Radical Life Support

The definition of resentment is bitter indignation and displeasure at having been treated unfairly. A persistent ill-will at something regarded as wrong, an insult, or an injury. It could be an act made against you or a remark made by a person. It is a very complex multi-layered emotion mixed with disappointment, disgust, anger, hostility, envy, grievances and feelings of revenge. It is a strong emotion. A lot of people don’t want to admit that they have strong negative emotions. You might say you dislike or are annoyed with someone because those words are milder and you don’t want to admit that you actually have hate in your heart toward anyone because it is such a strong word.  

Resentment is a very strong and destructive emotion. The complete opposite word for resentment is love. If you are resentful toward someone, you are not loving them. Some may think the opposite of love is hate. Hate and anger are components of resentment. 

If resentment lands on you, you want to make sure you take it off quickly. Don’t let it take root. If you have resentment, you are angry because you have been treated unfairly. In general, if you have some resentment in your heart, it is going to overflow in your attitude, overflow in the decisions you make, you can be easily critical of people and in your relationships. 

There is a quote from Carrie Fisher of Star Wars fame: Resentment is like drinking a poison and waiting for the other person to die. You are hurting yourself. Resentment puts you in bondage to it. It doesn’t release on its own. So what can we do to free ourselves? How do we break free from it? Rick says, no psycho-babble will get you out of it. The only thing that is going to get you out of it is Jesus. Going to him and casting all of your cares upon Him.

One thing you have to do first off is to acknowledge that you have resentment in your life. You can’t go to Jesus about it if you are in denial that you have a problem. Resentment is sin. The next thing is to think about the other person and you need to forgive them. Then, You have to decide that you are not going to harm the other person. Make a conscience decision, or then you will be the one doing the harm and you will have to ask for forgiveness. 

Rick got the picture of a somebody who has a little tiny snowball. When you go out after a fresh snow, and it has warmed up a little bit, the snow that was so fresh, it gets sticky. And you take that little snowball of resentment and you start to roll it and start to play with it. What you need to do is destroy it. What you want to do is roll it up into a ball and you want to throw it as someone. Or you want to make such a big snowball or a boulder out of it that you can roll it over them.

What did Jesus do when he faced mocking and injustices?  He was falsely accused. He faced all kind of things that He could have been resentful for but He wasn’t. And on the cross, He said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” He looked inside the person and understood that they didn’t even realize what they were doing but He forgave them anyways and He was treated just about as unfairly as anyone could have been treated. 

So today if anyone can relate to what Rick and Robin have talked about, and you are saying that is me. You have resentment for somebody for something they did. And you may be totally right in what they did is wrong. Jesus was totally right in what He was saying about those who were killing Him and they knew it. Jesus is our example. The one who set before us what to say and how to be. He forgave us and he tells us to forgive others as He has forgiven us. 

If you want to move on and move forward, forgive others who have hurt you, who have abandoned you, who have persecuted you, who have spoken falsely against you. That is what you do to live a radical life.

Blood is necessary to the life of humans and animals. It is essential to maintain life. So, it has been called lifeblood. Lev 17:11 says, “for the life of a creature is in the blood.” Without blood there can be no life. Jesus was human and had lifeblood too. But His blood was particularly special. Jesus’ lifeblood brings life to us. His lifeblood is key and necessary to our salvation.

There are a couple of events that God put into place for the Jewish people that were a foreshadow of the blood of Jesus. God always had in mind His Son as He set up feasts, festivals, and ceremonies. Blood was an essential component in many of them. 

Passover for example was observed in remembrance of how God miraculously brought them safely out of slavery. The sacrificial animal they slaughtered to get the blood to put on the doorframes was called the Passover lamb. I Cor 5:7 says, “For Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed.” Jesus' death and shed blood, Christ fulfilled the true meaning of the Jewish sacrifice of the Passover Lamb. The bible confirms that Jesus was crucified on Passover day. And He was the sinless and spotless sacrificial Lamb of God who frees us from being a slave to sin. Those who put their trust in Him will escape the judgement of death. Heb 10:10 says, “we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” He substituted His life for ours and there was no longer any need for countless sacrifices. 

We know in Jesus’ last meal with His disciples, after he had given thanks, he took the cup saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. This is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’” The shedding of Jesus’ blood is a covenant sign, and God states our salvation is sealed and paid for by Jesus’ blood. And we are to regularly set aside time to remember that His body was broken and His blood shed for us.

