Podcasts about your holy spirit

Did you know that “Repentance” is not God's punishment — it's His invitation. It's not Him shouting, “I'm done with you,” but whispering, “Come home.”For too long, the word repent has sounded like a threat, but it's actually the sound of freedom. The Greek word metanoia means “to change your mind.” It's not simply apologizing; it's deciding, “I don't want death anymore — I want life.”Sin isn't just bad behavior; it's bad direction. And repentance is the U-turn of grace.Years ago, I could quote Scripture but not always live it with my words. My grandfather had taught me to fight with my mouth, and I brought that same fire into marriage. One night, after a heated argument, Michelle looked at me and said, “Matthew, your words still carry a sword — but not the Spirit.”The Holy Spirit spoke immediately: “This is repentance — not feeling sorry, but letting Me rebuild what pride keeps breaking.”That moment broke me. I realized repentance isn't God humiliating us — it's God healing us. When you turn around, you don't run into judgment; you run into mercy.2 Corinthians 7:10 says, “Godly sorrow produces repentance that leads to salvation without regret.” Worldly sorrow says, “I feel bad I got caught.” Godly sorrow says, “I can't stand being away from You.”That's what salvation starts with — a heart that says, “I've had enough of running.”Here's the truth: sin always leads to death. The Bible says, “The wages of sin is death.” But repentance opens the door to the greatest exchange in history — “The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”That's why Jesus came. He didn't die to make you religious; He died to make you free. On the cross, He took every sin, every shame, every regret — and when He said “It is finished,” He meant it.You can't earn that forgiveness. You can't deserve it. You simply receive it.

Did you know that “Repentance” is not God's punishment — it's His invitation. It's not Him shouting, “I'm done with you,” but whispering, “Come home.”For too long, the word repent has sounded like a threat, but it's actually the sound of freedom. The Greek word metanoia means “to change your mind.” It's not simply apologizing; it's deciding, “I don't want death anymore — I want life.”Sin isn't just bad behavior; it's bad direction. And repentance is the U-turn of grace.Years ago, I could quote Scripture but not always live it with my words. My grandfather had taught me to fight with my mouth, and I brought that same fire into marriage. One night, after a heated argument, Michelle looked at me and said, “Matthew, your words still carry a sword — but not the Spirit.”The Holy Spirit spoke immediately: “This is repentance — not feeling sorry, but letting Me rebuild what pride keeps breaking.”That moment broke me. I realized repentance isn't God humiliating us — it's God healing us. When you turn around, you don't run into judgment; you run into mercy.2 Corinthians 7:10 says, “Godly sorrow produces repentance that leads to salvation without regret.” Worldly sorrow says, “I feel bad I got caught.” Godly sorrow says, “I can't stand being away from You.”That's what salvation starts with — a heart that says, “I've had enough of running.”Here's the truth: sin always leads to death. The Bible says, “The wages of sin is death.” But repentance opens the door to the greatest exchange in history — “The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”That's why Jesus came. He didn't die to make you religious; He died to make you free. On the cross, He took every sin, every shame, every regret — and when He said “It is finished,” He meant it.You can't earn that forgiveness. You can't deserve it. You simply receive it.

November 16, 2025Today's Reading: Luke 21:5-28 (29-36)Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 31:1-17, 23-34; Revelation 16:1-21; Matthew 27:1-10“[Jesus said,] ‘And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves,  people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.'" (Luke 21:25-28)In the Name +  of Jesus. Amen. When you see these things: things of evil governments laying hands on Christians, Christians being persecuted for the holy Name; things of your own sin, your own failures; things of the frustration of living as a Christian, wishing you could do better each day, but seeing the hopelessness of it all as you find yourself once again, as yesterday and the day before, falling to doubt, to fear, to lust, to the desire to control others, or to any other temptation—when you see these things, Stand, lift up your heads, for you belong to Baptism. And Baptism is not the sinner showing allegiance to God. It's God saving the sinner. It's your Lord using his appointed means to work the forgiveness of sins, to rescue from death and the devil, and to give eternal life to all who have faith in the words and promises of God. So despair not. Lift up your heads, for you belong to the life-giving water, rich in grace, a washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit. (Titus 3:5)With each day, the world nears its final judgment. We see the signs all around. Despair not. We continue to rejoice in serving neighbor, in opportunities to work for peace and good order, in words spoken in kindness to acclaim our Lord's gift of life, extolling his institutions of family and home, of marriage of man and woman, of property and possessions, our Lord's institutions so often rejected by our fallen world. For we know that these things instituted by the Lord are his way of providing for us and our neighbor on Earth.We see our sin, our failures, and we fear. Despair not. Hear your Lord's Gospel and rejoice in the life of Baptism to which you belong. We stand and lift up our heads in faith. Luke 21:28: [Jesus said,] “Now when these things begin to take place, stand and raise up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O Lord, Almighty and always-living God, You gave great and precious promises to people who trust You.  Reign and lead our hearts and minds with Your Holy Spirit. Then we can continue to live forever in Your Son. Jesus lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.Author: Rev. Warren Graff, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Albuquerque, NM.Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Richard Heinz, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lowell, IN.This new devotional resource by Carl Fickenscher walks you through each week's readings, revealing thematic connections and helping you better understand what is to come in worship each Sunday.

God's heart is to make His home in us and to fill us with His joy and His peace and His grace and His power, and I believe that with every fibre of my being. In fact, I know it. And the other thing I know is that He wants to do that for you. Today. Right now.   We're All Different It is fantastic to be with you again this week on Christianityworks. You know the process of boy meets girl has always fascinated me. Before I met my wonderful wife Jacqui, somebody encouraged me to go out on a blind date with a woman and the moment I knocked on her door and she opened the door, I took one look at her and in the instant, I knew there would be no relationship there - I just knew! And yet the very first time I laid eyes on Jacqui, I just knew that she would be my wife. How does that work? What is that chemistry all about? How does chemistry and attraction turn into love and commitment and lifelong companionship? I don't know, I really don't know. I guess for one person there are many potential spouses and only a handful of real candidates, and sometimes one or sometimes none that people meet. It's really a mystery, isn't it? how a boy and a girl meet and become husband and wife and share a life together for the whole of their lives. The same is true with friends – you can pick your friends but you can't pick your relatives. And I guess that saying acknowledges this reality, that sometimes there are people with whom we have chemistry and we have relationship and yet other people – they may be similar to us, they may have the same interests – but there is just no potential there for relationship, because somehow you just don't click. You know what I'm talking about. Well it that's true of people – if there is kind of a custom fit between people for having relationships what about our relationship with God? There is one God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit, three persons in one God - an amazing mystery of God in three persons. But what about our compatibility with God? We are all different – some of us know things in our heads; some of us know things more in our hearts; some of us are right-brained people, some of us are left brained people; some people are loud and noisy, other people are quiet and deep. For some people experience is the most important way of knowing something but for others, they just know that they know that they know that they know that they know. Whatever it is – wherever each one of us is in terms of faith – let's just make a couple of assumptions: firstly, that God is God and secondly that it was His idea to make us all so incredibly different. So, if that's the case, how is it that God deals with that reality in establishing and developing a personal relationship with each one of us? That's what we are going to visit today on the programme. We are in the third programme of a four-week series called "The Holy Spirit and Me". The last few weeks we have been looking at the subject of walking in the Spirit. Two weeks ago we began looking at Jesus' promise of the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised – if you want to read it it's in John chapter 14 – He promised another Counsellor; another Advocate "just like Me". So Jesus did His public ministry for three and a half years and just before He went to the cross He promised His disciples: I won't leave you as orphans. I'll come again. I'll be with you through My Holy Spirit, My Father and I will come and make our homes with you. And then He died on the cross, He rose again, He ascended into Heaven and not long after…and that's what we are going to look at today, in the Book of Acts. If you have a Bible, grab it; open it at Acts because that's where we are going today. Not long after He poured His Holy Spirit out on His disciples – the Holy Spirit of grace; the Holy Spirit of power; the Holy Spirit of God in us with a relationship that we just can't put into words. And last week on the programme we looked at one of the significant implications of having the Holy Spirit present in us, in that the Spirit who is Holy deals with our sin and that means change; that means repenting; that means ditching that rubbish in our lives. It may not be popular but the Holy Spirit gives us the power to change. But how does the Holy Spirit deal with each one of us who are so different? And this week we are going to look at how God strikes up a relationship with us. We are all so different – God is God – God doesn't change, so how does He do it? How does He customise or tailor His approach or is it one size fits all? Is there some kind of standard approach that is the same for each one of us? How do I know I have the Holy Spirit? It's amazing in the church, that the Holy Spirit is a source of great division – people's understanding of the person of the Holy Spirit – one of the three persons in the Godhead, brings a whole bunch of misunderstanding. And we are just going to open the Bible today very simply and very plainly and just read what God says about God, the Holy Spirit. I was sitting having dinner the other night with a really good friend of mine and this man is very well-known in ministry in Australia and around the world – God has used him to do some amazing things. And you would have to say he is a high-profile sort of person – I won't use his name because we were having a private dinner together. But we were talking about how God deals with each one of us and I was saying. "Well, I love getting up in the morning early and spending forty-five minutes or an hour with God because God speaks to me." You know, I find out what God is doing. "God what are You up to today?" And God gives me guidance as I do that – as I read His Word, as I listen to Him, as I pray. God just impresses on me what He wants me to do. And this friend of mine – and people look at him from a distance; they see him on television, they hear him on radio, they read his biography and they look at this man and they say, "WOW, here's this super-spiritual man that God has used powerfully," and he said to me, "It doesn't work like that for me." He said, "You know, I go to God and ask Him, 'What do you want me to do, God?'" And God says to me, "I have already given you a job, go and do it." You think, "Well, it doesn't sound very spiritual", but on the other hand "the proof of the pudding is in the eating". I mean, look at the fruit in this man's life and God has clearly used him amazingly. God knows each one of us. He knows exactly what you are like. He knows exactly how to connect with you, just as He does to connect with me. So over the next twenty minutes or so we are going to spend some time looking at three different examples of how God connected with people, with the aim of getting the sense that God knows how different each one of us are. We will look at that when we come back.   A Personal Relationship What I said earlier, that the person of the Holy Spirit is one of the greatest sources of division in the Christian church right now and it is true. On the one hand it's very clear from the Bible that everyone who believes in Jesus has the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul writes in Romans chapter 8, verse 9: Anyone one who does not have the Spirit of Christ doesn't belong to Him. And again in Ephesians chapter 1 and elsewhere, Paul writes along these lines – he says: In Him, in Jesus also, when you had heard the word of truth; the Good News; the Gospel of your salvation and you believed in Him, you were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit. This is the pledge of our inheritance towards redemption as God's own people to the praise of His glory. So in other words, any person that has believed in their heart that Jesus is their personal Saviour has received the Holy Spirit; the promised Holy Spirit; the Spirit that Jesus promised in John chapter 14. Another comforter; another one just like Me, is what He said about the Holy Spirit. But, it's also true by observation that this Holy Spirit makes a difference in some people and not in others. Jesus said: You will know a tree by its fruit. Good trees have good fruit and bad trees have bad fruit. I don't know where you are on your journey – I have a bit of a sense where I am on my journey but we are all on a journey. If we are walking with Jesus, if we have accepted Him and said, "Lord, I want You to be my Saviour, I believe that You died for me on the cross" – if we are with Jesus then somewhere in our lives, Jesus is making changes – we are on a journey. And I know that today I make fewer mistakes that I did five years ago and my prayer is that as I grow in God's Word and in my relationship with Him and through the presence of the Spirit in me, I pray in another five years I will be able to look back and say exactly the same thing. But there are some people who say, "I believe in Jesus" and you look at their lives and you think 'I can't see any fruit.' There is that wonderful story in Luke's Gospel of Jesus going to His friend's grave – Lazarus. Lazarus had died; he had been dead for a few days and when Jesus got to his grave, He said" Roll the stone away. And they said: You don't understand he has been dead for a few days, he is going to smell And Jesus said: Roll the stone away. And when they did that He said: Lazarus, come out. And Lazarus got up from the dead and walked out but he was bound up in grave-clothes. Now under those grave-clothes there was red in his cheek – the Master had spoken life into Lazarus's dead body. But Lazarus was still bound up in the grave-clothes. You know, you can't do much for God; you can't serve other people when you are bound up in grave-clothes. And to tell you the truth, I know plenty of Christians that look just like Lazarus when he came out of the tomb. Yes, the Master has spoken life into them – yes, they have eternal life but they are still bound up in the grave-clothes of the past. Jesus said, "I came to set you free," and I believe that the Holy Spirit – in fact the Bible tells us the Holy Spirit has so much to do with setting us free. Some people believe that you become a Christian, you receive the Holy Spirit and that's it! That's one side of the argument. Other people believe, "Well, no, there is a second blessing. You know, sure you receive the seal of the Holy Spirit – you receive the Spirit when you become a Christian but you have got to be baptised in the Spirit." There is a significant experiential event of power, of gifts, of tongues and prophets and all those other things that happen after the event. And I know well-intentioned Christians of both sides of that argument – in both camps – who argue their cases strongly and passionately and believe that the other party is just plain wrong. Why is this important? Because it goes to the question 'How do I know if I'm filled with the Spirit? How do I know if I'm walking in the Spirit? Because I don't know about you, but I'm passionate – I want all that God has for me – all of Him, all of His presence, all of His blessing, all that I can do with God, I want everything that God has for me. How incredibly sad to believe in the cross; to believe in Jesus and then to walk the rest of our lives as though nothing happened? Come on, do you want everything that God has for you? Because I tell you, God has an abundant blessing and over flowing blessing of grace and mercy and joy and peace for each person who puts their faith in Jesus. And to understand how God approaches this, we are going to look at three very distinct; very different approaches in the Bible in the Book of Acts. The first one happens at Pentecost – let's read it very quickly. Acts chapter 1, verses 4 and 5. While staying with them, Jesus (this is after the resurrection and before He ascends), this is what it says: While staying with them Jesus ordered them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait there for the promise of the Father. This, He said, is what you have heard from Me for John baptised with water but you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. And then in Acts chapter 2, this is what happens: When the day of Pentecost came they were all together in one place and suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind and it filled the entire house where they were sitting and divided tongues as of fire appeared among them and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them ability. One thing is clear – God poured His Spirit out on these men and women in the most amazing way. And you read on in Acts chapter 2, 3 and 4 – Peter gets up and addresses the crowd and gives the most powerful message – God filled them with His Spirit and His power. What does it show about God? He does special things - things that we don't always understand; things that don't always make sense to us. He did them then, He does them today – He does amazing things. And yet He does different things too. We are going to look at two different instances of how God poured His Spirit out on people next.   We Can't Put God in a Box We are looking on the programme today how God touches people differently with His Holy Spirit. We have just looked at the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out on to the disciples with rushing wind and flames of fire – really unusual and amazing and maybe you and I wouldn't have done it that way, but God did. Have a look at this one though; this is another really interesting one. We are going to Acts chapter 19 – if you have a Bible, go there because God does things differently. Have a listen, this is in Ephesus: While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul the Apostle, passed through the interior regions and came to Ephesus where he found some disciples. He said to them "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?" and they replied "No, we don't even know that there is a Holy Spirit." Then he said "Into what were you baptised?" and they answered "Into John's baptism." And Paul said "John baptised with a baptism of repentance, telling people to believe in the One who was coming after him, that is in Jesus." On hearing this, they were baptised in the name of Jesus and then Paul laid hands on them and the Holy Spirit came upon them and they spoke in tongues and they prophesied and all together there were about twelve of them. See, some people argue so strongly, "Well, you receive the Holy Spirit; it is a one-off thing when you become a believer", as we saw before in the Book of Romans chapter 8 – when you become a believer you receive the Holy Spirit and that's it! That may be how God works with some people but it's not how He worked in Ephesus. In Ephesus, I'm sure that when these people believed in Jesus, they put their hearts into Him, they received the Holy Spirit but they had to be taught about the Holy Spirit. They didn't know that the Holy Spirit existed and when Paul told them about it; when Paul laid his hands on them, they received the Spirit in power and they prophesied and they prayed in tongues. There was a second experience for them. Don't you love how God does things differently? And the third one that I would like to look at is Cornelius and his family. Let's go to Acts chapter 10 if you have a Bible because Cornelius received the Holy Spirit in a different way. In Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of the Italian cohort as it was called. He was a devout man who feared God with all his household and he gave generously to the poor and prayed constantly to God. One afternoon about three o'clock, he had a vision in which he clearly saw an angel coming and said to him "Cornelius!" He stared at the angel in terror "What is it Lord?" "Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God." And so the angel told Cornelius to send some men to Peter to get Peter the Apostle to come and tell them about Jesus, which happened. And while Peter was still talking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the Word. So the example we looked at before, in Ephesus, those people had believed – we don't know for how long – but they received the Holy Spirit after they believed. Here Cornelius and his family were still listening to the message of the Good News of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit fell upon them there. See, how silly it is to have these arguments about "Well, you know, you only receive the Holy Spirit when you first believe," or "You have to receive the Holy Spirit as a second blessing." There are two examples where God did it differently and the one at Pentecost before, these people had walked with Jesus – they had spent three and a half years with Him, some of them, in the best Bible school you will ever come across – the Bible school of Jesus Christ. And God dealt with each of them differently. I remember, I received the Holy Spirit the way Cornelius did. I remember when I gave my life to Jesus Christ that day, I know that I know that I know that I know that I know that I was filled with the Holy Spirit and it's never changed for me. That joy and that peace has never left me; the courage to keep going has never left me, even through the dark times; even through the painful times; even when I felt like I was walking alone, I knew in my spirit and my heart that my God was carrying me. And that comes from the Holy Spirit. What about you? Have you been filled to overflowing with the Holy Spirit - God's presence in you? You know that joy, that peace, that thing that happens when you all of a sudden get a revelation in your spirit and in your soul, that Jesus Christ is Lord. Do you walk around every day in that knowledge that you are filled with the Holy Spirit? That the Holy Spirit is just overflowing out of you? Someone is listening there going "I have never experienced that, I have never tasted that, I want that," well I am going to pray for you right now. Father, I pray for each person who is listening right now. We are together in Your Spirit in Your Kingdom. I pray for each soul who is hungering for Your presence. I pray each person who is aching to receive Your Holy Spirit and I pray in the name of Jesus Christ that You would pour Your Spirit out on them, right here and right now. That You would fill them with the Holy Spirit, not just today but tomorrow and the next day and the next day and the next, every day between now and when each one of us stands before You in glory. I pray that You would pour Your Spirit out on us in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Well, I know that if you prayed that prayer with me, I know that if your soul is dry and thirsty and hungry and poor and empty and just yearning to be filled with God, I know that God will honour that prayer and when we accept God for who He is, to let Him do just what He wants in our lives, just how He wants to do it in our lives, that is the most awesome and wonderful and amazing thing. Whether we are a Cornelius and we received the Spirit and were filled to overflowing when we first heard the message or whether we are someone who has been walking for twenty or thirty years and never been filled with the Holy Spirit – it doesn't matter – God shows up for each one of us because if we put our faith in Jesus Christ, His heart is to make His home in us and to fill us with His joy and His peace and His grace and His power and I believe that with every fibre of my being I have seen it in other people's lives – I have seen it in my life and I am believing for your life too. God is no man's debtor – God has no favourites – God wants to pour His glory out in your life, in my life, in everybody's life, who puts their faith in Jesus Christ. Let's come back to the question – does God have a standard way or does He customise His approach? Look at Pentecost – look at Ephesus – look at Cornelius, look at my life – look at your life. God will meet you in your place, in your life, in your need, just the way you are. I believe that and I am praying for that, for you, in Jesus Christ's name.

