The One Thing - United Faith Church Podcast

1 Samuel 3

And the Lord came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.”

Hello and welcome back to the One Thing Podcast.  I'm very excited to share a few verses here of a story about a young boy named Samuel, and we're gonna be looking at first Samuel chapter 3. I encourage you to read this entire chapter as God I know can speak so much through His Word, but I'm only going to share a few verses.

"We are all called to serve in the house of the Lord"And to give you an idea of the story, Samuel is a young boy who is dedicated to serving the Lord in His house and around this time history states that he was probably around 11 years old.  Samuel was being trained by his mentor Eli who was the head priest at the time.  And you can imagine this young boy who was so excited to learn of what it meant to serve God to walk with Him and to follow Him.

"Speak Lord for your servant is listening..."And for us today maybe we're not in a ministry, maybe we're not, you know, on the worship team or pastors.  Whatever we may be, the whole point is that we are all called to serve in the house of the Lord by worshiping and ministering to the Lord by having our hearts filled with His word, filled with His presence.  And God has called us to all truly have this ministry within our hearts.

And so we can relate to Samuel, now one night young Samuel was sleeping, Eli was in his place sleeping and Samuel was in his place and Samuel hears a voice call his name.  He immediately assumed it was Eli so he runs to Eli and he says, "Did you call me here I am," and Eli says, "I didn't call you, go back to bed."  This happens 2 times, Samuel hears his name called, he hears a voice not knowing that it's actually the Lord calling him. And he goes to Eli. Now there came a point - now we're gonna look at verse 8, and we're gonna see what Eli finally realized. It says, "A third time the Lord called Samuel and 'Samuel!' And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, 'Here I am; you called me.' Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel going and lie down, and if He calls you, say, 'Speak Lord, for Your servant is listening.'

"So Samuel went and lay down in his place. The lord came and stood there calling as at other times, 'Samuel! Samuel!' Then Samuel said, 'Speak, for Your servant is listening." You see originally prior to you Eli instructing Samuel on what to do, he wasn't familiar with the voice of the Lord yet. How many of us today may feel as though we always speak with God, we pray and we do a lot of different things but we don't commonly find ourself listening to His voice and maybe we don't find ourself familiar with His way of speaking and what He may be saying this day.

"Those who begin to hear His voice live in victory!"I encourage you as Samuel that today you would change your prayer and yes we can you know bring our petitions before God. There's a time for thankfulness, there's a time to pray for others, and those things are all special. But I encourage us before all other things today to come as Samuel did, and to stop in the midst of our jobs, to maybe stop in the midst of our lunch break or schooling whatever we may be doing and just in our hearts begin to say, 'Lord here I am; speak, for Your servant is listening."

And as we begin to practice this, as we begin to open our hearts and our minds which really is a work of the grace of God in our lives, may we begin to hear God speak into our hearts speaking to our mind.  And we know that as those who begin to hear His voice as we begin to follow it, we live in victory.

Practice, practice...God speaks!And what is the victory, first of all we get to know God!   We get to know His voice.

1 Samuel 3

"And the Lord came and called as before, 'Samuel! Samuel!'

And Samuel replied, 'Speak, your servant is listening.'”Hello and welcome back to the One Thing Podcast.  I'm very excited to share a few verses here of a story about a young boy named Samuel, and we're gonna be looking at first Samuel chapter 3. I encourage you to read this entire chapter as God I know can speak so much through His Word, but I'm only going to share a few verses.

"We are all called to serve in the house of the Lord"And to give you an idea of the story, Samuel is a young boy who is dedicated to serving the Lord in His house and around this time history states that he was probably around 11 years old.  Samuel was being trained by his mentor Eli who was the head priest at the time.  And you can imagine this young boy who was so excited to learn of what it meant to serve God to walk with Him and to follow Him.

"Speak Lord for your servant is listening..."And for us today maybe we're not in a ministry, maybe we're not, you know, on the worship team or pastors.  Whatever we may be, the whole point is that we are all called to serve in the house of the Lord by worshiping and ministering to the Lord by having our hearts filled with His word, filled with His presence.  And God has called us to all truly have this ministry within our hearts.

And so we can relate to Samuel, now one night young Samuel was sleeping, Eli was in his place sleeping and Samuel was in his place and Samuel hears a voice call his name.  He immediately assumed it was Eli so he runs to Eli and he says, "Did you call me here I am," and Eli says, "I didn't call you, go back to bed."  This happens 2 times, Samuel hears his name called, he hears a voice not knowing that it's actually the Lord calling him. And he goes to Eli. Now there came a point - now we're gonna look at verse 8, and we're gonna see what Eli finally realized. It says, "A third time the Lord called Samuel and 'Samuel!' And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, 'Here I am; you called me.' Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel going and lie down, and if He calls you, say, 'Speak Lord, for Your servant is listening.'

