Podcasts about Your God

Agrippas, the Roman general, asked Rabban Gamliel (paraphrase): Your God is a jealous God, but people are only jealous of those who are in real competition, so how can He be jealous of idols, which are fundamentally nothing? Plus, an example of a man who takes a second wife, and when that will make the first wife feel bad (in analogy to God vs. idolatry). Also, a challenge from people who are seemingly healed by idols. Plus, the perfect timing of suffering that can then confuse bystanders. Also, a focus on wine-making and taking the juice out of the grape - when does it become wine? (for halakhic concerns). Plus, draining the grapes and the implications as compared to juice flowing easily.

Psalm 96,Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth!2 Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!4 For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods.5 For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens.6 Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.7 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength!8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts!9 Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth!10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.”11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it;12 let the field exult, and everything in it!Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy13 before the Lord, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth.He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness. You were made to worship God. That is true of every single human being that has ever existed. If you're here and you're a human, you were made for worship. Look around, most of us in this room would say that we were made for worship — so here's a question: What is worship? What is the meaning of true worship?You don't need to answer this out loud, but imagine for a minute that you're having a conversation with a friend or a co-worker — if they asked you to explain the meaning of worship, what would you say?See I wonder if worship might be the most important calling in our lives that we know the least about.So that's our topic this morning. We're gonna focus on the meaning of true worship because that's what Psalm 96 is all about. And I think we discover here at least two truths about what true worship is, and I can't wait to show you, but first let's pray again.Father in heaven, we recognize that there are countless things that could get in the way of our hearing you this morning. There are countless things inside us and outside us that would block our hearts from receiving what you have for us, and so right now, I ask that you would triumph over all those things. I ask that you break through every barrier to magnify your glory in the preaching of your word. In Jesus's name, amen.Here's the first truth we discover about true worship:1. True Worship is a vertical response to the greatness of God. In Psalm 96, there are 18 verbs spread across 12 verses and they're all about worship. Just listen to the verbs: It's … Sing, sing, singBless, tell, declareAscribe, ascribe, ascribeBring, worship, trembleSay, be glad, rejoice, Roar, exult, sing!This is most of the psalm.Now none of these verbs by themselves are true worship because you can sing, tell, and ascribe anything to anybody — and people do — so what makes this true worship, at the start, is that all of this is directed to God. And this makes sense. If it's true worship, of course, it must be to God, about God, and also because of God.This last part is really important. See, in the context of all these directives to worship God in Psalm 96, the psalmist grounds that worship in who God has revealed himself to be.We see this in verses 4–6 and in verse 13. And I want you to see it with me beginning in verse 4. Following the “For” in FourSo everybody find verse 4. This will be super easy. I want you to find the verse 4 and the word “for” — it's the very first word of the verse. Find verse 4, word “for” — if you see it, say Got it.Verses 1–3 has been sing, sing, sing, bless, tell, declare — here's why: 4 For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods. 5 For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Skip to verse 12: Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy 13 before the Lord, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. Our worship of God is because of God — this means that worship is a response. Now think about this: a response is something that comes second. It doesn't happen unless something else happens first. It's like answering your phone — you answer your phone after it rings. Most people still answer their phone after it rings. But what nobody does is just pick up their phone at random and say ‘hello' — if you did that we'd be concerned. You answer your phone in response to the ring.Worship is kind of like that — it's not an original act. It's a secondary act — we can only worship God because he first has shown us who he is. Without him doing that, we'd still be in the dark. We're not smart enough or good enough to worship God on our own. True worship is vertical in direction and vertical in source. God first has to tell us who he is — and he has through his world and his word. This is God's grace to us.The Greatness of God DisplayedAnd in his word, Psalm 96, we see the revelation of his greatness.We can see the word “great” in verse 4 — the Lord, Yahweh, is great and therefore he is worthy of our praise. And then we see that his greatness is demonstrated in two facts about him. Here they are: God is Creator and God is Judge. Now where am I getting that? …God Is CreatorFor Creator, we see it in verse 5. The psalmist does a little comparative religion here. He says:“The gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but Yahweh made the heavens.”And that's why Yahweh is greater. See, back in the day — which has been most of human history before the last 300 years — people were much more aware of how enchanted our world is. People recognized little-g gods everywhere — tribal deities, geographic deities, all of that. The world is still as spiritual today as it was then, but people saw it then. They were awake to it. And that's what makes verse 5 so amazing. The psalmist was well aware of the competing deities of his day, and he calls them all “worthless idols.” He is radically unimpressed by them. They're pathetic. They're useless. They're powerless. But, in contrast, Yahweh made the heavens.Your ‘little-g' god is a block of wood, while Yahweh is the one who spoke trees into existence. See the difference? Yahweh is greater. He's the Creator.Now, in our day, in our society, most non-Christians are not bowing down to carved statues — some do, most don't — but our world is still full of idols. There are still countless things that people honor in the place of God. And there are dark spiritual forces at work here. The big three for a long time has been money, sex, and power. These are gods in America.I had a conversation yesterday with a neighbor — a great guy — we were talking and he said he wasn't religious and I explained to him that everybody is religious. Everybody has some god, the question is who. I told him the gods of our day, for a lot of people, are money, sex, and power and he was like totally. It made sense to him. And if we're honest, none of us are oblivious to their seduction…If I could just get more money, how much better life would be! …If I could just have a romantic relationship, then I'd be satisfied …If I could just get my way all the time, everything would be great …These are the idols of our day, and like the psalmist here, we should be passionately clear that God is greater than all of them. They will not deliver what they promise. And what we'll find if we chase these things is one dead-end road after the other. But Yahweh made the heavens! Yahweh is behind and before everything that is. Yahweh is greater, he's the Creator!God Is JudgeBut not only that, Yahweh is also the Judge. That's the concluding fact in verse 13:“The Lord [Yahweh], for he comes. For he comes to judge the earth.”You ever heard that before?God is going judge this world. We learn more about this judgment in the New Testament. It's carried out by God the Son, Jesus Christ. Paul says in Acts 17:31 that God has “fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed [that's Jesus]” 2 Corinthians 5:10, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ…” One day, every human being will stand in front of Jesus and be judged by him. We don't think about this a lot, but the Day is coming. I remember the first time I met my friend Ray. He visited our church for the first time, and I was talking with him after the service, and he told me he wanted to be baptized and get plugged into the church because, he said, “Jesus is coming back to judge the world.” True story. That's what he said. He's right. God will judge the world.And that's why he's great. God is Creator and Judge. Which means he is first cause and final say. You've heard the phrase “you're about to meet your Maker.” That's a threat in action movies, but it's theologically on point. Every one of us will meet our Maker. The one who gave you life will one day call you to account for that life. The hands that formed you are the same hands that will judge you. And that's why God is great.God is great and greatly to be praised. True worship is a vertical response to the greatness of God.Here's the second truth we learn about worship …2. True worship is a horizontal declaration of the goodness of God.We see this in verses 2–3. We've already seen here that worship is the theme of Psalm 96, but notice what this worship includes. Verse 2: Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. 3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!Now the keyword here is that word “tell.” Do y'all see that in the second part of verse 2? I want you to circle that word with your eyes. This is a special word in the Old Testament. It shows up in some key places. One big one is Isaiah 52:7. You may have heard this verse before. Isaiah 52:7,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.”Now that phrase “brings good news” — that's the word translated as “tell” in Psalm 96:2. In the Greek Old Testament, it's word euangelizō. In English it means “preach the gospel.”Did you know that preaching the gospel is part of worship?According to Psalm 96, preaching the gospel (telling the good news) is part of worshiping God. Worship is a vertical response to God for his greatness and there's a horizontal declaration of his goodness.This means that true worship has a missionary character. We're singing and ascribing, and we're telling and declaring, because we want others to join us in the singing and ascribing. And if there is no telling and declaring it means that our worship is deformed. It's less than true. That's the implication here.And that's the danger of an ingrown church. I'll use that phrase “ingrown church” a lot these days because that's a real temptation for any church that's been around for a decade, and maybe especially for a church that has a nice building like this. Can't we just come here and worship, just us? Do we really need more people here? New people here? Can't we just keep it us?I want to be clear here: if our worship of God is not something we want others to be a part of, then it's broken. And I believe Jesus doesn't like it that way.True worship includes a horizontal declaration of the goodness of God. Because he is good. We have good news. We have a God who saves. He saves! I want to end like this: I want to give you three facts about God's salvation. This is what we get to declare.1. God's salvation is for all peoples.The psalm says it — we declare his glory among the nations and his marvelous works among all the peoples! We call all the families of the peoples to ascribe to God the glory due his name.This is amazing. It means that God is not just for one particular tribe, or one kind of people. He truly is for everyone from everywhere. To make it personal, think about your own life, your own story. There's nothing about your person or nothing about your past that excludes you from God. Listen: God can save you wherever you're from and whatever you've done — amen? If you're not moved by that it's because either you didn't hear what I just said or you're self-righteous.Seriously — the most literal Pharisaical thing someone could do is to despise or ignore the universal reach of God's salvation. Everybody gets to be saved if they would just come home. Come home to the love of God! That invitation goes to everyone. God's salvation is for all peoples.2. God's salvation is from his wrath. To be “saved” is a great Bible word, but it doesn't make sense to a lot of people. If we were to ask someone if they're saved, the first thing they might say is, “Saved from what?”This is where Psalm 96 is really helpful. The perspective here keeps in view the coming judgment of God. Again, remember Jesus is coming, as Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 1:8, Jesus is coming “with his mighty angels in flaming fire [to inflict] vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.”What does it mean to obey the gospel? That's a phrase used in the New Testament. It has to do with the reign of God. That's part of what makes the good news good. It's that God reigns. We heard that in Isaiah 52:7; we see it in Psalm 96:10; and it was also how the apostles preached. The apostles didn't just say, “Your sins can be forgiven” — they said, “Jesus is Lord of all” (see Acts 10:36). They proclaimed that Jesus is risen from the dead and reigning. They preached the supremacy of Christ as good news because it is — and that is one way to divide the world. When we read in Psalm 96:10, “Say among the nations, ‘Yahweh reigns!”' — there are two kinds of people in the world. There are those who love the reign of God and those who hate the reign of God. No middle ground. And if you hate the reign of God, too bad, because it's coming anyway. And if you hate the reign of the King when the King comes, you will face the wrath of the King. That makes sense, right?Well, the good news is that you can be saved from that wrath if you bow to the King. That is the proclamation! That's what the herald says:Hear ye! Hear ye! The King is coming! He has conquered sin and death, and his victory is on the way! Receive it now while you can!And I mean that. In this room right now, I'm inviting you … Stop hating the reign of God. Bow to Jesus Christ and believe. Receive his salvation. Receive the goodness of his rule.3. God's salvation is awaiting final consummation. The salvation of God that we receive now is real. We receive it by faith in Jesus and it's effective. We become new creatures; we're filled with the Holy Spirit; our lives are changed. But also, it's a salvation not yet complete. There's a grand finale of our salvation that we're still waiting for at the return of Jesus.The apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 3 that as Christians, “our citizenship is in heaven, and from it [from heaven] we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body…”And the theological word for this future transformation is consummation. It's the final and complete fulfillment of our salvation. When Jesus returns, every detail of brokenness will be restored and we will be made perfectly like him. The New Testament talks about this hope in several places, but Romans Chapter 8 is the go-to.Paul says in Romans 8:18 that we're waiting for a future glory that will be revealed to us … and then he says something that we didn't see coming. He says that all of creation is also waiting for our future glory. Romans 8:19, “the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.” The whole creation will experience the freedom of the glory of the children of God, and so the whole creation is groaning (or sighing) for that future day.Can you imagine that?Back in July, my family and I spent a week at the beach in North Carolina, and one of my favorite things to do at the beach is get up early and watch the sunrise. You're watching the giant orange ball in the sky right here, and then the waves are crashing here, and it's music. It's beautiful. And you can hear the longing in it, if you use your imagination. To think that all of us together are waiting for a future day. The sun and the sea, the seagulls and the sky — we're all waiting for something. So we can say:11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; 12 let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy 13 before the Lord, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth.The day is coming. And we worship now in that hope.Two truths about worship:True worship is a vertical response to the greatness of God. True worship is a horizontal declaration of the goodness of God. And we come to the Table to do both. The TableAt this Table, we give thanks to Jesus for his death and we proclaim his death until he comes. Vertical response and horizontal declaration. It goes like this:If you're a Christian, if you have trusted in Jesus Christ to save you, let's eat and drink and give him thanks.If you're here and you're not yet a Christian, we proclaim him to you: Jesus is the Lord of all and he came to save you — put your faith in him. Come home.

