Discerning the Times - Live at Bethel Austin by Bill Vanderbush

God's face imparts blessing (Numbers), calls us to focus deeply (Psalms/Mark), is modeled in Jesus Christ (Luke), and is unveiled through the Holy Spirit's outpouring (Ezekiel/Acts). Life and identity flow from beholding Him. Psalm 27 is a roadmap from fear to fearless intimacy. Fear God alone, seek His face continually, and wait in confident hope.

Jesus Christ wasn't limited like you and me, or at least like we feel. While he was in a body, he was filling all things, sustaining everything, and while living as a man, he was sustaining and upholding all things. This is the wonder of the incarnation, the unlimited one entered limitation without ceasing to be unlimited.

The modern church faces a critical moment regarding prophetic ministry. In many charismatic and Spirit-filled circles, the gift of prophecy (as described in 1 Corinthians 14:3) has been marred by misuse, exaggeration, and outright fabrication. High-profile controversies, failed predictions, and cases of moral failure tied to those claiming prophetic authority have shaken trust. People rightly question what they've seen when they hear words don't come to pass, personal agendas masquerading as divine revelation, and a lack of accountability. The solution isn't to abandon prophecy but to restore prophetic integrity where we learn how to test words and prophets alike. We need to return to God's Word as the unchanging standard, where true prophecy aligns with Scripture, builds up the church, glorifies Christ, and comes under humble accountability.

News flash. Not every prophetic word that claims to be from God actually is. The Bible is full of warnings because false prophecy has always been a danger. Jesus Himself warned us about this repeatedly, and the apostles echoed it. So today, we're going to lean into Scripture to equip you to learn to discern.

Are you ministering to the Lord or just about him? Have you moved beyond religious activity to a place of personal intimacy with God? I would say that children raised in godly homes still need their own Samuel moment, a personal call and a personal response. Faith has to be personal between you and God.

Faith is not just believing "in" Jesus as an object of our conviction. Faith is participating in "His" faith, the unshakeable confidence of the Son toward the Father. This is the subjective reality, where Christ's own faithfulness becomes ours, not as something we manufacture, but as a gift of union.

Dead faith agrees but stays unchanged. Living faith transforms. As you truly believe, the Holy Spirit renews your mind (Romans 12:2). Old habits fall away and the new creation emerges (2 Corinthians 5:17). But the transformation doesn't stop (2 Corinthians 3:18). Even in our most glorious seasons, there's greater glory ahead! Beholding Jesus changes us progressively to be more like Him each day.

Learn the art of harvesting sweet vintage wine from the bitter grapes of isolation. Jesus’ solitude was never escape. It was communion. In his humanity, he recieved the replenishing touch of the Father’s love and the anointing of the Spirit. He returned to the fellowship he had known from eternity, now lived out in human flesh. And because we are now in Him, adopted into His Sonship, baptized into His life, His solitude becomes the pattern for ours. In this podcast you will learn how our alone times can become doorways into the same embrace.

The incarnation didn’t end at the manger. Every single step Jesus took on this earth was redemptive. Every temptation He faced in the wilderness, every tear He shed at Lazarus’ tomb, every time He reached out and touched a leper, He was living the perfect human life we never could. Where Adam rebelled, Jesus obeyed. Where we hid, He revealed. Where we said no to the Father, He said yes all the way to the cross. He learned obedience through suffering, not because He needed to grow, but because He was carrying us in Himself, rewriting our story with His own blood, sweat, grace, and love.