YOU Podcast

It was the biggest night of my senior basketball season. Our team wasn’t great, but somehow we made the state semi-finals. Because this was unexpected, my dad had booked an event out of town that meant he would miss the game. I was crushed! I’ll never forget my dad’s words after he heard my pleas: “Son, I promise I’ll be there.”

The gym that night was filled with incredible anticipation. The place was packed with fans, but I was only concerned about one person. Would my dad be able to keep his promise? As I led my team onto the floor with our fight song filling the arena, I looked up into the stands, and there he was, cheering me on. My dad kepthis promise!

God kept His promise given through the prophet Isaiah, we can celebrate Immanuel—God with us.

In a world that is filled with broken promises, I am thankful for an earthly father who kept his. I am most thankful for our heavenly Father who always keeps His promises. In this God’s grace and mercy abounds. Because God kept His promise given through the prophet Isaiah, we can celebrate Immanuel—God with us.

Every summer, many people travel to the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan to hike. Every step forward up the steep dunes actually seems like a half step backward in the sand. This strenuous hike will test the limits of your physical agility and your determination to get to the top. However, it’s worth every grueling step when you get to the top and look out over the great, crystal blue waters of Lake Michigan.

In much the same way, we can feel tested to our limits in many different ways: parenting a child, balancing a budget, navigating a new position at work, or reconciling tension with a friend or a spouse, just to name a few. In the past year, racial tensions have tested our country. Life will always test us; we can’t escape it.

We can feel tested to our limits in many different ways: parenting a child, balancing a budget, navigating a new position at work, or reconciling tension with a friend or a spouse, just to name a few. In the past year, racial tensions have tested our country. Life will always test us; we can’t escape it.

This testing in our lives also includes the testing of our faith. In order for your faith to be stretched and strengthened, God will allow it to be tested. How do you maintain trust and confidence in God when those times of testing come? How do you stay the course when spiritual tests seem to surpass your limits? Let’s learn how Abraham was able to pass his faith test.

When Americans hear the word Thanksgiving, we think about the day marked on the fourth Thursday in November. We look forward to gathering with family, playing games, watching football on TV, maybe playing some football in the backyard, and consuming huge amounts of tasty food. In the many things that happen on this day, the giving of thanks can get lost.

But what if all those things were stripped away? What if there was no football, no extended family, no televised holiday specials, no special foods? Would you still stop to give thanks? And why is it that we have just one day set aside for giving thanks? Yes, it is an important American holiday—but shouldn’t thanks giving be a part of a believer’s daily walk with the Lord?

Thanksgiving—the holiday—happens because the giving of thanks is what brings satisfaction to our souls.

Thanksgiving—the holiday—happens because the giving of thanks is what brings satisfaction to our souls. We give thanks not so much for the things we receive, but because of the One who provides those things. Psalm 100 reminds us who that One is, what He has done, and why we should thank Him continually.

Our football team was up 14-13. It was the last two minutes of the game, and we had the ball. It was third down, and we needed five yards to keep the drive alive. The quarterback dropped back to pass, but a blitz was coming. Under extreme pressure, he threw the ball … but it was picked off. A quick pick-6 ended the game, and our hopes for any post-season play.

The quarterback dropped back to pass, but a blitz was coming. Under extreme pressure, he threw the ball … but it was picked off. A quick pick-6 ended the game, and our hopes for any post-season play.

I felt the pain of the quarterback as he walked off the field holding his head low. I was not just his assistant coach; I was his dad. My son had actually had a good day on the field, but it didn’t matter. In his mind he had failed, and his confidence was shattered.

We all fail at times. When we make mistakes, it’s so easy for us to beat ourselves up. Whether our tongue gets the best of us, we drop the ball at work, or we run back to an old addiction, our sins and failures can completely crush our confidence. When that happens, how do we pull ourselves out of the dugout and get our heads back into the game of life? Let’s take some coaching tips from the life of Abram.

The year 2020 started out pleasantly enough, but it became the unsettling year of uncertainty. It seemed our entire world came to a halt. Many businesses had to close their doors. Even churches stopped meeting in person. Millions of people had to learn how to work at home while millions more were without jobs.

As the pandemic continued to increase across the country, so did the spread of skepticism and division. The news we heard one day seemed to conflict with the news from the day before. On top of the deadly virus, we saw 2020 add politics, racial tensions, disagreements over wearing masks, and debates over reopeningschools to the mix.

We know Abram as a man of faith, but that faith did not prevent him from experiencing his own season of uncertainty. Let’s learn some lessons from him.

The year 2020 created the perfect storm of uncertainty. When things in life seem to be blurry or unstable, how do we respond? Oh, if only our faith were strong enough to overcome the uncertainty of it all! We know Abram as a man of faith, but that faith did not prevent him from experiencing his own season of uncertainty. Let’s learn some lessons from him.

