Greg Laurie: A New Beginning

Pastor Greg Laurie delivers a message on courageous faith from Acts 23. Those arrested by anxiety, depression, or other burdens: listen in and learn how you can find peace with God!

Notes

We will see what Jesus both did and said to revive Paul.

Paul was not afraid of death or hardship.

The only thing he seemed to fear was the disapproval of God.

The Lord stood by Paul in his hour of need.

Jesus said to Paul, “Be of good courage!”

Courage: the willingness to act in the face of fear.

Moral courage: the ability to do what is right in the face of opposition or discouragement.

It takes courage to:

• Live honestly and with integrity
• Honor the vows you made
• Speak up for Christ

Jesus said, “Be of good courage” to:

• The paralytic man—the forgiveness of Jesus brought courage.

• The woman struggling to reach Him—the power of Jesus gave courage!
• The disciples on the storm-tossed sea—the presence of Jesus gives courage.

1. God reminded Paul that he was not alone.

Jesus was forsaken so that you would never be forsaken.

2. God knew where Paul was and why he was there.

Jesus is there for you in your hour of need too.

3. God still had a future for Paul.

Our “job” is to obey the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus showed raw physical courage when He went to the cross.

Scripture Referenced

Matthew 9:2

Matthew 9:22

Acts 1:8

Matthew 14:27

Acts 23:11

Hebrews 4:16

Jeremiah 29:11

Hebrews 12:2

---

Learn more about Greg Laurie and Harvest Ministries at harvest.org.

This podcast is supported by the generosity of our Harvest Partners.

Support the show: https://bit.ly/anbsupport

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, we’re featuring Pastor Greg’s audio daily devotional in light of Palm Sunday. To receive this daily devotional in your inbox every day, just go to harvest.org/devo.

This weekend we celebrate Palm Sunday. This was the day Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem while the crowds laid down palm branches in the road and shouted, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Mark 11:9 NKJV).

There was an air of expectancy in Jerusalem. The name of Jesus was on everyone’s lips. In fact, Luke’s gospel tells us, “The crowd was listening to everything Jesus said. And because he was nearing Jerusalem, he told them a story to correct the impression that the Kingdom of God would begin right away” (Luke 19:11 NLT).

In other words, they thought this was it. They thought Jesus would establish His kingdom then and there. The Jewish people had been conquered by the Roman Empire, and they were under Roman control. They expected Jesus the Messiah to overthrow the power of Rome.

But they failed to understand the prophecies that said before the Messiah would come and rule the Earth, He would die for the sins of the world. Before He would sit on the throne, He would go to the cross.

Jesus wasn’t coming to overthrow Rome; He was coming to establish His kingdom in the hearts of men and women by dying for them on the cross. There’s never been a man who walked the earth like Jesus. He was fully God and fully man. He was God walking among us.

He still had human emotions and felt physical pain. He felt hunger and thirst like human beings do. In fact, the Bible says of Him, “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15 NKJV).

This reminds us that Jesus knows what we’re going through right now. He understands, He cares, and He wants us to give our burdens to Him.

---

Receive daily, biblical encouragement from Pastor Greg. Subscribe to the daily devotional at harvest.org/devo!

Learn more about Greg Laurie and Harvest Ministries at harvest.org.

This podcast is supported by the generosity of our Harvest Partners.

Support the show: https://bit.ly/anbsupport

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Lord created us with a will of our own. In doing so, He knew some people would reject Him, but that was His plan from the beginning. And yet the Holy Spirit calls out to us, drawing us to the Lord. It’s the wise person who heeds that call. Today on A NEW BEGINNING, Pastor Greg Laurie points out that’s just one of the jobs of the Holy Spirit. He has a multi-dimensional role in the lives of believers. And few of us know just how involved He is in our lives. It’s about time for the whole story.

View and subscribe to Pastor Greg’s weekly notes.

---

Learn more and subscribe to Harvest updates at harvest.org.

A New Beginning is the daily half-hour program hosted by Greg Laurie, pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Southern California. For over 30 years, Pastor Greg and Harvest Ministries have endeavored to know God and make Him known through media and large-scale evangelism. This podcast is supported by the generosity of our Harvest Partners.

Support the show: https://harvest.org/support

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We know our adversary is a powerful force. . . far more powerful than we are on our own. But we also know that our God is omnipotent. . . all-powerful. And when the Holy Spirit – the third person of the Godhead – takes up our cause, we’re in good hands! Today on A NEW BEGINNING, Pastor Greg Laurie points out the role the Spirit plays in the life of the believer. Foundational insight from a series simply called “Life,” based in the Gospel of John. . . and available at harvest.org.

View and subscribe to Pastor Greg’s weekly notes.

---

Learn more and subscribe to Harvest updates at harvest.org.

A New Beginning is the daily half-hour program hosted by Greg Laurie, pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Southern California. For over 30 years, Pastor Greg and Harvest Ministries have endeavored to know God and make Him known through media and large-scale evangelism. This podcast is supported by the generosity of our Harvest Partners.

Support the show: https://harvest.org/support

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You may encounter the Holy Spirit or His work in your life on a daily basis, but you may not realize it. Yet His work is vital in keeping us spiritually energized, and headed in the right direction. Today on A NEW BEGINNING, Pastor Greg Laurie has insight as he continues his series in the Gospel of John called “Life.” To tell a friend about today’s teaching, just invite them to go to harvest.org and look for the title, The Holy Spirit & You, Part 1.

View and subscribe to Pastor Greg’s weekly notes.

---

Learn more and subscribe to Harvest updates at harvest.org.

A New Beginning is the daily half-hour program hosted by Greg Laurie, pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Southern California. For over 30 years, Pastor Greg and Harvest Ministries have endeavored to know God and make Him known through media and large-scale evangelism. This podcast is supported by the generosity of our Harvest Partners.

