Join us as we walk the road to Jericho in the first 6 chapters of the book of Joshua. In this first episode we will be reminded that God wants us talking and thinking about Him and His Word constantly. He wants it to overflow from our hearts to our mouths and out to others. In the book of Joshua we see that the kind of success God promises us when we, "meditate on His Word day and night," is not a worldly version of success. It's so much more! If we know God's Word and we are thinking about it day and night we will have the wisdom we need to live this life and walk through our daily lives making choices that please God. We will be equipped for the battles that come our way. As Peter tells us in the book of 2 Peter, "We will have everything we need for life and godliness." This is God's version of success.

Scripture for this episode:

Joshua 1:1-9

Deuteronomy 6:5-9

2 Peter 1:3-4

James 1:22

Praying in the Spirit just might be one of the most mysterious wonders offered to us in all of scripture. For some it may seem natural and normal; for others who may believe in it, it still seems out of reach. So, how do we pray in the Spirit? Why do we pray in the Spirit? In this episode, we will examine Scripture to get a better understanding of who the Spirit is and what His role is in regards to prayer. The Spirit Himself helps us push past our reluctance to pray. Praying in the Spirit means praying powerful, transforming prayers. This type of prayer actually transforms our faith by teaching us to bow to our own will and surrender our agendas to Him, allowing Him to guide us in our prayers.

Scripture for this episode:

Jeremiah 29:13-14

Genesis 1:1-2

Matthew 3:16

Isaiah 43:1-2

Zechariah 12:10

1 Thessalonians 5:19

1 Corinthians 12:13

John 7:38-39

1 Corinthians 2:9-11

Romans 8:26-27

2 Corinthians 3:17

John 3:34

As we read verses in the Bible where Jesus Himself tells us that we can ask for anything in His name and we will receive it, deep down we sense that there's more to it than that. We read that we must also be asking and praying these prayers within God's will. God is not a magic genie for us to impress our desires upon to get whatever we want. So how do we begin to pray within the will of God? Tune into this episode as we dive in deeper to explore just that... praying within God's will and then learning more how to walk in confidence that God hears our prayers and answers them, even when those answers don't look like what we had imagined or come as fast as we had hoped. If the deepest desire of your heart is a prayer you've offered up to God for years, be encouraged; God is listening. Often times, within our prayers, He's actually at work in us, shaping the one who offers the prayer.

Scripture for this message:

Matthew 21:22

John 16:23

John 14:12-14

Psalm 40:8

Isaiah 51:7

John 14:6

Hebrews 4:12

John 15:7

This part of our prayer is really a request for protection. We approach God with an awareness that He is in charge of everything. He is completely in control of our circumstances. He never tempts us (James ch. 1) but He's in charge of what gets to us and what doesn't. So why does God ever even allow us to be brought to temptation? He knows when we need to be tested. He knows when we'll fail and when we'll triumph. He knows when failing a test will point us toward repentance, toward growth, toward change. He also knows when acing the test will be exactly what we need to find ourselves built up in Him, to claim His strength and victory over old temptations. Ultimately, He knows when our failure or our success will bring Him glory and point others to Him! We can be sure if temptation is allowed to cross our path God has provided the way to stand up under the weight of it.

Scripture for this message:

Matthew 6:9-13

James 1:13-15

Matthew 4:1-11

1 Peter 5:8

Job 1:6-12

Job 2:1-6

Romans 8:28

Luke 22:31-34

1 Corinthians 10:13

Ephesians 6: 10-20

John 10:10

In this episode we will be discussing forgiveness. Jesus teaches that the kind of forgiveness He's looking for in us is 2 fold... The forgiveness of others and the repentance of our own sins are tied together. Once we truly grasp just how far God has gone to forgive us we realize we are in no place to withhold forgiveness from others. Forgiveness is a choice, not a feeling. We rarely FEEL like forgiving those who have wronged us. But so often our biggest issue with forgiving others is not really an issue of forgiveness at all but rather and issue of justice. So often it's hard for us to forgive because we feel like it's letting others "off the hook," for what they've done. When we choose to forgive we are trusting God to deliver justice on our behalf. Our God is a lover of justice and His justice is eternal! We can trust Him with it!

Scripture for this message:

Matthew 6:9-12, 14

Leviticus 5:5-10

Matthew 5:23

Psalm 119:42

Psalm 99:4

Romans 5:8

Ephesians 2

1 Corinthians 13:5

Just like the Israelites, thousands of years ago, wandering in the desert and waiting for manna from heaven to feed them each day, we must learn to trust God more and more everyday. We must trust Him to provide for our physical needs and our spiritual needs. Jesus tells us in John 6 that He is living bread and anyone who eats of it will live FOREVER! Tune in and we'll unpack this together. Lord, give us this day, our daily bread.

Scripture for this message:

Matthew 6:9-11

Exodus 16

Proverbs 30:8-9

Matthew 6:19-20

Matthew 6:25-34

John 6:47-51

James 1:17

Jeremiah 29:13-14

Over and over again we see Jesus surrender His will to the Father's will. This example He sets for us in prayer should lead us to a posture of surrender in our everyday lives as well. Christ's prayer for, "Your kingdom come," should stir within us a deep knowing that this world, as it is now, is not our home. Christ will return and set up His perfect kingdom here. In the meantime, are we praying daily for God's work in this world? Join me on this journey through the Lord's Prayer as we examine in this episode what it looks like to approach God from a posture of surrender. ...not my will, but Your will, Lord.

Scripture for this message:

Matthew 6:9-10

Matthew 26:36-47

Prayer is a lot more about what's in our hearts than what comes out of our mouths. In this episode we are unpacking the first verse of the Lord's Prayer, given to Christ's disciples by Jesus Himself in Matthew Ch. 6. How should we approach a holy God when we come before Him in prayer? Jesus tells us, "Hallowed be Thy Name." God's name is to be kept holy. Before we bring Him anything else, we must first bring Him an offering of praise for Who He is, remembering all He's done.

Scripture for this message:

Matthew 6:9-13

Nehemiah 1:5-7

Psalm 100:4

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Hebrews 4:14-16

In this episode we examine part of Matthew chapter 6 where Jesus tells us about the heart God desires in each of us as we approach Him in prayer. God's greatest desire is for us to desire Him above all things. We see this contrast between the men Jesus describes in Matthew and in the psalmist's words in Psalm 84, who prays to God, "Better is one day in Your courts than a thousand days elsewhere." This psalm teaches us that as we approach God with our prayers our heart's desire above all things, should be to draw near to Him, to enter into His presence. Better is one day in the presence of God, than thousands of empty days living for this world. Lord, teach us how to pray!

Scripture for this message:

Luke 11:1

Matthew 6: 5-8

Psalm 84: 8, 10-11

It was the one request the disciples made for instruction from Jesus, "Lord, teach us how to pray." Prayer is simply talking to God. We can't mess it up. He loves us and desires relationship with us. And yet there's a complexity to prayer that can sometimes leave us feeling like we've fallen short or missed the mark. Why do we pray the way we do? Do we really believe prayer accomplishes anything? These are just a couple of the questions we will tackle in this series. Jesus often retreated to quiet places to pray. He also prayed out loud with large groups. Paul tells us in Ephesians to "pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests." We'll be diving deeper into God's Word and unpacking Christ's answer to His disciples' request, which resulted in what is now more commonly known as "The Lord's Prayer." Lord, teach us how to pray!

Scripture for this message:

Luke 11:1-4

Romans 12:2

Ephesians 6:8