Grace 809

Michael Johnson, the Dean of Dating at Future Marriage University, shares practical tools for young adults searching for a spouse. Learn how to develop a healthy mindset toward dating and build a mission into your relationship.

Receive a copy of Date Like You Know What You’re Doing and an audio download of "Practical Dating Advice for Finding Lifelong Love" for your donation of any amount!

Get More Episode Resources 

If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family with Jim Daly, please give us your feedback.

Michael Johnson inspires Christian singles to focus on growth opportunities before getting into a serious dating relationship.

Listen to the Full Program

Receive a copy of Date Like You Know What You’re Doing and an audio download of "Practical Dating Advice for Finding Lifelong Love" for your donation of any amount!

If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Minute, please give us your feedback.

Maybe you share this deep desire: a desire to face death unafraid. To die without fright or a fight, perhaps even with a smile.

Some say that’s impossible. But Christ promises in John 14:1-3, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am” (TLB).

Jesus experienced a physical and factual resurrection. And—here it is— because he did, we will too! If Jesus’ tomb is empty, then his promise is not. So let’s die with faith. Jesus grants courage for the final passage, death.  No need to dread it or ignore it. Because of Jesus Christ, you can face it.

Read more Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

Josh Avis shares a life-changing moment where he focused on God’s promises.

Listen to the Full Program

Receive a copy of The Lucky Few and an audio download of "Joyfully Embracing God’s Children" for your donation of any amount!

If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Minute, please give us your feedback.

Josh and Heather Avis share the story of wanting to start a family, how they navigated infertility and discovered God’s heart for orphans. When they tentatively considered foster care and adoption, they had no idea how God would lead them to adopt 3 kids, two of whom have Down Syndrome.

Receive a copy of The Lucky Few and an audio download of "Joyfully Embracing God’s Children" for your donation of any amount!

Get More Episode Resources 

If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family with Jim Daly, please give us your feedback.

Are you “rich in this present age?” Almost half the world lives on less than $2.50 a day. So, if your income is higher, then you are rich, and your affluence demands double vigilance.

How can a person survive prosperity? Well first, do not be haughty. Do not think for a moment that you had anything to do with your accumulation. Money is an untrustworthy foundation.  The United States economy endured ten recessions between 1948 and 2001. 

Don’t trust money. Trust God. He owns everything and gives us all things to enjoy. Move from the fear of scarcity to the comfort of provision. “Do good … be rich in good works, ready to give, and willing to share” (1 Timothy 6:18 NKJV).

Read more Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

Our reading today is Psalms 54-56, and I’m calling the episode “Say It Isn’t So.”

The title of this psalm is “To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. A Contemplation of David when the Ziphites went and said to Saul, ‘Is David not hiding with us?’”

The Ziphites betrayed David to Saul twice. We read about these betrayals in 1 Samuel 23 and 1 Samuel 26. On both occasions, David was able to escape. This psalm probably refers to the episode in 1 Samuel 23. 

Very few psalms give specific musical instructions like this one, which says, “With stringed instruments.” And the Hebrew word for Contemplation (maskil) might be better translated as Instruction.

The title of this psalm is “To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. A Contemplation of David.” There was a time in David’s life when one of his sons, Absalom, tried to overthrow David as king. During this rebellion one of David’s most trusted men, Ahithophel, sided with Absalom. This psalm seems to have been written during this period of David’s life. However, in verse 15 David calls to God to send his enemies to Sheol (another word for Hell), when we know from other scriptures that David did not want harm to come to Absalom. So it is possible that this psalm is about another time in David’s life that we do not have record of.

The title of this psalm is “To the Chief Musician. Set to ‘The Silent Dove in Distant Lands.’ A Michtam of David when the Philistines captured him in Gath.”

“Set to ‘The Silent Dove in Distant Lands” is probably an instruction to sing this psalm to the tune of a song that was known at the time.

Scholars do not know the precise meaning of the word michtam. It is possible that it refers to something made of gold, so in connection with a psalm, a michtam might be something so precious that it was to be engraved in gold. 

We read of David’s capture by the Philistines in 1 Samuel 21:10-15. This was a difficult time for him when he was afraid and alone. He didn’t know if he would survive.

A psalm of David in which he has been greatly hurt by his enemies, especially one who had been a trusted friend and ally. 

