Growing In God with Gary Hargrave

Growing In God Podcast

Program Number: GIG #315

Air Date: 8/19/2026

Title: Our Maturity Triggers the Harvest

Web Description: In the end-time, how will evil be exposed and uprooted from the earth? Will it happen because we are focused on what satan is doing and fighting what he is bringing forth? Not according to Christ's parables of the end-time. The tares planted by satan are removed when the wheat planted by God matures. Evil is removed when we, who were born by the seed of God's Word, grow into our maturity as sons of God.

Show Notes: Islam is expanding and exerting control in Europe, with many areas under Sharia law. But this has been happening in the United States as well. Using our constitutional freedom of religion, Islamic centers continue to expand their influence in regions, working to impose rules of society that are contrary to the liberties assured by our constitution and to our Judeo-Christan values. This and the many woke agendas that are undermining our society operate behind a smokescreen of satanic deception. We must not be clouded and confused by the smokescreen but instead be those who bring the evil to light so God can judge it.

How do we do that? The answer is in the parable of the wheat and the tares. According to this parable, evil is exposed when the sons of God bear fruit. We are the good seed that God has sown in the earth, and we begin to grow. And the evil seed sown by the enemy is growing alongside us. But there is no clear distinction between us and the evil in the world until we become fruitful. And so our focus should be on our growing, maturing in God, taking on the fullness of His likeness, and moving in the things of God. This is what brings real solutions because it is the only thing that exposes evil and initiates the removal of that evil by the Lord.

The maturity we need is explained in another parable. The Parable of the Sower describes the Word of God as the seed sown on various types of soil. The good soil that bears fruit is compared to the one who hears the Word and understands it. We are to grow in understanding until we can cut through the confusion that is currently clouding people's ability to make the right decisions for their lives. God is not confused, and the Scriptures tell us that He will give understanding to His people, so they can walk in a clarity of knowing what to do and how to do it. When we possess this understanding in our full maturity as sons of God, the tares will be removed, and wickedness will be pulled from the earth.

Key Verses:

• Matthew 13:24–30. "When the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also."

• Genesis 1:31. "God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good."

• John 4:35. "Lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest."

• Matthew 13:18–23. "This is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit."

• Ephesians 4:13. "Until we all attain … to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ."

• Daniel 12:8–10. "None of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand."

• Ephesians 5:17. "Do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is."

• Proverbs 2:1–11. "The LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding."

• Proverbs 4:5. "Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding!"

• Psalm 33:15. "He who fashions the hearts of them all … understands all their works."

• 1 Corinthians 14:33. "God is not a God of confusion."

Quotes:

• "We in our hearts are oriented to a purpose to see God's Kingdom come into this physical earth where Christ rules and reigns as King and sits on the throne of David to accomplish that."

• "I want to have us come into a clarity, out of the fog, out of the confusion, and be able to move in what God wants us to do."

• "We need to be praying for the Body of Christ to come to this fullness of what we're supposed to do. We're supposed to grow up in all ways into the likeness of Christ."

Takeaways:

1. Satan likes to hide what he is doing in a fog, clouding the issues to bring confusion. But we are not to be confused about what our focus should be and how we should intercede.

2. Evil needs to be exposed. But that does not happen because we focus on the negative. The tares are removed when the wheat matures. And as the wheat that was planted by the Lord, our focus must be on our maturing in Christ.

3. One of the most important things we need in our maturity is understanding. We need the understanding of the Word that brings clarity and direction for our prayers and for the things we are to act on.

Growing In God Podcast

Program Number: GIG #314

Title: He Has Committed to Us Reconciliation

Web Description: When we are reconciled to God through Christ, we are brought into God's plan for the earth. And God's plan is that all the people of the earth will be reconciled to Him. That is why He gives us the ministry of reconciliation. Our personal salvation makes us part of God's holy Kingdom of priests who minister to others the reconciliation that He provided for all by the sacrifice of His Son.

