Initiate meaningful conversation with your family no matter how long the commute with Joe White's age appropriate short talks on scripture, parenting, culture, and community.
Episodes
Tuesday Oct 22, 2019
Tuesday Oct 22, 2019
"The story goes of three riders who were riding through a desert. And when they had come to the end of themselves and had run out of food and run out of water, they encountered three other riders who were riding in the opposite direction on their camels. And the three riders who were coming to encounter these three men said, "well, what's it like on the other side of the desert?"
Family Discussion:
- How much are you putting in your backpack and will you be happy or will you be sad when you reach the oasis of Eternal Life with Christ?
Transcription:
00:13 The story goes of three riders who were riding through a desert. And when they had come to the end of themselves and had run out of food and run out of water, they encountered three other riders who were riding in the opposite direction on their camels. And the three riders who were coming to encounter these three men said, "well, what's it like on the other side of the desert?" And the three riders said "between here and the oasis that you'll find in a two day ride, there is a dry river bed. And in that dry riverbed, there are stones take the stones. And when you get to the oasis, you'll be happy and sad." And then the three riders rode away. Well, sure enough, about a day's journey, the three riders in the desert came to the river bed and there were stones just as they had been told. And one of them took some of the stones and put them in his backpack. One of the riders took as many stones he could, and he filled his lap even though he was tired and wary. And their stones were heavy. He filled everything he had in his saddlebags that were beside him. And one writer said, "you know what? I don't have the energy to pick up any stones." Well, in one more day, just as they had been told, they came to the oasis and they were happy and they were sad because when they came to the oasis, they looked down and saw that the stones were rich gold nuggets. They were happy because they had some. But they were sad because they didn't have more. And so it is with the book of Revelation. When you read it, you're happy and you're sad. You're happy because of the love of Jesus that's in your heart and that you get to win it at the Great Victory Party. But there are those who are sad because they didn't pick up the gold along the way.
02:00 Chapters 22, verse seven says this, "And behold, I'm coming quickly. Blessed is he, his backpack is full of gold. Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book." And then verse 12 says, "For behold, I'm coming quickly and my reward is with me to render to every man according to what he has done." The story goes, and I believe it's historical of Augustine, you know, now, one of the most, you know, noted and famous, you know, writers and followers of Christ that ever lived. But one time, Augustine was a womanizer. At one time, Augustine had elicit relationships with women. But Augustine went to England where he received Christ at a crusade and then Augustine went home a new man. And he went back to one of his old, you know, stomping grounds.
02:53 And as Augustine was walking down the road, one of his old girlfriends came up behind him and she tapped him on the shoulder and he turned around to see one of his old girlfriends. And she said, "Augustine Augustine, it is me." And Augustine simply turned around and looking at her eyes. And he says, "but it is not me." He had literally become a brand new man in Christ. He had picked up the gold. He had filled his backpack in his heart with the gold of Christ. And even though this person made herself available to him, and she said, "it is I." He said, "it is not I. I have a brand new heart." And so 2 Corinthians 5:17 concludes today when it says, "if any man is in Christ, he's a brand new creation. All things have gone. Behold, the new has come." My question to you today is this, the gold is in the river bed. How much are you putting in your backpack and will you be happy or will you be sad when you reach the oasis of Eternal Life with Christ?
Monday Oct 21, 2019
Monday Oct 21, 2019
"I have a friend who is a fired up Christian businessman in Dallas, Texas, and he was in a head on collision and his in his car began to burn, but he couldn't get out of the car. And he said, Joe, he said, I felt like I was living in hell. He said, I was trapped and I couldn't get out. And he said, I was, I was being consumed with fire."
Family Discussion:
- What is your prayer need to look like before God?
Transcription:
00:14 If you've ever wondered what the final judgment of God is going to look like, here is the description and if you've ever wondered who will be judged at the end and what will happen to those that are condemned. Here is the final judgment. Revelation chapter 21 verse eight and it says this, "but for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and adulterers and all liars, their part will be in the lake that Burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." We learned yesterday that heaven is going to be unbelievably beautiful and hell is going to be indescribably sad and destructive. I have a friend who is a fired up Christian businessman in Dallas, Texas, and he was in a head on collision and his in his car began to burn, but he couldn't get out of the car.
