiah 55:1-13   Grace and peace to you from God, our Father, and from our Lord, Jesus Christ, who, together with the Holy Spirit, long for us to live fruitful lives full of abundance. Amen. *** I learned a long time ago that… I can't tell the difference between a trombone and a baritone… or an oboe and a clarinet. Now, if I'm looking at them, then yes, I can tell them apart and would even agree that they sound different… but the quality of their different sounds is not overly distinctive to my ear… so I struggle to tell them apart based on sound alone. It's just not something I have much experience with. I discovered this… tragic failing of mine back in college when I had some elective courses to fill, and I thought it would be fun to take …the History of Jazz. I thought I was taking a history class… I enjoy history… But it was not so… it was apparently a music class disguised as a history class. And I almost failed… A big part of the class involved listening to classic jazz pieces and identifying the parts of the music… not only the instrument but the artist… based on the way they were playing. I was way out of my league. But over the course of the semester, I was able to train my ear just enough to scoot by… and I also think the professor had mercy on me. I know there are people out there who are naturally gifted with hearing and can pick up on subtle differences in sound… but I think most of us have to be trained to do that… …and if we want to keep that skill and build on it, well… then we need to practice. It's very similar to our ability to recognize God's presence in our lives… and to truly listen to God's word in such a way that it shapes our lives toward fruitful living. We have to be taught… trained to recognize God through word and action… and we have to return to God every day… to practice. *** The prophet Isaiah tells us this week to “Seek the Lord while he may be found, call up him while he is near.” It's part of this beautiful invitation to come to the banquet… all who thirst… and all who hunger… Come! Eat and drink… it's all freely given, and it is so much better than the junk food you had before… the stuff that did not satisfy… come… and eat what is good! No one is turned away! The Lord is near… and wants you to truly live! This must have been incredible for the Israelites to hear… it was likely written around the time of Israel's return from the Babylonian exile, around 538 B.C.E. Can you imagine? Returning home after being exiled… returning to God after hardship and struggle… and hearing God's promise anew that God's love covers all. God proclaims… “Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live.” Listen. Train your ear to hear… Listen to God's word… and hear the promise that is spoken over you. Listen… so that you may live! And to those who have wandered away… to those who have chosen or stumbled onto the wicked and unrighteous path… let them also listen… and hear God's promise… so that they might also return to God… and God will have abundant mercy on them. Listen… so that you may live! Your God, who loves you, wants you to have the fruitful and flourishing life that you were created to have… God wants your life… to bear good fruit… and through God's word, we are given all we need to achieve it. But we must listen… and return daily to God's word… to practice our hearing. *** There are just a few problems with all this… For starters, this open invitation to all is… well… pretty open… but we humans sure do like exclusivity… we like the V.I.P. treatment… so we struggle with the idea that everyone is invited to this banquet. Also, we like to think there is a hierarchy of sins… but that's our invention… God doesn't seem to play that way. God's offer of compassion and mercy doesn't seem to have the qualifiers that our human systems want to place around everything. And furthermore… sure… God wants us to live a fruitful life… but that's harder for some… for all sorts of reasons… with lots of stumbling along the way. Even if we ignore the fact that many of the struggles some people face are due to the sin of human systems that are designed to keep them down and struggling… Most human… societies or even families… eventually want to give up on those who struggle with bearing good fruit… And yet, like the fig tree in our Gospel passage from Luke 13, God seems determined to give us more chances… to give us more time… to nurture us, and help us grow… God is determined for us to train our ears to hear… to listen… so that we may return to our Lord and live the fruitful and flourishing lives God created us to live! God comes to us in our pain and our struggle… and says… have mercy… give it another year… let us nurture this beloved child and give her more time… Because… thankfully…mercifully…  God's thoughts are not our thoughts… and God's ways are not our ways. Through the prophet Isaiah, God declares that God's love will not be denied… no obstacle is greater than God's word! For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout… So shall my word be… it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it. For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace! God is near to you now… and longs for you to incline your ear and listen to the promise found in God's word… to hear that word and repent, so you might return to the Lord, your God, every day. *** Both Isaiah and Luke emphasize the urgency of our repentance… but to be clear… this isn't a transactional experience… Repentance… returning our heart and mind to God… is not a quid-pro-quo… it is not a trade we make with God… we are not trading our remorseful apology for God's grace and forgiveness. Our repentance… is an act of faith… It's an acknowledgment of how much we need God's grace, and it communicates our trust that God hears us, knows us to our core, and still loves us. God offers us grace and forgiveness… and our repentance allows us to receive these gifts… receive them, but not hide them… God's gifts are meant to be shared. Our repentance is an act of faith that opens the way to a life that bears good fruit. …it acknowledges that when we return our hearts and minds to God, and truly listen to God's word with ears that are trained to hear… it will shape us… it will shift our hard-heartedness into compassion and patience… our cruelty into mercy and kindness… and our indifference into empathy and love. Compassion… patience… mercy… kindness… empathy… and love… are signs of a fruitful life… the kind of flourishing that God created us to live. *** But even if we are not quite there… even if we stumble and are not quite as compassionate or loving as we ought to be… God, who is near, tells us to practice our training. Give it a little more time… return to God now and incline your ear to God's word that guides us back to fruitful living. Don't wait until you have it perfect… don't wait until you think you are worthy… return now. God is not waiting for us to figure everything out… not waiting to bestow grace upon us until we have shed all questions and doubt. No… God is already here, speaking to us… speaking a word of light into our darkness… a word of love into our suffering… and so we train our ear to listen, to hear God's word. Like the talent of distinguishing a trombone from a baritone… we learn to distinguish God's word based on the good fruit it produces, both in us and through us. And we return to the Lord daily to be nourished by God's word… and trust that God's word, which is sent out with joy, will not return empty but will be led back in peace. Listen… so that you may live! Amen.

Episode Summary: In honor of International Happiness Day, join me as I sit down with Rev. Jessica Van Roekel to explore what it really means to count it all joy. As we reflect on personal experiences and biblical examples, we’ll highlight the distinction between circumstantial happiness and the deep, steadfast joy that comes from trusting God through trials. You’ll gain a deeper understanding of how joy can be a deliberate response to life’s challenges, cultivating faith and steadfastness. Whether you’re navigating hardship or seeking a renewed perspective, this conversation offers hope and encouragement to find joy in every circumstance. International Day of Happiness aims to make people around the world realize the importance of happiness within their lives. This day encourages people to spread happiness through a small action. But what happens when actions don’t cut it, and the feeling of happiness lasts mere seconds? What do we do when the idea of happiness seems far off and impossible? Quotables from the episode: I liken joy and happiness, the difference between that is that a river usually has a source. And A river can get filled up with mud and leaves and twigs and even beavers come along and build dams and so further on down the little stream, it's just dried up, rocky, dry bed. But if you follow that stream, you eventually come to the source and the source is where it just bubbles out. And that's how I liken happiness and joy is that joy is the source. My relationship with the Lord is my source of really life. It's my source of source of strength. It's my source of everything. The breath that I breathe comes from God and that is my joy. So, I can have these circumstances like postpartum where it felt like continue on with the analogy that streambed dried up. It's like the depression built this dam between the feelings of happiness and yet that joy, the source was still bubbling and still there. From a neuroscience perspective, happiness and joy engage the brain in distinct but overlapping ways. Both emotions activate reward systems in the brain, but their triggers, durations, and neural pathways differ significantly. Happiness is often a fleeting emotional state triggered by external stimuli or achievements, like eating a favorite meal, receiving a compliment, or reaching a goal. The brain's happiness response is typically short-lived, subsiding once the rewarding experience ends or the novelty wears off. Joy is a deeper, more enduring emotional state that often arises from intrinsic sources, such as gratitude, faith, or connection with others. Unlike happiness, it does not rely solely on external circumstances. Joy is more sustainable than happiness because it is less tied to transient external factors and more rooted in internal states like faith, gratitude, and meaningful relationships. Happiness primarily relies on external stimuli and rewards, triggering immediate but temporary dopamine release Joy emerges from internal processes and deeper reflections, engaging serotonin pathways and regions involved in emotional and existential meaning. Happiness is short-term, as the brain’s reward circuitry adapts quickly to pleasurable stimuli (a phenomenon called hedonic adaptation). Joy is longer-lasting, supported by neural circuits linked to emotional regulation, contentment, and resilience. Happiness can be disrupted by stress, as the brain's focus shifts to managing perceived threats. Joy can coexist with stress, as it often stems from a sense of purpose or faith that provides emotional resilience during trials. Happiness happens to us while joy happens within us—fruit of the Spirit, a choice, endures hardships/sufferings. Happiness is a reaction but joy is a practice and a behavior, deliberate and intentional. In the Bible, happiness appears less than 30 times but joy appears hundreds of times. Counting it all joy when we face trials means we: experience God’s strength, feel the power of faith, hang on God’s powerful arm, and witness God’s work. When we “count it all joy” God proves himself faithful to produce steadfastness in our hearts. Scripture References: James 1:2-4, ESV “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And Let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” Esther 8:16, NIV “For the Jews it was a time of happiness and joy, gladness and honor.” Proverbs 23:25, NLT “So give your father and mother joy! May she who gave you birth be happy.” Psalm 92:4, NET “For you, O Lord, have made me happy by your work. I will sing for joy because of what you have done.” Isaiah 52:7, ESV and NASB “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.” Psalm 32:1-2 NLT “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty! 2 Corinthians 12:10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Recommended Resources: Reframing Rejection: How Looking Through a Different Lens Changes Everything By Jessica Van Roekel Sacred Scars: Resting in God’s Promise That Your Past Is Not Wasted by Dr. Michelle Bengtson The Hem of His Garment: Reaching Out To God When Pain Overwhelms by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner AWSA 2024 Golden Scroll Christian Living Book of the Year and the 2024 Christian Literary Awards Reader’s Choice Award in the Christian Living and Non-Fiction categories YouVersion 5-Day Devotional Reaching Out To God When Pain Overwhelms Today is Going to be a Good Day: 90 Promises from God to Start Your Day Off Right by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, AWSA Member of the Year, winner of the AWSA 2023 Inspirational Gift Book of the Year Award, the 2024 Christian Literary Awards Reader’s Choice Award in the Devotional category, the 2023 Christian Literary Awards Reader’s Choice Award in four categories, and the Christian Literary Awards Henri Award for Devotionals YouVersion Devotional, Today is Going to be a Good Day version 1 YouVersion Devotional, Today is Going to be a Good Day version 2 Revive & Thrive Women’s Online Conference Revive & Thrive Summit 2 Trusting God through Cancer Summit 1 Trusting God through Cancer Summit 2 Breaking Anxiety’s Grip: How to Reclaim the Peace God Promises by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner of the AWSA 2020 Best Christian Living Book First Place, the first place winner for the Best Christian Living Book, the 2020 Carolina Christian Writer’s Conference Contest winner for nonfiction, and winner of the 2021 Christian Literary Award’s Reader’s Choice Award in all four categories for which it was nominated (Non-Fiction Victorious Living, Christian Living Day By Day, Inspirational Breaking Free and Testimonial Justified by Grace categories.) YouVersion Bible Reading Plan for Breaking Anxiety’s Grip Breaking Anxiety’s Grip Free Study Guide Free PDF Resource: How to Fight Fearful/Anxious Thoughts and Win Hope Prevails: Insights from a Doctor’s Personal Journey Through Depression by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner of the Christian Literary Award Henri and Reader’s Choice Award Hope Prevails Bible Study by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner of the Christian Literary Award Reader’s Choice Award Free Webinar: Help for When You’re Feeling Blue Social Media Links for Host and Guest: Connect with Jessica Van Roekel: Website / Instagram / Facebook For more hope, stay connected with Dr. Bengtson at: Order Book Sacred Scars / Order Book The Hem of His Garment / Order Book Today is Going to be a Good Day / Order Book Breaking Anxiety’s Grip / Order Book Hope Prevails / Website / Blog / Facebook / Twitter (@DrMBengtson) / LinkedIn / Instagram / Pinterest / YouTube / Podcast on Apple Co-Host: Jessica Van Roekel is a worship leader, speaker, and writer who believes that through Jesus, personal histories don’t need to define the present or determine the future. She inspires, encourages, and equips others to look at life through the lenses of hope, trust, and God’s transforming grace. Jessica lives in rural Iowa surrounded by wide open spaces which remind her of God’s expansive love. She loves fun earrings, good coffee, and connecting with others. Hosted By: Dr. Michelle Bengtson Audio Technical Support: Bryce Bengtson Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Deity of Christ Interpretations of the Bible Dishonor the Father, the Only True God If Jesus is God, then God the Father is not the one true God. The claim that “Jesus is God” becomes the main building block used by humans to construct a multi-person god. If Jesus is one member of a multi-person (or a Triune god) then the multi-person god is the one God, and the Father is not.  Mainstream Christians agree that there is one God.  “Weare monotheists. We believe in one God”. But for mainstream Christians, the one God is made up of three persons.   Either the Father, a singular self, is the one true God, or a multi-person god is the one God.  But if the Father is the one true God, then the claim that “Jesus is God” (that God is multi-persons) is an attempt to denigrate the only true God -- the Father. What deity of Christ and Trinitarian interpreters are doing is attempting to put another god on the face of and in the place of our God and Father.  The HIGH cost of any “deity of Christ” interpretations is an attempt to claim that the Father is not the one, the only true God.  Christians need to decide: who is your God. Either the Trinity, or the Father alone. Your God can't be both.For full text of the podcast, see here:https://landandbible.blogspot.com/2025/03/the-high-cost-of-deity-of-christ.html#deityofchrist, #biblicalunitarian, #billschlegel

