Growing In God with Gary Hargrave

Growing In God Podcast Program Number: GIG #290 Title: Purim—Anticipating Instant Change   Web Description: We can look at what is happening in the world today and feel like darkness is taking over; everything is getting worse and nothing is going to change. But the Scriptures give us a different picture. The Scriptures show us that things can change in an instant, and the story of Esther is a prime example of that. As we celebrate the Feast of Purim this year, let us anticipate that when we come before the King in our intercession, He will reverse the plot of destruction against God's people and turn our mourning into rejoicing.   Show Notes: The book of Esther records that the Jews established the Feast of Purim "for themselves and for their descendants and for all those who allied themselves with them." It was established so that all generations will remember how the annihilation that was determined and already set in motion was suddenly reversed. In an instant their mourning, sorrow, and fear of destruction were changed into a celebration of gladness and a holiday of feasting and rejoicing.   The Feast of Purim therefore is a celebration of instant change. When we celebrate it, we remember that no matter how bleak things are, everything can change in a moment. What could be bleaker than the plot for complete annihilation of the Jews in the time of Esther? Yet the reversal of that plot has been passed down to us as a remembrance that if we enter the presence of the King and bring our need to His attention, He will command the change and by His Word the destruction that is set to transpire will not happen.   As we see today with Hamas and Israel, satan is still set to destroy Israel and the Jewish people. And as we approach the time of the end, we are seeing satan's plot against the whole earth expand from the Jewish people into all humanity in his determination to destroy all flesh. But we also know by Purim and by the examples of the Scriptures that the plan of destruction can be completely reversed in a moment. So we do not let our hope be tainted by the negativity that surrounds us. We celebrate Purim this year with our hope renewed; and that hope is for instant change.   Key Verses:   •       Isaiah 60:1–3. "Darkness will cover the earth and deep darkness the peoples; but the LORD will rise upon you." •       Esther 9:20–22. "It was … turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday." •       Mark 13:19–20. "Unless the Lord had shortened those days, no life would have been saved." •       Esther 9:23–25. "When it came to the king's attention, he commanded." •       Esther 9:26–28. "The Jews … made a custom for themselves and for their descendants and for all those who allied themselves with them." •       Isaiah 29:5–7. "It will happen instantly, suddenly." •       Isaiah 17:12–14. "At evening time, behold, there is terror! Before morning they are no more."   Quotes:   •       "You can look and say, 'How can this ever change? How can things ever really be restored to the Kingdom of God from the direction that they're going? How could good come out of such evil?' But we must know and understand that it can, and it will." •       "We celebrate before we see. We have a time of celebration as an expression not only of our faith, but our knowing that God can bring about deliverance and change and bring about another purpose and will." •       "This feast was consecrated by Mordecai for us as those who are allies with the Jewish people and with Israel. And so I proudly celebrate Purim, and I am thankful for my inclusion in its celebration."   Takeaways:   1.    Purim is an example of deliverance, repeated many times in the Scriptures, that things can change 180 degrees in just one moment. 2.    We as believers must live in the knowledge and faith that at any second God can move and everything can change. We cannot be tainted by the oppression of this age. 3.    We must never lose the reality in God that in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, everything can be different.   Scriptural Examples of Instant Change:   Purim. Read the book of Esther. Passover. Read Exodus 12 The Famine in Samaria. Read 2 Kings 7 The Resurrection. Read John 19:30—John 20:29   Resources:   Help Israel Now | Interviews From Israel

Growing In God Podcast Program Number: GIG #289 Title: Times of Refreshing   Web Description: We believe in the promise that there will be times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord. But when we look at our circumstances, we think, "This doesn't seem like refreshing to me!" That is the wrong focus because what precedes and initiates the times of refreshing is the fact that we repent and return to the Lord. Let us see the whole picture that includes our repentance as a positive progression into all that God wants us to have and be in Him.   Show Notes: The apostle Peter prophesied that there will be times of refreshing and restoration. And for many years now we have seen restoration happen in the Church. Many of the gifts, ministries, and experiences of the Holy Spirit have already been restored. Along with this restoration, we therefore anticipate the times of refreshing as well. Yet the devastating experiences we go through make it difficult to accept that we are in times of refreshing. We have to remember that this promise of restoration and refreshing occurs because we repent and return to the Lord. One of the greatest chapters on restoration is Joel 2, where we also read about the outpouring of God's Spirit on all mankind. But how do the restoration and outpourings come about? They come about because people return to the Lord with weeping and mourning and rending of their hearts. We are not immune from this in our walk with God. The most important thing God is restoring is the personal relationship with Him on a level we have not known before. As we seek for that relationship, the Holy Spirit puts us in a place of being humbled before the Lord.   This process of repentance and humility is how we experience restoration and times of refreshing. And like Job, it is certainly easy to think negatively about what God leads us through in that process. But as with Job, God's purpose is to give us the times of refreshing. His goal is the positive work He will do for us and with us. His plan is to restore us to Himself as those sons of God who shouted for joy at His creation. That is why we keep our focus on Him and return to Him with all our hearts.   Key Verses:   •       Acts 3:18–21. "Repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come." •       Joel 2:12–13. "Return to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, weeping and mourning." •       Joel 2:28–29. "I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind." •       2 Peter 3:9. "The Lord is … patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance." •       Matthew 3:1–2. "John the Baptist came, preaching … 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'" •       Matthew 4:17. "Jesus began to preach and say, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'" •       Job 38:1–7. "Where were you when … all the sons of God shouted for joy?"   Quotes:   •       "The Spirit is poured sovereignly, but He rests comfortably where there is repentance, humility, and alignment to His will." •       "Real repentance is not shame driven. Shame says, 'Hide. You are unworthy.' Repentance says, 'Return. You belong to the Father. You belong to the plan of God for this hour.'" •       "Repentance is not punishment. It's a doorway back into the love relationship with the Father." •       "God will do whatever He needs to do to get us into His eternal purpose for our existence."   Takeaways:   1.    According to Joel 2, what happens to prepare us for the global outpouring of God's Spirit and the new day of the Kingdom? It is the brokenness of our hearts and repentance that is a real return to the Lord. 2.    We must follow the roadmap to the promised restoration and outpourings. There is a divine order to God's plan as He brings us in alignment with His way of thinking and His will. 3.    God's process of humility is not to punish us. It is not to shame us. It is the path we walk on to a fully restored relationship with the Father.

