Utah's Hope

Topics: 

Hot Take, Judgmental, Attention Filter, Shock Jock, Fame, Attention/Filter, HonoraryDoctorate, Road Rage, Gossip, The Way Of Jesus, Screwtape, Search/Finding, His Mercy, Jesus/Attractive

 BONUS CONTENT: Jesus Attractive Follow-up

Quotes:

"The people of God are people from Walmart."

"The kingdom is supposed to be even and I think we miss a big opportunity when we don't make it that way."

"Let's be uncool together."

"Thank him for his patience with you."

"Searching is good. Let me affirm you in that. But let's hold open the idea that you're searching because there's something to be found."

"Following Jesus and doing it in community with other people, there's nothing as good as that."

"Contentment is a great place to be."

A ship’s captain approaching a foggy seaport will navigate based on the light from the lighthouse, not from the light of other boats. Boats drift, lighthouses stand secure. Do we navigate the life of faith based on the conduct of other believers, or based on the One we believe in? What’s the hymn say, “On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.” Today on A NEW BEGINNING, Pastor Greg Laurie help us put that objective into practice.

Harvest Crusade tickets are fully claimed—but it’s not too late to participate and witness what God does on July 11. Invite your loved ones to watch online with you and make sure you join the waitlist in case more tickets become available.

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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.

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Hurt, neglect, rejection, or abandonment from a father can feel like it tumbles into all of life. Author Kia Stephens gets real about her own painful path through father wounds--and how she began moving forward.

Show Notes and Resources

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In Genesis 11, the people of Babel said, “Let us make a name for ourselves.” That ancient temptation is still alive today. It can surface in seasons of success, when achievement becomes less about serving God and others and more about building a monument to ourselves.

Success is not inherently wrong. Scripture commends diligence, wisdom, excellence, and faithful stewardship. But prosperity also brings spiritual danger. It can reveal what is already happening in the heart.

That was the focus of today’s conversation with Jim Wise, Senior Partner, Senior Private Wealth Advisor, and Director of Ministry Services for Blue Trust in Orlando. Jim is also a Certified Kingdom Advisor® (CKA®), bringing both financial expertise and a deep commitment to biblical stewardship.

Jim recently gave a presentation to Kingdom Advisors titled, “My Practice: A Ministry to My Clients or a Monument to Myself?” While the message was directed to financial advisors, the question applies to all of us.

Are we using what God has entrusted to us for His glory, or are we quietly building a name for ourselves?

Jim’s message grew out of his study of King Saul. Early in Saul’s life, we see humility and dependence on God. He did not begin as a man obsessed with power or reputation. But as he experienced success as king, something changed.

What began as humility slowly gave way to pride, arrogance, and self-protection. Eventually, Scripture tells us that Saul went to Carmel and “set up a monument for himself” (1 Samuel 15:12).

That image stayed with Jim. Saul’s story is not merely an ancient warning about a fallen king. It is a mirror for anyone who has experienced influence, achievement, wealth, or vocational success.

Success often does not create pride as much as it exposes it. Jeremiah 17:9 reminds us, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” Prosperity has a way of bringing hidden desires to the surface.

Many people begin their careers with a deep sense of dependence on the Lord. They pray for guidance, wisdom, provision, and open doors. But over time, success can distort our vision.

We may come to believe that the results are mainly due to our talent, intelligence, discipline, or strategy. Jim described this as “believing our own press clippings.” In a culture that celebrates wealth, platform, and achievement, even a small measure of success can bring attention and praise.

That attention is spiritually dangerous if it leads us to forget the Source of all we have.

Deuteronomy 8:18 says, “You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth.” Everything we have comes from God and belongs to God. Our abilities, opportunities, influence, and resources are entrusted to us. They are not ours to use however we please.

This conversation also has practical implications for those choosing a financial advisor. Credentials, experience, and technical knowledge matter. But according to Jim, character matters even more.

A highly competent advisor who lacks character may not lead to the kind of relationship or results a client needs. For Christians, it is especially important to find someone who shares a biblical worldview and understands generosity, stewardship, and accountability before God.

A faithful advisor does not merely ask, “What can we accumulate?” but “What has God entrusted to you, and how can it be used wisely for His purposes?”