Session 2 - The Water“Say to those with fearful hearts, Be Strong, do not fear; Your God will come…He will come to Save you!” - Is. 35:4

Session 2 - The Water“Say to those with fearful hearts, Be Strong, do not fear; Your God will come…He will come to Save you!” - Is. 35:4

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!” — Isaiah 52:7 One day in 1987 the rain poured down as we made our way to a church workers meeting in a little chapel on Panay Island in the Philippines. The chapel was separated from the nearest road by a kilometer of rice fields. We took off our shoes and socks, rolled up our pantlegs, and walked across the fields on little dikes between the rice paddies. I was not skilled at this, and my foot slipped into a muddy paddy several times. The meeting was a monthly gathering for fellowship and mutual encouragement—and sometimes problem solving— for leaders from 10 churches on the island. It was a warm time of worship, sharing, and prayer. I won't forget the tasty sinuk mani (a sweet rice treat) served on banana leaves by the host church that day. Then we walked back across the rice fields. Soaked again with rain, I took a picture of my muddy feet. Later I sent copies, with Isaiah 52:7 written on them, to the churches that were supporting me. When we get involved in God's mission, muddy feet and rain-soaked clothes may be among the least of the challenges we face. But they won't measure up to the joys of sharing the good news and gathering for fellowship with believers in remote places. Where is God leading you to bring the good news? Thank you, Lord, for the joys of cross-cultural fellowship. Be with mission workers who may be struggling with cultural-adjustment challenges today. In Jesus, Amen.

Episode Title: Beauty In Unity*The Purposefully Fit Podcast is designed to inspire, motivate, and encourage you to pursue YOUR God-given passion purposefully.Visit Coach NikE's Website: IAmNikE.com

Years ago there was a wonderful little book written by J.B. Phillips called Your God is Too Small. It's what Martin Luther meant when he said to Erasmus in the 16th century, "Your God is too human [like]." The LORD Himself puts it like this in Isaiah 40:25, "To whom then will you compare me...?" (ESV) God is great, Westtown Church! Let's move Forward in Faith and celebrate our great God together!Support the show

Scripture - Luke 24:36-49  “What Is Written”.  Other scripture: Exodus 15:2,Isaiah 52:7, Psalm 27:1, 1 Chronicles 16:35  Our story today continues with the two disciples in the story, “Road to Emmaus” from last week who once they understood that it was Jesus they had been talking with, immediately returned to Jerusalem. Our story picks up after they have arrived back in Jerusalem and are with the others in a private, locked room when suddenly Jesus Himself is with them in the room and greets them, “Peace be with you!” Peace… The peace we receive from Jesus is life transforming. Peace or the Hebrew word, Shalom, means everything is right with the world because everything is right with God because when Jesus rose from the grave it shows that now everything is now right with God and with those who have repented and received Him by faith.  As those people with God's peace, we know that ALL things are going to work together for good, we know God has won the victory and that we will be part of His final triumph - so fear flees and peace comes! Back to the story: Jesus' sudden appearance startles them. He's supposed to be dead and defeated and yet here He is and He is no longer dead - He is not defeated, He is VICTORIOUS! Jesus shows them His hands and feet and eats with them and reminds them that everything written about Him in the books of the Law, the prophets and the psalms was fulfilled through Him. Then He opens their minds so they can understand the Scripture and they see who He truly is and how the scripture is all about Him.  Jesus' name means SALVATION - and all throughout scripture the One who saves is mentioned over and over - Jesus is the One who has become our Salvation. Jesus IS Salvation! In Hebrew the word for Jesus is the same word as the word for Salvation.  It's an interesting exercise to read scriptures replacing “Jesus” for the word “salvation.”  Examples: Psalm 27:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?  Becomes: The Lord is my light and my JESUS; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Exodus 15:2 The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him. Becomes: “The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my JESUS. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him. One more, Isaiah 52:7 How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!” Becomes: How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim JESUS, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!” Jesus is all over the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament). It is not simply the prophetic words that predicted His coming, his death and His resurrection; it is not merely the historic events that mirrored who He would be and give us a picture of Him before He even came; it is not simply the promisee of the prophet's that Messiah would come - HIS NAME - Is everywhere! He is salvation!  Salvation and Jesus are the same Hebrew word. Wherever you read salvation it is Jesus! Now it will be impossible to miss it every time you read it! As our story continues, Jesus talks how the scriptures say He would suffer, die but rise again. He talks of how repentance for the forgiveness of sin would be preached in Jerusalem and then into the whole world, and he shares how they were witnesses to these things. He ends with the promise of the Holy Spirit. As we look at the New Testament - we can see for example that the story of Zacchaeus when Jesus said, “Today, Salvation has come to this house” that Jesus was probably speaking Hebrew (not Greek, the language the New Testament was written in) so what is translated “salvation” was most likely “Jesus” so it sounds like this: Jesus said, “Today, JESUS has come to this house!” Jesus is the name by which we are saved because Jesus IS Salvation! May we never stop speaking Jesus! May we never stop speaking salvation! What is written - is our Salvation What is written - Is the Name of Jesus! Our website –  https://www.awakeusnow.com Watch the video from our website! https://www.awakeusnow.com/2-year-study-of-the-gospels-upper Watch the video from our YouTube Channel!! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTaaqrC3dMOzMkhPyiNWwlJRpV6Bwpu01 St. Luke's Account is part three of our Two Year Study of the Gospels. This book written by Luke, a non-Jew, offers a unique perspective into the story of Jesus' life. This study is great for large group, small group or home group study.