Growing In God Podcast Program Number: GIG #288 Title: What Does Scripture Say About Us?   Web Description: Are you confident that you always believe that God means what He says? What about when you read a Bible verse that tells you to be like Christ? If we are honest, we would admit that we have trouble accepting Scriptures about God's divine nature in us and what He expects us to be. Rather than skipping over such Scriptures, we should work at embracing them and applying them with all our hearts.   Show Notes: There are certain Scriptures that we find very difficult to take literally, especially when they challenge how we think about ourselves. When we read in John 17:23 that the Father loves us with the same love He had for Yeshua (Jesus), we tend to stop and ask, "Did He really mean that?" After all, how could God love us in our sinfulness with the same love He had for His Son? But God does mean what He says about us. God is bringing many sons to glory, loving them just as He loved Christ, who was the first born of many brethren.   When Yeshua was born, He could do nothing as a baby that He would do as a grown man. But He was already the Son of God, Savior, and Lord at His birth. He grew up to fulfill the purpose God sent Him to the earth to fulfill. And when we are born in Christ, He implants His divinity in us. Then our growth and maturity in Christ comes from this nature of Christ already within us. Just as Christ grew up into the fullness of the Father, according to Ephesians 4 we are to grow up into the fullness of Christ. Yet we resist accepting that about ourselves. Many even consider it heresy to say that we can be like Christ.   These Scriptures about who we are in God need to get through to us. We cannot simply skip over them or find other ways to interpret them because we have a hard time accepting what they say we are. We need to clearly see the purpose that God has for us and His equipping that matures us into who we are to be as full-grown members of the Body of Christ. That is why we have begun a project with the Fellow Workers. We are building a list of Scriptures that confront us about who we are and what God has put us on this earth to be. Join us in finding these Scriptures, meditating on them, and planting them in our hearts until they bear fruit in our lives.   Key Verses:   •       John 17:23. "You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me." •       Romans 8:29. "He would be the firstborn among many brethren." •       Ephesians 4:11–13. "He gave … for the equipping of the saints … until we all attain … to the fullness of Christ." •       Luke 2:52. "Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men." •       Hebrews 2:10. "It was fitting for Him, … in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation." •       John 14:5–18. "The Father abiding in Me does His works."   Quotes:   •       "It's that constant reality that is manifested in the now that we are what God brought us here to be. Is that maturing? Is it perfecting? Yes. But get out of the idea that you're becoming something different or that you need to become something different than what you are." •       "Our mind kind of blocks and parries this off so that we don't let it really hit us like it needs to hit us—that the Father is in Christ and the Father is in us and Christ is in us and we are one." •       "He wants us to be equipped. I think it's part of our relationship with one another because somewhere, in us and around us, abide these apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, brothers and sisters, and that which is bringing forth this process of maturing."   Takeaways:   1.    God has chosen to be in this time just as He sent Christ to be in His time. So we need to find and come into connection with the reality of who we are and what our purpose is in this earth. And the Scriptures play an important role in that. 2.    When we encounter a Scripture that seems too wonderful to believe about ourselves, we tend to interpret it in a way that lets us not take it at face value. 3.    We must get out of this idea that we are working toward something or that we are doing a job out of dedication. Our work of service comes out of the divinity of the Father and of the Son that God has installed within us. 4.    We need to be looking through the Scriptures and finding verses that confront us with the reality of who we are—that Christ and the Father are in us—and come to grips with what that means.

Growing In God Podcast Program Number: GIG #287 Title: Seeing Him Who Is Invisible   Web Description: What is faith? According to Hebrews 11, faith is the evidence of things not seen. And men and women of faith saw God who is unseen and brought into this world His works that were unseen in their day. Let us be those whose faith does the same in our day. Instead of struggling to believe, dwell where you are seeing Him who is invisible and make His will visible in the earth.   Show Notes: Yeshua (Jesus) said, "All things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." Like many Scriptures, this statement challenges us. Did He mean that literally? Can we really believe that we will receive all things we ask for? Yes, we absolutely should believe that Yeshua meant what He said. But the purpose is to have the faith of those listed in Hebrews 11. These are our examples of the faith that is "the substance of things hoped for, the evidence in things not seen."   All things that are seen were created by God's Word from that which is unseen. Therefore, just as God manifested what was unseen into the visible world, these men and woman of Hebrews 11 were able by their faith to bring into the visible realm those things that exist in the invisible realm. And the whole intent of this chapter in Hebrews is to convey God's will for us. As we walk with God today in the earth, He is speaking to us to bring into the visible realm His completed works that exist in the invisible realm.   We often find ourselves struggling with doubt and unbelief. And the reason is that we are not experiencing what Moses experienced; he delivered Israel by "seeing Him who is unseen." Therefore, the faith of Moses was the evidence of the promise that was not seen. And if you are wanting evidence that what you are praying for is going to work, then start by seeing God who is invisible. See Yeshua who promised that His servants will be with Him where He is. Let us claim this ability and exercise it today.   Key Verses:   •       Matthew 21:22. "All things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." •       John 17:23. "You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me." •       Hebrews 11:1 (KJV). "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." •       John 12:26. "Where I am, there My servant will be also." •       Hebrews 11:1–5. "What is seen was not made out of things which are visible." •       Hebrews 4:9–10. "There remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God." •       Hebrews11:13–14. "All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them." •       John 5:19. "Whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner." •       John 8:26. "The things which I heard from Him, these I speak to the world." •       Hebrews 11:27–40. "He endured, as seeing Him who is unseen." •       Ephesians 2:10. "We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand."   Quotes:   •       "We are to enter into a Sabbath rest. In other words, we are to be able to manifest that which God has sent us here to manifest and to complete the work which we've been given to do." •       "Moses was seeing Him who is unseen. It doesn't mean that God is not seeable. It just means that in the natural material world God is not seen as a normal course of our existence. But Moses was moving in the natural world by seeing Him who is not seen in the natural world." •       "You can't make a miracle out of that which is seen. You make it out of that which is unseen. And the only way you can accomplish that is by seeing Him who is invisible. And when we see Him who is invisible, then that which is invisible manifests itself into this realm in which we live."   Takeaways:   1.    According to Hebrews 11, just as God created what is seen out of what is unseen, our faith is about bringing what is unseen into the visible material realm. 2.    We may not see the full manifestation of God's promises, but we walk by seeing Him who is invisible. And we do not waver in our purpose to make seen the things of God that are still unseen in the earth. 3.    God has finished all His works, and we are looking for the city He created. It already exists, and we can see and dwell in it now in a very real way. But He is looking for us to bring into manifestation all that He wants to see happen in the age we live in.

Growing In God Podcast Program Number: GIG #286 Title: New Year's Connection With Our Fellow Workers   Web Description: Elijah stood at the entrance of his cave with his awareness fixed on the Lord to hear how the Lord would direct him. And today we stand at the precipice of a new year, determined to stand before the Lord with an awareness of Him that hears His instructions, understands His directions, and applies them to our lives.   Show Notes: In a New Year's meeting with our Fellow Workers, we review the past year and look to the year ahead. Last year, Hargrave Ministries achieved significant progress in both the ministry of the Word and our outreach to Israel (see Israel Projects). And we are anticipating even greater progress this year. To that end we are updating the website to provide better access to the teaching materials and streamlining the donations to Israel. But in all we do, we want to be those who have the insight, as Daniel prophesied, to instruct people concerning God's purpose for them in this age. The story of Elijah on Mount Horeb is a lesson on how to do that. The Lord told Elijah to go to a specific place, and Elijah obeyed. And our first step is to be in the place where the Lord is leading us. Then the story explains how God was not in the various manifestations Elijah witnessed as "the Lord was passing by." Elijah was not distracted by those things but waited until he received the specific instructions the Lord wanted him to follow. We too can be aware of all that is taking place in the world as the Lord is passing by. But our focus needs to be on the specific instructions the Lord has for us.   Like Elijah, we do not want our awareness of things, even if God is in them, to draw our focus away from what the Lord wants us to be aware of. Just as He told Elijah exactly where to go, who to see, and what to minister, we want our teaching material to impart more than a knowledge or understanding of the Bible. We need the insight—knowing both what the Lord wants us to do and how to do it. We have seen the success of this already in our ministry to Israel. And this year we look forward to even greater insight and application of the Word in people's lives.   Key Verses:   •       Lamentations 3:22–23. "His compassions never fail. They are new every morning." •       1 Kings 19:11–16. "The LORD was not in the wind." •       Daniel 12:8–10. "Those who have insight will understand." •       Daniel 12:1–4. "Those who have insight will … lead the many to righteousness."   Quotes:   •       "Our awareness is something that we have to hold as a tremendous value. And we have to carefully guard it from that which wants to take it off into what God's not really wanting us focused on." •       "Our focus on Israel comes out of our understanding of the Word. And what we're doing in Israel is a manifestation of the understanding, the learning, and the insight that we have." •       "What do I want out of Hargrave Ministries this year? I want to see the instructors come forth in the earth. I want to see teaching that is the impartation of the how—not just knowledge—but how to move in it, how to do what God wants done in manifesting His Word and His purpose on the earth."   Takeaways:   1.    This new year we are believing for awareness: awareness of what God is doing, what He is speaking, and how He is leading us. 2.    This year we are looking for the teaching on our website to be more than knowledge of what the Bible says, but how to enter into what it says, and how to hold an awareness of what God is speaking until the manifestation of that comes in our lives. 3.    A manifestation of this awareness would be those who will be instructors in this age—not instructors of a lot of information and knowledge, but of how to become what God is looking for. 4.    This year our giving to Israel will emphasize the original vision of ministering to Israel as a whole. When you give to Israel through Hargrave Ministries, you will be giving to all of Israel and not just to a specific project.

