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#S3-052: Why Faith Demands the Eviction of Ishmael [Encore Podcast]

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America is known as the land of the free and the home of the brave. When we think of America we think of the concepts of liberty and freedom. These values are fundamental to our nation. Our desire for freedom is so great that Patrick Henry word’s “Give me liberty or give me death” still ring in our ears. Freedom is a big thing in America but it’s even a bigger thing in God. Jesus told us plainly, ‘You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free (Jn. 8:32).’ That’s what The Year of Jubilee represents, freedom. But in order to be really free, Ismael, or Ishy for short, has to go.

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[Tweet “The truth of God’s Word is this. While you’re waiting on Him, God’s already acting on your behalf.”]

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The Great Need for the Revelation of God in the Church

The Epistle to the Galatians

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Paul continues building his case to the Galatians for why they should listen to him as opposed to these others who were preaching a different gospel. This is a line of argument which has occurred in many forums of men throughout the ages. Who is right? Whose book is right? Do Christians have God’s book or do the Muslims have it? Is it the Bible or the Koran? Maybe they are both wrong, maybe the Mormons have it. Maybe the Book of Mormon is the right book. The discussions go back and forth like a ping pong ball at the Olympics. Paul was involved in such a discussion with the Galatians. Is the Gospel of grace that Paul is preaching the right gospel, or is it the gospel of works that the Judaizers are preaching?

[Tweet “Paul states that his message came from THE MOST CREDIBLE SOURCE EVER, the Lord Jesus Christ.”]

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#S3-051: How to Locate Your God Ordained Place [Encore Podcast]

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Josh McDowell told this great story. An executive hirer, a “headhunter” who goes out and hires corporation executives for other firms, once told me, “When I get an executive that I’m trying to hire for someone else, I like to disarm him. I offer him a drink, take my coat off, then my vest, undo my tie, throw up my feet and talk about baseball, football, family, whatever until he’s all relaxed. Then, when I think I’ve got him relaxed, I lean over, look him square in the eye and say, “What’s your purpose in life?” It’s amazing how top executives fall apart at that question. “Well, I was interviewing this fellow the other day, had him all disarmed, with my feet up on his desk, talking about football. Then I leaned up and said, ‘What’s your purpose in life, Bob?’ And he said, without blinking an eye, ‘To go to heaven and take as many people with me as I can.’ For the first time in my career, I was speechless.” What about you? Do you know what your place is in God? Do you know how to find it?

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[Tweet “If God promotes you from little to much, it is obvious that little was not your place.”]

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How Meditating the Word Makes You Sharp in the Things of God [Encore]

The Parable of the Sower

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“The end of study is information, and the end of meditation is practice or a work upon the affections. Study is like a winter sun that shines but does not warm, but meditation is like blowing up the fire, where we do not mind the blaze but the heat” 1. So says English Puritan Thomas Manton. Studying a Bible verse is different than meditating on it. Jesus proved this out in His own life. And you can prove it out in yours.

This is part 6 of the Series “The Parable of the Sower” You can find Part 1 ‘What Is the Parable of the Sower [Podcast]’ here, Part 2 ‘How Important is Understanding Jesus Parables?‘ here, Part 3 ‘What Are Fruitful and Unfruitful Places with God?’ here, Part 4 ‘In the Parable of the Sower, What Is Wayside Ground?‘, Part 5 ‘How Can You Become a Man of Understanding?’ here‘.

[Tweet “If Jesus had to grow in wisdom and understanding per Luke 2:52, so do you.”]

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#S3-050: Four Reasons Why You Have More Authority than the Enemy [Podcast]

The Kingdom of God Series

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“Religion prepares man to leave earth; the Kingdom empowers man to dominate it”, so says, Myles Munroe. There are reasons why we can use God given authority in our everyday life. The Bible gives us four of them in the New Testament. In the mouth of two or three witnesses, every word is established (Deuteronomy 17:6, and Matthew 18:16). So, we can be absolutely positive of our position in Christ. That’s what we are talking about in this week’s Light On Life.

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[Tweet “Jesus wants to be totally convinced of your position and completely not intimidated by your adversary.”]

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Whose Approval Is Important to You, God or Man?

The Epistle of Galatians

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A young man once studied violin under a world-renowned master. Eventually, the time came for the student’s first recital. Following each selection, despite the cheers of the crowd, the performer seemed dissatisfied. Even after the last number, with the shouts louder than ever, the talented violinist stood watching an old man in the balcony. Finally, the elderly one smiled and nodded in approval. Immediately the young man relaxed and beamed with happiness. You see, the man in the balcony was his teacher, and thus the applause of the crowd had meant nothing to him until he had first won the hearty approval of his master. 1 Are you seeking the approval of your Master, the Lord Jesus Christ?

[Tweet “We all have to ‘prove’ out the will of God for our lives and then make the decision to do only it.”]

