Podcasts about Your God

It's Tuesday, June 9th, A.D. 2026. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Kevin Swanson and Timothy Reed Vietnamese Communists have imprisoned 57 Christians Religious freedom is tenuous in Vietnam.  That's the subject of a new report by International Christian Concern.   At last count, Vietnam has 57 unreleased religious prisoners, five of whom were subjected to government-initiated torture. Pastors and evangelists are imprisoned for what is called “undermining national unity policy” or “abusing democratic freedoms”, whatever that is.   And Christmas is a dangerous time for Vietnamese Christians. That's when arrests accelerate in the Central Highlands, especially for believers who are caught worshiping in churches unsponsored by the communist government. State Dept. weighs in on the murder of a Brit by a Sikh Tensions between the United States and the United Kingdom have increased over the killing of a Brit named Henry Nowak. Last December, he was killed by a Sikh, a son of an Indian immigrant. The murderer had falsely accused Nowak of a hate crime.  Sadly, the police chose to believe the murderer instead of the victim in the crime.   In response, the U.S. State Department issued a statement pointing out “ideological conditioning and two-tiered policing” as “glaring symptoms of civilizational decline” in the United Kingdom.   Vice President J.D. Vance also stated on social media that “Henry Nowak died the same way a civilization dies: abandoned, handcuffed by authorities who neither trusted nor cared for him, and accused of hate crimes he did not commit.” Countries where the most Evangelicals live The most Evangelicals in the world live in -- you may have never guessed it -- China.    The Joshua Project puts China at the top with 106 million Evangelicals. The United States comes in second with 92 million Evangelicals. Then, comes Nigeria with 64 million, and Brazil with 53 million.   The other nations with the largest Evangelical populations include Ethiopia, Kenya, Mexico, and Uganda. Among the unreached nations of the world with the lowest Christian populations are these European countries: Austria, Finland, Greece, Greenland, Norway, and Sweden. Brazil's surge of Evangelicals and loss of Catholics Brazil has seen a surge of Evangelicals — now at 27%, up from 21.6% in 2010.  Brazil's atheist population grew from 8% to 9.3%. The nation's Roman Catholic population took the hit, losing about 8% since 2010. Catholics now represent only 56.7% of Brazilians. Catholicism made up 99% of the population back in 1890, according to the recently released Census of Traditional Peoples and Communities. New poll: America is viewed negatively America is viewed as increasingly unpopular worldwide while China is receiving higher marks for popular approval. Gallup's recent international poll found America at a 31% level vs. China's 36%.  That's the highest gap in history. America's net approval ratings have always dropped to the lowest levels in the history of the survey -- now at negative 15%. Trump's endorsed candidate for Iowa governor loses 8/10 of a point Iowa conservative Zach Lahn won the nomination for governor in a crowded Iowa GOP primary last week.  Lahn won his primary with just 38% of the vote — a close victory over Trump-endorsed Congressman Randy Feenstra, who earned 37.2% of the vote. Listen to the opening of Lahn's victory speech. LAHN: “I don't have to tell you this, but nobody thought this could be done. We were outspent, opposed by the establishment, told to wait our turn. Well, tonight the people of Iowa had something to say about that. We're not going to wait anymore!” (cheers) Lahn is a sixth generation Iowan who has spoken out against chemical manufacturers and Chinese land ownership here in the United States. Texas Rangers doesn't endorse homosexual pride month The LGBTQ and so-called “Pride Month” fervor has slowed greatly under the Trump administration, but not completely. Sports teams across the nation continue to celebrate Homosexual Pride Month. To their credit, the Texas Rangers are the only team in Major League Baseball to abstain from celebrating perverted lifestyles.  Dodgers pitcher Blake Treinen opposes homosexual pride But some are still standing against homosexuality on a personal level.  Dodgers pitcher Blake Treinen was the only player on his team who did not appear on the field in a homosexual “Pride” hat last Friday, standing by his convictions. The Los Angeles Dodgers organization has been known to openly support homosexuality, transgenderism, and drag.  Influencer Jon Root praises Treinen's actions. He wrote, “While other professed Christians, Dodgers [shortstop] Mookie Betts and manager Dave Roberts wore [homosexual transgender] “pride” hats, only Blake Treinen, [the pitcher], refused. Don't bow down to the idols of our age, Christians. Stand firm like Treinen.” Ephesians 6:13 says, “Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”  Send a two-sentence thank you note to Blake Treinen for standing against the homosexual agenda. The address is Los Angeles Dodgers, 1000 Vin Scully Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Trump's $1.7 billion “anti-weaponization” fund shot down President Donald Trump's controversial $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund has been shot down by the courts and those within his own party. Several Republican senators objected to the newly created fund, which would have had taxpayers foot the bill and paid out victims of political persecution while also shielding the Trump family from federal tax review.  June 9th anniversary of Scottish missionary Columba And finally, on this date, June 9th, A.D. 597, the great Irish Christian missionary, Columba, went to be with the Lord. Columba, also known as Columcille, planted churches all over Scotland and established the famed missionary school on the isle of Iona in A.D. 563, a training ground for missionaries over the next several centuries.  Born around the year A.D. 521, Columba was in line to become a High King of Ireland, but chose to serve the Lord in foreign lands instead. Isaiah 52:7 states, “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!”  Close And that's The Worldview on this Tuesday, June 9th, in the year of our Lord 2026. Subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music, or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com.  Plus, you can get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

"The Biblical teaching of Unitarianism (One God) versus the teaching of Trinitarianism (3 gods) is outlined. The word "trinity" or related words are not found in the Bible. This teaching only surfaced around AD 350-381. The Bible affirms monotheism not polytheism."Inspiring, What if the most widely held belief about God isn't actually found in the Bible? In this thought-provoking and deeply insightful exposition, we embark on a journey through Scripture to examine the foundations of Trinitarianism versus the Biblical Unitarian position. This is not an attack on sincere believers, but a heartfelt and respectful exploration of what the Bible actually teaches about the Father and His Son.This outstanding presentation moves beyond simple proof-texting to reveal the historical development of the Trinity, the philosophical challenges it presents, and the wonderful, plain reading of Scripture that points to one God, the Father, and one Lord Jesus Christ, His exalted Son. We delve into the concept of divine agency, the personification of wisdom, and the revealing truth of what the early church truly believed.If you have ever wondered why the word "Trinity" isn't in the Bible, or how a plain reading of Acts 2 or 1 Corinthians 15 shapes our understanding of who Jesus is, this video is for you. It's a wonderful opportunity to see the cohesive and logical beauty of the Unitarian understanding of God's plan.**Chapters:**00:00 - Introduction: A Respectful Approach to a Difficult Subject02:08 - Playing Offense: Why We Don't Hold to the Trinity03:22 - The Missing Word: "Trinity" and Later Creeds05:40 - Peter's Testimony: A Plain Reading of Acts 208:27 - When Did the Theory Arise? Historical Truth vs. False Narratives11:30 - The Influence of Philosophy and Pagan Metaphysics13:55 - The Loss of Jewish Influence and the Rise of New Ideas14:36 - The Late Addition of the Holy Spirit as a "Person"15:51 - What Did the Ancients Believe? Jewish Monotheism17:18 - The Paralyzed Man: Authority, Not Divinity22:17 - The Centurion's Faith: Understanding Delegated Authority24:09 - Jesus' Own Words: "My God and Your God"25:00 - The Logical Inconsistencies of the Trinity29:55 - The Attributes of God vs. The Experience of Jesus32:32 - The "Two Natures" Theory and Its Problems35:23 - The Revealing Concept of Divine Agency40:25 - Personification in Scripture: Wisdom and God's Attributes41:45 - Being "Sent": Commission, Not Spatial Travel43:30 - Joseph: A Powerful Type of Christ44:54 - The Problem of Changed Meanings: How Words Shifted46:08 - The "I Am" Phrase: A Self-Identification Idiom48:17 - Translation Bias: How Versions Can Influence Doctrine53:15 - Christ's Current and Future Position: Subordinate and Glorified54:48 - Why It All Matters: Truth, Atonement, and Our Mediator57:49 - Conclusion: Knowing the Only True God and Jesus Christ Whom He Sent

Authority Genesis 1:27, 28 June 7, 2026 What is Spiritual Authority? The God-given right and ability to succeed, prevail, overcome vs. every spiritual enemy assignment. The Purpose of Spiritual Authority: To reflect the character and blessing of God and to carry out His purpose for His children through faith and submissive partnership with Him. Who Has Spiritual Authority? God: 1 Chronicles 29:11, 12 Jesus (Matthew 28:18); His Heirs (Ephesians 1:19-23) What Realms Does Spiritual Authority have Operational Rights? Your life; your Relationship Positions; Your God given assignments. Personal life: James 4:6,7; 1 Peter 5:6-9; Mark 16:19; Ephesians 6:10-17 (Authority to Resist and Dismiss! Relationships (Ephesians 6:1-5); Work; Church Body (Ephesians 1:22,23); Intercession for Kingdom purposes! (Matthew 16:18, 19) How is Spiritual Authority Limited? The deception of unbelief! (Genesis 3; Hebrews 3, 4) ✸BEWARE! Authority is not granted to us to “change” others, so that we would be more comfortable. It's to cooperate with the Lord in how HE wants to accomplish HIS PURPOSE in them!

Hebrews 1:9 AMP - “You have loved righteousness [integrity, virtue, uprightness in purpose] and have hated lawlessness [injustice, sin]. Therefore God, Your God, Has anointed You With the oil of gladness above Your companions.”

There are moments in life when people's actions cut deep — when motives are questioned, trust is broken, and harm feels intentional. But even then, God has a way of stepping into the very places meant to break us and turning them into platforms that build us. “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good…” Genesis 50:20 What a reminder that no plot, no betrayal, no setback can override the purpose of God. He is the Master of divine reversals. He takes what was meant to destroy you and transforms it into the very thing that elevates you. Joseph didn't just survive the harm — he outgrew it, outlived it, and outlasted it. And in the end, God used his pain to save many lives. Your story isn't over. Your hurt isn't wasted. Your God is still working. What was meant for evil will become the testimony that blesses others. Trust Him — He's turning it for good.

“The Lord shall reign forever— Your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the Lord!” (Psalms‬ ‭146‬:‭10‬)

7 takeaways from this study God's presence is not limited by place. Ezekiel's chariot vision reminds you that God sees and reaches you even in “exile” seasons—geographical, emotional, or spiritual. You are not forgotten. Outsiders can become family. Ruth shows that anyone, regardless of background, can genuinely say, “Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God” (Ruth 1:16). Treat sincere “Ruths” as true family in God. Holiness means real-life distinctions. Leviticus 11 and Sinai teach you to distinguish between holy and common. Practically, this means asking in everyday choices: “Does this belong in a life set apart for God, or not?” The Spirit empowers obedience, not lawlessness. Jeremiah 31 and Ezekiel 36 show that the רוּחַ ruach (Spirit) writes Torah on the heart and “causes” you to walk in God's ways. Depend on the Spirit to obey; do not use grace as permission to ignore God's commands. Look for the Spirit's work where you do not expect it. On Shavuot in Acts 2 and at Cornelius's house in Acts 10, many misread what God was doing. Ask: “Could this be the Spirit at work?” before you dismiss something that does not fit your expectations. Your story can be a seed, not a waste. Like exile, like the cross, and like a seed buried in the ground, seasons that look like loss may be God's way of planting something for a future harvest— often in others, not just in you. You carry a watchman's responsibility. Ezekiel's call and Peter's Shavuot sermon together imply this: you are not only saved; you are sent. Warn, invite, and testify — especially to those “far off” — so their blood is not on your hands and so they can join God's covenant family. A theme of the biblical festival of Shavuot (Pentecost) God's harvest from all nations. God joins those who are “far off” to His people and writes His instructions on their hearts by His Spirit. We’ll consider how believers live in covenant faithfulness and the relationship between Torah and Spirit, obedience and grace, and Israel and the nations. Ruth: From foreign outsider to covenant insider “But Ruth said, ‘Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the LORD do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me.'” Ruth 1:16–17 NASB 1995 Ruth comes from Moab. That nation has a difficult origin (Genesis 19:30–38). Moab also opposes Israel in the wilderness journey from Egypt to the Promised Land (Numbers 22–25). Therefore Ruth does not come from a neutral background. She comes from a historically hostile nation. Yet Ruth chooses Israel's people and Israel's God. She crosses a covenant boundary by faith and loyalty. She moves from being a foreigner to being part of Israel's story. Boaz recognizes this. The nearer kinsman refuses to redeem Ruth. He says it may “jeopardize” his own inheritance (Ruth 4:6). The subtext is clear. He does not want to bring a Moabite into his family line. Boaz responds differently. He sees Ruth's faith and covenant loyalty. He acts in line with the heart of the God of Israel, who welcomes the one who truly turns. The book ends by placing Ruth in the line of King David (Ruth 4:17–22). This shows that God can place a former outsider at the very center of His redemptive plan. In Hebrew, the word “holy” is קָדוֹשׁ qadosh (set apart). Ruth moves from being outside the set-apart people to being included among them. Her story anticipates a larger harvest from the nations. Shavuot: From Passover to Sinai The traditional reading of Ruth on Shavuot (Pentecost) fits the holy day’s lessons. Shavuot links Passover to the giving of the Torah at Sinai: “You shall also count for yourselves from the day after the sabbath, from the day when you brought in the sheaf of the wave offering; there shall be seven complete sabbaths. You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh sabbath; then you shall present a new grain offering to the LORD.” Leviticus 23:15–16 NASB 1995 The counting of the fifty days (the Omer) ties together three elements: Passover (Pesach): deliverance from bondage in Egypt. Unleavened Bread (Matzot): removal of old leaven. Shavuot: firstfruits of the harvest and, traditionally, the giving of the Torah at Sinai (Exodus 19–20). This recalls God's purpose: “You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings, and brought you to Myself. Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” Exodus 19:4–6 NASB 1995 The goal is not only freedom from slavery. It’s a covenant identity as a “kingdom of priests” and “holy nation.” The Hebrew for “holy” here is again קָדוֹשׁ qadosh (set apart). God marks out Israel as distinct because of His presence and His word. The first of the Ten Commandments begins with identity and history. “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me.” Exodus 20:2–3 NASB 1995 Only this God redeemed Israel from bondage. Therefore Israel must not turn to other gods or make images (Exodus 20:4–6). The covenant is rooted in what God has already done. Israel receives the commandments after redemption. God does not redeem them because they obey. He redeems them, then calls them to obedience. The pattern is grace first, then covenant response. Holiness, distinction and Leviticus 11 Shavuot also connects to Leviticus 11, the list of “clean” and “unclean” animals. The passage ends with a key principle. “For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. And you shall not make yourselves unclean with any of the swarming things that swarm on the earth. For I am the LORD who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God; thus you shall be holy, for I am holy.” Leviticus 11:44–45 NASB 1995 The Hebrew verb “to consecrate” is קִדֵּשׁ qiddesh (set apart, make holy). God teaches Israel to distinguish. Some things belong in the category of God's people. Others do not. In one sense, God simply says about the “clean” list, “Because I said so.” However, the deeper purpose lies in training Israel to see categories: clean and unclean, holy and common. This forms a pattern. Later God will also draw lines between righteous and wicked, sheep and goats, good fish and bad fish (cf. Matthew 13:47–50; 25:31–33). God present in exile The vision of Ezekiel 1 appears during ancient Israel’s second exile. The people of Judah have gone into Babylon. It might seem that Israel's story has ended. Yet God shows Ezekiel a vision of His glory by the river Chebar (Ezekiel 1:1–3). Ezekiel sees living beings with four faces and many eyes. They move straight in every direction and do not turn (Ezekiel 1:5–14). Wheels within wheels move with them (Ezekiel 1:15–21). The imagery resembles a heavenly chariot. This vision as a message about God's presence. In ancient warfare, a chariot moves only in one direction. The “business end” faces forward. Its power and weapons point one way. God's chariot differs. It goes straight in every direction. It sees everywhere. It reaches even into exile. Therefore, even in Babylon, God remains with His people. He is not bound to a geographical border. This message continues in Ezekiel 2–3. God gives Ezekiel a scroll to eat: “Then He said to me, ‘Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.' So I opened my mouth, and He fed me this scroll. He said to me, ‘Son of man, feed your stomach and fill your body with this scroll which I am giving you.' Then I ate it, and it was sweet as honey in my mouth.” Ezekiel 3:1–3 NASB 1995 The scroll contains words of lamentation and woe, yet it tastes sweet. The message includes judgment, but also hope. God has not forgotten His people. The exile itself lies within His plan of correction. The 70 years prophesied by Jeremiah (Jeremiah 25:11–12; 29:10) have begun, but they will end. There’s a parallel to Ruth. She once stood outside Israel, yet God brought her into His purpose because of her faith and rejection of the ways of her past. Hundreds of years later, Israel now stands in exile, yet Ezekiel’s vision of God's chariot shows that He has not abandoned them. The same God who reached into Egypt when Israel was enslaved there now reaches into Babylon. The New Covenant: Torah written on the heart The key to adoption into God’s family is the new covenant. Here’s where it’s foretold, then repeatedly quoted in the New Testament: “‘Behold, days are coming,' declares the LORD, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,' declares the LORD. ‘But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,' declares the LORD, ‘I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.'” Jeremiah 31:31–33 NASB 1995 The Hebrew word for “law” is תּוֹרָה Torah (instruction). God promises to place the Torah “within them” and write it “on their heart.” The Hebrew for “heart” is לֵב lev (inner being, mind and emotions). In a parallel new covenant prophecy, a key verb for obeying appears in the causative stem (הִפְעִיל hif'il). God does not only command His people to walk in His ways. He causes them to do so by His Spirit. “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.” Ezekiel 36:26–27 NASB 1995 The Hebrew word for “Spirit” is רוּחַ ruach (spirit, wind, breath). God's ruach empowers obedience from the inside. Thus the new covenant does not remove Torah. Instead, it internalizes Torah. It removes the heart of stone and gives a heart of flesh. Acts 10: Holy, common, and the nations The study then connects Leviticus 11 to Acts 10. Peter sees a sheet with all kinds of animals. A voice says, “Get up, Peter, kill and eat!” (Acts 10:13 NASB 1995). Peter objects, since he has never eaten anything unholy or unclean (literally, “common”; Acts 10:14). The voice answers, “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy” (Acts 10:15 NASB 1995). Peter later interprets this. When he meets Cornelius and his household, he says: And yet God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean. Acts 10:28, NASB 1995 Peter’s sheet vision centers on people. God has moved some from the “do not eat” category, so to speak, into the “eat” category. He has lifted them up and included them among His own. This does not erase all distinctions. Scripture still speaks of sheep and goats, righteous and unrighteous. However, the boundary now runs through Yeshua the Messiah and the work of the Spirit, not through ethnicity. Those who were “far off” can now draw near (cf. Ephesians 2:11–13). The Greek word for “unclean” is κοινός koinos (common, impure). God commands Peter not to label those whom He has cleansed as koinos. This echoes the principle from Ruth. A Moabite woman becomes part of the royal line. A Roman centurion and his household receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 1: Shavuot and the promise of the Spirit Fifty days after Yeshua’s resurrection came for Shavuot, with massive pilgrimages to Jerusalem. “To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God. Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, ‘Which,' He said, ‘you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.'” Acts 1:3–5 NASB 1995 The forty days recall other periods of testing and preparation in Scripture (e.g., years of wandering in the wilderness). Yeshua remains with His disciples, teaching about the kingdom. Then He ascends. A 10-day gap leads to the 50th day, Shavuot. The disciples ask about the restoration of the kingdom to Israel (Acts 1:6). Yeshua answers that the Father has fixed the times and seasons. He then redirects them. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” Acts 1:8 NASB 1995 The Greek word for “power” is δύναμις dynamis (power, might). The Greek word for “witnesses” is μάρτυρες martyres (witnesses, from which “martyr” comes). The Spirit empowers witness from Jerusalem outward. This echoes God's original purpose at Sinai. Israel was to be a “kingdom of priests” (Exodus 19:6). Now the disciples carry the testimony of Messiah and the Torah written on the heart, through the Spirit, to the ends of the earth. Acts 2: Joel's prophecy and the last days On Shavuot, the Spirit comes with wind and fire (Acts 2:1–4). Those gathered speak in other tongues. Some bystanders mock and say they are drunk. Peter stands up with the eleven and explains: “But this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel:‘And it shall be in the last days,' God says,‘That I will pour forth of My Spirit on all mankind;And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,And your young men shall see visions,And your old men shall dream dreams;Even on My bondslaves, both men and women,I will in those days pour forth of My SpiritAnd they shall prophesy.'” Acts 2:16–18 NASB 1995, quoting Joel 2:28–32 The outpouring of the Spirit fulfills the promises of Jeremiah 31 and Ezekiel 36. God pours out His רוּחַ ruach (Spirit) on “all flesh,” crossing age, gender, and social status boundaries. Peter continues with the signs in heaven and earth and the coming “great and glorious day of the LORD” (Acts 2:19–20 NASB 1995). He then declares the key outcome: “And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.” Acts 2:21 NASB 1995 The Greek word for “saved” is σωθήσεται sōthēsetai (will be saved, from σῴζω sōzō). This includes Jews gathered for the feast and later Gentiles like Cornelius. Ruth's personal confession (“Your God, my God”) now becomes a worldwide invitation. Torah and Spirit: Not opposed but united Some readers claim that the new covenant and the Spirit “do away” with the Torah. They cite passages that call the former commandment “weak and useless” (Hebrews 7:18 NASB 1995). Yet this reading needs to take Hebrews in context. The writer compares the earthly priesthood and sanctuary with the heavenly reality. Earthly priests die. Earthly sacrifices repeat year after year. The pattern remains imperfect. It points beyond itself. “who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses was warned by God when he was about to erect the tabernacle; for, ‘See,' He says, ‘that you make all things according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.'” Hebrews 8:5 NASB 1995 The weakness lies in the human and temporal side, not in God's righteous standard. Priests fail. The people break the covenant. The temple can be defiled or destroyed. Yet the heavenly sanctuary remains open. The Messiah serves as eternal high priest. In the Prophets, God rejects sacrifices offered with corrupt hearts (Isaiah 1:11–17). The problem lies in the worshipers, not in Torah as God's instruction. The new covenant therefore does not nullify Torah. Instead, it moves the focus to Messiah's once-for-all sacrifice and to the internal work of the Spirit. “For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” Romans 8:3–4 NASB 1995 The Greek word for “flesh” is σάρξ sarx (flesh, human weakness). The problem is sarx, not Torah. The Spirit enables the “requirement of the Law” to be fulfilled in those who walk by the Spirit. Choice, covenant and watchfulness What about human responsibility for Heaven’s instructions? At Sinai, the people respond, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do!” (Exodus 19:8; 24:3 NASB 1995). Joshua later declares, “But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15 NASB 1995). Believers still must choose daily to walk in God's ways. The Spirit writes the Torah on the heart, but the person responds with trust and obedience. This includes resisting sin “crouching at the door” (Genesis 4:7 NASB 1995) and taking thoughts captive (2Corinthians 10:5). This parallel’s Ezekiel's call to the watchmen (Ezekiel 3:17–19). If the watchman does not warn the wicked, the blood lies on his hands. This shapes the call to share truth with family and community. The message of Shavuot, of Ruth, and of Acts 2 must not remain private. Bottom line Shavuot is a hinge in the biblical story. At Sinai, God gives Torah and calls Israel to be a holy nation. In the exile, He shows that His presence reaches even into foreign lands. Through Ruth, He reveals that a foreigner can become central to His redemptive line. In Jeremiah and Ezekiel, He promises a new covenant and the Spirit who writes Torah on the heart. In Acts 1–2 and Acts 10, He pours out the Spirit and gathers a harvest from Israel and the nations. Throughout, Torah and Spirit remain unified. The Spirit does not erase God's instruction. Instead, the Spirit empowers obedience from within. The God who once wrote on stone tablets now writes on living hearts. Those who were “far off” now say, with Ruth, “Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God” (Ruth 1:16, NASB 1995). And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. The post Can outsiders belong to God's people? The Bible's bold answer at Pentecost (Ruth 1–4; Ezekiel 1–3; Acts 1–2, 10) appeared first on Hallel Fellowship.