"So Samuel went and lay down in his place. The lord came and stood there calling as at other times, 'Samuel! Samuel!' Then Samuel said, 'Speak, for Your servant is listening." You see originally prior to you Eli instructing Samuel on what to do, he wasn't familiar with the voice of the Lord yet. How many of us today may feel as though we always speak with God, we pray and we do a lot of different things but we don't commonly find ourself listening to His voice and maybe we don't find ourself familiar with His way of speaking and what He may be saying this day.

"Those who begin to hear His voice live in victory!"I encourage you as Samuel that today you would change your prayer and yes we can you know bring our petitions before God. There's a time for thankfulness, there's a time to pray for others, and those things are all special. But I encourage us before all other things today to come as Samuel did, and to stop in the midst of our jobs, to maybe stop in the midst of our lunch break or schooling whatever we may be doing and just in our hearts begin to say, 'Lord here I am; speak, for Your servant is listening."

And as we begin to practice this, as we begin to open our hearts and our minds which really is a work of the grace of God in our lives, may we begin to hear God speak into our hearts speaking to our mind.  And we know that as those who begin to hear His voice as we begin to follow it, we live in victory.

Practice, practice...God speaks!And what is the victory, first of all we get to know God!   We get to know His voice.  This is the greatest thing.  The apostle Paul said that you know for all things I press on to know Him everything else is worthless. So may we come to that point in our lives where we begin...

Colossians 1:15-16

"The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him."

Hello welcome back to the One Thing Podcast. The word of the Lord says in Colossians 1, verse 15 "the Son is the image of the invisible God the firstborn over all creation for in Him all things were created things in heaven and on earth visible and invisible whether thrones our powers are rulers authorities all things have been created through Him and for Him."

This verse is so powerful for the Christian man or woman who believes and truly has faith in the Lord Jesus. 

What is faith, what is the essence of faith? 

It is knowing and believing that God is capable of doing all the things.  He's able to do anything because He is God who is in control. 

"His hands are big enough..."You see as Christians when we see each other or when we send our kids off to school or when we see our spouses goodbye to work we don't say "good luck." We don't say "hopefully you'll have a good day."  We say "be blessed in the name of the Lord Jesus" and we believe. We believe that as we bless our family, we believe that as we bless one another, truly it is God who will guide in lead our days.

"His voice is loud enough..."You see for us we know that every rain drop that falls from the heavens is counted by God, every hair on our head God knows each and every strand.  God in His wisdom is unfathomable, His knowledge is beyond the scope of what we can ever understand.  And see faith knows this about God.  Faith says "God you know it all, all things are in your hands.  Father I will trust in you and I will look to you." The God who is before all things the Lord Jesus who was King in which all things were created for Him by Him in for Him. 

Will you trust in the Lord today, will you put away the idea of luck, will you put away the idea of chance?...knowing that all things are in the hands of the Lord God Almighty. 

"Faith says: God you know all things."This is our faith, knowing that we and those who trust and believe in the power of His name will be carried through.  That the work that He began in you, the work that He began in me will be brought to completion. Knowing that as we begin in Christ we also continue in Christ and we will also one day bring an end this life in Christ and begin the new life with Him in the heavens above.

Will you trust in the Lord today?  Will you put away all other thoughts or ideas?  Will you simply look to His truth knowing that the Lord Jesus is King and trust in him. That His hands are big enough, that His voice is loud enough and that His ways are greater than all the ways of men.

Bless each person today, may you grasp the truth of the kingdom of God. May we seek His kingdom and all that we do. May we trust in the mighty name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Colossians 1:15-16

"The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him."Hello welcome back to the One Thing Podcast. The word of the Lord says in Colossians 1, verse 15 "the Son is the image of the invisible God the firstborn over all creation for in Him all things were created things in heaven and on earth visible and invisible whether thrones our powers are rulers authorities all things have been created through Him and for Him."

This verse is so powerful for the Christian man or woman who believes and truly has faith in the Lord Jesus. 

What is faith, what is the essence of faith? 

It is knowing and believing that God is capable of doing all the things.  He's able to do anything because He is God who is in control. 