Jesus went through what we go through to identify with every aspect of life including having our flesh cut. He allowed every drop of blood to be shed while He was being whipped, the crown of thorns pushed on to His head, and the nails hammered into His hands and feet. Jesus knew with every blow the significance of His blood being spilt for the sins of man. The blood was spilt for the Pharisees, Pilot, Herod, the crowds, his disciples, His mother and even the Roman soldiers who were whipping Him. 

A speaker on Focus on the Family radio said that the human body can replace 20 million cells in just a few seconds, which means over a lifetime your body produces a lot of blood. Adult humans have somewhere around 25 trillion red blood cells in their body. This means that Jesus had this many red blood cells too and they were being replaced every few seconds. The speaker said he didn’t want to over spiritualize it but were there enough divine and powerrful blood cells shed so that there was enough for every person whoever lived in the world? Is it possible that we each have one red blood cell assigned for us? And that cell is so holy and pure that it can do what it says in I John 1:7, “the blood of Jesus…purifies us from all sin.”

Jesus shed His blood for you to cleanse you from all unrighteousness. Cleansing is a result of being washed in the blood of Jesus. When God washes us, we become whiter than snow. White is a sign of purity. If you feel your life is so impure and stained with so much sin that you can never be made pure again, Jesus is saying and promises that His death and shed blood has the power to completely wash you clean so you can begin anew. All you have to do is accept this truth, confess your sins, and ask Jesus to come into your life and then you will receive the gift of this cleansing through His blood. Will you please do that today? Put your trust in Jesus who shed His lifeblood to bring you eternal life.

Contentment is a state of being happy and satisfied. Being pleased, fulfilled, and gratified. Not an excited kind of happy but more like a peaceful ease of mind.

This is our first episode of our new series called “A Moe-Ment” and the first topic is a moment about contentment. It is nice that it is falling on Thanksgiving week because having a grateful attitude is a part of contentment.

What are some of the characteristics of content people?

·       They are flexible, optimistic, open to new ideas, and can view life from different angles. They seek to see their situations from a spiritual point of view and get God’s perspective.

·       They put their faith in God’s timing, purpose, and ways and do not worry and fear. Prov 19:23 says, “The fear of the Lord leads to life. Then one rests content, untouched by trouble.”

·       They will most likely be healthier because being in a relaxed state of mind reduces stress and anxiety which takes a toll on our bodies.

·       They are more accepting and not judgmental of other people. They don’t react to or hold offenses. They realize all people go through things and all people are made in the image of God.

·       They love people more than money and possessions. Heb 13:5 says, “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you,’”

·       They realize joy does not come from material things. They can distinguish between wants and needs. They don’t have a constant need to strive for more. They do not desire more than they need, have joy in what they already have. 

·       They are satisfied with their current status, situation, and possessions. So, they are able to let go of past failures and live in the present moment. And they don’t have attitude of, “When I get this or that in the future, then I will be happy.”

·       They don’t compare themselves with others because that will get you into a mode of trying to “keep up with the Jones.” 

·       They do not envy or covet. I Tim 6:6-10 says, “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have good and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

·       They don’t let what they have be who they are. They don’t look disagreeably upon themselves. They are able to view themselves as God views them, not by the world’s or someone else’s standard. There is an internal goal to be content and they take steps to meet that goal.

·       They have an thankful attitude and keep their eyes on the one who supplies all their needs and who says, “Come, all who are weary and heavy ladened and find rest.”

Oswald Chambers says, “If God has made your cup sweet, drink it with grace; if He has made it bitter, drink it in communion with Him.” Turn it all over to Jesus and all your needs will be met.

Ask yourself, if you lost every possession and person in your life, could you still be content? Paul says in Phil 3:8, “What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.” Possessing Christ is all you need. He is more than enough.

Atonement originally meant “at-one-ment” or “at one with,” to be in harmony with someone. In Christianity, atonement refers to the needed reconciliation between sinful man and woman and the holy God. 

In Wikipedia, a human definition states that atonement is the concept of a person taking action to correct their own previous wrongdoing, offense, or injury. The person knows they have done wrong and they want to mend the wrong. To correct it, they might either take direct action, take equivalent action to do good in return for others, or express feelings of remorse, like apologize for what they did. They hope by doing any of these things they can atone for or undo the consequences of the wrong act because if you do something wrong there are usually consequences. 