The Church Street Podcast: The Bullpen Episode Title: How Big is Your God? Where every voice gets a turn at the mic. At First Grapevine, we're blessed with three gifted preachers—but not every voice is heard every Sunday. That's why we created The Bullpen: a space where emerging voices bring fresh perspectives and deeper spiritual insight. In this episode, Pastor Zach Stiefel and Sandy Robinson sit down for an honest, soul-stirring conversation around Isaiah 55:8–9: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Also in this episode: Zach's and Sandy's personal journeys to their calling A look into the meaning behind the "God Is Big Enough" bracelets Practical encouragement for growing in faith—even when God's ways seem beyond our understanding Stay Connected Follow us on social media to stay up to date with The Bullpen, The Church Street Podcast, and everything happening at First Grapevine. Let's keep growing together—in truth, grace, and community. We're so glad you're here.

What you are committed to will not only determine what comes to you, but it will also shape how you handle it.  And if you will misuse or abuse what comes to you. When your spirit is rehearsed in dysfunction, your reactions will be too.Think about Ruth. She didn't just tag along with Naomi for fun. She committed“Your God will be my God. Where you go, I'll go.” (Ruth 1:16). And what came to her? Redemption, Legacy, and Royal lineage. Commitment sets the GPS for favor to find you.So before you ask God for "what's next"—check what you're stuck on. Are you flirting with purpose or are you faithfully fastened to it?Closing Song: Blessing on Blessings by Anthony Brown & group therAPywww.BibleDeliverance.org

Have you ever made a fort? Or a tree house? Maybe you just used all the blankets in your home to build a tent fort in your living room? Our lesson this week is about a special place that God made so that he could dwell or live with His people. He wanted to be near them, to live among them, He wanted to be their God. Did you know that He wants to live in you? If you open your heart to Him, He will dwell in you and be YOUR God! Year A Quarter 3 Week 31All Bible verses are from the NKJVHymn: The Lord is in His Holy TempleYear A Quarter 3 Week 30All Bible verses are from the NKJVWrite to Ms. Katie: seedpod@startingwithjesus.comKatie's Korner: https://startingwithjesus.com/katies-korner/Find the Lessons Here:Kindergarten https://bit.ly/SeedPodKLessonsPrimary https://bit.ly/SeedPodPLessonsConnect with Us:Website: https://startingwithjesus.comStarting With Jesus - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/StartingWithJesusSeedPod - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCvU2FBPEL5-Zi2QW0STVLgInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/startingwithjesusFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/startingwithjesusAcknowledgments:Bible Readings this week: JuliaPodcast Producer: Katie ChitwoodSound Engineer: Dillon AustinMy Bible First, https://bit.ly/SeedPodLesson for use of their Bible Lesson curriculum.AudioVerse, https://www.audioverse.org/ for partnering with us and supporting our ministry.Lindsey Mills, for writing and performing our SeedPod Kids Theme Song & Background Music.To learn more about her music or to get her CD, email her: lindsey@startingwithjesus.com 