"His hands are big enough..."You see as Christians when we see each other or when we send our kids off to school or when we see our spouses goodbye to work we don't say "good luck." We don't say "hopefully you'll have a good day."  We say "be blessed in the name of the Lord Jesus" and we believe. We believe that as we bless our family, we believe that as we bless one another, truly it is God who will guide in lead our days.

"His voice is loud enough..."You see for us we know that every rain drop that falls from the heavens is counted by God, every hair on our head God knows each and every strand.  God in His wisdom is unfathomable, His knowledge is beyond the scope of what we can ever understand.  And see faith knows this about God.  Faith says "God you know it all, all things are in your hands.  Father I will trust in you and I will look to you." The God who is before all things the Lord Jesus who was King in which all things were created for Him by Him in for Him. 

Will you trust in the Lord today, will you put away the idea of luck, will you put away the idea of chance?...knowing that all things are in the hands of the Lord God Almighty. 

"Faith says: God you know all things."This is our faith, knowing that we and those who trust and believe in the power of His name will be carried through.  That the work that He began in you, the work that He began in me will be brought to completion. Knowing that as we begin in Christ we also continue in Christ and we will also one day bring an end this life in Christ and begin the new life with Him in the heavens above.

Will you trust in the Lord today?  Will you put away all other thoughts or ideas?  Will you simply look to His truth knowing that the Lord Jesus is King and trust in him. That His hands are big enough, that His voice is loud enough and that His ways are greater than all the ways of men.

Bless each person today, may you grasp the truth of the kingdom of God. May we seek His kingdom and all that we do. May we trust in the mighty name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Proverbs 9:10

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Hello welcome back to the One Thing Podcast!  The question that we have for today is:

How do we begin?

You may be saying to yourself and even beginning to pray to God saying "Father I want to come close to you, I don't want to live apart from you, I don't want to wander away from your ways, but lord Jesus I want to come close to you, to get to know you.  I want to know your word."

"We begin with the fear of the Lord"There maybe so many different things that you are seeking with God and you're wondering how do you begin.   Praise God His word is so precious and so dear and also so clear.  Proverbs 9 10 says "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."  This is right where we began in the Christian life.   We begin with the fear of the Lord,  saying "Father release your fear into my life."

The fear of the Lord is not like the fear of the world that is distraught without hope.  But the fear of the Lord draws us close to God.  It is the fear of the Lord that causes a man or woman to turn from sin.  It's the fear of the Lord that gives us instruction, that causes us to see and to understand that God is in control,  that He is the almighty God the one who holds the keys to death and life in His hands.

So where is it that we began?  We begin with the fear of the Lord.  Praying "Lord let the fear of God rise in my heart Father as I read your word today.  Let the fear the Lord begin to come into my heart in to my mind as I am praying.  As I am seeking to follow you Father, let the fear the Lord guide and instruct me in all in every decision that I make today."

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledgePraise God He always gives us instruction and he says it's very simple my son and my daughter.  Begin with the fear of the Lord.  It is the beginning of wisdom, true wisdom, which is the wisdom of the Lord Jesus Christ.  To know that He is King, to know that He is in control, to know that He is the only hope of salvation and the One who empowers His people with a wisdom and knowledge, not of this world but a wisdom and knowledge that leads us into salvation.  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

Proverbs 9:10

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Hello welcome back to the One Thing Podcast!  The question that we have for today is:

How do we begin?

You may be saying to yourself and even beginning to pray to God saying "Father I want to come close to you, I don't want to live apart from you, I don't want to wander away from your ways, but lord Jesus I want to come close to you, to get to know you.  I want to know your word."

"We begin with the fear of the Lord"There maybe so many different things that you are seeking with God and you're wondering how do you begin.   Praise God His word is so precious and so dear and also so clear.  Proverbs 9 10 says "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."  This is right where we began in the Christian life.   We begin with the fear of the Lord,  saying "Father release your fear into my life."

The fear of the Lord is not like the fear of the world that is distraught without hope.  But the fear of the Lord draws us close to God.  It is the fear of the Lord that causes a man or woman to turn from sin.  It's the fear of the Lord that gives us instruction, that causes us to see and to understand that God is in control,  that He is the almighty God the one who holds the keys to death and life in His hands.

So where is it that we began?  We begin with the fear of the Lord.  Praying "Lord let the fear of God rise in my heart Father as I read your word today.  Let the fear the Lord begin to come into my heart in to my mind as I am praying.  As I am seeking to follow you Father, let the fear the Lord guide and instruct me in all in every decision that I make today."