01:05 And he said, Joe, he said, I felt like I was living in hell. He said, I was trapped and I couldn't get out. And he said, I was, I was being consumed with fire. Well, fortunately there were some rescuers on the scene that yanked him out of that car before the flames actually got to his face and began to burn his body. But he said it changed my life. And he was already the most fired up Christian Guy that, you know, you can imagine. But living in a picture of hell, being trapped, you know, in fire and having nobody with him alone in that fire he saw literally a picture of hell. And this verse describes, you know, who falls in the judgment and it talks about people in all sorts of walks with sin. But I think there's a distinction that you and I've got to understand today.
01:55 You know, Romans 3:23 says all have sinned. You know, we all slip and fall. But it says we don't practice that sin. There's a difference between slipping. There's a difference between, you know, accidentally sinning and continuing to live in sin. And scripture is clear, men and women, that when someone gives their heart to Christ, that they have a heart that wants to get out of that sin. Like the student at the University of Alabama at the college event that we did. As he came to the cross with hundreds of other students around him. Weeping at the cross. And he gave his heart to Christ and I threw my arms around and gave him a big victory hug.
02:46 But he knew when Christ gave him a new heart that he wouldn't practice that sin anymore. And I called him two years later and I said, Ben, are, are you clean? He said, absolutely. He wasn't going to be one who's going to be judged for practicing sin because the heart of Christ gave him the freedom to get out of that sin and to never go back again. So the great verse in Romans is in Romans 5:8 and it says, even though we were yet sinners, even though we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. So you and I've got to get on our knees today and say, Jesus, show me. Do I have a new heart? You know, do I have a heart that wants to practice sin or do I want to have a heart that wants to confess my sin and to receive your grace and to receive your forgiveness so that that judgment will not be a judgment for me? By the grace of God. He will pass you through judgment into eternal life. And so my question for you today is this. When you get on your knees tonight before bed, you know, what is your prayer need to look like before God? And maybe you need to do that prayer right now.
Friday Oct 18, 2019
Friday Oct 18, 2019
" I was just in Chicago with a high school student, a 17 year old boy named Jacob, who's faithful. That boy had a vision for a thousand of his friends to come to this event and to come to Christ. And because of Jacob's faithfulness that little theater we were in was packed because one boy was faithful and he wanted everybody he knew to come to Christ. He's a hero to me. "
Family Discussion:
- Don't you want to be one of the faithful?
- What are you doing today to become one of the faithful?
- Who are you leading to the throne of grace today?
Transcription:
00:14 Who are your heroes? You know my heroes are students that I get to work with that are faithful. My heroes are men and women that I get to work with that are faithful. My hero is my wife Debbie Jo because she's faithful. My hero was my dad because he was faithful. My hero still is my mom who's faithful. Revelation 20 verse four talks about the Faithful. Listen to this. This is so incredibly inspirational and motivating to me. Verse four he says, "and then I saw Thrones and they sat on them and judgment was given to them and I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the Word of God and those who had not worshiped the beast are his image and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years."
01:12 There are those at the end who are faithful. I was just in Chicago with a high school student, a 17 year old boy named Jacob, who's faithful. That boy had a vision for a thousand of his friends to come to this event and to come to Christ. And because of Jacob's faithfulness that little theater we were in was packed because one boy was faithful and he wanted everybody he knew to come to Christ. He's a hero to me. And then down in Florida, a boy named Connor, his daddy said, you can take a senior trip. You can go anywhere you want to go. And he said, only places I want to goes to heaven and I want to take all my friends with me. And he literally got 6,000 Orlando kids together for this event. And I was able to build a cross and just see over a thousand kids give their hearts to Christ because Connor was faithful.
02:05 Just recently I was at the Air Force Academy where the Christian students are getting persecuted and Christianity is getting put down. And through the influence, the ACLU and the agnostics and the cynics and, and even, uh, some, some people are into Wicca. These Christian students are faithful in three students brought 20% of the student body to the event before the cross. And hundreds of those students came to the cross that night because Scott and because of the faithfulness of Jack and before the faithfulness of Matt Rotor. We were at Virginia Tech and 2000 students followed one girl and one guy into this event to come to the cross. 2000 kids because one guy and one girl were faithful. Do you know that people are following you? And do you know that you can be a Jacob? You could be a Jordan? Or like my friends, Beau and Cooper up in Kansas City who had Saturday night parties that were free of alcohol that sometimes over a hundred students would come to because Beau and Cooper were faithful.