Have you ever made a fort? Or a tree house? Maybe you just used all the blankets in your home to build a tent fort in your living room? Our lesson this week is about a special place that God made so that he could dwell or live with His people. He wanted to be near them, to live among them, He wanted to be their God. Did you know that He wants to live in you? If you open your heart to Him, He will dwell in you and be YOUR God! Year A Quarter 3 Week 31All Bible verses are from the NKJVHymn: The Lord is in His Holy TempleYear A Quarter 3 Week 30All Bible verses are from the NKJVWrite to Ms. Katie: seedpod@startingwithjesus.comKatie's Korner: https://startingwithjesus.com/katies-korner/Find the Lessons Here:Kindergarten https://bit.ly/SeedPodKLessonsPrimary https://bit.ly/SeedPodPLessonsConnect with Us:Website: https://startingwithjesus.comStarting With Jesus - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/StartingWithJesusSeedPod - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCvU2FBPEL5-Zi2QW0STVLgInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/startingwithjesusFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/startingwithjesusAcknowledgments:Bible Readings this week: JuliaPodcast Producer: Katie ChitwoodSound Engineer: Dillon AustinMy Bible First, https://bit.ly/SeedPodLesson for use of their Bible Lesson curriculum.AudioVerse, https://www.audioverse.org/ for partnering with us and supporting our ministry.Lindsey Mills, for writing and performing our SeedPod Kids Theme Song & Background Music.To learn more about her music or to get her CD, email her: lindsey@startingwithjesus.com 

Have you ever made a fort? Or a tree house? Maybe you just used all the blankets in your home to build a tent fort in your living room? Our lesson this week is about a special place that God made so that he could dwell or live with His people. He wanted to be near them, to live among them, He wanted to be their God. Did you know that He wants to live in you? If you open your heart to Him, He will dwell in you and be YOUR God! Year A Quarter 3 Week 31All Bible verses are from the NKJVHymn: The Lord is in His Holy TempleYear A Quarter 3 Week 30All Bible verses are from the NKJVWrite to Ms. Katie: seedpod@startingwithjesus.comKatie's Korner: https://startingwithjesus.com/katies-korner/Find the Lessons Here:Kindergarten https://bit.ly/SeedPodKLessonsPrimary https://bit.ly/SeedPodPLessonsConnect with Us:Website: https://startingwithjesus.comStarting With Jesus - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/StartingWithJesusSeedPod - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCvU2FBPEL5-Zi2QW0STVLgInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/startingwithjesusFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/startingwithjesusAcknowledgments:Bible Readings this week: JuliaPodcast Producer: Katie ChitwoodSound Engineer: Dillon AustinMy Bible First, https://bit.ly/SeedPodLesson for use of their Bible Lesson curriculum.AudioVerse, https://www.audioverse.org/ for partnering with us and supporting our ministry.Lindsey Mills, for writing and performing our SeedPod Kids Theme Song & Background Music.To learn more about her music or to get her CD, email her: lindsey@startingwithjesus.com 

Have you ever made a fort? Or a tree house? Maybe you just used all the blankets in your home to build a tent fort in your living room? Our lesson this week is about a special place that God made so that he could dwell or live with His people. He wanted to be near them, to live among them, He wanted to be their God. Did you know that He wants to live in you? If you open your heart to Him, He will dwell in you and be YOUR God! Year A Quarter 3 Week 31All Bible verses are from the NKJVHymn: The Lord is in His Holy TempleYear A Quarter 3 Week 30All Bible verses are from the NKJVWrite to Ms. Katie: seedpod@startingwithjesus.comKatie's Korner: https://startingwithjesus.com/katies-korner/Find the Lessons Here:Kindergarten https://bit.ly/SeedPodKLessonsPrimary https://bit.ly/SeedPodPLessonsConnect with Us:Website: https://startingwithjesus.comStarting With Jesus - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/StartingWithJesusSeedPod - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCvU2FBPEL5-Zi2QW0STVLgInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/startingwithjesusFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/startingwithjesusAcknowledgments:Bible Readings this week: JuliaPodcast Producer: Katie ChitwoodSound Engineer: Dillon AustinMy Bible First, https://bit.ly/SeedPodLesson for use of their Bible Lesson curriculum.AudioVerse, https://www.audioverse.org/ for partnering with us and supporting our ministry.Lindsey Mills, for writing and performing our SeedPod Kids Theme Song & Background Music.To learn more about her music or to get her CD, email her: lindsey@startingwithjesus.com 

Have you ever made a fort? Or a tree house? Maybe you just used all the blankets in your home to build a tent fort in your living room? Our lesson this week is about a special place that God made so that he could dwell or live with His people. He wanted to be near them, to live among them, He wanted to be their God. Did you know that He wants to live in you? If you open your heart to Him, He will dwell in you and be YOUR God! Year A Quarter 3 Week 31All Bible verses are from the NKJVHymn: The Lord is in His Holy TempleYear A Quarter 3 Week 30All Bible verses are from the NKJVWrite to Ms. Katie: seedpod@startingwithjesus.comKatie's Korner: https://startingwithjesus.com/katies-korner/Find the Lessons Here:Kindergarten https://bit.ly/SeedPodKLessonsPrimary https://bit.ly/SeedPodPLessonsConnect with Us:Website: https://startingwithjesus.comStarting With Jesus - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/StartingWithJesusSeedPod - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCvU2FBPEL5-Zi2QW0STVLgInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/startingwithjesusFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/startingwithjesusAcknowledgments:Bible Readings this week: JuliaPodcast Producer: Katie ChitwoodSound Engineer: Dillon AustinMy Bible First, https://bit.ly/SeedPodLesson for use of their Bible Lesson curriculum.AudioVerse, https://www.audioverse.org/ for partnering with us and supporting our ministry.Lindsey Mills, for writing and performing our SeedPod Kids Theme Song & Background Music.To learn more about her music or to get her CD, email her: lindsey@startingwithjesus.com 

In 1 Kings 19, Pastor John reminds us that when our faith is under fire, God meets us with compassion—not shame. He is faithful to His covenant and gently calls us back to His presence and purpose. No failure cancels His calling on your life. Your God is compassionateYour God is covenant keeping Your God has a call for you Life Group Discussion:When have you felt like Elijah—exhausted, discouraged, or done—and how did God meet you in that moment?What are some “mountaintop moments” in your life where you've clearly experienced God's presence or promises?How can you be faithful to take the next step in the calling God has for your life, even if you don't feel fully ready?

In 1 Kings 19, Pastor John reminds us that when our faith is under fire, God meets us with compassion—not shame. He is faithful to His covenant and gently calls us back to His presence and purpose. No failure cancels His calling on your life. Your God is compassionateYour God is covenant keeping Your God has a call for you Life Group Discussion:When have you felt like Elijah—exhausted, discouraged, or done—and how did God meet you in that moment?What are some “mountaintop moments” in your life where you've clearly experienced God's presence or promises?How can you be faithful to take the next step in the calling God has for your life, even if you don't feel fully ready?

St. Alphonsus you have said: You are not asked to apply your mind continually to the thought of God and lay aside the fulfillment of your duties and your recreations. ... Your God is ever beside you—indeed, He is even within you. “In Him we live, and move, and have our being.” (Acts 17:28). Not only is there no need of an intermediary through whom He would want you to speak to Him, but He finds His delight in having you treat with Him personally and in all confidence. Speak to Him often of your business, your plans, your troubles, your fears—of everything that concerns you. But above all, converse with Him confidently and frankly; for God is not wont to speak to a soul that does not speak to Him.. The post Novena to St. Alphonsus Liguori – Day 5 – Discerning Hearts Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

Have you ever made a fort? Or a tree house? Maybe you just used all the blankets in your home to build a tent fort in your living room? Our lesson this week is about a special place that God made so that he could dwell or live with His people. He wanted to be near them, to live among them, He wanted to be their God. Did you know that He wants to live in you? If you open your heart to Him, He will dwell in you and be YOUR God! Year A Quarter 3 Week 31All Bible verses are from the NKJVHymn: The Lord is in His Holy TempleYear A Quarter 3 Week 30All Bible verses are from the NKJVWrite to Ms. Katie: seedpod@startingwithjesus.comKatie's Korner: https://startingwithjesus.com/katies-korner/Find the Lessons Here:Kindergarten https://bit.ly/SeedPodKLessonsPrimary https://bit.ly/SeedPodPLessonsConnect with Us:Website: https://startingwithjesus.comStarting With Jesus - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/StartingWithJesusSeedPod - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCvU2FBPEL5-Zi2QW0STVLgInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/startingwithjesusFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/startingwithjesusAcknowledgments:Bible Readings this week: JuliaPodcast Producer: Katie ChitwoodSound Engineer: Dillon AustinMy Bible First, https://bit.ly/SeedPodLesson for use of their Bible Lesson curriculum.AudioVerse, https://www.audioverse.org/ for partnering with us and supporting our ministry.Lindsey Mills, for writing and performing our SeedPod Kids Theme Song & Background Music.To learn more about her music or to get her CD, email her: lindsey@startingwithjesus.com 