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledgePraise God He always gives us instruction and he says it's very simple my son and my daughter.  Begin with the fear of the Lord.  It is the beginning of wisdom, true wisdom, which is the wisdom of the Lord Jesus Christ.  To know that He is King, to know that He is in control, to know that He is the only hope of salvation and the One who empowers His people with a wisdom and knowledge, not of this world but a wisdom and knowledge that leads us into salvation.  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

Proverbs 9:10

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."Hello welcome back to the One Thing Podcast!  The question that we have for today is:

How do we begin?

You may be saying to yourself and even beginning to pray to God saying "Father I want to come close to you, I don't want to live apart from you, I don't want to wander away from your ways, but lord Jesus I want to come close to you, to get to know you.  I want to know your word."

"We begin with the fear of the Lord..."There maybe so many different things that you are seeking with God and you're wondering how do you begin.   Praise God His word is so precious and so dear and also so clear.  Proverbs 9 10 says "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."  This is right where we began in the Christian life.   We begin with the fear of the Lord,  saying "Father release your fear into my life."The Fear of the Lord is the Beginning of KnowledgeThe fear of the Lord is not like the fear of the world that is distraught without hope.  But the fear of the Lord draws us close to God.  It is the fear of the Lord that causes a man or woman to turn from sin.  It's the fear of the Lord that gives us instruction, that causes us to see and to understand that God is in control,  that He is the almighty God the one who holds the keys to death and life in His hands.

So where is it that we began?  We begin with the fear of the Lord.  Praying "Lord let the fear of God rise in my heart Father as I read your word today.  Let the fear the Lord begin to come into my heart in to my mind as I am praying.  As I am seeking to follow you Father, let the fear the Lord guide and instruct me in all in every decision that I make today."

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.Praise God He always gives us instruction and he says it's very simple my son and my daughter.  Begin with the fear of the Lord.  It is the beginning of wisdom, true wisdom, which is the wisdom of the Lord Jesus Christ.  To know that He is King, to know that He is in control, to know that He is the only hope of salvation and the One who empowers His people with a wisdom and knowledge, not of this world but a wisdom and knowledge that leads us into salvation.  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

Ephesians 5:14

This is why it is said: “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

Hello and welcome back to the One Thing Podcast, today I will be sharing from the book of Ephesians chapter 5 verse 14...but before I read the scripture I want to think for a moment about how what we see, how what we perceive with our minds and what we see with our eyes, the effect that it has in our lives.

It's a great tremendous affect.  When we see trouble we can sometimes be caught up in fear.  When we perceive that things aren't going our way or when we perceive that something bad is about to happen or we just don't see anything at all we seem to be in the confusion of this world.

"What is the light that makes everything visible?  His name is the Lord Jesus."We find ourselves in trouble.  We may see things incorrectly, we may see God incorrectly, we may perceive His word in the wrong way.  We may be walking and attempting to fill this Christian life, looking at it from all the wrong ways.  But hallelujah praise the Lord for the scripture today it says "for the light makes everything visible, this is why it is said awake o sleeper, rise from the dead and Christ will give you light.

What is the light that makes everything visible?  His name is the Lord Jesus.  As we come to the lord Jesus today and I encourage you to run to the foot of the cross asking for the Lord God to bring about His life in our hearts, in in our minds.  You see the light of the lord Jesus makes everything visible.

He allows us to see trouble from afar, He allows us to seek God for who he truly is and to understand the Word of the Lord.  And why is that so important, you see the word of the Lord is the very word that will set us free.  He says that if you know the truth, the truth will set you free.

"When we see things in the light of Christ everything in our life changes."When we see things in the light of Christ everything in our life changes.  What vision, what light are we walking by today?  Is it the light of the Lord Jesus or are we walking by the light in this world.  The false light, the false light that leads us away from God, that leads us into doing into making decisions our own way and doing things according to what we think is right.

But praise God we can live by the light, the light of Christ.  Where in all of our decisions in everything that we do today, in our jobs and our schooling, in all of our walking, we can arise from the deadness  of this world and walk in the light and in the goodness of the lord Jesus Christ.

"May your light shine from my life!"May we today all come....come to God praying "father let your light dwell in my mind, may your light dwell in my heart, may your light shine from my life."  Not only that I would walk in that light and benefit from truly living in the goodness of God in bringing glory to his kingdom, but also may we be a light to others that they too would come in to the true light.  Out of the darkness of the world into the true light of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And also be those who would serve in this magnificent kingdom of light, bringing God the God of all light (who said from the beginning let there be light) bringing Him glory and bringing Him praise among all those who would look in and see what great salvation we have come to.