Unlock Your True Potential! In this episode, Reginald D breaks down the power of talent and how it connects to your life's purpose. Too often, we settle for what we can do instead of embracing what we're truly gifted at. Reginald D shares how identifying and developing your natural talents—just like elite athletes—can lead to success, fulfillment, and purpose-driven living.Stop doubting yourself. Start walking in your calling. Your God-given talent is the key to your breakthrough! Tune in now and step into your greatness.Send us a textSupport the showFor daily motivation and inspiration, subscribe and follow Real Talk With Reginald D on social media:Instagram: realtalkwithreginaldd TikTok: @realtalkregd Youtube: @realtalkwithreginald Facebook: realtalkwithreginaldd Twitter Real Talk With Reginald D (@realtalkRegD) / TwitterWebsite: Real Talk With Reginald D https://www.realtalkwithreginaldd.com Real Talk With Reginald D - Merchandise

February 1, 2025Today's Reading: Introit for Epiphany 4 - Psalm 10:16-18; antiphon: Psalm 10:12Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 11:4-17; 2 Timothy 4:1-18Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up your hand; forget not the afflicted. (Psalm 10:12)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Text of the Reflection Even though I forgot where my keys are for the 4th time this week, I'm pretty comfortable telling God He should do a better job remembering the afflicted. Especially when it's me. A little bit, it's because I'm a sinner. A little bit, I think it's how God wants it. He knows we forget. We forget our to-do lists. We forget to help each other. We forget to pray when things aren't falling apart. But when everything's a mess, it feels like God forgets us, too.   So God gives us this psalm to pray. It's a reflection on His character. The LORD hears us in our affliction. He strengthens our hearts. He does justice to the fatherless and the oppressed. His character isn't something the Psalmist worries about. Of course, God is good. Which is why it's easy to wonder if He forgot about us when nothing around us is as good as a good God should make it. Which is the real reason we pray this psalm.  It's an exercise in remembering. In calling to God, we can be sure He hears us and responds in mercy. He doesn't forget. But even in praying, we remember who He is. What He has already done. What He has promised to do. In the midst of all we forget, the character of God is the most important thing to remember, reflect upon, and call to mind and heart in the midst of trial.   The things that are falling apart? They are not things Your God has no care for. He loves you enough to die for you. The things falling apart? They are not bigger than your God. He has conquered death itself. And when we remember who He is and how He's done that, it gives hope to the mess. God destroyed death through a cross, not a day when nothing was wrong, but a day when everything was falling apart. God can and does work mercy for you even in the midst of all that's wrong. Just like Good Friday, things don't need to be apart from sin or disorder or fear for Him to save you. When it's all falling apart, remember who your God is, and remember He won't forget you.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The will of God is always best And shall be done forever; And they who trust in Him are blest; He will forsake them never. He helps indeed In time of need; He chastens with forbearing. They who depend On God, their friend, Shall not be left despairing. (LSB 758:1)-Rev. Harrison Goodman, content executive for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.What makes a church "good?" Come join the fictional family as they test out eight different churches in their brand-new town and answer this question along the way. Will the Real Church Please Stand Up? by Matthew Richard, now available from Concordia Publishing House.

Episode Title: We Gonna Be Alright *The Purposefully Fit Podcast is designed to inspire, motivate, and encourage you to pursue YOUR God-given passion purposefully. Visit Coach NikE's Website: IAmNikE.com

