Programs And Podcasts

I've had lots of friends in law enforcement, and I've even had the opportunity to ride in the front seat with a police officer. But the experience I had recently had a totally different feel to it. I was speaking in a large youth festival, and I had to get across this festival's grounds quickly to my next speaking venue. Two police officers working security said, "Hey, hop in our squad car, we'll take you over there." Well, I jumped into the back seat of the police car and I quickly realized I had never experienced a little of what it feels like to be on the custody end of things like that. There was this wall between me and the officers in the front seat. When we arrived at our destination and I tried to open my door…in vain…there was no way. My officer friend had a good laugh. He said, "Ron, there's no way you can get yourself out of there. See, somebody has to let you out." Okay, I've decided I am not excited about being in the prisoner seat any more.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Only Way to Be Free."

"There's no way you can get yourself out of there." Well, that's a feeling a lot of us have experienced, without ever being physically locked up. It's like there are these hurtful emotional cycles and spiritual cycles that we just can't seem to get ourselves out of.

Maybe you know what it is to be trapped in a cycle of destructive behavior, or damaged relationships, or maybe a cycle of guilt and shame over repeated mistakes, or a cycle of slavery to a behavior you just can't seem to change, or a cycle of unfulfillment; where one experience after another just fails to give you the peace and the meaning you've always hoped for. There are no bars, no prison walls, but we know the feeling of being locked up in a way of living that we can't get out of. Just like a prisoner in a cell, or me in the prisoner seat of a police car, somebody has to let you out. And for 2,000 years, "the" Somebody has been doing that for millions of us spiritual prisoners.

In fact, in Isaiah 61:1, our word for today from the Word of God, He announced His reason for coming to earth this way: "The Lord has...sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners." Jesus understands the powerful force that ultimately keeps us locked up in our destructive cycles. He said, "Whoever commits sin is a slave to sin" (John 8:34). Sin is simply our hijacking of our life from the God who was supposed to run it. And because we're away from our Creator, we're trapped in this self-run orbit where life just doesn't work right.

It took the coming and the dying of the Son of God to break the enslaving power of sin. By taking the death penalty for what we've done, Jesus has the power, not only to save us from our own hurtful ways, but to save us from the eternal penitentiary the Bible calls hell. He's come from the outside to let you out, to set you free. But He waits for your invitation to do that; your invitation for Him to come into your life, to forgive every sin of your life, and to change you from the inside out.

That glorious freedom that so many have experienced, you can experience beginning this very day. It actually begins when you tell Jesus, "I am turning from my sin that has enslaved me, Lord; from the sin that nailed You to a cross. You had to do that to pay for my sin, and I know you walked out of your grave. You are alive! I want you to walk into my life today. I want to give myself to You because you died for my sin. I’m Yours beginning today."

Do you want a new story to begin in your life? I want to encourage you to go to our website - ANewStory.com. You're going to find some information there from God's very own words that will help you start on that road.

This could be your day to finally b

What does it really look like to walk with Jesus? Discover how following Him changes the way we live, love, and reach others.

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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

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Karl Marx and D.L. Moody. The contrast between these men could not be greater. These two men represent opposing worldviews that have competed throughout history—views that are very much alive today. Marxist ideas are surfacing all over the world, infiltrating even the most unlikely places here in America. Pastor emeritus of The Moody Church, Erwin Lutzer will join us to reveal the seduction and impact of Marxist ideology. He will showcase the difference between a man-centered worldview and a God-centered worldview, critiquing Marxism through the lens of the Bible while exploring the nature of God, humanity, and the consequences of ideas.

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Grief is something none of us are ever fully prepared for. In this episode snippet, Levi Lusko and Greg Laurie open up about the pain of losing someone you love, including your own child, and the anchor through it all. Get more of this conversation when you watch the full episode.

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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.

In Seven Letters from the King – Part 2, Dr. Michael Youssef warns that Christ’s messages to Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea confront the same spiritual dangers facing the Church today. The risen Lord exposes the deadly power of moral compromise, spiritual deadness, and lukewarm faith. Though some churches appear successful, Jesus searches the heart and calls His people to repentance and holiness. Scripture declares that Christ alone holds the authority of salvation and judgment, and His invitation still stands: “Open the door.” Believers must reject the world’s deception, intercede for the Church, and live with burning devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ as His return draws near.

Katie Scheller hit rock bottom when her extramarital workplace affair landed her behind bars as federal inmate #09902089. On the other side of her pain and heartache, however, waited for God’s redemptive plan and ultimate purpose for her life. Join us to hear the captivating story of a woman transformed by God’s grace, love, and mercy.

Become a Parshall Partner: http://moodyradio.org/donateto/inthemarket/partners

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