Even when you're alone, your Helper is with you!1. Your God2. Your Gift3. Your GuaranteeTime:AfternoonMinister:Candidate Adrian TamsTexts:Heidelberg Catechism: Lord's Day 20John 14:15–31

Your God is Too Small part 2 July 13, 2025 Elwyn Johnston Job 38 – 42 Verse of the Week: “I Am Who I Am” Exodus 3:14 “When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam's sin brought death, so death spread to everyone” Romans 5:12 “we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 1. God uses suffering to redirect us. “Sometimes painful experiences make us change our ways.” Proverbs 20:30 “You asked, ‘Who is this that questions My wisdom with such ignorance?' It is I - and I was talking about things I knew nothing about, things far too wonderful for me.” Job 42:3 2. God uses suffering to realign us. “My suffering was good for me, for it taught me to pay attention to Your statutes.” Psalm 119:71 “the testing of your faith produces endurance, so let endurance do its work so you become mature and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:3 & 4 “I have made them for My glory.” Isaiah 43:7 “God saved them for the sake of His name” Psalm 106:8 3. God uses suffering to reposition us “you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good. He repositioned me so I could save the lives of many people.” Gen. 50:20 “give me this mountain that the Lord promised me” Joshua 14:12 “I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will continue His work until the day of Christ Jesus.” Phil. 1:6 “satan has desired to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail. When you have come through the time of testing, strengthen your brothers.” Luke 22:31 & 32 4. God uses suffering to refine us. “I have refined you, but not as silver is refined. Rather, I have refined you in the furnace of suffering.” Isaiah 48:10 “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; but now my eye sees You; therefore I despise myself and I repent” Job 42:6 “no purpose of God's can be stopped.” Job 42:2 “God knows the way I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as pure gold.” Job 23:10 “None of the rulers of this age recognized and understood God's wisdom; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” 1 Corinthians 2:8

This episode is a reminder to remember YOUR God.It's important to remember the God who partnered with you from the very beginning, the One who has brought you to where you are today. Too often, we forget the God who walked with us through every stage. We become comfortable, distracted, or even disobedient.Give thanks. Live a life that continues to honour and glorify Him. No matter how many gifts, talents, skills, or certificates you may have — it was not by your own might or power that brought you this far. It was by His grace.Always remember your God.

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

Week 27 - Doctrine and Covenants 76: "JB Phillips nailed the predicament for so many Christians. “Your God is too small"Please visit us at CFMpodcast.org

Because we are welcomed by God with a word of peace, we find true relief from the worry of our lives in Jesus alone. Genesis 43:1–34 (ESV): 43 Now the famine was severe in the land. 2 And when they had eaten the grain that they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go again, buy us a little food.” 3 But Judah said to him, “The man solemnly warned us, saying, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.' 4 If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food. 5 But if you will not send him, we will not go down, for the man said to us, ‘You shall not see my face, unless your brother is with you.' ” 6 Israel said, “Why did you treat me so badly as to tell the man that you had another brother?” 7 They replied, “The man questioned us carefully about ourselves and our kindred, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?' What we told him was in answer to these questions. Could we in any way know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down'?” 8 And Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the boy with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, both we and you and also our little ones. 9 I will be a pledge of his safety. From my hand you shall require him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever. 10 If we had not delayed, we would now have returned twice.” 11 Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: take some of the choice fruits of the land in your bags, and carry a present down to the man, a little balm and a little honey, gum, myrrh, pistachio nuts, and almonds. 12 Take double the money with you. Carry back with you the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks. Perhaps it was an oversight. 13 Take also your brother, and arise, go again to the man. 14 May God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, and may he send back your other brother and Benjamin. And as for me, if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.” 15 So the men took this present, and they took double the money with them, and Benjamin. They arose and went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph. 16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, “Bring the men into the house, and slaughter an animal and make ready, for the men are to dine with me at noon.” 17 The man did as Joseph told him and brought the men to Joseph's house. 18 And the men were afraid because they were brought to Joseph's house, and they said, “It is because of the money, which was replaced in our sacks the first time, that we are brought in, so that he may assault us and fall upon us to make us servants and seize our donkeys.” 19 So they went up to the steward of Joseph's house and spoke with him at the door of the house, 20 and said, “Oh, my lord, we came down the first time to buy food. 21 And when we came to the lodging place we opened our sacks, and there was each man's money in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight. So we have brought it again with us, 22 and we have brought other money down with us to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks.” 23 He replied, “Peace to you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has put treasure in your sacks for you. I received your money.” Then he brought Simeon out to them. 24 And when the man had brought the men into Joseph's house and given them water, and they had washed their feet, and when he had given their donkeys fodder, 25 they prepared the present for Joseph's coming at noon, for they heard that they should eat bread there. 26 When Joseph came home, they brought into the house to him the present that they had with them and bowed down to him to the ground. 27 And he inquired about their welfare and said, “Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?” 28 They said, “Your servant our father is well; he is still alive.” And they bowed their heads and prostrated themselves. 29 And he lifted up his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, and said, “Is this your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me? God be gracious to you, my son!” 30 Then Joseph hurried out, for his compassion grew warm for his brother, and he sought a place to weep. And he entered his chamber and wept there. 31 Then he washed his face and came out. And controlling himself he said, “Serve the food.” 32 They served him by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because the Egyptians could not eat with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians. 33 And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth. And the men looked at one another in amazement. 34 Portions were taken to them from Joseph's table, but Benjamin's portion was five times as much as any of theirs. And they drank and were merry with him.

Your God is Too Small July 6, 2025 Elwyn Johnston Job 38 – 42 Verse of the Week: “I Am Who I Am” Exodus 3:14 1. Change our perspective of God “I was talking about things I knew nothing about, things far too wonderful for me.” Job 42:3 Fear the Lord “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” Proverbs 9:10 “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil” Proverbs 8:13 “In the fear of the Lord there is security, and His children will have refuge” Proverbs 14:26 2. Embrace the character of God. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Heb. 13:8 “God never changes” James 1:17 “I am the Lord, and I do not change.” Malachi 3:6 “God is love” 1 John 4:8 “Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, ‘You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.'” Leviticus 19:2 “Only God is truly good.” Mark 10:18 “The Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes.” Nahum 1:7 “O taste and see that the Lord is good” Psalm 34:8 “God who calls you is faithful” 1 Thessalonians 5:24 “God does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9 “the Lord longs to be gracious to you.…For the Lord is a God of justice.” Isaiah 30:18 “I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.” Job 42:2

You were made to shine.In “Shine Your Light,” Whitney Hopler invites us to reflect on the purpose of our spiritual glow. Just as fireflies light up the night without effort, we’re called to radiate the hope, peace, and goodness of God. Jesus makes it clear in Matthew 5: your light isn’t for hiding—it’s for helping others see Him. When we live in kindness, walk in integrity, and reflect His love, people notice. And that’s the point—not to spotlight ourselves, but to glorify our Father in heaven. Key Takeaways: Your light is a gift from God—meant to shine Good deeds rooted in love and faith point people back to God Fireflies don’t strain to shine; they glow because it’s what they were created to do You were made to shine in the same way—naturally and boldly Don’t let the world’s darkness convince you to dim your light

In this sermon, we looked at how the story of Ruth is a profound portrait of redemption, belonging, and grace. As a Moabite woman, Ruth was an outsider to the covenant promises of Israel. After the loss of her husband, she was destined for a forgotten life without hope. Yet through her bold declaration of faith—"Your God will be my God"—she was adopted into God’s family. Then, through the kindness of Boaz, the kinsman-redeemer, God restored what had been lost in Ruth's life, weaving her story into the very lineage of Jesus. As believers, this is our story as well. We were once far off, strangers to God's promises, but by faith in Christ, our true Redeemer, we have been brought near. Jesus takes those who are broken, wounded, or forgotten and invites us into His eternal plan of redemption.

