Do you struggle to wonder what God’s will is for your life? Many of us do. Although it isn’t a quick answer, the best way to find God’s will for your life is to read His Word. The Bible will tell you the answer to that question. Romans 8:31 tells us, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Actually, finding God’s will isn’t the hardest part. Deciding to follow His will is where we get tripped up. People need the skill and the discipline of being persistent. Too often the impulse is to give up...
Jul 24, 2023•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1346
It seems that a positive in our culture today is that we can admit our shortcomings. In the past, it was sort of taboo to tell the world you were not exactly all put together. Back in the day, a hot mess usually referred to an overturned pot on the stove. But today we know the phrase ‘hot mess’ as a whole new meaning, and our lives are often exactly that. Thank goodness that the outcome is not dependent on us. Ephesians 2:8 says, “For it is by grace. You have been saved through faith, and this i...
Jul 21, 2023•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1345
The Bible tells us that King Solomon was a very wise man. He ruled over his kingdom from Jerusalem, and built the famous Temple there. He was also very human. This son of King David eventually let his wealth and power go to his head, and he began to follow other religions and almost seemed to enjoy sinning. And yet God loved him. In his later years, Solomon realized how wrong he had been to rely on his own spiritual strength. And so scholars believe that’s where the book of Proverbs was born. Th...
Jul 20, 2023•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1344
A lot of us like action movies. And if they have a faith theme or element, even better. The iconic film “Raiders of the Lost Ark” comes to mind. In fact, the wild ride taken by Indiana Jones really typifies what we’re talking about this week: finding the grit to move beyond failure. As he pursues the famous Ark of the Covenant, Jones chases and fights Nazis, and his own doubts. Along the way, his physical and mental stamina are challenged like never before. Romans 5:3–4 says, “Not only so, but w...
Jul 19, 2023•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1343
Have you ever paused and thought about how rarely people see you for who you are? Have you ever done something that you feel is almost unforgivable? You need to know that is not the way God wants you to feel. Psalm 51:10 says, “Create in me a pure heart, oh God, and renew a right spirit within me.” Some of the most famous people in history were very unrighteous at times. King David, described as a man after God’s own heart—he was loved that much—did dreadful things. Guess what, though? His life ...
Jul 18, 2023•1 min•Season 1Ep. 1342
We all screw up. We all fail in some way. We fall short of goals, or get embarrassed in some kind of career implosion or other event. It’s easy then to feel like we’ll never win again. That is not how God sees you. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” Hope and a future. That’s what’s ahead, not depression and failure. The Bible is full of stories of people God would not al...
Jul 17, 2023•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1341
The most influential ruler of all time, the greatest king to ever walk the face of the earth, is also mankind’s greatest example of humility. Jesus may have been born in a stable, but the Son of our Creator God was anything but ordinary. He lived a humble life, but performed miracles along the way, and showed us what it means to be a humble servant leader among men. Jesus selflessly took human form, God incarnate, to become a living sacrifice for our sins. He did not profess His innocence and de...
Jul 14, 2023•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1340
Picture what it would look like to lose everything in one fell swoop. Your house burns to the ground. The stock market plummets and all your money is gone. Worst of all, your children fall ill and die. Suddenly, you’ve lost not only your material possessions, but your family, too. When people refer to someone as having “the patience of Job,” they say that for a reason. Job was a man of immense wealth, the richest man in the region, and was the father of 7 sons and 3 daughters he loved dearly. He...
Jul 13, 2023•3 min•Season 1Ep. 1339
In Luke Chapter 7 verses 1–10, Jesus heals the servant of a centurion soldier at Capernaum. These verses illustrate the faith this soldier has that Jesus can heal his favorite servant. We also learn in these verses that the Jewish people of the city knew of this particular centurion, and put in a good word for him with Jesus, because he had built the Jewish temple in Capernaum on their behalf. Imagine that! A gentile, a man who was a soldier of some esteem in command of other soldiers in his cit...