That kind of counsel requires more than financial knowledge. It requires wisdom, humility, and a

Senator Tim Scott reflects on the powerful role of faith, personal responsibility, and America’s founding principles in shaping both his life and the nation’s story. Sharing his journey from a childhood in the segregated South to the U.S. Senate, Scott emphasizes the transformative power of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the importance of prayer and perseverance, and the progress America has made toward justice and equality. Through historical examples and personal insights, he underscores the need for unity around a shared moral foundation rooted in truth, the value of treating others with dignity and love—even amid disagreement—and the responsibility of Christians to live out their faith in the culture - one relationship at a time. The conversation closes with a hopeful vision for spiritual renewal, highlighting signs of revival across the country and encouraging believers to remain steadfast in faith as a source of hope for America’s future.

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You raised them right—so why does it feel like you’re losing them? Jim Burns steps into the ache parents don’t say out loud: regret, distance, and the fear you blew it. Drawing from When Your Adult Child Strays, he gets real about what to do when pushing harder only pushes them away—and what actually keeps the door open.

Show Notes and Resources

• Email us [email protected]
• Learn about Jim, Homeword, and get his book, When Your Adult Child Strays 
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• Ron's speaking schedule 

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Journey through the book of Ephesians and learn what your possessions are in Christ Jesus.

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Many of us are carrying burdens God never intended us to carry. We carry worry, fear, anxiety, guilt, and more. Prayer is God's invitation to transfer those burdens from our shoulders to His. The Bible says “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you” (1 Peter 5:7 NLT). Prayer is not informing God of something He doesn't know. Prayer is inviting God into something we can't handle.

Notes:

Luke 18
  
As God’s child, you don’t need a badge to reach Him.
 
Hebrews 10:19 (NLT)
And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven's Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus.
 
Prayer is the Christian’s secret weapon.
 
There is a right and a wrong way to pray.
 
Prayer is God’s invitation to transfer those burdens He never intended for us to carry from our shoulders to His.
 
God cares about your problem.
 
1Peter 5:7 (NKJV)
Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
  
Jehosaphat called the people together for prayer.
2 Chronicles 20:12
 
God is bigger than your problem.
 
2 Chronicles 20:6 (NLT)
“O LORD, God of our ancestors, you alone are the God who is in heaven. You are ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth. You are powerful and mighty; no one can stand against you!”
 
Prayer is inviting God into something we can’t handle.
 
God has His perfect timing.
 
Read Luke 18:1–8
 
We need to be persistent in our prayer.
Luke 18:1
We all have a choice as to what we will do and to whom we will turn when a crisis hits. We can lose heart or we can pray.
 
We should pray simply because Jesus told us to.
 
We should pray because prayer is God’s appointed way for obtaining things.
 
James 4:2
You have not because you ask not.
 
Luke 11:9
Ask and it shall be given, seek and you shall find, knock and it will be opened to you.
 
Prayer is the way God helps us to overcome our anxiety and worry.
 
Philippians 4:6 (NLT)
Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
 
Philippians 4:7 (NLT)
Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
 
Worry is not a virtue but can actually be a sin.
 
Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength.
 
The judge was the powerful one; the widow was the weaker one.
 
Our loving Father in Heaven is the very opposite of this judge.
Luke 18:7
 
The widowed woman had persistence and a just cause, and that was enough. We have something far greater, a Heavenly Father who already wants to help us.
 
Every prayer is answered:
Yes,
No,
Wait.
 
Read Luke 18:9–14
 
We look on the outside, God looks on the inside.
1 Samuel 16:7
 
The most religious man in the room went home empty, and the man nobody wanted to sit next to went home justified before God.

Some will use prayer as an opportunity to:
Brag.
Gossip.
Impress.
 
Attitude is so very important in prayer.
 
If we pray selfishly, it can hinder our prayers.
James 4:2–3
 
An unforgiving attitude toward another can hinder our prayers.
Matthew 6:15
 
We must confess our sin to God.
 
How do we approach God?
Like the widow, with persistence.
Like the tax collector, with humility.
Like little children.
 
Read Luke 18:15–17
 
Luke 18:16
Let the little children come to me
 
The objective of every parent is to bring their children to Christ.
 
God sees things differently than we do.
The weak widow is strong because she prays with persistence.
The sinful man’s prayer is heard because he admits his sin.
The child is an example for us to follow in approachin