Consequences are a part of God’s divine legal system too. God has great wrath against sin. God says eternal death is the consequence when we sin against God or break one of His laws. The sin causes a break and builds a barrier in our relationship with Him. It separates us from Him. Because of God’s love for us, He desires that we be reconciled to Him; so He created a very specific and necessary path to reconciliation.  

Many trying to correct something on their own that they have done wrong; but in God’s system no one can do anything to atone for their own sins. Everyone is born with a sin nature due to Adam’s first original sin. Everyone has sinned against God’s law, it is like the sin is on you and you can’t take your sinful nature off yourself. A sinful person can’t correct or remove his own sin no matter how hard they try. There is nothing he or she can do to atone for their sin and reconcile their relationship to God. So that is why God sent His only beloved Son, Jesus, into the world so that we can be at one with God, in harmony with God. Jesus Christ was God’s solution to our problem of sin. We could not atone for our sin so Jesus atoned it for us. 

The Atonement, purged our sins and reconciled us to God. God’s wrath for sin was forever satisfied by His Son’s death. It was God’s requirement for us to avoid the eternal consequences of death and to enter into eternal life with Him. We did not have to do anything. It was a gift from God by grace to all who will receive and accept it. [Rom 5:11] “We were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son.” [I Peter 3:18] “For Christ died for sins, once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.”

We will never know what it was like to have the compressed all-encompassing weight of all the sins of the world placed upon Him. He took away my sin and died the death I deserved. Even though He knew why He was hanging there on the cross, He was also human and He deeply felt the absence of God because of the sin He was enduring in that moment. He was in physical agony due to the beating of His body. He was mentally abused in that He was unwarrantedly mocked, falsely accused, betrayed and slandered. He was emotionally exhausted and in spiritual anguish. There has never been a more terrible death. God’s wrath against us was turned away from us and directed toward Him.  

[I Peter 2:24] “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness.”  Jesus dies for our sins, the innocent for the guilty.

Oswald Chambers says, “The Atonement means that God can put me back into perfect union with Himself, without a shadow between…It does not matter who or what we are, there is absolute reinstatement into God by the death of Jesus Christ and by no other way.”

Will we accept by faith Christ’s atonement and acknowledge that it was our sin that He bore in our place? When we believe, repent and put our trust in Him, we receive God’s free gift and then there is no more barrier between God and us. Will choose today to ask Jesus into your life and be reconciled to God. 

Rick and Robin introduce their new topical series called “A Moe-Ment.” The word '-ment' is not really a word, it is a suffix that is put at the end of a word and in doing so it creates a new word. For example, ship+ment=shipment. The suffix '-ment' means an action, a state, or a condition. All of the topics of the series will have a word with '-ment' at the end. The topics will include fun ones such as “Enjoyment” and serious ones such as “Disappointment.” So don’t be disappointed and listen every Tuesday for a new episode for your enjoyment! 

Welcome to our new Radical Life Support series entitled the ABCs of the Attributes of Jesus. This series will be focusing on the attributes, character, names, and works of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the second member of the Divine Trinity and He is described as “the exact representation of God’s being” (Heb 1:3). Jesus is not merely an image or reflection of God. There is God the Father, the Son of God and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God and the Son Himself is God. It is very important to start with this view of Jesus. 

Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, was born to a virgin, became flesh and dwelt among us. Jesus came for a very specific reason as clearly stated in John 3:16 which says that, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him, shall not perish but have eternal life.” Jesus came and died on a cross for the sins of all mankind. He was buried and then 3 days later, He rose again defeating death. He ascended into heaven and now sits at the right hand of God the Father. One day He will return to earth and those who put their trust in Him will live with Him forever in heaven. This is the basic tenant of the Christian faith. It begins and ends with Jesus as the central figure in and for all creation.

In our study on the ABCs of the attributes of God, our main theme came from a quote by A.W. Tozer, “What you think about God is the most important thing about you.” Now, with Jesus, what you think about Him has eternal consequences. Our quote for this series will be from Jesus Himself spoken to His disciples in Matt 16, Mark 8, and Luke 9: Jesus and His disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. Once when Jesus was praying in private and His disciples were with Him, He asked His disciples, “Who do people say that I am?" They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.” “But what about you?” He asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God."

The people of the day compared Jesus to good men, believing He was a good man. People even do that today. He was a good teacher they say; but that was not the right or complete description of Jesus. Peter accurately said He was the Christ, the long awaited anointed one. Stating Him as being divine, more than a mere man. When we talk about who Jesus was and is today, we must start at this point. It is a serious matter to get His identification correct. His true identity is of utmost and absolute importance for the world and each of us personally. It is a matter of eternal life or eternal death for those who would or would not believe in Him.