Jul 12, 2023•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1338
Have you ever recorded minutes for a meeting? Whether you were taking notes at work or for a volunteer organization, such as the PTA at your child’s school, taking minutes and reporting on them at a follow-up meeting is an important responsibility. What ideas were discussed? How were those ideas followed up on? Who, including yourself, agreed to complete certain tasks before the next meeting? And were those tasks completed on time, and correctly? Recording minutes looks pretty mundane from the o...
Jul 11, 2023•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1337
Ancient Greek philosopher Socrates is credited with saying, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” This line of thinking, developed nearly 2500 years ago, applies to our lives as Christian believers today. Let’s examine the question: What does it mean to be a godly man?” There are many characteristics that come to mind when thinking about godliness, and living the kind of life the Lord wants for us. Today, we’re talking about honesty. In our culture—even in our Christian culture sometimes—ly...
Jul 10, 2023•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1336
Citizens of the United States of America have 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 becau...
Jul 07, 2023•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1335
Have you ever thought about the fact that you have an obligation to defend our nation’s freedoms? You live in the Land of the Free, after all; your contributions are needed. We all have a role. Joshua 1:9 commands us, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Sure, maybe you’re not a Navy SEAL. Maybe you don’t fly supersonic jets in combat. You’ve never served in the military. Most citize...
Jul 06, 2023•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1334
Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to be one of the original settlers in America? As a person leaving the safety of England to come to the New World and start over? Those people came here for religious freedom and risked it all. When they landed in New England, they literally put down roots as they built and planted the beginnings of an amazing experiment that is still ongoing. Colossians 2:6–7 says, “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your live...
Jul 05, 2023•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1333
From earliest times, God has commanded His people to see their national home through His holy eyes. In other words, countries around the world are to follow the Lord. Of course, many don’t. Jeremiah 30:22 says, “So you will be my people, and I will be your God.” Many great civilizations have risen, but few last beyond a couple hundred years. Although history is debated, the foundations of America see a people who wanted to live holy unto the Lord. Modern America is still an ongoing experiment, b...
Jul 04, 2023•1 min•Season 1Ep. 1332
Do you ever stop and think about the routine things you do every day? Buying detergent so that you can wash your family’s clothes. Fixing a couple of boards on your deck. We even grind through staff meetings at work. All this of course mixed with life, laughter, and love. But do you think about why you can do these things in our country? Primarily it’s because of the sacrifices of our fallen soldiers—those men and women who have defended the homeland since Colonial times. Joshua 1:9 commands us,...
Jul 03, 2023•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1331
Identifying where our problems originate is one thing, but locating the Divine Healer is key in getting clear of obstacles in our lives. At each mile marker in our life journeys, God is standing alongside the road, smiling at us, and holding out his strong hand to guide us. And from the indispensable wisdom of scripture to stories of human triumphs over tragedies, He is always there reminding us we're never truly alone. His grace and mercies begin to overshadow and overwhelm those forces that wa...
Jun 30, 2023•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1330
When fear takes control, God just crushes it. None of us are immune from feeling unsettled at times. Circumstances have a way of knocking us off balance. How we respond not only affects our lives, but those who are watching us. In the film “The Patriot,” a Colonial militia leader sees the British kidnap his son. Taking the two younger sons with him, they wait in ambush in the forest. One of the sons is rattled and crying, so the father puts his hands on the boy’s shoulders, looks him in the eyes...
Jun 29, 2023•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1329
No one is truly alone. Some people have many relatives and friends, others just a few. Occasionally, someone will have no real friends or family, but all of us interact with humans, and that over time has proven to be dicey. The health of our relationships is one of the biggest factors in how we function each day. Turmoil and chaos at home or work, or both, puts us in emotional quicksand. On the other hand, healthy relationships in our lives improve our overall health and make us more productive...
Jun 28, 2023•3 min•Season 1Ep. 1328
A really cool thing about God is that He has a solution for literally every situation, and that includes mental health. We see this especially in the ministry of Jesus, who walked the land healing people of all sorts of terrible things. One day He encountered a man driven insane by demons. Mark 5:15 says, “They came to Jesus and observed the man who had been demon-possessed sitting down, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had the ‘legion’; and they became frightened.” The “Legion,” ...