03:13 Do you know that you can be one of those people? And certainly at the end, you're going to want to be one of those people because the faithful who don't get into the work of Satan, who don't follow the anti-Christ, even though the antichrist, the beast is not yet appeared as he will to the degree he does a Revelation. He's everywhere today, but the faithful will celebrate with Christ forever. Don't you want to be one of the faithful? My question for you today is this, whether you're a student or whether you're, you know, in the workplace or you know, husband or wife or father, what are you doing today to become one of the faithful and who are you leading to the throne of grace today? At the end, the ones that follow you will call you faithful.
Thursday Oct 17, 2019
Thursday Oct 17, 2019
"There's one thing worse than hell and the same thing is worse is better than heaven. You know what it is? It's influence. It's going to either place and taking somebody with you. On that day when Christ reigns and rules, on that day, those that love him will be thankful to those that lead them there like you can't believe. And those that, that follow the enemy, Satan, into everlasting judgment are going to be sadness beyond sadness."
Family Discussion:
- Who are you influencing today and how are you influencing them?
- Where are you going to be?
- How are you going to get there?
- What are you going to do to influence the people in your family and in your school and in your place of business?
- What are you going to do to influence people to be on that victory ride with you?
Transcription:
00:13 Do you know there's one thing that's worse than hell and the same thing is better than heaven? What is that? It's worse than hell. It is better than heaven and it's the same thing. Do you know what it is? Revelation chapter nine verses 11 through 16, "and I saw heaven open and behold a white horse and he who sat on it is called faithful and true and in righteousness he judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire and on his head are many diadems and he has a name written on him which no one knows except himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood and his name is called the word of God and the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean were following him on white horses and from his mouth comes a sharp sword so that with it he may strike down the nations and he will rule them with a rod of iron and he treads on the wine press of the fierce wrath of God the Almighty and on his robe. And on his thigh, he has a name written. He is king of kings and Lord of Lords."
01:24 This men and women is the final and greatest victory of all time as Jesus rides in with his saints, with those who follow him. And he ends the final battle, the final battle of Armageddon, the final battle on earth, the final battle of all time. And you know what? We get to come in with him and we get to ride and we get to reign and we get to rule with him, as true sincere followers of Christ. There's one thing worse than hell and the same thing is worse is better than heaven. You know what it is? It's influence. It's going to either place and taking somebody with you. On that day when Christ reigns and rules, on that day, those that love him will be thankful to those that lead them there like you can't believe. And those that, that follow the enemy, Satan, into everlasting judgment are going to be sadness beyond sadness.
02:24 So my question for you today is this, who are you influencing today and how are you influencing them? And you know what? You can't escape it. You and I are an influence every day of our life. We're either influencing people to heaven or we're influencing people to hell. And not so much by words, but by the way we live our lives and the way we act. And so as you visualize the victory and you visualize the one that reigns and rules and you visualize the greatest victory celebration of all time. One, where are you going to be? Two, how are you going to get there? And then three, what are you going to do to influence the people in your family and in your school and in your place of business? What are you going to do to influence people to be on that victory ride with you? Is there anything more motivating to live a life pleasing to Christ than that on this earth?
Tuesday Oct 15, 2019
Tuesday Oct 15, 2019
"When you watch a basketball game or play in a game of any sport or watch football game, who do you cheer for? Well, I always cheer for the underdog. And I don't know what it is inside of me but every time anybody plays, I'll look for the team that's not supposed to win and I just begin to cheer for that team like they're my team. And when they come back and win, it's the greatest thing in the world."
Family Discussion:
- Which side are we on? God's or Satan's?
Transcription:
00:13 When you watch a basketball game or play in a game of any sport or watch football game, who do you cheer for? Well, I always cheer for the underdog. And I don't know what it is inside of me but every time anybody plays, I'll look for the team that's not supposed to win and I just begin to cheer for that team like they're my team. And when they come back and win, it's the greatest thing in the world. Listen to this victory. Listen to who wins in this passage in Revelation 17:14-17. It looks like Satan is going to win. It looks like the enemy is going to take over the whole earth. But look at the comeback. 17:14-17 scripture says this, "these will wage war against the lamb and the lamb will overcome them because He is Lord of Lords and the King of Kings and those who are with him are the called and the chosen and the faithful. And he said to me, the waters which you saw where the harlot sits are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues, and the 10 horns which you saw are the beast. These will hate the harlot and will make her desolate and naked and will eat her flesh and will burn her up with fire. For God has put in his heart to execute his purpose by having a common purpose and by giving their kingdom to the beast until the words of God will be fulfilled."