The plan of God is to pour His abundant love; everything He is and everything He has and all His peace and His joy; His plan is to pour that out upon your life. And that … that's why He's sent the Holy Spirit.   How Thirsty are You? We are starting a new series this week on Christianityworks called "The Holy Spirit and Me". For most of my life I haven't been a Christian. My early memories of church as a child were hard pews and filtered light through yellow windows and the Latin Mass and then as I grew up, a German Mass. And for me as a child, it felt like the whole thing was just droning on. I don't mean to criticise but for me as a kid, the whole Christianity/religion thing – it just didn't work. It all seemed pretty much irrelevant. In fact, I remember in church, sitting as a young child, I knew my father could wiggle his ears and I thought, "Maybe I can do it too" and the biggest thing I got out of that time – sitting still for me for an hour on end was just a terrible thing as a kid – was learning to wiggle my ears. And as I grew up, I'm your typical baby-boomer – you know, I was into career, into money, into having things and I discovered I was very good at what I did so, I got onto the treadmill of life and the whole religion and rules and church thing, by and large, for me, was just irrelevant – particularly as a baby-boomer. So when I came to that time in my life, about eleven years ago, when God started to stir things around inside of me; began to develop a sense of my own spirituality, I thought, "I only want this if it is real, if it's relevant, if it's here and now, if it makes a difference." The notion of church and religion to me was vacuous and out of date and irrelevant. If there was a God I wanted to know Him and if not I thought, "I can do without all that other palaver" – you know. I don't know if you have been at functions or events or cocktail parties when you are standing around and you have a discussion with someone and it's all superficial and you wander off and go and get another drink and you talk to someone else at all this superficial level. It's so different to having a great meal with some close friends where there is a depth and a reality to the relationship. And I guess to me, that was the distinction between the whole churchy/religiousy thing on the one hand, which I saw as superficial and the depth of relationship on the other which is what I wanted with this God – with this Jesus, if He was who He said He was. A friend is someone who sticks by you through thick and thin. A friend accepts you for who you are, good and bad. So I thought, "If I am going to be a Christian I want a deep, passionate, real relationship with God." I remember having a cup of coffee not many months after I gave my life to Christ and this man was my pastor – a wonderful man – and he saw how excited, how passionate I was about this new relationship that I had discovered with Jesus. And he said to me, "Berni, you know, it's not always going to be like that. There will be days when it's bad," and in a sense he's right, there are some tough days in life. But I went home and I was really angry with what he had said and I remember praying, I said, "God, if I am going to be a Christian I want to do it with my all and I want it to be a real, powerful relationship and I want to know this peace and this joy and this love and this excitement every day of my life." Now, there are three types of people in this world – those who enjoy a relationship like that with God – and I would encourage you to stick with us today because it will be an encouragement to listen to what we are talking about with the Holy Spirit. There are those who believe in Jesus – the second type – but they don't have that sort of relationship. Somehow the Christianity thing is hollow; it's empty. The third…the third are people who don't yet believe in Jesus, who don't have that relationship and maybe you are asking, "Well, does He have anything to offer?" So today let me encourage you – we are going to open up a box here and look at what Jesus says about the subject of having a relationship with Him and for you to evaluate that and decide for yourself whether that's the sort of passionate relationship you would like to have. Way back in the Old Testament, to the prophet Jeremiah, when God's people, the people of Israel were going through some really tough times – God always seems to show up for Israel during the tough times. And He makes really powerful and far-reaching and exciting promises and this is one of those times. He says: Look, after all this is through, I will put My Word inside you. I'll write it on your heart and I will be your God and you will by my people and you won't have to teach each other and say to each other, 'Know God' because you will know Me. From the least to the greatest" says the Lord, "I'll forgive you and I'll remember your sin no more and you will love me. I love that passage because that's God heart; that's God passion; that is God saying to me and God saying to you, "I want to have a relationship with you, I want to be close to you, I want for you to know Me." You know, it's one thing to know God; it's another thing to know God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our spirit, to be consumed with the wonder and the awe of who God is. There is another beautiful passage in the Book of Joel – another one of the Old Testament prophets: And God says, "After all these things, I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh and your sons and daughters shall prophesy. This picture of God wanting to have a relationship; this picture of God pouring out His Spirit - you know, He's not doing it with an eye-dropper; He's not doing it with a little cup, God wants to pour out His Holy Spirit. That's why this week we are starting a series called, "The Holy Spirit and Me". Who is this Holy Spirit? What's His job? What's He like? What does He do? What's my relationship? What's the whole point of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit? So right now I'd ask you how thirsty are you? How much do you want to have a relationship with God through the Holy Spirit?   Intimacy with God We are going to have a look today at what Jesus had to say about this person, the Holy Spirit and we are going to John chapter 14 – if you have got a Bible, grab it and open it up – the fourth Book in the New Testament – John chapter 14. Now Jesus has spent three and a half years with His disciples; they were fishermen and tax collectors and they had seen Him do the most amazing miracles; they had heard Him preach powerful sermons but the time was drawing near for Him to be crucified. Now Jesus was a religious subversive. The religious establishment of the day was into rules and religion and pomp and ceremony and hypocrisy and oppression and they had done deals with the Roman occupying power and Jesus ... Jesus comes along and threatens that. He is like a breath of fresh air. He hangs around with common people, like you and me. He stands up for the oppressed ones and the marginalised ones. He does miracles and He shows up the establishment and so they plot to kill Him. So His disciples have this sense of fear and loss. He is telling them about it and they are wondering, "Well what about my life? I mean, this Jesus who has been doing these amazing things, He says He is going to be crucified – what then?" So this little rag-tag group of fishermen and tax collectors and the people that God has chosen to establish His church are about to experience the deep loss of Jesus on the cross. And Jesus comes along and promises them something and that's what we are going to read now in John's Gospel chapter 14, beginning at verse 15. Let's have a bit of a read. He says: If you love me you will keep my commandments and I will ask My Father and He will give you another advocate; another comforter to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of Truth whom the world cannot receive because they don't see Him or know Him but you know Him because He dwells and abides with you and He will be in you. I won't leave you orphaned; I'm coming to you. In a little while the world won't see me any longer but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in My Father and you are in me and I am in you. They who have My commandments and keep them, are those who love Me and those who love Me will be loved by My Father and I will love them and reveal Myself to them. Judas – not Iscariot, another Judas – said to Him "Lord, how is it that you reveal yourself to us and not to the world?" And Jesus answered him "Those who love me will keep My Word and My Father will love them and we will come to them and make our home with them." And then He goes on to say: Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I don't give it to you the way the world gives. Don't let your hearts be troubled and don't let them be afraid. This is a promise from Jesus in this tough time, just like those Old Testament promises we looked at earlier. This is God showing up in a difficult, tough time, making beautiful, wonderful, powerful promises and here He promises the Holy Spirit. He says: If you love Me you will keep My commandments and I will ask Dad and He will give you another one; another advocate. "If you love Me ..." Is He looking for perfection? No! Jesus knows we are not perfect but He is saying if you live your life for Me – if you really love Me, the things that I have taught you, the things that you have heard, the things that I've said are really important – My wisdom, love your enemy, love your neighbour, don't judge other people – all that stuff, He says if you will do that, I'll ask Dad and He will send you another counsellor. Now if you have a Bible, this word is translated in different ways – Counsellor or Advocate or Comforter "like Me". In fact, the words that Jesus uses there mean "just like Me" – another one "just like Me". So all of a sudden we know something about this Holy Spirit that He is promising. The Holy Spirit is just like Jesus. Ever wondered what the Holy Spirit is like because when we say, "God the Father", we go, "Well, I can imagine what a good dad is?" We haven't all had good dads but we can all imagine what a good father is like and so we look at God as "Father" and we go, "Yep, I get that bit." "God the Son", well, we understand sonship and we understand Jesus because we can pick up at least four books in the Bible – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, the Gospels – and read exactly what He was like and how He behaved and how He reacted and what He said. But kind of getting your mind and your heart around the Holy Spirit is ... it's a whole bunch more difficult isn't it? And here Jesus tells us what the Holy Spirit is like – He is just like Jesus. In the Old Testament, remember we read earlier, the promise in Joel: I will pour out My Spirit on everyone. And Jesus is saying, "It's about to happen folks!" God is God the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit – we don't understand that fully – three persons, one God and Jesus is saying, "It's about to happen, guys. I know I'm going to be crucified but sometime real soon I'm going to follow-up on My promise to pour out My Spirit and I'm going to pour My Spirit out on you and if you love Me, if you believe in Me, I will come and make My home in You. I'm in Dad and you will be in Me and Dad and I will come and make our homes in you." Let's look at it again: This Spirit of truth whom the world can't receive because they don't know Him and they don't see Him but you do – you know Him because He abides with you. See, "abides" is such a strong word – it doesn't mean "shack up", it doesn't mean "visit", it doesn't mean "have a cup of coffee together", it means "to be with us forever" and that's what Jesus said: I will give you another advocate to be with you forever. And we will come and make our home with you. If you love Me and keep My Word, My Dad will love you and He and I, through the Holy Spirit, will make our home with you." Up until then, the presence of God had been understood to be inside the temple in Jerusalem, in the Holy of Holies and no one could come close to God and here in Jesus, God comes close to us. And Jesus says, "It gets better than this – we are about to get much closer because when I pour My Spirit out, I will be dwelling with you and living in you." In fact, He goes on to say, in John chapter 16: It's to your advantage that I go away because if I don't go away I won't be pouring My Spirit out on you and having My Spirit is so much better. What an amazing plan Jesus has for us! What an awesome plan to pour out His Spirit and we will pick up and look at that plan just a little bit more next.   Jesus Comes Home Well, God does have an amazing plan for us to have a relationship with Him that is intimate and real and here and now. I remember talking to a young man at a church I was at a few years ago – I was running an ALPHA course, which is a course to introduce people to Jesus and what Christianity is all about. And this man was a young Jewish lawyer by the name of David and we were talking about the Holy Spirit – we were talking about exactly this passage that we've just read. It says: I will come and make My home in you. My Spirit will abide with you forever. And I was explaining it is kind of like God moves in. God moves into our lives, into our hearts and into our spirits and into our souls and He is with us every second of every minute of every hour of every day for the rest of eternity. And this young lawyer said 'Woe, that's a bit of an invasion of privacy isn't it?' I guess it is … I guess it is when a man a woman gets married, you know, all of a sudden there in each other's space and they are in each other's lives and they share the same bed and they share every room in the house. It is kind of an invasion of privacy but it's God's plan. Not for religion, not for rules: If you love Me you will keep My commandments and I will come and make My home in you. I will love you, I will show Myself to you. It says here in this passage we have just been reading. When Jesus said: It is to your advantage that I go away so that I can send you the Holy Spirit. What He was meaning was this: Jesus was God in the flesh and being a man He had a physical limitation – He could only be in one place at one time but the Holy Spirit doesn't have that problem. The Holy Spirit … God the Spirit can be in me and in you and in a trillion other people at exactly the same time. The Holy Spirit is God with me and God with you, 24/7. And when Judas asks the question in verse 22 of chapter 14, when he says: Lord how is it that You reveal Yourself to us and not to the world? That is a good question. Jesus answer is: I will make My home with you. I will abide with you. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit will be on your journey with you. Not in a church, not in a building, not in a temple, not in an air-conditioned heaven, I'll be on the journey with you through thick, through thin, through up, through down, through plenty, through not enough, through fire, through storm, Jesus is in that place with us. But this isn't for everyone; this isn't for the world; this isn't for people who say, "Well, you know something, I'm going to live my life my way and Jesus can be my little lap dog; my little puppy who does tricks and helps me when I need Him to." No, this is on God's terms – God is God. If you love Me you will keep My commandments and I will ask Dad and He will give you another advocate just like Me to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth whom the world cannot accept. If we want to race off and live our lives contrary to God's will, Jesus is saying "I'm sorry, but this isn't for you. I want to give you My Spirit, I want to move in, I want to dwell with you, I want you to see Me, I want to reveal Myself to you through the Spirit of God, but you know something, it's on God's terms because God is God. And sometimes we think, "Well, what will that mean? What will I have to do?" And we think, "Well, that's God's problem; God will teach us, God will show us when we invite Him in." And that's exactly what Jesus says. Pick it up in chapter 14, verse 25: I have said these things to you while I am still with you but the Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have said to you. What a great plan! What an awesome plan! It's so scary sometimes to contemplate this Person, the Holy Spirit and think what's it going to mean? What do I have to give up? And all the time what the Spirit brings is joy and peace and an intimate relationship with God that we can't even begin to imagine until He does that work in us. And when He does that, He changes us. We get addicted to His joy. I'm addicted to the peace that the Holy Spirit brings. That's why I spend time with God; that's why I do what I do. I just love Him and when we do that somehow He changes us. You know those things that you've been trying to change in yourself all your life – I have them too. When we draw close to Him, that flame burns and somehow, all that rubbish just burns away, day-by-day, week-by-week, year-by-year. So it's not a self-help programme, its God changing us. For me when I accepted Jesus I did it holus-bolus. Like the disciples, it was a time of loss and fear and loneliness for me eleven years ago. When I accepted Him the pain didn't go away straight away – I still had ups and downs – but God blessed me so greatly with a beautiful wife and daily I live in His presence and day after day after day He is changing me and touching me and guiding me and moulding me and it's the Holy Spirit … God the Holy Spirit in me. And God the Holy Spirit in you who wants to do this; who wants to show us Jesus and tell us how wonderful He is. This is what Jesus says in chapter 16, beginning at verse 14 about the Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit will glorify Me because He will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine and for this reason I said to you that He will take what is mine and declare it to you. The plan of God is to pour His abundant love, everything He is and everything He has and all His love and His peace and His joy – His plan is to pour that into your life and my life through the Holy Spirit. Father, I pray that as we have been in Your Word today Your Spirit would stir us up – You would give us a hunger and a thirst and a desire to be filled with Your Holy Spirit and I pray Father God in Jesus name, that You would do exactly that. 

Lloyd reacts to disgraced former CNN anchor Don Lemon who went on a pro-Second Amendment rant last week … calling for brown people to exercise their rights so they can shoot ICE. Plus a shout out to the “No Kings” protestors. Armed Lutheran Radio is a listener-supported podcast. If you value the information and entertainment we provide, consider supporting the show by joining our membership site, The Reformation Gun Club! http://gunclub.armedlutheran.us Links of Interest Buy Duty to Defend, Volume 2 on Amazon – https://amzn.to/3D3frE5* Duty to Defend (Signed Copies!) – https://www.armedlutheran.us/product/duty-to-defend-2nd-edition-signed-copy Prayer of the Week O God, forasmuch as without You we are not able to please You, mercifully grant that Your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen. Get in Touch Visit our Feedback Page - http://www.armedlutheran.us/feedback Please tell your friends about us, leave an iTunes review, and like us on Facebook Join our Facebook group - http://www.armedlutheran.us/facebook Subscribe to us and follow us on Youtube - http://www.armedlutheran.us/youtube Check Out More at our Website- http://www.armedlutheran.us Use these Links to Support Armed Lutheran Radio If you value the information and entertainment we provide, consider supporting the show by joining our membership site, or shopping at your favorite online stores using the links below. Check out the other Great Armed Lutheran Books - http://www.ArmedLutheran.us/Books Shop at Amazon* - http://www.armedlutheran.us/amazon Armed Citizens Legal Defense Network - https://www.armedcitizensnetwork.org Disclaimer The links above which are indicated with an asterisk (*) are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. Please understand that I have experience with all of these items, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions I make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money on these products unless you feel you need them or that they will help you. Original Music by Reformer Keep Shooting, Keep Praying, We'll Talk to you Next time!

