Grace 809

Ephesians 6:12 (NKJV) reads, “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

Our enemy is the devil. At the end of this age, his time will end. Until then, expect our Father to show up. He will not sit still while Satan harms his creation.

Our days are as dark as were the days of Elijah. Our God is as alive as he was in the days of Elijah. Dare we dream of a renewal that silences the stewards of Satan and reveals them for the frauds they are? Let’s imitate Elijah: Serve the Lord only! God wasn’t one of his options. God was his only option.

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For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

Transcript

Today is History Tuesday, and we’ll read Ezra 6-10. I’m calling today’s episode “It’s Not As Bad As It Sounds.”  

In this chapter we find Ezra kneeling in front of the temple, tearfully confessing the sins of the people of Israel. And he is joined by a large crowd of men, women and children who also begin weeping bitterly.

Why are they crying? Because they have disobeyed God by marrying foreign, or as some translations say, pagan women from the local area. Do you remember that God told them not to do this when they came into the Promised Land? Now they are truly remorseful for their sin.

So what happens? Does Ezra suggest what they should do? No, one of the people, Shechaniah steps up and says, “Ezra, we have disobeyed God by marrying these foreign women. But there is still hope for the people of Israel, 3if we follow your advice and the advice of others who truly respect the laws of God. We must promise God that we will divorce our foreign wives and send them away, together with their children.”

What do you think about that? Divorce their pagan wives and send them away? And the children? How could that be the right thing to do?

Let’s explore this together.

1) Divorce was permitted in Israel, according to Deuteronomy 24:1. And Malachi 2:10-16 tells us that there were many who divorced their Jewish wives for pagan women. 

2) God does hate divorce, according to Malachi 2:16, but it was allowed because the the hardness of people’s hearts, according to Jesus in Mark 10:5.

3) Some marriages were not allowed. Marriages between relatives were not permitted, for example. Any marriage of this type would be cancelled. So a marriage to a pagan woman, which was expressly forbidden by God, could also be dissolved.

4) The children were always allowed to stay with their mothers in this culture. 

5) The husband almost certainly would be responsible for giving the woman and child adequate resources for their support. 

6) It took many weeks for the process of talking to the affected families. Why? Because there were so many men who had married pagan wives, and they questioned them to see which wives had honestly and genuinely became believers in the God of Israel, and were willing to denounce their native beliefs. If the wife refused to accept the true God, they could not remain, and must be divorced.

7) A great many of the women *did* accept the God of Israel, because only about 114 of the men had to divorce their pagan wives. The men who divorced are listed

Michelle Ablard was content with her life as a schoolteacher, with 3 dogs and a mortgage. But then God nudged her into foster care, which began an unlikely journey of fostering two kids from her school and eventually adopting them. Michelle simply obeyed God’s prompting and credits her community of friends and family who made her miracle family possible!

Receive a copy of the "Faith Builds a Family" bundle and an audio download of "How Foster Care Brought Me My Miracle Family" for your donation of any amount! Plus, receive member-exclusive benefits when you make a recurring gift today. Your monthly support helps families thrive.

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Michelle Ablard discusses a pivotal moment in her journey as a foster parent.

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1 Kings 18:40 (NIV) reads, “Elijah commanded them, ‘Seize the prophets of Baal. Don’t let anyone get away!’ They seized them, and Elijah had them…slaughtered there.”

This moment does not sit well in our modern, westernized mindset. Elijah, a man of God, brandishing a sword and executing several hundred men? Except for the fact that these weren’t just men; they were disciples of the devil. They were demonic in their devotion to the cause of hell, all in the name of God.

In the final days, as recorded in Revelation 20:3 (NKJV), God will “cast him [Satan] into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him so that he should deceive the nations no more.”

Read more Unbreakable Courage

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

Transcript

Today is Monday. We’ll read Deuteronomy 16-19.  I’m calling today’s episode “You Consulted A What?”  

One thing that comes through very clearly in this chapter of Deuteronomy is that dabbling in the occult is something that God will hates. That means playing with horoscopes, Tarot cards, numerology, Ouiji boards, or trying to contact the dead through seances or anything else. Some people consider this type of thing “just having fun”. But when you read this chapter of Deuteronomy, you see that God does not see it that way. 

There is a world that we do not see. The apostle Paul said in Ephesians 6:12 that “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” Beloved, the enemy of our souls and his demons really are out to destroy us. There is a spiritual battle, and the occult is one method they use to gain footholds in people’s lives. So the further you can stay away from these things, the better. 

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 16 NIRV; Ch. 17 HCSB; Ch. 18 NASB; Ch. 19 ERV

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STEVE WEBB – 0:00
Just having fun.