01:41 Let me tell you about the day that Razorback stadium was silent. The craziest, wildest fans in the United States of America are the Arkansas Razorbacks. We were playing the Razorback in War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. And I literally walked on the field and I felt the earth shake underneath my feet. They were number two in the nation that year. And you know what? They jumped out to a 35 to nothing lead over our little SMU team and we were getting killed.
02:08 But Bruce Portillo stepped into the huddle, our Middle Linebacker, and he said, come on guys, we can stop these people. And I don't know what it was about Bruce Portillo, but he had something charismatic about him. And you know what, they didn't make another first down. There are only 10 minutes left on the clock and we scored four straight touchdowns. And even though if we would've gotten the ball one more time, we would've beat those people. We didn't. We lost 35 to 28. We won an incredible victory that day. The day when razorback stadium was silenced. And so it will be with the work of Satan. And he is literally taking over the earth today as our nation has decided to kick him out of everything that we do. Kicking him out of prayer schools and Bible reading schools.
02:59 And it take a God and His name out of public life where you can't even put a manger scene, you know, out in a public place or put a cross in a tribute to a soldier. It looks like Satan is taking over the world, but he's not. And at the end, Jesus is going to win. Jesus is going to reign because Jesus is going to overcome. And those who love him and follow him are gonna reign with him forever and ever. And so the question for you and I today is, which side are we own? You know, Jesus said, no man can serve two masters. Either you love the one and hate the other, or you'll serve the one and despise the other. He says, you can't serve God and Mammon in chapter five of Matthew. So which side of your on? He said, either you're for me or you're against me and today you and I get to choose sides. He looks like the underdog, but I'll tell you he's going to win in the end.
Monday Oct 14, 2019
Monday Oct 14, 2019
"Years ago when my kids were small, I was at home alone. Debbie Jo was on a trip and the kids were sleeping in their room and about 2:30 AM I heard a thief in my kitchen and I jumped up out of bed and saw that thief running out the front door. And I chased that thief is as hard as I could. And you know what? It's a good thing he didn't have a gun. But when a thief comes into your house, you don't care, you'll do anything to get him out of your house and fortunately for him and me, he didn't come back. "
Family Discussions:
- What's your house doing to get ready for the coming of Christ?
- Personally in your heart knowing that the blood of the lamb on your heart is the only ticket, the only key to live with Christ forever. What are you doing with the lamp?
- What are you doing with Jesus?
Transcription:
00:13 You know, I can smile about it now, but I sure wouldn't smiling about it when it happened. Years ago when my kids were small, I was at home alone. Debbie Jo was on a trip and the kids were sleeping in their room and about 2:30 AM I heard a thief in my kitchen and I jumped up out of bed and saw that thief running out the front door. And I chased that thief is as hard as I could. And you know what? It's a good thing he didn't have a gun. But when a thief comes into your house, you don't care, you'll do anything to get him out of your house and fortunately for him and me, he didn't come back. But today we're going to talk about a thief and you know, a thief when he shows up, no one knows when he's coming. He doesn't announce his arrival. And so scripture says, the coming of the son of man will be.
01:05 We're in Revelation chapters 16:15, and we're in the middle of the bowls of wrath in the judgment of God. But he says this, "behold" Jesus is speaking through the angel to John. "Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed it is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes so that he will not walk around naked and men will not see his shame." Jesus is certainly not the thief but he comes like a thief and that we won't know the day or the hour that is coming. Acts 1:7 makes it clear that only God knows the day and the hour of the coming of Christ. But Jesus said in Matthew 24 that the coming of the son of man will be just like it was the day of Noah.
01:47 He says, for men will be eating and drinking and marrying and giving into marriage. Before Noah entered the Ark and they did not understand until the floods came and swept them all away. He said, two men will be in the field, one will be taken and what will be left. Two women will be grinding in the meal, one will be taken, one will be left and I'm offering humor to about the two men who are standing there talking, the two women are out working. What are we doing men? Standing around talking. But no one knows when the thief is gonna come. In this case it's going to be anything but a thief. It's going to be Christ, but he gives us signs. He gives us signs. He said there'll be earthquakes like never before in the earth. There'll be wars and rumors of wars like never before in the earth.
