
Sign up to save your podcasts
Or


In this message from 1 Corinthians 7, Pastor J.D. walks us through Paul’s teaching on sex, singleness, and spiritual gifts. When it comes to marriage and singleness, it’s easy for us to get disoriented. Outside the church, marriage seems less and less important. But inside the church, it can sometimes be elevated to the status of idol! So how do we understand God’s design for both marriage and singleness? Simple: We follow the example of the Apostle Paul.
Jesus did not call His disciples to comfort—He called them to follow. In this powerful opening message, Dr. Michael Youssef challenges every believer to receive Christ’s call to become fishers of men.
From Matthew 4:19, Dr. Youssef warns against spiritual complacency and calls believers to reject fear, pride, and comfort. True discipleship is not casual interest in Jesus. It is complete surrender to His Lordship—leaving the familiar and stepping into obedience for the sake of the Gospel.
Just as Jesus called seasoned fishermen to a higher purpose, He still calls His people today to:
Christ’s call is clear. The question is whether we will obey.
Scripture Focus: Matthew 4:18–22
If today’s teaching stirred a question, burden, or need for prayer, you don’t have to walk through it alone.
Pastoral Care & Prayer Teams
Our trained prayer partners and pastoral care team are available to pray with you and offer Biblical support.
https://ltw.org/care
Receive personal answers to your faith questions—anytime, day or night—at:
https://myfaithassistant.com
If you’ve been blessed by this podcast, please consider a tax-deductible donation to help extend this ministry—so another person can be encouraged, prayed for, and pointed to Christ.
❤️ Support Leading The Way:
https://www.ltw.org/donate
When we think about sitting down, we might think that’s pretty relaxing. But if you’re sitting in traffic, not so much. If you’re sitting in the doctor’s office, you might be fearing bad news. Many are fearful sitting on an airplane. But is God feeling fear or tension as He sits on His throne? No. Today on A NEW BEGINNING, Pastor Greg Laurie helps us tap in to God’s state of mind through the power of prayer. He invites us to taste of the refreshing reassurance of a heavenly point of view.
Experience the Harvest Crusade on July 11 when you watch online!
—
Become a Harvest Partner today and join us in knowing God and making Him known through media and large-scale evangelism, our mission of over 30 years.
Explore more resources from Pastor Greg Laurie, including daily devotionals and blogs, designed to answer your spiritual questions and equip you to walk closely with Christ.
Support the show: https://bit.ly/anbsupport
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
"I don't want a divorce." For many people, that sentence comes long before the papers are signed. Vaneetha Risner, author of "This Was Never the Plan: Walking with God through the Heartache of Divorce", shares her journey through an unwanted divorce, the shame that often follows in Christian circles, and the struggle to trust God when life falls apart anyway. If you're tired of pretending you're fine—or carrying pain that feels impossible to explain—Vaneetha meets you there.
Show Notes and Resources
Learn more about Vaneetha and find her book "This Was Never the Plan: Walking With God Through the Heartache of Divorce" at vaneetha.com
Janelle Breitenstein’s 5-session video series on mom anger at familylife.com/momanger
See cru.org/us/en/about/privacy FamilyLife’s Privacy Policy
Psalm 92:14 says of the righteous, “They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green.”
That’s a beautiful picture of faithfulness across every season of life. And it gives us an important reminder: when it comes to retirement, Scripture invites us to think beyond escape.
For many people, retirement is pictured as the finish line. Work hard, save diligently, invest wisely, and one day you’ll finally arrive at a season of leisure—no alarm clocks, no deadlines, no demands.
And after decades of work, rest is a good gift. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a slower pace, spending more time with family, traveling, or having more flexibility in your schedule.
But Scripture gives us a deeper vision for our later years. Retirement may change the rhythm of our lives, but it does not end our calling as stewards.
Many people reach retirement and find themselves asking, “Now what?”
Without the familiar structure of work, the transition can feel surprisingly difficult. For years, your calendar, responsibilities, relationships, and even your sense of purpose may have been shaped by your vocation. When that changes, it can feel like something has been lost.
But in God’s kingdom, no season is wasted.
Retirement may bring changes in schedule, income, health, energy, and responsibility. But it also brings new opportunities to serve, invest in others, and bear fruit in ways that may not have been possible during busier working years.
That’s why the question is not simply “What am I retiring from?” The better question is, “What am I now free to do for the glory of God?”
We see a helpful picture of this in Numbers 8. The Levites were instructed to begin their service in the tabernacle at age 25 and then transition at age 50. But they didn’t stop serving altogether. They stepped back from certain forms of labor, but they continued to assist and minister to their brothers.
In other words, they didn’t retire from purpose. They moved from labor into legacy.
That’s a helpful way to think about our later years. As we age, certain types of work may no longer be possible. Energy changes. Capacity changes. Responsibilities change. But our purpose in God’s kingdom does not expire.
The same hands that once built, typed, managed, served, or led can now mentor, teach, encourage, pray, and support. The same heart that once poured itself into a career can now pour itself into people.
Maybe that means volunteering with a ministry that reflects your passions. Maybe it means mentoring young professionals or young parents. Maybe it means serving more faithfully in your church, caring for aging parents, helping with grandchildren, or simply being more available to encourage others.
Whatever the expression, the heart of stewardship remains the same: offering your time, wisdom, experience, and resources for the glory of God.
Think of Simeon and Anna in Luke 2. Both were advanced in years, and yet both were living with expectancy and devotion. Simeon was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel. Anna worshiped with fasting and prayer, night and day.
Their lives remind us that faithful presence is a powerful gift. God does not retire His servants. He repurposes them.
That does not mean retirement has to be frantic or overfilled. This is not about proving your value through constant activity. In God’s economy, usefulness is not measured by productivity, but by faithfulness.
That’s a word many of us need to hear. Our culture often measures significance by title, output, income, and visible achievement. But God sees differently. He sees the quiet prayer, the faithful encouragement, the wisdom shared across the table, the hospitality, the generosity, and the steady presence in the life of
From the publisher's feed