12 I would be able to take it if one who hates me were putting me to shame. I could hide from him. It is not one who hates me who has put himself up against me. 13 But it is you, a man like myself, one who has gone with me, my close friend. 14 We shared together. And we walked with the people in the house of God.

This person is not identified, but it seems more than likely that it is Ahithophel, who was a trusted counselor to David. During Absalom’s revolt against his father, Ahithophel deserted David and supported Absalom.

Not only did David have to deal with the heartbreak of his own son turning against him, but that of one who gave him counsel, helped him, and knew his idiosyncrasies, strengths and weaknesses. 

20 He goes against those who were at peace with him. He has broken his agreement. 21 What he says is smoother than butter, but war is in his heart. His words are softer than oil, yet they are raised swords.

Have you ever been betrayed by someone close to you? Someone you trusted? It’s a heartbreak unlike any other. But such is the condition of the human heart. Who can trust it?

The first time it happened to me was when I was a young teenager, maybe 12 or 13 years old. I d

Josh and Heather Avis share the story of wanting to start a family, how they navigated infertility and discovered God’s heart for orphans. When they tentatively considered foster care and adoption, they had no idea how God would lead them to adopt 3 kids, two of whom have Down Syndrome.

Receive a copy of The Lucky Few and an audio download of "Joyfully Embracing God’s Children" for your donation of any amount!

Get More Episode Resources 

If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family with Jim Daly, please give us your feedback.

Heather Avis reminds us that God is good, even if your circumstances are not.

Listen to the Full Program

Receive a copy of The Lucky Few and an audio download of "Joyfully Embracing God’s Children" for your donation of any amount!

If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Minute, please give us your feedback.

Our reading today is  2 Samuel 10-14, and I’m calling the episode “The Runaway Train.”

In this account, we see how what we might consider a small sin begin a chain of sinful actions that, like a runaway locomotive, can cause terrible destruction and heartache. A seemingly small, insignificant sin can quickly spiral into a disastrous web of deceit and horrendous sins that affect the lives of more people than we could ever anticipate.

Let’s climb on board the sin train with David for a moment and see what happens. As we have seen, David usually goes to war with his armies, but as chapter 11 begins, we see that this year, for some reason he decided to send Joab and the army out, while he stayed behind in the comfort of his palace. This could be considered his first sin, if he stayed behind because of laziness or complacency. 

Next, he seems unable to sleep, so he goes to the palace rooftop and sees a woman bathing. 

Two questions here. Why is he unable to sleep? Is he feeling guilty for not being with his army? Perhaps. Second question: why is Bathsheba bathing where she can be seen? 

The train is picking up a little speed.

What does David do? Instead of averting his eyes, as a married man of God should do, he watches her. Yes, it’s a natural reaction, because most men are undoubtedly attracted by the female form. And since he lingers there, watching the very beautiful (according to the text) Bathsheba, lust gets hold of David. 

The train is speeding up even more.

So David asks who this woman is. The train whistle is blowing. The train is going faster and faster. 

Then a giant red signal light shines on the track. A messenger tells David that this is the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite. David runs the red light. Instead of stopping, David sent for her.

The sin train is gathering more speed.

Bathsheba came to David, and they had sex. Notice that there is no word of Bathsheba putting up any resistance. They are both culpable in this whole sequence of events.

Faster and faster.

When David finds out that she is pregnant, David knows that he is in trouble, so he calls Uriah back from the battlefield, thinking that Uriah will come home and have sex with Bathsheba. Then there would be the possibility that the father of the baby is Uriah.

But Uriah is a better man than David, and refuses the comforts of home while his army brethren are fighting a war. So now David has Uriah placed in a hot zone where he is sure to die in battle.

The train is at full speed and headed for a cliff.

Notice, at this point David has pulled Joab, his general, into the web of deceit. Joab is forced to become an accessory to murder by sending Uriah into battle, and then leaving him there with no backup. 

The consequences of this chain of events were many, and they could have all been avoided if David had stopped the train at any point along the way, but once we give in to our own desires, it can *feel* like there’s just no stopping. 

That’s why in several scriptures we are told to flee from sin. At the first sign of temptation, the best advice is to flee from it. Don’t try to tough it out. If you’re a Star Trek fan, you’ve no doubt heard the phrase, “Resistance is futile.” Don’t play with sin. Flee from it. Had David gone back inside when he first saw Bathsheba, none of this would have happened. Flee from sin. Put as much distance between you and it as you can, as fast as you can.