Episode Title: Don't Dim Your Light*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

Today's sermon is Crying to Your God by Chuck Smith Find more teaching from Pastor Chuck at www.pastorchuck.org

Your God is Too Small | Tullian Tchividjian | "Feeling God, Part 02"Psalm 19:1-6

Take some time to reflect on the image of Your God being a protective tower around you. No matter what kind of day you've had, rest in hope and peace tonight as you draw near to the heart of God. This short, uplifting meditation from His Word will create a space at the end of the day for you to refocus on the goodness and nearness of the Lord, entrust your burdens to Him and fill your mind with His promises and faithfulness towards you. Tonight's meditation is read by Adeyinka. Meet the team at https://www.odbm.org/en-GB/about-us/meet-the-teamSend us a text message to let us know how we can make the Evening Meditations an even better experience for you!Support the showYou can now share the Evening Meditations through the updated Our Daily Bread app! If you've not done so already, download it for free from your app store.We hope that you have enjoyed this Evening Meditation from Our Daily Bread Ministries! You can find more exciting content from Our Daily Bread Ministries by following us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. You can even sign up to receive Our Daily Bread Bible reading notes sent straight to your door for free: ourdailybread.org/meditation. All our funding comes from our listeners, like you, who value what we do and want to help us reach more people. You can make a donation towards our mission at eveningmeditations.org.

Episode Title: Love Thy Neighbor- Beyond The Fence*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

Welcome to the VOUS Church Podcast.In today's message, Pastor Rich continues our collection, Your God is Too Small, with God Flex reminding us, God doesn't flex to impress, but to show up.Join us June 19-21 for VOUSCon, three days to encounter Jesus, get equipped, and leave empowered. Don't miss it. Head to vouscon.com to learn more.

April 25, 2025 - Equipped 2025 - Day 2 - 3:30PM Session   Rick addresses the ability of Isaiah to predict events in the future to significant detail while being a significant number of years (700) before the events would come to pass.   Isaiah 48-53 - Israel Refined for God's Glory 48 “Hear this, O house of Jacob, Who are called by the name of Israel, And have come forth from the wellsprings of Judah; Who swear by the name of the Lord, And make mention of the God of Israel, But not in truth or in righteousness; 2 For they call themselves after the holy city, And lean on the God of Israel; The Lord of hosts is His name: 3 “I have declared the former things from the beginning; They went forth from My mouth, and I caused them to hear it. Suddenly I did them, and they came to pass. 4 Because I knew that you were obstinate, And your neck was an iron sinew, And your brow bronze, 5 Even from the beginning I have declared it to you; Before it came to pass I proclaimed it to you, Lest you should say, ‘My idol has done them, And my carved image and my molded image Have commanded them.' 6 “You have heard; See all this. And will you not declare it? I have made you hear new things from this time, Even hidden things, and you did not know them. 7 They are created now and not from the beginning; And before this day you have not heard them, Lest you should say, ‘Of course I knew them.' 8 Surely you did not hear, Surely you did not know; Surely from long ago your ear was not opened. For I knew that you would deal very treacherously, And were called a transgressor from the womb. 9 “For My name's sake I will defer My anger, And for My praise I will restrain it from you, So that I do not cut you off. 10 Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. 11 For My own sake, for My own sake, I will do it; For how should My name be profaned? And I will not give My glory to another. God's Ancient Plan to Redeem Israel 12 “Listen to Me, O Jacob, And Israel, My called: I am He, I am the First, I am also the Last. 13 Indeed My hand has laid the foundation of the earth, And My right hand has stretched out the heavens; When I call to them, They stand up together. 14 “All of you, assemble yourselves, and hear! Who among them has declared these things? The Lord loves him; He shall do His pleasure on Babylon, And His arm shall be against the Chaldeans. 15 I, even I, have spoken; Yes, I have called him, I have brought him, and his way will prosper. 16 “Come near to Me, hear this: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; From the time that it was, I was there. And now the Lord God and His Spirit Have sent Me.” 17 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go. 18 Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, And your righteousness like the waves of the sea. 19 Your descendants also would have been like the sand, And the offspring of your body like the grains of sand; His name would not have been cut off Nor destroyed from before Me.” 20 Go forth from Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans! With a voice of singing, Declare, proclaim this, Utter it to the end of the earth; Say, “The Lord has redeemed His servant Jacob!” 21 And they did not thirst When He led them through the deserts; He caused the waters to flow from the rock for them; He also split the rock, and the waters gushed out. 22 “There is no peace,” says the Lord, “for the wicked.” The Servant, the Light to the Gentiles 49 “Listen, O coastlands, to Me, And take heed, you peoples from afar! The Lord has called Me from the womb; From the matrix of My mother He has made mention of My name. 2 And He has made My mouth like a sharp sword; In the shadow of His hand He has hidden Me, And made Me a polished shaft; In His quiver He has hidden Me.” 3 “And He said to me, ‘You are My servant, O Israel, In whom I will be glorified.' 4 Then I said, ‘I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and in vain; Yet surely my just reward is with the Lord, And my work with my God.' ” 5 “And now the Lord says, Who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, To bring Jacob back to Him, So that Israel is gathered to Him (For I shall be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, And My God shall be My strength), 6 Indeed He says, ‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.' ” 7 Thus says the Lord, The Redeemer of Israel, their Holy One, To Him whom man despises, To Him whom the nation abhors, To the Servant of rulers: “Kings shall see and arise, Princes also shall worship, Because of the Lord who is faithful, The Holy One of Israel; And He has chosen You.” 8 Thus says the Lord: “In an acceptable time I have heard You, And in the day of salvation I have helped You; I will preserve You and give You As a covenant to the people, To restore the earth, To cause them to inherit the desolate heritages; 9 That You may say to the prisoners, ‘Go forth,' To those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.' “They shall feed along the roads, And their pastures shall be on all desolate heights. 10 They shall neither hunger nor thirst, Neither heat nor sun shall strike them; For He who has mercy on them will lead them, Even by the springs of water He will guide them. 11 I will make each of My mountains a road, And My highways shall be elevated. 12 Surely these shall come from afar; Look! Those from the north and the west, And these from the land of Sinim.” 13 Sing, O heavens! Be joyful, O earth! And break out in singing, O mountains! For the Lord has comforted His people, And will have mercy on His afflicted. God Will Remember Zion 14 But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me, And my Lord has forgotten me.” 15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child, And not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, Yet I will not forget you. 16 See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me. 17 Your sons shall make haste; Your destroyers and those who laid you waste Shall go away from you. 18 Lift up your eyes, look around and see; All these gather together and come to you. As I live,” says the Lord, “You shall surely clothe yourselves with them all as an ornament, And bind them on you as a bride does. 19 “For your waste and desolate places, And the land of your destruction, Will even now be too small for the inhabitants; And those who swallowed you up will be far away. 20 The children you will have, After you have lost the others, Will say again in your ears, ‘The place is too small for me; Give me a place where I may dwell.' 21 Then you will say in your heart, ‘Who has begotten these for me, Since I have lost my children and am desolate, A captive, and wandering to and fro? And who has brought these up? There I was, left alone; But these, where were they?' ” 22 Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I will lift My hand in an oath to the nations, And set up My standard for the peoples; They shall bring your sons in their arms, And your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders; 23 Kings shall be your foster fathers, And their queens your nursing mothers; They shall bow down to you with their faces to the earth, And lick up the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord, For they shall not be ashamed who wait for Me.” 24 Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, Or the captives of the righteous be delivered? 25 But thus says the Lord: “Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, And the prey of the terrible be delivered; For I will contend with him who contends with you, And I will save your children. 26 I will feed those who oppress you with their own flesh, And they shall be drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine. All flesh shall know That I, the Lord, am your Savior, And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.” The Servant, Israel's Hope 50 Thus says the Lord: “Where is the certificate of your mother's divorce, Whom I have put away? Or which of My creditors is it to whom I have sold you? For your iniquities you have sold yourselves, And for your transgressions your mother has been put away. 2 Why, when I came, was there no man? Why, when I called, was there none to answer? Is My hand shortened at all that it cannot redeem? Or have I no power to deliver? Indeed with My rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness; Their fish stink because there is no water, And die of thirst. 3 I clothe the heavens with blackness, And I make sackcloth their covering.” 4 “The Lord God has given Me The tongue of the learned, That I should know how to speak A word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear To hear as the learned. 5 The Lord God has opened My ear; And I was not rebellious, Nor did I turn away. 6 I gave My back to those who struck Me, And My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting. 7 “For the Lord God will help Me; Therefore I will not be disgraced; Therefore I have set My face like a flint, And I know that I will not be ashamed. 8 He is near who justifies Me; Who will contend with Me? Let us stand together. Who is My adversary? Let him come near Me. 9 Surely the Lord God will help Me; Who is he who will condemn Me? Indeed they will all grow old like a garment; The moth will eat them up. 10 “Who among you fears the Lord? Who obeys the voice of His Servant? Who walks in darkness And has no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord And rely upon his God. 11 Look, all you who kindle a fire, Who encircle yourselves with sparks: Walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks you have kindled— This you shall have from My hand: You shall lie down in torment. The Lord Comforts Zion 51 “Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness, You who seek the Lord: Look to the rock from which you were hewn, And to the hole of the pit from which you were dug. 2 Look to Abraham your father, And to Sarah who bore you; For I called him alone, And blessed him and increased him.” 3 For the Lord will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places; He will make her wilderness like Eden, And her desert like the garden of the Lord; Joy and gladness will be found in it, Thanksgiving and the voice of melody. 4 “Listen to Me, My people; And give ear to Me, O My nation: For law will proceed from Me, And I will make My justice rest As a light of the peoples. 5 My righteousness is near, My salvation has gone forth, And My arms will judge the peoples; The coastlands will wait upon Me, And on My arm they will trust. 6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens, And look on the earth beneath. For the heavens will vanish away like smoke, The earth will grow old like a garment, And those who dwell in it will die in like manner; But My salvation will be forever, And My righteousness will not be abolished. 7 “Listen to Me, you who know righteousness, You people in whose heart is My law: Do not fear the reproach of men, Nor be afraid of their insults. 8 For the moth will eat them up like a garment, And the worm will eat them like wool; But My righteousness will be forever, And My salvation from generation to generation.” 9 Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord! Awake as in the ancient days, In the generations of old. Are You not the arm that cut Rahab apart, And wounded the serpent? 10 Are You not the One who dried up the sea, The waters of the great deep; That made the depths of the sea a road For the redeemed to cross over? 11 So the ransomed of the Lord shall return, And come to Zion with singing, With everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness; Sorrow and sighing shall flee away. 12 “I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you should be afraid Of a man who will die, And of the son of a man who will be made like grass? 13 And you forget the Lord your Maker, Who stretched out the heavens And laid the foundations of the earth; You have feared continually every day Because of the fury of the oppressor, When he has prepared to destroy. And where is the fury of the oppressor? 14 The captive exile hastens, that he may be loosed, That he should not die in the pit, And that his bread should not fail. 15 But I am the Lord your God, Who divided the sea whose waves roared— The Lord of hosts is His name. 16 And I have put My words in your mouth; I have covered you with the shadow of My hand, That I may plant the heavens, Lay the foundations of the earth, And say to Zion, ‘You are My people.' ” God's Fury Removed 17 Awake, awake! Stand up, O Jerusalem, You who have drunk at the hand of the Lord The cup of His fury; You have drunk the dregs of the cup of trembling, And drained it out. 18 There is no one to guide her Among all the sons she has brought forth; Nor is there any who takes her by the hand Among all the sons she has brought up. 19 These two things have come to you; Who will be sorry for you?— Desolation and destruction, famine and sword— By whom will I comfort you? 20 Your sons have fainted, They lie at the head of all the streets, Like an antelope in a net; They are full of the fury of the Lord, The rebuke of your God. 21 Therefore please hear this, you afflicted, And drunk but not with wine. 22 Thus says your Lord, The Lord and your God, Who pleads the cause of His people: “See, I have taken out of your hand The cup of trembling, The dregs of the cup of My fury; You shall no longer drink it. 23 But I will put it into the hand of those who afflict you, Who have said to you, ‘Lie down, that we may walk over you.' And you have laid your body like the ground, And as the street, for those who walk over.” God Redeems Jerusalem 52 Awake, awake! Put on your strength, O Zion; Put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city! For the uncircumcised and the unclean Shall no longer come to you. 2 Shake yourself from the dust, arise; Sit down, O Jerusalem! Loose yourself from the bonds of your neck, O captive daughter of Zion! 3 For thus says the Lord: “You have sold yourselves for nothing, And you shall be redeemed without money.” 4 For thus says the Lord God: “My people went down at first Into Egypt to dwell there; Then the Assyrian oppressed them without cause. 5 Now therefore, what have I here,” says the Lord, “That My people are taken away for nothing? Those who rule over them Make them wail,” says the Lord, “And My name is blasphemed continually every day. 6 Therefore My people shall know My name; Therefore they shall know in that day That I am He who speaks: ‘Behold, it is I.' ” 7 How beautiful upon the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who proclaims peace, Who brings glad tidings of good things, Who proclaims salvation, Who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!” 8 Your watchmen shall lift up their voices, With their voices they shall sing together; For they shall see eye to eye When the Lord brings back Zion. 9 Break forth into joy, sing together, You waste places of Jerusalem! For the Lord has comforted His people, He has redeemed Jerusalem. 10 The Lord has made bare His holy arm In the eyes of all the nations; And all the ends of the earth shall see The salvation of our God. 11 Depart! Depart! Go out from there, Touch no unclean thing; Go out from the midst of her, Be clean, You who bear the vessels of the Lord. 12 For you shall not go out with haste, Nor go by flight; For the Lord will go before you, And the God of Israel will be your rear guard. The Sin-Bearing Servant 13 Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently; He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high. 14 Just as many were astonished at you, So His visage was marred more than any man, And His form more than the sons of men; 15 So shall He sprinkle many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths at Him; For what had not been told them they shall see, And what they had not heard they shall consider. The Sin-Bearing Messiah 53 Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him. 3 He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. 4 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth. 8 He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken. 9 And they made His grave with the wicked— But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth. 10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. 11 He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.   Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnGl00h-CJo   Duration 37:06