This talk was given at St. Nicholas Orthodox Church (UOC-USA) in Charlottesville, VA. In it, Fr. Anthony presents Orthodoxy's sacramental view of creation and uses music as an example of how the royal priesthood, in Christ, fulfills its commission to pattern the cosmos according to that of Eden. My notes from the talk: I'm grateful to be back in Charlottesville, a place stitched into my story by Providence. Years ago, the Army Reserves sent me here after 9/11. I arrived with a job in Ohio on pause, a tidy life temporarily dismantled, and a heart that didn't care for the way soldiers are sometimes told to behave. So I went looking for an Orthodox church. I found a small mission and—more importantly—people who took me in as family. A patient priest and his matushka mentored me for six years. If anything in my priesthood bears fruit, it is because love first took root here. Bishops have a sense of humor; mine sent a Georgian convert with no Slavic roots to a Ukrainian parish in Rhode Island. It fit better than anyone could have planned. The Lord braided my history, discovering even ancestral ties in New England soil. Later, when a young man named Michael arrived—a reader who became a subdeacon, a deacon, and in time a priest—our trajectories crossed again. Father Robert trained me; by grace I was allowed to help train Father Michael; and now he serves here. This is how God sings His providence—melodies introduced, developed, and returned, until love's theme is recognizable to everyone listening. Why focus on music and beauty? Because they are not ornamental to the Gospel; they are its native tongue. Beauty tutors us in a sacramental world, not a "God of the gaps" world—where faith retreats to whatever science has not yet explained—but a world in which God is everywhere present and filling all things. Beauty is one of the surest ways to share the Gospel, not as salesmanship or propaganda, but as participation in what the world was made to be. The Church bears a particular charism for beauty; secular beauty can reflect it, but often only dimly—and sometimes in ways that distort the pattern it imitates. Beauty meets the whole human person: the senses and gut, the reasoning mind, and the deep heart—the nous—where awe, reverence, and peace bloom. Music is a wonderfully concrete instance of all of this: an example, a symbol, and—when offered rightly—a sacrament of sanctifying grace. Saint John begins his Gospel with the Logos—not a mere "word" but the Word whose meaning includes order, reason, and intelligibility: "All things were made through Him." Creation, then, bears the Logos' stamp in every fiber; Genesis repeats the refrain, "and God saw that it was good"—agathos, not just kalos. Agathos is goodness that is beautiful and beneficial, fitted to bless what it touches. Creation is not simply well-shaped; it is ordered toward communion, toward glory, toward gift. The Creed confesses the Father as Creator, the Son as the One through whom all things were made, and the Spirit as the Giver of Life. Creation is, at root, Trinitarian music—harmonies of love that invite participation. If you like, imagine the first chapter of Genesis sung. We might say: in the beginning, there was undifferentiated sound; the Spirit hovered; the Logos spoke tone, time, harmony, and melody into being. He set boundaries and appointed seasons so that music could unfold in an ordered way. Then He shaped us to be liturgists—stewards who can turn noise into praise, dissonance into resolution. The point of the story is not that God needed a soundtrack; it is that the world bears a pattern and purpose that we can either receive with thanksgiving or twist into something self-serving and cacophonous. We know what happened. In Adam and Eve's fall, thorns and thistles accompanied our work. Pain entered motherhood, and tyranny stalked marriage. We still command tools of culture—city-building, metallurgy, and yes, even music—but in Cain's line we see creativity conscripted to self-exaltation and violence. The Tower of Babel is the choir of human pride singing perfectly in tune against God. That is how sin turns technique into idolatry. Saint Paul describes the creation groaning in agony, longing for the revealing of the sons and daughters of God. This is not mere poetic flourish; it is metaphysical realism. The world aches for sanctified stewardship, for human beings restored to their priestly vocation. It longs for its music to be tuned again to the Logos. Christ enters precisely there—as the New Adam. Consider His Theophany. The Jordan "turns back," the waters are sanctified, because nothing impure remains in the presence of God. He does not merely touch creation; He heals it—beginning sacramentally with water, the primal element of both life and chaos. In our services for the Blessing of Water we sing, "Today the nature of the waters is sanctified… The Jordan is parted in two… How shall a servant lay his hand on the Master?" In prayer we cry, "Great are You, O Lord, and marvelous are Your works… Wherefore, O King and Lover of mankind, be present now by the descent of Your Holy Spirit and sanctify this water." This is not magic; it is synergy. We offer bread, wine, water, oil; we make the sign of the cross; we chant what the Church gives—and God perfects our offering with His grace. The more we give Him to work with, the more He transfigures. And then Holy Friday: the terrible beauty of the Passion. Sin's dissonance swells to cacophony as the Source of Beauty is slandered, pierced, and laid in the tomb. Icons and hymns do not hide the scandal—they name it. Joseph and Nicodemus take down a body that clothes itself with light as with a garment. Creation shudders; the sun withdraws; the veil is rent. Liturgically, we let the discomfort stand; sometimes the chant itself presses the dissonance upon us so that we feel the fracture. But the dissonance does not have the last word; it resolves—not trivially, not cheaply—into the transcendent harmony of Pascha. On the night of the Resurrection, the church is dark, then a single candle is lit, and the light spills outward. We sing, "Come receive the Light from the unwaning Light," and then the troparion bursts forth: "Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death…" The structure of salvation is musical: tension, longing, silence, and a resolution that is fuller than our peace had been before the conflict. Here is the pastoral heart of it: Christ restores our seal. Saint Paul says we are "sealed with the promised Holy Spirit." Think of a prosphora seal pressed into unbaked dough; the impression remains when the loaf is finished. Sin cracked our seal; everything we touched bore our corruptions. In Christ, the seal is made whole. In Baptism and Chrismation, that seal is pressed upon us—not only on the brow but on the whole person—so that our very engaging with the world can take on the pattern of the Logos again. We do not stop struggling—Paul's "what I would, I do not"—but we now struggle inside a music that resolves. Even our failures can become passing tones on the way to love, if we repent and return to the key. This is why the Church's common life matters so much. When we gather for Vespers and Liturgy, we enact the world's purpose. The Psalms give us perfect words; the Church's hymnody gives us perfected poetry. Music, rightly offered, is Logos-bearing—it is rational in the deepest sense—and love is the same. Music requires skill and repetition; so does love. Music benefits from different voices and timbres; love, too, is perfected when distinct persons yield to a single charity. Music engages and transfigures dissonance; love confronts conflict and heals it. Music honors silence; love rests and listens. These are not analogies we force upon the faith—they are the way creation is built. The world says, "sing louder," but the will to power always collapses into noise. The Church says, "sing together." In the Eucharistic assembly, the royal priesthood becomes itself—men, women, and children listening to one another, matching pitch and phrase, trusting the hand that gives the downbeat, and pouring our assent into refrains of "Lord have mercy" and "Amen." The harmony is not uniformity; it is concord. It is not sentimentality; it is charity given and received. And when the Lord gives Himself to us for the healing of soul and body, the music goes beyond even harmony; it becomes communion. That is why Orthodox Christians are most themselves around the chalice: beauty, word, community, and sacrament converge in one act of thanksgiving. From there, the pastoral task is simply to help people live in tune. For families: cultivate attentiveness, guard against codependence and manipulation, and practice small, steady habits—prayer, fasting, reconciliation—that form the instincts of love the way scales form a musician's ear. For parishes: refuse the twin temptations of relativism and control; resist both the shrug and the iron fist. We are not curators of a museum nor managers of a brand; we are a choir rehearsing resurrection. Attend to the three "parts" of the mind you teach: let the senses be purified rather than inflamed; let the intellect be instructed rather than flattered; and let the nous—the heart—learn awe. Where awe grows, so does mercy. And for evangelization in our late modern world—filled with distraction, suspicion, and exhaustion—beauty may prove to be our most persuasive speech. Not the beauty of mere "aesthetics," but agathos beauty—the kind that is beautiful and beneficial, that heals what it touches. People come to church for a thousand different reasons: loneliness, curiosity, habit, crisis. What they really long for is God. If the nave is well-ordered, if the chant is gentle and strong, if the icons are windows rather than billboards, if the faces of the faithful are kind—then even before a word is preached, the Gospel will have begun its work. "We no longer knew whether we were in heaven or on earth," the emissaries of Rus' once said of their time at worship in Hagia Sophia. Beauty did not close their minds; it opened them to truth. None of this bypasses suffering. In fact, beauty makes us more available to it, because we stop numbing ourselves and begin to love. The Scriptures do not hide this: the Jordan is sanctified, but the Cross remains; the tomb is real; the fast is pangful. Yet in Christ, dissonance resolves. The Church's hymnody—from Psalm 103 at the week's beginning to the Nine Odes of Pascha—trains us to trust the cadence that only God can write. We learn to wait in Friday night's hush, to receive the flame from the unwaning Light, and to sing "Christ is risen" not as a slogan but as the soundtrack of our lives. So: let us steward what we've been given. Let us make the sign of the cross over our children at bedtime; let our conversations overflow with psalmody; let contended silence have a room in every home; let reconciliation be practiced before the sun goes down. Let every parish be a school for choir and charity, where no one tries to sing over his brother, and no one is left straining alone in the back row. If we will live this way, not perfectly but repentantly, then in us the world will begin to hear the old pattern again—the Logos' pattern—where goodness is beautiful and beauty does good. And perhaps, by God's mercy, the Lord will make of our small obedience something larger than we can imagine: a melody that threads through Charlottesville and Anderson, through Rhode Island and Kyiv, through every parish and prison and campus, until the whole creation—long groaning—finds its voice. Let God arise. Let His enemies be scattered. Christ is risen, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life.

Inside each of us, God has placed a unique combination of gifts — a divine mix of talents, passions, and personality that reflects His creative design. Yet, as our daily prayer and devotional remind us, so often, fear holds us back from using them. We compare ourselves to others, worry about failure, and hide our gifts instead of letting them shine for God’s glory. In today’s meditation, Whitney Hopler reminds us that fear does not come from God. Instead, He gives us power, love, and self-control to boldly live out our purpose. When we step out in faith, relying on God’s strength, our gifts become like a blazing fire — illuminating His truth and love to a world in need. If you’ve been hesitant to use your gifts, today’s prayer invites you to ask God to reignite that holy fire within you. Let His Spirit empower you to serve with confidence, courage, and joy. Today's Bible Reading:“… I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” – 2 Timothy 1:6–7, ESV

October 19, 2025Today's Reading: Luke 18:1-8Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 18:1-22; Matthew 14:22-36“[Jesus said,] ‘Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on Earth?'” (Luke 18:8)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus is giving you the Gift of prayer by presenting to you a judge who is so ridiculously bad that no reasonable person would waste time asking a favor of this judge. This judge neither fears God nor respects any man. He couldn't care less about protecting the innocent, caring only for his own convenience and well-being—an unrighteous judge.Pray, says Jesus, like an emptied widow petitioning this judge until the judge finally gives up and says, “I'll give her justice, so that she will not beat me down with her continual coming.” (Luke 18:7)Is Jesus calling his own Father an unrighteous judge? That, of course, is not the point of comparison. In the parable's last verse, Jesus presses the point He is making for us: “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on Earth.” (Luke 18:8) We live either by faith or by the Law. We're justified by faith or by works of the Law. As Paul reminds us, no one is justified by the Law (Romans 3:19-20); rather, the sinner is justified by faith (Romans 5:1-2).The Pharisees and Teachers of the Law taught how to come before God with something to give him and how to live by the Law. Jesus rescues us from their school of Law, standing us before His Father in his own righteousness. Since the Law always accuses, anyone arguing their righteousness by the Law already stands condemned! So, how do we stand before the Father? Come to the Judge as a sinner, as an emptied-out widow. Stand before the Judge expecting a thoroughly ridiculous judgment: that the one who has nothing, who deserves nothing, that one God declares most blessed of all. Stand before your Lord holding nothing but the Gospel promise. Faith clings to the promise. Faith can't help but pray. After all, the person justifying himself by the Law doesn't need to pray. Why pray if you're sanctifying yourself by your own works? You're already in good shape, so there is no need for pleading. But knowing that no person can justify himself, we can finally see that the one who lives by the Law dies by the Law. So life comes as Gift! The sinner, standing before God with no righteousness earned, now lives by faith in the righteousness of Christ Jesus, faith in the promise, faith that Jesus justifies the sinner by the Word of grace. And faith prays. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty and eternal Lord, You command us to pray, and You promise to hear and answer us. Give us Your Holy Spirit, then He can lead and reign in our hearts in everything. Then we can live in true faith, trusting in You. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.Rev. Warren Graff, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Albuquerque, NM.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Harrison Goodman is the Executive Director of Mission and Theology for Higher Things.Step back in time to the late Reformation and learn about a divisive yet inspirational figure: Matthias Flacius Illyricus. His contributions to Lutheranism still echo in our teachings today, from the Magdeburg Confession to parts of the Lutheran Confessions. Learning about Flacius's life will help you understand more intricacies of the Reformation than ever before.

“And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me.” (John 16:8–9 NLT) Over the next few days, we’re going to look at the nature and work of the Holy Spirit, one of God’s greatest gifts to us. The Holy Spirit performs vital duties in this world. Yet many of them go unnoticed because we simply take them for granted. But it’s important for God’s people to understand and celebrate His work. So, let’s start with this one: The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin. Jesus said of the Holy Spirit, “And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me” (John 16:8–9 nlt). The Holy Spirit shows us that we are sinners. He communicates the amazing truth of Jesus’ death and resurrection. He shows us that we need to turn to God. Without the convicting power of the Holy Spirit, none of us ever would have come to Jesus. That’s why, when I pray for a nonbeliever, I say, “Lord, convict them by Your Holy Spirit.” If I tell someone that Jesus has made my life fuller and better, and that I have joy and peace, they will think, “Well, that’s fine for you.” But what they need to realize is that they’re a sinner in need of a Savior. And that’s the work of the Spirit. The Spirit convicts us of our sin—not to drive us to despair, but to send us into the open arms of Jesus. On the Day of Pentecost, the apostle Peter delivered a sermon. Some of the people in the audience were culpable in Jesus’ crucifixion. Acts 2:37 says, “Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what should we do?’” (NLT). The Holy Spirit was doing the piercing. The idea of piercing someone’s heart may be a little unsettling—if you imagine the act as an attack with a knife. But what if the blade is a scalpel? And the one wielding it is a highly trained surgeon? And the piercing is a necessary procedure to remove a cancerous tumor? Suddenly the scenario is reframed as a life-giving act of mercy. So it is with the convicting work of the Holy Spirit. He reveals the ugly truth—that we are sinners, powerless to save ourselves. He reveals the dire consequences—that we face God’s eternal judgment. And then He reveals the life-giving truth—that God made salvation possible through the sacrifice of His Son. The Holy Spirit pierces our hearts—not to weaken us or destroy us, but to save us. He shows us just how much we need Jesus. Reflection question: What did the convicting work of the Holy Spirit look like in your life? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship! — The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie. Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast Become a Harvest PartnerSupport the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Daily Dose of Hope September 25, 2025   Scripture – Luke 24:1-35   Prayer:  Today we pray an ancient prayer from St Ambrose of Milan, who lived from 337-397 AD...O Lord, who has mercy upon all, take away from me my sins, and mercifully kindle in me the fire of Your Holy Spirit. Take away from me the heart of stone, and give me a heart of flesh, a heart to love and adore You, a heart to delight in You, to follow and to enjoy You, for Christ's sake.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional/podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading plan.  We are currently working our way through a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we begin a deep dive into Luke 24.    We start with Luke's resurrection account. And today, we find ourselves walking with the women: Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and others.  These are real women who traveled with Jesus from Galilee to Jerusalem, they cared for his needs, learned from him, witnessed his power and glory, and loved him.  This has been a horrible week for them.  They helplessly watched him die.  And now, filled with grief, they want to anoint his body for burial.  They need to do this.  I should mention that Jesus was crucified on a Friday.  His body was hastily put in a tomb just before the Sabbath began (Friday sundown to Saturday sundown).  So they have to wait to prepare his body for burial.  Saturday night, it would have been too dark to take care of the body so we are meeting them probably very early on a Sunday morning.  They are ready.  They have brought their spices, they plan to attend to the body properly.  In the Jewish culture, a proper burial demonstrated honor for the deceased and for these women, it was an act of love and respect.    But when they get there, the most unexpected thing happens.  The stone has been rolled away from the tomb and the tomb is empty.  Jesus' body is simply not there.  This doesn't make sense to them.  And it was while they were wondering about where the body is, totally confused and perplexed, that two men in dazzling clothes (clothes that gleam like lightening), we can assume they are angels, they stand by the women.  And the women put their faces down, they were probably scared out of their minds.  And the men say, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?”    Such a bizarre question.  Why do you look for the living among the dead?  They are at a tomb, which is typically where dead bodies, not living bodies, are kept.  And they fully expected Jesus' dead body to be there.  Afterall, they saw Jesus die.  They were the last to leave the cross.  They saw his limp, lifeless body placed in the tomb.  What do you mean?  Why do you look for the living among the dead?  But the sparkling men continue…he is not here, he is risen.  Remember how he told you these things?  Way back when you were in Galilee, he told you this was going to happen?    It was then that they remembered his words.  Multiple times, Jesus had said told them but it didn't make sense at the time.  Whether they simply weren't paying enough attention or they didn't want to know the truth, they didn't understand. Luke 9:22, And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”   Now, it's all coming together.  They do remember! Maybe they don't completely understand but they know that something totally unexpected, something totally amazing has happened, and they can't wait to tell the others.  So they burst into the room where the male disciples are hiding and out it comes.  They spill their guts.  They tell them about their morning.  You can picture it.  They are probably talking really fast and they might have been talking over one another and kind of out of breath.  They are excited.  They are so excited!    And the guys, well, let's just say aren't impressed.  They don't believe the women, saying their words were nonsense.  Other translations say the men tell the women they were spreading an idle tale, that what they were reporting was fake news.  It wasn't what they were expecting so it must not have been true.  Wow.    The narrative ends with Peter getting up and running to the tomb.  He also finds it empty, with the strips of burial cloth that would have been wrapped around Jesus' body just lying there on the ground.  And he walks off, wondering what really happened.    And then the narrative shifts to a different scene. Two of Jesus' disciples, not the twelve but two other male disciples, one named Cleophus and the other left unnamed, were walking from Jerusalem to their home in Emmaus.  There are some walks that are longer than others — not because of the miles or even because of the landscape, but because of the burdens. This was a 7 mile walk but it might as well been a 27 mile walk because these men are distressed.  They are grieving.  They have been following Jesus.  They believed him to be the Messiah and Savior and they have just seen him killed, murdered on a Roman cross.  So, they are walking slowly and speaking intensely.  The Greek suggests they may have been having some kind of theological argument.  Bottom line:  they are tired, weary, sad, and confused.  They don't understand what they have just witnessed.  And now they have to go back home and continue with their lives.  You can kind of imagine the kinds of questions they had.  Why did this happen?  How did God allow this to happen?  I can relate to their distress.  Every one of us, at some point, will have to take a walk to Emmaus. Some of you have been down this road already or you are walking it right now! In this world we will have trouble. And it will hit close to home. There will be times when all hope seems lost, and our world seems to be crumbling around us.  Maybe it's a walk out of an office where you have given years of your life but you are now being let go.  Maybe it's a walk out of the doctor's office after your spouse has just been given a terminal diagnosis.  Maybe it's the walk out of the attorney's office after the divorce papers have been finalized.  These are painful walks, in which we question God.  God, how could you let this happen?  God, I thought you were powerful and real.  What in the world is going on here?  In some way, all of us have experienced a walk like that.  Now, Jesus interrupts their argument, but they don't know it's Jesus at this point.  They are kept from knowing him.  He is a stranger to them.  I love this.  Because Jesus shows up to them JUST as he shows up to us.  We don't always recognize his presence either.  I don't know about you, but I've had times in my life that were so difficult, so painful, so anxiety-provoking, that I am so consumed with those feelings and then I look back and realize later, that Jesus was there with me.  His presence was real.  It was protecting me, guarding me, guiding me.  Jesus has a way of showing up when we need him most.  We just don't always recognize it.  Here's the thing.  Jesus could have said, “Hey guys, its me.  I'm here.  I've fixed everything.  Look, I'm alive!”  But he doesn't do that.  Instead, he says, “Don't YOU understand?”  And he begins to explain, starting at the very beginning of Scripture and walks them through the prophecies, walks them through how God said he would send a Savior who would have to suffer and die.  Hope and faith must have begun to stir their hearts as he spoke. They must have never heard, really heard, the gospel like this before—a gospel that included the suffering of the Messiah before entering his glory—told by the resurrected Lord himself!  Now, keep in mind, their circumstances have not changed but their perspective is beginning to change.  Faith is budding. They invite Jesus (still a stranger to them) to come stay with them.  It's late and they insist that he come and dine with them.  It was at the table, when they were breaking bread together that they recognize him.  Just as he did on Thursday night in the Upper Room --- it's when he takes the bread, gives thanks, breaks it, and offers it to them.  Their eyes are opened and they know – this is our Jesus.  Are our eyes open to Jesus when we break bread together?  Blessings, Pastor Vicki    