May 21, 2026Today's Reading: Catechism: The Lord's Prayer - 1st PetitionDaily Lectionary: Numbers 16:41-17:13; Numbers 18:1-19:22; Luke 20:1-18“God's name is certainly holy in itself, but we pray in this petition that it may be kept holy among us also.” (The Small Catechism, The Lord's Prayer- First Petition)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.What's in a name? What is a name? It's a label. It's the way in which we are known. It carries with it our reputation, an impression of our character. A new teacher may think they know you because they know your older sibling who came before you, and assume you will be the same because you share the same last name. A name is more than a word used to get our attention; it carries with it our very identity. Yahweh, God, and Father are all names by which we know God. They are holy, like nothing else. He is like no one else. He is not like other “gods.” He is gracious, merciful, compassionate, and forgiving. He desires and makes possible your forgiveness by sending His own Son, the second Person of God, being of the same substance, the same stuff, God Himself to die for you. What God does that? What God sacrifices Himself to save His people? Your God does. He is not like other “gods.”He is not like us, though, either. We are frail, weak, and prone to making mistakes and failures. We are imperfect, unholy sinners who drag His name through the mud. He is perfect, righteous, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent. Yet He becomes like us, flesh of our flesh and bone of our bones, born of woman, born under the law, born under the consequence of sin and death. He is like us in every way, even tempted as we are, but without sin. Though He is not without death. Through faith, that death is for you, that forgiveness is for you. God is for you. He is your God, and you are His.So He puts His name on you. In the waters of Holy Baptism, the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit is put on you. You are labeled. You are marked. You are known; your character and identity are in Him. You are not your weakness, your frailty, your mistakes, or your sins. They have no part with you anymore. Leave them behind, dead on the cross, buried in the tomb, drowned in the waters of your Baptism. You are Christian. You are forgiven. God, our Father, knows you because He knows Christ. So He knows, and you may know, that just as Christ is risen from the dead, so, too, shall you rise each day new and eternally new to live in His Kingdom. After all, His name, your name, is on it.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Our Father, hallowed be Thy name. O holy God, keep me holy today and to life everlasting in Your name. Amen.Rev. Brett Simek, pastor of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls, SD.

What if the biggest questions in life are also the most important: Who am I? and Why am I here?In this powerful message, we discover that our identity should never be rooted in our appearance, achievements, relationships, or careers—because those things can change. True identity is found only in Jesus Christ.Through Matthew 16, we see that when Peter recognized who Jesus is, Jesus revealed who Peter was and what his purpose would be. The same is true for us today. When we make Jesus the center of our lives, He gives us an unshakable identity and a purpose that never changes.In this message, you'll learn:• Who God is and how deeply He loves you• Who you are in Christ• Your God-given purpose to love God, love people, and build His ChurchNo matter your age, season of life, or career path, your life has meaning. You were created on purpose for a purpose.Stop asking, “What is God's plan for my life?” and start declaring, “My life is for God's plan.”

Be Strong in the Lord Ephesians 6:10-24 by William Klock We've made it all the way to the end of St. Paul's letter to the Ephesians.  For just over five chapters, Paul's been explaining how the church is God's means of taking what Jesus has done in his death and resurrection and turning it into God's new creation.  He's shown us how, in Jesus and the Spirit, he's given us back the vocation that Adam rejected.  We've been restored to our position as stewards of God's presence and God's wisdom and God's glory for the sake of the world.  Even more than that, as Adam was placed in God's garden-temple, through the gift of God's indwelling Spirit, you and I—the church—have now become God's temple.  And as Jesus has been raised from death to go be the new Adam, so in him and in the power of the Spirit, you and I are now called to put off the old, corrupt, lie-based way of being human and to put on the new humanity exemplified by Jesus.  And if we will be faithful to be fruitful and to multiply—whether by having our own children and raising them in the wisdom of the Lord or through our proclamation and living out of the gospel that brings others to the Messiah—Brother and Sisters, the temple will grow and grow and grow, carrying God's presence to the ends of the earth, spreading his wisdom—the way of new creation and the way of truly being human—to the ends of the earth, until God's glory covers the earth as the waters cover the sea. And having established that this is what the church is and that this is what our mission is, he shifted in Chapters 3-5 to the how of living out this new creation, to the how of putting off the old and putting on the new.  Don't listen to the lies of the world, the flesh, and the devil.  Speak the truth and live the truth of God's new creation.  Put aside anger and wrath, and start living out love and grace and patience and mercy with all humility—just like Jesus.  And don't believe the world's lies about sex and money and power.  Be holy as God is holy and trust in his goodness and faithfulness.  In other words, as I said last week, stop trying to write your own story.  You're bad at it.  We all are.  God did not design us with the capacity to write our stories for ourselves (or to be gods, as Genesis put it).  Instead, trust in the God who gave his own son as a sacrifice for our sins, to set us to rights at such a great cost, and live the story he has written for us.  And the world will take note.  Live God's story, and you will challenge the lies of the world.  Live the story in which Jesus is Lord, proclaim that story and seeing that glimpse of new creation, of redemption and renewal, of mercy and grace people around us will believe.  But, too, live the story in which Jesus is Lord and you will challenge the Caesars of this world.  Live the story in which God is good and faithful and generous, and you will challenge the greedy, grasping lies of the world.  And the world, the flesh, and the devil will push back.  Or as Paul puts in Chapter 6, the principalities and powers.  They've lost, but they don't want to admit it.  They don't like to be challenged.  And this is where Paul picks up in Ephesians 6:10 with his final bit of wisdom for the Ephesians and for us.  [This is page 1163 in the pew Bibles.] “What else is there to say?  Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power.  Put on the whole armour of God, then you will be able to stand firm against the devil's schemes.  The warfare we're engaged in, you see, is not against flesh and blood. It's against principalities, against the powers that rule the world in this dark age, against the wicked spiritual elements in the heavenly places.” Brothers and Sisters, know who your enemy is.  When things, when people, when systems push back against the gospel.  When we try to bring new creation to the world, when we try to live out the new way of being human we have in Jesus and the Spirit, we will experience opposition.  And it's critical we stand firm and fight back  But Paul stresses here: Know your enemy.  Because fighting the wrong enemy isn't going to win us anything. Paul knew this well.  Consider that he'd been a Pharisee.  The Pharisees were the party that traced its roots back to the Maccabean revolt two hundred years earlier, when the Jews rose up and threw off their pagan Greek overlords.  Paul—like most of his fellow Jews—grew up knowing that the enemies of God's people were the pagans: the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greek, the Romans. In a couple of decades it would happen again in the Judean volt of a.d. 70 and then again in the bar Kochba revolt in a.d. 132.  Neither of those revolts ended well for the Jews. And when the Jews revolted, they went into battle with passages like Isaiah 11 in mind: The shoot from the stump of Jesse would come, full of wisdom and justice.  “He shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins” (Isaiah 11:4-5)  But they added their spin to the scriptures.  The community at Qumran—the people responsible for the Dead Sea Scrolls—the saw it this way: “With your sceptre may you lay waste the earth. With the breath of your lips may you kill the wicked…May justice be the belt of your loins, and loyalty the belt of your hips.  May he make your horns of iron and your hoofs of bronze.  May you gore like a bull…and may you trample the nations like mud…For God has raised you to a sceptre for the rulers before you…all nations shall serve you, and he will make you strong by his holy name, so that you will be like a lion.”[1] You can hear Isaiah in that, but then here the warrior girds himself up for battle, to trample the nations like mud.  He gores the nations like an ox and ravages them like a lion.  The picture begins with Isaiah, but it gets lost along the way.  In Isaiah 11 the Messiah's warfare ends not with a goring ox or a lion tearing flesh, but with the wolf and the lamb, the leopard and the goat, the calf and the lion laying down together at peace and one like a little child leading them into a renewed creation where the lion eats straw like an ox. I fear we fall into the same trap.  Jesus said to his disciples: “Don't be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more they can do. I will show you who to fear: fear the one who starts by killing and then has the right to throw people into Gehenna. Yes, let me tell you, that's the one to fear! (Luke 12:4-5) Brothers and Sisters, God had always urged his people to stand firm and to put up a fight, but our enemy, as Paul says here isn't flesh and blood.  It's not the people, however wicked they may be.  It's the lies the devil whispers—or sometimes shouts—into our world.  It's been that way from the beginning when Adam and Eve believed the first of his lies.  It's the lie that we can write our own stories better than God can.  It's the lie that security or power is to be found in money or in politics or in sex or in education or in all the other things to which we look that are not God—all the things that use and abuse and manipulate and exploit others for our benefit.  It's the lie that we can fight the gospel battle with bullets or with politics or with violence.  Paul's people talked about principalities and powers—sort of angelic beings whom God had created and appointed to oversee the nations, but who had fallen under the power of the devil's lies.  That's how they thought. I don't know if that's how it really is, but there are powers—political, economic, sexual, intellectual—that perpetuate the devil's lies and keep us in the dark, keep us stomping on each other, keep us at each other's throats, keep us seeing everyone else as the enemy so that we never stop to think that the real problem is the devil and his lies. So Paul reminds us.  The enemy is not flesh and blood.  Yes, other people enforce those systems.  Caesar believed the lie that he was the world's lord.  And his soldiers believed that lie too, when they arrested Christians and threw them to the lions.  But they were not the enemy; the lie was.  It still is.  They needed deliverance from it just like we do.  The enemy isn't Mark Carney or Donald Trump.  The enemy isn't greedy bankers or crooked businessmen or the people who run giant pornography websites.  It's not the abortionist or the therapist pushing gender ideology.  They're flesh and blood.  They bought the lie.  They need a gospel resuce just like we do.  And so Paul warns us, yes, there's a battle, put on the armour of God, and stand firm, but know your enemy.  Take your battle to the devil and the principalities and powers that perpetuate the lies.  Don't shoot their prisoners when what their prisoners need is to know the truth, the wisdom of God.  Brothers and Sisters, to fight them, to take the battle to flesh and blood, is just to fall prey to another lie of the real enemy.  Paul says that weird thing in verse 12, that these wicked spiritual elements are in the heavenly places, but I think his point there is that—as he said back in Chapter 2, we are seated in the heavenly places with the Messiah.  In his death and resurrection, Jesus won the decisive victory and now he's enlisted us, not to just sit in the church and be holy until he returns, but to be the new humanity who takes his new creation to the ends of the earth and, along the way, confronts the lies and the systems and powers that perpetuate them and declares that they have been defeated.  As Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “he must go on reigning until he has put all his enemies under his feet.”  Brother and Sisters, the church is his means to bring that day.  (See, this has turned out to be an Ascension sermon after all!) So, Paul goes on in verse 13, “For this reason, you must take up God's complete armour.  Then, when wickedness grabs its moment, you'll be able to withstand, to do what needs to be done, and still be on your feet when it's over.  So stand firm!”  Now, what is the armour of God?  Notice the echoes of Isaiah 11 here.  “Put the belt of truth around your waist; put on justice as your breastplate; for shoes on your feet, ready for battle, take the good news of peace.  With it all, take the shield of faith; if you've got that you'll be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit.” Notice that everything about this picture is defensive except the sword.  Again, the Messiah has already won the decisive victory.  He's won the ground.  Creation once again belongs to him.  Our job is to hold it against the enemy.  And, notice, as Paul has said before and as he says here in verse 10: We stand in God's power and might, not in our own.  We know what this power can do, because it's the same power that raised Jesus from the dead and now, as Paul has said over and over, we are “in the risen Messiah” and that makes us strong in the strength of his might.  There's an interesting parallel to this in Romans 4.  There Paul writes that Abraham was “strong in faith”, believing God's promise even though everything around him said not to trust this strange God.  He was strong because he trusted the God who had the power to accomplish what he had promised. Brothers and Sisters, we stand in that same faith, but unlike Abraham we have every reason to believe.  No one knew this God in Abraham's day.  You and I live with the witness of all the generations who have known and experienced this God ever since.  You and I live with the witness of the resurrection of Jesus, the greatest show of God's might in history and the event by which he has inaugurated his new creation.  If Abraham had reason to be strong in faith, we have reason to be even stronger.  So stand firm in the Messiah's battle and put on his armour to guard against the enemy who wants nothing more than to take back the ground he's lost to Jesus. As the Messiah puts on his armour for the battle in Isaiah, so should we.  It shouldn't be surprising that the first thing Paul says to put on is the truth.  All along he's been warning us not to believe the lies that have brought sin and death to the world.  All along he's warned us to be committed to the truth and not to be deceived by the lies around us.  In Isaiah 11:5 the Messiah puts on the belt of justice and faithfulness.  In the Greek “faithfulness” is translated as “truth”. The truth of God's creation and his new creation are the foundation of the gospel.  Isaiah saw the Messiah setting creation to rights, and to do that demands the truth to put an end to the lies.  The gospel proclaims Jesus' victory and the new creation that has come with him out of the tomb, the truth of the goodness of God's original creation and the truth of the goodness that he's now restoring it to.  Our calling now is to stand firm on that foundation and to wrap that truth around us like a belt.  The gospel is not about our feelings or our imaginations or what we think people will like or not like.  The gospel is about truth: God's good creation and Jesus' setting it to rights. But our main piece of defensive equipment is the breastplate—the breastplate of justice—or righteousness in some translations.  The Greek word means both.  Paul takes this image from Isaiah 59:17.  It's not just righteousness as we often think of it as moral goodness.  It's truly justice.  It's God's desire to see this broken world full of pain and tears truly set to rights.  In Isaiah 59 it's the divine warrior who goes out to bring God's justice to the world, but Paul understood that the divine warrior is Jesus the Messiah.  And he didn't go out to bash heads in order to bring justice.  He went in humility to the cross.  He gave his life to free us from sin and to wash away the stain of death, so that he could fill us with his Spirit and make us his temple.  And, in that, Paul's saying we're now called to follow in Jesus' steps to bring God's justice, his righteousness to the world as we live out Jesus' new—renewed—way of being human.  This is why Jesus talked in the Sermon on the Mount, about his people hungering and thirsting for justice.  It's our breastplate.  It's the thing staves off our own temptations to idolatry and greed that would otherwise cause us to bring more pain and tears into the world. And then the shoes of peace.  Another echo of Isaiah that Paul and the Jews knew so well: “How beautiful are the feet of the messenger who announces peace…who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”  Except whereas for people like the old Paul, this had become a hope of violent military victory over the pagans, in Jesus peace has come through his resurrection.  The enemy did his violent worst, and Jesus has trounced him with life.  And now he commissions us to be his ambassadors, running to the world to announce that in the risen Messiah, the king has returned to establish the peace that Israel had so long hoped for and the peace that even us gentiles hope for, knowing that the world is not as it should be.  Put on your gospel shoes! And then the shield of faith.  Paul seems to have come up with this all on his own.  He pictured flaming arrows that would set an ordinary shield on fire, but there were things you could do to prevent that—like stretching water-soaked leather over your shield.  Faith is like that, says Paul.  The Messiah's faith and then our faith that answers in return.  Faith will protect you from the enemy.  Don't let go of it. And then, back to Isaiah 59:17, the helmet of salvation—the helmet of “rescue”.  The divine warrior has won the battle and rescued the captives.  Brothers and Sisters, we've been rescued by Jesus, put that helmet on not only to stand your ground, but as with all these things, when we take up the Messiah's armour, we take up the Messiah's task.  He's rescued creation from the devil and now we're part of the battalion called to keep the devil from taking creation back.  That helmet of salvation reminds us—maybe that's why Paul puts it on our heads—that the Messianic mission is ultimately a rescue mission—to rescue creation and to rescue humanity from the enemies lies. And then there's the one defensive bit of God's armour: the sword of the Spirit, which Paul says is God's word.  The word is the gospel, the good news of Jesus, crucified and risen.  The word that fulfils Isaiah 11:4 where the Messiah smites the earth with the rod of his mouth and slays the wicked with the breath of his lips.  His breath.  In both Hebrew and Greek the word for breath is also the word for spirit.  Brothers and Sisters, Paul knew that when he proclaimed the gospel, God's Spirit went to work: confronting idolatry with the true and living God and sinners with a message of hope.  The battle isn't won with violence.  It's won with the good news of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.  But Paul knew, too, that if we're going to stand firm in the Messiah, and if we're going to put on his armour, we'd better be praying, too.  He continues at verse 18: “Pray on every occasion in the Spirit, with every type of prayer and intercession.  You'll need to keep awake and alert for this, with all perseverance and intercession for all God's holy ones—and also for me.  Please pray that God will give me his words to speak when I open my mouth, so that I can make known, loud and clear, the mystery of the gospel.  That, after all, is why I'm a chained-up ambassador.  Pray that I may announce it boldly; that's what I'm duty-bound to do.” The military imagery is still here.  Like a sentry on guard: stay awake and alert.  Pray and persevere.  Don't give up.  The lies will swirl around you like a hurricane, but stand firmly in the truth of God's new creation and pray.  Connect with him in that mysterious and inexplicable gift he's given us to speak with and to be in communion with him.  It's one of the main reasons he's given us his own Spirit.  And here, I think Paul is again thinking of Isaiah 59 and the divine warrior, driven by the Spirit.  “As for me, this is my covenant with them, says the Lord: my Spirit that is upon you and my words that I have put in your mouth shall not depart out of your mouth…from now on and forever” (Isaiah 59:21).  So pray.  Pray, pray, pray and pray that the Spirit will give you—will give us all—the boldness to speak God's word: his truth, his wisdom, his gospel into a world so desperately in need of them.  It doesn't matter if you're chained up for the gospel like Paul.  That's the gospel paradox.  God reveals his strength when we are at our weakest—just as he did at the cross. And then the last few verses of the letter.  Paul wraps things up saying, “It's important that you should know how things are with me, and what I'm up to; so our dear brother Tychicus will tell you about it.  He is a loyal servant in the Lord.  I've sent him to you with this in mind, so that you may know how things are with us, and so that he may encourage your hearts.  Peace be to the whole family, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus the Messiah.  Grace be with all who love our Lord, Messiah Jesus, with a love that never dies.” Tychicus is making the rounds to let them know what's up with Paul.  Again, Paul's said it several times: he's in prison.  We don't know what else beyond that Tychicus would have told them about Paul, but it's telling that whatever the news is, Paul expects them to be encouraged.  And it doesn't seem that it's news of a soon release.  I expect Paul would have mentioned something like that.  Instead, Paul seems to expect them to be encouraged by his chains.  Again, the opposition he's facing is a sign that the gospel and the Spirit are doing what they're supposed to do, that the gospel is marching on, that (so to speak) Aslan is on the move, and the principalities and powers feel threatened.  And that's good news.  So, knowing his brothers and sisters are standing firm and fighting the gospel fight, he wishes them peace and love with faith and grace—the heart of the gospel, the foundations on which God's new creation is being built. And then that last word.  I'll close with that.  To everyone who loves the Messiah: grace.  Grace with a love that never dies.  The Greek word literally means “immortality”.  Brothers and Sisters, this gracious love will never pass away.  When the battle is finally over, when we have fought the good fight, when we have stood firm and kept the faith, when the church has finally done what she was created to do and expanded God's temple until his presence, his wisdom, his glory have filled the whole earth and Jesus has made a final end of death itself, when we have done what our Lord has called us to do and find—maybe to our own surprise—that we're still standing on our own feet in those shoes of peace, when there are no more lies and Jesus is Lord, then our love for him—which may feel so imperfect and inadequate today—but our love for him that kept us strong through the storm and the battle, will turn out to have been only the beginning of the great gift of love that we will enjoy for ever in God's presence and in his creation set to rights, in that new heaven and earth in which there are no more pain or sorrows or tears or death, only grace and love. Paul began his letter by directing our gaze back before the foundation of the world and now he points forward to day when not only are all God's promises fulfilled, but when he himself sums up all things in heaven and earth himself, the fullness of all in all.  And here in the in-between, in the middle of the story we stand: rescued by love, given a new gospel life in love, equipped with God's word and God's Spirit in love, and filled with God's wisdom that, following Jesus, we will be the new humanity—the firstfruits of his new creation.  Not only for our sake, but for the sake of the whole word over which Jesus the Messiah is already ruling as Lord. Let's pray: O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen us, and exalt us to that place where our Savior Christ has gone before; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting.  Amen. [1] The Dead Sea Scrolls Study Edition, ed. F.G. Martinez and E.J.C Tigchelaar (Leiden: Brill, 1997), 109.