Stress comes in all different shapes and sizes, but whatever its cause, none of us was made to be under constant stress and yet, that's how many people are living. In a constant state of stress.  Well, it's time to do something about it.   A Stress Free Life? Stress. For most of us, that word sends a shiver down our spine, and why wouldn't it? Who wants to be under stress all the time? And that's what it feels like for a lot of us, so what is it? Well, it's a state of mental or emotional strain or tension, and my dictionary adds, "Resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances", although I'm not sure that's always the case. We'll explore some of the main causes of stress in this series, but first, what sort of impact is stress having on our world? Well, a recent study conducted in Australia by the Psychological Institute (and by the way, I'm sure you'd probably find the same results no matter where you live) ... Well, the study found some interesting things about the reach and impact of stress. Here are the headline findings: 12% of people reported experiencing levels of stress in the severe range, with young adults experiencing significantly higher levels of stress and significantly lower levels of wellbeing than the general population. One in three reported experiencing depressive symptoms, with ten percent of these being in the severe range. One in four reported experiencing anxiety, with nine percent of these in the severe range. Young adults, 18-25, reported significantly higher levels of anxiety and depression than the general population. Although women reported significantly higher levels of perceived stress than did men, this didn't lead to differences reported in their levels of anxiety, depression, or wellbeing. Those people experiencing family or recent relationship-breakdown and those separated reported much higher levels of stress and distress, on all measures. If the relationship-breakdown had occurred more than one year earlier, reported stress levels were about the same as the general population. In the US, things appear to be more extreme. Seventy-three percent of people regularly experience psychological symptoms caused by stress. Almost half say that stress has a negative impact on their personal or professional lives, and the cost to employers in stress-related healthcare and missed work is estimated, in the US, to be about three hundred billion dollars a year. No wonder we want a stress free life! That idyllic life by the beach is looking pretty good to a few of us at this point. Right? But that's just not realistic and in fact, the reality is that a bit of stress in our lives isn't a bad thing. We enjoy a challenge, for instance, and working under a bit of pressure sometimes produces really good results. It's like a guitar or a violin. If the strings aren't under the right amount of tension and stress, it just doesn't work the way it was meant to. I know for instance after a longish holiday, say three weeks off over Christmas, I'm really looking forward to getting back into the cut and thrust of work. If we had no pressure, no deadlines, life would be missing something; and in any case, sometimes we're hit by circumstances that put us under a lot of stress, whether we like it or not. Take Jesus. He experienced huge stress. Luke 22:39-46: He came out and went, as was His custom, to the Mount of Olives and the disciples followed Him. When He reached that place, He said to them, ‘Pray, that you may not come into a time of trial.' Then He withdrew from them, about a stone's throw away, knelt down and prayed, ‘Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me. Yet not My will, but Yours be done.' Then an angel from heaven appeared to Him and gave Him strength. In His anguish He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat became like drops of blood falling down on the ground. When He got up from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping because of grief, and He said to them, ‘Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray, that you may not come into a time of trial.' The fact that Jesus' sweat was like drops of blood tells us just how severe His suffering was. This was stress, and it only got worse from here, as He was beaten and nailed to a cross. No, that completely stress free life isn't a reality for any of us. Even the rich and famous, in fact sometimes especially those people, suffer enormous amounts of stress. How many superstars have died from drug overdoses? What were they doing there in the first place? What drove them to drugs? The pressure and the stress of fame. So, sometimes stress is desirable; sometimes it's unavoidable, and sometimes we experience it because of our reaction to a particular person or set of circumstances, and yet the Bible says don't be anxious about anything (Philippians 4:6). So what sort of stress are you under right now? Is it the normal cut and thrust of life which, at the end of the day, you kind of enjoy anyhow? Then that's probably not such a bad thing, is it? It's manageable, and you know that with a few adjustments to your life, you could easily get things right under control. Then you're probably in a good balance, but if the stresses that you're under feel like a huge burden, like a heavy load that you're carrying around twenty-four by seven ... well ... that's not such a good thing. We're not made to be under that sort of constant pressure and stress, and yet many people live their lives like that. That's why we're kicking the year off with this series called, "Stress Busters" because God has a lot of things to say about how to alleviate the stress that you're under; lots of practical, powerful things to say. Hey, why should that be a surprise to any of us? God cares so deeply about you; what you're going through; what stress you're under, and the stepping off point for that is what Jesus said. We see it in Matthew 11:28-30. Jesus said: Come to Me, all you who are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke of easy, and My burden is light. Jesus wants to lighten your load, so over these coming weeks, we're going to discover what He has to say about your stress, because Jesus didn't say this lightly. Jesus didn't say this flippantly. Jesus meant it – come to Me, all you who are weary and who are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Come on! Take My yoke upon you. Learn from Me. I'm gentle. I'm humble of heart, and with Me, you're going to find rest for your souls. Hey, that's a powerful thing, and that's why we're doing a series over these next few weeks called, "Stress Busters" because God wants to deal with the stress in your life.   Stress we Put Ourselves Under You and I have this habit of putting ourselves under pressure and stress needlessly. Don't believe me? Well, right now, we're going to chat about how we do that exactly, and what we can do about changing our habits, because there are more than enough things out there that are going to cause you and me stress, whether we like it or not. There are going to be situations and circumstances completely beyond our control that cause us stress: The loss of a loved one; a difficult boss at work; financial problems; health issues ... There are plenty of things out there that are going to come our way, whether we like it or not, that are going to cause us stress. So, why would we possibly want to needlessly cause ourselves stress? Well, right now, we're going to chat about the main three reasons that we cause ourselves stress. I'd be surprised if you don't recognise at least one of them in your life. The first one is physical. Sometimes we think of stress as an emotional thing, even a spiritual thing; and of course, it is those things, but the physical reality is that God has given you and me a body, and there are three main things that we do to abuse this amazing body that God has gifted us. We eat too much of the wrong stuff, we don't get enough sleep, and we don't get enough exercise. How many times have you heard someone (including me) banging on about our diet and exercise and sleep? And yet still the first and most obvious thing that we can get wrong when it comes to managing our stress is how we treat our body, so come on. If the hat fits, wear it. Are you sick of feeling tired? Are you sick of feeling bloated and stressed and exhausted? Then do something about it. Last year, we had a whole series on the programme called, "Healthy living to a Ripe Old Age" and all of those messages in that series are available in the Resources section of the ChristianityWorks.com website, under the heading of Health. Grab them, listen to them, read the transcripts and please, if you're struggling because you're not treating your body properly, do something about it. 1 Corinthians 6:19: For don't you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? God expects you and He expects me to look after this amazing body that He's given us, and when we do, let me tell you, our stress levels drop dramatically. The second thing that we do to put ourselves under stress needlessly is constantly second-guessing ourselves: Constantly telling ourselves, "I'm not good enough. I'm not fast enough. I'm not smart enough." You know what that's called? Low self-esteem, and it might surprise you to know that this is a trap that I too find quite easy to fall into. Shocked? Here's how it works for me. I'm something of an achiever. I drive hard at things; I work hard; I try to deliver on-time ... It's just who I am, and when you're that kind of person, you can see not only all the things that you have achieved, but all the things that you haven't yet achieved, and so you start telling yourself, "Come on! You're not working hard enough for God. You should be doing better for God. You should be getting up earlier and working longer and delivering sooner. You need to get more done. Look at all the things you haven't done yet! Oh, Berni, you're failing God." You see how easy it is to do? Or at the other end of the scale, perhaps you only ever see your inadequacies, because you're constantly comparing yourself to other people. Anyone recognise that? It's like that song by Casey Chambers. "Am I not pretty enough or smart enough or liked enough or strong enough or articulate enough or" ... so we find all these ways to put ourselves under enormous pressure, and cause ourselves huge stress by believing this nonsense that we're just not good enough. Have you been there? Then I have a word from God for you today. 1 Corinthians 12:4-7: Now there are a variety of gifts, but the same Spirit; there are a variety of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each one, He has given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. Did you get that? Each one of us has been given a particular set of gifts and abilities. They're all different, but they're given by the one God; and the gifts He's given you, He's given you by His sovereign will and choice. You are who you are because He made you that way. He didn't make a mistake. You're exactly who God purposed you and made you to be. Get your heart around that, and you're set free from this nonsense of, "Am I not pretty enough? Am I not good enough for God?" Hello? Is anyone listening to this? I for one need constant reminding of this stuff, because I can end up stressing out by having a wrong view of who I am. It's about trading in your self-image for a faith-image from God, and this God says that you're beautiful, and that you're just who you're meant to be. So you've been given gifts by God now to be that person, and to use those gifts. Hallelujah! And finally, the third thing that causes us needlessly to put ourselves under stress is not letting go of the past. So many people are still holding onto the failures and the hurts and the regrets of the past. How many people are living under the reproach of the past? Come on, the past is the past. You and I can't change it, and God is in the business of setting us free from it. Mark this. Before Israel was able to cross over the Jordan River and enter into the promised land, God dealt with their past. Joshua 5:9: The LORD said to Joshua, ‘Today I have rolled away from you the reproach of the past, the disgrace of Egypt.' And so that place is called Gilgal to this day. You've heard that saying, "Don't cry over spilt milk." Right? Yes, wipe it up. Yes, clean up the mess. Yes, learn from your mistakes so that you won't spill the milk again, but don't just stand there and wish you hadn't spilt the milk, and spend the rest of your life living in that one moment of failure, because you can't un-spill the milk. That just doesn't make sense. This Jesus came to set you free from the past, to bind up your broken heart, to give you a vision for the future, a new set of eyes to see, a new set of ears to hear, and a new life to live. Jesus came to lift the reproach of the past off your shoulders, so that it won't cause you any more stress. Come on. There are enough things out there for you to stress out over without your health, without these false feelings of inadequacy, and without your hurts from the past doing it all for you. Do you think?   The Stress of not Enough It seems to me that there are three basic resources that you and I need to get by each day: Time, money, and expertise; and when we're short of any of those three basic resources – time, money, or expertise, that can cause us enormous amounts of stress. Let's start by looking at time. I don't know when the term time-poor started to fall into common usage, but these days, you hear it a lot. People are time-poor. In fact, once you have enough money to cover the basics in your life, time becomes an even more valuable commodity than money, and for many people, time is way too short. ‘If only I had a few extra hours in every day!' I've heard people say. Really? The more affluent we become, the more options we have for spending our time. Take social media. Right at the moment, eleven percent of the world's population are active Facebook-users. Just think about that for a minute, and they are collectively spending seven hundred billion minutes on Facebook each month. That's 1.33 million person-years every month on Facebook, and that doesn't count watching TV and all the other entertainment options available to us. No wonder we're time-poor! So what's changed? Why have we, all of a sudden, become time-poor? ‘Cos we're trying to cram too much into our day. We're always connected. We're always working and chatting, and we've forgotten how to have disconnected, quiet down-time. If that's you, if you're burning the candle at both ends, something has to give, otherwise the stress is going to kill you. Really, and in case you're one of these workaholics, who just has to work eighteen hours a day otherwise civilisation as we know it is going to come to an end, here's a different perspective – God's perspective. Psalm 127:1-2: Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labour in vain. Unless the LORD guards the city, the guards keep watch in vain. It's in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil, for God gives sleep to His beloved. It's simply not God's plan for you to live like that, and I've recorded a whole series of messages on that called "It's Time to Stop Labouring in Vain". You'll find it in the Resources section of our website, ChristianityWorks.com. Now the second thing that causes us stress is a lack of money. Sometimes that's because people simply don't have enough money to get by, but sometimes, it's because we squander the money that we do have on impulse buys or on things we don't need; on food that we bought, and then because of our bad management, it goes off in the fridge, so we throw it out. I want to deal with wastage first because that's criminal. With people starving in the world, wasting money on stuff that we just don't need is criminal, but the problem is that advertisers have it down to a fine art. They seem to be able to get us to part with our money like nothing else, so the question you have to ask yourself, the thing that's going to get you to change your mind, is whether the stress of this is worth it; whether having all those things makes you happy or, at the end of the day, makes you stressed. 1 Timothy 6:9-10: Those who want to be rich end up falling into temptation, and they're trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich, some have wandered away from their faith and pierced themselves with many pains. So ask yourself, "Is it really worth it for me? Really?" Or is it time to get your house in order? Is it time to get money-wise? And again, I've recorded a whole series called, "How to be Money-Wise" that you'll find in the Living in Victory section of the Resources library at ChristianityWorks.com. Sort that out, and the stress goes away. Believe you me, it's worth it. And for those who are poor, desperately poor, let me say this to you: In fact not me, but Jesus. Matthew 6:31-33: Don't worry, saying, ‘What am I going to eat?' or, ‘What am I going to drink?' or, ‘What am I going to wear?' For it's the Gentiles who strive after all these things, and indeed your heavenly Father already knows that you need them all. But strive first for the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. God knows what you need, and He will provide it for you. So, Proverbs 3:5-6: Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. But in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths. Your God will surely provide for you, and once you learn to trust Him to do the things you can't do and provide the things that you need that you can't acquire for yourself, the stress will be replaced by the most amazing peace and assurance. Finally, the other thing that causes us stress when we're without it is expertise. When I look at the ministry of ChristianityWorks that produces these radio-programmes, ok, I'm the front guy; you hear my voice, but without Max on the opposite side of the glass here in the studio and our dedicated team around the world, there simply wouldn't be any radio-programmes. One of the biggest things that you and I can do to cause ourselves stress is not to value and recognise the different abilities and capabilities of the people around us because when we don't cherish them, they desert us. I see this all the time: Leaders who think everybody should be exactly like them, so they drive their people hard and all of a sudden, there's no one left to lead. A true leader recognises other people's gifts and abilities. A true leader encourages and empowers people to be all that they can be, and whether we're leaders or not, we need other people around us who will co-operate in getting things done; because without them, we are going to be under stress with a capital S; because without them, we have to do the things that they're good at, and those things are invariably stuff that we're not good at. There's something incredibly stressful about being a square peg in a round hole. If I had to do Max's job here in the studio, I couldn't do it, and I've tried to get Max on the other side of the glass in front of the microphone, and he's not real keen on that either; because that's not his gig, just as much as what he does is not my gig. It's easy to be stressed by not having enough: Enough time, enough money, or enough expertise. But when we lean on God – hey; when we really trust in Him (come on, really), the stress starts to go away because what we discover is that God provides richly for those whom He loves. He just does. So if you're struggling under the stress of not enough, listen again, please, to this passage from Proverbs 3:5-6: Trust in the LORD with all your heart. Do not lean on your own understanding. In other words, don't look at the problem and keep turning the problem over in your mind, and just seeing the problem which then appears to be bigger than God. Instead, trust in the LORD with all your heart! Don't lean on your own understanding. And in all your ways acknowledge Him, and God will straighten out your paths. God will make it happen. God loves you. Do you get that? God absolutely loves you, and often we are going to be confronted with things that are much bigger than us. Pressure is different from stress. Pressure is out there; stress is our reaction to it, and God doesn't want you stressing out.

Your God is able to do immeasurably more than you can ever know...

Your God is able to do immeasurably more than you can ever know...

Istrouma Baptist Church (BR) Jan 19, 2025 ========== January 19 - Daniel Welcome! We're glad you've joined us today for our Sunday morning worship service! For more information about Istrouma, go to istrouma.org or contact us at info@istrouma.org. We glorify God by making disciples of all nations. ========== Connection Card https://istrouma.org/myinfo January 19, 2025 - Tim Keith ‭‭Daniel‬ ‭2‬:‭47‬-‭49‬‬ The king said to Daniel, “Your God is indeed God of gods, Lord of kings,  and a revealer of mysteries,  since you were able to reveal this mystery.” Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many generous gifts. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and chief governor over all the wise men of Babylon.  At Daniel's request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego  to manage the province of Babylon. But Daniel remained at the king's court. ‭‭James‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬-‭30‬‬ Not many should become teachers, my brothers,  because you know that we will receive a stricter judgment.  For we all stumble in many ways.  If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is mature, able also to control the whole body.  Now if we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us,  we direct their whole bodies. And consider ships: Though very large and driven by fierce winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So too, though the tongue is a small part of the body, it boasts great things.  Consider how a small fire sets ablaze a large forest. And the tongue is a fire. The tongue, a world of unrighteousness, is placed  among our members. It stains the whole body,  sets the course of life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. Every kind of animal, bird, reptile, and fish is tamed and has been tamed by humankind, but no one can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.  With the tongue we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in God's likeness.  Blessing and cursing come out of the same mouth. My brothers and sisters, these things should not be this way. Does a spring pour out sweet and bitter water from the same opening? Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers and sisters, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a saltwater spring yield fresh water. Who among you is wise and understanding? By his good conduct he should show that his works are done in the gentleness that comes from wisdom.  But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your heart, don't boast and deny the truth.  Such wisdom does not come down from above but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.  For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there is disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without pretense.  And the fruit of righteousness  is sown in peace by those who cultivate peace. Want to receive weekly announcements in your inbox each week? https://istrouma.org/email I know God is able. V.17 - "He is able to rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire" I believe God will rescue. V.17 - "He will rescue us from the power of you, the king" I will trust Him no matter what. v.18 – “but even if He does not rescue us… we want you as king to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up.” Give Online Text ISTROUMA IBC to 73256 or go to: https://istrouma.org/give Our Website https://istrouma.org