Show Notes: We can see God's heart for the world in His relationship with Israel. When God brought them forth as a nation, He told them to be a kingdom of priests. And what is the purpose of being a kingdom of priests? It is to minister to all the nations of the earth. As Christians who have been grafted into the covenant and promises of Israel, we share in this same purpose to be a kingdom of priests. As our High Priest, Christ reconciled us to God by His blood. This ministry of reconciliation is how a priest functions. And when we receive Christ, we also receive the ministry of reconciliation.

We miss this aspect when we focus only on our personal salvation. God commanded Israel to be a kingdom of priests, but He also told them to be a holy nation. You cannot have one without the other. God wanted Israel to be holy so that they could serve as His priesthood that would minister to the nations. The same is true of our salvation. When God saves us, He forgives our sins. But that does not mean we are supposed to do nothing except sit around and be forgiven. We are forgiven and cleansed of our sins so that we can be the priests who serve Him in His presence.

If we truly are concerned about what is going on in the world today, then it must be real to us that God wants salvation for all mankind. We are not here to be caught up in the hostility of this age that pits one nation or people or individual against another. We must be those who stand in the presence of the Father and contend with Him, by the sacrifice of His Son for all the world, that everyone in this age will be reconciled to Him. If we are Christians, then we have become His royal priesthood. We have become His priests with the ministry of reconciliation for the nations.

Key Verses:

• Exodus 19:5–6. "You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation."

• Revelation 1:4–6. "He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father."

• Revelation 5:9–10. "You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God."

• Romans 11:17. "You … were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree."

• Genesis 12:3. "In you all the families of the earth will be blessed."

• 2 Corinthians 5:18–20. "God … reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation."

• 1 Timothy 2:1–6. "God our Savior … desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth."

• 2 Peter 3:9. "The Lord is … patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance."

• Isaiah 60:10–12. "Foreigners will build up your walls, and their kings will minister to you."

• John 3:15–17. "God did not send the Son … to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him."

Quotes:

• "There's a fulfillment of the promise to Abraham in that all the nations now are being included. And you know what? God has made you also, like Israel, to be a kingdom and priests unto God."

• "The purpose of the Church is that it become the priesthood of God ministering in the earth."

• "For people to die in judgment means that they became part of satan's kingdom. I don't like that. I don't want him to have anybody in his kingdom. I want all to come to the understanding and the knowledge of the salvation that the Father has given us through His Son."

Takeaways:

1. Our personal salvation is not an end in itself. It is what enables us to stand in His presence so that we can function as His priests.

2. We have been reconciled to God in order to enter His Kingdom as the priests who will minister His reconciliation to all the nations.

3. Let us contend with God that He exercise His true heart for the world that all people come to Him, be saved, and be part of His Kingdom.

Growing In God Podcast

Program Number: GIG #313

Title: Before the Foundation of the World

Web Description: At the Lord's Supper, we are to examine ourselves and judge ourselves rightly. But are we actually doing that when we focus on digging up every negative thing in our flesh? We need to view our flesh according to all that we are in Christ. We operate from the heavenly realm, not from the fleshly realm, and His power is in us to fulfill what He sent us in the flesh to do.

Show Notes: The apostle Paul wrote concerning the Lord's Supper that we should examine ourselves. But does that mean we focus only on the negative things of the flesh? If we examine ourselves, we should also see that we are not of this world just as Christ is not of this world. We should see that He sent us into this world just as the Father sent Him. We should see that we are the ones God chose before the foundation of the world to be with Him, to be in His image, to be in His likeness, to be filled up to His fullness.

It is important that we see ourselves correctly in relation to the flesh. Christ took on a physical body to minister to this world, and we have a fleshly body for that same purpose. He came in the flesh to be the firstborn among many brethren. That means we share in His sufferings in the flesh, but we also share in all that He is spiritually. This is the perspective Paul had when he instructed us to examine ourselves. Paul had not known Christ in the flesh. He only knew Christ as He is to us now in resurrection life at the right hand of the Father.

