YOU Podcast

When I was a little boy, my uncles raised cattle. I can remember sitting on the tailgate of the old farm truck watching two of their bulls fighting. They seemed mismatched since one was a young bull and the other was old. The younger bull may have been quicker, but the older bull was bigger. After pawing the ground and throwing dirt in the air, the two bulls put their heads together and began to shove. Most of the time, the older bull won, but the younger bull would get the best of him on a few occasions.

If you draw your information solely from the news media, then darkness seems to be winning. But when you read the Bible, you discover the opposite is true

When I look at the current condition of our world, I see a similar picture of righteousness fighting against wickedness. There is a constant shoving match between the two. If you draw your information solely from the news media, then darkness seems to be winning. But when you read the Bible, you discover the opposite is true. Darkness may seem to be winning, but it has already been defeated. Jesus has won the victory, and His followers are on the winningside. We have the ultimate “comeback story” because of Jesus!

It seems our culture has become increasingly less adept at determining what is true and what is not. In a culture of 24-hour news feed and online opinions masquerading as fact, it should be no surprise that many Americans believe ideas that are nothing more than conspiracy theories. In fact, half of Americans believe at least one conspiracy theory.

In a culture of 24-hour news feed and online opinions masquerading as fact, it should be no surprise that many Americans believe ideas that are nothing more than conspiracy theories.

For example:• 40 percent believe the FDA is withholding natural cures for cancer.• 27 percent believe America is hiding aliens in Area 51.• 23 percent believe 9/11 was an inside job.• 19 percent believe the government is using chemicals to control the population.

Typically, conspiracy theories start with some fringe group and then are picked up by some credible source. It’s hard to know what to believe. The struggle for truth is real. However, there is good news! Absolute truth does exist, and it is found in Jesus Christ.

Life has a way of surprising us and throwing us into a sea of unknowns. We saw this in early 2020 when a virus from the other side of the globe came crashing down on us.

Life has a way of surprising us and throwing us into a sea of unknowns.

• One day parents were dropping their kids off at school. The next day, the schoolswere closed indefinitely.• One day people had steady, stable jobs. The next day, many businesses had to shut their doors indefinitely.• One day people were free to move about, but suddenly they were cautioned to stay inside for fear of catching or spreading the COVID-19 virus.

When life is full of unknowns, confidence and assurance can disappear. In their place come fear and doubt. We all need confidence and assurance, and when it comes to living the Christian life, confidence and assurance become critical. This session teaches us to live in confident obedience to God when we give our hearts to Christ.

Can we be sure of anything? Some philosophers will tell you we can’t. AfterCOVID-19 arrived last year and shook up our lives, nothing seemed certain.

We can have assurance, though. God desires for every believer to have assurance of salvation. Sadly, many Christians struggle daily with doubt as it pertains to their eternal destiny. Some even believe it’s impossible to know with certainty that a person is eternally saved. At other times, believers who are not sure of their salvation find themselves plunged into the depths of doubt and despair, uncertain of whether or not God has truly forgiven them. Others allow their own self-condemnation to smother the assurance God desires for them to have.

We can have assurance — God desires for every believer to have assurance of salvation.

But we can be assured of assurance! The apostle John stated this clearly in 1 John 5:13: “I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” We have God’s assurance of eternal life even as we have the assurance of our forgiveness.

“What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.”30 So said Nelson Mandela, political activist and South Africa’s first democratically elected president. His legacy was built on what benefitted others.

In his fight to promote justice and end human suffering, Mandela spent twenty-seven years in prison. For the first eighteen years, he was held in a cell with no bed or plumbing, assigned to do hard labor and regularly endured inhumane punishment.

In 1985, Mandela was offered release under the condition that he cease to engage in political activities. He refused. “I cannot and will not give up any undertaking at a time when I and you, the people, are not free. Your freedom and mine cannot be separated.”“Mandela Rejects Freedom Offer.” The Christian Science Monitor, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Feb. 1985.

In 1985, Mandela was offered release under the condition that he cease to engage in political activities. He refused. “I cannot and will not give up any undertaking at a time when I and you, the people, are not free. Your freedom and mine cannot be separated.”

Elijah similarly looked beyond his own life to a greater mission. Like him, we can act today to leave an impact long after we’re gone.

Playing hurt isn’t new for African-American Major League baseball players. LaTroy Hawkins was a MLB pitcher from 1995-2015. While in Minnesota his fastball and earned runs average caught the attention of teams in the league.

Playing hurt isn’t new for African-American Major League baseball players. LaTroy Hawkins was a MLB pitcher from 1995-2015. While in Minnesota his fastball and earned runs average caught the attention of teams in the league.