02:26 There'll be false prophets running around the earth, getting followers, claiming to be Christ. The cults will be like never before. He said there'll be seances, a Satan worship of demons and demon possession and tarot cards and dungeons and dragons and satanic movies and music. It'll all be a part of the signs, but people won't heed the signs. Even though the signs are all over. It's the gospel that we preach to the whole world at that time. There will be a proliferation of the gospel like never before. Like we're seeing the day travel where we prolific like we've never seen before. Daniel said people will be moving from place to place. The second coming of Christ will have signs, but people will not see the signs. But like a thief, he will appear. And then the ones who follow him and love him sincerely will be taken away.
03:14 On December 7th, 1941 there were signs, but our navy and our military didn't see the signs. And the next thing we knew, hundreds of Japanese planes were sinking our navy in Pearl Harbor. On 911, there were signs and we didn't see the signs. We didn't pay attention. Until the planes were flying into the buildings and terrorism struck the United States of America. Well today there're signs. It's December 7th. It's 911. There's signs everywhere. Christ is coming back and he'll appear like a thief in the night. So my question to you today is, is what are we doing? What are you doing? What's your house doing to get ready for the coming of Christ and personally in your heart knowing that the blood of the lamb on your heart is the only ticket, the only key to live with Christ forever. What are you doing with the lamp? What are you doing with Jesus?
Saturday Oct 12, 2019
Saturday Oct 12, 2019
"Are you like me? And you look books with a happy ending or are you like me and you like movies that end up and you walk out with a big old grin on your face? Well, this book has a happy ending even though the judgements of God are severe and God's wrath is absolute. "
Family Discussion:
- Are your knees bowing now and you're going to be there with the song of Moses in your heart or are you going to be wait and you're going to bow then with a song of death coming from your lips?
- What do you need today to get you there?
Transcription:
00:13 Are you like me? And you look books with a happy ending or are you like me and you like movies that end up and you walk out with a big old grin on your face? Well, this book has a happy ending even though the judgements of God are severe and God's wrath is absolute. In Revelation chapter 15, one through four, the ending takes on a smile. Listen to this, and Revelation 15. "Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous. Seven angels who had seven plagues, which are the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished. And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire and those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and the number of his name standing on the Sea of glass, holding the harps of God and they sang the song of Moses, a Bond Servant of God. The song of the lamb saying, great and marvelous are your works. Oh Lord God, the Almighty, righteous and true are your ways, king of nations. Who will not fear Oh lord and glorify your name for you alone are holy for all the nations will come and worship before you for your righteous acts have been revealed."
01:28 You're going to want to be there. This is the game. You're gonna wanna be there. You're gonna want to have a ticket to this one. Philippians chapter two said that at the end, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. You're going to want to be there. I mean, whatever it takes to be at this place, at this time, you're going to want to be there. I've seen as I've been able to share, you know, Christ, you know, around this country and around this world.
02:01 I've seen two presidents of United States. They wanted to be there and I've seen these two presidents glorify God. I've seen two Superbowl teams come to the cross. They wanted to be there. I've seen a basketball team go into the Final Four. They wanted to be there. I've seen tens of thousands of college students in campuses across this country to come to the cross because they wanted to be there. I've seen tens of thousands of students, high school students at events across the country come to the cross because they wanted to be there. I've seen hundreds of thousands of men come to the cross because they want to be there and you're going to want to be there too because at the end when we stand before the throne of God, it's the only game in town. It's the only thing that's gonna matter.
02:51 And those that bow now will be rewarded. Those that wait and bow then will be severely disappointed. You're going to want to be there and so my question to you today is, are your knees bowing now and you're going to be there with the song of Moses in your heart or are you going to be wait and you're going to bow then with a song of death coming from your lips? What do you need today to get you there? Jesus says, take me, love me. Give me your whole heart and you'll be there.
Thursday Oct 10, 2019
Thursday Oct 10, 2019
"Believe it or not, in an age where people were exchanging gold coins, where there were no credit cards, where there were no checks, where there were no computer, the Bible talks about the day that one man will have at his controls every economic transaction in the world. That there will be a computer system so technically advanced that every transaction that you make would be linked together through a scanner and would go to one central computer system."
Family Discussions:
- How is our credit card system of today and our drive for materialism leading maybe even you and your home into the alarming of the mark of the beast?