Growing In God Podcast Program Number: GIG #285 Title: Renewing Your Mind   Web Description: Imagine a recording continually playing in your mind, telling you how unworthy you are and how incapable you are of doing the will of God. This in effect is what takes place in our subconscious minds and works against what we are consciously trying to achieve. This podcast delves into the subconscious issues that we all face and offers some scriptural and practical solutions.   Show Notes: We know that Christ's sacrifice on the cross brought salvation to the world. We also understand that our salvation is not only spiritual but also includes our physical bodies. We have salvation for the purpose of growing, maturing, and being transformed into His image. We are to present our bodies as a living sacrifice and experience transformation by the renewing of our minds. That means we must break out of the limitations in our thinking that still hold us in bondage to this world.   Scriptural directives like, "Do not be conformed to this world" and "be transformed" are meant to be acted on. We are the ones who do them. And yet so much in religious thinking makes us content to just be hearers of the Word rather than doers of the Word. We are called to "prove what the will of God is." But religion is not known for proving things. That is what science does. And there is a concept that religion and science are at odds with each other.   When it comes to changing the conditionings and responses of our subconscious mind, which continue to hinder our growth, religious thinking has not been effective. On the other hand, recent scientific approaches to meditation have been very effective, even resulting in physical healing. It is not a matter of belief versus science. There are many limiting beliefs in our subconscious that are not the truth about what God says we are. So we reach into God to effectively remove these limitations.   Key Verses:   •       Romans 12:1–2. "Be transformed by the renewing of your mind."    Mark 12:30. "YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH … ALL YOUR MIND." •       Ephesian 4:13. "Attain to … the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ." •       Romans 8:19–21. "The creation itself also will be set free … into the freedom of the glory of the children of God." •       Matthew 12:1–4. "He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun." •       Philippians 2:12–13. "Work out your salvation with fear and trembling." •       2 Corinthians 3:16–18. "We all … are being transformed into the same image."   Quotes:   •       "When we're giving our bodies as a living sacrifice, when we're seeking Him, when we're walking with Him, we are looking for this transformation into His presence, into His image." •       "What we find is a lot of times our subconscious mind is not supporting what our conscious mind wants to do. It's not supporting where we want to go in life, and it's not supporting what we want to accomplish in life. And therefore, we find ourselves struggling." •       "We must break out of limited thinking that is holding us in bondage." •       "Put it on a scientific footing where you're literally reaching to do something and prove how it works and why it works and what it does."   Takeaways:   1.    Paul tells us that our physical bodies should be presented to the Lord once we experience salvation. Salvation is the beginning of our journey, not the end. 2.    Salvation begins the process of transformation in our lives for the purpose of proving the will of God in the physical world through our physical bodies. This transformation begins with the renewing of our minds. 3.    This is a scientific process, not a religious process. And we do not want our religious concepts getting in the way of our growth and maturity in God. 4.    Meditation has been a part of our teaching for years, and it has demonstrated its effectiveness in releasing people from the unconscious patterns that work against the will of God in their lives.

Growing In God Podcast Program Number: GIG #284 Web Description: Do you ever struggle to believe that God truly loves you? Are you ever discouraged by the lack of unity among Christians? According to John 17, the glory we have received from Christ is the answer to those problems. His glory means that the Father loves us with the same love He has for Christ, and together we have the same oneness that Christ and the Father have. This is our reality. Let us live in it today.   Show Notes: Religion tends to put everything in the past or in the future. And when we are conditioned by that in our minds, it limits what we can believe. It makes our faith head knowledge, as if it is only something we are supposed to be educated about. But we are not supposed to merely understand the Scriptures. And we are not supposed to lock them up in the past or the future. We are supposed to walk in them in our daily lives.   According to John 17, Yeshua (Jesus) said, "The glory which You have given Me I have given to them." That means His glory has already been given to us. That is not head knowledge. Nor is it off in the future. It is ours to possess now because we have this glory from the Father for a purpose, which needs to be a reality. Yeshua prayed that we would be one, and that does not happen because we try to work it up. Our oneness in the Body of Christ happens because of His glory.   His glory brings our oneness, and by that the world will know that the Father has sent Christ. But there is another aspect that the world will see in us, which we often overlook. Because of the glory that we possess in Christ, the world will know that the Father loves us just as He has loved His Son. Is it real to us as Christians that God loves us with the exact same love He has for Christ? It should be. Let us absorb this Scripture until it is more than something we accept mentally. Let us learn how to live in the glory of Christ.   Key Verses:   •       John 17:20–26. "The glory which You have given Me I have given to them." •       John 14:6. "I am the way, and the truth, and the life." •       2 Corinthians 5:19. "God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself." •       Philippians 2:13. "It is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure." •       Ephesians 3:18–19. "Be able to … know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge."   Quotes:   •       "We have the glory of Christ given to us now to live in now." •       "Living daily in the glory that the Father gave to Christ would change many things. But one of the things that would change is the fact that it would bring oneness to me and those that are walking with God surrounding myself and really with all who believe." •       "The Father's good pleasure is that you know how much He loves you, and that you come to the revelation that as He loves His Son, so He loves you. And that's really why the Son was sent."   Takeaways:   1.    It needs to be real to us that the glory the Father gave Christ is the glory Christ has given to us. 2.    It needs to be real to us that we already possess His glory, and we can live in it today. 3.    It needs to be real to us that our oneness with others in Christ is because of His glory. 4.    It needs to be real to us that the Father loves us with the very same love that He has for His Son.

