It has been a while since I've been in touch and I greatly apologize.

Lots has been going on and in this podcast I update you on everything and tell you about some exciting new resources I have for you. 

For links to all the resources that I mention in the podcast, CLICK HERE. 

In our previous lesson on the Prophet Micah we talked about what God requires of us and His requirements are summarized in Micah 6:8 that tells us we are to “Do justice, Love mercy, and Walk humbly with our God.”

But then the question comes up of WHY do bad things happen to us when we are trying so hard to be good, so we will take a little digression from our discussion of the prophets and explore some answers in our lesson today and look at why bad things happen to Christians, especially when we are trying so hard to do what it right.

In this study we'll look at 7 positive things that can come out of trials.

Click this link: https://wp.me/pazrJD-s3 to go to links to the video of the lesson, notes/transcript of it and associated materials.

What does God want us to do, and how are we supposed to live in a way that is pleasing to Him? Is it for us to do big, extravagant actions to demonstrate our faith?

Or are small acts of devotion what God requires?

This week, we’ll look at what God says is the way of life that pleases Him in our lesson from the Prophet Micah. 

I trust you'll find the message encouraging as God's demands are not difficult or unreasonable. He simply wants us to act like He does with His people, with justice, mercy, kindness, and humility. And yes, our God is humble and demonstrated that in the ultimate act of humility when Jesus, "who was in very nature God, humbled Himself, became human and died on the cross."

The notes and link to the video, are here: https://wp.me/pazrJD-rH

If you'd like more on how to know, trust, and apply the Bible, go to: https://www.bible805.com

Though it sounds complex, the topic of this lesson has important and practical implications for how you live day-to-day.

Let me explain—as this lesson shows, God's view of time, seeing and knowing all that is past, present, and future is what enables us to understand prophecy and trust that what He promised in the past He will fulfill in the future just as He made promises in the past in the Old Testament that He fulfilled in the New Testament.

Though that is comforting, it also brings up the question of if God determined the major events of Biblical history, does He predetermine my every action? If that's so, am a responsible for them, or just a puppet?

This lesson answers those questions--so listen to find out the answers!

For notes and links to the chart mentioned and a video on this, go to: https://wp.me/pazrJD-ro

For more to help you get to know, trust, and apply the Bible, go to: https://www.Bible805.com

What does it mean to be a Christian? What is Christian salvation all about?

I created this podcast to tell you about an infographic with verses included explaining the meaning of what Christian salvation is all about. CLICK HERE to download the graphic or if the link doesn't work, go to https://www.Bible805.com.

I put it together as part of a series of lessons I was doing in my Sunday School class on why you can trust the Bible. We were looking at other religions and comparing them to the Christian faith and one of the most important differences is their view of salvation compared to the Christian view.

In all other religions, people have to do things to make themselves acceptable to God. The Christian faith recognizes that we can't ever do that and that Jesus died to cancel the debt of our sins. He is the link, the bridge between us and God, and that is what the chart on this video illustrates.

Why do you think God has you go through hard times?

Is it because God doesn’t love you?

Is it because He’s trying to teach you something?

Or is it another reason?

I have challenging and not always easy answers for you in the lesson today.

For links to notes and a video on this lesson, click the following link: https://wp.me/pazrJD-qZ

For many resources and materials that will help you know, trust, and apply the Bible, go to: https://www.Bible805.com

What kind of religion pleases God?

People asked the same questions when the prophet Amos lived, and we’ll look at his answers in our podcast today.

There are a number of intense, but practical applications coming, please hang in there until the end as this is very important.

For links to the video of the podcast and related materials, go to: https://wp.me/pazrJD-qH

For more on how to know, trust, and apply the Bible, go to: https://www.Bible805.com

In ancient Israel, as now, our calling is to be God’s people, to represent Him, to be His hands and feet in our world.  

But what does that mean in practice?  How do we get distracted?  

What can bring us back to where we should be?  And on a more serious note, what are the consequences if we don’t obey? 

The Old Testament prophets can help answer these questions and the story of the Prophets in the Old Testament begins with Elijah and Elisha who we will talk about today.  

 For handouts and more on this, go to: https://wp.me/pazrJD-qs

For more on how to know, trust, and apply the Bible, go to:  https://www.Bible805.com

We all know about the fish swallowing Jonah, but there are larger lessons in the book including the answers to these questions:

What about people who haven’t heard the gospel if Jesus is the only way to God?

What do we do about bad people, or when people treat us badly? What does God expect from us as His people?

How does God treat us when we fail?

Answers to these questions and other related applications, are what our podcast about Jonah is all about. 

To go to the Bible805 entry for notes, the video, and links to a Timeline of the prophets: https://wp.me/pazrJD-q3

We are at the place in reading through the Bible where many people either quit or are confused and make incorrect applications from their reading.

We've finished the books that are primarily historical narratives and are now in books that combine both historical narrative AND the messages of the prophets to the people at that time. Understanding what is going on in the history of the people and how that relates to the book of prophecy is very important. Without it, the books of prophecy either make little sense or people come up with wildly incorrect conclusions about them.

A modern-day analogy would be to imagine 2500 years from now (that is how long ago most of them wrote) if you heard Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech. If you were not familiar with the Civil Rights Movement, what was going on in the U.S. at that time, how extraordinary it was for the speech to even take place, and why he wove together Bible passages with his visions (and imagine you didn't even know some of them came from the Christian Bible), well, obviously the speech wouldn't make sense to you. Knowing the historical context of a speech makes all the difference in our ability to understand it.

My goal in this next series of podcasts (plus your reading and a Timeline of the Prophets I put together for you) will help you understand not only the meaning and importance of what the Prophets said in their day but also how we can apply their words to our lives to live in ways that are pleasing to our Lord.

To go to the specific post that has downloads of the charts, CLICK the following link:https://wp.me/pazrJD-pQ

To go to the Bible805 ministry website with many resources to help you know, trust, and apply the Bible, go to: https://www.Bible805.com