- Knowing what you know about scripture, what do you need today to realign your life and your priorities?
Transcription:
00:13 Man, what a day to be alive as you read the scripture of Revelation and you see the times that we live in and you see some of these things literally coming true in our midst. It is such an encouragement to me as a follower of Christ. When you see the little UPC code on the bottom of every item that you buy at the grocery store, and as they run that UPC code across the scanner, do you know what that's doing? Do you know what that's telling us about? And what the book of Revelation reveals in chapter 13. Listen to this and see if this doesn't open your eyes to scripture like you've never had your eyes open before. In Revelation 13, verse three, it begins to talk about the unholy trinity. You know, the Holy Trinity is the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. But the unholy trinity, revealed in the book of Revelation is the Trinity of the Dragon. That's Satan. The beast. That's the antichrist and the prophet of the beast who causes all people to worship the beast. Revelation 13 three says this, "and I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain." I believe that beast is trying to mimic Jesus here. The antichrist, trying to mimic Jesus. "And his fatal wound was healed and the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast." And then skipping down to verse 16 through 18, it says this, "and he the beast, the antichrist, and he causes all the rich and the poor, the small and the great, the free and the slave to be given a mark either on their right hand or on their forehead. And He provides that no one should be able to buy or sell except the one who has the mark. This calls for wisdom, let him who has understanding, calculate the number for the number is the number of a man. And the number is six, six, six."
02:00 Believe it or not, in an age where people were exchanging gold coins, where there were no credit cards, where there were no checks, where there were no computer, the Bible talks about the day that one man will have at his controls every economic transaction in the world. That there will be a computer system so technically advanced that every transaction that you make would be linked together through a scanner and would go to one central computer system. That one man would control and then you wouldn't use your credit card to pay the bill. You would use the back of your hand or you'd use your forehead where the mark of the beast would be there and it would allow you to make that transaction. But if you don't have the mark of the beast then transaction wouldn't go through.
02:54 The Bible says, we will not take the mark of the beast. Do you believe that could really happen? Do you believe that that the system could be so scientific that you can have some kind of a computer chip on your hand or on your forehead that could tell enough about you. That could take that transaction to your bank account and to approve or disapprove of that transaction because you had that? Well, I will tell you something. It's happening today. We're using now hand scanners to gain interest into buildings. They're now using eye scan to verify credit cards. They're now using thumbprints even with children in schools to get their lunches as their thumbprint, identifies them and debits their account to the school system. I was in Rome, Italy, and the world conference of biometrics was in the same hotel I was staying in. As the leaders of the economic world were gathering to talk about the need for personal identity because of all the credit card fraud.
03:57 Men and women, what a day to be alive! As the day prophesied 2000 years ago literally is coming true before our eyes. But be for warned. Don't take the mark of the beast today and don't take the mark of the beast then. The antichrist will control everything he thinks until he's controlled by Christ. And here's my question for you today. How is our credit card system of today and our drive for materialism leading maybe even you and your home into the alarming of the mark of the beast. And then secondly, knowing what you know about scripture, what do you need today to realign your life and your priorities?
Wednesday Oct 09, 2019
Wednesday Oct 09, 2019
"We opened up the hundredth year of football on a national television against the Air Force Academy and we didn't know that we were being deceived that day. It was an incredible game and we had an awesome west coast offense. But air force knew something about us that we didn't think anybody knew. We had a secret play calling system. But the year before Air Force Academy had sent a man and he actually was hired on our staff to help coach. We thought that he was coaching us, but what he was doing was learning our system."
Family Discussion:
- How is Satan deceiving you?
- What's the angel of light saying to you about sin as making sin look good?
Transcription:
00:14 Did you know that there are good angels and bad angels? They're not only angels of God, but they're angels of Satan. In Revelation 12, we read about the battle between the angels and in verse seven it says this, "and there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels waging war with the Dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war and they were not strong enough and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. And so the great dragon was thrown down. The serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan who deceives the whole world. He was thrown down to the earth and his angels were thrown down with him."