Jun 27, 2023•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1327
Usually, when we’re looking for some kind of emotional lifeline to get us through the day, we only want to know what God can do for us. How do we get that peace of mind we desperately need? One component is simple obedience. At first, this sounds like a test that’s too hard. We need relief right now! Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform 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 p...
Jun 26, 2023•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1326
No one is immune from burnout. It comes in our jobs, friendships, and even our church life. Sometimes even our hobbies become dry and tedious! But in Scripture, God gives us hope for the future. John 7:38 — “Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” Jesus is telling us that in Him alone is true life. He is always pointing us to the future, to a time when that dry creek bed will be filled forever. In Revelation 22, He showed John a river fl...
Jun 23, 2023•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1325
Jesus has great compassion for everyone. Especially for those society considers unlovable or worth nothing. One day he stopped by a well and had a conversation with a woman who had been married five times. When He spoke to her, He knew she was now living with another man. Yet Jesus spoke to her in a way that let her know He valued her as a person. He told her that people could drink the water from that well, but again they would eventually be thirsty. He said to her that the water He gives is a ...
Jun 22, 2023•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1324
Have you ever gone fishing and felt a little awkward casting your line the first few times? It’s especially true when someone else is watching. It can be kind of an intimidating thing, and this in life is often how we lose our focus. We worry too much about what others think of us. In reality, we’re casting our line only for an audience of one. John 7:38 says, “Whoever believes in me, as scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” Peter the fiery fisherman once famous...
Jun 21, 2023•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1323
Researchers have long known that even when exploring new worlds, water is the key to life. Without it, nothing can live. Water is also an image used often in Scripture. When Jesus emerged from the River Jordan having been baptized by His cousin John, He used the imagery of water to help people understand that by trusting in Him, they would live forever. John 7:38 says, “Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” Did you catch that? You must...
Jun 20, 2023•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1322
It’s no accident that Jesus chose as some of His apostles a group of fishermen from Galilee. These were men who could understand Him when Jesus told them He would make them “fishers of men.” He meant, of course, that they would share the Good News about Him with everyone they came in contact with. And that’s exactly what each of them did, for the rest of their lives! John 7:38 says, “Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” Fishing requir...
Jun 19, 2023•1 min•Season 1Ep. 1321
Today, we have a special Father's Day episode for you. The week leading up to Father’s Day is traditionally the time to give dads and granddads in your life an extra thumbs-up, and we've created a list of specific ways for you to pray for dads, any time. 1. Pray for a loving nature. John 13:34–35 says, “A new command I give you. Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. And by this, everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” 2. Pray for wis...
Jun 16, 2023•3 min•Season 1Ep. 1320
Joseph was a hardworking tradesman who God hand-picked from all the men in the world to be the earthly father of His own Son, Jesus Christ. What an honor! And in some ways, what an incredibly challenging task. Joseph wasn’t a king, a politician, or a recognized leader of any kind when he was betrothed to a young woman named Mary. A simple carpenter, he was also a man of compassion. When he learned Mary was pregnant and knew the child could not be his, he intended to divorce her quietly and send ...
Jun 15, 2023•3 min•Season 1Ep. 1319
One of the things that mark a healthy society is the consistency between generations. In other words, adults who care about the future for their children will invest the time to make sure tomorrow is bright. God the Father is the ultimate parent, and we would do well to model His love for us. Luke 18:1 says, “One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up.” Passing the torch, or training up the next generation, involves taking the time to do it pr...
Jun 14, 2023•1 min•Season 1Ep. 1318
Moses was the father of two sons, Gershom and Eliezer, and he also served as a father figure to the entire Hebrew people as they escaped from slavery in Egypt. He loved his people, and helped discipline and provide for them on their 40-year journey to the Promised Land. Imagine leading a frustrated, tired, hungry group of travelers through the desert—without air conditioning or handheld electronics—for four decades! So many aspects of Moses’ life story seem larger-than-life, and he was indeed a ...
Jun 13, 2023•3 min•Season 1Ep. 1317