Growing In God Podcast Program Number: GIG #283 Title: You Are the Temple   Web Description: Hanukkah celebrates the reality that we are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in us. We take this time to dedicate ourselves on a deeper level to be those in whom God is living and moving. Therefore, as those who are His dwelling place, we wash away any unbelief and separate ourselves from the pollution of this world.   Show Notes: Hanukkah celebrates a time of miracles when the people of Israel defeated the powerful kingdom that was oppressing them and took back the Temple in Jerusalem. But after these miracles, the Temple had to be cleansed and rededicated. Likewise, the miracles in our lives are because of the miracle Christ accomplished on the cross, which happened for our cleansing and dedication to be His temple, the holy dwelling place of God in the earth.   When Yeshua (Jesus) walked in the Temple during Hanukkah, He did so as the One who would cleanse the Temple, the One sent by the Father to be His true temple, and the One who has sent us with the same purpose of being the temple that God will indwell. By the miracle of His cross, Christ took us out of the hands of satan and cleansed us from sin. And when we receive Him, He gives us the power to dedicate ourselves to Him as the physical bodies in which He dwells.   Therefore, we cannot minimize this aspect of our Christian life. We must apply the true cleansing of our hearts and minds that Christ has provided. We must walk in the power that we have received from Him to separate ourselves from the world and to not be touched by any of its corruption. It is time to cleanse ourselves from any unbelief about what God has called us to be as His people. We give ourselves to His working in us to build us together into the temple that He will live in on this earth.   Key Verses:   •       John 17:21–23. "The world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me." •       John 10:22–25. "The Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem … and Jesus was walking in the temple." •       1 Corinthians 3:16–17. "You are a temple of God." •       1 Corinthians 6:19–20. "Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit." •       2 Corinthians 6:16–17. "We are the temple of the living God." •       Ephesians 2:18–22. "You also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit." •       Philippians 2:12. "Work out your salvation with fear and trembling." •       2 Corinthians 13:5. "Jesus Christ is in you." •       Ephesians 3:16–19. "Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith."   Quotes:   •       "We should have a very aggressive attitude during this time of Hanukkah as we look at the things in the world that need to conform to what God has already said, what He's already spoken, what He's already prophesied. And we just stand up and say, 'It is finished. It is already done. And enough is enough!'" •       "Christ comes and reconciles us to the Father as the temple of worship. But then we become those who dedicate ourselves and make sure there's the cleansing, the reviving of the temple to a state of purity through which the worship can come." •       "They had to go cleanse everything in the Temple during Hanukkah that had been polluted by the world. And there's a pollution in us that blinds our hearts and minds from really accepting and seeing and believing and understanding that God is in us."   Takeaways:   1.    Hanukkah means standing firm in the miracle of Christ's victory that establishes His Kingdom in the earth and delivers us from the wickedness, sin, and corruption of this world. 2.    Just as the Temple was taken from the evil ruler, cleansed, and dedicated back to the Lord, so Christ delivers us from satan, cleanses us from sin, and makes us the temple of God, His dwelling place. 3.    We must not diminish the indwelling of God within us; rather, we apply the power that Christ gives us to dedicate ourselves to be wholly His temple.

Growing In God Podcast Program Number: GIG #282 Air Date: 12/31/2025 My Resolution for the New Year Web Description: The period from the ascension of Christ to the present has been labeled the Church Age. In reality it should be called the Age of the Holy Spirit. Yeshua (Jesus) did not tell His disciples, "The Father will teach you how to have good churches." He promised that they would be endued with power by the Holy Spirit and be His witnesses in the earth. My New Year's resolution is to change my emphasis from church to being filled with the Holy Spirit first and endued with power to be His witness today.   Show Notes: The Church Age is the term most widely used to identify the years since the ascension of Christ until now. This label, I think, misdirects the focus of our faith in this generation. When Yeshua (Jesus) prepared His disciples for His departure, He did not give them instructions about church. He taught them about the Holy Spirit directing them and guiding them and about their being witnesses in all the world to make disciples of the nations.   Christ could have said, "Go to Jerusalem and focus on gathering everyone together who believes in Me and establish an order and a structure for the Church." But He did not do that. He said, "You are to go and receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you shall be My witnesses." Eventually those who had this experience were drawn to assemble together. But their assembling together was secondary to their individual experience of having this promise of the Holy Spirit resting upon them.   We tend to lose this emphasis. To be honest, our emphasis is more on being led and taught by Church leaders than on being led and taught by the Holy Spirit. And what I want to do this year is focus on being filled with the Holy Spirit, not dependent on anything that is not provided by the Father through the Holy Spirit. If we can do that as individuals, I believe the Church will have the power and witness in the earth that Christ promised to His disciples.   Key Verses:   •       Luke 24:49 (NKJV). "Tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high." •       Deuteronomy 23:3. "No Ammonite or Moabite shall enter the assembly of the LORD." •       Matthew 16:15-18. "Upon this rock I will build My church." •       Matthew 18:15-17. "If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church." •       Acts 1:6-8. "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses." •       John 14:16-18. "You know Him because He abides with you and will be in you." •       Jeremiah 31:31-34. "They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they will all know Me." •       John 14:26. "He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you." •       John 16:6-15. "It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you." •       John 7:37-39. "The Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified."   Quotes:   •       "What was necessary and what He had promised them was the Holy Spirit, not church." •       "How do we learn about Christ? How do we know Christ? How do we understand Christ? By the Holy Spirit that comes to us." •       "It's endless what the Lord gave to us when he gave us the Holy Spirit upon His departure, and I don't want to make it secondary to anything else."   Takeaways:   1.    The ecclesia, what we call the Church, was initiated by virtue of the experience the disciples had of being filled with the Holy Spirit and being endued with the power of the Holy Spirit to be His witnesses. 2.    When Yeshua used the Greek word ekklesia, He was not speaking in terms of our understanding of the Church. He was speaking in terms of the assembly of the Lord or the assembly of Israel. And He applied it to those who would be taught and directed by the Father through the Holy Spirit. 3.    How much are we depending on the Church to provide for us what Christ has already provided through the Holy Spirit?

Growing In God Podcast Program Number: GIG #281 Title: Christmas, Celebrating the Son of Man   Web Description: The symbolism that most often defines Christmas is the Nativity scene. And the Nativity scene is about the reality that Christ, the Messiah, the Savior, the King of kings, was born and lived as a human being. At Christmas we are not celebrating His divinity. We are celebrating His humanity. We are celebrating the fact that He came to earth as a man who went through everything we go through and is thus able to lead us and help us through everything.   Show Notes: At Christmas we celebrate the birth of Yeshua (Jesus). When we do that, we are celebrating the birth of a human baby. Yet in our Christian faith, we think of Christ as a divine figure who always moved in a divine way. But the Christmas story is the opposite of that. The Christmas story tells us that He was a vulnerable baby who had to be cared for and protected. He had to be raised and taught like any human child.   As Christians we tend to put Christ so far above us that He is unattainable in today's life. We think, "He was perfect, but I am caught in my flesh, and I can't get out of it." That viewpoint is unscriptural. The Scriptures teach us that the Messiah is a human being. Yeshua was not born perfect. He learned obedience through the things that he suffered. He was made perfect by what He went through, just as we are being made perfect because of what we go through.   Yeshua could not be the Messiah without living in the flesh. He had to share in flesh and blood. He had to partake in the same things we partake in. He had to feel what we feel. He had to experience what we experience because He is our help. He is the aid to those who are tempted because He faced it all. He overcame the circumstances, the stress, the oppression, the futility of living in this earth where satan surrounded all that He did, seeking to kill Him every day. Therefore, He is able to help us through all those things in our daily lives.   Key Verses:   •       Read Luke 2:1–52. •       2 Corinthians 5:16. "We have known Christ according to the flesh." •       Matthew 6:10. "Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." •       Acts 1:6. "Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?" •       Hebrews 2:14–18. "Since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same." •       Hebrews 5:7–11. "Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered." •       Hebrews 4:14–16. "We do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses." •       Hebrews 7:24–25. "Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him." •       Romans 8:27–39. "Those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren."   Quotes:   •       "If we are going to truly celebrate the concept that is called Christmas, it is about Him being born. It is about Him living in a human life." •       "I know we will live in the days of glory. I know that we will live with Him in His Kingdom. But right now in the days of our flesh, we need help." •       "He lived in the flesh. And in the flesh, He was successful in being a human who related to God, who was filled with the Holy Spirit, who was enabled to move and enact and bring the will of God into the earth."   Takeaways:   1.    Let us celebrate Christmas this year by identifying with our Messiah as a human being—a son of man.[SP1]  2.    Let us celebrate that Yeshua did not exercise His divinity during His days on earth, but He was tempted in all things and felt our every human suffering. There is nothing we go through in our lives that He cannot relate to. 3.    Let us celebrate that Yeshua lives to intercede for us every day and ministers to us in our times of crisis and need. He is our Messiah. Our lives are meant to be lived in Him and through Him.  