It's Friday, May 15th, A.D. 2026. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com. I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Adam McManus Vietnamese Communists arrest four Christians On May 12th, Vietnamese Communist authorities arrested four clergy and lay leaders accused of sharing documentation of human rights abuses online, reports Christian Solidarity Worldwide. The group was also indicted for associating with Dr Nguyễn Đình Thắng, the president of Boat People SOS, a Vietnamese-American human rights group, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison in absentia in April on false terrorism charges for his alleged role in the 2023 Dak Lak uprising.  While two of the four were released, the others remain behind bars. Psalm 23:4 says, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You, [God], are with me; Your rod and staff, they comfort me.” China's Jinping warns Trump about Taiwan On May 14th, Chinese President Xi Jinping warned U.S. President Donald Trump that the two countries could clash over Taiwan if the issue was not handled properly, reports the Associated Press. The exchange at a highly anticipated summit in Beijing underscored just how far apart Trump and Jinping remain on thorny issues, including the war in Iran, trade disputes and Washington's relations with Taiwan, which is self-ruled but which China claims as part of its territory. The pair met for about two hours behind closed doors at the Great Hall of the People after an elaborate welcome ceremony featuring booming cannons, a band playing “The Star-Spangled Banner” and China's national anthem, and hundreds of school children waving flowers and American and Chinese flags. President Trump's opening remarks were optimistic. TRUMP: “President Xi, I want to thank you very much. We've had a fantastic relationship. We've gotten along. When there were difficulties, we worked it out. I would call you, and you would call me, and whenever we had a problem, people don't know, whenever we had a problem, we worked it out very quickly. “I have such respect for China, the job you've done. You're a great leader. I say it to everybody. You're a great leader. Sometimes people don't like me saying it, but I say it anyway, because it's true. I only say the truth. “And I just want to say on behalf of all of the great delegation that we have. We have the greatest businessmen. Every single one of them. We asked the top 30 in the world. Every single one of them said, ‘Yes,' and they look forward to trade and doing business. It's going to be totally reciprocal on our behalf. It's an honor to be with you. “It's an honor to be your friend. The relationship between China and the USA is going to be better than ever before.” Trump's pick for Federal Reserve Chairman confirmed President Trump's pick to lead the Federal Reserve won Senate confirmation on May 13th, just in time to officially take over as the leader of the central bank, reports National Public Radio. Trump is hoping Kevin Warsh can lead the Fed into much lower interest rates — but the president could be frustrated by persistent inflation. Warsh was confirmed on a 54-45 vote, mostly along party lines. Prior to the vote, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota, spoke from the Senate floor and shared an overview of Kevin Warsh's biography and questioned why the Democrats have objected to his nomination. THUNE: “He credits his knowledge of the real economy to growing up in upstate New York, where his dad ran a children's clothing store and manufacturing company. From Shaker High School, he went on to Stanford University and then Harvard Law School. He then started a career on Wall Street, but he shifted to public service, joining the Bush administration's economic policy team in 2002. “Four years later, President Bush nominated him to the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. At age 35, Kevin Warsh was unanimously confirmed here in the Senate and became the youngest governor in the history of the Federal Reserve. Being the youngest person to take a seat in the Federal Reserve's boardroom is impressive enough, but Kevin Warsh didn't just take a seat. He was a key player during the time he was on the board. “Kevin Warsh seems to have just the profile of a Federal Reserve Chairman, yet Democrats oppose his nomination. For the first time in its history, the Banking Committee reported out a nominee for Fed chairman on a party line vote because every single Democrat opposed Mr. Warsh's nomination, and actually only one Democrat was even present for the vote. “The other 10 Democrats on the Banking Committee didn't even bother to show up for it. I wish I could say I'm surprised, but this is just how bad Trump Derangement Syndrome has gotten on the other side of the aisle. Democrats won't say so, but that's what it is.” Kevin Warsh has argued there's room to lower rates, but he also promised to use his own judgment in setting monetary policy — and not to take orders from the White House. Warsh denied charges from Democrat Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts that he would be Trump's "sock puppet." Warsh will replace Jerome Powell, who has led the Fed since 2018. Although Trump appointed Powell to the job, he has relentlessly criticized the outgoing Fed chairman for not moving more aggressively to lower borrowing costs. Powell's term as chairman ends today. In a break with tradition, Powell will remain on the Fed's governing board for a period of time after stepping down as chairman. That's unusual since Fed chairs typically leave the central bank when their term as the head is done. But Powell is determined to safeguard the institution from political pressure. He has vowed to keep a low profile and not overshadow Warsh. But Powell will continue to have a vote on the 12-member committee that sets interest rates. Missionary John Vassar commissioned as evangelist And finally, on May 15, 1850, John Vassar—often referred to as "Uncle" John—was formally commissioned as an evangelist for the American Tract Society of New York. Following a distinct conversion experience at the age of 28, Vassar left his family's prominent brewing business in Poughkeepsie, New York, to dedicate his life to soul-winning.  As an agent for the American Tract Society, he traveled extensively, selling and distributing Christian literature. Known for his intense earnestness, he was described as a "living fire" who would ask everyone he met about their relationship with Christ. He became one of the most powerful personal evangelists of the 19th century.  Isaiah 52:7 says, “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!'” Later in John Vassar's career, in 1863, he was commissioned to work among soldiers during the Civil War. Upon being captured, he famously asked Confederate General Jeb Stuart, "General, do you love Jesus?" Close And that's The Worldview on this Friday, May 15th, in the year of our Lord 2026. Subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music, or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com. Plus, you can get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

Where is Your God? Sometimes we are chasing things to give us peace when God is all we really need. Listen to this episode to find ways to have peace in your life! Blessings!

Pastor Andrew reminds us this week that if you're facing some lions, you might want to trust God! Daniel 6:16 So the king gave the command, and they brought Daniel and cast him into the den of lions. But the king spoke, saying to Daniel, “Your God, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you.” 

Living out the Gospel through service, generosity, and everyday obedience reflects the heart of Isaiah 52:7 and shows what it truly means to bring good news. Faith becomes tangible when we meet real needs, demonstrating Christ’s love in practical ways within our communities. Highlights Bringing “good news” includes both sharing truth and meeting practical needs Small acts of obedience can create meaningful, lasting impact Serving others reflects the heart and mission of Jesus Faith is most powerful when it’s lived out, not just spoken Community impact often starts with simple awareness and willingness Generosity can open doors for deeper spiritual conversations Have an idea for our newsletter? We want to hear from you! Take our survey below: Take Our Survey! Do you want to listen ad-free? When you join Crosswalk Plus, you gain access to exclusive, in-depth Bible study guides, devotionals, sound biblical advice, and daily encouragement from trusted pastors and authors—resources designed to strengthen your faith and equip you to live it out boldly. PLUS ad free podcasts! Sign Up Today! Full Transcript Below: Bring the Good NewsBy: Michelle Lazurek Bible Reading:“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 As part of our strategy to become more missional and impact our community, I was tasked with maintaining food donations for our local high school. Although we live in an affluent community, many children attend school without adequate food or resources. Our church took on the responsibility of collecting food donations throughout the year and giving them to its local high school food closet. This way, students can contact their teachers or administrative staff to arrange private food deliveries, so they have enough to take home and maintain food security. During one of the monthly drop-offs, I struggled to bring the full organizational bin of food to the door. I had asked them to get a cart so I could wheel it into the high school. When the teachers opened the door, they were astonished. They were so grateful to have that much food donated to their students. Because they often provided food privately to keep kids from being bullied or made fun of, they could not ask for food donations in the community. They had to rely on people with that type of information to meet the need tangibly. It deeply touched my heart to be able to provide food to the students in that way. Not only was I able to live out my faith with my church, but we also impacted our community through small acts of obedience. By being the tangible hands and feet of Jesus, we were able to bring Jesus into the school system, which typically inhibits religious activity. This reminds us that it is important not only to listen to a sermon and go to church every Sunday, but also to be the hands and feet of Christ. Even the smallest gestures can have the greatest impact on those around us. In what way can you be the hands and feet of Christ? In what way can you bring good news and proclaim peace to those in your community? Can you help by providing a tangible need to someone who needs it? Can you describe the gospel to someone who needs clarification on a Scripture passage? Can you create an environment where people in a small group setting can share deeply and intimately, not only meeting their emotional needs but also becoming equipped to spread the gospel to those who need it most? No matter what you do, seek to serve the Lord in great and mighty ways, both inside your church community and outside of it. Let the message of Jesus be so clear it's unmistakable. People see the light of Jesus more clearly when we lovingly demonstrate gestures that show his love to others. Take a moment to brainstorm ways your church can be the feet of those who bring good news to others in your local community. Maybe it is as simple as donating food to high school students in need. Maybe it's donating a portion of your paycheck each week or month to a nonprofit organization that champions a cause close to your heart. Whatever the case may be, be the people who make a tangible impact on the world. We live in a country where we can freely proclaim the gospel both with our mouths and with our actions. Let us not take this fact for granted. Let us proclaim the gospel frequently before it becomes illegal. Let’s be people so connected to the gospel that we can't help but share the good news with everyone we meet. Let us take actions so great that they positively impact people, and allow them to proclaim, “Your God reigns!” Father, let us be people who love people in practical, tangible ways. Let us be the literal feet of those who bring good news to everyone they meet. Allow the good news to be a message of love, compassion, and empathy for those who are struggling. Through grand and small gestures, let everything we do be done in love. Amen. Intersecting Faith & Life: What is one practical step you can take today to be the person who brings good news to everyone around you? Further Reading:Isaiah 58:10 Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

II Kings 19:10, 14-20, 5-7, 35-37; 20:5-6 Taunt #1: "Your God is not great, and your God is not good." Truth for Triumph #1: "Your God is infinitely great and abundantly good." Tactic for Triumph #1: Like Hezekiah, lay this taunt before the Lord in prayer, confessing the character of God and His power to save and to bless." Taunt #2: "Your confidence in God will lead to defeat and destruction." Truth for Triumph #2: "Your confidence in God will lead you to domination and deliverance." Tactic for Triumph#2: Like Hezekiah, pray into the prophetic promises of God with serene confidence. Taunt #3: "Your dignity will be dishonored and degraded." Truth for Triumph #3: "Your dignity will be defended and deepened." Tactic for Triumph #3: Like Hezekiah, believe God to answer your prayers for protection and promotion. Taunt #4: "Your destiny will be cut short and cut off." Truth for Triumph #4: "Your destiny is designed and determined by God." Tactic for Triumph #4: Like Hezekiah, cry out to God in prayer, believing that you are indestructible until God's plan for you is complete. Speaker: Pastor Dale Evrist Check out additional podcasts for more Bible-based content at lifereachresources.com/podcasts. You can get your CORE4 and CORE4Kids discipleship resources at lifereachresources.com/core4. Find out more about becoming a Disciple-Maker at lifereachresources.com/disciplemakingteam.  

Your God's Masterpiece

Great interview at CPAC 2026 in Dallas, TX last week with Sen. Mayes Middleton! "Your God given sex is your sex period and you can never change that." -Sen Mayes Middleton Help us build our channel so we can maintain a culture of Faith, Family, & Freedom in Texas by interacting with us; like, comment, share, subscribe! For more about Texas Values see: Txvalues.org To support our work, go to donate.txvalues.org/GivetoTexasValues

This week at Skybreak Church, Pastor Nathan delivered a powerful message on Resurrection Sunday about the encounter between Jesus and Thomas, a moment often misunderstood. Thomas isn't just "doubting", he's hurting, processing, and searching for something real. And instead of rebuking him, Jesus meets him in his questions. God doesn't wait for you to have it all together. He meets you in the middle of your questions, pain, and disappointment. "Your God moment can resurrect what you thought was dead." -Pastor Nathan Green. This Is Your God moment. Don't miss it. Join us Sundays at 9AM or 11AM! Like, Comment, and Subscribe for more messages on faith, discipleship, and following Jesus in everyday life. — If you accepted Christ we'd love to meet you! Click the link below to introduce yourself so we can help you along your faith journey! Click Here!

Scripture Reading: John 20:1-2 He knows your name, and by calling you by name he gives us a new name, daughters and sons of the Father, My Father and your Father. My God and Your God. He is Risen! He is is Risen indeed!

YOUR God! “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?” - Psalm 8:3-4 (NKJV)

This week at Skybreak Church, Pastor Nathan delivered a powerful message on Resurrection Sunday about the encounter between Jesus and Thomas, a moment often misunderstood. Thomas isn't just "doubting", he's hurting, processing, and searching for something real. And instead of rebuking him, Jesus meets him in his questions. God doesn't wait for you to have it all together. He meets you in the middle of your questions, pain, and disappointment. "Your God moment can resurrect what you thought was dead." -Pastor Nathan Green. This Is Your God moment. Don't miss it. Join us Sundays at 9AM or 11AM! Like, Comment, and Subscribe for more messages on faith, discipleship, and following Jesus in everyday life. — If you accepted Christ we'd love to meet you! Click the link below to introduce yourself so we can help you along your faith journey! Click Here!

Have you ever asked God for one thing and you feel like you got something totally different? Jesus tells us, “ask and you will receive”, but maybe you're not so sure that applies to you because you haven't gotten what you've asked for. Yes, girl, ask. He wants you to ask. He answers every time you ask – it just might not look like what you thought it would. The Israelites were hungry in the desert and they asked God to supply their needs and give them food to eat. AND GET THIS – The next day they woke up to manna!!!! We know manna as this miraculous bread directly from God which sustained the Israelites where there was nothing else to eat. But let me tell you, THIS WAS NOT WHAT THEY WERE EXPECTING. Exodus 16: 13-15 “The next morning the area around the camp was wet with dew. When the dew evaporated, a flaky substance as fine as frost blanketed the ground. The Israelites were puzzled when they saw it. ‘What is it?’ They asked each other. They had no idea what it was. And Moses told them, ‘It is the food the Lord has given you to eat.” I propose they woke up that morning and saw this white dewy, sticky substance all over the desert ground and they really said “What in the world is THIS?” I don't know, maybe they were expecting Sarah Lee herself to appear at sunrise baking her fresh loaves of bread, but this … this is not what they were expecting. What is this and what am I supposed to do with it? Understand, nothing like this dewy, flaky substance had ever been seen before. This was totally new to them. And quite honestly, it didn't look like the miracle they were expecting of the God they were counting on for survival. And this is why they called it manna. Manna literally means “What is it?” For real, that's the defintion of manna – what is it? And if you don't know what it is, you certainly don't know what to do with it. The Israelites expected food they recognized. God gave them something they had to learn HOW to use. Sometimes the reason we miss God's provision is because it doesn't match our expectations. We expect things to look a certain way, but God works in the unexpected. You can't figure him out. You can't predict him. Your God is continually going to show up in ways that surprise you. And honestly, sometimes it's initially a disappointing surprise. A question of, really, what is this? What do I do with this now? Can you see how what God has given you is provision, even if it doesn't look like the “bread” you were expecting? The confusion you currently feel is the first stage of revelation to God's answer. In the beginning, you're asking, “Why did this relationship end?” – later you see God's protection in it. In the beginning you're asking, “Why did I lose that job?” – later you see God's great redirection. In the beginning you're asking, “Why did this happen to me?” – later you see God's preparation for something better he had for you next. Just because you don't understand it doesn’t mean God isn't in it. The Israelites didn't understand this bizarre looking substance all over the ground that morning, but it was still their miracle. Now it was time to learn what to do with their miracle. And my friend, if you've asked God to show up for you, he has … maybe you just don't understand what he is doing. It's time to learn what to do with the minunderstood miracle he has given you. In studying manna, this miraculous bread from Heaven that appeared on the desert ground each morning, I've learned the most practical and applicable lessons for exactly where we find ourselves today. Lessons on what to do with God's answers that you don't understand. It is believed that this manna was like a coriander seed covered in dew. Not loaves of bread, but a seed which could become something. Not a seed to be planted, but a seed to be ground. When worked, when crushed by hand, when grinded out, this substance miraculously covering the desert floor each morning became much like wheat and could be used to make bread. It wasn't what they expected and they didn't recognize its potential because IT HAD TO BE WORKED. They prayed for bread and they got something they could USE TO MAKE bread. God didn't drop baked loaves into their hands. They had to go out each morning, they had to gather this strange substance from the ground, then they had to prepare it. Now remember, they're in the middle of the desert where nothing grows or flows. This is literally a life-saving miracle. This was bizarre and beautiful. But it was only bizarre until they worked with it – then it became beautiful. I don't know what bizarre thing you might be facing right now, but maybe this is God's answer to your prayers, but some effort is required from you now to see it as beautiful. You have to get out there and gather this up. You've got to grind this out. You've got to work with this. And when you do, it will become exactly what you truly need. What if the very thing you've been confused about… The thing you've been questioning … The thing you've been overlooking … IS ACTUALLY YOUR MANNA?!!!! What if you've been asking God for bread, and he's been faithfully covering the ground in front of you every morning and you just keep walking past it because you don't recognize it. Well, my friend, you'll never recognize it for what it could be if you don't work with what God has given you! If you've asked God, he has heard you and he is moving on your behalf – just perhaps not in a way you recognize. But it's here. Can you see it? What will you do with it? Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

