Programs And Podcasts

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when problems keep piling up. Dr. Tony Evans explains how God can lift us out of discouragement—even when our situation feels hopeless.

Many believers wrestle with a quiet but important question: If I truly follow Christ, shouldn’t life go better for me?

It’s a tension that often surfaces when life doesn’t unfold as expected—when financial strain, illness, or hardship interrupts our plans. At the heart of that struggle is a deeper issue: how we understand God’s promises and what we believe the Christian life is meant to produce.

In today’s conversation with John Cortines, Director of Partnership and Growth at the McClellan Foundation, we explored how the “prosperity gospel” shapes this conversation—and how Scripture offers a better, more faithful perspective.

At its core, the prosperity gospel teaches that your spiritual standing can be measured by your circumstances—your health, your wealth, and your overall success.

It suggests that if you have enough faith, say the right things, or give to the right causes, you can unlock God’s blessings in tangible, immediate ways.

But here’s the problem: while this teaching begins with a partial truth—that God loves us and is actively involved in our lives—it stretches that truth beyond what Scripture actually promises.

Instead of seeing blessings as gifts, it turns them into indicators of spiritual success.

The Bible clearly affirms that God gives good gifts. We see provision, healing, and abundance throughout Scripture. But it never presents these as guarantees or as proof of God’s favor.

That distinction matters.

When we experience abundance, we should respond with gratitude—not entitlement. And when we walk through hardship, we’re not outside of God’s care.

Our ultimate security isn’t found in changing circumstances—it’s found in Christ and the eternal hope we have in Him.

One of the most dangerous expressions of prosperity teaching shows up in how it approaches generosity.

Instead of being an act of worship, giving can become transactional:

But Scripture points us in a very different direction. 2 Corinthians 9:7 reminds us: “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

True generosity flows from gratitude—not pressure or fear.

At its deepest level, the prosperity gospel shifts our focus away from Christ and onto ourselves.

It subtly replaces grace with performance:

Historically, this mirrors ancient systems where people offered sacrifices to secure favor or blessing. The message becomes: Do the right things, and you’ll get the right results.

But the gospel says something entirely different: Christ has already secured what we could never earn.

This is where the consequences become painfully clear.

When someone embraces a prosperity-centered view and then faces loss—whether financial, physical, or relational—they’re often left with confusion and guilt:

But Jesus speaks plainly in John 16:33: “In this world you will have trouble.”

Hardship is not evidence of failure. It is part of life in a fallen world—and often a place where God deepens our faith.

Scripture gives us a far more balanced and honest picture of the Christian li

The Bible teaches us how to think and how to behave. And we see it demonstrated in the lives of the heroes of our faith. They were people of commitment, and people of action. And today on A NEW BEGINNING, Pastor Greg Laurie helps us focus on one particular biblical action figure to see the steps that lead to spiritual failure . . . so we can avoid them! Peter sometimes showed us what to do, and sometimes what NOT to do, but the takeaway lessons are significant.

—

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.

Faith and work collide in the places you actually live: locker rooms, Zoom calls, minivans, and fluorescent-lit offices where calling can feel like drudgery. Jordan Raynor joins Dave and Ann Wilson to blow up the sacred/secular divide, trace God’s first commission from Genesis 1 into your Monday grind, and show why changing diapers, running routes, closing deals, or pulling espresso shots can all be strategic, eternal work—without changing your job title.

Show Notes and Resources

• Get Jordan's book "The Word Before Work" on our shop.
• Learn more about Jordan at his website jordanraynor.com
• Save the date! Blended & Blessed® is happening April 18, 2026. Find details at blendedandblessed.com

• Thanks to the Christian Standard Bible for sponsoring this episode. Learn more at CSBible.com.
• Follow us on all social platforms: Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
• Find resources from our podcast at shop.familylife.com.
• Download FamilyLife's app!
• Help others find FamilyLife. Leave a review on Apple Podcast or Spotify.
• Check out all the FamilyLife's podcasts on the FamilyLife Podcast Network

See cru.org/us/en/about/privacy FamilyLife’s Privacy Policy

Shame is a powerful, debilitating emotion that causes us to withdraw from others. Sometimes we even engage in self-destructive behavior to try to make up for it somehow. Chip helps us learn how to overcome the shame in our lives.