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Friday morning, the 19th of September, 2025, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We start in the Book of Psalms 51:10-11: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.”Then we go to the Book of Exodus 8:15: “But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not heed them, as the Lord had said.” This morning, I believe the Lord wants to speak to you and me about a hardened heart. It is such a sad thing to see, isn't it, somebody who has a hard heart? It makes that person angry, self-righteous, and makes them self-centred, causing them to lose out. Pharaoh lost out badly. The Lord gave him many opportunities to soften his heart but he did not. Eventually, it cost Pharaoh his whole nation. Do not harden your heart. I want to tell you a little story. When I was a young man and farming, I would come home for breakfast like most farmers do. We'd get up early in the morning, get the work started, everybody going, and then come in and have our breakfast. I would sit at the kitchen table in our little house and I could see out the door, and there was a little path that went up to the gate, and I would often see a salesman coming through the gate and I would observe his attitude. If he had a hardened heart, he would walk past our animals, our dogs and our cats, and push them out of the way with his foot. He wouldn't acknowledge our little children playing in the garden. Obviously, he had a lot of responsibilities and problems in his heart, but he got very little business from me. Then there would be a salesman who would come through the gate and he would see my dog and my cat. He would stop, put his briefcase down, and pat the dog. He didn't see that I was watching him, and then he would see one of my little children playing in the garden. He would go and greet them, get down on his knees, say, “What is your name, son?” Then he would say, “Where is your daddy?” “No, he is in the house.” Then he would walk into the house, and obviously, he got all of the business. Today, soften your heart. I know you have been through a lot of tests. People have let you down, people have hurt you, but Jesus hasn't. Don't be like Pharaoh and throw it all away because of your hardened heart. Today soften your heart and the Lord bless you immensely.God bless you and have a wonderful day,Goodbye.

Your Daily Prayer

“The reasoning of mortals is worthless, and our designs are likely to fail … unless You have given wisdom and sent Your Holy Spirit from on high?” Only God can guide us in the deep mysteries of our pilgrimage on earth.

Reach Out: Please include your email and I will get back to you. Thanks!Ephesians 3Paul reveals the mystery of God's plan—to unite both Jews and Gentiles as one in Christ. This truth, once hidden, is now made known through the gospel, allowing all believers to share in God's promises. Paul describes his calling to preach this message, emphasizing that his mission is not by his own strength but by God's grace. He highlights how God's wisdom is displayed through the church, which reveals His eternal purpose. He then prays for believers to be strengthened by the Spirit, to be rooted in love, and to grasp the immeasurable love of Christ. He concludes with praise, declaring that God can do far more than we ask or imagine through His power at work in us, bringing glory to Him in all generations, forever and ever.  We are part of God's incredible plan, united in Christ and granted access to His promises through the gospel. This truth should humble and inspire us to live with purpose, knowing that we have been chosen to reveal God's wisdom and love to the world. Like Paul, we depend on God's grace and strength, not our own abilities, to fulfill His mission. We should pray for spiritual strength, seeking to be rooted in Christ's love and to comprehend its immeasurable depth. As we grow in faith, we trust that God is working beyond what we can see or imagine. Our lives should reflect His glory, demonstrating His love and power to those around us, bringing glory to Him in His church.  Glorious God, thank You for revealing the great mystery of the ages through Your beloved Son—that anyone from anywhere can be saved through the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We live in the unfathomable riches of our Savior, and we pray that this leads to confidence and boldness in our faith. Please grant us strength and power through Your Holy Spirit. Open our hearts for Your Son to dwell within us. Root us in His love and help us grow and bear fruit for You, demonstrating His glory as we live victoriously as His protected church.  Thought Questions: -       If God's great mystery invites all people to come together in Christ, should that also be part of your mission? Whom should you share Jesus with? -       God's wisdom is shown to everyone through the church. When people see us as Christ's church, what should we reveal about God? -       Are you rooted and grounded in the love of Christ? How is that shown in how you treat others, especially those in the Lord's church?

August 31, 2025Today's Reading: Luke 14:1-14Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 16:29-17:24; 2 Corinthians 10:1-13:14; 2 Corinthians 9:1-15“Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 14:11)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.It has been said that pride was the cause of the devil's fall from a good angel into an evil one. This view was held by some early Christians, and also by Martin Luther. About pride, Luther also said, “Whoever trusts and boasts that he possesses great skill, prudence, power, favor, friendship, and honor has also a god, but not this true and only God." (LC I:1.10). Pride is defined as the love of one's own excellence. But where one loves himself and his excellence above all things, he turns himself into his own false god.  Jesus, God's Son made man, knows pride is dangerous. So He teaches the wedding feast parable. Those taking the highest place at a wedding reception will be humbled and forced to sit lower. There is no higher place at a wedding reception than the seats where the bride and groom sit. Imagine the audacity of a guest kicking the groom out of his place of honor! But that's what pride does. Pride kicks Christ, the Bridegroom of the Church, out of His central place of honor.What is the lowest place at a wedding reception? Perhaps the lowest place I can think of is if the wedding is in the middle of winter, and they have valets parking the cars. A shivering valet sits, waiting for the next car, but is not welcome to eat or drink. This would definitely be the lowest place at a winter wedding. So it will be for those who upstage Christ. They will be taken from the banquet, forced to do uncomfortable labor, and unwelcome to eat at the heavenly feast.But those who take the lowest place will be raised. These are repentant Christians who look in faith to Jesus for their salvation. So you who tremble because of your sins and rejoice in the Gospel that frees you, will be raised to honor on the Last Day. Christ, who died and rose, is the bridegroom. The Church is His Bride. So the sinner who trusts this Gospel for his salvation is raised to the highest place, the place of the Bride, along with all believing Christians. A bride rejoices in the love of her bridegroom and the new union they have together. So it is for the Church who believes in the Gospel of Jesus' love, rejoices to hear it again, and is united even deeper in love and faithfulness together at the very end.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O Lord of grace and mercy, teach us by Your Holy Spirit to follow the example of Your Son in true humility, that we may withstand the temptations of the devil and with pure hearts and minds avoid ungodly pride; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.Rev. Robert Mayes, pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church and Zion St. John Lutheran Church, Beemer and Wisner, NE.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.Study the early Church Fathers, Scripture, and Christian history alongside FLAME's conversational voice to see for yourself why their teachings from Scripture are important to study, and live out, today.