Growing In God Podcast Program Number: GIG #280 Categories: Biblical Feasts   Web Description: In Romans 12, Paul exhorts us not to be conformed to this world. That is what Hanukkah is all about. It expresses the refusal of the Jewish people to be converted into something that was against the will of God and against the teachings of God. We as believers in Yeshua (Jesus) should have the same resistance to the culture that is set to move us away from the Scriptures, away from our Christian values, and convert us to a different way of life. Hanukkah is not a substitute for Christmas. It is an observance very applicable to Christianity today.   Show Notes: Many people think that Hanukkah is just a celebration for Jewish people to compete with Christmas during December. That is not true. Hanukkah existed before the celebration of Christmas and was observed by Yeshua (Jesus). Called the Feast of Dedication, Hanukkah celebrates the rededication of the Temple after the Maccabean Revolt when the Jews recaptured Jerusalem, recaptured the Temple, and purified it from its defilement.   At a time when Israel was under the suppression of the Seleucid Empire, Antiochus IV (known as Epiphanes) determined to wipe out all the practices and beliefs of the Jewish people and replace them with Greek paganism. A small band of Jewish men and women who refused to be Hellenized and converted into pagans rose up and fought against the armies of the Greeks and won, taking Jerusalem and cleansing and rededicating the Temple. This spirit is what Hanukkah celebrates.   To celebrate Hanukkah is to follow after those who refused to be converted to the paganism of the Greek culture. As Christians we likewise should refuse the demands of today's culture and the pressures of society that would force us to deny our faith and convert us to the paganism of today's world, which is quickly abandoning the Scriptures, abandoning morals, abandoning pure thought, and the right ways of life. We, as believers in Christ, along with the Jewish people, should shine as a light on a hill as those who hold forth the Word of God, the promises of God, and the prophecies to come.   Key Verses:   •       John 10:22–23. "At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem; it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple." •       Romans 12:1–2. "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." •       Matthew 5:11–16. "You are the light of the world. … Let your light shine before men." •       Matthew 24:22. "Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved."   Quotes:   •       "We are the salt of the earth. We are to be the light. And that is what you can say about those who participated in the Maccabean Revolt that refused to be removed off of their faith." •       "We are believers, and we are not to be conformed to this world. We are not to be conformed to its cultures, its beliefs, and its ways of life when they are contrary to God and to His Word." •       "Let us rededicate and purify everything that has been touched and destroyed during these days under the attempts of satan to bring about his purpose."   Takeaways:   1.    Hanukkah reminds us that as believers, we are not to be conformed to this world. We are not to be conformed to its cultures, its beliefs, and its ways of life when they are contrary to God and to His Word. 2.    Hanukkah reminds us that we are to be a light to this world—we should shine brightly as a light on a hill. We cannot let our light go out, and we certainly cannot live in fear and intimidation and hide our light under a bushel basket. 3.    Hanukkah reminds us that we are the salt of the earth. What we are to do today is to preserve the culture of the Kingdom of God. We are to preserve the ways of God. We are to preserve the love and the Word of God in this day and age. 4.    Hanukkah reminds us that we must put our faith into service. Like the ancient Maccabees, we must go in and cleanse the Temple—to rededicate and purify everything that has been touched and destroyed as satan has attempted to bring about his purposes in our world.

Growing In God Podcast Program Number: GIG #279 Categories: Biblical Feasts   Web Description: Hanukkah may be best known for the lighting of the menorah and the miracle of the oil lasting for eight days in the Temple following the Maccabean revolt. But the true heart of the Hanukkah celebration is the cleansing of the altar and the rededication of the Temple after a small group of Jewish farmers had defeated their enemies. Just as there are eight candles burning on the menorah during the celebration of Hanukkah, there are at least eight good reasons for Christians to celebrate Hanukkah.   Show Notes: Hanukkah, the Feast of Dedication, is actually a biblical feast and has significance for us as Christians. Here are eight reasons why Christians should consider celebrating Hanukkah:   1.    Hanukkah is found in the Bible. In John 10:22 we see that Christ celebrated the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah). 2.    We all need times for a new dedication and recommitment of ourselves to God and to a deeper level of service to the Lord. 3.    Once again the land of Israel is under the leadership of the Jewish people. This restoration was promised by God, and Christians should celebrate that we are yoked together with Israel and the Jewish people. 4.    Hanukkah foreshadows the days of the complete fulfillment of the messianic prophecies, where we see God's kingdom and God's rulership on earth as it is now in heaven. 5.    Celebrating Hanukkah looks forward to the end of anti-Semitism: the end of persecution and desecration of the Jewish people in our day and age. 6.    As Christians we should join with the Jewish people in the bold proclamation of their faith by celebrating Hanukkah. 7.    We are showing our oneness today with Judaism, with the State of Israel, and with the Jewish people everywhere as our elder brothers in the faith. 8.    In celebrating Hanukkah we reconnect ourselves with the Jewish Yeshua (Jesus) and return to our Hebrew roots—to recognize them, to be thankful for them, to engage with them, and to learn more deeply the ways that were the ways of Yeshua.   Key Verses:   •       John 10:22–24. "At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place … and Jesus was walking in the temple." •       Daniel 3:13–18. "We are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image." •       Matthew 5:14–16. "Let your light shine." •       Matthew 5:17. "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law … I did not come to abolish but to fulfill."   Quotes:   •       "We should live our lives as Christians in oneness with the Jewish people in their fight against anti-Semitism, because their fight is our fight." •       "As Christians celebrating Hanukkah, we can celebrate the bold proclamation of Jews down through the centuries that say, 'We will not bow down to the idolatry of this age.'" •       "There's something very important in the coming together of Christians and Jews in today's world. Hanukkah can be a bridge for us to see that happen."   Takeaways:   1.    Go back and read the book of Maccabees, the Jewish encyclopedia, and the other sources to find out for yourself what was done and how it was done—so that Hanukkah will create in you a oneness with our Jewish brothers and sisters. 2.    Take time in this holiday season to open your heart, your mind, and your spirit to reconnect through the celebration of Hanukkah with the Jewish roots of our faith so that you will find something new and alive in your own Christian experience.