00:53 I think deceit is the worst thing in the world. We opened up the hundredth year of football on a national television against the Air Force Academy and we didn't know that we were being deceived that day. It was an incredible game and we had an awesome west coast offense. But air force knew something about us that we didn't think anybody knew. We had a secret play calling system. But the year before Air Force Academy had sent a man and he actually was hired on our staff to help coach. We thought that he was coaching us, but what he was doing was learning our system. And then he went back to the air force academy and he taught our system to their football team so that every time we would call a secret audible play, they would know exactly where the play was going to be and they would run their defense to that spot. It was embarrassing. We got killed. We got deceived. And I'm still bitter to this day. I want you to know about that.
01:53 You know, the worst thing about Satan to me is not only is the cruel and is he mean and is he harsh. And is he want to take you to hell and make you live a life on this earth that feels like hell. But he's a deceiver. He's a liar. He appears scripture says as the angel of light. You know, people sin because sin looks good. There's no doubt about it. Sin looks fun. But when you see sin on television, they don't show you the consequences. When you see it in the movies. They don't show you the consequences. When you see your friends, you know, living a life of sin, they don't tell you about the consequences of sin when they're pushing drugs or alcohol or pornography. They're deceiving you. But the day is gonna come that all deceit is going to end. And for me this passage is a huge encouragement because the deceiver loses. The deceiver at the end is thrown down and Jesus reigns forever and ever.
02:48 And so today you and I get to live in practical ways. You getting ready to reign with him forever and ever. By looking at the deceiver in our, the one who makes it looks good and throw him down today. And so my question for you today is how is Satan deceiving you? What's the angel of light saying to you about sin as making sin look good? And you know what? You can smile and you can laugh as you recognize him as the enemy of your soul. And you could say to him, Satan get behind me. You know, I can see that you're a deceiver. Be gone with you. I am done with that sin in my life. And watch your life bloom like a flower.
Monday Jul 01, 2019
Monday Jul 01, 2019
"Paul says here to be sure you're ready to go every single day."
Family Discussion:
- How does this pop quiz today keep you ready for the final test?
- How can you know for sure that you're going to pass the final test?
Transcription:
00:04 Today I want to tell you about one of the most memorable college professors, but I want to tell you more importantly about one of my most memorable bible verses. In fact, there's a Bible verse that you and I need to have tattooed on our eyelids so that every time we blink we see it. It's in Second Corinthians chapter 13, verses 5-6. And it says this, "examine yourselves to see whether you're in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you? Otherwise, of course you will fail the test, and I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test." Those pop quizzes; studying medicine with average brains in college and playing football with average talent in college was brutal for me. The only thing that was worse than getting beat up by a national championship team on Saturday was getting beat up by my organic chemistry teacher.
01:09 My professor, Dr. Harold Jeske, was a master at giving pop quizzes and exposing my lack of studying discipline on test day. He was at his best and I was at my worst. When from out of nowhere, we get these, these missiles, these pop quizzes that would land right in the middle of our desk, a dreaded pop quiz from the great master, as we called him. I trashed so many of them, I can't count, but you know what? Scripture is clear when it gives the warning that we should give ourselves pop quizzes. In fact, today to give ourselves a pop quiz to make sure we'll pass the final exam. We never know when the final exam is coming. There are surprise accidents that kill people of all ages every day. But Paul says here, "be sure you're ready to go every single day." So think to yourselves and make sure you get all the following questions answered correctly.
02:13 Here's a little pop quiz today. Number one and most important, do you have a personal relationship with Christ? First John 1:12 says, "if you receive him, he'll make you a child of God." Secondly, does he really live in your heart? Revelation 3:20 says, "I'm staying at the door knocking and you can go open the door and I'll let you in." John 3:3 asks this question, "have you been born again?" Have you been spiritually rejuvenated by the spirit of Christ coming into your heart? Is your faith real? Is it a living faith? Galatians 5:22 asks, does your faith produces fruit? James asked this: are faith and works both alive in your heart? Does your faith in Christ produce the fruit of Christian living? Then this question on your pop quiz: Does your love for Jesus make you want to obey him in every area of your life? And then this pop quiz from 1 John 1:9, when you fail, which we all do (probably me more than anybody) do you ask him for forgiveness? And do you sincerely turn to him from that sin and walk in the opposite direction?
03:29 And the questions today to take it home. How does this pop quiz today keep you ready for the final test? If it comes as soon as you walk out of the door, as soon as you get in your car, as soon as you head to the office, how does it make you succeed and pass the final exam? And then lastly, how can you know for sure that you're going to pass the final test? And the thought for the day is this: If you do well on the pop quiz, you'll do well on the final exam.