We examine ourselves according to that perspective. That means understanding the purpose for which God created us before the foundation of the world and sent us into the world to fulfill. That means understanding that Christ came in the flesh to die to the flesh and remove the flesh nature from us. That means understanding that we are with Him in the heavenly places, functioning in this world from that place of authority in the power of His resurrection. When we come before the Lord at the Communion table, let us do it in remembrance of all that He is to us and all that He predestined us to be.

Key Verses:

• 1 Corinthians 11:23–30. "He … eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly."

• John 12:26. "Where I am, there My servant will be also."

• John 17:13–18. "As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world."

• Romans 8:26–39. "Those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son."

• Ephesians 1:2–11. "He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world."

• Philippians 3:20. "Our citizenship is in heaven."

Quotes:

• "The Communion should be an experience that takes us back to the understanding of who we are because we are examining that reality in detail."

• "We were foreknown by Him. But to be put into the image of Christ, it was necessary that we go through this time being in a human body because that is the image of Christ."

• "Our eternity started before we landed in this realm of the material world, before we were born into this fleshly body."

Takeaways:

1. Paul's perspective was not from his experience with Christ in the flesh on the earth but from his experience with the resurrected Christ in the heavenly places at the right hand of the Father.

2. It is from this perspective that he told us to examine ourselves, not negatively according to the flesh, but according to what Christ is, what He has done, and what He is doing in us.

3. Just as we share in the flesh with Christ, we also share in the power of His resurrection and victory over the flesh.

4. Judging ourselves rightly means we are seeing ourselves as those predestined by God before the foundation of the world to be conformed to the image of His Son.

Growing In God Podcast

Program Number: GIG #312

Title: Our Prayer for Our Nations

Web Description: Daniel's prayer for Israel while they were in captivity is not simply a historical story. It is an example for us to follow. Just as Israel ignored the warnings from God that led to Jerusalem's destruction, the nations today are ignoring the abundant warnings in the Scriptures about the destruction set to happen in our day. It is time that we follow Daniel's example of seeking God, asking His forgiveness, and praying for His blessing to be on our nations.

Show Notes: The United States of America has enjoyed tremendous blessings since its founding. And we celebrate those blessings every July 4th. But even more than that, we celebrate the fact that God was involved with our founding. This nation began because people were seeking God and acknowledging Him in its formation. But we must do more than remember what great things God did in the founding of this country. We need to be walking with Him today in such a way that the blessings, the gifts, and the peace that we have experienced in this country will continue.

This applies to all nations; and Christians everywhere need to be seeking God that His covering and blessings will rest on their nations. A great example of this from the Scriptures is Daniel. Daniel was very concerned about his nation, the nation of Israel, and he prayed, "Open shame belongs to us, O Lord, to our kings, our princes and our fathers, because we have sinned against You." When we look at all that is turning our own nation away from God and away from the values that are the source of the blessings we enjoy, we should feel a deep personal shame and seek God as Daniel did.

Daniel walked uprightly before the Lord and had not done any of the things God was judging Israel for. Yet he humbled himself and accepted responsibility along with all Israel for the situation they were in. As Christians we cannot exclude ourselves from responsibility for our country. Let us evaluate our own hearts and minds. Let us lift our own thinking and ways of acting before the Lord for Him to examine. Let us be honest with ourselves about why we are in the circumstances today that are troubling the nations. Those circumstances are God's way to get us to turn to Him. Let us turn to Him with all our hearts and seek Him for His blessings to be restored to us.

Key Verses:

• Daniel 9:2–12. "Open shame belongs to us … because we have sinned against You."

• Psalm 132:14. "This is My resting place forever; Here I will dwell, for I have desired it."

• 2 Chronicles 7:16. "My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually."

• Daniel 9:16–22. "For Your sake, O Lord, let Your face shine on Your desolate sanctuary."

Quotes:

• "I wish we as a global community of the Body of Christ would seek God on behalf of all our nations."

• "God so loved the world and He so loved mankind that He's bringing about an opportunity of grace for us to cry out to Him and find deliverance through Him."