Jesus Delivers Us (11) (audio) David Eells -8/20/25 Factious people have divisive and slanderous spirits in the political and religious realm. Tit 3:10  A factious man after a first and second admonition refuse; 11  knowing that such a one is perverted, and sinneth, being self-condemned. If this is not obeyed their demons invade you.   Break Ties with Factious People by A.T. Addressed to a friend in Faction. Recently, I was vexed with a severe trial. This sickness was so bad that my body had been rejecting, via severe diarrhea, almost all nutrition. I had terrible pain with digestion. My body had been getting progressively weaker. My muscles were bearing close to no strength. As I took my daughter to school this morning, my legs were shaking while I walked. They felt like they could barely hold up my own weight. It was extremely painful to walk and then even to sit up on the bus. I have never in my life experienced such illness or discomfort. I had been seeking the Lord for answers and praying for healing, but the weight of this sickness had just seemed to intensify, with no relief. It wasn't from lack of sleep, lack of hydration or poor eating habits. Heading back to the bus from the school drop-off, I was seeking Jesus for mercy. I was asking Him for help getting on the bus. My legs felt so weak, like they were going to buckle underneath me. He said, “D and A have set a trap for some.” You see, D, I had heard about you leaving fellowship a while ago. At the time, I had many questions myself. Thus, I never completely let go of you. My mind kept reverting back to when I last saw you and thinking how much I love you and your pleasant family. Understand that I was not told by any man about your spiritual condition. Even upon hearing about you leaving and falling into faction, I still did not take full heed. My thinking was, “Well, who's right?” But this word came through the Spirit of God, a Voice without any bias or influence of man. God continues to confirm to me the righteous standing of the ministry. It is, indeed, a refuge for God's loving souls. But, D, times are “a changing…” When the Lord warned me, He also instantly healed me. My strength returned. I felt the Spirit of God touch me and heal me. I felt demons leave from my heart and through the top of my head. This deliverance happened the moment I heard the Lord warning me about staying in contact with you. As I type this letter, I am totally healed. I feel such clarity now. The Father has told me to break ties with you completely, lest the sickness return. I wish it didn't have to come to this. But you need help. Please call upon the Lord! Ask Him to reveal the truth to you before time is lost. He loves you, but cannot tolerate hidden sins within His sheepfold. I am no different—if I bear any iniquity, then I must repent. So it is with anyone. God is no respecter of persons. Please, my brother, I bring this forward in love. And God loves you so much that He allowed me to get very sick. This was so that He could speak to me the reason and then heal me. He did this for you to see the truth for yourself. Just think about what the Lord has done here. Please do not deny the Cross of Christ. The Father's voice through His Son is calling you right now to return and be healed. Next, let me share this dream from S.S. we called:   Invasion of “Stupid” Demons, Part 2 by S.S. (David's notes in red) I will first read the entire dream and then break it down with the interpretation. We, all of UBM and then some, are in a huge warehouse. And tables were set up like for a pot blessing. David was sitting at the head of the table where I was sitting. On his left were M.H., then S.S, J.S., D.L. and M.L. And on the other side were T.C.1, T.C.2, a man I didn't know, and other UBM members. And T.C.1 said, “Hey S.S.! Remember that ‘stupid' dream?” And I said, “Huh?” Putting his thumbs on his temples and waving his fingers like wings, He said, “You know!?” “That dream was so simplistic and to the point. You need to tell it!” said T.C.2. David agreed, saying, “Yeah! Tell it!” T.C.1 added, “Quiet, everyone! S.S. wants to tell a dream.” And someone said, “Stand up!” So I'm starting to tell the dream. And in the first part, I'm telling how I was praying. I'm also hearing a conversation that, in the natural, I should not have been able to hear. The first conversation I overheard was, “Don't you ever get tired of praying for the same thing over and over again?” And the second conversation was, “These dreamers! Who do they think they are! They probably don't even hear from God! They're all liars! I'm so tired of hearing their names!” The third conversation was, “I don't really have to confess my sins to anyone. God already knows them.” And the fourth conversation was, “I'm so tired of hearing about the latter rain! Yeah, yeah. It's coming. They don't know what they're talking about! Let's see if it falls today? Chuckle! Chuckle! Chuckle!” And the fifth conversation was, “I hope when she finishes, we're not going to sing a whole bunch of songs. It's the same songs over and over. And I'm not raising my hands!” The sixth conversation was, “Don't you think they look like a bunch of imbeciles jumping and dancing around! That's fake!” When I heard all that, I turned my head and saw a walrus, rats, wolves, and mockers. I was so grieved that I actually bit my lower lip hard! I turned and looked at David. He said quietly, “S.S., stop this infiltration, pray now!” Now, let's look at the interpretation of Part 2. We, all of UBM and then some, are in a huge warehouse. People are associating with UBM in this large warehouse because that's our ministry. And tables were set up like for a pot blessing. David was sitting at the head of the table where I was sitting. On his left were M.H., then myself, J.S., D.L. and M.L. And on the other side were T.C.1, T.C.2, a man I didn't know, and other UBM members. And T.C.1 said, “Hey S.S.! Remember that ‘stupid' dream?” T.C.1 was talking about the one we just shared with you in Part 10 teaching, “The Invasion of the ‘Stupid' Demons, Part 1.” And I said, “Huh?” Putting his thumbs on his temples and waving his fingers like wings, He said, “You know!?” “That dream was so simplistic and to the point. You need to tell it!” said T.C.2. David agreed, saying, “Yeah! Tell it!” T.C.1 added, “Quiet everyone! S.S. wants to tell a dream.” And someone said, “Stand up!” This is so they could hear S.S. more clearly. So I'm starting to tell the dream. And in the first part, I'm telling how I was praying. I'm also hearing a conversation that, in the natural, I should not have been able to hear. By a gift of the Spirit, she was hearing conversations that were going on beyond her hearing. What she was hearing were thoughts and words coming from the demons who were exposed in Part 1, but were being expressed by the rebellious associating with UBM. These demons were seeking to separate people from each other and from God by factious thoughts. If we don't want to be taken by the devil, we need to cast down vain imaginations from the accuser of the brethren. We are offered demonic thinking all the time through our thoughts. If we cast them down, there's no problem. They can do nothing with a person who won't depart from the Word, but if we entertain those thoughts, then the demons gain entrance. When a person starts rebelling against the Word, entertaining thoughts that are wrong against others, taking up a reproach against others, and so on, demons enter in because they have a right. The demons have been given a legal right by God to torment the person who is in rebellion against God. The first conversation I overheard was, “Don't you ever get tired of praying for the same thing over and over again?” Demons want to discourage us. If a person does not repent and believe the first time, they must pray again, but Satan would hinder them. Sometimes we do have to pray again because we got out of faith, we became double-minded. In such a case the Bible says, (Jas.1:6) But let him ask in faith, nothing doubting: for he that doubteth is like the surge of the sea driven by the wind and tossed. (7) For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord. So we go back and pray again, because the Holy Spirit says, (Mat.7:7) Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: (8) for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. If we become double-minded, we have to go back and pray and pray until that unbelief is gone and God's gift of faith comes. As long as you are walking in faith, remember that Jesus said, (Mar.11:24) Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. He desires that you would always pray by faith. His desire is that you pray just one time and receive it, but people can be unsure of what to ask or what God wants to give. When they can't speak in faith, God offers this second way. (Mat.7:7) Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: (8) for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Generally, this ends up where God gives you a gift of faith, and then you can make a stand. You know you “have received” as Jesus commanded. Many of the old-time preachers taught only this form of prayer; they called it “praying through.” They prayed until they got faith, then they stopped, knowing they had received their answer to prayer. Demons want to discourage you from continuing to ask for things that you don't necessarily believe you've received. They do not want you to endure until the end to see your faith manifested. They do not want the answer to come. Continuing. And the second conversation was, “These dreamers! Who do they think they are! They probably don't even hear from God! They're all liars! I'm so tired of hearing their names!” When people fall into faction, they no longer believe in dreams. As you know, dreams straighten people out by revealing those very demons, so they have to mute the prophetic voice because it destroys them, along with their words and works. That's one reason why demons put these thoughts in your head. Persons who become critical, receiving those thoughts, are accepting these demons into their minds and hearts. All of these ploys are an attempt by the demons to destroy your spiritual warfare ability against them. They want to “mute” you. The third conversation was, “I don't really have to confess my sins to anyone. God already knows them.” That sounds spiritual to some people, but in reality, it's just rebellion. The Holy Spirit instructs us, (Jas.5:16) Confess therefore your sins one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The supplication of a righteous man availeth much in its working. Do it because God says, “Confess your sins one to another.” Don't listen to the demons. They want to talk you out of doing this because this is where you get delivered from your sin. (1Jn.1:9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If you keep cleaning up this trail behind you with confession of sin regularly, things don't build up to open a door for demons to take you out. Get into the habit of confessing any sin; being cleansed of all unrighteousness is important. And the fourth conversation was, “I'm so tired of hearing about the latter rain! Yeah, yeah. It's coming. They don't know what they're talking about! Let's see if it falls today? Chuckle! Chuckle! Chuckle!” Scoffers listen to unbelieving spirits and repeat what, in effect, may be their future. If they don't repent, they may have a future without the latter rain. It's bad enough to think something, and it's even worse to speak it. The latter rain is coming, but it may not be coming to such people. The devil obviously wants to inoculate anybody he can from the latter rain and the infilling of the Spirit. Some people are afraid of manifesting anything that has to do with the Holy Spirit, but there's no reason for us to fear the Holy Spirit. He will give you peace and joy and power; so, who put all that fear in their mind? What is it in them that is afraid to have the Holy Spirit? It's those demons. The demons make them afraid to have the Holy Spirit by telling them they'll look funny to the world and be rejected. They are in bondage to these spirits, which don't want the Holy Spirit in them. These spirits will war to make sure you'll get what you fear, if you give in to these thoughts and don't stick with the Scriptures. If you justify your fears, instead of justifying God and His Word, then you are going to have what you fear. And the fifth conversation was, “I hope when she finishes, we're not going to sing a whole bunch of songs. It's the same songs over and over. And I'm not raising my hands!” Why do we sing? Why do we raise our hands? Read Psalms 149 and 150, which are a command from the Lord to praise Him in these ways. The Lord says He takes joy in this praise, so we do it for the Lord, but anybody who is bound up by demons and afraid really can't get into singing or raising hands. It makes them miserable to do that. Why would a person feel miserable about people praising God with all their heart? It's because of the demon inside. The demon makes them miserable. Demons don't like the worship of God because the worship of God is powerful to set people free from demonic and human bondage. Those who love Him will praise the Lord with joy, but it's the demons that refuse and fear this praise. (Psa.147:1) Praise ye the Lord; For it is good to sing praises unto our God; For it is pleasant, [and] praise is comely. Amen! It's a good thing to sing praise to the Lord. (Isa.38:20) The Lord is [ready] to save me: Therefore we will sing my songs with stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the Lord. That's why we sing praise and do these other things, too. “I'm not raising my hands,” that demon had said, but the lifting up of hands in praise and prayer is commanded. Who are you going to obey? Who is it that doesn't want you to raise your hands? (1Ti.2:8) I desire therefore that the men pray in every place, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and disputing. Don't argue with one another or criticize. Just lift up your hands, pray, and praise! (Psa.63:4) So will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name. (Psa.134:2) Lift up your hands to the sanctuary, and bless ye the Lord. So it's in the Bible, but maybe you've been letting the devil talk you out of God's command to praise Him. And again, why is the devil so afraid? During praise, the demons are miserable and they'll try to make you miserable, too, because people get set free in the midst of praise; the Holy Spirit comes on them, and the demons start coming out of them while they're praising God. The sixth conversation was, “Don't you think they look like a bunch of imbeciles jumping and dancing around! That's fake!” Yes, the demons certainly wish it were fake. (Psa.149:3) Let them praise his name in the dance: Let them sing praises unto him with timbrel and harp. (Psa.150:4) Praise him with timbrel and dance: Praise him with stringed instruments and pipe. (Jer.31:13) Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old together; for I will turn their mourning into joy (That's a great promise, so go ahead and dance!), and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow. Now let's read what God says to those who hate dancing before Him. (2Sa.6:16) And it was so, as the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, that Michal the daughter of Saul looked out at the window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart. (She wanted him to be dignified. I say sometimes in the assembly, “Now, don't get dignified on us here!”) (2Sa.6:20) Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, How glorious was the king of Israel to-day, who uncovered himself to-day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself! (21) And David said unto Michal, [It was] before the Lord, who chose me above thy father, and above all his house, to appoint me prince over the people of the Lord, over Israel: therefore will I play before the Lord. (22) And I will be yet more vile than this, and will be base in mine own sight: but of the handmaids of whom thou hast spoken, of them shall I be had in honor. (23) And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death. Her punishment for persecuting him for dancing before the Lord was that she bore no fruit, but the latter rain anointing will come and set many free. (Joe.2:23) Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God; for he giveth you the former rain in just measure, and he causeth to come down for you the rain, the former rain and the latter rain, in the first [month]. They will be free to worship God as He asks, because (Joh.4:24) God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship in spirit and truth. God seeks such to worship Him, and who would not love Him for all that He's done for us? The Lord is either saving these people or He's weeding them out so that a little leaven doesn't leaven the whole lump (1 Corinthians 5:6; Galatians 5:9). Do you remember the “mixed multitude” (Exodus 12:38; Numbers 11:4; Nehemiah 13:3)? They were the ones who were part, the people of God and part Egyptian, and they died in the wilderness (Numbers 14:30). They couldn't go to the Promised Land. We still have the mixed multitudes in our churches today, just like when the Jews came out of Egypt, and they're still a stumbling block (Exodus 17:3; Numbers 14:2,16:41; etc.) If you are someone who is afraid to worship God freely, don't deny the Lord by denying His Word. We've just looked at what God commands. Read His warning: (Rom.3:3) For what if some were without faith? shall their want of faith make of none effect the faithfulness of God? (4) God forbid: yea, let God be found true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy words, And mightest prevail when thou comest into judgment. Confess your sins, and forgive everyone from the present time all the way back to your youth. The Lord will empower you to be as you should be, an obedient servant to these words. The Holy Spirit is soon to be poured out in a miraculous way to set the captives free. He's going to empower you to walk under the Blood, so that you may have a passover of the death and destruction which is about to come upon this world. People who are bound up by demon spirits need to be set free. That's why the Holy Spirit is given, so don't deny the Word. Don't deny the Holy Spirit. You don't have to be in a church to pray and ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will set you free, and you will enjoy being free. One of the biggest plagues in this country is that people are bound up by rejection and fear of rejection. (Joh.8:31) Jesus therefore said to those Jews that had believed him, If ye abide in my word, [then] are ye truly my disciples; (32) and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. Do not deny the truth. You are denying the Lord if you deny the truth and listen to these lying spirits. Instead, justify God and confess Him before men. When the time comes, He will pour out His Spirit on you and set you free. Back to the dream: When I heard all that, I turned my head and saw a walrus, rats, wolves, and mockers. I was so grieved that I actually bit my lower lip hard! I turned and looked at David. He said quietly, “S, stop this infiltration, pray now!” In other words, pray to stop the infiltration of demonic thoughts that hinder people from receiving what God commands. In effect, these demons are stopping people from receiving and taking God's Word to heart, but when God says to pray, He plans on answering. To confirm the dream, she got Romans 8:8 and 9:14. These were from the Lord by faith at random. (Rom.8:8) And they that are in the flesh cannot please God. (9) But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you. (You want the Spirit of God to dwell in you so that you're “not in the flesh but in the Spirit,” and yes, those people who are dancing around and praising God are in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit has set them free from their bondage.) But if any man hath not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. When you are born-again, you receive the Spirit of Christ. Then you invite the Holy Spirit to come in, like Christ had in His Spirit. In other words, after you are born-again, you invite the Holy Spirit to come into your now clean temple, your Holy of Holies, the place of the Presence of the Spirit of God. (Rom.8:10) And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the spirit is life because of righteousness. (If you're born-again, the body might be dead, but your spirit is alive.) (Rom.8:11) But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwelleth in you (This is the Holy Spirit. This is not the same thing as your spirit.), he that raised up Christ Jesus from the dead shall give life also to your mortal bodies through his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Now you have life in your body. Praise be to God! It's a blessing to obey God and be filled with His Spirit, but if you are bound up, you need to ask Him for mercy. (Rom.9:14) What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. (15) For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. (16) So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that hath mercy. One of the prayers I've seen God answer the quickest is to ask for His mercy. It's something we don't deserve, but He answers it quickly. (Jas.4:10) Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall exalt you. These binding spirits make you proud, and then you don't want to humble yourself before others, and you don't want to bow before God. (Jas.4:6) But he giveth more grace. Wherefore [the scripture] saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble. A proud person needs to repent before they can receive. (Rom.9:17) For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, For this very purpose did I raise thee up, that I might show in thee my power, and that my name might be published abroad in all the earth. (Pharaoh wasn't going to let God's people go from bondage. This is just like a lot of demons that keep God's people in bondage. The demons don't want to let people go.) (18) So then he hath mercy on whom he will, and whom he will be hardeneth. (If a person is stubborn and self-willed, the Lord may just harden them. Humble yourself before God. Confess your sin before Him. Now you know what kind of worship God expects from His people. Now you know what kind of prayer God expects from His people. Humble yourself before the Word of the Lord, and don't deny the Word, or you may never see the Holy Spirit.) (Rom.9:19) Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he still find fault? For who withstandeth his will? (Yes, it's better to cry out for mercy!) (20) Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why didst thou make me thus? (21) Or hath not the potter a right over the clay, from the same lump to make one part a vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor? It's not wrong to ask God to make you into a vessel of honor. It's not wrong to ask Him to work in you to will and to do of His good pleasure. It's not wrong to ask Him to work in you a will to pray the prayers that you should pray. You should humble yourself before Him and ask for His mercy in giving you the Holy Spirit. (Rom.9:22) What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering vessels of wrath fitted unto destruction: (23) and that he might make known the riches of his glory upon vessels of mercy, which he afore prepared unto glory (Think about these vessels full of God's mercy. Can He do it for you? Well, that's the whole nature of mercy. Yes, He can do it for you. You don't deserve it. You can't talk Him into it, but you can humble yourself before Him and ask.), (24) [even] us, whom he also called, not from the Jews only, but also from the Gentiles? (25) As he saith also in Hosea, I will call that my people, which was not my people; And her beloved, that was not beloved. (Even if you thought that He didn't love you, God can do that.) (Rom.9:26) And it shall be, [that] in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, There shall they be called sons of the living God. Wow! That's what mercy can do for you. Humble yourself before God and ask for mercy. Ask people to pray for you. Do not try to fight this battle on your own. I'm not saying that you can't win it on your own. I'm just saying to ask for help because that's humbling, too. A lot of people get answers because they are just humble enough to ask, and “God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble.” (Rom.9:27) And Isaiah crieth concerning Israel, If the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, it is the remnant that shall be saved: (28) for the Lord will execute [his] word upon the earth, finishing it and cutting it short. (29) And, as Isaiah hath said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, We had become as Sodom, and had been made like unto Gomorrah. (30) What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, who followed not after righteousness, attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. After dreaming “The Invasion of the ‘Stupid' Demons,” Part 2, S.S. asked the Lord, “What is it going to take to get these people focused on you?” Her finger landed on (Mat.27:54) Now the centurion, and they that were with him watching Jesus, when they saw the earthquake, and the things that were done, feared exceedingly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God. There are some earthquakes coming that are going to cause great revival and bring a fear of the Lord to God's people. They would never think such a thing could happen in America because it's always been so insulated due to God's grace, but He's going to bring a lot of people to repentance. What is the answer here to the question S.S. asked? The answer is the crucified Man-child and his resurrection to the throne. Praise be to God! Let's pray. Father, we ask that You do miraculously. We ask that you send revival and set the captives free. Give us revelation about who it is that's speaking so foolishly in our minds to turn Your people away from the truth. If or when we are victims, Lord, let us know why. In Your mercy, Father, reveal to us when we are proud or unrepentant, stubborn or self-willed. But You came to save us, Lord. We ask and thank You for salvation. We ask for Your mercy and grace. We humble ourselves and ask. Father, please pour out Your Spirit! We see people who need and want You, but inwardly are afraid. The psalmist David said, (Psa.34:4) I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. Lord, put it in our hearts to seek You for doing this thing. Deliver us from all fears. Father, for those who are captive to Satan's fear, have mercy! Send Your faith into their hearts. Speak to them in dreams, visions, and words from Scripture. Encourage them to put their trust in You, Lord. Let them know that You will set the captives free, Father! O' Lord, fill them mightily with Your Holy Spirit. Your Holy Spirit will empower them to walk contrary to Satan and his demons. Your Holy Spirit will enable them to kick the devils out! Thank You, Father, for everything that You are doing for Your people in these days. Thanks to Your Son's work on the Cross, we are already victors! Thank You for helping us live the victory! Now, let me share this testimony with you by S. D.   Son Set Free From Devil Worship by S.D.   When my son was eleven years old, I had a dream that I saw him on one side of a large, bottomless hole. I was on the other side, barely hanging on to my wife with my right arm while she was inside the hole. Then I saw a large snake come at him from behind… But he fought it like a great karate fighter, blocking every attack. Then he grabbed it and swung it around his head, around and around, throwing the snake down the hole. When I saw this fight, I got ten times stronger! With my right hand, I pulled my wife up and out of the hole to stand on her feet with ease. For fifteen years, he became a devil worshiper (he called himself a “pagan”), a vampire and a wizard. I would get reports, but I'd always say, “Yeah. But I had that dream he's going to beat that snake.” His sisters said he told them he wanted to kill me. But I would say, “Nope, I had that dream.” Then they said he might go to jail. And I said, “Well, if he does, he'll get out. I had that dream.” He would walk around with long fingernails and wild hair. He would break tables and glass with his bare hands. He sought after the “Dark Book of Knowledge,” as he called it. This year, he beat that “snake.” He quit all that pagan worshiping. At the same time, I found your website. Now I'm ten times stronger with more wisdom and knowledge than I've ever had in my life. Now my son and I are friends. I gave him my Bible and some of your site's teachings. I asked the Lord, “How did all this start? How did he get so carried away with the devil?” We had raised him in church all his life. The Lord answered saying, “It was the comic books.” And then I remembered he did have a fascination with them. I had wanted to say “no,” but everybody had said it was OK. As his father, I had to repent for not keeping him safe. I should have foreseen the evil in them. I apologized and told him, “Son, it was the comic books. Please forgive me.” Demonic thoughts can have the same effect. More or less every lost person has the same problem. The cure is “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Our computers have a virus called sin. It must be thrown out by knowledge of the Word of God.

Send us a textGood morning! Thank you for taking a few minutes to listen. If you are interested in the Daily Bible Devotional, you can find it at the links below:Amazon - (paperback, hardcover, and Kindle)Spiritbuilding.com - (premium quality paperback)Youtube Video Introducing the ContentFeel free to reach out with any questions: emersonk78@me.comI Corinthians 12The Christians in Corinth possess a wide variety of spiritual gifts, such as miraculous wisdom, healing abilities, and speaking in tongues. All gifts originate from the same Spirit and serve a common purpose: to build up the body of Christ. Paul describes believers as parts of a body, each with a distinct function, yet all working together to promote unity. No gift or role holds more significance than another, and no one should feel either insignificant or superior. Christians are encouraged to value and respect every member's contribution, as each gift is bestowed for the common good. God arranges each part of the body intentionally and for His glory. Ultimately, Paul urges the church to use their gifts with love, unity, and a commitment to strengthening the community of believers. The Holy Spirit will use those who confess Jesus as the Lord of their lives. He will give each of us gifts to exercise for the kingdom's good. While we no longer possess supernatural gifts like healing or tongue speaking, Christians today do have wonderful abilities from God to understand things, teach truths, serve others, extend mercy, and give to help those in need. Every person matters in the body of Christ, and we should not neglect our connection to the church. We are baptized into Christ's body of believers to help that body remain healthy and grow. A primary function of every member is to assist God's people in avoiding division and to exercise great care for one another.Generous God, we praise You for the gifts You have given us through Your Son and by Your Holy Spirit. Help us to understand “the common good” among Your people and how each of our gifts should be used for the betterment of others. Show us how to honor everyone in the church, as we have all been baptized into one body. Train us to be humble and active while also recognizing the important contributions of those who often get overlooked. Use us as vocal encouragers, devoted unifiers, and voices of peace and love within our fellowship of believers.  Thought Questions: -       Why has the Spirit given Christians a wide variety of abilities? How does this help us develop a deeper need for one another? -       In a time where supernatural spiritual gifts no longer exist, what are some abilities God has given you to use for the good of Christ's body? -       Is it unifying to acknowledge workers in the kingdom, and especially those less recognized? Who will you offer appreciation for today?

Your Nightly Prayer

True and Better // A Better King // Pastor Casey BushWhat made David “a man after God's own heart”? How does this ancient king help us understand the kind of King we actually need? In this message, Pastor Casey Bush invites us to take a deeper look atthe stories we think we know—and the questions we might not be asking. We're going to look at how David's rise, failures, and faith point us to something more, the true and better.Sermon Notes1 Samuel 8:4-54 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, 5 and said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.”1 Samuel 8:7And the Lord said to Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.”Kingship” - A God-ordained position of leadership, authority, and servanthood under God himself."Anointing" - The act of applying oil to someone or something, symbolizing consecration, sanctification, or divine empowerment.1 Samuel 13:13-14“13 And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14 But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”1 Samuel 16:11 Now the Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons.”1 Samuel 16:6…”Surely the Lord's anointed is before Him!”1 Samuel 16:12Now he was ruddy, with [f]bright eyes, and good-looking. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!” 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward.Matthew 6:33“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”1. DAVID WAITED ON THE LORDFIRST1 Samuel 18:7“..Saul has slain his thousands, but David his 10 thousands.”1 Samuel 24:6“And he says to his men, ‘The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the Lords anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord.”2. DAVID WAS OBEDIENT TOGOD'S AUTHORITYMatthew 25:1“You have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things” Gods not after your obedience to earn His love-Its aboutresponding to it.Disobedience doesn't just break the rules, it breaks the relationship1 Samuel 15:23“Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also rejected you from being king.”Malachi 3:6“For I am the Lord, I do not change…”1 Samuel 15:1-21 Samuel also said to Saul, “The Lord sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore, heed the voice of the words ofthe Lord. 2 Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. 3 Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them.1 Samuel 15:7-97 And Saul attacked the Amalekites, from Havilah all the way to Shur, which iseast of Egypt. 8 He also took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. 9 But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, they utterly destroyed.1 Samuel 15:2121 But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.”2 Samuel 24:1010 And David's heart condemned him after he had numbered the people. So David said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done; but now, I pray, O Lord, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly.”3. DAVID WAS REPENTANTRepentance - Where our heart turns away from sin and turns toward God—a genuine sorrow, confession, and a desire to walk in obedience.A. David valued relationship over reputationB. David feared losing God's presencePsalm 51:11“Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.”C. David was tender toward conviction“Conviction” is not condemnation-its correction wrapped in compassion.Numbers 32:23“and be sure your sin will find you out.”Numbers 32:23James 5:16Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.Someone or something will sit on the throne of your life. The question is, who?

Welcome to Day 2664 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom Day 2664 – New Testament Orientation – “The Letters of Paul: God's Design for a New Humanity” Putnam Church Message – 06/29/2025 Sermon Series: New Testament Orientation Message 9: “The Letters of Paul: God's Design for a New Humanity”   Last week, we had a wonderful missions focus with the Filsingers, and two weeks ago, we explored “The Interpretation and Proclamation of the Gospel.” Core Verses: Acts 8:4 Matthew 28:18-20 (NLT) But the believers who were scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went. This week marks Message 9 of 12 in our New Testament Orientation, with the message title: “The Letters of Paul: God's Design for a New Humanity.” Core Verses: Romans 1:16-17 (NLT) “For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ, for it is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, ‘It is by faith that a righteous person will live.'” Opening Prayer Heavenly Father, we come before You, grateful for the profound wisdom contained within the letters of Your servant, Paul. As we open these ancient texts today, we pray for Your Holy Spirit to illuminate our understanding. Help us to grasp the revolutionary truths Paul proclaimed—the Good News that powerfully unites Jew and Gentile in Christ. May these words challenge our assumptions, deepen our loyalty to Jesus, and embolden us to live as true members of Your diverse and glorious family. In the name of Jesus, our Lord and Messiah, we pray. Amen. Introduction: Paul's Epistles – Shaping the New Israel Today, we embark on a swift but essential journey through the 13 letters attributed to the Apostle Paul. These are not merely theological treatises; they are living documents, forged in the crucible of real-life challenges faced by fledgling communities of believers—Jews and Gentiles—grappling with what it truly meant to follow Jesus as Lord. Our core verses from Romans 1:16-17 serve as a magnificent declaration of Paul's unwavering conviction: “For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ, for it is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, ‘It is by faith that a righteous person will live.'” This statement,/from the longest and arguably most influential letter,/encapsulates the revolutionary message that pulsed through all of Paul's writings. For the early believers, rooted in ancient Israelite culture, the concept of God's “salvation” was deeply tied to joining the family of Abraham and to a covenant relationship with Yahweh, the one true God. It wasn't primarily about an individual's escape from hell, but about a transformation of identity and allegiance, leading to a new way of life under the kingship of Jesus. Paul's letters systematically unpack how this new reality, initiated by Christ,...

