Before you can change the world, something has to change in you.  Today on BOLD STEPS, Mark Jobe turns to the life of John the Baptist to show us what Kingdom character really looks like.  It’s not loud or self-promoting … it’s the quiet, steady willingness to make room for others to encounter Jesus.  Discover what it means to have that kind of heart ... listen to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe.

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My next door neighbor in our dorm in college always wanted to preach like Billy Graham. I mean he really wanted to preach like Billy Graham. He would record Billy Graham on his radio program, and then he would listen to the tapes over and over again. He would copy everything, including even the inflections of Billy’s voice. And then he would watch Billy Graham. He studied his gestures; he’d try to get them down and gesture just when Billy Graham would. He’d hold his Bible like Billy Graham. Now you are going to think he was really a fanatic, but this really is true. He told me he even counted the words per minute that Billy Graham averaged and tried to get the same pace. Wow! That’s a crazy way to approach ministry, huh? Well, it’s more common than you might think.

I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “You Be You.”

Our word for today from the Word of God – one of the most challenging, exciting statements in all of the New Testament – is in Ephesians 2:10. This is about you now. “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Wow! God has created you as a unique, one-of-a-kind servant, uniquely prepared, uniquely wired by Him for a very unique set of plans which He prepared in advance for you to carry out.

The problem comes when we start to compare ourselves with other people. You really can’t compare yourself because you are a category all by yourself. You might never count the words per minute in somebody’s sermon to copy them, but maybe you are looking at someone else God is using and you’re saying, “You know, I can’t talk like that. I don’t know what they know. I’m sort of shy; I’m not that outgoing. You know, I don’t have the training they have. I could never serve God like that; I’m not like that person.” You’re right! You’re not like them. Hurray! You weren’t meant to be. You were created for works only you can do.

I think we should look for models and learn from their values and their thinking and their ways of working, but not to become clones. The Mona Lisa is an original, it’s priceless, but you can buy a postcard of the Mona Lisa for like 50 cents at the museum, because copies are cheap. Originals are priceless. Don’t devalue yourself by copying someone else; trying to be like someone else. There’s so much in social media that makes us want to do that. Don’t do it! That’s an awful, unnatural bondage if you’re still trying to be like someone else.

You see, everything you need - to do what God put you here to do - you have. And all those things that you don’t have? Guess what? You don’t need. You’ve got the right hair, you’ve got the right height, you’ve got the right body, you’ve got the right voice, you’ve got the right intelligence, you’ve got the right talents, and you’ve got the right limitations - even your background. See, God is using your background to make you into that unique servant of His. He’s weaving a tapestry, and putting into that tapestry the people and experiences that will make you the man or woman you were designed by Him to be.

So be yourself! Relax! Be the person that God made for a unique role that you are destined to fulfill. You compare with somebody else? You’ll never get off the ground. You try to copy someone else, and you will never be the person you were created to be.

I think you can say as you look at your life and the plans that God has for it, “God, you know what You’re doing.” He sure does. Thank Him for making you the only you there is, and don’t try to be a Christian clone. You are an original. So, you be you.

This week we enjoy the thoughts of Gabe Lyons a good friend and the founder of THINQ Media. Gabe and his team have crafted a strategy on how to bring a conversation about the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration to every dining room table. You are invited to join in this encouraging moment today on The Public Square®.

Topic: Our Mission 

The Public Square® Long Format Program with hosts Wayne Shepherd and Dave Zanotti. 

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Release Date: Friday, June 5th, 2026

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Dustin Garrett once found himself in a jail cell considering suicide when a grandmother's witness broke through and he cried out to Jesus. He tells his story to Wayne Shepherd.  (click for more...)         