A Sermon for the Second Sunday after the Epiphany Romans 12:6-16 & St. Mark 1:1-11 by William Klock The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, God's son.   With those words, Mark launches into telling the story of Jesus.  It's gospel.  It's good news.  Good news as in “Ding, dong, the witch is dead!”  Good news as in “Aslan is on the move.”  Good news as in the war is over and now we'll know peace.  Good news as in the old tyrant has been run out and a new, good king has taken his place.  That's what good news means.  Everything has changed because of it and life will never be the same.  Good news stand in contrast to good advice.  Try the new burrito place.  Go for a walk on the new trail.  Buy a Honda.  Maybe.  Probably.  But none of the burrito place, the trail, the Honda won't change your life, let alone the world.  Good advice?  You can take it or leave it.  Good news?  Good news can't be ignored. And this good news, says Mark, isn't any old good news.  It's bigger than “the war is over”.  It's bigger than Caesar has defeated his rivals.  This is the good news that in Jesus the promised and long-awaited Messiah has come.  And, Mark adds, that he's the son of God.  To Jews that meant something different than it does to most of us.  To us it sounds like a statement of Jesus divinity.  But for Jews—well—“son of God” was Israel's title—one the Lord had given them when he demanded Pharaoh let them go, one that he'd given them again at Mount Sinai.  So Mark's announcement is that Jesus has come to represent his people.  That's what king's do.  And Jesus is the Messiah—God's anointed King. So right at the outset Mark tells us that this good news is the story of the Messiah, the King, who has come defeat the enemies of his people and to set everything wrong to right.  This good news is that the King has come and so has his kingdom and because of that, everything has changed.  And because of that both Israel and the gentile nations face a choice: Will they come in faith to the king and give him their allegiance or will they stand as enemies of his kingdom? Centuries before, the prophet Isaiah declared, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace…happiness…salvation…who announces…“Your God reigns.”  When St. Mark thought of those beautiful feet he thought of John the Baptist.  He quotes another passage from Isaiah—one about the Lord sending a messenger to prepare his way.  And he quotes the Prophet Micah, too: “A shout goes up in the desert.  Make way for the Lord!  Prepare the way for him!” That was John.  John had been sent to prepare Israel.  The Lord had heard their cries, as he'd heard them crying out from Egypt and from Babylon.  And he was coming to visit and to deliver again—this time once and for all.  The world was going to change forever.  And so, says Mark, John led the people out into the desert, to the banks of the Jordan River, and summoned them to be baptised as an act of repentance and a sign of forgiveness.  Picture  John, out in the desert, on the banks of the Jordan with all those people.  It was a prophetic reenactment of the crossing of the Red Sea.  And as so many people do when they're sure the Lord is drawing near, the people confessed their sins.  And John baptised them.  Because they knew the God of Israel was about to do something amazing.  He was about to fulfil his promises. The new exodus had begun.  And lest the people think that it was John who would lead them in this new exodus, he also announced: After me comes one who is greater than I.  I'm not worthy to kneel down to untie his sandals.  I've plunged you into the water.  He's going to plunge you into the Holy Spirit. And there it is.  That, Brothers and Sisters, changes everything.  Picture Israel again in the desert, their tents pitched in neat formation around the tabernacle.  Picture the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night at the centre of the camp.  Picture the cloud of his glory resting on the ark in the holy of holies.  God in the midst of his people.  But now John points to something even greater.  Instead of God living in our midst, but living over there in the tabernacle—and, more particularly, in the holy of holies where none of us can actually go because we're not holy enough, God is now coming to live not just in our midst, but inside us.  As St. Peter writes, he's building a new temple for himself and we ourselves are the blocks of stone he's carefully cut and carefully fitted together.  In the first Exodus, the Lord took his people through the water, he gave them a law written on stone tablets, and he gave them priests to tell them to do it.  And most of the time they weren't particularly good at living out that law.  But in this new exodus, Jesus leads us not only through the water, but in doing so he plunges us into his own Holy Spirit.  Instead of giving us the law on tablets of stone the Spirit writes God's law on our hearts so that it's not only internal, but so that we'll actually be in love with it and motivated by it and want to do it—that's the significance of it being written on our hearts.  And so we don't anymore need priests urging us to do it, because we'll have the Lord's Spirit himself in us, making his desires our desires as we steep ourselves in his word. This was the baptism Israel so desperately needed.  And so it was a surprise to John when Jesus came to him and asked to be baptised.  Jesus didn't need to repent.  But as the King, as the representative of his people, he did need to go before his people—to lead where they would follow.  And so John agreed and Mark then writes in verses 10-11: Immediately, as [Jesus] was getting out of the water, he saw the heavens open, and the Spirit coming down like a dove onto him.  Then there came a voice, out of the heavens, “You are my son!  You are the one I love!  I am pleased with you!”   Another epiphany!  For Jesus this was divine confirmation that he was who he'd come to believe he was.  It confirmed the words of the angel to Mary and to Joseph, it confirmed the song the angels sang to the shepherds, it confirmed the prophetic words of Simeon and Anna, and it confirmed the worship and the gifts of the magi.  It was an epiphany for John, too.  Jesus really was the Messiah he'd been sent to announce.  And it was an epiphany for the crowd, for the people of Israel.  In Jesus, the God of Israel was truly visiting his people.  As surely as John had plunged them into the water, this Jesus would plunge them into God's Spirit—and when that happened, nothing would ever be the same again. For that brief moment, Mark says, the heavens were torn open and Jesus, John, and everyone else there had a glimpse of what was to come—of the kingdom, of God's new age, of new creation.  It was like getting a glimpse into the closest where your mom had all the Christmas presents stored away—and you catch your breath and you get excited to think of what's to come when the time is right to bring it all out.  Like Christmas morning—but Christmas morning is just a dim comparison—this was a glimpse of God's coming kingdom—heaven come to earth—finally! Brothers and Sisters, consider that the church—redeemed by Jesus and plunged into the Spirit—the church is now—or it should be—we are now that vision into heaven, we're now that little pocket of God's new age, his new creation—his future right here in the present.  We're God's new age in the midst of the old.  That, I think, is why the men who selected our lessons for the Epistles and Gospels put today's Gospel from Mark with our Epistle from Romans 12.  Paul doesn't put it quite this way, but what he describes in the Epistle is what it means to be on-earth-as-in-heaven people. Today's Epistle begins at verse 6, but I want to back up a few verses.  (We would have read verses 1-5 last week if we hadn't shifted our observance of the Epiphany to Sunday.)  Paul starts out appealing to the Christians in Rome to offer their bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.  Why?  Because that kind of worship, he writes, is what line's our minds up with God's.  It's a commitment to live as light in the midst of darkness.  It's a commitment to live as the people of God's new age in the midst of the old.  So he goes on in verse 3: “What's more, don't let yourselves be squeezed into the shape dictated by the present age.  Instead, be transformed by the renewing or your minds, so that you can work out what God's will is—what is good, acceptable, and perfect.” Brothers and Sisters, be the people of heaven who have been plunged into the Holy Spirit.  Be the people who embody God's new world in the middle of the old one—because it glorifies God and because it witnesses his goodness and his faithfulness to everyone around us.  And what does that look like?  It's going to be different in different circumstances.  This is something we have to work out for ourselves, but Paul shows us that we're to work it out in light of what Jesus has done for us.  The Romans were struggling to be united.  Jewish and Gentile believers were turning away from each other and in doing that they were living like people of the old age, not the new.  So Paul writes to them: “As in one body we have many limbs and organs, you see, and all the parts have different functions, so we, many as we are, are one body in the Messiah, and individually we belong to one another.”  We can't be the church Jesus has called us to be if we don't offer ourselves humbly to each other.  Brothers and Sisters, what Jesus has done for us, we do for each other.  So, for example, think of the gifts that the Spirit gives us.  Paul writes starting in verse 6: We have gifts that differ in accordance with the grace that has been given to us, and we must us them appropriately.  If it is prophecy, we must prophesy according to the pattern of faith.  If it is serving, we must work at our serving; if teaching, at our teaching; if exhortation, at our exhortation; if giving, with generosity; if leading, with energy; if doing acts of kindness, with cheerfulness. The list could go on and on and on, but this is enough for Paul to make his point.  The Spirit has worked in us—sometimes working with our natural gifts and abilities and sometimes giving us gifts we don't naturally have—and he's brought us together like a body.  Each of us has an essential part to play.  Arms and legs, hands and feet, eyes and ears, hearts and voice all working together towards one gospel purpose.  Think of Peter's illustration again of the temple not made with hands, a temple with each stone carefully cut by the Spirit for a unique spot, and all of them—all of us—assembled together with Jesus as our cornerstone.  If we don't all do the part we've been given and equipped to do, the body can't function, the temple falls apart. The prophet must prophesy and the teacher must teach.  The server must serve and the exhorter must exhort.  The leader must lead, the giver must give, and the doer must do—with cheerfulness and everything according to the pattern of faith.  In other words, remember that it's all gospel work rooted in Jesus and the Spirit and the amazing, loving, gracious, and merciful work he has done in us.  Sometimes we forget the gospel as we work and the work becomes a chore and a burden.  There are all sorts of things in ministry that can be discouraging and we can be tempted to give up.  And so Paul reminds us to keep our eyes on the gospel—on the good news that the king has come, that he has made us part of his kingdom, and that we have the joyful privilege of being his stewards and heralds. But there's more to life together than spiritual gifts.  Elsewhere Paul writes about the fruit that the Spirit causes to grow in us.  In other places he talks about being conformed to the mind of the Messiah.  There are lots of ways we can describe the Christian life as we live it out together, but ultimately what we need to recognise is that being in Jesus and the Spirit changes us and living as changed people is part of being kingdom people.  Think again about being a little kid and getting a glimpse into the closet where the presents are stored until Christmas morning.  When the world looks at us—as individual Christians but even more important, as the church, as a group of Christians living together—it should be like seeing that closet full of Christmas presents.  Except in our case, it's not a bunch of nicely wrapped packages; it's a glimpse of God's new creation—of his world set to rights.  Seeing the church ought to make people eager to be part of God's new age.  Seeing us should make them long for Jesus and the Spirit too.  So Paul goes on in verse 9: Love must be real.  Hate what is evil; stick fast to what is good.  Be truly affectionate in showing love for one another; compete with each other in giving mutual respect.  Don't get tired of working hard.  Be on fire with the Spirit.  Work as slaves for the Lord.  Celebrate your hope; be patient in suffering; give constant energy to prayer; contribute to the needs of God's people; make sure you are hospitable to strangers.   Bless those who persecute you; bless them, don't curse them.  Celebrate with those who are celebrating; Mourn with the mourners.  Come to the same mind with one another.  Don't give yourselves airs, but associate with the humble.  Don't be wise in your own sight.   We don't have time to cover each of these in detail, but again think of them in terms of giving the world a glimpse of Jesus and the kingdom.  We've seen real love in Jesus.  In him we've seen what it looks like to abhor evil and hold fast to good.  In him we get a sense of what it looks like to show honour to others rather than grabbing it all for ourselves.  We see in him what humility and lowliness toward others look like.  We—especially Gentile believers—have seen what Jesus' hospitality looks like as he welcomes us in to Abraham's family.  In Jesus we've seen the greatest example ever of what it looks like to bless those who persecute us.  And Paul ends this list in verse 21, writing, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Brothers and Sisters, this is what it looks like to be faithful stewards of the grace of God and heralds of the gospel.  This is what it looks like to live the life Jesus has given us.  This is what it looks like to be people who have been plunged into the Holy Spirit.  This is what it looks like to be the new Israel, rescued from our bondage to sin and death and given hope for a new life.  We love each other as Jesus has loved us and as he specially equipped us to love, and as we do so we show our love for him, because in loving each other we are loving the people whom Jesus loves.  But it's not just the Church we love.  Jesus was sent to redeem because “God so loved the world”.  We witness what love looks like as we love each other, but we also witness the love of God as we give ourselves for the sake of the world, as we give ourselves to be light in the darkness—even when the darkness is hostile and seeks to snuff us out.  In Jesus, God overcame evil with good and we are called to be his witnesses by doing the same.  And so let us proclaim the good news: Repent, for the kingdom of God has come.  But let's also show the world that this is good news, not just good advice.  Let's ourselves live in light of the knowledge that Jesus and the Spirit have changed everything.  Let us be heaven-on-earth people so that when the world looks at the church, it sees heaven torn open, so that it has a glimpse of God's new creation.  May the life of the church, redeemed by Jesus and filled with the Spirit, cause everyone around us to give glory to God. Let us pray: Heavenly Father, in the baptism of Jesus you revealed him to be your Son and you anointed him with the Holy Spirit.  May we who are born again of that same water and Spirit, we ask, be faithful to our calling as your children by grace, living and manifesting in our lives the love and mercy you have shown to us as we proclaim your kingdom.  We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