Gospel  Matthew 8:23-27 As Jesus got into a boat, his disciples followed him. Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by waves; but he was asleep. They came and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us!  We are perishing!" He said to them, "Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?" Then he got up, rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was great calm. The men were amazed and said, "What sort of man is this, whom even the winds and the sea obey?” Reflection It's hard to believe in the impossible. But the thing about Jesus and his experience on this earth with other human beings is that they had such a hard time grasping the power that he had, the wisdom, the goodness. And that same gift is our gift. We are asked to be like Jesus in this world. Help us to get past the doubts. Help us to believe in all that we can do, filled with His Spirit. Closing Prayer Father, awaken in us an awareness of the beauty of your strength flowing through us. Your Holy Spirit in us, affecting the same things that you effected in this world. Bless us with this gift. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Good morning! On today’s show, Matt Swaim and Anna Mitchell welcome Fr. Rob Jack to share more reflections on the Sacred Heart of Jesus as we continue through the month of June. Other guests include Gary Zimak from Following the Truth, Karlo Broussard from Catholic Answers, and canon-lawyer Fr. Philip-Michael Tangorra. Plus news, weather, sports, and more… ***** St. Monica Sodality Prayer for Fallen Away Catholics “Eternal and merciful Father, I give You thanks for the gift of Your Divine Son Who suffered, died and rose for all mankind. I thank You also for my Catholic Faith and ask Your help that I may grow in fidelity by prayer, by works of charity and penance, by reflection on Your Word, and by regular participation in the Sacraments of Penance and the Holy Eucharist. You gave Saint Monica a spirit of selfless love manifested in her constant prayer for the conversion of her son Augustine. Inspired by boundless confidence in Your power to move hearts, and by the success of her prayer. I ask the grace to imitate her constancy in my prayer for [name(s)] who no longer share(s) in the intimate life of Your Catholic family. Grant through my prayer and witness that (he/she/they) may be open to the promptings of Your Holy Spirit, and return to loving union with Your Church. Grant also that my prayer be ever hopeful and that I may never judge another, for You alone can read hearts. I ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen. ***** Cincinnati Right to Life is online at cincinnatirighttolife.org. Dr. Annie Huey’s tours are online at sacredheritagetours.com Full list of guestsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

June 22, 2025 Today's Reading: Luke 8:26-39Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 25:1-22; Proverbs 26:1-28; John 19:23-42“Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned.” (Luke 8:37)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus and His disciples have arrived on the other side of the Sea of Galilee. The storm has been calmed, but the disciples' unbelief is less calm. Immediately as Jesus stepped out on land, He was met with an accusation. A man possessed with many demons cries out to Him, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me” (v. 28). Jesus, the calmer of storms, the Lord of all creation, yes; but Jesus the tormentor?The demons do what the disciples do not and openly confess who Jesus is, yet this is not a confession of faith. It is a confession of fear and an attempt to take Jesus away from why He came in the first place.So Jesus, Lord of all creation, deals with the demons as He did with the storm. “For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man” (v.29). Jesus, the word made flesh, commands even the demons. At this point, the legion can only submit and beg for mercy. Jesus accommodates them only to send them into pigs, which are then driven into the lake to drown.All the people of this Gentile country are astonished, and yet their unbelief manifests in fear as they ask Jesus to depart from them.Fear not. Fear not the storms of this life; fear not the devil who prowls around, seeking to devour you. Fear not the world whose unbelief fears an almighty God. Fear not, because this almighty God cares for you, just as He cared for those around Him.Jesus doesn't just command creation for His own glory; He sets His glory aside to restore all creation. Jesus doesn't command demons to show His sovereignty. Rather, His sovereignty is revealed by the throne to which He will ascend and reveal Himself as the Son of the Most High God, who dies for you.Jesus, the Son, Who takes all the unbelief, the fear, and the doubt, and by His death and resurrection makes all things new. He makes you new; He makes you His, just like He the man in the Gerasenes His. We do not fear but believe and proclaim all that God has done for us.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O God, You have prepared for those who love You such good things as surpass our understanding. Cast out all sins and evil desires from us, and pour into our hearts Your Holy Spirit to guide us into all blessedness;  through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. Amen.- Justin Chester is a seminary student at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Clarifying the Great Commission, Rev. Daniel Christian Voth identifies common omissions from our collective understanding of Jesus' farewell discourse—omissions that turn Christ's promises of forgiveness, life, and salvation into a legalistic command. Come and discover a richer understanding of The Great Commission.

Send us a textGood morning! Thank you for taking a few minutes to listen. If you are interested in the Daily Bible Devotional, you can find it at the links below:Amazon - (paperback, hardcover, and Kindle)Spiritbuilding.com - (premium quality paperback)Youtube Video Introducing the ContentFeel free to reach out with any questions: emersonk78@me.comRomans 2 Religious people in Rome often judged others while committing similar sins themselves. However, God's judgment is impartial, and all who choose to live in sin will face the day of wrath. Christians must not take God's kindness, tolerance, and patience so lightly that they choose sin while condemning others. Self-righteousness and hypocrisy lead to condemnation, as God judges based on truth rather than outward appearances. Both Jews and Gentiles are accountable to God. The Gentiles, who did not know the Law, were still accountable to their conscience, while the Jews, who possessed the Law, were judged by it. True righteousness arises from an inner transformation evident in sincere faith, not merely from external practices or specific sectarian affiliations. Circumcised hearts, shaped by the Holy Spirit, will draw praise from God. Pride among the religious can be dangerous. It is easy to see ourselves as superior to others, which leads to two critical errors: taking on the role of judging others and conveniently ignoring our own shortcomings. God shows no partiality. This truth keeps us humble, repentant, and focused on our own need for growth. It helps us develop a better attitude toward others, as we all need Jesus and will answer to Him in judgment. Unfortunately, some believers have been pointing out the sins of others while committing similar sins themselves. Everyone, whether Jew or Gentile, must honor Jesus to be saved. We cannot achieve salvation through the law. Therefore, we must be transformed from the heart to faith.   Righteous Judge, we know You show no partiality. Neither history nor heritage makes us any more deserving of salvation from You. No one can perfectly keep the law, whether it is the law of conscience or the Law of Moses. Unfortunately, some pretend to do so by judging and labeling others as they overlook their own shortcomings. Please God, break our spirit and reshape us in humility if we are committing these sins. Help us to abandon hypocrisy in every form and to allow Your Holy Spirit to circumcise our hearts so that our praise will come from You.   Thought Questions: -       Why do some religious people judge others harshly while committing the same sins secretly? How will God respond to that? -       If God will judge the secrets of men, and He knows all that you do, how should that deeply impact the way you think and live? -       No one will be justified by law-keeping. How is this comforting news to hear? And how can this truth lead us to more faith in Jesus?

By Mary Lindow Hello to all of you who are listening via podcast today or who are reading this message! I just finished being a part of our weekly prayer gathering this evening, and I have to tell you, the presence of the Father was so absolutely strong and evident in our time together! I am literally to the point that I anticipate all day long on Thursday evenings, getting together with the group that we pray with.    We have been blessed week after week, month after month with the sweet and strong presence of God as we intercede for our nation, for the globe, and for so many other things that the Lord lays on our hearts to pray about.   I HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THE PODCAST THAT I HAD TALKED ABOUT EARLIER. I am still trying to get it to compile and come together and I know that if I rush this, I will not share it in the light of how the Lord wants it to be presented properly.   BUT, I HAVE BEEN HAVING ANOTHER MESSAGE AND WORD FROM THE LORD STIRRING DEEP WITHIN MY SPIRIT, AND SO THAT IS WHAT I'M GOING TO SHARE WITH YOU TODAY. Hearing God accurately in the mess and chaos that the world is in right now, is of huge importance!  May the Lord continue to use you all to proclaim and speak truth, no matter what the cost. It is so worth being called a servant of the Lord during hard and challenging times.   TODAY, I'M GOING TO TALK WITH YOU ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO BE IN A PLACE OF SAFETY, A PLACE, OR A “HAVEN” OF BEING SHELTERED BY THE LORD. Especially during very, very difficult and hard times. I'll share how to discern and hear His voice in the chaos of the nonstop noise the dark world bombards us all with. It's ratcheted up to crazy levels, and shouts loudly to attempt to distract us from discerning the times, and hopes to discourage us and knock us off balance with fear, and then rob our peace.   IT'S OBVIOUS THAT THE EARTH IS IN ONE MASSIVE UPHEAVAL, AND NO MATTER WHERE YOU TURN RIGHT NOW, THE CRISES CONTINUE TO MOUNT AND BOIL! And so, people begin to put aside spending time in the word of God, and certainly in his presence, to spend time with the love of the Internet and scrolling through their telephones through social network information and high charged doomsday podcasts and videos. This can absolutely create stress and anxiety, and it also creates a terrible problem with comparing ourselves to other people and where we are at in life.   PRAYER IS NOT A BORING HARD THING WHEN YOU REALIZE  THAT YOU ARE FACE-TO-FACE, OR LITERALLY,  “PRESENCE TO PRESENCE” WITH THE FATHER.   A tremendous man who walked daily in the Presence of God, Andrew Murray, said in a book that he wrote,  “It's one of the terrible marks of the diseased state of the Christian life in these days that there are so many that are content, and remain passive and content, without the distinct occasion of having experienced answered prayer. They pray daily, but know very little of direct, definite answers to prayer as the rule of their daily life.”    Psalm Thirty verse four says, “I sought the Lord and he answered me.”   We must understand that it's the Father's will that WE SEEK HIM OUT to daily have dialogue with his will, and it's his will to have his children to listen to him and then, he listens to his children and agrees to their requests. It's his will that we should come to him day by day, with specific requests, and he will every day, do for us great and wonderful things! What we ask sometimes might be a case where the specific answer is that he refuses our request, but our Father lets us know when and why he can't give us what we request. It's like his Son Jesus, and so we will withdraw our petition or our request.   When did Jesus do that? Jesus said in the Garden of Gethsemane, “If this cup could pass from me, but not my will, but your will be done.”  He said this to the Father.   WHETHER OUR REQUEST IS ACCORDING TO GOD'S WILL OR NOT, GOD WILL BY HIS WORD AND BY HIS SPIRIT, TEACH THOSE OF US WHO ARE TEACHABLE, and he will give us time to withdraw our requests if they're not according to God‘s mind or purposes.   LET'S PRESS IN. LET'S JUST STAND FIRM UNTIL THE ANSWER COMES! PRAYER IS GIVEN TO US TO OBTAIN AN ANSWER! It's in prayer and its answer, that the exchange of love between the Father and we his children takes place.   MY QUESTION IS, “ARE YOUR  PRAYERS BEING ANSWERED?” During the last hours of the age that we're in, there will be two opposing groups or alliances in the world.    The First group are those whose hearts are absolutely overwrought with bitterness, resentment and hatred.   The Second group is those whose love has actually increased, and are experiencing the power of the Kingdom of God, now!   Jesus told us about this in Matthew in chapter 4:10-13. He said, “At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.  Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.” And then in Matthew 24:14 he added, “This gospel (good news) of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations and then the end shall come.”   SO, THE BIG QUESTION IS... ...“WHAT IS THIS GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM?”  It's the whole truth Jesus came to bring, not only that part that saves us from our sins, but also that part which creates us in his image! It's the full message, the full good news with all its requirements and all of its rewards!  It's is the full price for the full power! It's the most glorious pearl that a person can possess. The presence of God in His glory, revealed, made known within and among us!   IF WE WANT TO GAIN THIS GREAT LOVE, WE WILL CONTINUALLY BE FORCED TO MAKE CHOICES TOWARD MERCY, OR, TOWARD UNFORGIVENESS, and if we don't walk in a forgiving attitude, we will certainly become prey to an embittered spirit, if it's in fact, God‘s plan to allow wickedness and holiness at the same time,  so they grow to full maturity.   We must guard our hearts ahead of time from reacting in bitterness or unforgiveness because the increasing anarchy will certainly give us occasions to lose love, with the attempt to make us hard so we can survive in this cruel world.   WE OFTEN WITHDRAW FROM THE GENUINENESS OF PURE LOVE! We can't choose cautious, selective love, and also walk in the power of God's kingdom, my friends! To defy pain, we sometimes unconsciously shut down our love, because after all, its love that makes us vulnerable.   GOD WANTS US TO BE A PEOPLE WHOSE LOVE IS GROWING HOT, NOT COLD. Jesus didn't say that we had to trust our enemies, but he did say that we had to love them anyhow. You might be asking why!  One reason God allows difficulties is to test us! ( I know! I know! We don't want to hear that! ) He wants to see if our Christianity is just an intellectual pursuit or just thoughts and feelings of the mind, or if following him is truly the highest passion of our hearts. So, he tells us in Matthew 5:44, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Wow!    SOME OF YOU HAVE GONE THROUGH REJECTION AND BETRAYAL MOST LIKELY. The Lord says to you today, “You did not fail, you have continued to love, and although you went through great pain, yet you have forgiven, those who have hurt you.”  My friends you have passed the test.   THERE ARE HOWEVER, SOME OF YOU LISTENING OR READING THAT STILL HAVE CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS IN YOUR LIVES THAT YOU HAVE NOT FORGIVEN, AND WHOM YOU DO NOT LOVE.  Maybe you're right, they don't deserve your forgiveness, but what you don't realize is the consequence of your anger. You see, as long as we refuse to forgive, a part of this is trapped in the past where you will always be reminded of your pain, and until we forgive, we will not be fully released to go on with our life. Even the time of year in which you were hurt will bring depression.   THERE'S ONLY ONE WAY WE CAN HAVE TRUE FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD AND THAT IS IN THE HERE AND NOW, RIGHT NOW, LIVING IN THE PRESENT. But if our mind is in conflict with others, we're neither here nor in the present. When we live in the past, we are cut off from God! What people did to us to hurt us is over! It's done; it doesn't have any real existence or life of its own, except in your mind.   SO THERE WITHIN US, THE DEED CONTINUES TO LIVE AND FESTER AND AS LONG AS IT LIVES, WE'RE STILL BEING HURT BY IT. The person or the people who wounded you may have long since died. They can't be blamed because it's us who keeps our wounds alive. Not only is the quality of our spiritual life affected, but often our physical health pays a price as well!   As long as we keep holding onto the burden of what someone has done to us, every time we think about it or think about that person, the stomach acids start to churn and anxiety increases, and then of course our body is continually put under stress.   If we don't forgive those who have hurt us, we lose a measure of our capacity to love and whether they deserve forgiveness or not, we deserve a better life! God wants to give you a better life but you can't enjoy abundant life and carry unforgiveness, because we're shackled to something that was hurting us. Did you know that our own unforgiveness tortures us?   SO HOW DO YOU GET OUT OF THAT PRISON?  HOW DO YOU FIND THE PROTECTION OF GOD FOR YOUR SOUL?    Well, God calls us to forgive. You have to see the hands of God reaching to you in the midst of your pain. He wants to redeem that conflict using that specific crisis or hardship to develop and perfect character in you. It will be this experience that he will use to make you like Jesus. To become like Jesus is to dwell, to live, in the place of rest and the safety of God. Every time we say, “Father, I choose to love. I choose to forgive. I choose to forget and not hold it against this person”, we are taking on the nature of Jesus. Friends, rejoice that Jesus is taking over your heart. You are entering into the strong, safe haven of God's shelter.   I DO MANY THINGS THAT THE LORD HAS ASSIGNED ME TO DO IN LIFE NOT ONLY AS A MINISTER, BUT ALSO AS A PASTORAL COUNSELOR. I also host and facilitate a group called “The international Prophetic Women's Mentoring Council.” This is a group of women from all walks of life several cultural groups and different backgrounds. We meet through zoom video sessions and individually. The thing that is “the glue that bonds us” is the fact that each of us have been called into ministry, and each of these women flows in a different expression of the prophetic gift. This past week we had a zoom session and our conversation and subject matter was regarding, the power of intercession and what it takes to approach the Face of God, in a right attitude.   One of the things that stood out so strongly in our time of dialogue and accountability to one another was the fact that in order to hear clearly from the Spirit of God, we need to have the inward witness, or the “inside part of us that communicates with God”, clearly in a place of submission and humility before him, and, that we first come into a place where we have asked the Lord to cleanse us. That means cleanse our hearts before we try to come to Him in prayer.   MANY PEOPLE DON'T KNOW HOW TO HEAR THE VOICE OF GOD. They seek it through quick daily devotionals, or they seek the voice of God through other people every day, instead of seeking the Lord himself. The scripture tells us clearly in John 10:4-5, “His sheep know his voice, and strange voices, they will not follow.”   SO WHAT ARE THE STRANGE VOICES? The voices from the external world that are constantly pumping us full of data, fear, rhetoric and forced compliance to social conditioning. If we choose to listen to the voice of strangers, then we move further away from being sheep in the pasture of the Lord.   SO HOW DO WE KNOW HIS VOICE? How do we discern that it's him? The number one thing, is that God always speaks life. He always speaks truth. And when God speaks, it brings peace, even in the midst of hard difficulties or hard decisions. An absolute solid peace comes and says, “This is the way, and this is what you have to do!” Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, "This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left. That's Isaiah 30:21.   THE HOLY SPIRIT LIVES IN YOU. God absolutely wants to direct your life through your decision-making. The Holy Spirit guides us in our spirits (not through our physical body). The Number One way The Holy Spirit leads and guides us is through what the Bible calls, the “Inward Witness.” Proverbs 3:6 says,  “Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.”   WHAT IS AN INNER OR INWARD WITNESS? An inner witness is an impression, or a sense or perception on the inside of you. Romans 8:16 tells us, “For his Spirit joins with our spirit, to affirm, to confirm, that we are God's children.” Jeremiah 7:23-24 says this to us,  “But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you will be My people; and you shall walk entirely in the way which I command you, so that it may go well for you.'  Yet, they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked by their own advice and in the stubbornness of their evil hearts, and they went backward and not forward.   AS KINGDOM PEOPLE, WE'RE NOT LED BY OUR SENSES. We're not led by our ears or our eyes. We're led by our spirit. When we talk about hearing God, we're not talking about hearing God with our physical ears. We're talking about hearing Him in our spirit.  Here's a great example:  The Apostle Paul had been arrested and he was headed to his trial. Before he took the journey he sensed something in his spirit. He wasn't the captain of the ship, but he sensed something in his spirit.  In Acts 27:10, Apostle Paul said, "Men, I perceive we're going to face a disaster and heavy losses on this voyage. This disaster will cause damage to the cargo and the ship, and it will affect our lives." It wasn't long before the ship hit a cyclone, but an angel appeared and guaranteed Paul that everyone would make it, and they did! What was it that what Paul said in the beginning? “I perceive".   This is what we're looking at right now. We're talking about being led by the Spirit of God, no matter what circumstance or difficulty we might encounter.   BEING A PERSON WHO IS CALLED TO A PROPHETIC MINISTRY, I AM CLEARLY AWARE OF THE FACT THAT 90% OF WHAT I DO, ALSO COMES FROM TEACHING PEOPLE FROM THE WORD OF GOD REGARDING HOW TO  “HEAR” THE VOICE OF GOD.   My job is not to be a telephone for people to connect to God with, nor simply through prophesying. This is not going to change lives long term if the word of God is not taught and also if people don't act on it and obey it.   I HAVE HAD SOME STRANGE ENCOUNTERS WITH PEOPLE WHO THINK THAT I HAVE SOME KIND OF HOTLINE OR SATELLITE CONNECTION TO GOD TO HELP THEM GET ANSWERS. They need something or want to hear what the Lord has for them by asking me for a prophetic word. My friends this is not how the prophetic word of knowledge or word of wisdom works!  I had a lady when we were Pastoring a local fellowship come up to me after the service and she asked me if I would please, “do whatever I do, do that thing that I do”, and see if God would show me where she had put her wedding ring. She had lost it. I remember feeling very uncomfortable and a cold chill went through my body! My thought process was, “this woman wants me to be like a palm reader, or a magic eight ball! She wants me to use divination to find her wedding ring!“ Very kindly but firmly I told the woman, “You can ask the Lord to show you where it is yourself, or just simply go on looking for it. Pray that the Lord would lead you to it, but to ask me to ask the Holy Spirit to show me where it is, is basically trying to use another voice to speak to God for you when you can speak on your own to him.”   THERE ARE TIMES, WHEN GOD WILL SPEAK A WORD, AND IT IS DONE THROUGH A PROPHETIC UTTERANCE, and it gives us a word of knowledge about something or a word of wisdom about a specific event where we need to have insight, but it will always confirm with the Spirit of God what he has already put down on the inside of us that we can't seem to quite untangle, until the prophetic word comes and brings a clarity to it.   SOMETIMES THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL HAVE SOMEONE BRING A PROPHETIC WORD THAT COMES IN THE FORM OF LOVING CORRECTION, BUT IT IS STILL CORRECTION, AND PEOPLE GET ANGRY AND SHOUT, “HOW DARE YOU JUDGE ME! Who are you to judge me?!”   Of course what this is a reaction to being caught out in bad behavior or hidden sin, and the Lord gently, lovingly, brings a word of warning.   ALL OF US KNOW WHEN WE SLIP AWAY FROM SPENDING TIME IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD. We know when we slack off from reading the scripture and from meditating on it, letting the Holy Spirit speak through the word to us. This is where the areas of bitterness and lack of purity in our walk with the Lord get all tangled up.   FRIENDS.  ASK THE HOLY SPIRIT TO TEACH YOU HOW TO BE LED BY HIM. (By the way, you might need a refreshing of your commitment to only follow his voice.) You don't need a prophet to hear from God for you, or have a constant prophetic word to make decisions. Simply say these words. “Holy Spirit, teach me how to be led by you.” Then, before you make any major decisions, acknowledge God. Say, “God, this is what the situation is,  >  insert your situation  