Welcome to Day 2823 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom. Day 2823 – Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 119:41-48 – Daily Wisdom Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2823 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2823 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. The title for today's Wisdom-Trek is: The Waw of Freedom – Speaking Truth to Kings In our previous episode, we navigated the fifth stanza of Psalm One Hundred Nineteen, known as the "He" section. There, we prayed an urgent, navigational prayer. We asked the Creator to turn our eyes away from the worthless, glittering idols of the culture, and to bend our affections toward His eternal decrees. We realized that, without divine intervention, our natural tendency is to wander off the path, lured by selfish gain and the deceptive promises of the surrounding world. But when Yahweh actively guides our steps, we find our true happiness within the safe boundaries of His cosmic order. Today, we take our next confident stride along this majestic, alphabetical trail. We are entering the sixth stanza of Psalm One Hundred Nineteen, which corresponds to the sixth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the letter "Waw," or "Vav." We will be immersing ourselves in verses forty-one through forty-eight, in the New Living Translation. In biblical Hebrew, the letter "Waw" functions primarily as a conjunction. It is the word "and." It is a hook, or a peg, that connects one thought to another. In fact, in the original Hebrew text, every single verse in this specific stanza begins with the word "And." This stanza serves as a magnificent bridge. It takes the internal, private devotion we built in the previous stanzas, and hooks it directly to external, public boldness. We are moving from the quiet prayer closet, out into the hostile, public square. We are going to learn how a heart anchored in the unfailing love of God can stand fearlessly before the mocking kings of this world. So, let us secure our gear, and step onto the trail. Psalm One Hundred Nineteen: verses forty-one and forty-two. Lord, give me your unfailing love, the salvation that you promised me. Then I can answer those who taunt me, for I trust in your word. The stanza opens with a desperate, yet highly confident, plea for tangible rescue. "Lord, give me your unfailing love, the salvation that you promised me." Here we see our old, familiar friend, the Hebrew word Hesed. This is God's loyal, stubborn, covenant-keeping love. But notice that the psalmist links this unfailing love directly to "salvation." He is not just asking for a warm, internal feeling of affection. He is asking for a visible, concrete deliverance. He needs God to physically intervene in his life, and rescue him from a very real, very present danger. He is holding God to His own promises, reminding the Creator of the covenant they share. And why does he need this visible salvation so urgently? "Then I can answer those who taunt me, for I trust in your word." In the Ancient Near Eastern culture, honor and shame were the absolute driving forces of society. To be taunted, or mocked, was not just an issue of hurt feelings; it was an act of public, spiritual warfare. We must view this through the lens of the Divine Council worldview. The people who are taunting the psalmist are not just schoolyard bullies. They are representatives of the surrounding pagan nations, driven by the rebel spiritual principalities of the unseen world. These mockers look at the psalmist's suffering, and they sneer. They say, "Where is your God? You follow His invisible laws, you refuse to worship our idols, and yet, look at you! You are suffering. Your God is weak, and your trust is completely foolish." The psalmist knows that he cannot win this argument with clever human philosophy. The only way to silence the taunts of the rebel gods, and their human proxies, is for Yahweh to visibly show up. When God's Hesed arrives in the form of tangible salvation, it becomes the ultimate apologetic. It provides the definitive answer to the mockers. The psalmist can point to his deliverance and say, "Look! My God is alive. He keeps His word, and my trust was perfectly placed." Psalm One Hundred Nineteen: verses forty-three and forty-four. Do not snatch your word of truth from me, for your regulations are my only hope. I will keep on obeying your instructions forever and ever. While he waits for this visible vindication, the psalmist voices his deepest, most profound fear. "Do not snatch your word of truth from me, for your regulations are my only hope." What does it mean for God to snatch His word of truth away? In the biblical framework, this is the terrifying concept of divine silence. If you remember the history of Israel, there were seasons of intense rebellion where God withdrew His prophetic voice. The heavens became like brass. A famine of hearing the words of the Lord swept through the land. To be stripped of God's truth is the ultimate, catastrophic judgment. The psalmist is essentially pleading, "Lord, no matter how intense the mocking gets, and no matter how long I have to wait for my salvation, please do not let me lose my grip on Your reality. Do not let the truth slip from my mouth. If I lose Your regulations, I lose everything, because they are my only hope." In a chaotic, contested world, the Torah is not a burden; it is a life raft. When the storms of cultural opposition rage, the instructions of the Creator are the only things that keep us from drowning in the abyss. Because he recognizes this profound reality, he makes a sweeping, eternal commitment: "I will keep on obeying your instructions forever and ever." This is not a temporary, weekend commitment. This is a cosmic allegiance. The psalmist is declaring that his loyalty to Yahweh extends beyond his current crisis, beyond his earthly lifespan, and straight into eternity. He is locking his will onto the unshakeable foundation of the Divine Architect. Psalm One Hundred Nineteen: verses forty-five and forty-six. I will walk in freedom, for I have devoted myself to your commandments. I will speak to kings about your laws, and I will not be ashamed. These two verses contain one of the most brilliant, mind-bending paradoxes in the entire Bible. The psalmist boldly declares, "I will walk in freedom, for I have devoted myself to your commandments." In our modern, Western culture, we have completely redefined the concept of freedom. We tend to think that true freedom means absolute autonomy—the ability to do whatever we want, whenever we want, without any external rules or restrictions. But the ancient, biblical mind knew that autonomy from the Creator is a deceptive, deadly trap. If a train decides to free itself from the tracks, it does not find liberation; it finds destruction. The Hebrew word translated as "freedom" here is rachabah, which literally means "a wide, broad, or open place." We saw this exact concept back in Psalm One Hundred Eighteen. True freedom is not the absence of boundaries; it is operating exactly as you were designed to operate, within the safe, wide-open spaces of God's grace. The psalmist experiences expansive, breathing room in his soul, precisely because he has devoted himself to God's commandments. When you align your life with the grain of the universe, you are no longer crashing into the destructive, chaotic consequences of sin. You are truly, wonderfully free. And this internal freedom produces massive, external courage. "I will speak to kings about your laws, and I will not be ashamed." Do not miss the staggering audacity of this statement. In the ancient Near East, kings were not just politicians. They were the supreme, absolute rulers of their domains. More importantly, in the pagan worldview, kings were viewed as the literal sons of the gods. They were the earthly pontiffs, the avatars, of the rebel spiritual principalities. To stand before a foreign king was to stand before the concentrated power of the kingdom of darkness. Yet, the psalmist says he will walk right into the throne room, look the king in the eye, and speak about the laws of Yahweh. He will declare the supreme, cosmic authority of the God of Israel over the pagan pantheons. And he will do it without a shred of shame or fear. This is the exact same courage we see later in the Bible, when Daniel stands before Nebuchadnezzar, or when the Apostle Paul stands before King Agrippa. When you are walking in the wide-open freedom of God's truth, the intimidating thrones of human kings suddenly look very small. You realize that you serve the King of Kings, and therefore, you have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. Psalm One Hundred Nineteen: verses forty-seven and forty-eight. How I delight in your commands!...