Growing In God Podcast Program Number: GIG #278 Title: Walking with God is Doing   Web Description: How do we walk with God? By taking steps to act on what God is telling us to do. The Scriptures are more than ideas to learn about and discuss. They are a way for God to speak directly to us what He wants us to do. We can know His will for us in the Scriptures when we are willing to do His will. And we can know the blessings of a walk with God when we find the way to do His will as He makes it real to us in His Word.   Show Notes: There is an abundance of material available to us for Bible study. We can do a great deal of Bible reading. We can memorize Scriptures. We can consume many Bible teachings. And God can speak to us through that. But if we never do anything about what God speaks to us, how beneficial is our study? Yeshua (Jesus) said, "If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them." The Scriptures are examples for us to live by. More than just studying them and discussing them, we are to take steps to walk in them.   That is what a walk with God is all about. It is learning what God wants you to do and then taking steps to do it. If a Scripture touches your heart, or the Lord makes something real to you, then meditate on it with the purpose of doing something about it. Seek the Lord about it and ask Him, "What do you want me to do with this? How do I express this in some type of action?" This is how we appropriate the Word in our lives. It becomes real to us when we are doing it.   Yeshua said that we will know if His teaching is from God when we are willing to do His will. And we know that God is at work in us to will and to do His good pleasure. The purpose of Him working in us is not to learn more about His will or to talk more about His will, but to be driven to do His will. Let us begin to apply this to our Bible study. One way is to keep a notebook of action items that we can do in response to what God is showing us in His Word. Whatever method we use, let us strive to see the will of God accomplished in our lives.   Key Verses:   •       Genesis 17:1. "Walk before Me, and be blameless." •       Psalm 116:9. "I shall walk before the Lord in the land of the living." •       John 13:12–17. "If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them." •       Matthew 22:35–39. "LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD … LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR." •       Philippians 2:12–13. "It is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure." •       John 2:5–10. "Whatever He says to you, do it." •       Hebrews 13:20–21. "Now the God of peace … equip you in every good thing to do His will." •       John 7:17. "If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching."   Quotes:   •       "It's not knowing the Scriptures. It's doing the Scriptures. It's not knowing the things of God. It's doing what He's commanded us to do." •       "We're not to read the books or listen to messages and then sit around and just discuss them. If we're going to sit around and discuss the Word and what God's saying, let's start discussing what we're going do about it and how we're going to do it." •       "He is working in you because what He is asking, or what's needed as a response to His Word or the teaching, may be a difficult thing to do. And so you have to draw on His strength and His enabling in order to go do that."   Takeaways:   1.    There is a tendency for us as Christians to consume a lot of material in our study of the Scriptures. But the concern is what do we actually do about what we are learning from the Scriptures? 2.    It is important to develop some methodology that helps us do something about what God makes real to us in the Scriptures. 3.    We have a greater grasp of Bible teaching when we have the heart to do it. And not only when we have the heart, but when we actively find the ways to do something about what God shows is in the teaching.

Growing In God Podcast Program Number:  GIG #224 (2) Title: Thanksgiving—A Time of Gratitude   Web Description: Thanksgiving is a wonderful time set aside for giving thanks to the Lord. But the scriptural example of thanksgiving is not something that is done only on specific days. It is a continual practice of giving thanks and praise to the Lord every day. The pattern in our lives should not be thanking the Lord whenever we feel He has blessed us. We should have an attitude, a mindset, and an intentional emotion of gratitude for everything God is and does. Let this Thanksgiving be the beginning of a new lifestyle of overflowing gratitude before the Lord.   Email Subject Line: Thanksgiving—A Time of Gratitude   Show Notes: In the transition from the Tabernacle to the Temple, David commanded the Levites to thank and praise the Lord every morning and evening. This concept of giving continual thanks and praise to the Lord goes deeper than our concept of giving thanks. When someone gives us something, we say, "Thank you." And so our definition of thanksgiving still has this idea of thanking God after He blesses us. A better word for the scriptural concept of continual thanks to God is gratitude.   The Scriptures show us that we can develop a mindset, an attitude, and especially an emotion of gratitude before the Lord. Even when we face difficulties and negative situations, we can still have this emotion of gratitude because it is not dependent on our circumstances. We do not have to deny what may be happening to us, but we can continually focus on the Lord and develop within ourselves the sense of wonder and gratitude for all that God is and all that He does.    Therefore, let us celebrate Thanksgiving this year with gratitude. Let it be an expression of our continual thanks and praise to the Lord and not isolated to one specific gift or answer to prayer that He has given us. Let our gratitude become something that we develop within the depths of our being as part of our relationship with God, whereby we say daily, "Lord, we are not thankful for one or two things that You did for us. We are overflowing with gratitude for all things that You are to us and have provided for us."   Key Verses:   •       1 Chronicles 23:30. "They are to stand every morning to thank and to praise the LORD, and likewise at evening." •       Psalm 92:1–5. "It is good to give thanks to the LORD and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High." •       2 Peter 1:3. "His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness." •       Colossians 2:6–7. "As you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, … overflowing with gratitude."   Quotes:   •       "We don't just want to say 'thank you' for something. We want to develop in our hearts an attitude of gratitude." •       "When we talk about gratitude, it's not just an action; it's an emotion that is being expressed from within the depth of our being." •       "There is an unending list and an unending focus of what we should be giving praise and thanks to the Lord for."   Takeaways:   1.    David introduced a new responsibility and ministry for the Levites. They were to stand every morning and evening to thank and praise the Lord. It is also important for us to find a new expression in our giving of thanks and worship to the Lord. 2.    It is good to set aside one day at Thanksgiving to express our thanks to the Lord. But we need more than just a practice of thanking the Lord on one day and afterwards reverting to a life of ungratefulness. We need the Levitical pattern of thanking and praising the Lord continually. 3.    Giving thanks when we are blessed is still a limited emotion in response to our circumstances. We need to develop an intentional emotion of gratitude that is a continual expression of praise and thanks to the Lord.  

Growing In God Podcast Program Number: GIG #277 Title: Love Is the Antidote   Web Description: The world is experiencing an increase in lawlessness and a corresponding decrease in people's love. As a byproduct, anger and hatred are spreading like infectious diseases. We need an antidote. And that antidote is the Father's love in Christ. As believers in Christ, we have the ability and the responsibility to deliver this antidote to the world.   Show Notes: When describing the end times, Yeshua (Jesus) said that the increase in lawlessness would cause people's love to grow cold. Yet also during these times the gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world. And what is the very foundation of the gospel of the Kingdom? It is the love of Christ. The love of Christ is the antidote for the sickness in the world that is draining love from people's hearts. How is this antidote delivered? As believers in Christ, we need to wake up to the fact that we are the ones to do that.   Only the love of God, which we have received in Christ, can be effective in fighting the anger and hatred that is spreading like a virus in this age. This virus has even infected the Church. We have seen division, anger, and hatred infecting the hearts of believers. Now more than ever Christians must be loving one another because our oneness is the sign that the Father sent Christ into the world. In these days when darkness is spreading, we have to let our light shine. And our light is the love of God that is manifested in us.   Not only should we be expressing our love among ourselves, but we should also love everyone around us, even our enemies, as the Lord commanded. In this day when Judeo-Christian values are being attacked and the persecution of Christians is increasing, we cannot draw back or hide our light. We are to love even our enemies as Christ did and show that we are sons of our Father. It may seem like everything in the world is becoming darker. But that means God is giving us an even greater light to shine. If the world is getting sicker, then we have an even greater antidote. Let us minister the antidote of God's love freely to everyone and spread the gospel of love throughout the world.   Key Verses:   •       Matthew 24:12–14. "Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold." •       Matthew 5:14–16. "Let your light shine before men." •       Proverbs 4:18–19. "The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn." •       John 8:12. "I am the Light of the world." •       1 John 3:11. "This is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another." •       Romans 13:8–12. "Let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light." •       Peter 1:22. "Fervently love one another from the heart." •       John 13:34–35. "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." •       Matthew 5:43–48. "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father." •       Luke 6:27. "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you." •       Luke 6:35. "Love your enemies … and you will be sons of the Most High."   Quotes:   •       "The world is dark and darkness is coming. The world is sick. It's upside down. Good is bad and bad is good. And it doesn't seem like necessarily there's an answer. But there is an answer, and the answer is God's love." •       "This love that we have is being compared to a light, and it shines brighter and brighter. And we should expect to see more and more the love of God manifested in us and being able to be conveyed and imparted to this age." •       "It is the time for us as believers to wake up to the need and to wake up to the reality that within our hearts we hold the antidote to the wickedness, to the evil, to the hatred that is so widespread in this age."   Takeaways:   1.    The love manifested in us and through us to the world repels the darkness from us personally. And it is the antidote that people in bondage to the darkness are needing. 2.    People will know that we are Christ's disciples because we love one another. Our oneness is a sign to the world that the Father sent Christ into the world. 3.    Our love cannot be just for fellow believers. It must also be for those who hate us, who are our enemies, and who persecute us. That is what shows that we are sons of the Father. 4.    It is not so much what we preach. It is what we express and minister as light in the darkness, showing God's love to all His creation.