Dustin grew up in the Chicago suburbs in a broken, substance-abusing family, with his only Christian influence being his grandmother. By age 15 he was a full-blown heroin addict, eventually dropping out of school, cycling through theft, drug charges, and jail. At around age 20, while in the suicide ward of a jail going through heroin withdrawals, he cried out to Jesus — a faith rooted in his grandmother's persistent witness. After years of struggling without discipleship or community, his father gave him an ultimatum at age 22, leading Dustin to a two-year gospel-centered recovery program at a rescue mission in Peoria, Illinois. It was there — through men who opened the Bible with him and required him to memorize Scripture — that his life truly transformed. Against all odds, he went on to attend Bible college in Kansas City, and today, at 42, he has been walking with the Lord for about 20 years. He works in Christian healthcare ministry, serves as a worship leader at his church, and is a husband and father of two.

                            NEXT WEEK:  Dave Zanotti of The Public Square

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Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Hebrews 11:23-27

It takes a family to raise a child, and it takes faith to make a family. The most powerful and influential people on Earth are mothers and fathers of faith.

Hebrews 11 tells the prophet Moses’ divine origin story, which would not have existed if not for his parents, Amram and Jochebed.

“By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment” (Hebrews 11:23).

As we learn the importance of faith for the family, there are three principles to learn from these parents' indispensable faith.

First, we note faith’s vision.

Moses’ parents recognized that he was the special handiwork of God. It is our responsibility to see our children as specific, individual creations of God, and raise them accordingly.

Second, we recognize faith’s valor.

Amram and Jochebed hid Moses for three months because the King had commanded that baby boys be killed. By faith, they recognized this physical conflict as a spiritual conflict between the gods of Egypt and Almighty God, and “they were not afraid…”

In these treacherous days, raising children is a spiritual battle and our only hope is a solid faith in Jesus Christ.

Third, we see faith’s venture.

Moses’ parents did not have a spirit of fatalism; rather, they did their part to protect their son, trusting God to do the rest. When facing challenges, we must do all we can do with a spirit of optimism. If it is God’s will, we can trust that He will move heaven and earth for our children.

Finally, Amram and Jochebed displayed faith’s victory.

Hebrews 11 notes that because Moses’ values were established in him by his parents, he valued his faith more than all the riches of Egypt. Moses embraced the virtues of knowing Christ eternally, and rejected the vices of this world, refusing to be called Pharaoh’s son. (See Hebrews 11:24.)

Adrian Rogers says, “There are a lot of pressures on our kids today, and we’d better be certain they have something on the inside.”

Apply it to your life

Are you raising your children by faith? When posed with a choice, Moses evaluated the virtues his parents established in him in his youth. This led to a determination to follow God and eliminate the things of this world. It began with Amram and Jochebed, just like it begins with you.

When is the right time to give your child a smartphone—and what are the risks of giving one too soon? In this episode, Dr. Burns sits down with Steve Otey to discuss smartphone readiness, family technology boundaries, and why many experts encourage parents to delay smartphones as long as possible. They also examine the growing concerns over social media's addictive features and the lawsuits surrounding their impact on children's mental and emotional health. Most importantly, they explore how parents can use technology decisions as opportunities to shape their children's hearts and strengthen family relationships.

Resources:

• Suppose You Give A Kid A Smartphone by Steve and Sara Otey
• Engage Family Ministries Website
• 9 Square in the Air Website
• Free Resources: Our Phone Foundation and the Tech Pledge
• HomeWord.com 
• HomeWord YouTube
• Dr. Jim Burns’ Blogs
• Leave a Message for HomeWord: 949-485-3905
• Have a question you want Jim to answer? Email us! [email protected]

Order Jim’s Books:

• Order Dr. Burn’s new book - When Your Adult Child Strays: Trading Heartache for Hope 
• A Student’s Guide to Sexual Integrity: God’s Plan for Sex and Your Body
• Doing Life With Your Adult Children: Keep Your Mouth Shut and the Welcome Mat Out
• Understanding Your Teen: Shaping Their Character, Facing Their Realities

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Judgments. Fire and hail. A beast from a bottomless pit. Taken on their own, quite frankly, these things seem like the stuff of nightmares. In the midst of such frightening images, we might ask, where is hope to be found? In this message from Revelation 8–11, Pastor J.D. encourages us to find hope by keeping our gaze on this glorious picture: Jesus reigns victorious, his mission will ultimately be accomplished, and his Word will triumph.