Fruit by Faith for the Kingdom (1) (audio) David Eells – 3/22/26   Keys to the Kingdom Ron Coulson - 03/22/2010 (David's notes in red) As I was walking down a road, there was a long, tall fence on my left and large yards and houses on my right (the multitudes in the sectarian church). I continued walking, and directly in front of me was a large building. (The true Church, which has the Kingdom of God within.) I entered through the front door into a rotunda (a circular ground plan with a dome). There were nine doors (to enter the Kingdom). Each door had curved glass with a gold frame around it. I looked at my left hand and in it was a large gold ring with nine gold keys. (These represent the nine fruits of the Spirit, through which we enter the Kingdom of God. (Gal.5:19) Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are [these]: fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, (20) idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousies, wraths, factions, divisions, parties, (21) envyings, drunkenness, revellings, and such like; of which I forewarn you, even as I did forewarn you, that they who practise such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. (But those who have the fruit do enter the Kingdom.) (22) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, (23) meekness, self-control; against such there is no law. (24) And they that are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with the passions and the lusts thereof. (25) If we live by the Spirit, by the Spirit let us also walk. Those who do not have the fruits of the Spirit may receive them by faith, for they were given at the cross. (Mar.11:24) Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye received [Greek] them, and ye shall have them. (Rom.6:11) Even so reckon ye also yourselves to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus. (12) Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey the lusts thereof ... (21) What fruit then had ye at that time in the things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. (22) But now being made free from sin and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto sanctification, and the end eternal life. (23) For the wages of sin is death; but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.) As I turned to leave, I heard a woman screaming. I turned back around and saw an open door in front of me. The inside of the room was huge with a gold artifact (a valuable ancient tool or weapon - the sword of the Word) and a bright light. (The truth of the Word is the light. With these we enter the Kingdom. Jesus also gave us authority in His Kingdom to bind and loose. (Mat 16:19) I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.) I saw a door directly on the other side of the room that was partially open and the same woman was screaming from inside it. I started to run toward the door, but was instantly in there. The woman was sitting to the right of the door, on the floor, with her head in her hands, sobbing. All of a sudden, another man appeared with a dagger in his hand, and he was going to kill the woman. (Satan will attempt to spiritually and sometimes physically, kill the Bride before the tribulation but she will be used to raise up the Church.) Then there appeared a taller man (Jesus) with his back toward me, holding a sword with a gold handle and silver blade. Instantly, their position changed. The other man's back was toward me, and the taller one was facing me. The taller man said to the adversary, “Be gone, Satan!” Jesus turned to me and smiled, and then invited us into the wedding feast! (The seven-day tribulation is the wedding feast before going to the Groom's home.) The woman (His Bride) stood up with a smile on her face. We both walked into the adjoining room, where we were celebrating the Feast of the Lord! (The Lord will defend His Bride, before and in the tribulation, who abides in the fruits of the Spirit and wields the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.)   Glorified in His Saints Aaron Lim - 10/02/2006 (David's notes in red) I received this vision as I was listening to an audio by David Eells. (Listening to the spiritual Davids will prepare us to face the darkness to come.) In the vision, the whole land was dark, and nothing could be seen in the background. I saw the Lord Jesus Christ with a light around Him on the cross on top of a hill in the middle of the land. All around at the bottom of the hill, I saw people who looked exactly like Jesus, like they were clones of Him. They were all wearing the exact same garments as each other and had the same light around them as Christ did, and they were all looking up towards Him on the cross. Praise His name! (And here is the gospel in a nutshell that brings us into His image as we see Him lifted up.) (2Co.3:18) But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit. (2Co.4:11) For we who live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh. (Gal.2:20) I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me: and that [life] which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, [the faith] which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me. (2Th.1:10) when he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be marvelled at in all them that believed (because our testimony unto you was believed) in that day. (11) To which end we also pray always for you, that our God may count you worthy of your calling, and fulfil every desire of goodness and [every] work of faith, with power; (12) that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. After the vision, I knelt down to pray and closed my eyes, and I pictured Jesus Christ on top of the hill, as if through the eyes of one of the saints, and I said to Him a prayer from King David: “With all my heart have I sought you, don't let me wander from your commandments.” He looked at me and said, “Ask the Father, because anything you ask of Him will be done by the Father”. So I looked up to the sky and asked our Father, and tears started flowing from my eyes. To Him be the kingdom and the glory forever and ever. My brothers and sisters, seek diligently and keep your eyes on the Son because everything else is darkness, and in Him there's hope. Ask the Father to lead you by the hand to our Lord because we can't find Him on our own. I have faith in His power to perfect all of us in Jesus Christ.   The Door is Closing Anonymous (David's notes in red) I saw myself in a grape vineyard in a valley. There were several mini-hills within this vineyard. There was a round table in each mini-hill. I saw Christians seated with both hands in front of them, placed on this round table, above all these mini-hills. I was in one of these mini-hills too, seated around a round table with my hands placed on top of the table in front of me. I saw a narrow and winding path to a door that opened to a mountain. This door was about to be closed. I saw reapers busily counting purple grapes. They wore a fierce and serious countenance. The grapes were all of the same size and very beautiful in appearance. The grapes were not in clusters but all the twigs (if that is what you call it) and leaves were thrown away. (Only the fruit of Christ is acceptable, the plant of the old life must die.) I saw all these individual grapes put into wooden bowls. There were many such wooden bowls belonging to all of us Christians who were waiting to see if there were enough grapes in our wooden bowls to give us a license to enter through that door before it closed completely. I was extremely worried. I was praying hard, hoping that I had enough grapes to make it! The reapers would go to each table and point and say, “You ... you ... you, take the narrow path and enter the door”. Not everyone was chosen; only a few were picked. I really praise and thank the GOOD LORD, one reaper came to our table and picked me, and told me to go! We were the last few to be picked. We were all running in a single file on that narrow winding path and entered that wooden door. But sad to say, many never made it. (The door is Jesus; we enter through Him.) I praise and thank the Lord for whatever He saw in me, from the foundation of the world, it is only by God's grace I got picked - 1Co.1:26. Many are called, but few are chosen - Mat.22:14. I believe the door of grace is about to be closed. (Each Christian has an amount of time to bear fruit.)   Safe in an Ark Anonymous (David's notes in red) I saw myself in what looked like a long wooden house, which just made me think I was in an ark. There were many windows. I saw the waters coming, so I started warning everyone to go to a higher floor. This house had three floors. I saw a terrible deluge sweep the whole streets and place, but we were left untouched. I came down to the ground floor and saw that the clear waters seemed to have subsided. So I thought I just wanted to open the door to peek outside. But the Holy Spirit cautioned me not to do so. But from my view, I thought it was OK and told that to the Lord, and I just went to open the old wooden door. (The clear waters of the true word will destroy the wicked.) Suddenly, I saw what looked like a rush of muddy waters sweeping past. I cried to God, and by the grace of God, was able to close this old wooden door in time before that water got inside the ark. (No dirty waters are allowed in the ark, who is Jesus.)  I repented and thanked God for His goodness in helping me shut the door in time. The door was so old that one would wonder how it could keep from collapsing. It was only the very grace of the Lord Jesus Christ that we were not consumed by the waters. Then I stood in front of a window to observe. Suddenly, I saw a bat try to squeeze itself through the window grills to enter the ark. But I caught that bat and broke its left, then right wing, and killed it. There was a lot of blood coming out of that dead bat. (No beast of darkness is allowed in the ark of Jesus. All who repent may enter.) Then I saw a beautiful butterfly inside the ark. (The colors represent the attributes of Jesus; the wings its ability to overcome the world in the ark.) However, I did not touch it. I was praising God for His wonderful grace and protection of His children. The dream ended here. The clean waters are judgments of the Word through the ministries that God is raising up. The muddy waters are doctrines of demons and delusions that will wash over the world and separate many from God. A bat is an unclean, blind, night creature that lives in darkness. None of these will be in the ark.   Door to Revelations About to Open Amos Scaggs - 01/15/2006 (David's notes in red) I felt this was urgent and pending now. In a vision, I was working on a big garage door in a building like nothing I had ever seen. I had installed the side rails, and all that had to be done was to install the front SPRING rails, which were lying there. In the vision, I saw the door to Revelation 6 is about to SPRING Open. As a play on words, this also could mean in the SPRINGtime of the year, the door would open. Everything is in place on the world scene for this to happen. This spring, a war could come that would be the door that would cause the world to make the covenant that opens the first seal in Revelation 6 of the tribulation. Rev 6:1  And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, Come. 2  And I saw, and behold, a white horse, and he that sat thereon had a bow; and there was given unto him a crown: and he came forth conquering, and to conquer. This is Jesus in the man-child body. ) I could hear the conversations of people in the spirit for miles away, saying, “I would like to take part in the Revelator”, which was a live drama play theater. But they were too busy at their jobs to take part. (Jesus gave parables of people who were too busy to listen to Him as the Man-child of that day.)  I knew that these people supported and participated in the churches but would not make it to Heaven. Jesus in the Man-child reformers will be the Revelator. Only those who come out of the worldly Church and abide in Him will enter the kingdom. In the next scene, I saw that the doors to an old house on a hill were left open, unattended, and nothing was stolen or touched. (This is the original Church and teachings, which most have forsaken.) Strangers were gathering around the house. There was fresh fruit of all kinds stored up in the house. It was sparkling clean and fresh. I had never seen anything that fresh before. (Isa 30:20…but thine eyes shall see thy teachers; 21 and thine ears shall hear a word behind thee (The original truth the Church forsook.), saying, This is the way , walk ye in it; when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left. ) All you had to do was reach down, pick it up, and eat. (Straight out of the Bible) Some fruit didn't taste very good in the flesh, but it was good for you in the Spirit. (God will provide the Fruit of the Spirit for the people who eat at “His House.”) The old house is the original house that apostate Christianity departed from. (Jud.1:3) Beloved, while I was giving all diligence to write unto you of our common salvation, I was constrained to write unto you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered unto the saints. ...(5) Now I desire to put you in remembrance, though ye know all things once for all, that the Lord, having saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. [the original Word] Only those who partake of the pure, fresh fruit of the original house will enter the kingdom. (1Jn.2:6) he that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk even as he walked. ...(24) As for you, let that abide in you which ye heard from the beginning. If that which ye heard from the beginning abide in you, ye also shall abide in the Son, and in the Father. (25) And this is the promise which he promised us, [even] the life eternal.)   A Bird of Prey Teddy Lishan Desta (David's notes in red) What I have purposed from eternity, that I will perform in its appointed time. My eternal counsel shall stand, and what I have purposed will be done. I am not a man to lie, not a son of man to change My mind. I will do what I counsel to do; I cannot deny Myself. Many have written about My plan for the last days. But did they truly learn from Me; or did they hear from My eternal counsels? Did they partake of the secrets of their God; did they visit the inner recesses of My word? Had the mysteries of the Holy One of Israel been disclosed to them? Had they known My counsel, they would have declared My mind. Had they truly heard from Me, there would have been no error among My people. But what they spoke was of man; what they wrote was out of the learning of man. Neither the wise of this world could know about My doing, as it is discerned by My Spirit. None of their learned men could predict about My plan, as this was My much-kept secret. (Jer.23:16) Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they teach you vanity; they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of Jehovah. (17) They say continually unto them that despise me, Jehovah hath said, Ye shall have peace; and unto every one that walketh in the stubbornness of his own heart they say, No evil shall come upon you. (18) For who hath stood in the council of Jehovah, that he should perceive and hear his word? Who hath marked my word, and heard it? (19) Behold, the tempest of Jehovah, [even his] wrath, is gone forth, yea, a whirling tempest: it shall burst upon the head of the wicked. (20) The anger of Jehovah shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days ye shall understand it perfectly. (21) I sent not these prophets, yet they ran: I spake not unto them, yet they prophesied. (22) But if they had stood in my council, then had they caused my people to hear my words, and had turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings. My people, listen to Me as I speak My heart to you, and carefully weigh My words which are from My heart. My secrets I disclose to you, and that which has not been known to past generations I reveal to you. You have not heard it before; only now I lift the shroud and reveal which has been hid from the ages. You are My chosen generation, so I reveal My truths to you. This I do so that you shall build My Kingdom on earth and bring Me the glory (Isa 48; Eph. 1: 17-20; Rom 16:26-27). This is My will; My eternal counsel. Your God will stir a bird of prey; His instrument of judgment from its abode. God has readied His bird for these days. God shall use it to bring His eternal plan to pass on earth, and God's hand shall guide it into action. God will call it from the valleys of the Jordan, and make it to emerge from the lowest parts of the earth. As the phoenix rises from its ashes, so shall My bird rise from the furnaces. (The one who was considered dead and gone shall resurrect in the Man-child.) It will come forth from the smoldering fires (the burnt offering of Jesus), so it will gleam like burnished steel. It will ascend to the heights and strike across the skies like lightning. The world will be taken by surprise; its appearing shall strike fear among many. I have fully equipped the bird to fulfill all that I have called it to do. (This phoenix is the first fruits sons of God, in whom Jesus is resurrected from the death of the Jordan to do His works of old when He was the first fruits. They will bring truths hidden from the foundation of the world and authority to bring judgment on the beast and harlot.) Its eyes are like those of the eagle, penetrating and discerning from afar. Its wings are large and strong; it will not weary or tire. Its talons and beak are sharp and strong; none of its prey can escape its grip. My bird shall strike fear in the hearts of the kings of the earth, and the girdles of their loins will untie. Those who eat My people as one who eats bread, they shall be judged by My hand. Those who said they reside in their strong towers; them it shall attack and humble for their pride. Many will cry out to God for His mercy and forgiveness; many may find the door of repentance closed. But to you, My sons and daughters of the Faith, the bird shall come to you as a comforter, carrying healing in its wings. To you, it shall bring good tidings, the news of eternal joy and rest. You shall get protection under its wings and deliverance from your mortal enemies. With your eyes, you shall see the destruction of the wicked, and none of the pestilences coming to your gates. (Mal.4:2) But unto you that fear my name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in its wings; and ye shall go forth, and gambol as calves of the stall. (3) And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I make, saith Jehovah of hosts. You shall see My salvation coming to the earth; you shall see as the captives go free. You shall see your corporate prayers answered and your righteous petitions granted. I will wipe away your tears from your faces, and your mouth shall be filled with mirth. You will see the righteousness of God filling the world, as the Word of God is honored by all. (Hos.6:2) After two days will he revive us: on the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live before him. (3) And let us know, let us follow on to know Jehovah: his going forth is sure as the morning; and he will come unto us as the rain, as the latter rain that watereth the earth. (Mal.5:2) But thou, Beth-lehem Ephrathah, which art little to be among the thousands of Judah, out of thee shall one come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting. (3) Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she who travaileth hath brought forth: then the residue of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel. (4) And he shall stand, and shall feed [his flock] in the strength of Jehovah, in the majesty of the name of Jehovah his God: and they shall abide; for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth. Therefore, My people, wait upon your God expectantly as I AM to begin to fulfill My eternal plans. But many others will attempt to fight My will, but they shall fail. Many will try to shoot down My bird of prey, but no weapon fashioned against it can prosper. I AM your God Who does His eternal counsels faithfully in its appointed time. I do that which is truth, and I owe no one an apology, says the Lord. Word (Isa.46:11) From the east, I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do. (Isa.46:11) I am calling a man to come from the east; he will swoop down like a hawk and accomplish what I have planned. I have spoken, and it will be done. (Mat.24:27, NIV) For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.   Man-child Assembled and Sent?  Amos Scaggs - 06/19/2007 I believe this is the Man-child Ministry Lines that have been formed. There was a hotel-type building atop a high mountain. (Many houses made into one on Mt. Zion.) There were a few people climbing frantically anyway they could to get to the top floor of the building. They were not taking the stairs because there was not enough time for that. They were climbing stair rails, banisters, walls, and anyway they could to get to the top because time was so short. Some carried small pieces of baggage at the beginning, but the climb was so rigorous that by the time they reached the top, all was left behind. When they reached the top, lines were already formed by the ones who had made the climb earlier, but in a different fashion. It seems there were two distinct groups, but there could have been more. One group was better equipped than the other. After reaching the top, some went in different directions as they were dispersed. Some travels were difficult and treacherous because there was more involved in the process than anticipated. Some traveled with ease but had to be careful with each step taken. The climb is hard, the time is short and the baggage of flesh will be left behind when we reach our position in Christ in the wilderness.   Lay Aside Every Weight Jon Knowles - 06/22/2007 (David's notes in red) We must “lay aside every weight and the sin that doth so easily beset us, and run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and perfecter of [our] faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising shame, and hath sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb.12:1-2). Last night, before I went to bed, I was flipping channels and there was a show about professional boxing/fighting that caught my attention. It was a behind-the-scenes kind of story about a fighter who was to weigh in the next day. His trainer came in with a set of scales and the fighter stripped down and stood on the scales. He was 8 pounds overweight, and his trainer accused him of cheating on his diet. (To much flesh) The fighter denied this but the trainer demanded that he “cut weight,” which included wearing plastic clothing, eating and drinking NOTHING and working out strenuously for hours on end. This fighter was miserable and somewhat rebellious, but he obeyed his trainer and did what he was told. The Lord spoke clearly in my spirit, telling me that His body is like this young fighter - overweight, somewhat rebellious, and unprepared to enter the ring, and we must “cut weight”. He, as our trainer, is calling us to fast, to be of sober mind, studying the Word, cutting out sinful habits, in order to be ready for the coming fight that's ahead of us. I asked for a confirmation about the fasting we need, and He pointed me to a page in Sovereign God (131): Joshua and Caleb believed that the Promised Land was theirs and that they could take it from the Canaanite. (Num.14:9) Only rebel not against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defense is removed from over them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not. The old man is bread for the new man. The spiritual man grows as he devours the old man. Since they occupy the same territory, the old man has got to die so that the spiritual man can live and grow. I've been undergoing testing, correction, discipline -- the time is short! We are being prepared for battle and many of us are not ready.   The First-Fruits and Evangelism R. S. (David's notes in red) In a dream, I walked into a large room that resembled a large football stadium. It had a lot of bleachers, and there were thousands of people in the bleachers. As I walked in, I realized that I could not leave the way I came in. As I looked around, I noticed that in the center field of the stadium, there were about 15-20 people who had white shiny glowing robes on. Everyone in the bleachers was focused on them. They were talking, but I could not hear what they were saying. They had a look of perfect peace and understanding. One of the people was my little sister-in-law (she is sixteen now and seemed to be about the same age). She had a harp or some sort of musical instrument, and she was playing it. The next thing I noticed was my other in-laws in the bleachers looking at her, all excited and saying, “Look, there is Maria, she is glowing!” Maria is Mary in English. Mary was promised to bear the fruit of Jesus. (Luk.1:31) And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. (Because she believed the Word, it came to pass.) (45) And blessed [is] she that believed; for there shall be a fulfillment of the things which have been spoken to her from the Lord. (Mary represents these people who have come to manifest the fruit of Jesus. The first fruits, 144,000, Man-child are the only ones who could learn the song with the harps (Rev.14:2,4). Only those who bear fruit are spiritually the mother of Jesus.) (Luk.8:21) But he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these that hear the word of God, and do it.) At this point, I looked to my left and realized that everyone was funneling to the only exit of the stadium. I was curious as to where they were going. I walked around to the bleachers so that I could see the exit. Standing in front of the exit, there was an Angel, and behind him were two paths. On the left side, (where Jesus sent the goats), there was an escalator going down. I looked and saw that the escalator disappeared into a lake of fire. I also saw thousands of people's heads sticking out of the lake of fire. They were all screaming in agony and were being burned alive. Then I looked to the right and I saw a door. The door was white and as it opened, I saw there was a bright whiteness behind the door. I then focused on the long line of people standing in front of the Angel; they would only pause momentarily before being directed to the right or the left. Very few people were directed to the right. I was shocked at how many people were being told to go to the left. (Leftists) They had no choice, and they could not fight it or protest; they just would get on the escalator and disappear into the fire, and then their screams would be heard. I then realized this was the end; the judgment. I began to reflect on my life and wonder which way I would be told to go. I was watching this process for quite some time. As I was watching, I saw my older brother was next in line. I was intently focused on what was happening at this point because it was my brother. As he stood in front of the Angel, he was directed to the left. I yelled out his name to see if it was really him. He turned around, his face and clothes were all dirty. The expression on his face was that of a very sad, lost soul who just realized it was the end. In a flash, I appeared next in line. Everything around me paused, and my life flashed before my eyes. It only took a moment. As I saw my life, I saw all the things that I had done in my life, good or bad; if it was for myself, it meant nothing, and I was ashamed of it. I also saw all the things I had done for the Lord in my life, and it seemed like so little compared to the rest. A vision simultaneously appeared in my mind of the story of Esau and the morsel of meat. I clearly understood that all the things the world offered and the things I had done for myself were just like the bowl of soup that Esau sold his birthright for. I was totally completely ashamed, and even though I had grown up as a missionary's child and had known the Lord my whole life, I felt unworthy and expected to be directed to the left. The Angel then showed me that what seemed were the last moments of my life, my heart had loved the Lord, and that this was grace. I was able to go to the right. As he said these words, I was relieved, but then I remembered my brother who was on the escalator. He was staring right at me, the Angel said something to me, but I couldn't hear him because of the screaming coming from the fire. I turned my attention to the Angel, and I asked him what he said. He told me that I could choose someone to go with me. I immediately said, “My Brother!” But the Angel said I could not choose him because he had already been judged, and I had a chance to talk to him on earth. I was shown (Eze.33:8) When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die, and thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way; that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thy hand. My brother is not a bad person, and I was shocked that he was on the left side. I felt horrible. I wanted another chance to witness to my brother and tell him to put the Lord first. I also began to realize all the other people I loved that I had not seen yet. Then the angel told me I could pick another person who had not been judged yet. I saw my twin brother Reuben. He died five years ago, and then he went through the door with me. As I walked through the door, a brightness surrounded me in a large white greeting room, with white seats. Everything was pure bright white. It seemed like I was there for hours. Very few people were in the room. I was waiting and thinking about all that I could have done for the Lord that I did not do. Waiting was difficult. Finally, three people came through the door. I rushed over to them. I knew them, I anxiously wanted to ask if they had seen anyone else and if the judgment was over, but before I got to them, I woke up. As I woke up, I felt the Lord was giving me a second chance to encourage people to seek Him first in their lives. I also clearly remember the shame of not telling them the truth. I began to pray desperately and was asking the Lord what he wanted me to do, and if I was supposed to tell everyone, I wanted confirmation. Immediately, I fell back asleep into a second dream. I was surrounded by brightness and what looked like snow, but it was not cold. I saw in the distance a heavenly city, with beautiful golden gates and large white pillars. I began to quicken my pace to get to the gates. As I approached the gates, the Devil jumped out from behind one of the pillars. I was wrestling with him for a long time to conquer him to try to get to the gates. The harder I tried, the harder it was. I was getting tired. The verses came to my mind, ...the Devil walks about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour... I was praying. I began to seek the Lord, and I realized that I could not conquer him and get to the gates on my own. I cried out to Jesus, I said, “I need you, I cannot do this on my own”. Then I saw who I thought was Jesus. It was like He was watching me the whole time. He came out of the gates. He destroyed the Devil, and He said to me, “See, you cannot do it, only through me. You must seek me and be yielded to me. I am the only way.” I woke up. These dreams put the fear of God into my life. I know that I must really seek him to enter in, and nothing is more important. I hope that this can be an encouragement to you. I have read several testimonies of people who have had similar dreams and life after death experiences, which have also been a confirmation to me. (If this man dies in faction he will go to the left.)   The Anointing of the First-Fruits G. C. - 07/24/2008 (David's notes in red) I would like to share a dream I was given within days/weeks of finding UBM in the fall of 2006. I was standing in a plain (wilderness) all by myself. I looked off into the distance, and I could see someone or something coming toward me. As it got closer, I could make it out as a cloud. Within seconds, it was right beside me, and on this cloud sat a messenger from God. He had an invitation for me; it was in the form of a large golden telegram that was reminiscent of the golden tickets in the Willy Wonka movie. (A ticket to visit a wondrous land.) He said this was an invitation to attend a revival that was taking place in the mountains of the Yukon. (Meaning great river, i.e., of the waters of life.) As soon as I took the golden invitation, I found myself high above the Earth, flying over North America to the far-left corner of the continent. This only took a matter of seconds as I flew thousands of miles across the nation and found myself at the foot of a snowy white mountain. I began to walk up this mountain and as I walked, I looked down and saw that I had no shoes on! (We are to climb the kingdom of God, which in Daniel 2:44 is a mountain. God demands we take off our shoes when we are on holy ground so that we are not separated from holiness.) I could not believe it! I had no shoes, walking in the snow, but my feet were not cold at all, so I kept walking up the mountain. After a long trek up, I made it to a stream and began to walk through the stream that flowed from the top of the mountain. (Walking in the rivers of the waters of life, the Word of God, that cleanses our walk.) There were large square stones that were placed in the middle of the stream for me to walk on. These stones were crafted and had a decorative border on them. (The foundations laid by the Apostles and Prophets.) They were massive in size -- must have weighed tons for just one of them. I continued to walk on these stones until I made it to the beginning of the stream in a small clearing at the top of the mountain. (The source of the “river of the water of life” is “the throne of God and the Lamb”, as Rev.22:1 says.) On top of the mountain, I saw a group of people who were standing on the bank of the stream. They were all lined up in a straight line, and something very, very supernatural was happening to them. (These are the first-fruits to be anointed with the latter rain at the beginning of the tribulation. (Rev.14:1) And I saw, and behold, the Lamb standing on the mount Zion, and with him a hundred and forty and four thousand, having his name, and the name of his Father, written on their foreheads. (4) These are they that were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These [are] they that follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were purchased from among men, [to be] the firstfruits unto God and unto the Lamb.) Something was being poured on them from the heavens. (The coming of the Lord in His people through the Latter Rain. (Hos.6:3) ... He will come unto us as the rain, as the latter rain that watereth the earth.) It was like water that glittered and shone brightly. It was so glorious. It seemed that the water was actually liquid glory. (2Co.3:18) But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit.) As I watched, each one of these people receiving this water was transformed into a more powerful being, receiving his own special gift. I even saw one grow what seemed like angel-type wings. (Ability to move supernaturally; translation. They will be able to pass these gifts on to disciples, as Jesus did. Phillip translated.) I know this sounds crazy, but they resembled superheroes. (More like “Christ in you the hope of glory”.) Then I fell on my face and started praising God. Next, I heard one call out to the rest, “The world hates us now! They hate us!” (Joh.15:18) If the world hateth you, ye know that it hath hated me before [it hated] you. He seemed very troubled by this. I got this feeling that this hatred came on so quickly that he could not understand why it was happening. That is when I was given the understanding that these people were to be sent back out into the world with their power and gifts to overcome the world. (Just as their Master, who was a type of them, did.) That is when I became bold and full of faith and said back to him in complete confidence, “Why do you question this? Did not the Master tell us this was supposed to happen? The world is supposed to hate us”. (This is the beginning of the great revival at the beginning of the tribulation.) End of dream. (Sadly, even after having great revelations if one falls into faction he will not be saved even with a second chance.)   Man-child Raised By Angels Sandy Shaw - 06/25/2016 (David's notes in red) In this first dream, I was in my house, lying in a hospital bed in the yellow room with a horse border around the wall. My husband was sleeping in our bedroom, but it's slightly different. It had a door going to the outside with a doorbell. The doorbell rang, and my husband got up and answered the door. And there was no one there but a baby in a big brown basket. The baby was lying on a woven blanket of many colors. (The attributes of the light, Jesus Christ.) He had on a white cloth diaper. And in the basket was a note which read, “Take care of until further instructions from God”. (i.e., take care of the spiritual man/Man-child until further instructions come.) The baby looked to be four or five months old. My husband picked him up and said, “Baby!” I said loudly, “What?” And he started playing with the baby until he got fussy. So I said, “What do you have in there?” He said, “I have a baby!” I said, “Oh! Bring it to me!” But he said, “You have a broken leg”. I said, “No, I don't. How many times do I have to tell you that?” So he brought the baby to me, and I laid him down next to me in the bed. I started to rub his temple area on his head. I said, “You don't have to worry. God's protection is over you”. I started to feed the baby with an old-fashioned glass baby bottle with a large nipple. It had milk in it. Then I told the baby, “In a little while, angels are coming to minister and to teach you. Then I fell asleep and the room was full of angels -- about 200. They were of various sizes with a radiance about them. The radiance was of the color white or of gold or of silver. Also, these angels were in constant motion. Those who were ministering to the baby had less motion, while the others had more motion. (Heb.1:14) Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to do service for the sake of them that shall inherit salvation?) At first, they were playing with the baby. And the baby was reaching out his hand and playing with them and giggling. The baby was continually growing. (As it was with Jesus, so it will be with Jesus in the Man-child. (Luk.2:52) And Jesus advanced in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.) Teaching angels were now teaching him. He was now two to three years old. Now he had purple clothing. (Representing royalty, son of God.) Then different angels came up close to him. He was now four or five. Still, more angels came, and he was six or seven years old. (Notice, the more angels, the more maturity.) And then I woke up. (Angels bring different giftings to God's people. (1Co.14:12) So also ye, since ye are zealous of spiritual [gifts; in the Greek, this is one word meaning “spirits”, speaking of angels], seek that ye may abound unto the edifying of the church.) In this second dream, I'm in an outdoor market. I see fruit stands with all kinds of fruit and vegetable stands with all kinds of vegetables. Then I looked off in the distance and saw a canopy with pillows hanging from it. Blankets were also sold there, and one that caught my eye was a burgundy one with gold metallic ribbon close to the edge. I had the same young boy from the previous dream. He was six or seven years old and still wearing purple clothing. I was holding his hand, and I told him to stay close. (Remember when Jesus was with Mary, as a type of the Bride, she was astonished at His spirituality and thought on the things He spoke of.) Then he said, “Remember, you were instructed to get the (wedding) band”. Then, all of a sudden, there was a man standing in front of me. He had a large ring that carried many rings of all sizes. “So you're looking for a ring. I have rings; what size do you need?” (A ring represents eternity because there is no end to it. The devil offers many eternities through religious impostors that fit any man's desires; a god and religion of their choosing.) So I'm looking at the rings. And he says, “I know that I have the ring. I know I have the right size”. And I gave him back the large ring. “No, you don't have the right size”. And he says, “I have every size you need”. I said, “No, you don't. It's one size fits all, and God is doing the sizing”. (Satan offers many ways to eternity. God's salvation is the Word and there is only one Word for eternity, but you wouldn't know that by looking at Christians who worship men and religion. (1Pe.4:11) if any man speaketh, speaking as it were oracles of God; if any man ministereth, ministering as of the strength which God supplieth: that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, whose is the glory and the dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Because they have departed from the oracles of God, they are not bearing fruit. (Heb.5:12) For when by reason of the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need again that some one teach you the rudiments of the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of solid food. (2Co.11:13) For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, fashioning themselves into apostles of Christ. (14) And no marvel; for even Satan fashioneth himself into an angel of light. (15) It is no great thing therefore if his ministers also fashion themselves as ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works. (Rev.17:6) And I saw the woman [the harlot] drunken with the blood of the saints ... (18:24) And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all that have been slain upon the earth.) Then the little boy said, “Remember, many more are coming”. (Many more personal man-childs of “Christ in you” are coming. Also many man-child reformers are being raised up.) End of dream. I asked the Lord by faith at random, “What are You telling us in this dream?” (Jer.32:26) Then came the word of Jehovah unto Jeremiah, saying, (27) Behold, I am Jehovah, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for me? (Some foolishly say that God cannot save from sin by manifesting His son in our body.) (Mar.10:1) And he arose from thence and cometh into the borders of Judaea and beyond the Jordan: and multitudes come together unto him again; and, as he was wont, he taught them again. (Yes, Jesus is coming “again” to minister to the multitudes all over the earth, manifested by Spirit and Word in a corporate first-fruits man-child body.) (Joh.15:11) These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. (Those who love Him and love His appearing in them will show the power of His salvation in all areas. What joy!) (Joh.14:21) He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself unto him. (He is coming in those who, like the Bride, love Him and keep His commandments. Because of this, they will be loved by the Father and Son.)   Is it Gifts or Fruit that Qualifies Us for the Kingdom? Questions sent - 1/9/20 (David's notes in red) Questions sent to me: I will be brief. I have, for a number of years, been doing my own bible study in the New Testament on different topics. My Present topic is “Do Not Be Deceived” (Considering your other question below, it is good to notice that this saying was always spoken by God to His people and warns them to depart from personal sin, or they will miss the Kingdom. (1Co.6:9) Or know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with men, (10) nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. (1Co.15:33) Be not deceived: Evil companionships corrupt good morals. (Gal.6:7) Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. (I.e. we create our own future by sowing good or bad) (Jas.1:14-16) but each man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed. (15) Then the lust, when it hath conceived, beareth sin: and the sin, when it is fullgrown, bringeth forth death. (16) Be not deceived, my beloved brethren. This points out that no respect of man, gifts of the Spirit, nor any good works will make us acceptable in the Kingdom if, in our personal life, we are immoral.) According to this teaching by Jesus on the Mount to the multitudes, it is possible for a person to do the works of Jesus and still be rejected from entering the kingdom of heaven. (Mat.7:20-23) Therefore by their fruits ye shall know them. (21) Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven. (22) Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by thy name, and by thy name cast out demons, and by thy name do many mighty works?(23) And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (They were entering into the ministry of gifts and signs and wonders, but neglected the crucified life that they may bear fruit, which is entering the Kingdom. Gifts do not get us into the Kingdom; fruit does. We are warned to warn these people that if they continue in their sins, none of their gifts of prophecy, casting out demons, or mighty works will be remembered. Gifts do not get us into the Kingdom, but fruit does. (Eze.3:20) Again, when a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteous deeds which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thy hand.) The text in Matthew chapter seven is difficult to put into some kind of context to clearly see what He meant. He would not have said it if it could not be clearly understood. So, what is He saying? (This is clear, it is not works done by Jesus through us, but fruit that gets us into the Kingdom. James warned “brethren” to not just be hearers of the Word but doers, or they will deceive themselves. The Word must be obeyed to manifest the salvation of our souls. (Jas.1:19-24) Ye know this, my beloved brethren. But let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: (20) for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. (21) Wherefore putting away all filthiness and overflowing of wickedness, receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. (22) But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deluding your own selves. (23) For if any one is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a mirror: (24) for he beholdeth himself, and goeth away, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. Judas was among the disciples doing miracles just like the rest of them, or they would have recognized him long before the Last Supper. But he was not bearing fruit of the Word through Jesus because he was a thief, easily offended, and a traitor, as are many today. I have seen many fall away into reprobation after working signs. (Mat.22:14) For many are called, but few chosen. Chosen is translated from the Greek: eklectos or elect. Paul said in (2Ti.1:9) who saved us, and called us … Notice: First we get saved and then called, meaning invited to partake of the benefits of the kingdom, but then only those who bear fruit are chosen or elect. The Lord is coming to choose the fruit and pick it. The rest of the “called” who do not bear fruit get plowed under. The tares grow up with the wheat “in the Kingdom,” but they don't bear fruit, and in the end time they are bundled together to be burned, as is happening now. Then the wheat shines in the Kingdom. (Jud.1:5) Now I desire to put you in remembrance, though ye know all things once for all, that the Lord, having saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. (Notice in this text that they got saved and then went through testing in the wilderness to see if they would continue in that faith, and if not, they were destroyed. AFTER salvation of one's spirit, everyone will be tested or tempted to see if they will obey the Word to manifest salvation of the soul, which is your mind, will, and emotions. Here is the test: (Jas.1:2-4) Count it all joy, my brethren, when ye fall into manifold temptations; (3) knowing that the proving of your faith worketh patience. (4) And let patience have its perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing. … 12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he hath been approved, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord promised to them that love him. (1Ti.6:11-12) But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. (12) Fight the good fight of the faith, lay hold on the life eternal, whereunto thou wast called, and didst confess the good confession in the sight of many witnesses. (When a person of God is saved by faith, it is “accounted as righteousness” until righteousness is manifested. (Gal.3:6) Even as Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness. As long as one abides in repentance and faith that Jesus took away their sins and gave us His life, they are safe. Faith is the substance of the thing hoped for. The manifestation of their salvation comes as they are fighting the good fight of faith, which is actually “laying hold on life eternal” in the salvation of the soul. Those saved in soul manifest, 30, 60, 100-fold fruit of the word. This is proven by their obedience to the Word as they are accounted to be righteous by faith. Their faith brings the power of God to manifest Him in them. These that endure in their faith to bear fruit are the truly saved according to Jesus. The other three out of the four groups in the parable of the sower who received the Word did not bear fruit and were not ultimately saved. Our souls are manifestly saved through our obedience to the Word, which power to do comes from their faith in what Jesus did at the cross. (1Pe.1:5-9) who by the power of God are guarded through faith unto a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (6) Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, ye have been put to grief in manifold trials, (The testing of the faith) (7) that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold that perisheth though it is proved by fire, may be found unto praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ: (8) whom not having seen ye love; on whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice greatly with joy unspeakable and full of glory: (9) receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. The end of our faith is the salvation of the soul, not the beginning of our faith, which is the salvation of our spirit. All Christians have a born-again spirit, but not all have borne that fruit in their soul that it becomes born again. Observe here the rebirth of the soul. (1Pe.1:21-2:2) who through him are believers in God, that raised him from the dead, and gave him glory; so that your faith and hope might be in God. (22) Seeing ye have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth unto unfeigned love of the brethren, love one another from the heart fervently: (23) having been begotten (or born) again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God, which liveth and abideth. (24) For, All flesh is as grass, And all the glory thereof as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower falleth: (25) But the word of the Lord abideth for ever. (The Word manifested in us is eternal life) And this is the word of good tidings which was preached unto you. (1Pe.2:1) Putting away therefore all wickedness, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, (2) as newborn babes, long for the spiritual milk which is without guile, that ye may grow thereby unto salvation. Notice that we as Christians grow “unto the manifestation of salvation” by the incorruptible Word manifested in our soul; that's our mind, will and emotions. Meanwhile, our faith is accounted as righteousness. I do have some thoughts, but several events in the New Testament I have trouble with. The meaning of fruit, the seven sons of Sceva, etc. Simply using the name of Jesus, regardless of your status, can this, at God's discretion, bring results? Yes. (Act.19:13-16) But certain also of the strolling Jews, exorcists, took upon them to name over them that had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. (14) And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, a chief priest, who did this. (The exorcists obviously had some success before this instance. Notice that it doesn't say “in Jesus” but “by Jesus”. This is just like the people in your original text in Matthew 17:22 who said, “by thy name”. But we are commanded to cast demons out “in the name of Jesus”. These were not in Jesus; they were just using Jesus, and evidently, this scared some demons out. God permitted it up to a point.) (15) And the evil spirit answered and said unto them, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? (16) And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and mastered both of them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. Yes, the gifts work by faith even when one is not growing in fruit or is sometimes not even saved. They work because others need their benefits, and God loves His people and wants to meet their needs even if a qualified person is not available. If someone in need comes in faith to a corrupt person, God can meet their needs of healing and deliverance for their sake and for the sake of those looking on that they would know the power of the name. But also, Christians may be gifted and have power, but in their personal life, they are not putting to death their flesh, so they are rejected by God, even with all their gifts and good works. The greatest Apostle said in (1Co.9:24-27) Know ye not that they that run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? (“One” here means those who abide in Christ and are one in Him. Those hating their brother don't have a chance, for as Jesus taught, if they don't forgive, they are not forgiven.) Even so run; that ye may attain. (25) And every man that striveth in the games exerciseth self-control in all things. Now they do it to receive a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. (26) I therefore so run, as not uncertainly; so fight I, as not beating the air: (27) but I buffet my body, and bring it into bondage: lest by any means, after that I have preached to others, I myself should be rejected. (Notice the race is to die to self and bear the fruit of the Word before our time is up. If the greatest apostle can be lost after all his good works because he didn't live the crucified life and bear the fruit of Christ, so can we.) (2Pe.1:1-11) Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained a like precious faith with us in the righteousness of our God and the Saviour Jesus Christ: (2) Grace to you and peace be multiplied in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; (3) seeing that his divine power hath granted unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that called us by his own glory and virtue; (4) whereby he hath granted unto us his precious and exceeding great promises; that through these ye may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world by lust. (5) Yea, and for this very cause adding on your part all diligence, in your faith supply virtue; and in your virtue knowledge; (6) and in your knowledge self-control; and in your self-control patience; and in your patience godliness; (7) and in your godliness brotherly kindness; and in your brotherly kindness love. (8) For if these things are yours and abound, they make you to be not idle nor unfruitful unto the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (9) For he that lacketh these things is blind, seeing only what is near, having forgotten the cleansing from his old sins. (10) Wherefore, brethren, give the more diligence to make your calling and election sure (We may know we are called but we don't know we are elect if we have not borne the fruit of Christ through the Word): for if ye do these things, ye shall never stumble: (11) for thus shall be richly supplied unto you the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Have you ever felt completely called and completely stuck at the exact same time?

