Beyond Ourselves Podcast
Check Your Closet Again
Have you ever thought about God in relation to your clothing? It’s an odd question, I know. But, the Bible adds to God’s many character traits and attributes that He is a clothier. A clothier is a person who makes, sells, or deals in clothes or cloth, and God fits the description from Genesis when He clothed Adam and Eve with animal skins to cover their nakedness to Revelation where our God-given heavenly clothing is “fine linen, white and clean.” There’s an additional way and means by which our Heavenly Father is interested in clothing us. He cares about more than our external appearance. He wants to cloth us on our innermost part. Galatians 3:27 describes believers as “clothed with Christ.” Think about that! God could provide no finer clothing than for us to sport Christ’s righteousness. So, the next time you start to say, “I don’t have anything to wear,” remember…you do!
Lord God, we praise You for being our CLOTHIER, for covering us with Christ’s righteousness so that we are not ashamed before You!
If We’re Smart…
Sheep. It’s been said they’re not the smartest animal in the world. That’s why they benefit from having a shepherd; someone to watch over them and care for them. In relation to God, we’re not the smartest. That’s why we benefit from having a Shepherd of our soul; someone to watch over us and care for us. Matthew 9:36 records that our Shepherd, “Seeing the people, felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. Mark 6:34 further explains, “..He began to teach them many things. . What is Jesus, the Chief Shepherd’s, (1 Peter 5:4 ) response to seeing us be distressed and dispirited? He teaches us what to do and how to live. Of all the voices vying for our attention, Jesus’s voice is the One we’re to follow. The Bible is His voice on paper. If we’re smart, we’ll read and follow His teachings.
Thank You, JESUS, CHIEF SHEPHERD of our souls, for seeing us and teaching us.
Guess Who Wins
Have you ever given your best effort at something, but failed? On the other hand, have you ever won a competition and been named the champion? Even the most humble of people want to win. We want to be on the winning team. Good news is in store for all who love and follow Christ. Isaiah 19:20 says this: “It will become a sign and a witness to the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt; for they will cry to the Lord because of oppressors, and He will send them a Savior and a Champion, and He will deliver them.” Jesus isn’t only a Champion for the Jews, He’s the eternal Champion over all for all of time. He wins! If you’re on Christ’s side, you’re on the right side. The victory is coming. It’s going to happen. And you’ll be part of the celebration!
LORD, You are the CHAMPION over all! We praise You!
When Filled with Anxiety…
What do you do with worry? How do you respond when you get a bad diagnosis? To whom do you turn in the middle of the night when you’re afraid or sad? It’s normal to feel anxious, despair, and worry when our loved ones are ill or problems arise. But what Jesus wants us to know is that He’s with us and He cares for us. 1 Peter 5:7 says to cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Just like a person casts a fishing line into the water, we can cast our anxiety on Jesus. He cares for us and will see us through what we’re going through – one moment at a time.
Jesus, thank You for being a CARING LORD on whom we can cast our anxiety!
Train to Heaven or Hell, DEBBIE TAYLOR WILLIAMS
I APOLOGIZE FOR YOU RECEIVING THIS 2 TIMES. THE 1st POST INCORRECTLY SAID BY Linda McConnico. “TRAIN TO HEAVEN OR HELL” WAS WRITTEN BY DEBBIE TAYLOR WILLIAMS. FOR PURPOSES OF FORWARDING OR SHARING, PLEASE USE THIS.
There are two trains. Everyone is born on one train. Its conductor has bad intentions, but to keep you unaware, he takes you along fun stops where you enjoy the rides of life – good things at work, fun parties and people. His destination is hell, but that’s not what he displays on the “Next Stop” sign. No, rather, he displays your next earthly desired destination. At the stops in life, a representative for another train places a brochure, called the Bible, in your hands that warns you that your conductor has bad intentions and is taking you to an evil destination where there is no train out. The representative invites you to ride his Father’s train for free. He tells you He’s bought you a ticket on His Father’s train that will take you to heaven. Today, we’re at one of those stops. If you’re on the train to hell, will you accept the gift of the free ticket to heaven Jesus bought for you? If so, talk to God. Admit you’ve been on the wrong train. Ask Him to forgive you. Get on the train to heaven. (Romans 6:23, Hebrews 9:27, Acts 2:37-38, Romans 10:8-11
Thank You, Lord Jesus Christ, for paying the price for our ticket to heaven. Stir the hearts of those who have never repented of their sins and confessed You as Lord and Savior to do that now.