Growing In God Podcast Program Number: GIG #276 Title:  Renewing Our Minds     Web Description: When we get into spiritual warfare, we tend to become focused on things outside of us. But it is actually an internal battle that takes place in our minds. We are fighting a battle against mental speculations that attack the knowledge of God and draw our focus away from Him. Let us bring our focus back on Christ the King and enforce His victory with the divinely powered weapons He has given us.   Show Notes: The practice of building a booth, or sukkah, at the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkoth) involves leaving the roof open. And we can draw a lesson from the fact that in our sukkah, we are not looking out; we are looking up. Instead of a focus that looks out on everything happening in the world, we are to be training our minds to focus on the Lord. This principle applies directly to our concept of spiritual warfare. The battle for our focus is not happening outside of ourselves. It is taking place in our own minds.   According to 2 Corinthians, the weapons of our warfare are powerful to the pulling down of strongholds. We are destroying speculations and taking every thought captive in obedience to Christ. We are warring against strongholds. But those strongholds are not separate from us. They are strongholds built from the speculations and thought processes of our minds. These speculations of the human mind are what raise themselves up against the knowledge of God, against the truth of God, and against Christ. Our warfare is with the thoughts of our own minds and the things within ourselves on a human level.   In our society today we see many who are embracing twisted ideologies and belief systems that literally claim that truth is a lie, and the lie is truth. These belief systems have become a stronghold like a fortress or a walled city that seems impossible to break through. We need to believe and exercise our powerful and effective spiritual weapons that are able to destroy these speculations that war against the knowledge of God within us. These weapons are divinely powerful because they come from God, and we fight this war effectively by keeping our minds focused on Him.   Key Verses:   •       2 Corinthians 10:3–7. "We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God." •       Romans 12:2. "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." •       1 Corinthians 2:16. "We have the mind of Christ." •       2 Corinthians 5:17. "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." •       Hebrews 11:10. "He was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God." •       Psalm 2:1–8. "As for Me, I have installed My King upon Zion." •       Psalm 96:10–11. "Say among the nations, 'The LORD reigns.'"   Quotes:   •       "When our minds develop these speculations and then coalesce those speculations into a belief system, all of a sudden we realize that these things are fortresses that are absolutely against what God is trying to say." •       "I don't need to argue with you about all of your morality and all of your philosophy and all of your theology. I just need to tell you one thing: Christ reigns. He reigns as Lord Supreme. He reigns as King of kings and Lord of lords." •       "We can either be aware of the battle, or we can be aware of the fact that the battle is already won."   Takeaways:   1.    The weapons of our warfare are for destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God. A speculation is a thought process, and we need to see that spiritual warfare is a battle that takes place in our minds. 2.    Speculations and belief systems of the fleshly mind become a fortress, and we cannot fight that on a fleshly level. We must use the spiritual weapons that are divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 3.    We need to change our focus. We need to take our focus off the world and put it back on the Lord so that our minds are stayed in Him, and we are bringing His divine presence constantly in our thoughts.

Growing In God Podcast Program Number: GIG #275 Title: Christ the King   Web Description: Why are the nations in an uproar? Because God has established Christ as King and has given all the nations to Him. God is not moved by their uproar, and neither should we be as believers in Christ. He is our refuge, He is our focus, and His unshakable Kingdom is the reality of our lives right now.   Show Notes: We read in Psalm 2 that the nations are in an uproar, and today we see how true that is. It is difficult to find a nation where positive things are happening. Every nation is facing negative consequences as people devise a vain thing. Like no other time in history, whole populations all over the globe are embracing vain and ridiculous ideas to believe in. Meanwhile, governments and rulers take their stand against the Lord, His will, His Kingdom, and His people. They counsel together against Israel and against Judaism and Christianity everywhere.   It seems like the world is spinning out of control. And as much as we pray for things to change, they just seem to go from bad to worse. That should come as no surprise to us as Christians. The Scriptures make clear that things will be difficult in the days before the Kingdom of God is established. And we are to be focused as believers on His Kingdom coming. So do not be focused on whatever is happening in the world. Instead, keep looking to the Father, to Christ, and to His Kingdom, knowing that God is in charge.   How is God responding to all the ridiculous ways the nations are acting in their defiance of Him? According to Psalm 2 He is laughing. In other words, He is not bothered. He is not losing control. He is not moved off His throne. God is securely planted as the One who is in charge. And He has installed His King on Zion, His holy mountain. That is where we stand in Christ. We can live today in His Kingdom, taking refuge in Him, seated with Him in the heavenly places, and proclaiming that He is ruling over every situation.   Key Verses:   •       Psalm 2:1–5. "The kings of the earth take their stand … against the LORD and against His Anointed." •       Psalm 2:6–8. "But as for Me, I have installed My King upon Zion, My holy mountain." •       Psalm 2:9–12. "How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!" •       Psalm 24:1. "The earth is the LORD'S, and all it contains." •       Ephesians 2:4–6. "God, being rich in mercy … seated us with Him in the heavenly places."   Quotes:   •       "This is the scream of people who are refusing the Lordship of Christ, the Lordship of the Scriptures, the Word of God in their life: 'The Word of God is not going to be our moral compass. It's not going to rule over our life and how we live it and how we act one towards another.'" •       "There is going to be a moment where God begins to respond to each and every one of these that He's dealing with, each and every one of these ones that think they are bringing about their will on the earth and their kingdom on the earth, including satan himself. They are going to be addressed personally by the Lord, and they are going to be terrified at His response." •       "Whatever you're experiencing, whatever we're going through, whatever will happen around us in this uproar of the nations, take refuge in Him. Keep your focus upon Him. Keep absolutely in the front of your mind and heart that He has installed Christ the King upon Mount Zion."   Takeaways:   1.    The nations are in an uproar. But they are in an uproar because the Father has granted the ownership of those nations to Christ. 2.    God is not shaken, and Christ the King is not shaken by whatever is going on in this world. He is laughing at the plans of the world because they are already thwarted by His Word as the God of all creation. 3.    We tell of the decree of the Lord that He is the King. We take refuge in Him personally. And we are those who proclaim that the nations are His, and He has installed His King upon His Holy Mountain.