We don’t need to guess who Jesus is or make Him up. In our study, we are going to see in scripture what God says about Jesus and what Jesus says about Himself. It is plainly stated to either be believed or not. The bible is the source of true knowledge regarding who Jesus is. People’s opinion or our own understanding of who Jesus is or who we want Him to be will always be inaccurate. Do not rely on it and make sure whatever you believe about Jesus matches with scripture.

When you seek Him, the bible says you will find Him. That is a promise for anyone who is seeking with their whole heart. So, in these next weeks, let’s seek Him together. Let’s find out if we really know Him for who He is. We can’t afford to get it wrong. Ask yourself our theme question as if Jesus was asking you directly, “But what about you?” “Who do you say I am?”

We are interviewing Dave Peightal at his home in Glenwood, Arkansas. Although Pegtop was really the name of the band Dave was in, started after Teen Rescue, many think his name is Dave Pegtop. Rick and Dave met back in the mid to late 1980s at Sunshine Festival over 30 years ago. Dave was in the Cutting Edge band at the time and they were introduced and shortly thereafter Dave began to travel with the RLS band. 

When Rick thinks back at the impact Dave had in the band, he remembers what was happening on stage was so evident. But what he saw when you were with the group and the band, Rick always saw this incredible gentle spirit that would be sitting there with whoever. Dave just ministered so beautifully to people. There was peace that was in the vehicle while they were traveling. Rick especially noticed it when Dave was not with us. He would ask to himself, why is there some contention today. And one of the reasons was -- Dave is not here. Rick thanks God for the season He gave him to have Dave present with Teen Rescue and in the band because Dave went on to start the band, Pegtop. 

Dave wrote several songs that RLS used. One specific one that was one of Rick’s favorites was “I Believe in You." Also, Rick remembers particularly the song, "Everything I Own." It was a song also covered by artist, Jason Gray. Dave states that a lot of the songs we wrote during the time he wrote that song were written during a very difficult time in his life. The songs were Psalm-like in that they came out of depression and oppression with intense honesty. Dave’s songs came from real life experience and they were songs that others could relate to who were going through similar situations. 

Dave was contemplating and being discouraged that his Christian walk had not progressed further than it had been. He was evaluating how he had spent his time. Realizing that most of the time we spend as humans is on things that do not really matter and he wished he had spent more time on things that matter.  The song goes on to compare what Jesus has done and how He gave everything He owned. That is the hope that we have. Dave says the song was written out of despair and it is one of the few songs that still touches him when he sings it so he still plays it everyone once in a while. 

Rick asks Dave who he remembers from the days with Teen Rescue. Dave says that if it hadn’t been for RLS, Pegtop would never have been started. All the people he played with came from the RLS band: Wes T., Terry S., Ben C., and eventually Matt P. The team was knocking off new songs while they were traveling. Rick would be listening from the front of the van thinking how cool it was. Dave says that Rick put people in positions where they found themselves in Christ. Everyone in Pegtop were people that Rick had in one way or another challenged to get out and do things for Jesus. Others Dave remembers are Cindy T., Eric H., and Dwight L. 

Rick said Dave’s time with Teen Rescue was invaluable and amazing and the years that followed. And here we are today, God is still working things in and through us. Our journey isn’t over, not even close. Dave says it is an exciting time because things are happening. When people put their trust in the Father and walk in obedience, He promises to protect us. We need to learn to listen and obey that voice and walk in it. We do not need to be afraid. When we trust the Father completely, there is no fear.  

Rick replies that the bible says that those who follow Christ did not love their life even unto death. And that is spoke of about how do we defeat Satan and overcome evil? How do we overcome the accuser of the brethren? By the blood of the Lamb, the word of our testimony and that we did not even love our life even unto death. And that is what we call a radical life!!

Zealous is a super-positive word that accurately describes God. Zealous is a word that implies passion, enthusiasm, devotion, and dedication for something or someone. If you have zeal, you are willing, energized, and motivated for that thing or person and that is the real picture of God’s zeal. 

It is important to understand why God is so zealous for us. One of God’s names is Qanna and it is translated zealous, jealous, or envy. [Ex 34:14] “Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a Jealous God.” Zealous and jealous are sometimes used interchangeably with a similar meaning in translation.