Send a textBeauty Beyond the Ashes Podcast with Tonya B. Jones is here to help women experience healing, restoration, freedom, healing and wholeness. And to step into that, we must be keenly aware of who we are. Our identity matters!But even in that, we must even more so know WHOSE we are!!!Dismantling the lies of the enemy takes work on our part. But it's all laid out in God's Word. HE tells us who HE is as well as who WE are. The Word is rich with knowledge of our identity. It is up to us to believe what God says. In this episode, I share key scriptures I used to truly understand who God, My Father, says I am! Get your pen and paper...and let's get started! Your God-given assignment awaits!Listen in each week and don't forget to SHARE, LIKE AND COMMENT!!!Connect with TonyaWebsite - https://www.tonyabjones.com Purchase Book Pearls in the Pews - https://tonyabjones.com/pearlsinthepewsbook YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@beautybeyondtheashes/videosEmail - info@tonyabjones.comFacebook - Tonya Bailey Jones https://www.facebook.com/thetonyabjonesInstagram - Blessed1_t2w https://www.instagram.com/blessed1_t2w/TikTok - Beauty Beyond the Ashes https://www.tiktok.com/@beauty_beyond_the_ashes?lang=en

Episode Title: Put Your Foot On The Gas*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

Rev. Jeff DeBoer on "Your God is in a Fight" from 1 Kings 17:1-24.

Episode Title: Overcome the Wall*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

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Walk Humbly with Your God by Jesus the Good Shepherd Anglican Church

Psalms 23:3 Your God of Restoration by Upcountry Calvary

THE GOD WHO IS… Overflowing with Loyal LoveHave you ever filled out a job application and they say “tell us about yourself – describe your personality ; your core values”. You know what you write down is going to reveal whether you are qualified or the right fit for the job…  If you started out, “I'm basically a good guy… sharp, creative, personable, responsible…. BUT don't mess with me before my coffee in the morning – whoa – I can be grumpy and moody… Or Im pretty organized, but don't look in my closet… Or I'm patient – I get along with people but there's things that push my buttons… whoa unto you if you do… THE BEAR COMES OUT OF THE CAVE…This would not be recommended if you are looking for a job in HRSociologists say, there are over 4,000 religions in the world – cut and pasted from ancient beliefs and creeds as well as modern day thought…. Many of them with the same question – WHO ARE YOU GOD? Today – we are going to look again about what God says about HimselfWE ARE IN SERIES – THE GOD WHO IS…Looking at the history of the Children of Israel – the IsraelitesGod has chosen them to reveal Himself to the whole world – His nature, His desires, His eternal plan.He promises to keep a covenant with them that He made to their forefathers 1000 years prior – that He would be there God… Fast forward – the foundation of that covenant is now extended through Christ to you and me – That He would be Our GodAs God begins to form and develop the Israelites into His People – essentially Moses asks the same questions in the book of Exodus 33 _ He asks God to reveal Himself  -  in Exodus 34… Only a few times in Scripture – God describes Himself – His character and nature – our anchor text is the moment when God reveals His own character:FOUNDATIONAL SCRIPTUREExodus 34:6–7 (NIV) The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and graciousGod, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet He does not leave the guilty unpunished; He punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.We've looked at God's “Self Description:Compassionate — a God moved in His deepest being by our pain.Gracious — a God who gives delightfully undeserved gifts.Slow to anger — a God who is patient and does not rush to judgment.Today we come to the fourth phrase:“abounding in love” — or as we'll say it: “overflowing with loyal love.”LET'S TALK ABOUT “LOYAL LOVE”INTRODUCTION — WHEN SOMEONE STAYSMost of us know what it feels like to wonder if someone will stay.You messed up in a relationship…You failed to follow through on a promise…You disappointed someone who believed in you…And deep down, you're asking:“Are you still here? Or is this the moment you walk away?”Think about those rare moments when instead of walking away, that personlooks you in the eye and says:“I'm hurt - I'm honest about that…but I'm not going anywhere.I made a promise, and I intend to keep it.”That is more than forgiveness.  That is more than a second chance.That is a kind of stubborn grace — a love that doesn't just pardon you, it stays with you.In Scripture, that stubborn, promise-keeping, staying love is not just something God does…It is something God is.I. THE HEBREW WORD —KHESED חֶסֶ (Khawsed) The word translated “love” here is the Hebrew word khesed (חֶסֶד).KHESED IS ONE OF THE RICHEST, HARDEST-TO-TRANSLATE WORDS IN THE ENTIRE BIBLE.NO SINGLE ENGLISH WORD CAPTURES IT.It combines these qualities:Love – genuine affection and care.Generosity – going above and beyond what's required.Enduring commitment – a promise that sticks, even when it hurts.So you'll see it translated in Bible versions as:“steadfast love”“great love”“unfailing love”“lovingkindness”“mercy”“loyal love”Khesed describes promise-keeping loyalty motivated by deep personalcare.How do we contrast it to our ”natural love”, our transactional love? Not contract.Not cold obligation.Not “I'll do my part if you do yours.”Khesed is:“I'm not leaving.I'm not quitting.I'm not withdrawing my heart.”My commitment is not based on your performance, but based on my character of keeping vows, looking passed flaws; being quick to forgive; knowing your potential, trusting your growth; and believing the best;DO YOU HAVE ANY FRIENDS LIKE THAT? COVENANT FRIENDS? I'M BLESSED TO HAVE SOME IN THIS ROOM … Oris Martin's memorial – his daughter was paying tribute to her dad – About his “Loyal Love To Her”HE SAID – “I ll always have your back” MORE DESCRIPTIVE  - ‘I'LL HAVE YOUR BACK LIKE A TIGHT BRA STRAP” (Im going to archive this) II. RUTH — The Lord gave us a s story to reveal it - A HUMAN PICTURE OF KHESEDOne of the clearest illustrations of khesed is found in the OT book of Ruth.Ruth is a Moabite woman from an outside tribe – she  married into an Israelite family.Her husband dies.His brother dies. – according to custom – next in line to provideHer father-in-law dies – last line of supportAll that's left are three widows: Naomi is Ruth's mother-in -law… left with the other two widowed daughters-in-law.Naomi has nothing left to offer.No income.No security.No future.She tells Ruth“Go back to your people. Start over. There's nothing for you with me.”From a human perspective, the logical thing is to leave.But Ruth does the opposite.She says, in essence:“Where you go, I'll go.Your people will be my people.Your God will be my God.I will stay with you—until death.”She binds her future to Naomi's empty future.She chooses the hard, costly road of staying.And as the story unfolds and people watch Ruth keep this promise, they call her faithfulness acts of khesed (see Ruth 3:10–11).Ruth's khesed is not based on Naomi's usefulness, worth, or ability to repay.It is a window into Ruth's character.She is a person of loyal love.She is a person of generous, promise-keeping commitment.And that is what khesed looks like in human form.III. GOD'S KHESED TO JACOB — LOYAL LOVE TO A DECEIVERBut as inspiring as Ruth is, the Bible is clear: No one shows more khesed than God.From earlier generations - Take Jacob – son of IssacJacob is not a moral hero.He lies.He deceives his father.He cheats his brother.He manipulates situations for his own advantage.Yet God chooses Jacob.God repeats to him the promise He gave to Jacob's  grandfather- Abraham:“I'm going to bless you, give you many descendants, and through your family I will bless the nations.”Jacob runs away in fear and shame.For twenty years he lives in exile.Then, on the way back home, terrified of facing his brother, Esau – whom he has cheated for his birthright, Jacob prays:Genesis 32:10 (ESV)“I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of khesed (steadfast love) and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps.”Jacob is right.He is not worthy.But that's the point.God's khesed was never based on Jacob's worth.It was never “If you perform, I'll stay.”It was always “I have chosen you, and I am committed to My promise.”God's khesed is a display of God's generous loyalty, not Jacob's behavior.IV. GOD'S KHESED TO ISRAEL — HE KEEPS RESCUINGGod's khesed continues into the story of Jacob's descendants—Israel.They end up enslaved in Egypt for hundreds of years.We're told that God “remembers His covenant” with Abraham and Jacob.To “remember” in Hebrew doesn't mean God forgot.It means God is about to act in faithfulness to His promise.So God defeats Egypt, raises up Moses, and leads Israel toward the promisedland.In the song of Moses, after the Red Sea, they sing:Exodus 15:13 (ESV) “You have led in your steadfast love (khesed) the people whom you have redeemed…”Their liberation is called an act of khesed because God is keeping His word.But the story doesn't stay triumphant for long.On the way to the promised land, Israel sees the nations around them, and feargrips their hearts.They doubt that God can protect them.They talk about appointing a new leader to take them back to slavery in Egypt.They are ready to kill Moses.LET THAT SINK IN:God has rescued them.God has provided for them.God has revealed Himself to them. And they want to go back to bondage.God is understandably hurt and angry.But in Numbers 14, Moses intercedes:Numbers 14:19 (NIV) “In accordance with your great love (khesed), forgive the sin of these people…”Moses doesn't base his request on Israel's behavior.He bases it on God's character.“God, be who You are. Do what is consistent with Your khesed.”And God does. He forgives.He recommits Himself to a people who don't want to be committed to Him.V. HUMAN LOVE VS. GOD'S LOYAL LOVEIn the Bible, God is loyal and loving for no other reason than that's who He is.Of course, God desires His people to respond with khesed in return—to love Him truly, to keep covenant, to love others with the same loyal love.But even when they don't… God's khesed remains.The prophet Hosea says:Hosea 6:4 - Israel's khesed is “like the morning mist” —here one moment, gone the next.Our loyalty is often fragile.Our commitment is often temporary.Our promises are often conditional.But God's khesed is enduring.That's why Psalm 136 opens with:“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good…”And then repeats 26 times:“for His khesed (steadfast love) endures forever.”Over creation.Over history.Over rebellion.Over enemies.Over everything.God's loyal love outlasts human unfaithfulness.VI. JESUS — THE FULLNESS OF GOD'S LOYAL LOVEAfter centuries of Israel breaking their covenant,and after humanity's long history of violence, idolatry, and death…God still keeps His promise in the most dramatic way possible:He becomes human.In Jesus, God binds Himself to us in a new and deeper way.The New Testament writers reach for words like:agapē (ἀγάπη) – self-giving, sacrificial love.eleos (ἔλεος) – mercy, compassion in action.charis (χάρις) – gracious gift, undeserved favor.All of these overlap with the Old Testament idea of khesed.In John 1, we're told that Jesus comes “full of grace and truth.”That phrase “grace and truth” echoes the Hebrew pairing khesed we'emet —“loyal love and faithfulness.”The early followers of Jesus looked at Him and said:“In Him, we have encountered the God of Israelwho is full of loyal love and faithfulness.”Jesus is:The ultimate loyal and loving human,The perfect image of God's khesed in a human life,The one who loves “to the end” (John 13:1).In His life, death, and resurrection, God opens a new future for us and allcreation.Not because we earned it…But because this is who God is:Generous.Loving.Eternally loyal to His promises.VII. WHEN GOD'S LOYAL LOVE TOUCHES USWhen we truly experience the purity and power of God's loyal love shownthrough Jesus, it doesn't leave us neutral.It compels us.It moves us.It reorients us.We begin to reimagine:Why we love God.How we love people.What commitment looks like in a world of easy exits.Because if this kind of khesed is in God's character,it should begin to show up in our character.VIII. HOW WE SHOW KHESED BACK TO GOD AND OTHERS1. Khesed toward God — measured and revealed in faithful devotion, not occasional attention.If God has bound Himself to us in covenant love, we respond not with “casual spirituality,” but with whole-hearted devotion.Choosing Him when it's costly.Trusting Him when we don't see the way.Obeying Him when it would be easier to compromise.We don't earn His khesed by doing this.We reflect His khesed by doing this.2. Khesed toward people — “Staying” love in a Leaving world. We live in a culture of:ghosting,cancelling,quitting,disposable relationships. God calls His people to a different way:In marriage: keeping vows when feelings fluctuate.In friendship: showing up when there's nothing to gain.In church: staying engaged, serving, forgiving, building, instead ofbouncing at the first offense.In community: caring for the vulnerable when they can't pay you back.ILLUST: MARRIAGE - I CHOOSE YOU… OVER AND OVER AGAIN – 45 YEARSIn marriage, I chose you and I choose you againWhen I first begin to date… sitting in her living room – 2 phone calls from different guys – no cell phones or voicemails… I think- shes got a few choices  Then she tells me a “friend” from UCSB is coming down… wants to go to dinnerFine.. no problem… you are friends… “God, if Jan is the one it will all work out”… sitting there watching ‘sports center:… How good of friends are they?  AM I THE CHOSEN ONE? - “God if he tries to kiss her – take a coal from your altar and scorch his lips”A desire to be chosen… our commitment to that choice has protected our vows for 45 years   Khesed IS COVENENTAL LOVE . IT says:“Even when you're empty, I won't withdraw.Even when this is hard, I won't run.Even when you have little to offer, I'll keep showing up.”Not because people always deserve it, but because God is forming His loyal love in us.3. Khesed toward the undeserving — because that's how God loved us.Remember Jacob.Remember Israel.Remember you.We love with khesed not because people have earned it,but because God extended it to us first.“We love because He first loved us.”Story –  I'll call him “ Bryan” (Ryan Inclan) – from Passover Days- 25 years agoPaul Rogers from Intervarsity invited himBryan - Struggling w faith and as much with identity and habitsPaul moved – asked me if I would stay in touch with Bryan – and asked if he could give Bryan my number – I naively said “yes” not really knowing what that would mean - That was probably 25 years ago… Bryan died about a month ago now. Bryan moved to the Bay Area - fought major Bipolar Disorder along with several other Psychological disorders,He'd call up, friendly, hopeful. In a small group - happyThen weeks later - Midnight texts – desperate, self -hating… just been online doing things in chat rooms – struggling with sexual identity… pray for meI'd leave scripture messages – reinforcing this is Who You Are Now… encouraging him to connect with a church – he tried several churches – goes good – then collapses; there was always an enemy – somebody hurt him; offended him; doesn't understand himThrough the years - Dad dies; mother dies… desperationPaul & I drove to SF to get him in a psych hospitalThen Weeks – no communication… maybe he's better… connected with a local group… no… in relapse… hiding… ashamedTwo months later -  manic weeks – all is better… I found a mens group – im praying againMANY TIMES – Im done… You are way beyond my comfort zone… And my pay gradeSomehow we would re-connect – late night  1 hr caounseling calls … Jan would shake her headHe got liver cancer about 6 months ago… Me and a group of people on a Text thread – praying emoji's, heart emoji's… encouraging words and prayersHe died in peace, believing – GOSPELS – Guys tearing open a roof to lower a friend down to be healed.  For 25 years – tearing off guilt, shame, mental torment in short seasons of relief…Bryan finally made it – now he is healedIX. PRACTICAL QUESTIONS FOR OUR HEARTSWhere am I tempted to walk away instead of stay?Where am I loving only as long as it benefits me?Where is God calling me to reflect His loyal love by keeping a promise,extending grace, or refusing to give up?And deeper still:Where have I underestimated God's loyalty to me?Some of you live like God is one failure away from leaving.In Exodus 34 and the whole story of Scripture shout:“His khesed endures forever.”His love Is LOYAL – so much so that:He may discipline. He may confront. But all for your best interestHe may hand you over to the consequences of your choices for a season, so we see clearly the destructive paths we are on.He does not abandon His promises to be with you and guide you through.He does not abandon His people. He is an Everlasting Father.He does not abandon His plan of redemption – toward you or anyone who calls upon HimCONCLUSION — THE GOD WHO WILL NOT LET GOSo when God says of Himself:“I am abounding in love…”He is saying:“I am overflowing with khesed—with loyal, generous, enduring love.I keep My promises.I stay.I do not quit on what I have begun.”Jesus is the ultimate proof of that.He stepped into our story.He took on our flesh.He bore our sin.He rose with new life.He promised to be with us “always, even to the end of the age.”This is THE GOD WHO IS OVERFLOWING WITH LOYAL LOVE.And if that is who He is, then by the power of His Spirit, that is who He is shaping us to become.ALTAR CALL… He is loyal in his love for us… Even when we aren't feeling itMaybe this is new to you – this foreign kind of unconditional love – it was for me – works basedMaybe you sense it right now – he does love you; He wants you to know him… and enter into this Loyal Love we are talking about.You might say – “I'll never be able to keep my end of the deal… I‘ve got too much stuff going on… Yea – but I can say “you've never been loved like this before…” It's transformativeIt starts w Romans 10:9-10 – a vow Altar Call – side room you sense He's pulled back or away from you… But I would ask… Have you pulled back from HimThere are places and things He won't condone or endorse… again It's about love… Strength to break free and walk it out..As we close – make a commitment to come up hereNext time, we'll look at the fifth trait in this powerful description:“THE GOD WHO IS FAITHFUL.” But today, may we rest in His loyal love,and may we mirror that loyal loveto a world that desperately needs to see it.  