Pastor Timothy shows that”Your God given identity defines what you are and how you are to live.

A Sermon for Ascension Sunday Acts 1:1-11 by William Klock The King came to Canada this week and I can help but reflect on how providential this event has been—the King of Canada coming to take his throne in the Senate chamber in Ottawa—in the same week that we remember and celebrate the ascension of Jesus.  I might be tempted to title my sermon: A Tale of Two Kings. So a new Parliament needed to be opened.  A throne speech had to be read.  That's normally done by the Governor General, but these are not normal times.  The new President next door, in what has always been Canada's best friend and ally, is now making economic war and daily challenging the country's sovereignty.  It was time for the Sovereign to come and save the day.  And so the King came, and he ascended to his throne in Parliament, and he read a speech.  The last time the Sovereign did this was almost fifty years ago, so this is no small thing.  And yet the King was here for all of about twenty-four hours.  The speech he read was written by government speech-writers, not by the King.  And even then, it's vitally important in our constitutional monarchy that the King avoid any openly political speech—and so the big concern of the day, the big thing that threatens the nation's economic well-being and sovereignty—was only hinted at obliquely.  And everyone applauded.  And then the King got back into his jet and flew home.  And maybe it's just because I'm an American, but it doesn't seem to me that all the pomp and circumstance and expense really accomplished anything.  The King didn't go to Washington to negotiate peace with the belligerent bully or to rough him up a bit or even to give him a good talking to.  Instead, he came here, he sat in the Senate chamber, and recited back to the government the talking points it gave him.  Again, I mean no disrespect to the King or to Canada's constitutional monarchy, but watching and listening to this week's events as an American—although I suspect even the staunches of Christian monarchists can't help but notice it too—that there's a big—an enormous—difference between the ascension of King Charles III in Ottawa this week and the ascension of Jesus that we read about today in both our Epistle and Gospel. I listened to the throne speech and even though I know that the King can't actually do anything, when it was over I still felt like: What now?  The King flies all this way, he ascends to his throne with great pomp and circumstance, he reads a speech intended to stir patriotic feelings—and even as an American, watching and listening I felt pride for Canada—but then he got back into his airplane and went home.  He didn't do anything about the current crisis.  The enemy is still there.  In fact, the King's talk of Canadian sovereignty just seemed to provoke a new round of fifty-first state talk.  It's kind of a let down.  I don't know what I expect the King should do, but he's a king after all and I sort of have a mental image of him taking off his pinstripe jacket, putting on a shining suit of armour, going to Washington, and popping the President in the nose.  In real life that probably wouldn't solve anything.  It's just that kings are supposed to deliver their subjects in times of trouble and cast down their enemies.  Right?  That's what kings are for. This is why the disciples were so discouraged when Jesus was crucified.  They thought he was the Messiah, the anointed king, and then he got himself killed—and that's not what was supposed to happen to the king.  He was supposed to defeat his enemies and take his throne.  And then Jesus rose from death and he met them and they were so excited to go declare the good news to Jerusalem that Jesus actually had to calm them down and tell them to wait.  Enthusiasm isn't enough.  They also needed the power of God's Spirit—but that's for next week.  But for forty days Jesus has been teaching them.  He's been walking them through the scriptures and showing them how it was there along: the Messiah had to die in order to defeat his enemies and take his throne.  Like I said a couple of weeks ago, those forty days must have been the most thrilling days in all of history as Jesus taught them and as it all came together.  And yet, even then, the disciples were still stuck on the wrong things.  But now I'm getting ahead of myself for today.  Keep this all in mind and let's look at our Epistle again.  The first chapter of Acts.  Luke writes: Dear Theophilus, the previous book which I wrote had to do with everything Jesus began to do and teach.  I took the story as far as the day when he was taken up, once he had given instructions through the Holy Spirit to his apostles.   Luke is talking about his Gospel.  He goes on in verse 3: He showed himself to them alive, after his suffering, by many proofs.  He was seen by them for forty days, during which he spoke about God's kingdom.  As they were having a meal together, he told them not to go away from Jerusalem, but to wait, as he put it, “for the Father's promise, which I was telling you about earlier.  John baptised with water, you see, but in a few days from now you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit.”   So good so far.  Forty days of Bible teaching with Jesus.  All about the kingdom.  He thinks they're ready to do the proclamation part of their new ministry, they just need to wait a minute so he can ascend to this throne and send the Spirit who will empower that proclamation.  Jesus thinks their ready to be set loose on the world.  But have you ever taught something to someone, explaining it to them, and they're nodding and you think they understand.  You're ready to turn them loose.  And then they ask you a question and you realise that they still don't understand the central point of what you've been trying to teach them? I took calculus as a freshman in college.  Twice.  The only class I ever failed.  I understood the instructions.  But no matter how hard I tried and no matter how long the professor explained it to me—I had the benefit of sitting next to him in the church choir—I never understood what it was all about.  I didn't get it.  I thought that at least I could just follow the instructions to solve the equations.  I found that usually worked pretty well with math.  But it didn't with calculus.  So he—or my friends who understood calculus—would explain it to me and I'd say, “Right.  I do this, then this, then this, and so on.”  And they'd smile and say, “Yes!”  Like it was finally sinking in for me.  And then I'd do what I thought were the steps and it wouldn't work and they'd ask me to explain it, and I couldn't, because I never could wrap my head around the concept at the heart of it all. Brothers and Sisters, the kingdom was the heart of everything Jesus was teaching and doing.  And the disciples knew this.  That's, again, why they were so discouraged when he died.  Dead kings don't establish kingdoms.  But now Jesus is alive again and they're excited and especially so because for forty days Jesus has been teaching them even more about the kingdom.  And then they ask, “Master, is this the time when you are going to restore the kingdom to Israel.”   I remember the look on my calculus professor's face when he through I'd finally got it through my thick skull and how his smile faded away when he realised I didn't get it at all and I can picture the same look on Jesus' face.  Disappointment and exasperation.  I don't know.  Maybe Jesus knew that no amount of talk would get them straight on this and that it would only fall into place once they saw him ascend and once they'd received the Spirit.  But it's clear: despite all the teaching, the disciples still didn't get it. See, this idea of the “kingdom of God”, for the Jews it had become shorthand for the idea that one day the Lord would fulfil his promises, come back to Israel, take up his throne.  He'd defeat Isreal's enemies and he'd set Israel to rights—and then they'd all live happily ever after with God as their king and the pagans under their feet.  They sang songs, like Psalm 2, about the nations raging and the kings of the earth getting together to plot against the Lord and his people.  And in the middle of the song the Lord bursts out in laughter, mocking the nations and their feeble kings.  And then the Lord lets loose his wrath and announces, “I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill.”  And then the king speaks: “The Lord said to me, ‘You are my son; today I have begotten you.  Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.  You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.”  And then the Psalmist can announce to the nations: “Now, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth.  Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.  Kiss the son, lest he be angry and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled.”  It's the king in shining armour come to crush his enemies and set his people to rights. They sang songs like the one in Isaiah 52 about the beautiful feet of the one who brings good news and who announces to Zion, “Your God reigns.”  “The Lord has bared his holy arm before the eyes of the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of God.”  This was the same song in which they sang about the suffering servant who would be exalted only after he had borne their griefs and sorrows, only after he'd been stricken and afflicted.”  This was the hope of Israel and this is why the disciples had followed Jesus.  They believed he was the Messiah, the king who would rescue his people and defeat their enemies.  Again, for those three days he was in the tomb it looked like they'd been wrong, but now Jesus was alive again.  