• "If we get instruction and answers from God, let us not this time harden our hearts. Let us not at this time close our ears and our minds to what His Word is speaking to us. And let's believe that He brings, in this generation, the insight and the understanding that will, by His grace, bring deliverance to this age."

Takeaways:

1. We should be those who acknowledge our own responsibility for whatever direction our nation is going and whatever troubles it finds itself in. And we should be seeking God for our nation to return to Him and see His blessings return to us.

2. Let us not follow the example of those who ignored the warnings, hardened their hearts, and turned away from the prophets and the Word God was speaking. Instead, let us follow Daniel's example of admitting our guilt and seeking God for His grace and forgiveness.

3. We need to change the atmosphere of anger in this country. The drive to not listen, to not learn, to not love, but rather to hurt one another leads to violence. And violence will beget violence until we find ourselves on the brink of civil war once again.

Growing In God Podcast

Program Number: GIG #311

Title: The Fast of Tisha B'Av

Web Description: The fast of Tisha B'Av this year will be another time of fasting and mourning for the Jewish people. But also this year there are many who cry out as the comforters of God's people—who speak kindly to Jerusalem, and who voice in faith the Words of the Lord that prophesy the rebuilding of the city and the reestablishment of the fortunes of Jacob.

Show Notes: The fast of Tisha B'Av is observed on the ninth day of the month of Av, which in 2026 begins at sundown on July 22 and ends at sundown on July 23. Tisha B'Av is a fast of mourning for the tragic events in Jewish history occurring on the ninth of Av, but primarily for the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem. The prophecies of Yeshua (Jesus) concerning the destruction of the Second Temple, which are recorded in Matthew 24 and Luke 21, are applicable to this fast.

As Christians we need to see how specific these prophecies are to Jerusalem and to Israel. And it is important that we observe this time with the Jewish people because we have a purpose to fulfill. That purpose, as we read in Isaiah 40, is to comfort God's people. With that purpose in mind, how do we pray for Israel and the Jewish people at this time when they are suffering so much from war and the threat of war? We pray for God's promises of restoration to be fulfilled.

God's promise through Zechariah is that the times of fasting will be replaced by feasts of joy and that the nations will not return to Jerusalem with sword and spear but will go up to the house of the Lord. Also Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Amos prophesied that the fortunes of Israel and Judah will be restored. We step up to be those who speak kindly to Jerusalem, who comfort God's people, who declare that God will restore their fortunes today.

Key Verses:

• Luke 21:5–9. "See to it that you are not misled."

• Matthew 24:1–6. "See to it that no one misleads you."

• Luke 21:24–28. "Straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."

• Isaiah 40:1–2. "'Comfort, O comfort My people,' says your God. 'Speak kindly to Jerusalem.'"

• Zechariah 8:18–23. "The fast … will become joy, gladness, and cheerful feasts."

• Isaiah 41:8–14. "Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God."

• Isaiah 61:1–4. "The LORD has anointed me … to comfort all who mourn."

• Ezekiel 39:25–29. "I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and have mercy on the whole house of Israel."

• Amos 9:13–15. "I will restore the captivity of My people Israel."

• Jeremiah 30:15–20. "I will restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob."

• Jeremiah 33:7–9. "I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel."

Quotes:

• "Many say, 'Oh, you know, we have been hearing of wars and rumors of wars around the world forever.' Well, He is not necessarily addressing rumors of wars around the world. He is talking about the destruction of the Temple. He is talking about events that are going to happen in Jerusalem"

• "When these things begin, then you're to take a certain position, which is that you're to stand up. You're to lift up your head because your redemption draws near."

• "It's so easy to look around in this time of mourning to anxiously wonder what will happen. What will tomorrow bring? What are the days ahead going to be like? But He says, 'Do not anxiously look about you for I am your God.'"

Takeaways:

1. Tisha B'Av is a time of fasting and mourning for the destruction of the Temple. And this is specifically what Yeshua's prophecies of the end-time are about, as we read in Matthew 24 and Luke 21. We generally apply His prophecies to events taking place in the world. But He was speaking of events that will happen in Jerusalem, on the Temple Mount, and in Israel.