That God is zealous and jealous is best shown in the marriage relationship. God says when He created marriage, the two will become one flesh. When a man and a woman make a marriage commitment, they are making a covenant before God that they will be faithful through all circumstances of life and will not redirect their love to anyone else. 

Zeal can be described as God’s jealous love. In scripture, God is depicted as Israel's husband.  God is like a jealous lover who is unwilling to abandon or give up His redeemed people. His passion and zeal is for them to be in covenant relationship with Him. As in a marriage relationship, God is wanting all our praise for Himself and no one else. He makes a commitment to be zealous and all out for our good and we in turn decide to be 100% devoted to Him and to love Him with all of our heart, mind, strength and soul.

God made a covenant with His people in love. Because Israel turned to other gods, God said they had for all intentions committed adultery against Him. God was so displeased with the Israelite’s over their unfaithfulness that He sent His people into captivity for 70 years. We don’t often like to think that God hates sin as much as He does and that it angers Him; but the bible doesn’t hide this jealous attribute of God. 

We much prefer to hear the verses when God’s is no longer angry and merciful. God forgives after we have repented of our unfaithfulness and then with continued zeal works to restore the relationship. In [Zec 8:1,7] “I am very jealous for Zion; I am burning with jealousy for her…I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem; they will be my people, and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God.” God always keeps His part of the covenant. And God has a right because of His faithfulness, to want us to be faithful to Him in return. There is no sin in His righteous jealousy.

God is zealous and deeply cares that you think of Him rightly. So, let’s ask our series theme statement in a form of a question: What comes into your mind when you think about God? Deep in your heart, what do you believe God to be like? Tozer says that once we know what a person thinks about God, then, “we might predict with certainty the spiritual future of that man (or woman).” Your answer is of immense importance. Your answer to this question will show whether your view corresponds to the true being of God. 

Some may quote the Apostle’s Creed stating that is what they believe about God. But that can be just a religious statement that doesn’t dig down into the specific beliefs about God. We need to find out what God says in scripture about Himself and compare our thoughts against that. It could be difficult to find out that our knowledge is inaccurate and that we have believed God wrongly for so many years. How elevated is your view of God? Do you have a high opinion of Him? Is your view a view that God would consider is worthy of Him? Is it a view that causes you to live your life in a certain way?

What you believe about God truly is the most important thing about you. Since God has taken so much effort to reveal all of His wonderful attributes about Himself through the word, through creation, through Jesus and in our hearts, shouldn’t we work with zeal to make sure we know Him rightly?

Yahweh is God’s name, not an attribute of God. But in OT times, a name wasn’t just a way to provide identification of someone, it could also describe their character and personality. God has many names in the bible. He reveals Himself to us through His names. Yahweh is a divine and sacred name. It is a name only used for the one true God, the self-existent, living God. "Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent." [Ps 148:13a]. God stands behind His name with full force and truth and is zealous of His name. 

Yahweh or Jehovah is the name God uses of Himself. It is a covenant keeping name between God and man. It means Lord, Master. And even more personally, a name God uses to communicate with His own people and a name used when in relationship with the people He loves. He defined His name for us so that we could better understand who God really is and all of His attributes. It is a holy, eternal name that holds great might and power.

This section references the Blue Bible Book website. Don Stewart: Why Is God Called Yahweh? (Jehovah). In [Ex 3:14] God said to Moses, “I AM who I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.” God’s name here encapsulates the full depth of who He is. The One and Only True and Living God of all gods. It describes the eternal supremacy of all He is over all others in the universe. No one else holds a name greater than His name.

 Yahweh and Jehovah is used in combination with other names for God. These compound names include Jehovah Jireh: The Lord Will Provide; Jehovah-Shalom: The Lord is Peace; Jehovah Sabaoth: The Lord of hosts, The Lord of Powers; Jehovah Shammah: The Lord is There; Jehovah Tsidkenu: The Lord Our Righteousness; Jehovah-Raah: The Lord My Shepherd; Jehovah-Rapha: The Lord that Heals, The Lord Your Healer; Jehovah Nissi: The Lord My Banner; and Jehovah Mekoddishkem: The Lord Who Sanctifies You.

Jehovah is translated as "The Existing One." Many scholars believe the most proper meaning is “He Brings into Existence Whatever Exists” (Yahweh-Asher-Yahweh). [Jer 33:2] He who made the earth, the LORD who formed it and established it -the LORD is his name. Yahweh-Elohim. This title is used of God’s relationship to humanity as Creator. First used in Gen 1:1. [Ps 95:6] Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.