They knew with absolute certainty that he really is the Messiah.  And so now they're asking him: “Your resurrection put the story back on track, Jesus.  So when are you going to fulfil those old promises, defeat the nations and their kings, and set Isreal on the top of the heap?” And Jesus says to them in verse 7: “It's not your business to know about times and dates.  The Father has placed all that under his own direct authority.  What will happen, though, is that you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.  Then you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judaea and Samaria, and to the very ends of the earth.”   I've noticed a lot of people read this and think that Jesus is saying something like, “No.  It's not time to restore the kingdom.  I'll do that sometime in the future and only the Father knows the date.”  But that's not what Jesus is saying at all.  Think of the pair Jesus met on the road to Emmaus.  They were saying that they'd hoped Jesus was the one who would redeem Israel, but well, he'd been crucified so scratch that idea.  And that's the point when Jesus explains to them that it was actually through his crucifixion that he would accomplish God's long-promised redemption.  Even though it was there all along in songs like Isaiah 52, it doesn't seem to have occurred to anyone that the Messiah would usher in God's kingdom by his suffering and death.  And yet when Jesus says this, suddenly a lot of other things he said and did finally make sense.  Think of the stories—the parables—he told.  Over and over: The kingdom is coming—yes!—but it's not coming like you think.  Instead, the kingdom is coming like seed planted in the ground.  The kingdom is coming like leaven in a lump of dough.  The kingdom is like a man who had two sons.  Or when Jesus and the disciples were approaching Jerusalem and they asked this same question: Is the kingdom finally coming now?  And Jesus said that the kingdom is like a nobleman coming back to see if his servants have been faithful with their stewardship.  Over and over Jesus has been saying, “Yes, the kingdom is coming right now, but you keep missing it because it doesn't look like what you expected. At that last Passover meal Jesus ate with his friends, he told them that he would not drink with them again until the kingdom had arrived. And here they are, these forty days after the resurrection eating and drinking with Jesus as he teaches them.  The kingdom has come, Brothers and Sisters.  Too many Christians live as if the mission of the church is to prepare for Jesus to become king, when the church's mission is, in fact, really all about announcing and living out the reality that Jesus is the king even if his kingdom isn't quite what a lot of people expected. And then, just to make all of this absolutely clear, Luke says in verse 9: As Jesus said this, he was lifted up while they were watching and a cloud took him out of their sight.   We're prone to missing the significance of this image because we're not steeped in the Old Testament the way they were.  The disciples, however, understood exactly what was happening: Jesus was acting out the prophecy of Daniel 7.  That's the chapter were Daniel has this nightmare full of beasts coming up out of the ocean.  It's a vision of the nations and their kings raging against God's people.  But then “one like a son of man” is taken up and exalted on the clouds to sit beside the Ancient of Days.  He's given a kingdom, power, and authority so that all people, nations, and languages should serve and obey him.  It's a vision of the kingdom being restored to Israel.  And now, all through Jesus' ministry, we've heard him talking about himself as this son of man, as Israel's representative, and now—in answer to the disciples' question about the coming of the kingdom—Jesus literally acts out Daniel's vision.  He fulfils it.  In fact, in Matthew's telling of the ascension, Jesus even says—echoing the words of the Ancient of Days in Daniel—“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  So you must go and make all the nations into disciples.” The ascension proclaims: Jesus is king and his kingdom is here.  One day Jesus will return to finish what he's begun, but never forget that it has begun.  As Paul says in Romans 15, “He has to go on ruling until he has put all his enemies under his feet.” So the disciples were thinking that Jesus was going to lead a revolution—like Judas Maccabeus or Simon bar Kochba—except this time it wouldn't fizzle out.  This time it would be successful and it would be forever.  And Jesus is saying (and acting out) that no, the kingdom has been inaugurated and it's going to take shape and grow—the nations will be put under Jesus' feet—not as the disciples take up arms, but as they go out into the world as witnesses of Jesus: as they go out and proclaim the good news that Jesus crucified and risen, is the world's true Lord and as they live out the reality of his kingdom.  Like Jesus did, the disciples would work miracles—miracles that underscored that in the kingdom all the sad thing are beginning to become untrue; and they would live lives transformed by the Spirit's fruit, but maybe more than anything else, they would confront the kings of the present evil age with the reality of Jesus' lordship.  And through their witness, the world would begin to change. It's not a linear, always progressing, always upward change.  That was the idea of theological liberalism a century ago, but two world wars and nuclear bombs and fascism and Communism blew that idea up.  But through the witness of the church, the world is changing.  I've mentioned before Tom Holland's remarkable book Dominion and how, in that book, he writes about the profound changes that the gospel brought to Western Civilisation.  Each generation lives in its own brief age and so, if we don't know anything about history, we're prone to not even noticing the changes that have happened, but happen they have.  Christians began taking in the unwanted girl babies of the Greeks and Romans, left to die of exposure, and we taught the world the value of life.  The influence of the gospel put an end to gladiatorial games and slavery.  The gospel has taught the world mercy and grace, the value of life, the dignity of each person.  And on and on.  The church, when we are faithful witnesses of Jesus and living the new creation life the Spirit gives, builds and spreads the kingdom and someday, when the work is done, Jesus will return—not to take us away, but to restore heaven and earth, God and human beings, and to put an end to death and sin once and for all.  To consummate his new creation. But there's work to do in the meantime.  He created us in the beginning to be his stewards—to cultivate his garden.  That's why, when it came time to set us back on that track, God called and created a special people for himself: to be his representative, to be his stewards, to be his living kingdom in the midst of the old.  And so Luke says, They were gazing into heaven as he disappeared.  Then, lo and behold, two men appeared, dressed in white, standing beside them.  “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven?  This Jesus, who has been taken away from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you saw him go into heaven.”   Brothers and Sisters, there's work to do.  Like Jesus said, they needed to wait a few days before going out, so that when they did go out, they would go out in the power of the Spirit.  The kingdom doesn't happen in our power.  But it does happen as we go out to faithfully fulfil the mission we've been given to witness Jesus.  Our task is to go out in faith, to till the soil, to steward the garden.  It's an overwhelming task.  That's why it takes faith to go out and do it.  But we go out in faith knowing that God has given us his Spirit who infuses what we do with divine power.  We go out in faith knowing that in Jesus—at the cross and in the resurrection—God has already done the impossible part.  Now, as Paul wrote, all he has to do is go on ruling until all his enemies have been put under his feet.  There's no “if”.  It's just “until”.  It's a sure thing.  And so is the witness of his church. It doesn't always seem that way.  Sometimes it seems like we're going backwards and things are getting worse.  People won't listen or won't take us seriously.  Sometimes we're tempted to give up.  Sometimes we act like all Jesus did was come to earth to give us a rousing pep talk, then he went back home to heaven.  But read the Gospels and that's not it at all.  He hasn't just gone back to heaven and left us alone.  He's ascended to his throne, where he rules and reigns over his kingdom, which—remember—is like seed planted in the soil and like leaven in a lump of dough and like a man who had two sons.  And one day, through his people—through us—the work of his word and the work of his Spirit will be done.  The world will know his death and resurrection, it will know the forgiveness of sins, it will know the end of death, it will know mercy and grace.  The knowledge of his glory will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea and every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord.  Because Jesus died and rose again, because the Lord's word does not return void, and because he does not give his Spirit in vain. Let's pray: O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus the Messiah with great triumph to your right hand in heaven: Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen us for the task you have given, and that we might look forward in hope to the day when every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord.  Amen.

