Patience is more than just a virtue... it's a necessity for our walk with the Lord. Partly because He is Divinely Patient, and we are made in His image; and partly because, on this side of heaven, our experience of time as 'linear' means there is a natural process that things go through to grow. The Father, the Master Gardener, knows exactly what it takes to have a healthy and bountiful crop - so when He tells us in James 5:7-8 to be patient as a farmer, waiting for the precious crop to receive the early and the late rains, it's because He knows that's how best to make His Word shine through us.

Verses:

James 5:7-8

Isaiah 28:24 when a farmer plows for planting, does he plow continually?

Matthew 7:13 the 'broad' way

Ezekiel 47:12 Trees along the river, water from the Source

Matthew 6:33 seek the first the Kingdom

Isaiah 43:19 I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert

Proverbs 12:28 in the path of righteousness is life, and its pathway there is no death

Proverbs 3:5-6 lean not to your own understanding

Isaiah 55:8-9 for My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways

Psalm 35:27 great is the Lord who delights in the prosperity of His servants

Psalm 27:13  I remain confident of this I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living

Revelation 7:9-15 The great multitude in White Robes

When you first start learning a subject, it's often necessary that someone who knows more than you will simplify and distill the information in a way that helps you grasp the concepts. As you learn more, you can 'handle' more and more fullness of that knowledge/information.

As Sons of God, we are no different - He gives us tutors, governors, preachers, teachers, and elders to help meet us where we're at, so that we can move closer to where He is. Yet all too often, we rely on secondhand learning; in this episode, we discuss the importance of diving into the Word - specifically the Old Testament - for yourself, alongside Spirit.

Verses:

Colossians 3:10 "renewed into the likeness of the One who created you"

Joshua 1:8

2 Peter 1:3

Ephesians 1:3

Galatians 1

Romans 3:21

John 14:12

Philippians 3:8

John 5:39

Exodus 33:18, 1 Kings 19:11

"The Lord has sworn, and will not change his mind, 'You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.' "

What does it mean to be a Priest in the Order of Melchizedek? How is this different than the priestly lineage that God set up through Aaron and the Levites? Who even is Melchizedek?

We answer these questions - and what they mean for us practically - on today's episode.

Verses:

Genesis 14:17-20

Psalm 110:4

Hebrews 5:6, Chapters 5,6,7

Revelation 16

Psalm 85:10

We continue our discussion about how Paul's letter to the Ephesians is one of the more 'advanced' letters in the New Testament. You can tell that he's speaking to a mature church, to believers who have truly implemented the teachings and lifestyle that was introduced to them through the followers of Christ. Because of this, his words speak to our approach, mindset, and 'playbook' for growing up in the Spirit and becoming more mature ourselves. It is intended to call us even higher than we may think possible in our lives and in the world: "to the measure of the full stature of Christ"...

Deuteronomy 30:19 – choose life or death, choose life!

Galatians 2:17

Philippians 2:6 – He emptied Himself taking on the form of a slave, becoming the likeness of men

Matthew 20:28 – For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and give His life as a ransom for many

Alan Watts Quote – "Instead of going around like a dry sponge, trying to be moistened by the outside world... you go around just watering everything you see."

Ezekiel 47 – Life Giving River

Proverbs 3:5-8 – "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding"

Isaiah 12:5-6 – "for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel"

Matthew 12:30-31 & 22:39 – Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength, and love your neighbor as yourself

Isaiah 7:15 – "He shall eat curds and honey by the time he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good"

Matthew 7:3:5 – "Let me take the speck out of your eye – when there is a plank in your own eye"

John 8:11 – "Neither do I condemn you..."

Paul's letter to the Ephesians is one of the more 'advanced' letters in the New Testament. You can tell that he's speaking to a mature church, to believers who have truly implemented the teachings and lifestyle that was introduced to them through the followers of Christ. Because of this, his words speak to our approach, mindset, and 'playbook' for growing up in the Spirit and becoming more mature ourselves. It is intended to call us even higher than we may think possible in our lives and in the world: "to the measure of the full stature of Christ"...