2. When we see these things happening, as we are seeing them in Israel today, we are not to be focused on those events. We are to look up. We are to reach into the heavenly places to be focused on God and on Christ and on what they are doing to bring forth the Kingdom.

3. The command in Isaiah 40 is directed to Gentiles. We are to comfort God's people and speak kindly to Jerusalem. In our prayer and intercession, we need to declare God's promises of restoration to Judah and Israel.

Growing In God Podcast

Program Number: GIG #310

Title: Are You Willing?

Web Description: What is a sign? A sign tells us something. And when the families of Israel killed the lamb at the Passover, the blood they put on their doorposts was a sign. It told God that they had heard His Word, and they were willing to walk out of Egypt to be His people. Let our response to God be a sign to Him that we are willing to walk in His Word.

Show Notes: We often talk about signs in the Bible in the context of signs and wonders, connecting the idea of a sign with a wonder or a miracle performed by God. This was certainly true about the plagues of Egypt leading up to the Passover. But at the Passover, God told the children of Israel that the lamb's blood they put on their doorposts would be a sign. While the plagues were a sign from God to the Egyptians, the blood that the families of Israel put on their doors was a sign from Israel to God.

The purpose of a sign is to provide information. A street sign, for example, gives you information about the road ahead of you. What information did the sign of blood on a doorpost provide? That sign on a home informed God that the people inside had prepared the lamb and were ready to leave Egypt as He instructed. It was a sign that the home was to be protected, and the people were to be saved. But it was their initiative to apply the blood according to the Lord's command. Otherwise, they would not have been spared from the final plague that came on Egypt.

God had spoken to the children of Israel, and He was expecting a sign from them to show Him that they were walking in His Word. We too have heard Words from God, and He is looking for a sign from us. What sign can we give Him? The sign Abraham gave God was to walk out, leaving everything behind, just as God told him to do. He physically responded to God's Word. And we should not over-spiritualize what we have received from the Lord. As we move forward in these days, let us give God a sign with our lives that says, "We are moving in obedience to the Word You have spoken to us over all these years."

Key Verses:

• Exodus 12:12–22. "The blood shall be a sign; … when I see the blood I will pass over you."

• Samuel 3:10. "Speak, for Your servant is listening."

• Hebrews 4:12. "The word of God is living and active."

• Revelation 12:6–11. "They overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb."

• Exodus 1:22. "Every son who is born you are to cast into the Nile."

Quotes:

• "This sign was a sign from Israel to God. It was on the outside of the door where God could read it. It was each family that came and put the blood on the doorpost so that God could read, 'I am one of Your people.'"

• "God has done so much for us, and He has given us His Word. He has spoken to us. He's given us instructions. He's given us the warnings. He's given us His signs of what is going to take place. But there is this moment in Pesach where we must respond to Him with a sign."

• "Let's post our sign on the highway of the Kingdom and say, 'Here we are, Lord. We're coming into an obedience and into a walk in all that you have already spoken and given to us.'"

Takeaways:

1. The blood on their doorposts was a sign from the children of Israel to God that they were willing to walk out of Egypt and be His people.

2. Like the children of Israel, Abraham walked away from everything he knew into an uncertain future as a sign to God that he was willing to be what God wanted Him to be.

3. We partake of the provision of Christ and put His blood afresh on the doorposts of our hearts as a sign to God that we are here to walk, like Abraham, in everything the Lord has spoken to us.

Growing In God Podcast

Program Number: GIG #309

Title: Know God's Love for You

Web Description: Ephesians 3 tells us to "know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge." Above everything you know, God wants you to know how great His love is for you. Do not let any other knowledge take priority—whether it is about your problems, about religion, about doctrines, or about anything else in the world—over knowing God's love. Take down your walls to Him and let His love touch your heart.

