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Many who’ve accepted Christ are still enslaved to their former lives—they haven’t allowed Christ to release them from their old habits and destructive lifestyles. But He’s waiting to unlock the chains and grant a life of freedom.

One of the most challenging stages of parenting is transitioning to the empty-nest season, especially when our adult children make decisions we disagree with. Mary DeMuth guides us on this journey of finding joy regardless of our wayward adult kids, sharing practical and spiritual tips on how to stay connected with children who have left the Christian faith.

Some years ago, we took a delegation of teenagers to a youth conference at the Jersey Shore, and one of our volunteers was one of the counselors. One evening she left the meeting early to check on one of the kids from our group. She started walking down the Boardwalk. Suddenly she hears this cry for help from the water down below. She realized that a girl was out there in that dark ocean about to drown. So she yelled for others to come, she pulled off her shoes and she jumped into the water. She knew this was a life-or-death situation, and she said, "I just had to do something." Pretty soon a couple of men jumped in to help her and together they were able to rescue that young woman. And you know what? Our friend realized the real reason she had been out on the Boardwalk that night. Much to her surprise, she had literally been placed there to save a life!

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Surprising Reason You Are Where You Are."

Now our word for today from the Word of God comes from the amazing story of Esther, which is told in the book in the Bible that carries her name. Esther was a young Jewish woman who was in Persia as part of the Jews who had been brought there when the Persians conquered her people. But through an amazing series of events, she becomes the Queen of Persia, the wife of the most powerful man in the world, but no one knew she was a Jew.

When a power-mad member of the king's court engineered this royal decree to have the Jews annihilated, the man who raised Esther sent her a message, challenging her to use her access to the king to save her people. To do so, she would literally have to risk her life because the law required that anyone who came to the king uninvited - even the queen - would be put to death unless the king extended his golden scepter to spare them, and Esther had not been summoned by the king for a month.

The challenge Esther receives is in our word for today from the Word of God, Esther 4:14, and it may very well be the challenge that our Savior has for you at this point in your life. Here it is. "Who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" In other words, God has placed you where you are, not just to enjoy the benefits of your position, but to save lives!

Have you considered that maybe that's the same reason you've been positioned where you are? You work where you work, you live where you live, you go to school where you go to school, you do what you do because God has assigned you there to be those people's link to Jesus!

Some years ago, my friend Gary was talking with a woman whose dad teaches at one of America's military academies. This woman was really spiritually burdened for her dad. Gary knows a lot of influential people and he offered to call the then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to invite her dad to an upcoming adult outreach. Or, he said, "I'll even call a Christian cabinet member I know in this administration." But to my friend's surprise, this woman said, "No, that won't work." Gary asked her what would work - who could get through to her father. Her answer? "Another professor. Someone like him."

That's probably how the people around you are going to be reached for Christ - through someone who does what they do, lives where they live, faces what they face. And for the people around you, that would be you.

I don't know what you think of when I say the word "evangelist" - probably someone preaching on a crusade platform - but I hope you'll start to think of the man or woman in the mirror. Because all that is, is someone who carries the Good News of Jesus to people who need Him. Of all of the millions of God's children, you're the one He has positioned to rescue the people around you. And where you are is your stretch of the beach

Read: Isaiah 41:8-16

“Mom, this game is impossible,” Heidi complained as she glared at the computer screen.

Mom looked over, then laughed. “I played that when I was younger, and you’re right, it’s very hard. That’s how life was for the people who took the Oregon Trail out west over a hundred years ago.”

Heidi frowned. “Really? They had to leave food behind and kept getting holes in their wagon? And they got sick every day?”

“I’m not sure how often they got sick, but they didn’t have doctors like we do, and they didn’t always have anything to help with sickness or injuries. Wagons weren’t the best protection from the weather, and I’m sure their wagons got holes sometimes. That was the way of life.”

Heidi looked incredulously at the computer. “I like being here, where life is normal. Bad stuff doesn’t happen every day.”

“It doesn’t? I thought you said you had a classmate who lost their grandma yesterday. And the day before that you told me there was a kid on the playground whose parents are getting divorced. Aren’t those bad things?”

Heidi was quiet. “I guess…but it doesn’t seem the same.”

Mom walked over to a shelf and pulled down a photo. She handed it to Heidi. “I was only eight—your age—when my mom died. It was a very, very bad thing that still makes me feel sad sometimes. And you broke your arm last year; wasn’t that hard? It wasn’t life-threatening, but you couldn’t write and had a hard time doing normal things like eating and brushing your teeth.”

“Oh yeah. I guess that was really bad when I had the cast.”

“There will always be bad things happening in our sinful world, but there’s someone who will be with us through each one of them,” Mom reminded Heidi.