Hawkins pitched for the Cubs in 2004. He said, “As an African-American ballplayer in Minnesota, I never had any issues. But as soon as I stepped out of Minnesota, when I signed with the Cubs, that’s when all the racial issues were brought to light. I would get letters in the mail, overnight express… overnight-express hate mail.” Imagine going from being a successful, sought after pitcher to a team where racial slurs are regularly hurled at you. It had to be discouraging. Despite all of that, he continued to pitch for another 11 years.

Hawkins’ story sounds like Elijah’s in 1 Kings 19. After his victory against the prophets of Baal, the prophet became discouraged. How God met him in that moment can inspire all of us who find ourselves discouraged and ready to give up.

Semper Fidelis, Latin for “Always Faithful,” has been the U.S. Marine Corps motto since 1883. It expresses the Marines’ pledge to remain faithful always, no matter what.

Semper Fidelis, Latin for “Always Faithful,” has been the U.S. Marine Corps motto since 1883. It expresses the Marines’ pledge to remain faithful always, no matter what.

Marine Corporal Matthew Bradford (Ret.) exemplifies this motto. Serving in Iraq in January 2007, Bradford was on patrol when he stepped on an improvised explosive device (IED). Shrapnel blew into Bradford’s eyes, took off one leg, severely mangled the other, damaged his left arm and right hand, and caused serious internal injuries. Three weeks later, he woke up to discover he was blind and had lost both legs. Yet incredibly, in April 2010, Bradford reenlisted in the Marine Corps, becoming the first blind, double amputee to do so. Semper Fidelis.

Marines engaged in battle understand the importance of unwavering loyalty. The prophet Elijah has shown us what unwavering loyalty to God looks like. In 1 Kings 18, we find Elijah involved in a battle. His loyalty to God was clear, and he challenged others to do the same. His challenge confronts us still today.

In 1984, an 18-year-old, African-American man named Thomas Haynesworth was on an errand for his mother. While running this errand, a victim of a recent sexual assault saw him and falsely identified him as her attacker. Thomas Haynesworth was wrongly convicted and spent the next 27 years locked up for a crime he didn’t commit. Then, lawyers at The Innocence Project intervened, using newly discovered DNA testing and got his conviction overturned. On December 6, 2011, he was fully exonerated.

Haynesworth is just one of many wrongly convicted prisoners now freed due to the work of The Innocence Project, started by lawyers Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld in 1992. Their passionate desire to intercede for those who cannot help themselves has grown into an international movement that has freed hundreds of innocent men and women.

You don’t have to be an attorney to plead someone’s case. Elijah’s intervention on behalf of the widow at Zarephath proves we can change others’ lives simply by praying..

But you don’t have to be an attorney to plead someone’s case. Elijah’s intervention on behalf of the widow at Zarephath proves we can change others’ lives simply by praying.

On June 30, 1859, tightrope walker Charles Blondin shocked the world when he walked just over a thousand feet across Niagara Falls on a cable about three inches thick. The cable sagged about sixty feet in the middle and the drop was nearly two hundred feet.

Blondin would perform the feat many more times, always taking greater risks and amazing the crowds. Later, he would cross blindfolded, on stilts, and even wearing a gorilla suit while pushing a wheelbarrow.

Blondin’s audiences were captivated. But when he asked for a volunteer to ride on his back while he crossed the falls, they were less than eager. The crowds believed he could do it, but no one believed it enough to climb on his back. Only his manager trusted in Blondin enough to accept his challenge. That is real trust.

He didn’t just talk about what God could do. He built his life on it and showed others how to do the same.

Elijah similarly demonstrated real trust in serving God. He didn’t just talk about what God could do. He built his life on it and showed others how to do the same.

On February 4, 2018, the Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl for the first time in NFL history. Jordan Hicks, then a middle linebacker for the Eagles, found himself amongst other athletes who choose to profess Jesus despite the world’s view on God.

Hicks said in an interview, “My senior year in college was the first time I really sought Christ with everything I knew I had … Faith in Christ is more than just checking church off the list. It’s a daily sacrifice—a daily death to one’s self.”

Carson Wentz who was injured late in the regular season admitted that, after his injury, it was prayer that offset despair. He said, “Being able to turn to Jesus … Resting on God’s Word to get you through. Without that, who knows what you’d turn to?”

In a world that opposes God, we must decide that come what may we will courageously stand for Him!

We must decide to serve God with that same courage. In a world that opposes God, we must decide that come what may we will courageously stand for Him! The biblical account of Elijah gives us an example to follow.