Show Notes:

At Hargrave Ministries the purpose of our solidarity trips and our giving to Israel is simple. We are showing love to the Jewish people. We are not trying to convert them to Christianity; we are expressing the love of Christ. But while we do that, are we feeling the love of Christ for ourselves? The truth is that we need to be much more aware of His love for us. How do we give to others what we ourselves do not have? To minister love to others, we must open our hearts more fully to the depth of the Lord's love for us.

Christianity should not be a religion. It should not be theology or customs and rituals. It should be a life-changing revelation of the love God has for us. The power of His love can overwhelm every problem that we have, every need that we have, everything about this life and what this world is going through. God's love is a love beyond words, a love that is inexpressible, and yet we must find a way to express it. And I think the only way it can be expressed is if we are overwhelmed by it. Therefore, we must remove from our hearts anything that separates us, shields us, or lessens our awareness of His great love.

God's love is beyond our personal issues, beyond religion, beyond doctrines, beyond denominations, beyond all these things that are like walls preventing us from knowing the full depth of His love. Whatever awareness of His love we have now is still not to the depth He is looking for. That is what God wants for us as we minister to Israel. It is His hope that we will know Christ's love for us and come to know the full depth of God's love for the world, which is in Christ and through Christ.

Key Verses:

• 1 John 4:19. "We love, because He first loved us."

• John 3:16. "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son."

• Deuteronomy 4:37. "Because He loved your fathers, … He personally brought you from Egypt by His great power."

• Deuteronomy 7:6–8. "The LORD loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers."

• Ephesians 3:14–19. "Being rooted and grounded in love, … know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge."

• 2 Corinthians 5:14–20. "The love of Christ controls us."

Quotes:

• "There is nothing more powerful than the love of God."

• "God so loved the world that He gave to the world His Son. Why? So that His Son would make people aware of the Father's love for them on every level, from every nation, every tongue, every belief system."

• "Christ opened the door to reconcile us to the Father. What does that mean? It means that we're reconciled to the love that God has for us and to the place where we should be just speechless over that level of love."

Takeaways:

1. The more we give love to others, the more we realize our need to be aware of God's love for us. Let us reach into His love.

2. People who have had a near death experience describe being overwhelmed by God's love for them. But we should be overwhelmed by God's love every day. Let us take our walls down to His love.

3. God's love is beyond comprehension. That means it supersedes whatever concepts we have, whatever beliefs we have. Let us appropriate a deeper revelation of His love.

Growing In God Podcast

Program Number: GIG #308

Title: Blood That Cries to God From the Ground

Web Description: If you want God to hear your prayers, then remember that there is nothing God hears more than the blood that cries to Him from the ground. The cry from the spilled blood of those who gave their lives for God is still rising up to Him from the earth. We join with their cry to see the full redemption by the blood of Christ that removes the pollution and futility that was imposed on the earth by man's shedding of innocent blood.

Show Notes: Memorial Day is a time to remember those who gave their lives in service to our country. But we should have a daily gratitude in our hearts for the ones who paid the ultimate price for the freedoms we enjoy. Those freedoms were secured by the blood of men and women who fought and died to preserve this country that was dedicated in its foundations to God. And the tragedy today is that the love for this country is being eroded away. It is appalling to see so many who are tearing down our nation and tearing down what it stands for. They are literally spitting on the blood of those who died for this nation to exist.

God said to Cain, who had murdered his brother Abel, "Your brother's blood is crying to Me from the ground." And there is a cry going up from those whose blood was spilled fighting for this country. They may be dead, but they are still praying. Their blood is crying out to God from the ground. It is crying out to see the purpose for which they gave their lives fulfilled. They gave their lives for a vision. And that vision is that the United States of America would be a righteous nation that does the will of God in the earth.

We know that our personal salvation comes from the shedding of Christ's blood. But we also know the ground was cursed when it received Abel's blood at Cain's hand. And the Scriptures tell us that the land is polluted by bloodshed. So the blood of Christ was also spilled on this earth to cleanse it of the pollution and the curse that began with the blood shed by Cain. Even in His agony before the cross, His sweat fell as drops of blood on the ground. The greatest way we can pray for our country today is to join our hearts with this cry of the blood that is going up to God. God hears that cry, and He will bring justice because of it.