Growing In God Podcast Program Number: GIG #274 Title: The Bronze Serpent   Web Description: Do you feel like you are being bitten to death by your circumstances and problems? Get your focus back on Christ. Renew and deepen your relationship with Him because He Himself is the answer. He Himself is the victory and the overcoming of any situation that we are in. And by believing in Him, we will not perish in our circumstances but instead have eternal life.   Show Notes: When the children of Israel complained against the Lord and Moses in the wilderness, the Lord sent them poisonous serpents. So the people repented and asked the Lord to remove the serpents. That however is not what God did. Instead, He told Moses to make a bronze serpent and lift it up on a standard. And if anyone looked at the serpent, that person would live. That story has great meaning for us today.   The children of Israel had become entirely focused on the material world rather than on the presence of God who was with them day and night. They were entirely focused on what they were unhappy about and what they did not have, ignoring all that God was providing them. As Christians we too tend to lose our focus on the Lord. We start to focus on what we are lacking and what we wish we had in the material world. We sometimes forget that we have the Holy Spirit to lead us and guiAde us, that Christ is in us, and that we can be filled with all the fullness of God.   Just like in the wilderness, we may be asking God to remove our problems that are like poisonous snakes biting us. But we should not be surprised if those problems do not go away. We should expect that God will give us something else to focus on. He may even be using our problems to get our focus back on Him. He is looking to bring us to Himself, to a life in Him, to a life in His Word, to a faith and a walking in Him that we may not be doing at the moment. Christ was lifted up just like that bronze serpent in the wilderness so that in Him we can have eternal life. He is our answer. And we need to live in Him more than we need to try to solve our problems.   Key Verses:   •       Numbers 21:4–11. "If a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived." •       2 Peter 1:3. "His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness." •       Psalm 103:2. "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits." •       Luke 21:28. "When these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads." •       John 3:12–21. "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up."   Quotes:   •       "It seems almost impossible to think that we would get tired of having the Lord's presence with us day and night. But I think in all honesty, we do lose our focus on the Lord, and we tend to bring our focus back into the lower level or lower realm of the natural world." •       "Instead of taking away our problems, many times what He does is He gives us an answer that brings our focus and our relationship back to Him. Because ultimately, He's the answer." •       "You're going to get tired of this journey that we're on in these end times if you are focused only on what's going on around you. But if we can keep our focus looking up, looking upon the Lord and what He's provided, then these other things are not going to destroy us."   Takeaways:   1.    The children of Israel magnified their unhappiness about the wilderness to the point that they despised God's provision. And we need to realize how we can get so focused on what we dislike about our circumstances that we forget the Lord's benefits. 2.    God's answer to the serpents in the wilderness was not to remove the serpents but to get the people's focus back on Him. And God may not be answering your prayer by removing your circumstances but by getting your focus back on Him. 3.    When you see all the things beginning to happen in the end-time, raise your eyes above the material world and focus on Him and His Kingdom. Make Him your focus and make Him what you are journeying to.

Faith Experiences the Invisible Now Growing In God Podcast Program Number: GIG #273 Web Description: It is with the heart that we believe, and the heart is the center of our emotions and feelings. That means faith is not actually a mental process. You are not trying to believe with your thoughts that something will happen. Instead, you are knowing in your heart, by the joy and love and emotions that come by the Spirit, that you already have fulfillment.   Show Notes: How do we measure our faith? It seems that the only gauge we use is a negative one. We measure how much faith we do not have when something we believe for does not happen. But there is a better way. In a message titled, "Living Faith in Action," John Stevens said of the promises of God that "we were to rejoice in them with faith. We were to lay hold upon them as though we already possessed them." The greatest measure of our faith is the joy we experience in knowing that we have what God has promised.   We associate believing with the mind. But according to the Scriptures, we believe in our heart. And scripturally the heart is the center of our emotions. The heart is where faith really comes from, and the heart is also at the root of what we feel. Our feelings then impact our physical bodies, our thoughts, and our behavior. So faith from the heart is expressed in emotions. If you want faith to heal someone, then the most effective way is not to mentally strive to believe but to feel the joy of the deliverance in your heart.   We know that the fruit of the Spirit consists of emotions like love, joy, and peace. These emotions are spiritually imparted, meaning we do not get them from the material realm but from the spirit realm. This is the principle that Yeshua (Jesus) taught us in the simplest of terms. He said to pray, "Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." In other words, the answer exists right now in heaven. And you want it to also exist in your life right now. So do not pray for it to happen in the future. Pray with the knowledge that you have it now, and your faith is bringing it into the earth.   Key Verses:   •       Matthew 6:10. "Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." •       Hebrews 11:3. "What is seen was not made out of things which are visible." •       Romans 10:10. "With the heart a person believes." •       1 Samuel 13:14. "The LORD has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart." •       John 10:10. "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." •       Romans 4:17–20. "With respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith." •       Hebrews 11:1. "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." •       1 John 5:4. "This is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith."   Quotes:   •       "On the Sabbath, God finished His creation; He finished his works. His works are finished and now they exist. What we are learning to do is to reach into what exists and to find the ways to bring that out of the invisible into the visible, into an effective function within the material world." •       "We don't hope that there's the restoration of Israel. We don't hope for the Jews to be brought back into the land. We feel the joy. We should be dancing like David in the street at the return of the Ark of the Covenant because we are dancing over the return of the people, the return of all the wealth that they have and all the blessings that are theirs. We're living in it right now." •       "Your faith is the substance of the thing hoped for. It's the evidence of the thing not seen. That is not wishful thinking. That's God's faith given to you to believe Him and to rejoice with Him."   Takeaways:   1.    How do you measure how much faith you have? Look to what you are feeling in your heart. 2.    Having faith for something means that you have already embraced it in your heart. You are not praying with hope that it will happen. You pray knowing that you have it right now. 3.    Our emotions are something tangible. Study your heart and the emotions that are there. Emotions trigger thoughts and then the thoughts come out of your mouth. And that is what is creative.

Growing In God Podcast Program Number: GIG #272   Title: From Generation to Generation   Web Description: In the wilderness the children of Israel learned the consequences of not following the Word of God. And they set themselves to rehearse the Word repeatedly so that they and future generations would not fail to follow that Word. As Christians today we cannot expect that we will have the faith and success we need if we are not following what God has made real to us. And we must have the same determination to rehearse His Word.   Show Notes: Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, remembers the time when Israel lived in tents for forty years in the wilderness. This was a time when one generation died off because of their disobedience and a new generation was taught the Word of God. They had learned from the wilderness that they lived by the Word of God, and therefore every new generation must be taught to live in the Word. This is why a special day is observed at the end of Sukkot each year. This day is called Simchat Torah, which means "the joy of the Torah."   Every year the Torah is read in the synagogue from beginning to end. And every year at Simchat Torah, this annual cycle repeats. It is a continual reminder of what Moses told the people before they entered the land: "Will you make the same mistake the previous generation made, which cost them forty years in the wilderness? Or have you learned your lesson? And if you have learned your lesson, will you be able to keep that lesson alive for yourself and for your children?"   We see then the importance that Judaism places on rehearsing the Word. Do we as Christians realize that it is just as important for us? We face challenges that seem too big for us, just as the giants in the land seemed too big for the generation that failed in the wilderness. But those giants were not too big for God then, and our challenges are not too big for Him today. We need to believe what God has spoken to us and believe in His power to accomplish what He said. It is all there in His Word. And we need to make rehearsing His Word a major focus of our times together and in our daily lives.   Key Verses:   •       Deuteronomy 8:1–6. "You shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you." •       Deuteronomy 6:1–3. "This is the commandment … that you and your son and your grandson might fear the LORD." •       Hebrews 12:5–9. "God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?" •       Romans 10:17. "Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ." •       Deuteronomy 6:4–9. "You shall teach them diligently to your sons." •       Deuteronomy 11:18–21. "You shall teach them to your sons." •       Deuteronomy 31:10–13. "Their children, who have not known, will hear and learn to fear the LORD."   Quotes:   •       "We should come away from the celebration of Sukkot refreshed in the memory that God is all powerful, that He is able to give us what He's promised." •       "When we get together to fellowship, there should be a focus on worship and the Word. We can still barbecue and have fun and have other conversations. But what is the focus of it? What is the purpose of fellowship? The true purpose of fellowship is to get together surrounding the Word and the worship so that we're creating faith within ourselves." •       "Even as aliens we had the right to come and stand at the gate during Sukkot and hear the Word of God so that we could learn, and we could understand, and we could fear the Lord our God. And we could walk with Him and have long life and prosperity and blessings."   Takeaways:   1.    The battle is against forgetting. If we are reminding ourselves, then faith comes by hearing. If we hear it, then we can have faith to do it. 2.    We need to find the things that are foundational to our faith—who we are and what God has spoken to us—and we need the faith right now to walk in them. 3.    Let us not leave the Feast of Tabernacles. Let us enter a year of hearing the Word of God.