Suspension bridges, such as the Golden Gate Bridge, are marvels of science. Great tension is created in the bridge’s cables to keep it suspended in the air. It’s like a game of tug-of-war. The cables can snap if the tension is too great. Balancing tension is essential.

Like the cables on these bridges, we are always managing tensions in life. We deal with the tension of finances, news, politics, healthy habits, household tasks, and work expectations. Learning how to handle the tension in a way that honors Christ is our goal as believers.

We deal with the tension of finances, news, politics, healthy habits, household tasks, and work expectations. Learning how to handle the tension in a way that honors Christ is our goal as believers.

But one of the most difficult tensions we must manage is relational tension, including the nationwide racial tension we’re all experiencing. We can’t escape it—and some of it ends up being hard to handle. The tension in some relationships may have been stirring like a steady current for a long time. Others suddenly came out of nowhere like a heavy gust of wind. So, let’s take some cues from Abram to see how he navigated the waters of his relationships.

What do you fear? Whether we want to admit it or not, fear is something we all wrestle with. Your fears could include standing on a tall ladder, a spider crawling on you, being the victim of violence, or battling a disease. Or you may fear losing a job, something happening to one of your kids or grandkids, or just being alone. And a lot of people have the fear of death and not being completely certain what will happen after they die.

While some fears may seem small, any fear can have a crippling effect.

While some fears may seem small, any fear can have a crippling effect. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted some of the things that can happen when fear takes hold. There were fights in stores over the last pack of toilet paper. Fear can cause our minds and bodies to become almost paralyzed. For some people, just imagining that spider crawling on their skin—can fill them with fear.

What do we do when the ugly little head of fear begins to creep into our lives? An example from Abram’s life shows us what we should do—and what we shouldn’t do.

We live in a world of uncertainty and fear where everything is “unprecedented” because of the COVID-19 pandemic. What we need is confidence— real confidence—in the midst of changing times. We often second-guess ourselves—wear a mask or not, spend time with family or not, get the vaccine or not, go out into public or just stay at home. Our lack of confidence in the world around us is the reason for our uncertainty. When the plans we lay out for ourselves are upended by outside events, the uncertainty can creep in or even take over. How many times in the past 18 months have you wondered, ‘what do I do now?’

The patriarch Abraham also lived in unprecedented times. He lived a life that seemed to continually be upended, and in each case, he had to choose whether or not he would trust God and walk by faith. Many times, Abraham trusted God—but he also had moments when he didn’t trust because he let uncertainty control his thoughts and actions. This study is about the faith and trust Abraham had in God. As we learn from his example, we discover every act of trust in God only deepens our faith. As our faith deepens, our confidence in the One we trust deepens.

The example of Abraham encourages us to learnto trust God and walk by faith. It’s not a blind faith,though; we can walk in confidence because ofGod’s promises, His power, and His presence in ourlives.

The example of Abraham encourages us to learn to trust God and walk by faith. It’s not a blind faith, though; we can walk in confidence because of God’s promises, His power, and His presence in our lives.

Many religions claim to offer people a way to God and/or eternal life, but how do you know you will actually reach God or eternal life?

• Islam teaches that paradise awaits those who are obedient to the practices of Islam, but it offers no guarantee that a Muslim has obeyed enough to “make it.”• Hinduism says reincarnation might eventually get you to enlightenment. However, how can one possibly know he or she has ever reached enlightenment?• Even cults that include a belief in Jesus add an element of works to what is required to go to heaven. What they cannot offer is any assurance that you’ve done enough to reach heaven.

The Christian life—grounded solely in the Word of God—points us to the death and resurrection of Christ as the only path to salvation and a relationship with God.

The Christian life—grounded solely in the Word of God—points us to the death and resurrection of Christ as the only path to salvation and a relationship with God. We can add nothing to it! When we simply trust what Christ has done, wecan be assured of a relationship with God.

Last year America launched into a season of chaos in the streets. Peaceful protests for Black Lives Matter exploded into violent mobs. And this January as U.S. senators were in the process of affirming electoral votes from the 2020 presidential election, a riot broke out within the very walls of the nation’s capital. This marked a dark day in U.S. history. People died in both of these chaotic events.

Some people may wonder where God is in all this. Others are tempted to question God’s goodness. The presence of human hatred, however, in no way negates God’s goodness and love. Hate will not last forever, but God’s love is everlasting. Love can and will prevail over a world filled with so much hatred.

Hate will not last forever, but God’s love is everlasting. Love can and will prevail over a world filled with so much hatred.

This love does not match the world’s concept of love. God’s love was on display when He gave His Son to die on the cross for the sins of the world (John 3:16). We don’t deserve it, but He loves us anyway. God’s love abides forever, and He wants us to be sure of His love for us.