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#S3-049: Why It’s Tremendously Important to Take Your Stand [Podcast]

Defending Your Bean Patch

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One unknown writer wrote these words. “We will never cease to be plagued with sin, but we will never again be brought under the dominion of sin.” 1 You must understand that the very reason why we are not in the Garden of Eden today is because there was a child of the King who was given dominion by the King and he chose not to use it. He refused to take a stand. That’s why we have the sin mess in the first place. Taking your stand and using your God give dominion is a key issue in the Kingdom of God. Jesus said so (Lk. 11:20).

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[Tweet “If you want to have a great victory, you need to take on the traits of David’s mighty men.”]

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Why Things Never Go Right for Some

The Epistle of Galatians

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Will Durant, on his seventieth birthday, says regarding the mixed blessing of a long life: “To live forever would be about the greatest curse imaginable!” 1 Unfortunately, Will Durant had it wrong. The greatest curse is dying without knowing Jesus as Savior and Lord. Many come to the end of their lives realizing they had not fulfilled their purpose in life. That’s a sad day. Your purpose is to know God, to walk with God and to build the kingdom of God. Because people don’t yield to these truths, they experience what will Durant described as the curse of life. There are reasons why things don’t go right in life as they should. Sometimes things it’s because people have chosen the wrong path. They have chosen to believe the wrong gospel. In this week’s blog, let’s take a look at how Paul pronounced a curse on a particular area of wrong choice.

[Tweet “Paul pronounces a curse or the absence of the blessing on those who preach a different gospel.”]

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#S3-048: The Great Need to Flow in the Authority of God [Podcast]

The Kingdom of God Series

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The upsurge in astrological interest is unmistakable evidence of moral and social decay. Occultism rises ominously in times of world turmoil, religious apostasy, and moral decline. So says Chuck Swindoll. 1 While there may be a rise in demon activity on planet earth, there also is a rise of believers in Jesus who know their authority in Christ and are using it. Maybe you don’t know that Jesus made you an authorized one or maybe you do know but you have cooled off in this area. If so, getting back to the Word in this area is the source of our life and victory.

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[Tweet “You never have to fear demons once you understand your kingdom ‘position’ in Christ.”]

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Why Following Jesus is Difficult, Risky, and Adventurous

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Toward the end of the nineteenth century, Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel awoke one morning to read his own obituary in the local newspaper: “Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, who died yesterday, devised a way for more people to be killed in a war than ever before, and he died a very rich man.” Actually, it was Alfred’s older brother who had died; a newspaper reporter had bungled the epitaph. But the account had a profound effect on Nobel. He decided he wanted to be known for something other than developing the means to kill people efficiently and for amassing a fortune in the process. So he initiated the Nobel Prize, the award for scientists and writers who foster peace. Nobel said, “Every man ought to have the chance to correct his epitaph in midstream and write a new one.” 1 What do you want your life to be known for? Do you desire to be known as a man who followed God’s plan fully for their life? Do you desire to complete all the will of God? Then strap your seatbelt because you are in for a ride. It’s a great ride. A wild ride. A challenging ride. A ride that will test you to the max. Jesus will lead into places you never thought you’d be and ask you to do things that are way outside your comfort zone.

[Tweet “If you’re looking for a life with no challenges, you’re in the wrong business following Jesus.”]

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#S3-047: Why the Lordship of Jesus Is the Linchpin of Kingdom Authority [Podcast]

The Kingdom of God Series

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The Lordship of Jesus is central to the Kingdom of God. In fact, uttering these very words was exactly how you received the new birth. You and I weren’t always Kingdom citizens. There came a point in your life when you said yes to Jesus. It came by the ministry of the Holy Spirit. It came by the obedience of a human vessel who witnessed to you the message of the Kingdom. It came because the faith which only comes from God came up in you. Do you remember those days? The days before you met Jesus? The days when you wandered around in the world of men? What were those days like? We don’t need all particulars. There’s no need to list all your sins because they are under the Blood anyway. But, Paul wrote us a letter anyway and told us what those days were like.

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[Tweet “Satan has nothing in Jesus and the truth is, nothing in you either because you are in Jesus.”]

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A Startling Fact about Security and Following Jesus

Discipleship Principles

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At the University of Oklahoma, for many years a project was underway to teach a fifteen-year-old female chimpanzee named Washoe to talk by combining sign language with simple recognition. Since 1966, this chimpanzee learned 140 signs. Finally, the project directors decided that Washoe was prepared to “conceptualize.” This meant that instead of merely imitating some human’s words, the chimp would express thoughts of her own. Now, understand, Washoe was a pampered animal in the university’s laboratory—well fed, physically comfortable, safe from harm. She had security. And yet, when she was able to put words together on her own into a phrase, these were the first three—and she has said them again, repeatedly—“Let me out.” 1 Even a chimp knows that security is not everything in life.

[Tweet “Following God, reading His Word and hearing His voice, will keep your life on a razor’s edge.”]