Broadcast Resources

• Message Notes

Additional Resources

• NEW 356 Devo With a New Gift to the Ministry
• Discover Your True Self Book

Connect

• 888-333-6003
• Website
• Chip Ingram App
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Twitter

Partner With Us

Donate Online

• 888-333-6003

“I have cerebral palsy--what's your problem?” Whatever difficulties you face, you can't help but be encouraged as you hear David Ring describe how God's strength helps him overcome the limitations of his severe disability.

Receive the book The Boy Born Dead and the audio download of the broadcast "Living Joyously" for your donation of any amount! Plus, receive member-exclusive benefits when you make a recurring gift today. Your monthly support helps families thrive.

Get More Episode Resources 

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

Certain birthdays are like, you know, special milestones. Every birthday is a milestone, but take 40 for example. For some reason, we sort of enshrine that particular one as a special marking place in your life. And I remember when my wife had her 40th birthday. I'm not going to tell you when that was, but she handled it very well. I mean, she was so cool about it; it was no big deal. I hope when I get to my 40th I'll be able to handle it as well. Well, it wasn't like she had just crossed some great river in her life. Then my 12-year-old son came along a few months later. He said this, "Hey Mom, do you know you've been on earth for 14,662 days?" You put it that way, it takes on a whole different feel. Forty years doesn't sound too bad, but 14,000 plus days? Hello, prehistoric! After he said that I got to thinking about the days that we had with our three children, and you begin to realize how many are gone, and how many are left, and how quickly they slipped away. And you think about kids. They don't think about next year, next month, or next week. It's all about the day isn't it? You know, we need to take a better look at the days we still have; the days that you have.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Capturing Days."

Our word for today from the Word of God is found in Ephesians 5. I'm going to begin reading in verse 15. "Be very careful how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is." This verse that's in the middle, verse 16, talks about making the most of every opportunity. It's sort of in a sandwich between two verses that have some very intriguing phrases, "Don't live unwisely." Live smart in other words. Don't be foolish.

And then it talks about your destiny here on earth - God's will. And it all seems to be wrapped around this phrase, "Making the most of every opportunity." You want to live smart? You want to get God's will? Seize every opportunity. Now, it's no coincidence that the verses that follow this are about family relationships. In fact, in chapter 6, verse 4, only a few verses later, it says this to fathers: "Bring up your children in the training and instruction of the Lord." I think the way you do that is to capture each 24-hour period as another moment to mold the lives of your children and your grandchildren. There's so little time to strengthen them for a world that is so lost.

We need to ask ourselves, "Lord, have we touched You together today as a family...me and my kids? Have we talked about where we saw the Lord today in our lives...our God sightings? Have we celebrated how something in the Bible helped us today, or have we prayed about something real and personal together today. Have we explored the Bible together today? Have we gone out to some people in need and done the work of Jesus together? Have we touched each other today? Have we expressed our love for each other today? Have we gotten in touch with what made each other happy today? Have we talked about things that were hurting the other members of our family?

See, the greatest classroom our kids will ever experience is the classroom of everyday life - that natural teaching that comes up in the flow of the day. See, by the time you finally have time to do this with the kids, they probably won't.

I know one of the greatest burdens of my life is the days we lost. One of the greatest challenges of my life: how do you make the most of the days ahead? It means reordering some priorities; it means leaving time in what tends to be a wall-to-wall schedule, and asking God each morning for the opportunities, the determination, the timing to mark your children for Christ that day.

Hey, the days are flying by. Grab each one; capture it for Christ. You can't