Beyond Ourselves Podcast

Have you noticed that people in our nation are at odds with one another? “What an understatement!” you may say. And, you’re right.  Rioting in the name of peaceful protests. Name-calling and accusations.  One faction looking at the other as an enemy.  In light of that, did you know Romans 5:10 says we were once enemies of God? Gulp. Not a good position!  How did we get on the right side of God so we’re not His enemy? “We were reconciled to God through the death of His Son.” It took Jesus’s death to reconcile us to God. The verse continues, “we shall be saved by His life.” No one wants to be on the wrong side of an issue. No one wants to be on the wrong side of God. We have Jesus to thank for reconciling us to our glorious Heavenly Father.

Did you see the movie, Ransom? Mel Gibson played the father of the son who was kidnapped. There was no way the kidnapped son could free himself. The kidnappers demanded the father pay a certain price, a ransom, to get his son back. That’s what our Heavenly Father did for us. We were captives in sin so our Heavenly Father gave Jesus as the RANSOM to pay for our freedom. Was it only our Father’s idea? No. First Timothy 2:6 says that Jesus was in one accord with the Father. “…Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a RANSOM for all.” Yes, our sweet Lord gave Himself as a ransom so we could be reunited with Him and our Heavenly Father forever. How do we become free from sin? We say “yes” to the offer of Jesus being our ransom so we are released from being a captive to sin and Satan.

Lord Jesus, we praise You, our RANSOM, our LORD. 

Have you ever been driving and keeping your eyes on the road before you when suddenly a car came up too fast behind you? If so, do you remember the startling feeling? Do you remember hoping the driver would slow down rather than rear-end you? Often, we speak of the Lord leading us, but Isaiah 52:12 also speaks of the Lord as watching out for our back.

... the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your REAR GUARD.

In this verse God is referred to as a rearguard when the Israelites escaped Egyptian bondage. God is also our rear guard. He watches over us, leads us, and not until heaven will we know how many times He’s protected us from encroaching evil and danger. Just as it was important for Moses and the Israelites to pay attention to and follow God’s instructions, it’s important for us to pay attention and follow His instructions. How do His warnings and instructions come to us? In the Bible and the Holy Spirit’s promptings. How well are we paying attention with a grateful heart?

Lord, thank You for being our REAR GUARD and for all the ways You watch over us and protect us. Help us be ever sensitive to Your promptings. We love You so much. 

“I’m tired! I’m tired of work. I’m tired of the tension in the world. I’m tired of struggling with…. I’m tired of taking care of….” How would you finish those sentences? God understands. Our body, mind, and soul need rest. The Bible says God rested on the seventh day. (Genesis 2:2) One of His Ten Commandments is, “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.” (Exodus 20:8) Today, some ignore God’s command to have a holy day of rest each week. Their reasoning? Believers aren’t bound by Old Testament laws. I agree that we are not legalistically bound to keep the Jewish Sabbath. I agree that Jesus’s work to obtain our salvation on the cross means that we don’t work for our salvation. I agree that God has provided a future eternal sabbath rest. (Hebrews 4:9-10.) However, is there value in setting aside a day of holy rest and gathering with others to worship?  (Hebrews 10:25) Apparently God places value on both. (Exodus 16:22-30, John 20:19, Isiah 58:13-14) What that looks like will be different for us. But no doubt, holy rest and worship are important.  What does your day of soul rest and worship look like?

“If because of the sabbath, you turn your foot
From doing your own pleasure on My holy day,
And call the sabbath a delight, the holy day of the Lord honorable,
And honor it, desisting from your own ways,
From seeking your own pleasure
And speaking your own word,
 Then you will take delight in the Lord,
And I will make you ride on the heights of the earth;
And I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father,
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find REST for YOUR SOULS.  Matthew 11:29

“Lord, are You there? Speak to me.” Have you ever wanted to hear from God? If so, be encouraged. Zephaniah 3:17 tells us that God is in our midst. He’s a victorious warrior but also quiet in His love. What does that mean? I like to think of when I’ve held our little ones. My heart feels like it could jump out of my skin because I’m so full of love for them. However, I’m not loud with them. Instead, I hold them close to my heart. I wonder if they feel my heartbeat as they rest nestled against me. God is magnificent. The Bible is filled with His words to us. If we wish He would speak to us, He has and still is. Open the Bible. Hold it close to your heart. Feel His heartbeat as you nestle close to Him. Listen to what He lovingly says to you.

