Isn’t it funny how we come to certain conclusions in life fairly late? In other words, sometimes the obvious things aren’t obvious until we’ve stumbled around on our own, trying to find a solution. Take the simple act of asking for help. It isn’t uncommon for a person to be reluctant to ask for help. Then he finds he wasted a lot of time! That’s what we’re talking about this week. John 16:24 says, “Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will ...
Nov 14, 2022•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1161
Have you ever seen the film, “Saving Private Ryan?” If not, it’s about a group of American soldiers sent into enemy territory during World War 2 to find one lost soldier. The order comes from top leadership. This small group has single focus the whole mission. Eventually—at great cost—they locate him and return him to his loved ones. Much of it is difficult to watch, as we see the incredible sacrifice the many make to find the one. Matthew 7:7, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will...
Nov 11, 2022•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1160
Of all the themes of the Bible, God's grace through His Son, Jesus Christ, is the greatest example. It's the most critical element in a person's life, and the choice to receive it is ours. The Bible tells us that before the world was created, God already had a plan to redeem mankind from sin. And because He knows all, He already knew what would take place in the Garden of Eden. Acts 15:11 says, “We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved just as they are.” The greates...
Nov 10, 2022•3 min•Season 1Ep. 1159
Corrie ten Boom made a decision at the height of World War II. She would hide Jews from the Nazis in her Dutch home, and she was found out. Surviving the war, she told people for the rest of her life about God's grace. Though her sister, Betsy, died at the notorious camp called Ravensbrück, Corrie survived. One night two years after the war, she found out just how meaningful grace really is. After she had spoken to a group of Germans, a man approached her. She then realized that he had been a gu...
Nov 09, 2022•3 min•Season 1Ep. 1158
Theresa Rosenthal had a rough start in life. She watched her father abuse her mother, and then when she was six, a family friend sexually abused her. Like so many that suffered at the hands of a predator, Theresa pushed the pain down into a secret place, and for decades, she battled with depression and substance abuse. Finally, one day she was sitting in front of her house and just blurted out to God, “What am I supposed to do?” Within 24 hours, she had a Bible from a new friend who reached out ...
Nov 08, 2022•3 min•Season 1Ep. 1157
It's been said that grace is simply favor from God, and we didn't do anything to earn it. Often, grace comes when we need it the most. The word grace is used about 170 times in the Bible. Most of those occur in the New Testament as the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ unfolds. His sacrifice for all of us, dying on the cross for our sins, was the backdrop for a lot of other moments in grace He gave to those He came in contact with. Jesus perfectly understood that there's a lot of suffering in the...
Nov 07, 2022•3 min•Season 1Ep. 1156
Few of us enjoy chaos. It's just too…chaotic, right? The human mind needs order and peace, yet we live in this messy world. Stuff is flying by all the time and we duck. Our relationships are a mess and we have to schedule that root canal while simultaneously making dinner and cleaning the house. Is there a way out? Genesis 1:1 says, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty. Darkness was over the surface of the deep and the spirit of God was hover...
Nov 04, 2022•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1155
Have you ever tried to follow God in a half-hearted way? You know what that means. You like the idea of God, but His perfect will for our lives can also feel very…restrictive. That’s the moment we walk along the highway of life completely alone. Proverbs 3:5–6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Notice the precise language in these verses. We are to trust Him with all of our heart...
Nov 03, 2022•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1154
Do you remember the last time you laughed? Do you remember the last time you laughed from sheer joy? Many of us don’t. The weight of life presses down on us…it weakens us. Proverbs 31:25 says this of a godly woman: “She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.” Did you know that God means for you to be strong? He wants you to have dignity. You are a child of the King. You are a woman of faith. Or maybe you are a man who seeks God. That beautiful proverb reminds us...
Nov 02, 2022•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1153
Colossians is a very informative book. Originally, it was a letter written by Paul and Timothy to believers in a small city. Chapter One tells us that Jesus made everything we see (and plenty we don’t see!). The universe was brought into being by Him. That’s kind of a comforting thought! This great source of Love also made it all and He sustains it all. Colossians 1:17 says, “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Many people, maybe rightly so, worry about the planet. Cer...
Nov 01, 2022•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1152
Are you struggling right now? Are you listening to this while gripping the steering wheel, wondering how you’re going to go on? You have so many burdens! 1 Thessalonians 5:23 says, “May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ.” He has a purpose for you; He really does. God wants to use you for things no one else can do. And He wants you to do it while at ...