“that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation,” Romans 10:9-10.
Are We or Aren’t We
Are we or aren't we? 60 Sec Listen or Read to answer this important question. #BeyondOurselves
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Whopper of a Problem?
TODAY, I’M SPEAKING AT CONCORDIA LUTHERAN, San Antonio. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS THAT THE WORDS WILL REACH DEEPLY INTO THE HEARTS OF THE LADIES.
Do you have a whopper of a problem? Perhaps you’re even where the Lord led you, but the situation is more than you can handle. When Joshua found himself in a tough place, the Lord appeared to him as Captain of the Lord’s host. Listen to what happened. Joshua 5:14-15 states, “Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and bowed down, and said to him, ‘What has my lord to say to his servant?’ The CAPTAIN OF THE LORD’S HOSTS said to Joshua, ‘Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.’ And Joshua did so.” Did we get that? Joshua bowed down and said, “What has my lord to say to his servant?” The Lord told Joshua that the place he was standing was holy ground; then told him what to do. Isn’t that the position each of us needs to take; one of humbling asking the Lord to tell us what to do?
CAPTAIN of the HOSTS, we bow before You. Speak to our heart and mind. Tell us what to do.
Where is Our Faith in God’s Commands
We talk about it. We sing about it. But, how much of it do we have? What am I talking about? Faith. We place our faith in the person of Jesus Christ; that He substituted His body on the cross in place of ours. We stand at a distance and say, “Whew! That’s great. I didn’t have to go through the scourging and crucifixion. Thank You, Jesus. I believe.” But, then, when God says to exercise our faith in the next thing, we back down. He says cut off your sin. We say no. He says forgive. We say no way. He says lay aside your old self. Put on the new self made in the image of Christ Jesus, and we stand there with our arms folded. If we really had faith that God “calls into being that which doesn’t exist,” as Romans 4:17 states, then we would obey His commands trusting that they lead to the promised abundant life. So the question is, where is our faith?
Lord Jesus, You CALL INTO BEING THAT WHICH DOES NOT EXIST. Where is our faith in your daily commands?
Let the Carpenter Build Your Life from the Inside Out
Have you ever looked at your life, job, or a relationship, and felt discouraged or hopeless? Have you ever said, “I don’t see any way out of this?” Or, have you thought, “My best years are over”? If you have any of those thoughts, be encouraged. Hebrews 3:4 tells us that “the builder of all things is God.” In other words, God is the one who engineered the heavens. God is the brain behind chromosomes. Jesus built His church from a small number of men and women. If God can build the heavens, our bodies, and make us fit for His kingdom, no doubt, He can reconstruct what is broken in our lives. Turn to the Builder of All Things. Ask Him to fill you with His glory. Let the Carpenter start working from the inside out of your life.
Jesus, Heavenly Builder of All Things, it no wonder that You’re our Savior Carpenter. You took nails that were meant for us on Your holy body so You could build us into a kingdom of priests. Where we’ve fallen, reconstruct us into holy vessels who bring You glory.
Take a Look at This Star
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Many people attempt to rise to “stardom.” Some do. But no one, not even the most famous person comes close to Jesus, who explains in Revelation 22:16, “I am the root and the descendant of David, the BRIGHT MORNING STAR.” Jesus tells us that HE is the STAR to whom we should look. He is the STAR on whom we can set the course of our life and know we will arrive safely on heaven’s shores. To whom might you need to point out this most fantastic of Stars?
Lord, we praise You, the BRIGHT MORNING STAR.
This is one of God’s 365 character traits. To learn about His other traits, sign up free HERE.