“The LORD your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.”  Zephaniah 3:17

Lord, thank You for Your QUIET LOVE and for the Words you speak to us. May we hold You and Your Words close to our hearts. May we feel Your heartbeat and our heart beat one with Yours. 

FRIENDS, Are youFAMILIAR with myUPLIFT MINUTE BLOG? I send it out ONCE A WEEK rather than daily. You can GET BOTH or CHANGE YOUR SUBSCRIPTION TO GET UPLIFT. 365 DAYS OF PRAISE highlights a CHARACTER TRAIT of GOD. UPLIFT MINUTE is 60 SECONDS of ENCOURAGEMENT. Which is your FAVORITE? Check out UPLIFT MINUTE.

“I can’t be the Christian I’m supposed to be. I can’t overcome this sin.” Have you ever said those words?  If we sometimes feel incapable of being the Christian we want to be, we’re not alone. The Apostle Paul, who was instrumental in helping spread Christianity, once referred to himself as the chief of sinners. Here’s the good news. God knows that we can’t live the Christian life by self-effort. That’s why He reminds us in Galatians 3:5 that He’s provided us with His Holy Spirit. We don’t please God by trying to improve our old self. We please God by learning to walk by His Spirit who is in us. Instead of saying we can’t live the Christian life or we can’t accomplish what God’s called us to do, we can ask Christ to fill us and accomplish His work through us. Then, we can practice walking by the Spirit. Will we walk by the Spirit perfectly 100% of the time? No, because our fleshly nature will oppose the Spirit. (Galatians 5:17) and we’ll struggle against spiritual forces of darkness/wickedness (Ephesians 6:12). But we can practice walking by Christ’s Spirit, confident that God is at work in us, perfecting us. 

Lord, thank You for PROVIDING us with Your Spirit by whom we can walk. 

“…does He who PROVIDES you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?”  Galatians 3:5

Does the prevalence of evil in our society cause you to be fearful for loved ones, yourself, and even those you don’t know? Recently, after speaking at a church, a mom confided in me that she feared for her child. Part of her fear was because she had been molested as a child. Part was due to the moral decline in our nation and the increase in lawlessness throughout our world.  What hope was I able to give her?

PRAYER:  Jesus teaches us to pray, “Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” We can daily pray that for others and ourselves. We can pray that for the unsaved and those who are blinded by evil. We can pray God will open their eyes and they will turn to the Truth and Light.

The BIBLE. The Bible is a safeguard that teaches us what to do and not to do. We can teach our children to respect and obey God and His Word which will keep them from walking in evil ways.

ETERNAL SALVATION.  We can’t escape all evil influences, but, 2 Thessalonians 3:3 comforts us that the Lord is faithful and will strengthen and PROTECT us from the evil one. How we need this at this time!

Which of the above three could you strengthen to safeguard you, your family, and our world from evil?

Thank You, Heavenly Father, for Your Word that shows us how to live, for being able to pray to You, and for Christ’s faithfulness to strengthen and protect us. 

TIP: Record prayers for loved ones and our world here.

Are you familiar with the Rolling Stones’ 1965 song “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”?  Keith Richards and Mick Jagger’s lyrics, “can’t get no satisfaction” resonated with people in the 1960’s and also today. But do you know who has found satisfaction? God. First John 2:2 says, “He (Jesus) Himself is the PROPITIATION FOR OUR SINS; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.”  The word propitiation means satisfaction. This verse tells us that Jesus satisfied God’s righteous requirement that sin be dealt with rather than ignored. How did Jesus do that? He substituted His life for ours. How incredible! If we haven’t thanked Jesus lately for satisfying God’s righteous requirements of the law, now would be a good time to do that. 

Jesus, thank You for sacrificing Your life and being the propitiation for our sins. We love you so! 

Have you ever called a psychic hotline or used Tarot cards because you wanted to know what was in your future? If so, you’ll be encouraged to know there’s a better option. Ezekiel 13:7 tells us not to seek knowledge by means of divination (Tarot cards, psychic hotline, etc), but rather to look to “…Jesus the Nazarene, who was a PROPHET mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people,” Luke 24:19. Yes, God tells us to look to Jesus and the Bible for wisdom, insight, and comfort and to trust Him for today and tomorrow’s needs. When we want to know the future and want to know what to do we are to read the Bible and pray. Jesus is the One we are to seek. He is the One we can trust.

CHECK OUT:  Prayers for Different Occasions

Jesus, You are God’s PROPHET who speaks the truth. May we seek You and find rest for our souls knowing You are present with us today and tomorrow.