Heidi’s eyes lit up. “Jesus! When I believed that He died and rose again to save me and trusted Him as my Savior, He sent the Holy Spirit to live in my heart. I did that right after I broke my arm.”

“Exactly,” said Mom. “God is with you no matter what things happen, bad or good. He loves you and promises to be with you always.”

–Kimberly Brokish

How about you? Have you had bad things happen to you? We live in a sinful world where bad things happen, but we don’t have to go through them alone. Jesus loves us so much He died for us, and He promises to be with us all the time, through both bad things and good. One day He’ll get rid of sin forever and bad things won’t happen anymore; until then, trust Him to help you through life’s difficulties and be with you always.

Today's Key Verse: And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Matthew 28:20 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: God is with us always

The power of Christ in us is enough because if we trust in Him, our lives will reflect God’s goodness.

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The freelance project wasn’t working out well. The clients were demanding what seemed to be the impossible, and I was stressed and discouraged. My first reaction was just to walk away from it, which would mean not getting paid for the work I’d done—and also eliminating the possibility of future projects with them. Then the thought came to me: Have you prayed to God yet?

Mentally slapping my forehead, I realized that I’d neglected to ask God for help! And so I prayed . . . and immediately felt better. Nothing had changed—the project remained challenging—but I felt peace wash over me. Now, I knew I could rest in God: I’d just do whatever I could and leave the outcome to Him.

Perhaps David felt the same way when he submitted his fears and worries to God. In Psalm 6, he started off describing his anguish at being hounded by his enemies (Psalm 6:3, 7). But as he continued turning to God for help, he felt reassured: “The Lord has heard my cry . . . the Lord accepts my prayer” (v. 9).

That truth came with the hope that he would be delivered, in God’s time and way (v. 10). Prayer isn’t some feel-good technique, but it’s a direct connection with an all-seeing, all-powerful God who will help us in His time and way. Feeling down or discouraged? Just pray—God hears.

Money lessons are for the whole family. What if your kids could learn
biblical principles of generosity, contentment, and stewardship through the
power of storytelling? On the next Faith & Finance Live, Dr. Shane Enete
joins Rob West to share a creative new resource that helps parents
connect faith and finance in ways kids can truly understand. Then, it’s on to
your calls. That’s Faith and Finance Live—biblical wisdom for your financial
journey, weekdays at 4pm Eastern/3pm Central on Moody Radio.

Faith & Finance Live is a listener supported program on Moody Radio.  To join our team of supporters, click here.

To support the ministry of FaithFi, click here.

To learn more about Rob West, click here. 

To learn more about Faith & Finance Live, click here.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Segment 1

• Modern culture has made “safety” its idol; every discomfort is treated like trauma.

• Scripture flips the script: danger isn’t just outside – it’s inside you.

• If your biggest threat is the outside world, you’ll live in fear. If it’s your own heart, you’ll run to Christ.

Segment 2

• “Safety-based” psychology is invading schools; students are learning to pathologize conviction.

• Polyvagal Theory (born 1994) ignores man’s spiritual nature—an anthropological train wreck.

• The Bible says transformation comes by renewing the mind, not regulating vagus nerves.

Segment 3

• The real concern is kids weaponizing therapy language against parents.

• Britain officially affirms cousin marriage—a symbol of moral decay in the West.

• Even theologians like N.T. Wright drift from biblical authority, showing the slope is real.

Segment 4

• Cousin marriage bans once built Western civilization—now they’re being reversed.

• Germany’s “polyandrous priestess” and IVF jewelry reveal what happens when sacredness dies.

• The decline isn’t just weird—it’s spiritual rot disguised as progress.

___

Thanks for listening!

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Understanding ancient texts requires knowing the times in which they were written. Dr. John explores Isaiah's dramatic 50-year ministry (740-686 BC), spanning the reigns of four kings and the existential threat of Assyrian invasion. When Israel and Syria threatened to wipe out Judah's royal family, the messianic line itself hung in the balance—leading to Isaiah's famous virgin birth prophecy. Through wars, wicked kings, and divine deliverance, Isaiah never lost sight of God's promise that a shoot would arise from the stump of Jesse.

The Grand Vision: God's Story Through Isaiah: Isaiah is the second-most quoted book in the New Testament, yet many Christians have never studied it deeply. In this 10-message series, Dr. John guides listeners through this essential prophetic book, exploring Isaiah's 50-year ministry during one of Israel's most turbulent periods. From temple visions to confrontations with kings, from oracles against nations to prophecies of the coming Messiah, Isaiah reveals God's sovereignty over all history and His plan for the world through Jesus Christ.