It's Thursday, January 16th, A.D. 2025. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 125 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Jonathan Clark and Adam McManus Top 10 worst countries for persecution of Christians Open Doors US released their 2025 World Watch List yesterday. The report covers the 50 worst countries for the persecution of Christians. The ten worst countries are North Korea, Somalia, Yemen, Libya, Sudan, Eritrea, Nigeria, Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan. Once again, North Korea tops the list for a 23rd year in a row. The report found 380 million Christians face high levels of persecution. That's one in seven believers worldwide. From October 2023 to September 2024, 4,476 Christians were killed for their faith, 4,744 Christians were detained, arrested, or sentenced for their faith, and 209,771 Christians were forced to leave their homes.   Hebrews 13:3 says, “Remember the prisoners as if chained with them—those who are mistreated—since you yourselves are in the body also.” Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage exchange Israel and Hamas reportedly agreed to a ceasefire yesterday brokered by America, Egypt, and Qatar.  If successfully completed, the agreement would end 15 months of fighting.  The deal would begin with Hamas releasing 33 hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned in Israel. The agreement also involves more humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip. Both President Joe Biden's administration and President-elect Donald Trump's team cooperated in making the agreement.  Biden removes Cuba from list of state sponsors of terrorism In other international news, President Biden announced that the United States would remove Cuba from its list of state sponsors of terrorism. It's one of Biden's last official acts before Trump takes office next Monday. However, the Trump administration may reverse the decision.  At this moment, Cuba has promised to release 553 prisoners, likely including people imprisoned during anti-government protests in 2021.  The agreement was brokered by the Catholic Church to secure the release of political prisoners.  Vatican's approval of sexual perversion Speaking of the Catholic Church, the Vatican approved a document in favor of sexually perverted lifestyles. The Italian Bishops' Conference published the document last Friday.  The provisions allow candidates for priesthood to have “homosexual tendencies.” However, priests are still required to live in celibacy.  Proverbs 25:26 says, “Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.” Biden awarded Pope Francis Presidential Medal of Freedom President Biden awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom with distinction to Pope Francis on Saturday.  It's the highest civilian award of the United States, and it's the first time Biden awarded the medal “with distinction.” The White House praised Pope Francis as being “unlike any who came before.” However, Fox News notes, “Francis, 88, has pushed to open the Church to the modern world since he took the helm in 2013. He has drawn criticism from some U.S. Catholics for his support of … positions that are contrary to Church teachings.” Marco Rubio: Emphasizing “national interest above all else is not isolationism.” Yesterday, Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, whom Trump has nominated to be his Secretary of State, outlined his vision before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, reports CBS News. RUBIO: “We are once again called to create a free world out of the chaos. And this will not be easy. And it will be impossible without a strong and a confident America that engages in the world, putting our core national interests once again above all else. In Moscow, in Tehran, in Pyongyang, dictators, rogue states now sow chaos and instability and align with and they fund radical terror groups. And then they hide behind their veto power at the United Nations Security Council or the threats of nuclear war. “The post war global order is not just obsolete. It is now a weapon being used against us. Placing our core national interest above all else is not isolationism. It is the common sense realization that a foreign policy centered in our national interest is not some outdated relic.” Ted Cruz asked Trump's Attorney General, Pam Bondi, pick whether she would be fair In addition, Pam Bondi, the former Florida Attorney General, also appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee   She  vowed to end the weaponization of the Justice Department, saying her focus will be on reducing crime and upholding the law, reports CBS News. Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas opened his time this way. CRUZ: “I don't know that there is a more important position in this new administration than the position to which you have been nominated, Attorney General of the United States. Perhaps the most tragic legacy of the Biden-Harris administration has been the politicization and the weaponization of the United States Department of Justice. Joe Biden publicly mused and allowed the New York Times to report it, calling on Merrick Garland: ‘Why will he not prosecute Trump more quickly?'  Merrick Garland, sadly, he sat in that chair and promised to be apolitical, and he broke that promise almost the instant he walked into the Department of Justice. “If you look on the west pediment of the Supreme Court of the United States, just above the entrance, there's a simple, yet profound, four word phrase: ‘Equal justice under law.'  We have seen over the last four years a Department of Justice that systematically targeted the political opponents of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and that systematically protected his friends and allies. I don't think there's an institution in America who has lost more respect from the American people than the FBI has in the last four years. “So, I want to start with just a very simple question, if you, [Pam Bondi], are confirmed as Attorney General, will you pledge to fairly and faithfully uphold the law regardless of party?” BONDI: “So help me, God!” CRUZ: “Amen. I want to be clear for folks at home, I don't want a Republican Department of Justice. I don't want a Democrat Department of Justice. I want a Department of Justice that follows the law, and I think the American people do too. That shouldn't be too much to expect.” Trump plans to create the External Revenue Service President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he plans to create a new agency to collect tariffs from foreign sources. He began by criticizing the Internal Revenue Service on Truth Social. He wrote, “For far too long, we have relied on taxing our Great People using the Internal Revenue Service.  … Through soft and pathetically weak Trade agreements, the American Economy has delivered growth and prosperity to the World, while taxing ourselves.”  Trump went on to say, “It is time for that to change. I am today announcing that I will create the EXTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE to collect our Tariffs, Duties, and all Revenue that come from Foreign sources.” 935 languages still need a Bible translation And finally, Wycliffe Global Alliance has published their 2024 Global Scripture Access Report. The report notes that there are 7,396 languages in the world spoken by at least 7.45 billion people. Currently, 756 languages have full Bibles, an increase of 20 languages from 2023. About 10% of all languages now have full Bibles, accounting for 6 billion people.   Additionally, the number of languages needing Bible translation to start is 985, down 283 from 2023. The total number of languages with at least some portion of Scripture has reached 3,756. That's about half of all languages and accounts for 7.3 billion people.  Isaiah 52:7 says, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.'” Close And that's The Worldview on this Thursday, January 16th, in the year of our Lord 2025. Subscribe by Amazon Music or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com. Or get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

Episode Title: Stepping Into Your Spacious Place *The Purposefully Fit Podcast is designed to inspire, motivate, and encourage you to pursue YOUR God-given passion purposefully. Visit Coach NikE's Website: IAmNikE.com

Discover the profound significance of prioritizing Jesus in our lives in the latest episode of Ministry Minute, titled "Who is Your God?" Join us as we explore the transformative power of faith and the gift of salvation that is available to everyone. Let us reflect on our relationship with God and the impact it has on our daily lives. #MinistryMinute #FaithJourney #Salvation

