It was very cold in our house. I was the first one awake that morning, and as I scampered through our personal Arctic I checked the thermometer. It said 50 degrees. I called Mr. Furnace to come. In the meantime, I turned on the kitchen stove, opened the door and sat in front of it to have some personal spiritual time. My kids told me that with my eyes closed it looked like I was praying to the stove! Great! Well, Mr. Furnace came and he finally figured it out. See, the problem was not the thermometer, it was the thermostat. Because the thermometer was just reflecting the temperature. It was the thermostat, which of course, controlled the temperature!

I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "Thermostat or Thermometer?"

The fact is, you may be a thermometer, or might be a thermostat. Thermometer people tend to reflect the temperature of the people around them. "If you're hot, I'm hot. If you're cool, I'm cool. If you're nice, I'm nice. If you yell, I yell." Thermometer.

What most of us would like to be is a thermostat - someone who controls the temperature in our situation. Your family sure needs for you to be a thermostat. If everyone's a thermometer, hello chaos. The people you work with, your friends - they need someone who is under control, who doesn't go off with the stress, who is steady and caring and peaceful. Those thermostat people are rare, and so they're valuable.

My friend, Mark, runs a rapidly growing, highly pressurized company that services some of America's largest corporations. In the heat of battle one day, one of Mark's execs came in and said, "Man, how do you handle this pressure?" Well, Mark is kind of like the eye of a hurricane - the center of calm in this swirling storm. Actually, Mark explained his thermostatic peace in a word - "Jesus."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from the words of Jesus Himself in John 14:27. He is talking to His closest friends on the most stressful night of His life, just before His arrest and execution. And it's on the eve of what is about to be the most stressful chapter in their lives. If stressful is a fair description of your life right now, these words from Jesus are for you, too. Here's what He says. "Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

I'm sure I don't have to make a list of the uncertainties in our world that could make any of our hearts "troubled" or "afraid" right now. There's plenty of them, and you probably have a pretty impressive list of your own. But in the midst of combat conditions, Jesus says, "I give you My peace, like nothing, like no one on earth can give you."

A love-relationship with the Son of God is the secret of my friend Mark's peace under pressure. It's a peace that I have experienced over and over again from hospital rooms, to gravesides, to doctor's offices, to airplanes in trouble, to out-of-control weeks. The anchor, I'll tell you, is that relationship with Jesus Christ.

And when you know you belong to Him, you can be a thermostat instead of a thermometer because you know you have an identity, you have a security, you have a love that is rooted in something you cannot lose. The freedom of knowing that whatever's at stake in this situation isn't all there is. You're anchored to Jesus Christ, His unloseable love, and His unstoppable plans.

It's the relationship you were made for, that you've been missing because your sin has cut you off from your Creator. It's the relationship that Jesus died to give you by paying for your sin on His cross. Invite Him into that storm of your life and let Him replace it with His peace.

If you want this relationship and to be sure you belong to Him, our website is there to help. It's

Do you have a quiet confidence that God's saving grace is real in your life? Ephesians 1 reveals a divine mark where the Holy Spirit brands us as God's own. In this message, Pastor Philip Miller explores the Spirit's role as our permanent seal. Discover why being God's possession means you are secure in a love that never lets go.

This is part three of the sermon, "To The Praise Of His Glory."

The future is exciting, yet challenging. This handbook will give you reliable scriptural guidance in the core principles of Christian living: ⁠https://livinghopeoffer.net⁠.

00:00 Branded: The Spirit as God's mark of ownership
05:57 Windfall Inheritance: Why your future is on schedule
13:43 Corvette Keys: Using your inheritance in the present
15:55 Proactive Dependency: Walking in the Spirit
18:24 Facing Doubt: Listening to the Spirit's witness to your heart

Learn More: ⁠moodymedia.org/living-hope-announcement⁠

Moody Church Media [⁠https://www.moodymedia.org/⁠], home of "Living Hope" and  "Running To Win," exists to bring glory to God through the transformation of lives.

For prayer or biblical resources, please call Moody Church Media at 800.215.5001.

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Worship is not about our emotional state, but about God's eternal worth. Real worship means ascribing glory to Him, whatever our emotional state. In this message, Pastor Lutzer walks through aspects of corporate worship which shape our private worship: music, giving, and obedience. Whatever may try to distract us, we can expect God to show up.

This month's special offer is available for a donation of any amount. Get yours at https://offerrtw.com or call us at 1-800-215-5001. 

Moody Church Media [https://www.moodymedia.org/], home of "Running To Win," exists to bring glory to God through the transformation of lives. 

Erwin W. Lutzer is Pastor Emeritus of The Moody Church in Chicago, where he served as Senior Pastor for 36 years. He is a prolific author of over seventy books. A clear expositor of the Bible, he is the featured speaker on "Running To Win" and "Songs In The Night," with programs broadcasting on over a thousand outlets in the U.S. and across more than fifty countries in seven languages. He and his wife, Rebecca, live in the Chicago area. They have three grown children and eight grandchildren. 

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Being filled with the Holy Spirit breaks down our inhibitions and releases lavish worship.  Today on BOLD STEPS, Mark Jobe shows what holds us back from being full-on worshippers.  God is your helper and refuge—it’s time to restrain the voice of flesh and make room for the voice of faith ... listen to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe.

Bold Step Gift: Growing In Christ – 52 Devotionals For A Year Of Faith

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Many people worry about their image rather than their true character. Ananias and Sapphira chose to look generous without actually being generous. In this message from Acts 5, Pastor Lutzer shares three negative laws of stewardship from their bad example. What would change in our lives if God were in charge of our reputations?

This month's special offer is available for a donation of any amount. Get yours at https://rtwoffer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337. 

Moody Church Media [https://www.moodymedia.org/], home of "Running To Win," exists to bring glory to God through the transformation of lives. 

Erwin W. Lutzer is Pastor Emeritus of The Moody Church in Chicago, where he served as Senior Pastor for 36 years. He is a prolific author of over seventy books. A clear expositor of the Bible, he is the featured speaker on "Running To Win" and "Songs In The Night," with programs broadcasting on over a thousand outlets in the U.S. and across more than fifty countries in seven languages. He and his wife, Rebecca, live in the Chicago area. They have three grown children and eight grandchildren. 

SUPPORT: 

Tax Deductible Support: https://www.moodymedia.org/donate/ 

Become an Endurance Partner: https://endurancepartners.org/ 

The post Jesus gives his people a shield of faith. appeared first on Key Life.

The little shards of Critical Theory are slowly shattering Britain's identity. 

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For more resources to live like a Christian in this cultural moment, go to breakpoint.org.

Motivation is the driving force within us. It’s the difference between simply living and living an abundant life. But what is it that motivates the people of God? Dr. Stanley prompts our thinking about what drives us to fulfill the commitments we made to God by sharing the story of Daniel.

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