Key Verses:

• Romans 5:6–8. "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

• John 15:12–14. "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends."

• John 10:11–15. "The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep."

• Genesis 4:8–12. "The voice of your brother's blood is crying to Me from the ground."

• Luke 22:39–44. "His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground."

• Genesis 9:3–6. "Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed."

• Numbers 35:33–34. "You shall not pollute the land in which you are; for blood pollutes the land."

• Deuteronomy 21:6–9. "You shall remove the guilt of innocent blood from your midst."

• Revelation 6:9–11. "How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood?"

Quotes:

• "If you're going to criticize this country, if you're going to tear down the symbols and statues of heroes who have given their life and stood to create this country, the first question before you start speaking under these liberties should be, 'Are you willing to spill your blood for it to survive or are you just tearing it down?'"

• "You can look for weather patterns and this and that and explain the change in the earth and all that's going on. But if you really want to see where it comes from, it's the cry of the blood. It's the earth refusing to be a partner with that which is spilling the blood on the earth."

• "We need to pray for the land. We need to pray for this nation as the ground that God has given us that is bound by futility because it has received the pollution that comes from the blood being spilled upon it."

Takeaways:

1. When we talk about Memorial Day, we are talking about those who have given their lives for this country. There must be a daily remembering of those who paid the ultimate price of death for the principles of freedom, of faith, and of knowing that this country was dedicated to God.

2. God never forgets the spilled blood of Abel that is crying out to Him. If we believe God hears our prayers for this country, how much more is God hearing the cry of the blood of our brothers and sisters that was spilled for the vision of this country?

3. The land is polluted, and the nations are oppressed under the futility of the earth caused by the spilling of blood. Our redemption by the blood of Christ must result in the release of the earth from the futility and pollution that man's bloodshed has brought to God's creation.

Growing In God Podcast

Program Number: GIG #307

Title: Don't Battle Flesh and Blood

Web Description: As Christians we are not to be like those who do not understand what is happening in the world and are helpless to do anything about it. Instead, we must separate ourselves from the influence of this world and deal with the spiritual causes that are actually influencing it, just as Christ did in His ministry.

Show Notes:

We live in an era of anger, rage, outrage, and division. It is what we are fed every day in the media. We are continually bombarded by social media with content that is keyed to polarizing our society, our lives, and our hearts. It is dangerous because it motivates people to take negative and destructive actions. It is a serious problem that we as Christians need to be better equipped to deal with. We need to recognize that all this hatred and violence occurring between people is not just rooted in human thoughts and actions; it is being driven by spiritual forces.

The Gospel of Mark gives an account of a man who was continually screaming and cutting himself with stones, and no one could restrain him because he would break their shackles to pieces. Yet after Yeshua (Jesus) cast the demonic spirits out of him, he was seen sitting calmly and in his right mind. Clearly, when Yeshua delivered this man from the spiritual forces that had possessed him, his violent behavior stopped. Delivering people from the effects of demonic power was central to Christ's ministry. But we today consider ourselves too educated and scientific to believe in things like demon possession or that the spirit world impacts human behavior.

That is not how we should be thinking as Christians. Yeshua did not deal with problems by reacting on a human level, but by dealing directly with the spirits behind the problems. Why are we not doing the same thing? One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is the discerning of spirits. As those who have the Holy Spirit, we should be able to discern the spirits behind what is taking place in the world around us. We should not be struggling with flesh and blood. We should have the discernment and authority as the Body of Christ to cast out the spiritual forces that are the real cause of the problems in the world.

Key Verses:

• Mark 5:1–18. "'Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!' … And he said to Him, 'My name is Legion; for we are many.'"

• 2 Corinthians 4:4. "The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving."

• John 12:31. "Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out."

• Revelation 12:12. "The devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time."