Support Common Prayer Daily @ PatreonVisit our Website for more www.commonprayerdaily.com_______________Opening Words:I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.Isaiah 49:6b Confession:Let us humbly confess our sins unto Almighty God. Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen. Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life. Amen. The InvitatoryLord, open our lips.And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. Alleluia. Psalm 95:1-7The Lord has shown forth his glory: Come let us adore him.Come, let us sing to the Lord; *let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving *and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.For the Lord is a great God, *and a great King above all gods.In his hand are the caverns of the earth, *and the heights of the hills are his also.The sea is his, for he made it, *and his hands have molded the dry land.Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, *and kneel before the Lord our Maker.For he is our God,and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. *Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice!The Lord has shown forth his glory: Come let us adore him. The PsalterPsalm 461God is our refuge and strength, *a very present help in trouble.2Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be moved, *and though the mountains be toppled into the depths of the sea;3Though its waters rage and foam, *and though the mountains tremble at its tumult.4The Lord of hosts is with us; *the God of Jacob is our stronghold.5There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, *the holy habitation of the Most High.6God is in the midst of her;she shall not be overthrown; *God shall help her at the break of day.7The nations make much ado, and the kingdoms are shaken; *God has spoken, and the earth shall melt away.8The Lord of hosts is with us; *the God of Jacob is our stronghold.9Come now and look upon the works of the Lord, *what awesome things he has done on earth.10It is he who makes war to cease in all the world; *he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear,and burns the shields with fire.11“Be still, then, and know that I am God; *I will be exalted among the nations;I will be exalted in the earth.”12The Lord of hosts is with us; *the God of Jacob is our stronghold. Psalm 971The Lord is King;let the earth rejoice; *let the multitude of the isles be glad.2Clouds and darkness are round about him, *righteousness and justice are the foundations of his throne.3A fire goes before him *and burns up his enemies on every side.4His lightnings light up the world; *the earth sees it and is afraid.5The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the Lord, *at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.6The heavens declare his righteousness, *and all the peoples see his glory.7Confounded be all who worship carved imagesand delight in false gods! *Bow down before him, all you gods.8Zion hears and is glad, and the cities of Judah rejoice, *because of your judgments, O Lord.9For you are the Lord,most high over all the earth; *you are exalted far above all gods.10The Lord loves those who hate evil; *he preserves the lives of his saintsand delivers them from the hand of the wicked.11Light has sprung up for the righteous, *and joyful gladness for those who are truehearted.12Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous, *and give thanks to his holy Name. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. LessonsIsa. 52:7-10A Reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah.How beautiful upon the mountains        are the feet of him who brings good news,    who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness,        who publishes salvation,        who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”    The voice of your watchmen—they lift up their voice;        together they sing for joy;    for eye to eye they see        the return of the Lord to Zion.    Break forth together into singing,        you waste places of Jerusalem,    for the Lord has comforted his people;        he has redeemed Jerusalem.    The Lord has bared his holy arm        before the eyes of all the nations,    and all the ends of the earth shall see        the salvation of our God. The Word of the Lord.Thanks Be To God. Te Deum laudamusYou are God: we praise you;You are the Lord: we acclaim you;You are the eternal Father:All creation worships you.To you all angels, all the powers of heaven, Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise:Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,heaven and earth are full of your glory.The glorious company of apostles praise you.The noble fellowship of prophets praise you.The white-robed army of martyrs praise you. Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you;Father, of majesty unbounded,your true and only Son, worthy of all worship, and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.You, Christ, are the king of glory, the eternal Son of the Father.When you became man to set us free you did not shun the Virgin's womb. You overcame the sting of deathand opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers. You are seated at God's right hand in glory.We believe that you will come and be our judge.Come then, Lord, and help your people, bought with the price of your own blood, and bring us with your saintsto glory everlasting. Revelation 21:22-27A Reading from the Book of Revelation.And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life. The Word of the Lord.Thanks Be To God. Matt. 12:14-21A Reading from the Gospel According to Matthew.But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.  Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all and ordered them not to make him known. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:    “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen,        my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased.    I will put my Spirit upon him,        and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.    He will not quarrel or cry aloud,        nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets;    a bruised reed he will not break,        and a smoldering wick he will not quench,    until he brings justice to victory;    and in his name the Gentiles will hope.”The Word of the Lord.Thanks Be To God. Benedictus Dominus DeusBlessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; * he has come to his people and set them free.He has raised up for us a mighty savior, * born of the house of his servant David.Through his holy prophets he promised of old, that he would save us from our enemies, * from the hands of all who hate us. He promised to show mercy to our fathers * and to remember his holy covenant. This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham, * to set us free from the hands of our enemies, Free to worship him without fear, * holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, * for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way, To give his people knowledge of salvation * by the forgiveness of their sins.In the tender compassion of our God * the dawn from on high shall break upon us, To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, * and to guide our feet into the way of peace.Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. The Apostles CreedI believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. The PrayersThe Lord be with you.And also with you.Let us pray.Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen. Suffrages AV. Show us your mercy, O Lord;R. And grant us your salvation.V. Clothe your ministers with righteousness; R. Let your people sing with joy.V. Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;R. For only in you can we live in safety. V. Lord, keep this nation under your care;R. And guide us in the way of justice and truth.V. Let your way be known upon earth;R. Your saving health among all nations.V. Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten;R. Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.V. Create in us clean hearts, O God;R. And sustain us with your Holy Spirit.   The CollectsCollect of the DayO God, by the leading of a star you manifested your only Son to the Peoples of the earth: Lead us, who know you now by faith, to your presence, where we may see your glory face to face; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Daily Collects:A Collect for PeaceO God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom: Defend us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in your defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries, through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.A Collect for GraceO Lord, our heavenly Father, almighty and everlasting God, you have brought us safely to the beginning of this day: Defend us by your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin nor run into any danger; and that, guided by your Spirit, we may do what is righteous in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Take a moment of silence at this time to reflect and pray for others. Collect of Saint BasilO Christ God, Who art worshipped and glorified at every place and time; Who art long-suffering, most merciful and compassionate; Who lovest the righteous and art merciful to sinners; Who callest all to salvation with the promise of good things to come: receive, Lord, the prayers we now offer, and direct our lives in the way of Thy commandments. Sanctify our souls, cleanse our bodies, correct our thoughts, purify our minds and deliver us from all affliction, evil and illness. Surround us with Thy holy angels, that guarded and instructed by their forces, we may reach unity of faith and the understanding of Thine unapproachable glory: for blessed art Thou unto ages of ages. Amen. A Prayer of St. John ChrysostomAlmighty God, you have given us grace at this time, with one accord to make our common supplications to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will grant their requests: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen. DismissalLet us bless the LordThanks be to God! The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen

How beautiful on the mountains    are the feet of those who bring good news,who proclaim peace,    who bring good tidings,    who proclaim salvation,who say to Zion,    “Your God reigns!”Start your day in God's Word with our Daily Verse Reflections! Each weekday, our pastors offer insights and encouragement to help you apply Scripture to your daily life. Whether you're seeking inspiration, comfort, or guidance, these Daily Verse Reflections will keep you grounded in your faith throughout the week!You can also watch the video versions of our Daily Verse Reflections at https://watch.timeofgrace.org/browse, where you will also find a wide variety of videos that will help you learn more about Jesus and grow in your faith!To receive special text offers and stay up to date with the Time of Grace, text the word "Grace" to 45321 to subscribe!

Reading IIs 52:7-10    How beautiful upon the mountains        are the feet of him who brings glad tidings,    announcing peace, bearing good news,        announcing salvation, and saying to Zion,        “Your God is King!”    Hark!  Your sentinels raise a cry,        together they shout for joy,    for they see directly, before their eyes,        the LORD restoring Zion.    Break out together in song,        O ruins of Jerusalem!    For the LORD comforts his people,        he redeems Jerusalem.    The LORD has bared his holy arm        in the sight of all the nations;    all the ends of the earth will behold        the salvation of our God.Reading IIHeb 1:1-6Brothers and sisters:In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways     to our ancestors through the prophets;     in these last days, he has spoken to us through the Son,     whom he made heir of all things     and through whom he created the universe,        who is the refulgence of his glory,            the very imprint of his being,        and who sustains all things by his mighty word.        When he had accomplished purification from sins,        he took his seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high,        as far superior to the angels        as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.For to which of the angels did God ever say:    You are my son; this day I have begotten you?Or again:    I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me?And again, when he leads the firstborn into the world, he says:    Let all the angels of God worship him.GospelJn 1:1-18    In the beginning was the Word,        and the Word was with God,        and the Word was God.    He was in the beginning with God.     All things came to be through him,        and without him nothing came to be.    What came to be through him was life,        and this life was the light of the human race;    the light shines in the darkness,        and the darkness has not overcome it.A man named John was sent from God.He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.He was not the light,but came to testify to the light.The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.    He was in the world,        and the world came to be through him,        but the world did not know him.    He came to what was his own,        but his own people did not accept him.But to those who did accept himhe gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man's decision but of God.    And the Word became flesh        and made his dwelling among us,        and we saw his glory,        the glory as of the Father's only Son,        full of grace and truth.John testified to him and cried out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.'”From his fullness we have all received,grace in place of grace,because while the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.No one has ever seen God.The only Son, God, who is at the Father's side, has revealed him.

I have a question for you: What is the most important thing about you? Here's what A.W. Tozer, the great theologian of the last century, wrote: “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” When you think about God, what do you think about God? Jesus put it this way: Now this is eternal life; that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent (John 17:3). Knowing God makes a difference now and in eternity. Therefore, getting to know God should be the most important pursuit of our lives as Christ-followers. Is that true for you? We get to know God through studying his Word and paying attention to what he tells us about himself. Let's consider just a few of God's attributes in order to get to know him better. God's Infinitude Infinite means immeasurable, exceedingly great, endless, inexhaustible. The Bible says: Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom (Psalm 145:3). Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit (Psalm 147:5). Have you ever meditated on the truth that God is infinite? Honestly, our minds are just too small to take it all in. As David said, no one can fathom the greatness of God. Even though we can't fully comprehend infinitude, that's who our God is, and we need to allow our minds to blow some fuses and just meditate often on our infinite God. That means his knowledge of you is infinite. It means nothing you will experience, no one you may have to deal with, no difficulty you will face today is too big for the God you serve. He's got you! He knows the worst about you and loves you infinitely! Go to your world with full assurance that the God you serve has promised to never leave you or forsake you, and he'll get you through whatever has you worried or frightened or frustrated. Your God is infinite!