Oct 31, 2022•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1151
Since before the world was created, God has had a master plan to deliver people from evil. He cared for us so much that he was willing to endure pain to redeem us. In Acts 14:20, we read about Jesus and the disciples preaching in a city called Derbe. It says that Jesus then was busy, strengthening the souls of his disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations, we must enter the kingdom of God. God wants us to know that the journey we are on ends ...
Oct 28, 2022•3 min•Season 1Ep. 1150
Many times over the centuries, earnest Christians have run out into the world to aggressively and passionately share Jesus, and the world doesn't always want to hear it. John 15:19 says, “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own and as it is you don't belong to the world. But I have chosen you out of the world, and that is why the world hates you.” And this is a hard truth. It's discouraging to missionaries at home and in other countries who want nothing more than to see everyo...
Oct 27, 2022•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1149
Charles Templeton was surging ahead in ministry. Converted at 21, by 1946, the Canadian evangelist founded Youth For Christ. Billy Graham was hired as the organization's first full-time evangelist, and he and Templeton toured Europe together. A decade later, after a turn at Princeton Theological Seminary and after wrestling with doubt, Templeton began to identify as agnostic, and his world would never be the same. Colossians 2:8 says, “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and em...
Oct 26, 2022•3 min•Season 1Ep. 1148
There are different schools of thought about just how Christians should share their worldview in a world often at odds with God's best. Some feel it's best to jump into the deep end of the pool and look just like the world. Others view it very much the other way. Second Corinthians 6:17 says, “‘Come out from them and be separate,’ says the Lord.” Whole denominations have used this verse to encourage believers to stay as much out of the world as possible. And this might include physically removin...
Oct 25, 2022•3 min•Season 1Ep. 1147
Sweat was pouring off Peter as he moved to protect Jesus. As Roman soldiers held the one who had been labeled a heretic, Peter drew a sword and cut off a soldier's ear. And he was stunned when Jesus told him to put the sword away. You see, Jesus knew infinitely more than Peter or anyone else, He knew the end from the beginning, and He knew He had an agenda to see through to the end, and Peter couldn't see that. And impulsively He moved to change the facts on the ground. And that's so typical of ...
Oct 24, 2022•3 min•Season 1Ep. 1146
America has always acknowledged God. Sometimes though, our devotion to faith comes and goes. Sometimes we get too comfortable, and forget who keeps us upright every day. Psalm 115:1 tells us, “Not to us, LORD, not to us, but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.” Whenever a person questions God’s goodness, or the path He has set for us, it’s good to go to the Bible. There, we find the answer to why we should honor our Lord. It’s because He has loved us. He has been fa...
Oct 21, 2022•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1145
Have you ever had a power outage and pulled out your favorite flashlight, only to discover the batteries are dead? Bummer, am I right? How about light bulbs? For some reason, they all seem to go at the same time, leaving you in the shadows and looking for that flashlight—you know, the one with the dead batteries! Light bulbs burn out, tires go flat, umbrellas turn inside out on a windy day, and batteries die. Many of the things we use on a frequent basis are designed to be temporary — and someti...
Oct 20, 2022•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1144
Ever have the pleasure of waking up in a cozy cabin…after you’ve let the fire go out from the night before? If you don’t get out of bed and put more wood in, the squirrels or raccoons aren’t going to do it for you! Much more serious is the tendency to get lazy about the fire inside us to share the love of Christ. After so many years of being a Christian—especially living in a free country—sharing the Gospel can be put on the back burner. Romans 12:11–12 says, “Never let the fire in your heart go...
Oct 19, 2022•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1143
Emma used her hand to brush her husband’s white hair from his forehead…Edgar was near death. Their marriage had been happy, and now she was saying goodbye. The nursing staff talked about the love between the two. Only three days after Edgar went into eternity, Emma joined him. The Bible often uses marriage as a backdrop for what God has done for us. We know that in earthly marriages, it’s important to persevere. When we think of the Fruit of the Spirit, patience is very closely linked to faithfu...