Welcome to Day 2654 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom Day 2654 – New Testament Orientation – The Interpretation and Proclamation of the Gospel Putnam Church Message – 06/15/2025 Sermon Series: New Testament Orientation Message 8: “The Interpretation and Proclamation of the Gospel”   Last week, we explored ‘The Book of Acts: The Spirit's Unstoppable Journey.' Core Verses: Acts 1:8 Matthew 28:18-20 (NLT) This week marks Message 8 of 12 in our New Testament Orientation, with the message title: “The Interpretation and Proclamation of the Gospel.” Core Verses: Acts 8:4 Matthew 28:18-20 (NLT) But the believers who were scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went. Opening Prayer Our Gracious Heavenly Father, we stand before You today, eager to delve into the profound truth of Your Word. As we continue our journey through the New Testament, we pray for Your Holy Spirit to illuminate our minds and hearts. Guide us, we pray, as we explore the vital task of interpreting and proclaiming the Good News of Jesus. May Your truth transform our understanding and empower us to be faithful witnesses in our own generation,>just as those who first believed. In the mighty name of Jesus, our Messiah and Lord, we pray. Amen. Introduction: The Scattered Seeds of the Gospel We've journeyed through the Gospels, understanding Jesus' message and His incredible victory, and last week, we explored the Book of Acts, witnessing the Holy Spirit's powerful arrival and the revolutionary inclusion of Gentiles into God's family. Today, we turn our attention to a critical question: How was this Good News, this “Gospel,” understood, interpreted, and then proclaimed in the earliest days of the church? Our core verse for today sets the stage: “But the believers who had been scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went.” (Acts 8:4, NLT) This verse speaks of a scattering—a time of persecution that pushed believers out of Jerusalem—but it also speaks of an unstoppable proclamation. They weren't just surviving; they were preaching. But what exactly were they preaching? What was the “Good News about Jesus” from their ancient Israelite and early Christian perspective? In our modern minds, the term “Gospel” often immediately brings to mind concepts such as “atonement,” “forgiveness of sins,” or “going to heaven.” While these are essential truths that flow from the Gospel,/they don't fully capture the foundational message as the early believers understood and proclaimed it. For them, the Gospel was less about an individual's destination after death and more about a divine kingdom that had decisively arrived on earth, bringing about a radical change in authority and allegiance, fulfilling centuries of Old Testament prophecies. The Core of the Kerygma: Jesus as Messiah and Lord (Bulletin Insert) The central message, or “Kerygma,” of...

June 9, 2025Today's Reading: John 3:16-21Daily Lectionary: Numbers 22:1-20; Luke 22:1-23“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. If you unpack the Bible verse everyone already knows, you find a religion nobody can fathom. It's nothing but Jesus on the cross for sinners. It binds us together without distinction, without exception, and leaves us with a different vocabulary. All the world talks about what's wrong. All the world condemns. But Christ did not come into the world to condemn it, but in order that it would be saved through His cross. You don't need to make the world better or even make it seem that way. You can call darkness dark because you see the light that conquers it. Forgives you who walk in it. Brings light that darkness would not overcome it. Which means the only reason there's darkness left is because folks want it that way. The light came into the world, but the people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. It's easy to sort through now, especially with that cross. Shine light on everything. What is light reflects light. What is dark flees the light. Not just because Christians are good and the world is evil. That's the lie the devil would have us believe, so we won't know what to make of our sins and would flee from the God who'd crucify them, even if it means running back to darkness. But whoever comes to the light shows what light does. It forgives. This is the work carried out in God. Christians take their sins to the light. To the cross, so they're not afraid to call their sins darkness. They know where light conquered darkness. And they know it was for them. It was for you. The darkness that flees the light is the darkness that doesn't want to become light. That doesn't want forgiveness. Shine light on everything and watch Christians rejoice in the forgiveness of sins, and there is no greater light, for this is the work of God. This is the peace we have. To not worry so much about the darkness anymore. Don't be afraid of it. Don't worry about outrunning it or outfighting it. You are brought to the light. This is the work God carries out over and over for you. So you won't have to measure your light; you can look to His cross. You can know that it's yours every single day for every single dark thing.   In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O God, who gave Your Holy Spirit to the apostles, grant us that same Spirit that we may live in faith and abide in peace; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. - Rev. Harrison Goodman, Higher Things Executive Director of Mission and Theology.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Clarifying the Great Commission, Rev. Daniel Christian Voth identifies common omissions from our collective understanding of Jesus' farewell discourse—omissions that turn Christ's promises of forgiveness, life, and salvation into a legalistic command. Come and discover a richer understanding of The Great Commission.

June 8, 2025 Today's Reading: John 14:23-31Daily Lectionary: Numbers 21:10-35; Luke 21:20-38“Jesus answered him, 'If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.'” (John 14:23) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus said, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word.” Faith, of course, is presupposed to the reader. I guess that's good. We assume Christians believe. But also, when we take faith for granted, all that's really left to talk about is what we want to come out of it. We assume the most important part of what Jesus said, then leave all of the stress on something that wasn't ever given to carry the weight. We focus on the word “keep.” We stress the word keep when we're set against a society that doesn't keep it as if we can stave it off somehow by what we do. We stress it when our kids mess up, when we mess up, and when the world messes up because “whoever does not love me will not keep my word.” And even when nothing's messed up at all, we think we did that by keeping something and proved something by it.Don't presuppose faith. See it for what it is. The gift of the Holy Spirit, who calls, gathers, enlightens, sanctifies, and keeps you. Jesus is not describing the outcome of a presupposed faith. He's describing what faith looks like. Pentecost celebrates that. God wants to speak. He preaches through men by the Gift of the Holy Spirit. He gives good Gifts to sinners. To you. To keep isn't measured in obedience. It's chiefly to treasure. By faith, we treasure the word God gives us, even when it paints us as sinners. Because it also tells us that Jesus saves sinners. Treasure that. Love what the world loves not. Love the cross and all that it brings. Love the place God put to death all evil and saved you from yourself. Love the life He gives that only comes on the other side of the tomb, but already belongs to you in your Baptism. This is the peace the world cannot give.  We live forgiven, rooted in the Gifts of the Spirit, of the gospel which calls, gathers, enlightens, sanctifies, and keeps, rejoicing in the promise Jesus makes, that you who love the Lord do treasure His word. The word speaks, and it shapes us. Each day, it forgives. Each day, it ties us to the great promise. Rise. Let us go from here.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O God, on this day You once taught the hearts of Your faithful people by sending them the light of Your Holy Spirit. Grant us in our day by the same Spirit to have a right understanding in all things and evermore to rejoice in His holy consolation; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. - Rev. Harrison Goodman, Higher Things Executive Director of Mission and Theology.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Clarifying the Great Commission, Rev. Daniel Christian Voth identifies common omissions from our collective understanding of Jesus' farewell discourse—omissions that turn Christ's promises of forgiveness, life, and salvation into a legalistic command. Come and discover a richer understanding of The Great Commission.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Wednesday morning, the 4th of June, 2025, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We start in the Book of Philippians 4:11. Paul says: “Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content…” I looked up the word “contentment” in the Oxford Dictionary. It is a state of peaceful happiness or satisfaction. Are you content today? Am I content today? I want to ask you a question, and the Lord has asked me the same question this very morning - how much is enough? As a young man, my dream was to own my own farm, and I thought that would bring me total contentment in life. Well, I worked myself to a standstill and eventually I owned my own farm. But I have got news for you young man. That did not bring contentment to me. I was still not satisfied! You know that King David had everything that he needed. He was the hero of Israel. As a young teenager, he slaughtered a giant with one stone. Oh yes! When he went to war, he came back with victories, the people used to worship him, praise him, sing songs to him. He had as many wives as he needed and he was still not content. If you look at Psalm 51:10, he says: “Create in me a clean heart, O God,And renew a steadfast spirit within me.Do not cast me away from Your presence,And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.”So David had everything, but he still was not content, then he went back to the Lord and he said, “Oh Lord, renew in me a clean heart”. I received a beautiful letter from a wife who is so grateful, sent to me just last night. Her husband was very sick and went into a coma. When he was in that coma, he heard a conversation with God, and God says he was never content with what he had, but God would give him one more chance, not because of anything that he had done but because of people who had prayed for him. That young man, I can tell you right now, has been given a second chance and he is totally content with his lot in life. “Now godliness with contentment is great gain.” 1 Timothy 6:6Be content with what you have, God will take care of everything else.Jesus bless you and have a wonderful day,Goodbye.

When Jesus came to his people thousands of years ago, the religious leaders had an ancient system of relating to God. But Jesus overturned that system of law with the way of grace. And He brilliantly said these words: No one pours new wine into old wineskins or else they'll burst. They pour new wine into new wineskins. There's something new for you. The way of Jesus is like new wine. Turn your heart to Him today. Just ask Him. Say, Lord, rid me of my old life, my old ways, my old behaviors and patterns. Fill me with new life through the power of Your Holy Spirit. Amen. Always remember there is hope with God. Scripture Reference: Mark 2:22 radio.hopewithgod.com

Send us a textGood morning! Thank you for taking a few minutes to listen. If you are interested in the Daily Bible Devotional, you can find it at the links below:Amazon - (paperback, hardcover, and Kindle)Spiritbuilding.com - (premium quality paperback)Youtube Video Introducing the ContentFeel free to reach out with any questions: emersonk78@me.comActs 13 The church in Antioch commissions Paul (formerly Saul) and Barnabas to embark on their first missionary journey, following the Holy Spirit's guidance. They travel to Cyprus, where they preach in synagogues and face opposition from Elymas, a sorcerer who attempts to prevent the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, from believing. Paul, filled with the Spirit, rebukes Elymas and temporarily blinds him. Witnessing this, the proconsul believes. Paul and Barnabas then continue to Pisidian Antioch, where Paul delivers a powerful message recounting Israel's history and proclaiming the glory of the resurrected Christ, which fulfills God's promises to Israel. Many Gentiles believe and rejoice, but Jewish leaders grow jealous, forcing Paul and Barnabas to leave the district. Despite the opposition, the truth spreads, and the disciples are “filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.” The Holy Spirit guides Paul and Barnabas on a journey to share the truth about Jesus. Their commission serves as a reminder that the Holy Spirit is still alive and active today, with work prepared for us to do as well. Paul's courage in confronting Elymas demonstrates how God supports us when we stand against those who reject Jesus. His sermon in Pisidian Antioch highlights that God has been working to prepare redemption in Jesus Christ for generations. God's plan to raise Jesus from the dead and offer forgiveness to believers is greater, deeper, and more magnificent than we can imagine. We must share this message of grace and reconciliation, hopeful that there are many hearts longing for eternal hope.   Benevolent Father, thank You for the work of Your Holy Spirit. He moves today in ways that differ from the supernatural urgings and miracles of the first century, but this does not diminish His presence in our lives. Grant us the wisdom to hear the teachings of scripture and to be attuned to the guidance You provide for us. Even among non-believers, give us the faith to remain vigilant for Christ. We thank You for Jesus' plan from the beginning. We exalt You for raising Him from the dead and promising us redemption now and future resurrection to eternal life.     Thought Questions: -       Is the Holy Spirit alive and active in encouraging you to take extreme action for Christ? If so, how does He accomplish this today? -       Why was Paul so direct with Elymas? And why is it important to directly address people if they are negatively influencing others? -       The resurrection of Jesus changed lives among the tenderhearted. Who will you tell about the power of His resurrection today?

Today's Passage: Colossians 3:15-17And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.Today's Prayer: Father thank you for the joyful elements of worship we have as believers.  You've given us Your word to teach and encourage each other. It is alive, sufficient, authoritative, necessary,  inerrant, and clear. You've also given us music and song.  Lord, allow us to yield to You and be filled with Your Holy Spirit—to partake in this joy by singing and showing gratitude outwardly or inwardly by having a song in our heart.  Help us know that our worship, gratitude, and study of scripture is to also benefit others we are connected to in the Body of Christ. Help us work to live unified with one another and work hard for peace in a world that works hard at dissension. NOTES & LINKS:Information about the Women's Summer StudyInformation about the Men's Summer StudyReach out to the Center for Spiritual Formation

The Office of the Keys is an aid to all believers in the battle against sin and provides consolation for those with a guilty conscience. The Roman Church taught that those who confessed all their sins to a confessor would find comfort. Enthusiasts looked within for a good conscience, apart from the Word of God. However, we know that God does not deal with us in any way other than through His spoken Word and Sacraments. By this same Word, the binding key is meant to call sinners to repentance in the promise of reconciliation in Christ. “Lord God, bring us to repentance by Your Holy Spirit and drive us back to Christ for His forgiveness through our pastor as from Christ Himself. Lord have mercy. Amen.” Rev. Paul Cain, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church and headmaster of Martin Luther Grammar School in Sheridan, WY, joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study confession and excommunication. To learn more about Immanuel Lutheran, visit immanuelsheridan.blogspot.com/. Find your copy of the Book of Concord - Concordia Reader's Edition at cph.org or read online at bookofconcord.org. Study the Lutheran Confession of Faith found in the Book of Concord with lively discussions led by host Rev. Brady Finnern, President of the LCMS Minnesota North District, and guest LCMS pastors. Join us as these Christ-confessing Concordians read through and discuss our Lutheran doctrine in the Book of Concord in order to gain a deeper understanding of our Lutheran faith and practical application for our vocations. Submit comments or questions to: listener@kfuo.org. 