TAKEAWAYSGreg says teens need three things to be equipped to serve Christ: a King (Jesus), a cause (the gospel) and a crew (a family)Your God-sized dream can be anything - every dream matters and is importantLearn how to pray and spend time every day in God's WordGod is opening up opportunities all around us every day

In this episode, we bring on Bishop Earl K. Fernandes from the Diocese of Columbus, OH to discuss life as a bishop of the Roman Catholic Church and his area of expertise - moral theology. But, not before we address an important Logos topic: Taco Bell.God Bless and we hope you enjoy!Timecode:0:00 - Who is Bishop Fernandes?9:00 - Best Part of Being a Bishop15:10 - Prison Ministry 21:45 - Hardest Part of Being a Bishop29:05 - Yo Quero Taco Bell33:20 - The New Moses36:00 - Happiness and Law42:30 - The Need for Interiority 51:40 - Who is Your God?55:30 - Did God Change?59:30 - God's Descent to Man1:09:30 - ConclusionSupport the show

Well hello to ya today, so glad you're listening to this episode of the podcast. Let's jump right in and look at a few verses from the New Testament that hold tremendous promises for us. Luke chapter one, verse 37 from the NLT and then Hebrews 13, verses 5 and 6. God's promises are true. Whether or not you believe those promises, well, that's kind of up to you. A Christmas Blessing from Mary's Song Episode Link A Merry and Bright ADVENTure book  You're listening to The Burt (Not Ernie) Show, part of the Spark Network, playing now via the Edifi app. Today's episode is sponsored by the Christmas book for families titled A Merry and Bright ADVENTure - A Christmas Devotional for Family, Faith, Food and Fun by Katie J. Trent. Sure, my children are all grown adults…but my grandbabies are the ones I will be using this book with. It's divided into sections, by topic, by theme, and the advent readings consist of like a family devotional, a prayer, family discussion questions, some specific advent activities and of course, a recipe which is very family friendly. There are 25 of these really well thought out daily sections, which is of course perfect for advent. And there is a list of grocery items and craft items already compiled for you, to make it as easy as possible to implement the recipes and activities. Link is right here in the show notes, and a big thank you to Katie Trent for creating this Christmas season resource. I absolutely love it. And now, on with the show.  This is episode number 199.    Right there nestled among the first few verses in the book of Luke, almost too easy to read and go right on past, is the promise of verse 37. In the NLT it says, “For the word of God will never fail.”    And after that absolutely mind-blowingly huge promise, this chapter continues into Mary's Song, the Magnificat. Which, by the way, is really a beautiful passage of Scripture to read aloud as a family during the Thanksgiving or Christmas season. Amazing, that's what Mary's Song is. Worship - you might call it that. Beautiful worship.   For the word of God WILL NEVER FAIL.   Hang your hat on this verse today. I mean that, seriously. Bank on it. Depend on it. Lean the full weight of all your troubles and concerns onto it. It will hold up, no matter how heavy the load is that you've been carrying around. This verse can handle it. All of it. Perhaps this promise is one of the most powerful promises in the entire Bible. I don't want you to take my word for it. I want you to take God at His word. Then do it again tomorrow. And never stop taking Him at His word, every single day of your life.   Hebrews 13, 5-6 - also from the NLT -   5 Don't love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said,“I will never fail you.     I will never abandon you.”[a 6 So we can say with confidence,“The Lord is my helper,     so I will have no fear.     What can mere people do to me?”[b] What could possibly be missing from your life when God has said this? Combine these words from Hebrews with the words from Luke and I am thinking you have something unstoppable, ya know? Your God, whom you love and whom you serve, the One who secured your eternal salvation, He will never fail you or abandon you. What matters more than that? And what are we to say in response to these great and precious promises?  With confidence, we say, The Lord is my helper and I will have no fear. Because what can mere people, human beings, those who are created by the One making me these promises, what can they do to me?    The hope you have in knowing, believing, and living in the reality of these promises…well, I'm not really sure it gets much better than that. God won't leave you. God won't abandon you. God won't fail you. He will help you. You can live with no fear. And people? What can they really do to you? For the word of God will never fail. The word of  will never fail for Jan, or for Sara, or for Rachel, or for Mike, or for Betty, or for Stuart, or for Terry, or for Gail, or for Linda or for Jon or for any of His people.    What promises in the Bible do you most need to know won't fail right now? Is it something from Psalm 91? Psalm 103? Psalm 1? Something God promised in the book of Genesis? Acts or Joel? Isaiah? Hebrews or Matthew or Revelation?   What promises have you wanted to believe were for you, God's to you, but maybe are afraid to go all in with that belief? About what Bible promises can you say, “Lord, I believe…help me with my unbelief?”   I want to issue this challenge to you today: write down that promise, or promises if there are multiple, and on that page where you write them down, get a pen in a different color, maybe bright red, and over the top right Luke 1:37 - For the word of God will never fail.   I don't want you to think about this, and say eh maybe I'll do that some day. No. Please do it this day.    For the word of God will never fail. Those promises from the word of God? They will never fail. So says Luke 1:37. This is a big deal, isn't it?  Because when we begin to really know the word of God will never fail, we start praying that way, we start thinking that way, we gain victory in areas that we once thought would end up taking us out. This is important because God wants us to know that His word will never fail…and the enemy wants us to believe his lie that the word of God will always fail. Which will ya have today? Five pounds of Jesus in a brown paper sack, or more than that? Maybe God isn't going to be controllable if you go all in and believe. Maybe you will have to do battle with your fears and doubts. Maybe some of your Christian friends will try and talk you out of such radical belief, because let's just be honest, so many of our female small groups turn into gripe and gossip sessions, or stay so superficial that things like clothes and make up dominate the conversation…like, maybe that could change. And you might be the odd man (odd woman) out. Spoiler alert: if you are longing for those kinds of conversations to never be part of a women's small group or Bible study ever again, then you already are the odd woman out…you just don't want to rock the boat by mentioning it or by leaving…cuz we all know that when you leave, everybody wants to know why (like, more gossip, perhaps?) when they ought to know why just by reading the room, right?  What's the hardest place to leave gracefully, graciously, and without gossiping? A Christian community that isn't truly honoring the Lord. You are already the odd one out perhaps. That's okay. I'm thinking Moses, David, Elijah, Abraham, the entire early Church in the first century…odd man out over and over again. It's hard, but it's not the end of the world.  What will you need to face honestly if you choose to trust the entire weight of your life, and all those things and people you've been praying about, all of it on the promise that the word of God will never fail?  A whole lot could change, starting with your heart and mind. Maybe we can't really, fully love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and love our neighbor as yourself until we really believe that the word of God will never fail.    Maybe, just maybe, this is the moment the Lord has been waiting for. The moment when you no longer let fear, worry, other people's opinions, doubts, all that kind of stuff, no longer let that hold you back, tie you up in knots inside and outside, and keep you from believing all God's promises. Maybe today is a big deal for you. Maybe tomorrow hinges on today.   Maybe, just maybe, this is your time.  What will you do now? I hope you choose to believe. Because you will never regret it, and God will never abandon you.   Until next time, keep on believing. Bye bye. 

Nov. 02 & 03, 2024 - Your God is Big Pastor Ed Taylor Acts 26:1-11 | Study #24490 ACTS 

Our special guest today is Adelaide Garner. Adelaide is wife to Ben, and mother to four little treasures. They are Reformed Evangelical Christians. She was a pastor's wife for many years, but their family has moved into Ben owning a small business. Adelaide and Ben are second generation homeschoolers and use Charlotte Mason's principles. They live in a 120-year-old farmhouse on several acres outside of Houston, Texas. Six years ago, Adelaide, after many years of struggling with her own health. decided to become a certified health coach. When she learned to ask better questions, she found better answers for her health and the health of her family. She enjoys helping women find a grateful, sober-minded, and non-anxious approach to caring for the wellbeing of their families, to the Glory of God.  We had a few audio issues during this recording, so you'll have to forgive us for the handful of snags you hear along the way. With that said, today's conversation was fascinating because it combines a book we all read for last year's mentorship, A Failure of Nerve, by Edwin Friedman, with issues surrounding autism and other special needs. *** The live kickoff for our newest Scholé Sisters mentorship took place a couple weeks ago. Our mentorships are for Sophie-level Sistership members.  However, our kickoff was for everyone, even those of you on our free plan. If you are not yet in the Sistership but want to watch the replay of the live kickoff for the Mentorship (which we've named Stable and Steadfast: Standing on Your God-given Rights), go to scholesisters.com/join and sign up! *** Click here to access today's show notes. Click here to join the FREE area of the Sistership.

This Christian meditation and prayer on Psalm 71 reminds us of God's power to restore and renew. Get your FREE Praying with The Psalms Journal here. Will God redeem the mess? Will He restore what's been broken? Scripture gives a resounding “yes”—but restoration doesn't always mean returning to how things were. God's work is often about transformation, making something new from the broken pieces. If you're feeling unsure about what God can do with your challenges, take heart. Your God is a God of restoration. This meditation reassures us that He is good, He is at work, and we can trust Him. You can follow along with a FREE printed guide for this meditation and the entire Praying with the Psalms series here. Here are some additional helpful links: You can find out more about me, Jodie, at http://www.jodieniznik.com/ Follow me on Instagram @creatingspaceforgod Follow me on Facebook @JodieGNiznik Learn more about Scripture meditation and download a FREE Lectio Divina Scripture Meditation Journal here. Join my Monday email newsletter here, where I send links to the newest meditation every Monday morning. Find out more about my partner, Life Audio, at lifeaudio.com. Download FREE sample chapters from my Bible studies here. The entire meditation text is as follows: Psalm 71:19-21, NLT 19 Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the highest heavens. You have done such wonderful things. Who can compare with you, O God? 20 You have allowed me to suffer much hardship, but you will restore me to life again and lift me up from the depths of the earth. 21 You will restore me to even greater honor and comfort me once again. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.