Support the show: https://bit.ly/anbsupport

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Romans tells us all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. It’s something we all have in common. We’re sinners. The critical factor is what comes next. Today on A NEW BEGINNING, Pastor Greg Laurie shows us in John how two of the Lord’s own committed sins – significant sins – while they were following the Lord. One chose the pathway of repentance and restoration, the other chose the path of rebellion and destruction. It’s a lesson today on how we should respond to our own sin.

View and subscribe to Pastor Greg’s weekly notes.

---

Learn more and subscribe to Harvest updates at harvest.org.

A New Beginning is the daily half-hour program hosted by Greg Laurie, pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Southern California. For over 30 years, Pastor Greg and Harvest Ministries have endeavored to know God and make Him known through media and large-scale evangelism. This podcast is supported by the generosity of our Harvest Partners.

Support the show: https://bit.ly/anbsupport

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re all faced with decisions every single day. The most important decision is whether we choose the narrow path that leads to righteousness, or the wide path that leads to destruction. Today on A NEW BEGINNING, Pastor Greg Laurie points out that two people can be exposed to the same truth, the same wisdom, given the same choice, and each make opposite decisions. It’s a look at man’s free will and the strong pull of sin. Today’s study is based in the Gospel of John.

View and subscribe to Pastor Greg’s weekly notes.

---

Learn more and subscribe to Harvest updates at harvest.org.

A New Beginning is the daily half-hour program hosted by Greg Laurie, pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Southern California. For over 30 years, Pastor Greg and Harvest Ministries have endeavored to know God and make Him known through media and large-scale evangelism. This podcast is supported by the generosity of our Harvest Partners.

Support the show: https://harvest.org/support

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When trials, anxieties, and tough decisions loom large, sometimes it’s best to hear from a voice of experience. In this Sunday podcast, Pastor Greg Laurie directs a special word of encouragement to young people: God has a plan for your life. 

Notes

Whatever you’re going through, it’s going to be OK. 

What you go through isn’t meant to destroy you but to develop you.

“We comfort with the same comfort we are comforted with.” —2 Corinthians 1:4

You are loved and wanted by more people than you could ever imagine.

God’s plan and purpose for you is good!

Put God first in your life.

Read the Bible every day.

“Study to show yourself approved unto God.” —2 Timothy 2:15

Success or failure in the Christian life is determined by how much of the Bible you get into your life on a daily basis and how obedient you are to it.

Stop worrying and start praying.

Worry can ruin your day, your week, and even your life if you let it.

Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength.

Give your worries to Jesus Christ.

God is in control of your life.

Have an attitude of gratitude.

Job thanked God, despite his difficulties.

Live with honesty and integrity.

Character over charisma.

“If I take care of my character, God will take care of my reputation.” —D. L. Moody

Marry the right person.

Find someone Godlier than you.

Wedlock should be a padlock.

Eight words you should say to your spouse every day:

“I’m sorry,” “please forgive me,” and “I love you.”

 Tell those you love that you love them.

Keep short accounts and forgive.

Forgiveness is not about absolving the perpetrator; it’s about healing the victim.

“Forgiveness isn’t giving in to another person; it’s getting free of that person.” —Frederic Luskin, Director of the Stanford Forgiveness Project

Be a nice person.

Be an encourager, not a discourager; lift people up, don’t beat them down!

Have fun.

Be a generous person.

Three things we can give to God: Time, talent, and treasure.

Take care of your health.

Make the right choices.

You make your choices, and then your choices make you.

Tell others about Jesus, and then disciple them.

Spend time with older Godly people.

Finish your race well.

“Hold the course!” —Pastor Chuck Smith

Come to or come back to Jesus right now.

Scripture Referenced

• Jeremiah 29:11
• Matthew 6:33
• Philippians 4:6–7
• 1 Peter 5:7
• Psalm 101:2
• Ephesians 4:32
• Ephesians 4:31
• 1 Timothy 4:8
• 2 Timothy 2:2

---

This podcast is supported by the generosity of our Harvest Partners.

Support the show: https://harvest.org/support

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this concise but classic interview, Greg Laurie hears the story of Bethany Hamilton. She describes how God brought her through a traumatic experience and gave her a platform to share her life story and her faith in Jesus Christ. This interview originally took place at a past SoCal Harvest event. 

In a single moment, professional surfer Bethany Hamilton's life was changed forever when a shark bit off her left arm. Her life could have ended, but God had other plans for her. Join Pastor Greg for this monumental interview about the miracles of God and how he can use us, no matter what.

Learn more about Bethany Hamilton at https://bethanyhamilton.com/

---

Learn more about Greg Laurie and Harvest Ministries at harvest.org.

This podcast is supported by the generosity of our Harvest Partners.

Support the show: https://bit.ly/anbsupport

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s a lot we don’t know about gravity. It’s a bit mysterious. But we know better than to fight against it, or jump off a building claiming it doesn’t exist. Some people find something mysterious about God and suddenly want to question His motives, or even His existence. Our finite mind won’t always understand the infinite mind of God. Today on A NEW BEGINNING, Pastor Greg Laurie tackles one of the questions people ask most often. It’s part of the series called “Life” from the Gospel of John.

View and subscribe to Pastor Greg’s weekly notes.

---

Learn more and subscribe to Harvest updates at harvest.org.

A New Beginning is the daily half-hour program hosted by Greg Laurie, pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Southern California. For over 30 years, Pastor Greg and Harvest Ministries have endeavored to know God and make Him known through media and large-scale evangelism. This podcast is supported by the generosity of our Harvest Partners.

Support the show: https://bit.ly/anbsupport

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.