INTRO S12E327 – 0:09
This is the Lifespring Family Audio Bible coming to you from Riverside, California. Podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is the daily show where we’re reading through the entire Bible in a year. How’s your day going? Today’s Monday and we’re going to read Deuteronomy 16 through 19. I’m calling today’s episode, “You Consulted A What?” The show notes page for today’s episode is at lifespringmedia.com/s12e327. And my email address is

Transcript

Today is Epistles Sunday. We’ll read the book of 2 Peter. I’m calling today’s episode “How To Identify A Counterfeit.”  

I’d like to just briefly touch on a couple of points made by Peter.

First, the topic of false teachers. They were a problem in Old Testament times, they were a problem in the early church, and they are a problem today. 

False teachers are usually students of the human mind and human weaknesses, and they know what people like to hear. Their motivation is often for money, sometimes for power, and never for the benefit of the listener. Some false teachers have small followings, some have millions.

How do you know if someone is a false teacher? A counterfeit? It’s not really that hard. You need to know what Scripture says. When you know the real thing well, counterfeits are easy to detect. This podcast is a good start in knowing the Bible, but it is no substitute for your actually applying yourself to deep, disciplined study on your own. Having a Bible teaching pastor is important, being a part of a good Bible study group is important, having trusted and godly friends is important. But nothing is more important that you actually getting to know the Word of God intimately yourself. As you study, pray and ask the Holy Spirit for guidance and wisdom. That is a prayer that is always answered. And the more you study, the more you will begin to understand, and the easier it will be to identify false teachers.

And then the next point I’d like to discuss is the second coming of Jesus.

I recently had a discussion with someone who said, “Yeah, right. Christians have been saying Jesus was coming back since the church began. They say, ‘Look at the signs,’ but nothing is any different today than it was then.” 

Doesn’t that sound just like chapter 3, verse 4 from our reading today? Here it is again: They will say, “Jesus promised to come again. Where is he? Our fathers have died, but the world continues the way it has been since it was made.”

Peter was talking about what it would be like in the last days. He said they would laugh at you, and they would make that statement. But Peter reminds us that the world is different. It hasn’t always been the way it is now. He says, “But they do not want to remember what happened long ago. By the word of God heaven was made, and the earth was made from water and with water. 6Then the world was flooded and destroyed with water. 7And that same word of God is keeping heaven and earth that we now have in order to b

Transcript

Lifespring Family Berean, Brother Paul of Seattle

Today is Gospel Saturday Acts 15-16. I’m calling today’s episode “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do.” 

I’m always struck by the last scene in chapter 15. It’s in verses 36 through 41.

Paul suggested to Barnabas that they go and see how well the followers were doing in the cities they had visited and preached in. Barnabas said, “Hey, let’s take my cousin, John Mark along with us.” Paul said, “Yeah, no. When things got tough in Pamphylia, he wimped out on us and took off. I don’t trust him.”

This caused an argument between Barnabas and Paul. And according to the language in the original language, this wasn’t a calm disagreement. Have you ever seen a baseball team manager arguing nose-to-nose with an umpire? Red faced, voice raised, hands on hips? Maybe you’ve even seen a manager kick dirt on the ump? 

That seems to be the kind of argument Barnabas and Paul had. The word used for argument in our text can be literally translated as paroxysm. I had to look that one up. The definition of paroxysm is: a sudden attack or violent expression of a particular emotion or activity. Some synonyms are spasm, attack, fit, burst, outburst, eruption, explosion.

These guys really got into it!

And they split up. Barnabas took Mark and went to Cyprus. Paul and Silas went to Syria and Cilicia.

What do we learn from this? Is it a good thing to have knock down, drag out fights with our brothers and sisters in Christ? Of course not. Jesus said, “(The world) will know you are mine by your love for one another.” In this instance, Paul and Barnabas struck out. They blew it. And I’ll bet that they both regretted it.

And there is some evidence that I’m right on this, because we read in Colossians that Paul referred to Mark as “my fellow worker” and he vouched for him to the Colossian church. And then near the end of his life he asked Timothy to bring Mark with him.

Barnabas, who’s name means “Son of encouragement”, and who is referred to as a “good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith”, spent time with Mark discipling him. 

How effective was Barnabas’ time with Mark? Sounds to me like it was very effective. Mark wrote what we know today as the Gospel According to Mark. 

The Bible does not sugar coat the humanity of the men and women we find it its pages. We see how God powerfully uses them despite their failings.

What do we learn from the violent argument between Barnabas a

Every child experiences big emotions. As a parent, you want to teach them what to do when those feelings come. Counselor Eliza Huie equips you with practical ways to help your child move from chaos to calm while reminding them that God is always with them. You’ll learn a simple, grace-filled approach to emotional regulation that can help your whole family navigate big emotions with greater peace and confidence.

Receive a copy of the "Count Yourself Calm" bundle and an audio download of "Five Steps to Building Your Kids Emotional Health" for your donation of any amount! Plus, receive member-exclusive benefits when you make a recurring gift today. Your monthly support helps families thrive.

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Eliza Huie shares how to look beneath the surface of your child’s emotions and learn what’s really going on.

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