Episode Title: Finish What You Started*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

Group Guide Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week. TranscriptMy name is Spencer, I'm one of the pastors here. We are in week three of a four week series on New Testament prayers. So we are looking at some prayers that are in the New Testament and trying to capture some of the truth that is bound up in them so that it might encourage us in our prayers but also help us grow in the discipline of prayer which is vital for the life of the Christian. So we'll finish this, we have one next week and then we'll jump back into Second Samuel. So we're gonna be in Ephesians chapter three today, verses 14 through 21. It's on page 568 in the blue Bibles. If you don't have a Bible at home, please take that blue Bible. That's a, that's a gift we want. You have a Bible that you can read, but you can follow along with us. The text will also be on the screen.There are some things in life that you learn kind of on your own through reasoning and all types of things. And then there are things that happen to you that just change you. Some external forces that just absolutely change your life. So this can happen in a variety of ways. One of the clear ones that happened for me was when we had our first child. So, you know, heard for years that we have a child, it'll change you. Have a child, it will change you. And kind of do that at some experiential level. That was going to happen before we had a kid. We had a, we had a dog. So we got a little bit of a jump start on taking care of some type of creature. And we loved that dog. I didn't like that dog. You've been here long enough, you've heard enough stories about that dog. That dog was the worst. But we loved it, took care of it. And then like lady and the Tramp, that story that plays out over and over again, we had a child and that child, like when you first hold your child in the hospital or if you adopt a child and the agency places that child with you either, and you're in the room with that child for the first time, like there's just something that happens within you. External force just comes in and it just, you, you thought you, you, you knew this category of love and that just gets deepened in ways that are just so profound and wonderful. And when I held my daughter for the first time, it was just powerful. Then went home and I saw that dog and I was like, I hate you. Like, I love, I love this child so much. With the Love that I had this child. I just is a disdain by comparison. But there's just something happens. There's external forces that work in you. That's not just limited to children. Sometimes experiences happen to you and it changes you. And none of those hold, hold a. Hold a flame to. When the Lord determines to work in our lives in powerful ways, the external force of who our Lord is is working in our hearts. It changes us in ways that are profound. And that's what this prayer is today. It's capturing that. It's a prayer for God to. To work powerfully within us. So we're going to see this prayer and see the encouragement that comes with a prayer like this and then also see the fruit that comes from these types of prayers. So let me pray for us and then we'll walk through this piece by piece.Heavenly Father, I thank you that you do work in mighty ways. And I pray that this would be a morning in which you do that you would work in our inner being, in our hearts, in profound ways that help us not just hear your word, but do it. But that comes not from ourselves. It comes from you. And we ask that you do that in Jesus name. Amen.All right, so this prayer begins in the middle of. Towards the end of chapter three with for this reason. Okay, we're going to stop there. So this happens in Ephesians. You see this phrase for this reason over and over again. And what's happening is that Paul is drawing to mind what he said previously. He's building on truth that he's already established for this reason. And we saw this a little bit in week one. Chet, in week one of this series went to a prayer in Ephesians chapter one. And that was built upon the truth that came before that, which is the first few verses of Ephesians is this. This declaration of how God plans to redeem his people, that he chooses us and he redeems his people. And then Chet walked us through this prayer of wanting to know God and experience his glory in profound ways. Then when you get to chapter two, those first 10 verses one through 10 and chapter two are some of the most, I would argue, one of the most important passages in all the Scriptures. It is a beautiful summary of the gospel. That we were once dead in sin. We were sons of disobedience, children of disobedience, that we were wayward and that God, in his mercy, he saves us by grace through faith, not of our own doing. So if you're looking to grow in some scripture memory this year, and you have no place to start. I can't think of a better place to start than that passage right there. Builds upon that talks about how Jews and Gentiles are both a part of the same household of God, of how God dwells in his church. So really, for this reason, builds upon the gospel that he's articulated with such beauty and specificity. And those first three chapters, because the gospel is good news.> For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,> from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,> that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,> so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love,> may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,> and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.> Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,> to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. Stop there. As I bow my knees, which just for a moment, we should consider our posture when we pray. Now, I'm not being dogmatic on this. I'm not saying that every time you pray you have to bow on your faith, bow on your knees, that every time you pray you need to be on your face before the Lord. I think you can drive and pray. I think you can sit in a chair and pray. But if the only posture by which we pray is a comfortable posture, I think we're missing something. In prayer, there's something about the physical body and how God has made us in the position of bowing before the Father, laying prostrate on your face before the Father. And if that's not an aspect of your prayer life, it should be because it brings humility within us. There's a physical humility displayed when we bow before the Father in prayer. That's what he's doing here. I bow before the Father, which also should be noted. This prayer is very trinitarian in its language, very explicitly. So going to see Father, Son and Holy Spirit in this prayer. And as most prayer in the New Testament that we see, all the prayers that we see written, some of the teachings that we see on prayer, normative patterns of prayer are to the Father, but we also think of our triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. So this begins with I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and earth is named. Throughout every family, every creature comes from, from his creation that we're named, that God's sovereignty and all of this is implied here.And then we have verses 16 through 19, which is very dense, very rich, and it is a lot. So we got to kind of take it component by component. Because Paul's breaking down one kind of overarching truth for us piece by piece. My wife and I, we were trying to teach our kids some life skills and try to teach them to make a sandwich. You could just say, get on in there and make it. Make yourself a PB and J. It's like, no, it's like, this is how it works. Step one, get the bread out. Step two, get the jar of peanut butter. Put the knife in the jar, get the peanut butter out, smear it over this one piece, then take the a paper towel and wipe that peanut butter off. Because only psychopaths put that straight in the jelly. You know who you are. Leaving peanut butter remnants in the jelly like a. And then get the jelly smear in the bread, and then we piece it together and then you've got the sandwich. Right? So Paul's component by component here, there's one overarching sandwich, one big truth he's trying to give us, but he's got to break this down. So we're going to have to take this piece by piece to see what he's getting at here.In this prayer, he says that according to the riches of his glory, he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his spirit in your inner being. Okay, sit there. That first part, according to the riches of his glory, Chet helped us see in week one of this. He was quoting Herman Babnik, a theologian from a century ago, and describing glory and defining it. He said, the glory of God is the infinite, indescribable perfection and beauty of all the other attributes that all the good and wonderful attributes of God, his goodness, his faithfulness, his power, his might, and on and on, shine brightly in a way that displays glory. And he says, according to the riches of that glory, this indescribable, infinite, marvelous glory says, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant you to be strengthened with the power through his spirit in your inner being, to be strengthened with the power of spirit through his spirit, the Holy Spirit in your inner being. Okay, let's pause there for a moment.There is an American lie that is told repeatedly over and over again that if you look inside yourself, inherit to who you are, you'll discover power, you'll discover greatness. And that greatness will help you win and overcome and be great. And y', all, that story is told over and over again, from Moana looking inside herself to, I mean, most recently, Stranger Things, the stories that we tell over and over again. There's something inherent inside of you that you just got to tap into. To overcome, to do great gets told over and over and over again. And that sometimes actually even funnels into some American churches, not even the majority, but some of them, certainly some with big platforms, and there are even some pastors, at least those who claim to be, that will parrot that lie. Over and over again. There's something you just gotta tap into. The power that's deep, that's wonderful within you. But that's not what the gospel teaches at all. It's not what the gospel teaches. The gospel teaches that if you look deep inside yourself, what you will discover is frailty, weakness, sin, brokenness, depravity. That's what's inherent in each of us. And that's what makes the gospel such good news. That's why that's wonderful that it's not in ourselves to arrive at greatness. It's on ourselves to overcome that. It comes from God working within us, the external power of God coming to work inside of us in powerful ways. May he strengthen by the power through his spirit in your inner being. This power comes from God.In verse 17, he says, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through. Through faith. That Jesus Christ and faith in him brings the power of God, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, to dwell richly in his people. And then he continues. That you, being rooted and grounded in love. Here we go. May have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and. And height and depth. And to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God, goodness. When I was a kid, we got to go to the Grand Canyon. My stepdad and I, we went. And I remember getting out of the car, walking through this clearing and seeing the Grand Canyon and having a very normal experience that many people have when they see the Grand Canyon. You just feel small. Now, the reasons that you feel small, because the Grand Canyon is massive. The Grand Canyon is 277 miles long. It is 4 to 18 miles wide. various points. It is over a mile deep. Totals at 1,904 square miles. You could take the entire state of Rhode island and put it in the Grand Canyon. I want to help you picture this for a moment. You may not find this helpful. I found this helpful and I'm talking. So theoretically, if you filled up the Grand Canyon with water, okay, it would take 4.17 quadrillion liters of water to fill the Grand Canyon. Now, if you're like me and you failed math as a kid, you might ask, what's a quadrillion? Had that same question. Quadrillion is 1 million billions, right? Take a billion. Now you have a million of those billions. And now you have a quadrillion four of them. That's how many liters of water it takes to fill the Grand Canyon. Now stay with Me further, the average adult human being, the capacity and the adult human being is about 42 liters. So if you were to take a human and fill it up with water. 42 liters. Okay. I in the eighth grade, well after my second eighth grade because I failed math. Stay with me. After my second eighth grade when I was there witnessing how big the Grand Canyon was, I was very small, very had not broken £100 yet. So half an adult human being. So think 20 liters capacity human being beholding 4.17 quadrillion capacity Grand Canyon. That's why I felt small. That's why anyone feels small. You might be. That's the most crazy confusing way to explain how to behold the Grand Canyon. I could keep going. I could tell you that if you took all the people in the world and put them in the Grand Canyon you wouldn't come close to filling it up. But it takes 60 to 70 trillion trillion human beings to fill up the Grand Canyon. I could do this with all kinds of things. With AI, I can do jello, I can do VW beetles, I can go all day pounds of sand. And every time I try to explain to you how big the Grand Canyon is by our understanding, you still can't grasp it because you can't understand 4.17 quadrillion liters of Wallers. Even if I switch it to gallons, which would be more helpful, I couldn't understand that. 67 trillion people. There's no quite way we could possibly picture and understand how big the Grand Canyon is. And when we in ourselves try to understand the bigness of the God who made that Grand Canyon, who holds that in the palm of his hand like it's nothing, the scale of comparison doesn't work. To try to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth of and length and height and depth and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge. It's not an 8th grade kid trying to stack up against the Grand Canyon. We don't have categories for that. The discrepancy between us and the size and the majesty and the wonder and the glory and the weight of glory of who our God is, is infinite. Yet God and his graciousness, this is what he does. Knowing that we and ourselves have no ability to begin to comprehend how great and how wide and how wonderful the love of his love of God. Him understanding this, He Himself dwells in us. He goes to work in our inner being to strengthen us, to empower us so that we can begin to understand the infinite capacity of love. That God has for us. That's. I mean, that's more than having your first child and having this love grow and understanding of what really love is, it's much, much, much, much, much bigger than that. When God goes to work in us to give us eyes to see and understand just the beginning of how great his love is. That's why, y'. All. I don't. When people who don't believe in Jesus and are skeptical when they take shots at the character of God. Your God is loving. Let me tell you how your God's not loving. Your God is not righteous. Not just. Let me tell you why your God isn't just. This is why. I don't. I don't get all offended. I'm not. Of course you would not begin to. How possibly could you begin to understand the depths and the riches of the love of God if He's not working in you to help you understand that in the first place? You have no capacity to understand how great he is. You have capacity to understand his great love. You have no capacity to understand his justice. You have no capacity to understand the riches of his glory and his majesty and his wonder and his all. So of course you would not get this. But when the Spirit goes to work in us and begins to open up our eyes to see and we. We begin to. To start to grasp how. How grotesque our sin is and how wretched our rebellion is against God and how we just joyfully choose sin over him repeatedly, over and over and over and over and over and over again to the point of ad nauseam. When we begin to understand with new spiritual eyes to understand how much our sin is heinous against a holy and perfect God who made us. Once we start to understand that, we can begin to partially understand how rich his love is that he would not injustice bring down his full wrath upon us. But he would send His Son to be crushed for us. He would send His Son to be crucified for us. He would send His Son to take the place that we deserve in judgment. And the more you stare at the cross by the power of the Holy Spirit working in us, you begin to see how deep his love is. You cannot discover God without Him first working in you. You cannot know him without him first working in you. You cannot understand his glory, his goodness, or any aspect. And especially you cannot understand his love without him first working in us. We need God to work in us. That's why Paul's praying this. That's why he's praying this over them, because they're not going to reason their way to this. They're not going to logic their way to this. No, they need God. He's praying. May God work in your inner being to see this and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge.And here's the sandwich, y'. All. Here's where it all comes in. That you may be filled with all the fullness of God. It all leads into that. He's praying you don't have it in you, but may God work in you, strengthen you, work in your inner being, so you might understand the depths of. Of the love of God, that the fullness of God may dwell in you. He's praying the fullness of God may dwell in you. Which begs the question, what is that? What is the fullness of God? I can both tell you what that is and can also admit I don't fully understand what that means. I can tell you biblically what that means. Biblically, it means that God dwells in you and his glorious attributes begin to work through you in mighty wonderful ways that display who he is. That's what that means. But how to fully understand that? I don't know. I don't know how you pictured that. I mean, you can tap a 4.17 quadrillion liter water tank and take your eighth grader and say, get to drinking, but I don't. So how do. How do you understand the fullness of God? And as I thought through this, the best way that my finite mind could try to picture this is that if you have a light bulb on a dimmer switch that you can slowly turn up, which I do in my. In my dining room, I've got this dimmer switch and turn it on, and I still have the Edison bulbs that haven't got out of stock yet. And you can turn it up a little bit and then you'll see the. The inner components of the light begin to light up. Light bulb begin to light up. But if you have a powerful enough light switch and enough light source, the more that you turn up that switch, the less you're going to see of the components of that light bulb. And eventually, if you turn up a light bulb to its maximum capacity, that you're not going to be able to see anything but light itself, you're not going to be able to see the inner workings of this at all, that the only observable substance will be light. And the best I can picture of what the fullness of God is is that God and His glory and the perfection of his attributes dwell so richly in his people that the only observable reality is God himself. And that's a beautiful thing to pray for that when people see you, the only observable reality that shines through you is the fullness of God. And that is a glorious thing to pray for. As he prays this on behalf of this Ephesian church. And you can't reason your way to that reality. You can't discover that our only hope is praying for it is praying for God to work in us in mighty wonderful ways. That at the fullness of God, God and all of his glory and his bright shining love working in us would just be the only observable thing about you.So that reality makes this final part of the prayer that we're about to read so beautiful. Because that's true now.To him who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think according to the power at work within us to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen, man. The end of this prayer is an opportunity to dream, to dream a bit. Any all ever dream about winning the lottery? I know a Baptist would never do that. I think most of you have. I've dreamed about it and all the silly material things that you could purchase if I won the lottery. Now let's just disclaimer. I don't buy lottery tickets because I'm a Baptist. I really don't. Let's put that aside. If I won the lottery right now, there's no limit on money. There are some material things that my heart would go after. No doubt. Probably not the same as you, but I would try to find. There are some big land tracks between like Cayce Lexington. So if you took Cayce Lexington, Red Bank. There's an area right there where there's still some big old land tracks. It's getting developed, but not all. And I scoop up one of those land tracks, 100 acres. And then I put a giant fence, we're talking like 20 foot fence all the way around it. And then I'd stock it with as many deer as possible. Just load it up. It'd be a reserve. I wouldn't be selfish. I'd invite some of you. Some of you that don't shoot things you shouldn't shoot. You know who I'm talking about. Some of you know how I'm talking about. This isn't pointing anybody specifically. It just annoys me when people shoot smaller bucks. But that's not the point of this dream. If I I would. I would get this big land track and then I build pretty much the same size house I have now, a little nicer and there'd be a pond because my son has gotten into fishing. We stock it with fish and we just invite people to this to be. So we just have people coming over enjoying it. And I'm sure you've done some version of that, probably different. I don't think your lottery dreams are based in that area of town. But we've done this if we're honest, many of us. And what makes some of those dreams about things that do not matter at all, that have no really tangible, eternal significance, the reason you could do that is because money is the limit, right? That's the point of those lottery dreams, is that money is the limit. And if you didn't have money, here are the things you could really do. But it's all about things that don't matter. It's all about things that don't last. It's all about things that will be here and gone.When is the last time we took that type of creativity and dreaming about things that do matter, things that have eternal significance, that if there were no limits and God was at work in us in mighty wonderful ways, beginning to help us comprehend the limitless love of God and the fullness of him dwelling in us in rich and powerful ways. If that's true, then man, what are the things that we could be dreaming about that we could pray for now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think? And I want you to dream for a bit about things that actually have significance. If God and His infinite power is at work within us, what are the things that we should be praying for, things we should be dreaming about? I want to give you some categories. Last week we talked about holiness. We talked about. We read a prayer of sanctification, of us becoming more like Christ by repenting of sin and obeying him. And the hope is, is that you didn't just hear that, but you responded to be a doer of the word. And this week at group, you began to talk about sin and not in shallow ways, but in real ways. That's my hope. And if you haven't done it yet, please do. But what if in this past week you started to take sin really seriously and then leaving today, you started to pray big prayers of just like God, this area of my life that I so deeply want you to change, this sin that just keeps plaguing me, God, would you so remove its Influence in my life that a year from now, just walking with you and all of a sudden temptation comes and I'm like, neo from the Matrix, just. And you're just. No, it's just an annoyance. I'm just. Would you work so powerfully within me that I wouldn't feel the destructive influence of the sin? I just have so much fullness of you dwelling within me. That's a thing to pray for.Let's talk about reconciliation as a category. Some of you have relationships with people that have been marred by the effects of sin. And maybe you're not talking to them anymore. Maybe there is relational weirdness. And it just. Every time you see them, it just. You. Every time you see something online, you just. What if you started praying in a way to our limitless God that he would work in a mighty way in you and in them, so that when you saw them, all you felt was actually love, the love of God. That brightness just shines through you in a way. It's like I. I just love that person so much because he can. He can work in mighty ways.Give you a different category, personal evangelism. Some of y' all have that lost coworker or that friend that you've been building with for quite some time. What if you began to pray with dream and imagination? God? Would you. Would you use me to declare the gospel of Jesus Christ to this person? Would you save them? And what if God, in a few months, orchestrated you and her? Or you and him standing right in front of me in a pool baptizing them, celebrating that Jesus saved them, and then you disciple them? You say, come, follow me as I follow Christ. Here's how you study the Word. Here's how you pray. Here's how you live in community. Follow me as I follow Christ. And then in a few years, they're actually a group leader. Because you prayed for boldness and zeal, the death of apathy and self interest, and God worked in you and you declared the gospel of Jesus Christ.Give you another category about planting a church. It's about time we did that. It's about time we planted a church. What if 50 of you weren't in this room a few years from now? What if you, because God, working in your inner being, gave you faith to take a step of obedience and go and take the gospel somewhere else? I'll give you one couple more categories. What if some of you considered the call to ministry, serving the local church? What if some of you prayed some dangerous prayers and God began to work in your inner being in wonderful, mighty ways. And you said, I, I'll make less money. I'll serve the church, I'll be obedient. And for, for the men in this room, some of you, that means considering the call to be a pastor and, and aspiring to the office of overseer and desiring that noble task 1 Timothy 3:1, in a way that you would give your life away to loving and shepherding and leading and preaching God's people. And I'll give you one last category to dream on. What if some of you became international missionaries, you began to pray those kind of dangerous prayers that when you think about it, you want to put it to the side because you don't want to go there. But God began to work in you and broke your heart for a people group that doesn't know the gospel, for a country that needs solid theological enrichment in the local churches. And you, in a few years packed up your bags and sold everything and you left. And you're obedient to the call to go, to make disciples of all the nations. Those are the things worth dreaming about and those are the things worth praying for.Now, to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen, y'. All. He's able. He's able to do more than we could ever dream or imagine. Why aren't we praying? The type of dangerous, wonderful, glorious Christ exalting prayers that make us uncomfortable. We have access to limitless power to go to work in us, to do unimaginable work that he set apart for us. And the question is, is what are we waiting for? I think some of us are holding back. I think even as we think in those type of categories for a moment, there's already the counter that said, I just, I don't know, I'm not ready. I don't know if I'm ready for that yet. That seems scary. What if I fail? What if it doesn't work? What if? What if? What if? What if? And I want to tell you, you let God be the limit on what he's going to do in you and through you and get out of the way. We pray and we dream like this because of where this ultimately ends. Because to him belongs all glory and the church and in Jesus Christ throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. This ends in doxology. This ends in glorious praise to Him. Did we get to experience him in indescribable ways that we would get to be used by him to do unimaginable things to Him. Be the glory forever and ever. Amen.Brothers and sisters, God wants to strengthen us, to help us comprehend the depths of his love in profound, wonderful ways. And as we experience his love in infinite, wonderful ways, we'd be obedient to the things that he calls us to with no limit style Dreaming it's time for us to pray for the fullness of God to dwell in us. It's time to start praying bold, audacious, big dream prayers. And that's what we're going to do for the next few minutes. Daniel's going to come up here and he's just going to play and we're going to sit and we're going to pray and we're going to pray for two things. We're first going to pray for God and His fullness to dwell in us that would shine so brightly that when people see us, they see Christ. And the second thing we're going to pray for is going to pray for God to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think. And we get to dream a little bit and we get to be dangerous a little bit. And we get to be silent for a little bit. And we get to let the Lord go to work in our hearts. So that's what we're going to do. For a few minutes we're going to sit in silence and then I will close this in prayer. But let me, let me make this clear. Some of you need to encounter, maybe for the first time, this power of God. Some of you. This won't make sense until God first begins a work in you, which means some of you need to place your full faith in Jesus that you've been putting faith in other things yourself. And now is the time for you to actually respond to the lordship of God so that he might begin to dwell in you fully. And I would encourage you to do that as well. But we're going to sit for a few minutes. Maybe you need to get a posture of prayer. Maybe you need to be open handed a little bit. Maybe you need to get on your knees. We don't have a traditional altar, but you might need to come up here, you might need to stand up and walk out, but prepare yourself to be in a posture of prayer. And for a few minutes we're going to sit in silence and we're going to pray for the fullness of God to dwell richly in us in mighty ways. And then we're going to pray for God to do far more abundantly than we could ever ask or think. Let's pray.Lord, we pray that we'd be filled with the fullness of you, God. May you work in our inner being that we might be begin to comprehend how profound and wonderful our love is and a world way that you would dwell so richly within us and shine so brightly through us. Oh lord, would you fill us, God, to you who are able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think. God, would you remove the limits that we place on you in our lives? Would you make us uncomfortable? Would you give us faith? God, we ask for faith to pray like this. May you work mightily in us to do the things that you desire for us. To you be glory and your church and our Savior Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.We're going to stand, we're going to praise our glorious God and we're going to worship.