Verses:

Ephesians 4

John 14

Colossians 3:23-24

2 Peter 1:3

In Philippians 4, Paul introduces us to the idea that God's Peace is a "peace that surpasses all understanding". In this episode, we discuss God's Shalom peace, and how it has the power to transcend any circumstances or external events that would attempt to rob you of, or pull you out of, that peace. We also look at the practical nature of this peace - it isn't something you just 'should' feel, but something that is on offer to all who call on His name... For as Jesus said in John 14: "Peace I leave with you, My Peace I give to you..."

Verses:

Philippians 4:7

John 14:27

Romans 14:17

Isaiah 26:3-4

Galatians 5:22 (Fruit of the Spirit)

Righteousness isn't a behavior standard - it's quite literally the standing of the Father, and it's where He's invited you to stand, live, and operate from. In this episode, we discuss how many of the patriarchs and patron saints of the Church don't necessarily display righteousness in their initial actions, but how 'Standing Up' another time after what they've done it what makes room for God's Grace and Righteousness to flood in.

Interestingly, in Hebrew, the letter 'Mem' is represented by the number 40, and it stands for trial, adversity. So for our 40th episode, we wanted to talk about how walking with God does not exempt you from trial – in fact, it often means the opposite. But like Jesus' 40 days of fasting and temptation, He teaches us that standing up during these times of adversity are how righteousness can take deep root in our heart, mind, and life.

Verses:

Proverbs 24:16

Righteous man has AMMO – Affirmations, Mantras, Metaphors, Outlooks

David – Psalm 51, 2 Samuel 11 & 12

Abraham – Gen 12-22; & Romans 4:22

Adam – Genesis 1

Moses – Exodus 32

Peter – Luke 22:54-62; John 21:15

Paul – Romans 5:7-9 "Rarely will anyone die for a righteous man..."

How do you come to trust God no matter the circumstances? How do you have faith despite how things look on the outside, or feel on the inside?

In this episode we discuss how the Lord wants you to have experiential knowledge of Him, not just intellectual. He wants you to "taste and see that the Lord is good" !

Verses:

Psalm 34:8, "O taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed are those who take refuge in Him."

John 6:35, "I am the bread of life"

Psalm 27:14: "Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord". 

1 Corinthians 13 – "Love is" vs. "Love isn't"

Matthew 13:45-4 - Pearl of Great Price (meaning)

Hebrews 12:2, Fix your eyes on Jesus

Psalm 32:8, "I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you."

John 17 – One with Him

We take a deep dive into different examples and iterations of 'Passover' in both the Old and New Testament, as well as what the Passover represents - to God, and to us. There was the First Passover in Exodus, then 'The Great Passover' mentioned in 2 Chronicles... now "Come and see" why we are currently living in the age of the Greatest and Final Passover!

Verses:

Exodus 12:13,14 – the First Passover

2 Chronincles 30, verse 17 – the Great Passover

Isaiah 61 (& Luke 4:18) – the Final Passover

Revelation 7:9, 7:14 – the result of the Final Passover

The Great Exchange – 1 Peter 2:9, 2 Peter 1:3

Peter’s Denial arc:

'Mastery' isn't a single destination or an arrival point - it's a lifestyle. A mindset. An approach.

When it comes the Lord and His teachings, nothing is ever a 'singular' lesson, unrelated to His Word on whole. As He tells us in Isaiah, it is, "Precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little, there a little" - and this is the case whether you are just learning something for the first time, or learning it on an infinitely deeper level than you would've thought possible.

Verses:

Isaiah 28:10, 13

Luke 10:25-37, Parable of the Good Samaritan

Joshua 1:8 & Psalm 1:2, meditate on the word day and night

James 1:22-25, 'doers' of the word

Romans 10, not earning righteousness, but living from it