Word of Hope Christian Church Podcast

Today we’re going to study two incredible topics that James brings up: Controlling the Tongue and Wisdom from God. We know human words are powerful and it can be really hard to control the tongue. Our words are fire, igniting the entire course of our lives. And we need to understand that blessing God and cursing people should never come out of the same mouth. Then there’s the question of what is means to be truly wise. True wisdom is not necessarily found in those with the most education, money or friends. So then what does true wisdom look like? We’ll talk about all of this and more so stay with us. Thanks for listening. Blessings and love in Christ! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

This Thursday our nation will pause once again to celebrate Thanksgiving Day. And one would assume that because of the example of our forefathers and because today we have so much, that we would be an extremely thankful people. But it’s often just the opposite, isn’t it? The more we get, the less thankful we become, the less mindful of God we are and the more we want. I think that Ps 100 was written to deal with that attitude, to remind us of our need to be thankful and to maintain An Attitude of Gratitude. Come, join us, and let’s find out more. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

Today in Chapter 2:14-26 we’ll discover that James will make the case that how a person acts is a sign of the kind of faith they possess. He’ll insist that it’s not enough to mentally agree about certain facts of God. If what a person believes about God doesn’t lead them to act accordingly, then their faith is not saving faith it’s merely opinion. James will also say that we are not saved by good works but for good works and his point is not that works must be added to faith, but that genuine faith includes works. Let’s get to studying.  Thanks for listening. Blessings and love in Christ! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

Today in Pt 3 we’re going to close out this mini-sermon series and we’ll focus on John 17:20-23. In these verses Jesus prays for the church to be unified. On the eve of His excruciating death, He utters an appeal for unity. That says that we need supernatural strength, we need God’s strength and help in this area. The very fact that Jesus prayed for unity indicates that we cannot accomplish this on our own. So how do we do that? Come join us and we’ll answer that and much more as we hear from God’s Word. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

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Dear Heavenly Father, You know that there are all kinds of battles all around me and Satan’s mission is to prevent me from following You. I am going to choose today to be on Your side of the battle. My desire today is to claim victory over Satan by putting on the whole armor of God so I can stand firm against his schemes.

Today I put on the “Helmet of Salvation” reminding me that I am in Your family and on Your side. Fill me with the reality that as a Christian, Your Holy Spirit has taken up residency in my life; that my sins have been forgiven by Your precious blood shed on the cross. Thank you that I have the assurance that I have become a citizen of Your eternal kingdom and that I have an unimaginable inheritance waiting for me in heaven.

Thank you that you have given me an offensive piece of armor to fight the enemy, the “Sword of the Spirit”, the Bible, which will help me discern right from wrong when I am attacked by Satan. Lord, I’m asking that Your Holy

Spirit give me an insatiable desire for Your Word so it becomes my lifeline. Please give me insight as I study Your Word and the ability and wisdom to practice it and live it!

As I prepare for today, I don’t want to forget to arm myself with the “Belt of Truth” so I can distinguish between Your truth and Satan’s lies. Just as soldiers in Biblical days needed a belt to keep their loose garments from tripping them, I need Your help to avoid getting tripped and falling on my face spiritually. Please help me to know Your truth, to be honest and free from deceit, a person of integrity throughout the course of my day. Please give me wisdom to make wise choices today.

Lord, a “got to have” piece of my armor today is the “Breastplate of Righteousness”. Jesus, please protect my heart and character from Satan’s blows today. Help me to act in obedience to Your will in the face of opposition. Father, please make me more like Your Son, Jesus – MORE loving, holy, patient, faithful, grateful, kind, merciful, compassionate (you can go on….).

Lord I can’t start this day either without the “Shield of Faith”. Just as the Roman soldiers of biblical days had a large shield that covered their entire body, I ask for Your protection from my head to my feet. Lord, I put my confidence totally in You. I ask for Your protection from evil thoughts entering into my head today. Take away the desire for my feet to lead me where I shouldn’t be. Protect my heart with Your shield of faith as arrows of discouragement come my way in the forms of criticism, hardship, stress, and anxiety that are shot my way. Lord, as I face (you name it...is it illness, job loss, parenting problems, marital difficulties, etc.) may my reliance in Your faithfulness increase and help me to respond in obedience to Your will.

Lastly, as I get fully dressed for the day with Your armor, I need the “Shoes of the Gospel of Peace”. Thank You how You gave the visual of the importance of my “Gospel Shoes”. Just as a soldier’s shoes in Paul’s day had cleats on them bottom to allow him to move without slipping and sliding, I need Your “shoes” to help me to advance Your kingdom. Please give me the courage and the right words to share the Good News of Christ with others...to move forward into these situations with my confidence in You instead of retreating from them. May “I Love to Tell the Story of Jesus and His Love” become the cry of my heart. Get me ready today Lord to share the Good news of Jesus with my lost family members and friends.

Lord, I’m now ready to face this day with You by my side! In your precious Name I pray, Amen.