May you today be blessed in the light of the Lord Jesus.

Ephesians 5:14

This is why it is said: “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

Hello and welcome back to the One Thing Podcast, today I will be sharing from the book of Ephesians chapter 5 verse 14...but before I read the scripture I want to think for a moment about how what we see, how what we perceive with our minds and what we see with our eyes, the effect that it has in our lives.

It's a great tremendous affect.  When we see trouble we can sometimes be caught up in fear.  When we perceive that things aren't going our way or when we perceive that something bad is about to happen or we just don't see anything at all we seem to be in the confusion of this world.

"What is the light that makes everything visible?  His name is the Lord Jesus."We find ourselves in trouble.  We may see things incorrectly, we may see God incorrectly, we may perceive His word in the wrong way.  We may be walking and attempting to fill this Christian life, looking at it from all the wrong ways.  But hallelujah praise the Lord for the scripture today it says "for the light makes everything visible, this is why it is said awake o sleeper, rise from the dead and Christ will give you light.

What is the light that makes everything visible?  His name is the Lord Jesus.  As we come to the lord Jesus today and I encourage you to run to the foot of the cross asking for the Lord God to bring about His life in our hearts, in in our minds.  You see the light of the lord Jesus makes everything visible.

He allows us to see trouble from afar, He allows us to seek God for who he truly is and to understand the Word of the Lord.  And why is that so important, you see the word of the Lord is the very word that will set us free.  He says that if you know the truth, the truth will set you free.

"When we see things in the light of Christ everything in our life changes."When we see things in the light of Christ everything in our life changes.  What vision, what light are we walking by today?  Is it the light of the Lord Jesus or are we walking by the light in this world.  The false light, the false light that leads us away from God, that leads us into doing into making decisions our own way and doing things according to what we think is right.

But praise God we can live by the light, the light of Christ.  Where in all of our decisions in everything that we do today, in our jobs and our schooling, in all of our walking, we can arise from the deadness  of this world and walk in the light and in the goodness of the lord Jesus Christ.

"May your light shine from my life!"May we today all come....come to God praying "father let your light dwell in my mind, may your light dwell in my heart, may your light shine from my life."  Not only that I would walk in that light and benefit from truly living in the goodness of God in bringing glory to his kingdom, but also may we be a light to others that they too would come in to the true light.  Out of the darkness of the world into the true light of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And also be those who would serve in this magnificent kingdom of light, bringing God the God of all light (who said from the beginning let there be light) bringing Him glory and bringing Him praise among all those who would look in and see what great salvation we have come to.

May you today be blessed in the light of the Lord Jesus.

Proverbs 2:6

For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

"What wisdom are you in need of today?"Hello and welcome back to the One Thing Podcast. For the Lord gives wisdom from his mouth come knowledge and understanding...that's Proverbs 2 verse 6. And proverbs, the book of wisdom it teaches us and helps us to learn how to live right in a pleasing way before God.

And so it says the Lord gives wisdom.

* What wisdom are you in need of today?

* Are you trying to figure out how to please God?

* Are you looking for how this day you can bring Him honor and bring Him glory?

Well in order to bring God glory, in order to serve Him we need His wisdom. But this is a great hope because the very God that requires us to walk in his wisdom is also the One who gives it!

"Wisdom is Jesus"What is the wisdom of God? The wisdom of God is His skillfulness and His way of doing things, it's taking on Jesus' godliness, Jesus' way of making decisions and walking before his father. So ultimately wisdom is Jesus.

Would you cry out to Jesus today? Will you seek and ask when you look for his wisdom to be poured into your heart and into your mind? Also from His mouth comes knowledge and understanding. What is this knowledge, what is this understanding? It is the way to the Father.

True knowledge, the greatest knowledge we can have is knowledge of God which is a knowledge of His great love and who He is. So, as we're coming to the Lord Jesus not only can we take Him to be the wisdom of God but also the One who reveals the Father...who gives true knowledge and understanding.

"Praise God this day you can cry out for such wisdom!"Do you need knowledge today? Do you need understanding? Do you need wisdom? Do you need direction on where to go, how to pray, what to do? Then praise God this day you can cry out for such wisdom for from His mouth also come knowledge and understanding! So may we seek Him in such a way today. May we trust knowing that He will lead us through. And He will lead us to Himself. Thank you father for your wisdom for your knowledge and for your understanding.