• 1 Corinthians 12:8–10. "To one is given … the distinguishing of spirits.

• Ephesians 6:10–13. "Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of wickedness."

• 2 Corinthians 10:3–4. "The weapons of our warfare are … divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses."

• Matthew 16:13–19. "Flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven."

Quotes:

• "I don't think we're simply supposed to pray and be throwing prayers up to heaven saying, "Oh, dear God, please change this; stop this." I think that we need to be a voice on this earth that is going to have the same authority that Christ had in order to end the demonic control."

• "We're not being moved by what Facebook says, by what YouTube says, by what the media says, by what the nightly news says. That is not what's moving us. But instead, we're moved by revelation, the revelation that comes from God the Father in heaven."

• "We cannot turn this battle into one against flesh and blood. We must see that it is ours as the Body of Christ to bind on earth that which has been bound in heaven and to see these forces that are holding humanity captive cast out once and for all."

Takeaways:

1. As Christians we are not supposed to be part of this age of outrage and spread division and polarization. Instead, we are supposed to spread the love of God, the oneness, and the truth of who we are as children of God, as God's creation.

2. The world thinks it is too smart to believe in the influence of spiritual forces, while at the same time accepting false beliefs and being driven by anger and violence.

3. As Christians we are to follow the example of Christ who did not deal with people's problems on a human level but dealt with the spiritual forces that were actually causing the problems.

Growing In God Podcast

Program Number: GIG #306

Title: The Oneness of Christians

Web Description: Is oneness among Christians just a nice idea that we cannot expect to see actually happen? No. According to Psalm 133, oneness is where the Lord commands eternal life. Jeshua (Jesus) prayed to the Father that we may all be one. Our oneness is already created by the Word of God, and we can fully expect it to be manifested within the Body of Christ.

Show Notes: In this podcast Silas Esteves talks about recent meetings he held with Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant ministers who gathered to pray for the oneness of Christians. Silas has been involved with the vision for oneness within the Body of Christ for years, conducting meetings with Christians from every denomination. This vision for oneness has been a major emphasis for our fellowship, and it is something we have been tested on. But we are determined to have faith that the Body of Christ will be one just as Christ and the Father are one.

We know it is not something we make happen by ourselves. It will take God and Christ, who is seated at God's right hand, by the power of the Holy Spirit to make this a reality. But a reality it will be. It is something that has already been created because Yeshua spoke it. Oneness was Yeshua's prayer to the Father, and the Father will absolutely fulfill it. Our oneness in Him is something that is finished. It is complete. And all we are doing by faith is watching the manifestation of it unfold.

This oneness is a key element in the manifestation of the Kingdom of God on the earth. The more we believe for oneness and declare it to be the reality for the Church, the more we challenge it to blossom into something that we see actively manifesting on this earth. It is in the atmosphere of oneness that the members of the Body of Christ minister the life of Christ to one another. It is in the atmosphere of oneness that we will see the manifestations of Christ's resurrection life. Let us continue to pray for the oneness of His Body to be our reality.

Key Verses:

• John 17:20–23. "The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one."

• Psalm 133:1–3. "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!"

Quotes:

• "Maybe this is a time when we are filled with the Holy Spirit, and we are drinking from the Lord, and the rivers of living waters will flow out."

• "Oneness is something really that is finished. It is complete. It was completed when the Father spoke it. It was completed when Yeshua spoke it, when the prayer was voiced."

• "If we really want to see a manifestation of life and resurrection, then it's going to be in an atmosphere where the oneness of His Body is our reality."

Takeaways:

1. Even though our oneness has been tested, we cannot let go of the faith that the Body of Christ will be one as Christ and the Father are one. This was the prayer of Christ to the Father. And the Father will not let that go until it is fulfilled.

2. We are not trying to create another World Council of Churches. We are taking steps toward the reality that the Body of Christ is one.

3. Psalm 133 tells us that oneness is where God commands eternal life. It is in the atmosphere of oneness where resurrection life manifests in the Body of Christ.