Happy feast of St. Joseph the Worker! On today’s show, Matt Swaim and Anna Mitchell explore the head of the Holy Family as a model of all who work in any discipline. Guests include Rita Heikenfeld with Bible Foods, pastoral counselor Kevin Prendergast, and Gary Michuta from Hands On Apologetics. ***** St. Monica Sodality Prayer for Fallen Away Catholics “Eternal and merciful Father, I give You thanks for the gift of Your Divine Son Who suffered, died and rose for all mankind. I thank You also for my Catholic Faith and ask Your help that I may grow in fidelity by prayer, by works of charity and penance, by reflection on Your Word, and by regular participation in the Sacraments of Penance and the Holy Eucharist. You gave Saint Monica a spirit of selfless love manifested in her constant prayer for the conversion of her son Augustine. Inspired by boundless confidence in Your power to move hearts, and by the success of her prayer. I ask the grace to imitate her constancy in my prayer for [name(s)] who no longer share(s) in the intimate life of Your Catholic family. Grant through my prayer and witness that (he/she/they) may be open to the promptings of Your Holy Spirit, and return to loving union with Your Church. Grant also that my prayer be ever hopeful and that I may never judge another, for You alone can read hearts. I ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.” ***** Full list of guestsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Send us a textGood morning! Thank you for taking a few minutes to listen. If you are interested in the Daily Bible Devotional, you can find it at the links below:Amazon - (paperback, hardcover, and Kindle)Spiritbuilding.com - (premium quality paperback)Youtube Video Introducing the ContentFeel free to reach out with any questions: emersonk78@me.comJohn 15 Jesus continues His discourse with the Apostles. Jesus identifies Himself as “the true vine.” His followers are like branches that draw nutrients from Him. To “abide in Him” is to be connected to Jesus, to hear His words, and to gain strength from His power. This must result in good fruit born by the branches. To bear the fruit of good works is to prove to be His disciple. Love binds the Vine to the branches. Jesus has shown His love by laying down His life for His friends. His friends show love in return by keeping His commandments and loving one another. The world hates Jesus and His followers, but love will define His people. Jesus again promises the Apostles that the Holy Spirit will help them in their work.  As noted in the previous chapter, some of this content is unique to the Apostles. The Holy Spirit would testify through the Apostles in miraculous ways. The Holy Spirit is also at work for us; He teaches us through the scripture. Many other elements of this chapter apply to us all. Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches. We must remain connected to Him and bear fruit, lest we be cut away by the Father. Specifically, Jesus demands that we keep His commandments and love our fellow believers. We will be maligned by the world for serving Jesus because people of the world reject His Lordship. But fellow Christians should always be a source of love and support.   Creator God, we know that You have made us to bring honor to You. And that means living obedient lives and loving others the way You love us. Will You help us see how desperately we need Jesus to do these things? Show us how to connect to Jesus and how to draw our strength and direction from Him. We are committed to bearing the good fruit of obedience and love in a world of disobedience and hate. Show us how to love Christians in an enduring way, and please help us through the presence and teachings of Your Holy Spirit. Thought Questions: -       Are you abiding in Christ and bearing fruit through His strength? What examples in your life demonstrate this process to others? -       The Lord has commanded us to love one another. Can your faith be a saving faith if you do not actively love and serve Christians? -       The worldly have no excuse for living in sin and disregarding the King. How can you help them see their need for Jesus?

Your Nightly Prayer

Send us a textGood morning! Thank you for taking a few minutes to listen. If you are interested in the Daily Bible Devotional, you can find it at the links below:Amazon - (paperback, hardcover, and Kindle)Spiritbuilding.com - (premium quality paperback)Youtube Video Introducing the ContentFeel free to reach out with any questions: emersonk78@me.comJohn 7 Jesus' unbelieving brothers encourage Him to go to Jerusalem and publicly work miracles. Jesus refuses and later goes up more privately, and He eventually enters the temple and teaches the people. He gives all glory to His Father for His words of wisdom. Though many believed in Jesus when He acknowledged having come from the Father, many Jewish leaders sought to kill Him. Jesus makes a series of beautiful claims. He is soon to return to His Father. All who come to Him with spiritual thirst will be gifted a flowing river of living water. Those who believe in Him will be given the Holy Spirit. These messages divide the crowd. Some proclaim Him as the Christ, but the Pharisees will not believe and become even more angry.  Even Jesus' brothers had doubts about Him before His resurrection from the dead. Jesus continues to be patient with them and with all His disciples in His teaching. He is also insistent that He has come from the Father, and He has all authority to teach and would be returning to the Father. The kingdom would leave no middle ground for disciples to believe in His blessing without also trusting in His Lordship. Jesus will come and take us home with Him. He will fill us with eternal life and the Holy Spirit. But there cannot be doubt within us. We must confidently assert Him to be “the Prophet” and “the Christ”, even in the face of those who reject Him.  God of Grace, You have shown Your deep love for us in sending Jesus to guide us back to You. Thank You for His ministry, His wisdom, and the undeniable proofs of His Sonship. So many will not believe in Him. So many are inconsistent in their willingness to obey Him. We pray for the resolve to put our lives in the hands of the Prophet and to surrender to Him as the Christ. Please fill us with salvation from Your Holy Spirit. We also ask for boldness to always defend Your honor and to invite others to surrender to Jesus. Thought Questions: -       Many hated Jesus because He exposed their sinful deeds to be evil. Do you also have to see sin as evil to be a follower of Jesus? -       Jesus always redirected glory away from Himself and to the Father. In what ways should we be openly redirecting all praise to God?   -       The Pharisees rejected all testimony about Jesus. What leads hearts to be that hard to truth, and how do you avoid that same fate?

Welcome to Day 2585 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom Day 2585 – Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 51:7-15 Daily Wisdom Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2585 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2585 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. In today's Wisdom Nugget, we continue exploring Psalm 51, focusing on verses 7-15. Psalm 51 is one of the most profound prayers of repentance in all of Scripture. As we discussed in our last episode, this psalm was written by King David after his sin with Bathsheba and his attempt to cover it up by orchestrating the death of her husband, Uriah. When the prophet Nathan confronted him, David responded not with excuses but with genuine sorrow and a cry for cleansing and restoration. In these next verses, we see David's deep longing for forgiveness. He not only asks for God's mercy but also pleads for renewal—a fresh start, a restored relationship with God, and a transformed heart. From an Ancient Israelite worldview, this is significant. In their culture, purity laws and ritual cleansing were essential for restoring one's standing before God and the community. However, David recognizes that external cleansing is not enough—he needs a heart that is purified and renewed by God's Spirit. Let's begin by reading Psalm 51:7-15 from the New Living Translation: Psalm 51:7-15 (NLT) 7 Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. 8 Oh, give me back my joy again; You have broken me— now let me rejoice. 9 Don't keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. 11 Do not banish me from Your presence, and don't take Your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and make me willing to obey You. 13 Then I will teach Your ways to rebels, and they will return to You. 14 Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves; then I will joyfully sing of Your forgiveness. 15 Unseal my lips, O Lord, that my mouth may praise You. The Plea for Cleansing (Verses 7-9) David begins with a vivid request for cleansing and renewal: “Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” (Verse 7) In Ancient Israel, purification rituals involved hyssop, a plant used for sprinkling blood or water to symbolize cleansing (see Leviticus 14:6-7). David's request is not about physical purity but about spiritual cleansing—removing the deep stain of sin from his soul. He continues:...

Today, we're diving into a topic that every believer faces—decision-making. How do we know when to move forward and when to step back? How do we discern God's voice among all the noise? The Holy Spirit is our divine guide, leading us through life's doors—both open and closed—so we walk in God's perfect will.Our springboard for today's discussion is: Isaiah 30:21—"And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,' when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left."The Bible speaks of the Holy Spirit as our helper, our advocate, and the one who directs our steps. Isaiah 30:21 reminds us that God's voice is always present, urging us to walk in His ways. But how do we tune in? The key is learning to recognize the Spirit's leading in our daily lives. Sometimes, God opens doors of opportunity, confirming His direction through peace and alignment with His Word. Other times, He shuts doors to protect us, redirecting us to something better.Before making major decisions, we must seek wisdom through prayer, Scripture, and godly counsel. Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to trust in the Lord with all our hearts and not lean on our own understanding. When we surrender to His guidance, He makes our paths straight. The more we cultivate a habit of Spirit-led decision-making, the clearer His voice becomes.Question of the Day: Have you ever experienced God closing a door, only to realize later that it was His protection or redirection?Let's Pray: Lord, we seek Your guidance in every decision we make. Help us recognize Your voice, trust Your direction, and follow the path You set before us. Give us wisdom and discernment through Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus' name, Amen.Let's Get To Work!Support MyR2B Ministries: Our full-time ministry thrives through your support. Your paid subscription helps sustain and expand this outreach. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit myr2b.substack.com/subscribe

February 22, 2025Today's Reading: Introit for Epiphany 7 - Psalm 37:1-5; antiphon: Psalm 37:7a, bDaily Lectionary: Job 17:1-16; John 7:14-31Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. (From the Introit for the Seventh Sunday After the Epiphany)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Tomorrow's Introit focuses on the heart of the Scripture texts appointed for the day. On the face of it, this looks like a “do A and God will do B” kind of text. But look more closely at the whole of the Introit. It begins with a reminder that evildoers and wrongdoers will fade and wither, but trusting in the Lord leads to peace. The rest of the psalm is like that, too. King David writes that our peace, our rest, our salvation, and our strength are all found in the Lord.In the Old Testament reading for tomorrow, Joseph has only love and compassion for his brothers, who once wanted him dead. In the Gospel, Jesus reminds his hearers to love their enemies and do good to those who hate them.So also with this psalm. Rest in the Lord. Trust in God alone. Don't seek to make your own way to salvation. Live as one who absolutely believes that Almighty God has your best interests at heart. He will care for you; he will sustain you.Oh, sure. Evil will still attack. You will still suffer the insults and lies of those who don't like you. You will feel terrible at times because of the work of Satan against you. But your ultimate fate has already been sealed in Jesus.That's what trust is: believing that you are safe, even if you can't exactly see that safety. Ever done a trust fall? You fall backward into the arms of friends, and they catch you. Or, at least, that is what is supposed to happen. You trust that when you fall, they will catch you.God your Father is the one who will always catch you when you fall. He is the one who will always hold you close. He is the one who will always search you out like the lost sheep and carry you to safety on his shoulders.Trust in, delight in, and commit yourself to him. He has already acted for you in Jesus' death and resurrection. Because you are marked with his blood, you are always safe in his hands.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty and ever-living God, You make us both to will and to do those things that are good and acceptable in Your sight. Let Your fatherly hand ever guide us and Your Holy Spirit ever be with us to direct us in the knowledge and obedience of Your Word that we may obtain everlasting life; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. (Collect for divine guidance)-Rev. Duane Bamsch, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley, CA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.What makes a church "good?" Come join the fictional family as they test out eight different churches in their brand-new town and answer this question along the way. Will the Real Church Please Stand Up? by Matthew Richard, now available from Concordia Publishing House.

Welcome, Warriors, to The Power of God's Whisper Podcast! Have you ever read a passage of Scripture and suddenly, it came alive in a way it never had before? That's not coincidence—it's the Holy Spirit at work, illuminating God's truth.Our springboard for today's discussion is: John 14:26—“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”Jesus made a profound promise before He ascended—the Holy Spirit would come, not just as a comforter, but as a divine teacher. The Bible is not just words on a page; it is a living, breathing message that requires spiritual discernment to fully grasp. Without the Spirit, Scripture can feel dry, like an academic text. But with the Spirit, the Word of God becomes a powerful force, cutting through confusion and speaking directly to our hearts.To truly understand and apply Scripture, we must rely on the Holy Spirit. He brings clarity, conviction, and revelation. He doesn't just remind us of what Jesus said; He personalizes it, making the Word applicable to our daily struggles and victories. When we invite Him into our Bible study, we move beyond mere reading and into divine encounters.Question of the Day: Have you ever had a moment where Scripture suddenly spoke to you in a way that changed everything? How did the Holy Spirit bring it to life?Let's Pray: Lord, we invite Your Holy Spirit to illuminate Your Word in our hearts. Help us not just to read but to understand, not just to know but to live by Your truth. Open our eyes to the deep revelations You have for us. In Jesus' name, Amen.Let's Get To Work!My Reasons To Believe is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit myr2b.substack.com/subscribe

Your Nightly Prayer

We believe, teach, and confess the Book of Concord because it is in accord with the Word of God. It is vital that the Church still confess this Truth today, as it leaves us no wiggle room to invent our own ideas. The authority for this is founded in the Divine Scriptures as Jesus tells us, “You will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free (John 8:32).” The Concordians were not writing to create a general guide to the Bible, but because they believed that these writings were the true Word of God! “O Lord, keep us steadfast in Your Word. Give us Your Holy Spirit to keep us in the Truth and to confess it in purity. Lord have mercy. Amen.” Rev. Dr. Matthew Harrison, President of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, joins Rev. Brady Finnern to discuss why a Quia subscription is still important for the 21st century Church. Find your copy of the Book of Concord - Concordia Reader's Edition at cph.org or read online at bookofconcord.org. Study the Lutheran Confession of Faith found in the Book of Concord with lively discussions led by host Rev. Brady Finnern, President of the LCMS Minnesota North District, and guest LCMS pastors. Join us as these Christ-confessing Concordians read through and discuss our Lutheran doctrine in the Book of Concord in order to gain a deeper understanding of our Lutheran faith and practical application for our vocations. Submit comments or questions to: listener@kfuo.org. 

Order of Service: - Prelude: "If Thou Be Near," by J.S. Bach - Responsive Reading: P: In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Gen. 1:1 C: Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.” Gen. 1:26-28 In His infinite wisdom, God has chosen to create the human race with specific gender distinctions and the ability to procreate by the gift of sexual intimacy. He has created a unique complimentary nature to the roles of men and women. As Dr. Martin Luther writes, “God established marriage as the first of all institutions, and with it in view He did not create man and woman to be like each other.” Our human sexuality is by God's design. The chromosomal make-up of man and woman is part of this order from God. The believer acknowledges this: He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still preserves them. Luther's Small Catechism Likewise, marriage between man and woman is not a human invention. It is a gift from God which He has stamped into nature itself, and has been recognized and practiced throughout time in all lands and cultures. All of society rests upon the foundation of marriage in God's order. He who finds a wife finds what is good, and receives favor from the Lord. Prov. 18:22 Due to the Fall into Sin by our first parents, marriage and human sexuality suffered under the curse of sin, which continues to plague mankind today. Satan recognizes the great significance of God's design for marriage for both the temporal and spiritual kingdoms. He continues to rage against it, knowing that when he spoils marriage, he undermines all order of society. In order to protect and preserve this gift, God has inscribed the sixth commandment on the hearts of all people: You shall not commit adultery. Ex. 20:14 We should fear and love God so that we lead a chaste and decent life in word and deed, and that husband and wife should love and honor the other. Luther's Small Catechism Because of the corruption of our human nature, Man continues to pervert the wonderful gift of human sexuality in a variety of ways: fornication, adultery, the use of pornography, co-habitation outside of marriage, homosexuality and living under the pretense of another gender. Though our culture may give approval to such sin, God's Word remains steadfast: Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. Heb. 13:4 Jesus said, “I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Matt. 5:28 Paul explains that, due to man's depravity in sin, “God gave men over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another… their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.” Rom. 1 However, God chose not to throw humanity aside forever. Despite man's fallen condition, God in His mercy sent His Son to redeem humanity back to Himself. By His sacrifice on the cross, God Himself took the punishment for all sin, granting us full forgiveness and grace through Christ. As Isaiah writes, “The Lord laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” Our Savior used the setting of the wedding at Cana to enact His first public miracle displaying His divine nature. God continues to bless marriage and through this institution provides the gifts of mutual love, companionship, the procreation of children, and a way of restraint for the sins of lust. Along with marriage He has established the Christian home as Heaven's embassy for handing down the true faith from one generation to the next. - Hymn 190 - O Blest the House, Whate'er Befall: vv. 1, 2, 3 - Responsive Reading: Through the gift of faith in Christ, God the Holy Ghost claims the heart, mind and body of those He has called into the Kingdom of Light, and sets them apart from the unbelieving world. By the “washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Ghost,” we have been claimed by God as His own dear children through Christ. Paul encourages the Christian to now live as a redeemed child of God, when he writes, “Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” 1 Cor. 6:18-20 Even to those who once were previously living in such sins, St. Paul writes, “But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” 1 Cor. 6:9 By faith we have now been made members of the flock of the Good Shepherd, who says, “My sheep hear My voice, I know them and they follow Me, and I give them eternal life.” It has been challenging for believers of all time to live in a culture and society that embraces and encourages sin, which poses a great danger to our faith. God desires that we use our influence not to encourage sin, but rather to help those who are trapped in it to turn to God in repentance and be restored by His grace, through a spirit of humility and Christian love. I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will. Rom. 12:1-2 * Prayer Let us pray: Almighty God, who has created man and woman, and joins them together in marriage, thereby symbolizing the mystery of the union between Your Son, Jesus Christ, and His bride, the Church; we humbly pray: Do not let this blessed work and ordinance be set aside and brought to nothing in our day, but graciously protect and preserve it. Especially we ask that your blessing would rest upon those who are united at Your altar. So rule them by Your Holy Spirit that they may live together to Your glory and their own welfare in this life, and in the Life which is to come. Keep all of us in Your grace, and finally bring us to our eternal home, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. - Hymn 190 - O Blest the House, Whate'er Befall: vv. 4, 5 - Blessing - Postlude: "La Réjouissance" by G.F. Handel Service Participants: Chaplain Don Moldstad (Preacher), Prof. Ben Faugstad (Director), BLC Chamber Orchestra (Instrumental Group)

Psalm 51:10-12 New King James Version   10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.

Order of Service: - Prelude - Prayer for Advent: Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to make ready the way of Your only-begotten Son, so that by His coming we may worship You with pure minds. Keep us in Your Word by Your Holy Spirit, and establish in us the true faith; through the same, Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. - Hymn 33 - We Now Implore God the Holy Ghost - John 1:19-23: Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” Then they said to him, “Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?” He said: “I am ‘the voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the way of the Lord,”' as the prophet Isaiah said.” - Devotion - Prayer - Hymn 101 - The King Shall Come When Morning Dawns - Blessing - Postlude Service Participants: Chaplain Don Moldstad (Preacher), Joel Hermanson (Organist)

Almighty God, we believe Your word that with You nothing is impossible and that You desire all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. And so we boldly pray for a massive move of God in our land. We pray for millions of hearts reopened to Jesus' call to repent and believe the Gospel, the Good News. We pray, Lord, that we may see the days when people will listen to You and hear Your voice and will return to You. We pray this with confidence in Your word, in Your Holy Spirit and in the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, in who's name we pray. Hear us, Oh Lord, bring life to our land. Amen.

We pray Psalm 85:4, “Restore us again, God our Savior.” Lord, in these rebellious times we pray for a mighty move of Your Holy Spirit. Open eyes blinded by the deception of the enemy, revive hearts hardened by the deceitfulness of sin, change minds corrupted by lies and half truths, restore wayward souls to the joy of the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior and Deliver, restore us again, God our Savior.  We pray this over our nation. We pray this over the body of Christ. We pray this over our nation's leaders and those in positions of authority and we pray this in Your strong name. Amen.

Heavenly Father, we come before You in Jesus' strong name and we pray the words of the old hymn:   God bless our native land; firm may she ever stand thro' storm and night! When the wild tempests rave, Ruler of wind and wave, do thou our country save by thy great might.  Lord, we pray salvation over this land, a return to godliness, a repentant and godly spirit and a desire to love as we have been first love by You. We pray for wisdom for our nation's leaders, and we pray that the hearts of many would turn back to You. We ask this in the power of Your Holy Spirit and pray this in Jesus' strong name. Amen.