Show Notes:SummaryHave you ever felt like your vision's gone blurry? Like the dream God gave you is buried under fear, fatigue, or failure? I've been there too. In this episode, I'm walking you through how to clear the fog, lift your eyes to Father, and start seeing again—through faith, not just sight. If you've lost clarity about what's next, this one's for you, my friend. Let's reclaim your vision—together.TakeawaysThat vision God gave you? It's not gone—it's just buried under a little fog.If you've been tired, discouraged, or afraid to dream again, I see you—and we're clearing that clutter together.You can't run toward something you can't see. Let's clear up your focus so you can move forward.When you lift your eyes to Father, you're going to see more clearly—both spiritually and scientifically (yep, brain science backs it).Faith isn't about having it all mapped out—it's trusting the One who already does.You don't need to wait for clarity to take a step—clarity actually comes when you start moving.We're calling out the fog—whether it's fear, failure, or just plain burnout—and giving it over to God.You're not disqualified. Not by the past. Not by what didn't work. You're still called.Holy Spirit is right there with you, revealing what's to come and reminding you of what's true.You're not alone, and you don't have to figure it all out—just trust God with the next step.Sound Bites“You cannot run toward a blurry vision.”“Your God-given vision isn't gone—it's buried under fear, fatigue, or false starts.”“Lift your eyes. Your help comes from Father, not your feed.”“Vision isn't about clarity; it's about trust.”Chapters00:00 Reclaiming Your Vision01:20 Intro Reclaim Your Vision and Roar Back Series Recap03:17 Where My Vision Got Cloudy06:08 Identifying the Fog08:28 Lesson 1: Clear the Fog11:58 Focus the Reticular Activating System (RAS) on Future You Want Not Past14:37 Lesson 2: Lift Your Eyes18:45 Lesson 3: See with Faith, Not Just Sight24:46 Recap Reclaim Your Vision26:41 Courageous Action Steps29:20 Sneak Peek Next Week's Episode29:46 Can You Do Me a Favor?Courageous Action: 5 Steps to Reclaim Your VisionTake 10 minutes today—quiet, reflective time—to listen and take action:Pray – Lift your eyes and ask Father to help you reclaim your vision.Name Your Fog – Is it fear, fatigue, failure? Identify and surrender it.Reconnect with Father's Heart – Ask: “What are You inviting me into?” Listen and write it down.Write the Vision – Whether it's new or buried, write down what you see and the next step.Take the Step – What's one baby step you can take in the next 24 hours? Do it. Don't wait.Heather Bunch – The Courageous Coach Heather is a certified life and Enneagram coach, speaker and author who helps women of faith close the gap between their dreams and reality by Live Fearlessly Free. Now they can stop hiding, show up fully themselves and fulfill their God-given purpose–courageously. Heather also uses her ninja writing skills to help other coaches, speakers, and authors get their ideas out of their heads into their signature systems and books so they can create the income and income they dream about. Heather's book is available on Amazon––Hello, Courageous! The Gal's Guide to Delight, Discover, and Direct Your Divine Life by Heather Bunch: https://hellocourageous.com/hcbookOr get it on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CP3BZ7ZPBeat Procrastination cheat sheet: https://www.heatherbunch.com/beatitYou can find Heather at https://www.heatherbunch.com. Or email her at hello@heatherbunch.com

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 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.