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Make Us One (Twila Paris) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWyJNLV0770

Today Chapter 2:1-13 James gives a practical lesson: We are not to show favoritism. That kind of discrimination violates God’s truth. James takes it for granted that the believers in the church will welcome strangers. But he is urging them to be alert about the way that they welcome strangers into the church. What James condemns is showing favoritism based on social standing. In fact he makes it a cause for questioning the reality of a person’s faith. And so the title for this study is Don’t Favor the Rich. Let’s get to studying.  Thanks for listening. Blessings and love in Christ! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

Today in Pt 2 we’re going to be looking at John 17:6-19. Here we’ll find 5 reasons why Jesus prayed for His followers and 5 specific requests He makes of them as well. We’re going to find out the answers to these questions and a whole lot more including how you can life a secure and sanctified life in Christ. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

Today we start a new 3-part sermon series called What Jesus Wants for You and it centers on Jesus’ prayer in John 17. Question: Do you need to revitalize your prayer life? Then let’s turn to John 17:1-5 because it’s here we’re going to draw out some prayer principles that, if followed, can revitalize your prayer life. And in doing so we’ll also see how Jesus lived the glory of God-driven life and how you can to! Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

Today we start a new 3-part sermon series called What Jesus Wants for You and it centers on Jesus’ prayer in John 17. Question: Do you need to revitalize your prayer life? Then let’s turn to John 17:1-5 because it’s here we’re going to draw out some prayer principles that, if followed, can revitalize your prayer life. And in doing so we’ll also see how Jesus lived the glory of God-driven life and how you can to! Thanks for watching. God bless you!

The Names of God:

Abba means Father

Adonai means Lord or Master.

The Almighty conveys the idea God is an all-powerful being, able to control everything in the universe at all times

The Ancient of Days describes the everlasting God.

Bread of Life means that we are not satisfied spiritually unless we know Jesus and have Him in our lives.

El Elyon means God most High.

El Roi means God who sees me.

El Shaddai means God Almighty, all sufficient One.

Elohim means Supreme God, Strong One, Creator God.

Everlasting Father means that as the Everlasting Father, the Messiah will be a father and His fatherhood will be without end.

Immanuel means God with us.

Good Shepherd means that Jesus is the loving, caring, Savior of the world.

High Priest means that Jesus is the one who faithfully bears us into God’s presence by virtue of His self-sacrifice.

Lamb of God means that God gave Jesus to be killed like a lamb for our sins so we could live forever.

Living Water means Jesus is the living water, providing the necessary spiritual nourishment for our souls to thrive.

Messiah means Jesus is the promised “anointed one” or Christ; the Savior.

Our Father means God is our Father not only in that He is our Creator but that He is also our Redeemer.

Prince of Peace means Jesus is the only one who can bring true peace, restoration, redemption and reconciliation between you and God and others.

Redeemer applies specifically to Christ, because He redeems us from all evil by the payment of a ransom in full payment of our debt to the laws of God we have broken.

Son of God refers to the status of Jesus as the divine son of God the Father.

Yahweh is the Hebrew word for the self-revealed name of the God of the Old Testament.

Yahweh Jireh means the Lord will provide or the Lord my provider.

Yahweh Nissi means the Lord is our banner, mighty warrior, victory.

Yahweh Rohi means the Lord our Shepherd.

Yahweh Rapha means the Lord heals.

Yahweh Sabbaoth means the Lord of hosts—He rules over all things both on earth and in heaven.

Yahweh Shalom means the Lord is peace.

Yahweh Shammah means the Lord is here.

Yeshua (Jesus) means Savior or the Lord is my salvation.

Congregational Prayer:

Almighty God we draw near to You, united as brothers and sisters within Your Kingdom. Gathered together, we lift our eyes to see Your face. Expectant with faith, we lay our lives before you. Lord, may Your Holy Spirit transform us, may Your light shine upon us and bring peace. We open our ears to hear Your Good News, we open our eyes to see Your truth and we open our hearts to receive your endless love. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

The text today emphasizes that those who truly trust God don’t settle for merely appearing religious. They give up trying to control the world with their words and their anger. They humbly receive the Word God has planted in them, listen to it and proceed to do what it says. Part of what the Word says to us is that we should keep control over our words, to care for those who are weak and suffering and to keep ourselves from being polluted by the world around us. How do we do all this? Stay tuned and let’s find out.  Thanks for listening. Blessings and love in Christ! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

Today we conclude our amazing journey through the Book of Nehemiah. You would think that the last chapter of this great book would contain encouraging and compelling stories of how God’s people took their spiritual commitment to the next level. Frankly, this script does not have a happy ending. Within a relatively short period of time, the children of Israel went spiritually flat and returned to their old ways of doing things which violated God’s laws and allowed the world’s system to press them into its mold. What was the result? Were they able to recover? Stay with us and we’ll find out the answers to those questions and much more. Thanks for listening. God bless you! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.

Today we start our study in the book of James. The letter reads like a Monday morning office memo. From the beginning James expects his readers to put their faith into action. He addresses practical issues that are as current as this morning’s newspaper. He tells us that the faith that Christians claim must be demonstrated in all the situations and circumstances of life—at work, at home, in the neighborhood, in church. And trials and hardships shouldn’t be seen as hindrances to faith, but as opportunities to exercise healthy faith. Knowing God’s Word is not enough. We’ve got to apply that knowledge to our everyday lives—real faith is the application of God’s truth to ourselves. So let’s begin.  Thanks for listening. Blessings and love in Christ! To find out more about our church please go to www.whccnb.org.