Jesus’ name was given by God to Joseph in a dream, [Matt 1:21[ “you are to give him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.” Jesus means Savior, appropriately named for what he would do and how His life would be represented and remembered. In Acts 4:12, it says that “there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be save.” This indicates the eternal significance for us of the power of the name of Jesus. In Phil 2:10 is says that, “God gave Him the name that is above every name and that at that name every knee will bow in heaven, on earth, and under the earth.”

We should never take His name lightly. [Lev 22:32] says, “Do not profane my holy name.” We are to treat His name with reverence and grave significance in our minds and hearts. Do not use it casually, flippantly, or in vain. When you honor His name, you are showing Him devotion, respect, and admiration. You are showing that God's name is of the utmost importance to you. People will notice when you do this. If you take His name seriously, people will see that your heart is fully committed and they will more likely believe your witness about God and Jesus His Son. 

“Who is God to you?” When you pray, are you praying to an “it” or to a “thing?” I hope not, because God is a person with a name who created you and loves you. What does His name mean to you? Ask yourself, is He your Most High God, All sufficient One, Master and Lord? Is He your Provider, Shepherd, and Friend? God knows us by our name, shouldn't we know Him by His name?

This episode was inspired by a song Robin wrote on the ukulele which is recorded at the end of the podcast for your enjoyment.

Some people don’t seem to want to take their troubles to the Lord. They would rather wring their hands and worry and fret. They want to keep their troubles from the Lord. We all have a list of troubles and trials to worry over. I will bet the list is not as long as the number of times God tells us to not to be anxious or be afraid. God said not to be dismayed because I am your God. Don’t be discouraged or hopeless or in despair but be encouraged and full of hope.

Who do you take your troubles to? You take them to God the Father; God the Son, Jesus; and God the Holy Spirit. You can bring them to either or all three. Ask the Father in Jesus name to be filled with the Spirit.  Each is a person that you can have a relationship with. Take your troubles to the God of all gods and His Son Jesus who have all the power in the universe to take care of everything. 

When do you take your troubles to the Lord? Immediately, right now, you do not have to wait. Why hang on to your troubles? We have a tendency to try and handle our troubles ourselves first and taking them to God is our last resort.  Today is the day of salvation. Salvation is another name for God. Jesus means Savior. He doesn’t just save our souls but it is salvation for any trouble you find yourself in. Jesus says, “Come unto me all those who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.” That call to come is always open, His door is open any time. When Jesus was on this world, He could only be in one place at a time. But now His spirit is available to all to be with them at any time, always present, always near. 

Where do you take your troubles? Some think they can only bring troubles in a formal church setting but you can bring them in your car or any place. One symbolic place to bring your troubles and your burdens is at the foot of the cross. Use your imagination to set them down at the cross. Jesus went to the cross just once, He died on the cross just once, He was put in the tomb just once, and rose again from the dead just once. So that He could be with the Father. He work was complete.

What troubles should you take to the Lord? Remember it is not just about big things but God wants you to give Him small things as well, nothing is too small. God knows your heart and it doesn’t bother Him for you to give Him every detail of your life. Anything you might be stressing out about. Don’t be afraid to share with God that it is too insignificant to bother Him with. Give it all to the Lord.

Whatever is going on with you, take your troubles to the Lord. This is just another characteristic and identifying mark of a radical life!

TAKE YOUR TROUBLES TO THE LORD

Chorus: Take your troubles to the Lord, Take your troubles to the Lord, Take your battles, your sorrows, your pain and your tomorrows, Take your troubles to the Lord

Verse 1: Your job is overwhelming and your boss is bearing down, the kids are screaming louder and you can’t think through the sound, a friend told a lie about you just the other day, Take your Troubles to the Lord.

Verse 2: You’re being mistreated ‘cause you’re different from the rest, another sleepless night filled with worry, fear and stress, you made a mistake and you don’t know what to do, Take your Troubles to the Lord

Verse 3: Not enough money to pay your bills again, you’re taking your prescription though there’s no more pain to mend, you just heard some news that’s turned your world upside down, Take your Troubles to the Lord.

Bridge: Sing a halleluiah when you’re down and out, sing a halleluiah when your hopes run out, sing a halleluiah ‘cause you know it’s not the end, when you take your troubles to the Lord.