Oct 18, 2022•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1142
Joshua was called by God to lead the 12 tribes of Israel after the death of Moses. Those were pretty big shoes to fill, and the Lord chose Joshua because he was faithful. Joshua knew when he called on God in times of trouble, He would answer. In one powerful example, Joshua asked God to cause the moon and the sun to stand still so that he and his army could continue fighting a difficult battle by daylight. Joshua 10:12–13 says, “On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said t...
Oct 17, 2022•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1141
Today, my friends, we conclude our series all about the Bible, covering things like what it is, who wrote it, and ultimately its relevance to us and to our time. The Bible stands alone in historical literature. The internal evidence is that it's really the Word of God run all through scripture. Here's one. Out of the many kings who ruled various nations from 2000 to 400 BC, the Bible lists 40 of them in the correct time and place that they ruled. This means that the biblical writers had reliable...
Oct 14, 2022•3 min•Season 1Ep. 1140
It's part four in our series, All About the Bible, covering things like what it is, who wrote it, and ultimately its relevance to us and our time. Even though the Bible is world famous, we sometimes hear people say that it was really written for ancient people and that it isn't relevant for us today. And in a lot of cases, this is totally wrong. It's true that ancient people compiled the Bible, but God intended it to be for all people in all times and places. Psalm 102:18 says, “Let this be writ...
Oct 13, 2022•3 min•Season 1Ep. 1139
Today we continue our series all about the Bible covering things like what it is, who wrote it, and ultimately its relevance to us and our time. Some believe that the Bible was written and compiled over a very long period of time and was sometimes shared orally, but this would mean that the likelihood of mistakes and inconsistencies could be greater. Exodus 34:27 says, “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Write down these words for in accordance with these words, I have made a covenant with you and wi...
Oct 12, 2022•3 min•Season 1Ep. 1138
We're in a series all about the Bible covering things like what it is, who wrote it, and ultimately its relevance to us and our time. One of the most interesting features of the Bible is that it wasn't written or compiled by the most impressive people. If we think a person who recorded God's Word had to be Shakespeare, we're misunderstanding how God works through ordinary people. Many of those who compiled the books of the Bible were more ordinary than you can imagine. 1 Corinthians 1:27 says, “...
Oct 11, 2022•4 min•Season 1Ep. 1137
Today, we begin a series all about the Bible, covering things like what it is, who wrote it, and ultimately its relevance to us and our time. It seems that even today, even in the United States, a country some folks consider a traditionally Christian nation, there's a severe lack of knowledge about the Bible. Now some would say otherwise, but the Bible is really a pretty straightforward account about how God has worked in the world from the beginning. In fact, in Genesis, which literally means b...
Oct 10, 2022•3 min•Season 1Ep. 1136
If you're working your way toward belief and away from doubt, by now you must assume that God exists. Second Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord does not delay and is not tardy or slow about what he promises, according to some people's conception of slowness, but he is long suffering or extraordinarily patient toward you, not desiring that any should perish, but that all should turn to repentance.” A cornerstone of the Christian faith is a belief that scripture is God's word. Psalm 138:2 tells us that God...
Oct 07, 2022•4 min•Season 1Ep. 1135
A political science major at a major university was having coffee with a campus pastor. The pastor knew that the student was wrestling with doubt about the existence of God, and said to him, “John, you know, all of us wonder at some point if it's all real or not. For example, there are quite a few stories in the Bible that are just hard to believe. Jonah and the whale and all that.” John smiled and said, “No, that's not my problem. What I wonder about is how God could care about me. I've done so...
Oct 06, 2022•4 min•Season 1Ep. 1134
Because there's so much easy access to information and ideas today, we can take in a huge amount of stuff. The downside is that much of it is just noise, and a lot of it simply isn't true. What we hear, even if it sounds good, is not always good for us, especially when we're talking about spiritual doubt. There are many opinions floating around out there on the subject. For instance, some will say that doubt is really something to wrestle with continually, never finding a satisfying answer. Whil...
Oct 05, 2022•3 min•Season 1Ep. 1133
Have you ever wondered about how convinced well-known Christians are of their faith? We all know they never doubt, right? Wrong. A well-known preacher, Charles Spurgeon, once said of doubt, “I think when a man says, ‘I never doubt,’ it is quite time for us to doubt him.” That is a fact of life for many of us, although most don't like to admit it. In fact, doubt is mentioned often in the Bible. The Bible is full of great faith stories, but it's interesting to notice that there are plenty of doubt...
Oct 04, 2022•3 min•Season 1Ep. 1132