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

Christmas Day The Collect: O God, you make us glad by the yearly festival of the birth of your only Son Jesus Christ: Grant that we, who joyfully receive him as our Redeemer, may with sure confidence behold him when he comes to be our Judge; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Old Testament: Isaiah 52:7-10 7How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns." 8Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices, together they sing for joy; for in plain sight they see the return of the Lord to Zion. 9Break forth together into singing, you ruins of Jerusalem; for the Lord has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem. 10The Lord has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. Psalm: Psalm 98 1 Sing to the Lord a new song, *        for he has done marvelous things. 2 With his right hand and his holy arm *        has he won for himself the victory. 3 The Lord has made known his victory; *        his righteousness has he openly shown in the sight of the nations. 4 He remembers his mercy and faithfulness to the house of Israel, *        and all the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God. 5 Shout with joy to the Lord, all you lands; *        lift up your voice, rejoice, and sing. 6 Sing to the Lord with the harp, *        with the harp and the voice of song. 7 With trumpets and the sound of the horn *        shout with joy before the King, the Lord. 8 Let the sea make a noise and all that is in it, *        the lands and those who dwell therein. 9 Let the rivers clap their hands, *        and let the hills ring out with joy before the Lord,        when he comes to judge the earth. 10 In righteousness shall he judge the world *        and the peoples with equity. Epistle: Hebrews 1:1-4 (5-12) 1Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, 2but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds.3He is the reflection of God's glory and the exact imprint of God's very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. [5For to which of the angels did God ever say, "You are my Son; today I have begotten you"? Or again, "I will be his Father, and he will be my Son"? 6And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, "Let all God's angels worship him." 7Of the angels he says, "He makes his angels winds, and his servants flames of fire."8But of the Son he says, "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the righteous scepter is the scepter of your kingdom. 9You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions." 10And, "In the beginning, Lord, you founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands; 11they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like clothing; 12like a cloak you will roll them up, and like clothing they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will never end."] Gospel: John 1:1-14 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. 5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.6There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. 9The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. 10He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. 11He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. 12But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. 14And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth.

#top .av-special-heading.av-gs9o3p-5d37626f51f1facc63118464eef943e3{ padding-bottom:10px; } body .av-special-heading.av-gs9o3p-5d37626f51f1facc63118464eef943e3 .av-special-heading-tag .heading-char{ font-size:25px; } .av-special-heading.av-gs9o3p-5d37626f51f1facc63118464eef943e3 .av-subheading{ font-size:15px; } Through My Bible Yr 02 – December 24Psalm 146 LISTEN HERE Through My Bible – December 24 Psalm 146 (EHV) https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/02-1224db.mp3 See series: Through My Bible Psalm 146 Praise Him for Protection Praise for Protection 1 Praise the Lord. [1] A Lifetime of Praise Praise the Lord, O my soul. 2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live. I will make music to my God as long as I exist. No Help in Humans 3 Do not trust in human helpers, [2] in a mortal man who cannot save you. 4 His spirit departs. He returns to the ground he came from. On that day, his plans have perished. Help in the Lord 5 Blessed is everyone who has the God of Jacob as his help. His hope is in the Lord his God, 6     the Maker of heaven and earth,     the sea, and everything which is in them. He is the one who stays faithful forever. 7 He obtains justice for the oppressed. He gives food to the hungry. The Lord releases prisoners. 8 The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down. The Lord loves the righteous. 9 The Lord watches over the aliens. The fatherless and the widow he sustains, but he turns aside the way of the wicked. An Eternity for Praise 10 The Lord reigns forever. Your God, O Zion, rules for all generations. Praise the Lord. Footnotes Psalm 146:1 Hebrew hallelu Yah Psalm 146:3 The Hebrew word refers to rich people who have the willingness and the means to help the needy. #top .hr.hr-invisible.av-aocsdx-89cb4ca21532423cf697fc393b6fcee0{ height:10px; } The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved. #top .hr.hr-invisible.av-4vzadh-3f04b370105df1fd314a2a9d83e55b26{ height:50px; } Share this entryShare on FacebookShare on LinkedInShare by MailLink to FlickrLink to InstagramLink to Vimeo

Episode Title: The Power of Trying Something New*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: Motivation Beyond What You Feel*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 God has never lost a battle that he has been invited into and asked to lead.

Watch the Devotion Based on Isaiah 35:3-4 Do Not Be Afraid I'm certain you've heard it at least once the past couple of weeks and will continue to hear it until December 25th if not until January 1st—that old-time classic, “It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” But I know that's not always true. The holiday season can lend itself to more tension in the family. Tighter budgets as families plan for Christmas gifting and Christmas travel create financial strain. There can be stress from family gatherings. Increased alcohol consumption can create a volatile environment. That's when military families see a rise in domestic abuse. Unfortunately for some, or maybe for you or someone you know, there could be emotional manipulation, physical or sexual violence, financial deprivation, intimidation, or deliberate isolation preventing you from gathering with family, cutting off emotional support. If this is you, I want you to know a few things. First, you do not deserve to be subjected to abuse. It is not okay. Second, this world is a broken place, filled with people who are so broken by sin they do awful things to each other. I am sorry that this is happening to you. You may feel powerless and alone, but you are not. You do not have to be afraid. If you are a victim of abuse, your knees may be weak and wobbly, afraid to walk into a pastor's or chaplain's office. Your hands may tremble, afraid to pick up the phone and call, with a heart that is so afraid you don't know what to do or what to think. Listen to the words of your Savior God through the prophet Isaiah: “Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, ‘Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you' ” (Isaiah 35:3-4). Please do not misunderstand God when he says to you, “Be strong, do not fear.” He is not saying, “Chin up! Just be stronger, pray harder, believe more, and you'll get through this!” When God makes this statement, “Be strong, do not fear,” he gives you the power to do just that. Your God gives power by bringing a message of hope and life for you. Your God is the God who saves the broken, and that salvation is yours today, tomorrow, and forever. Through Jesus you are right with God. You have an identity in him. You are his child. You are loved by him. And I don't know why this is happening to you right now, but he knows and he has done something about it. He redeemed all things, including you and your situation, when he became the victim of abuse on the cross. He also wants you to know that he is the God of justice. His justice will come. God will hold abusers accountable. This promise from God is meant to strengthen your feeble hands and weak knees, to give confidence to your fearful heart to take the next steps. He will be your power when you feel you have no power to move forward. He will be your presence when you feel alone. While you wait for his justice, it does not mean staying in an unsafe situation. God provides earthly help and shelter through the people he places around you—pastors, chaplains, commanders, police officers, family advocates, judges, lawyers, family members, and friends. Be strong. Do not be afraid. Your God comes to save you. Prayer: Lord Jesus, you know brokenness. You know abuse. You were once broken and abused. You endured it all by your death on the cross and were raised again to give us the hope of life in that place of perfect peace. Empower victims of abuse to get help. Help us to become faithful advocates and safe spaces for victims of abuse. Open our ears to listen, our arms to hold, our mouths to speak your words of comfort and love. In your name we ask it. Amen. Written and recorded by Rev. Paul Horn, WELS National Civilian Chaplain to the Military, San Diego, California. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. Note: Scripture reading footnotes are clickable only in the web version.

Episode Title: You Are More Than Your Title*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

Isaiah 52:1-12 Awake, awake, put on your strength, O Zion; put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; for there shall no more come into you the uncircumcised and the unclean. 2 Shake yourself from the dust and arise; be seated, O Jerusalem; loose the bonds from your neck, O captive daughter of Zion. 3 For thus says the Lord: “You were sold for nothing, and you shall be redeemed with-out money.” 4 For thus says the Lord God: “My people went down at the first into Egypt to sojourn there, and the Assyrian oppressed them for nothing. 5 Now therefore what have I here,” declares the Lord, “seeing that my people are taken away for noth-ing? Their rulers wail,” declares the Lord, “and continually all the day my name is des-pised. 6 Therefore my people shall know my name. Therefore in that day they shall know that it is I who speak; here I am.” 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.” 8 The voice of your watchmen—they lift up their voice; together they sing for joy; for eye to eye they see the return of the Lord to Zion. 9 Break forth together into singing, you waste places of Jerusalem, for the Lord has comforted his people; he has redeemed Jerusalem. 10 The Lord has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. 11 Depart, depart, go out from there; touch no unclean thing; go out from the midst of her; purify yourselves, you who bear the vessels of the Lord. 12 For you shall not go out in haste, and you shall not go in flight, for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.

John 1:14, Luke 2December 7th, 2025John 1:1-5 (NIV) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Jesus physical birth wasn't His beginning, it was His earthly arrival.John 1:14 (NIV) 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.The God of the Bible is an in person, personal God – this is a reason for JOY. “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” means “God keep you joyful and at peace!” “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” God rest ye merry gentlemen let nothing you dismay Remember Christ our Savior was born on Christmas Day To save us all from Satan's pow'r when we were gone astray Oh tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy, oh tidings of comfort and joy.In Bethlehem, in Israel this blessed Babe was born And laid within a manger upon this blessed morn The which His Mother Mary did nothing take in scorn[Translation: Mary took no issue in the circumstances and setting of the birth of her first born – the Messiah. According to the song writer – Mary “got it.”] Oh tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy, oh tidings of comfort and joy.Fear not then, said the Angel let nothing you affright This day is born a Savior of a pure Virgin bright To free all those who trust in Him from Satan's pow'r and might Oh tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy, oh tidings of comfort and joyThe Theology of JoyThe Birth of Jesus broke the power of Satan and frees those who trust in His deity and His delivering power. “tiding” = euangelizō “good news” Isaiah 52:7/Romans 10:15 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 proclamation of Salvation through Jesus is a Joyful Tiding! Luke 2:1-18 (NIV) In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register. 4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news [tidings] that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” 15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 3 Contextual Observations 1. Geo-Political: Powers and Politics are no barrier for God plan of salvation. 2. Cultural: Even in Jesus' birth He was bringing about redemption.3. Social: With Jesus, everyone's status changes.Collectively, these 3 contexts make one bold statement. Jesus is the one true King. His presence changes everyone and everything. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news [tidings] that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. Savior = Deliverer. Jesus is All Powerful. Messiah = Long Awaited Promised One. Jesus is All Trustworthy. Lord = Divine nature and absolute authority. Jesus is Above All. Who is this news for? All people. No exclusions. “Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. Appropriate Responses to the Joy Message of Jesus.Movement. Testimony. No more status quo living. Jesus didn't just come to save the world, He came to save me, too.Trust in Jesus is the key that unlocks the door to joy. You can hold onto Joy (Jesus) while navigating hard. Jesus changes everything even when nothing in the moment has changed. The Theology of Joy The Birth of Jesus broke the power of Satan and frees those who trust in His deity and His delivering power.

Saturday is review day on The Daily Promise. Every Saturday, we review the promises of the week so we can allow them to go deep into our hearts and lives. Here are the promises we covered this week. Genesis 50:20 – You Meant it for Evil, but God Used it for Good. 2 Timothy 2:13 – God is Faithful When We are Not. Genesis 1:1 – Your God is the Creator. Romans 5:1-2 – Jesus Brings Help in Every Temptation. 1 Samuel 7:12 – The Lord Has Helped You Thus Far.  

Isaiah 52:7 NIVHow 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 NIVHow 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 NIVHow 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!”

It's Wednesday, October 8th, A.D. 2025. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Jonathan Clark 88 countries restrict Bible access The Bible Access Initiative released a list of nations where access to the Bible is restricted. Eighty-eight countries have at least some restrictions on Bible access. The country with the most extreme restrictions is Somalia followed by Afghanistan, Yemen, and North Korea.  The Bible Access List noted, “Bible access in Somalia is not just limited; it is outlawed. Under a strict interpretation of Sharia law, it is illegal to print, import, store, or distribute Bibles.” Many of the countries with the worst restrictions are Muslim-majority nations governed by Sharia law. In 2 Timothy 2:8-9, the Apostle Paul reminds us, “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound!” 20,000 Canadian pro-lifers stood in Life Chain An estimated 20,000 pro-lifers joined Canada's 35th annual Life Chain on Sunday. Participants took the streets across hundreds of cities in Canada. They held pro-life signs along roadways and prayed for the end of abortion. Josie Luetke with the Campaign Life Coalition told LifeSiteNews, “You see longtime, elderly activists with their walkers and lawn chairs and families with young kids running around. Life Chain is really a group effort . . . and it is a joy to see the entire pro-life movement united in this cause on this one day.” 30% of Canadian 11 to 13-year-olds open to church if invited Speaking of Canada, youth evangelism ministry OneHope released a report on the spiritual state of Generation Alpha in the country. The study covered young people between the ages of 11-13.  Forty-nine percent of respondents identified as Christian, 35% as non-religious, and 16% as other religions. Only 27% of Gen Alpha Christians qualified as committed Christians through Biblical beliefs and regular prayer and Bible reading.   Among non-religious teens, 30% said they would be open to attending a Christian church service if a friend invited them.  Trump eager to cut billions in waste and abuse during shutdown In the United States, the federal government shutdown continues as funding proposals from Republicans and Democrats keep failing in the Senate.  Democrats are withholding support for a funding bill unless it extends Obamacare subsidies. Republicans want to deal with the issue later in the year. President Donald Trump said he wants to use the shutdown to cut billions of dollars of waste, fraud and abuse.  Listen.  TRUMP: “Because of the shutdown, which I think they made a big mistake, we're able to take out billions and billions of dollars of waste, fraud and abuse. And they've handed it [to us] on a silver platter. Elon Musk: Cancel your NetFlix subscription over transgender shows Tech billionaire Elon Musk is echoing recent calls for people to cancel their Netflix subscriptions over immoral programming for children.  He posted on X last Wednesday, “Cancel Netflix for the health of your kids”.  The shares of Netflix dropped nearly 5% over the course of last week. The recent trend to cancel Netflix resulted from conservative voices exposing Netflix for pushing transgender shows on children.  More Americans perceive having kids as a blessing Pew Research released a new report showing that more people view having children as a good thing for America. Fifty-three percent of U.S. adults say that if more people choose not to have children, it will have a negative impact on the country. That percentage is up from 47% last year. Only 20% of respondents said that people choosing not to have children would be positive for America.  Among men, 59% said fewer people having children would have a negative impact. Among women, that number fell to 48%. Anniversary of William Tyndale's death for translation Bible into English And finally, this week is the anniversary of William Tyndale's death, traditionally commemorated on October 6. Tyndale faced arrest and later death in 1536 for alleged heresy. However, he had worked tirelessly to translate the Bible into English. It was his devotion to Scripture that brought him into conflict with church and civil leaders. In response to an assertion of the supremacy of the Pope, Tyndale famously said, “I defy the Pope and all his laws; and if God spares my life, ere many years, I will cause the boy that driveth the plow to know more of the Scriptures than thou dost!” Copies of Tyndale's translation were smuggled into England by the thousands. His work would form the basis of the Great Bible, edited by Miles Coverdale. It made its way into every parish church just three years after Tyndale's death. Isaiah 52:7 says, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.'” Close And that's The Worldview on this Wednesday, October 8th, in the year of our Lord 2025, my bride Amy's 49th birthday. Read our love story.  Follow The Worldview on X or subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music, or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.