Total 3 episodes

18/05/2022Faith Matters Podcast

Prior to Christ, the only object of Wilberforce’s work was his own glory. But upon his conversion, Wilberforce began asking questions about what God was up to in the world and how he might leverage his vocation to join in his Savior’s mission. But where was Wilberforce to start? Britain had so many wrongs that needed to be righted: prolific prostitution, the orphan crisis, poverty, and of course the slave trade, which Wilberforce described as “that hideous traffic, so disgraceful to the British character.” Wilberforce knew that he needed to focus intensely on one or two causes in Parliament in order to make the most of the life the Lord had given him to steward. But he was far less clear about what that cause should be. So, he took more than a year to explore his options. As one of his biographers wrote, “[Wilberforce] wasn’t about to be bullied or badgered into a decision on how to spend the rest of his life….He would need to know God’s mind, as he would put it…Wilberforce was not about to leap into the fray thoughtlessly; he would first ‘count the cost.’” After he counted the cost and identified the object the Lord was leading him to focus on (the abolition of slavery), Wilberforce recognized that he needed to go all-in and focus singularly on that “Great Object.” And quickly, too. As his dear friend and prime minister William Pitt told him as Wilberforce was close to committing to the cause of abolition, “Do not lose time or the ground will be occupied by another.” Wilberforce knew that if “God Himself was calling him to this task and he shrank from it, God too could find another to do it, and surely would.” In this, Wilberforce demonstrated remarkable humility in choosing his vocational path. He knew that if God wanted slavery abolished, He would find the right person to work through to that end. God didn’t need Wilberforce specifically to accomplish His plans. I imagine Wilberforce meditating on Proverbs 19:21 at this critical juncture of his career: “Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails.” The Lord’s purpose would have prevailed with or without Wilberforce. But Wilberforce wanted the privilege of being a part of fighting evil on behalf of his Savior. And so, Wilberforce committed to the “Great Object” of his career from that moment forward: He would be God’s instrument for ending slavery throughout Great Britain.

# Divine CallingThe belief that individuals may be chosen by God to fulfill specific purposes or missions in life.

# Faith Matters # William Wilberforce # Faith and Social Justice # Abolition of Slavery

22/04/2022Faith Matters Podcast

#510 - Mission Possible; Day 5

You Can Because He Did You can feel bad for orphans who live in shacks halfway around the world, but if it doesn’t move you enough to do something about it, you might be missing what God has called each of us to do. Feed the hungry. Clothe the naked. Care for the widows. Defend the cause of the poor. Speak up for those who can’t speak up for themselves. Help the weak. Rescue those who are oppressed. Be generous. Show mercy. These are all missions! I didn’t make them up. They are all found in Scripture. (See, for example, the Scripture readings for today.) As Jesus says in Matthew 25, “For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me…. I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’” You might think of excuses like, It’s too hard. I don’t know where to start. I’m sick/tired/broke/busy. The good news is that your mission is always possible when God is involved. Jesus defeated death. Because we serve a God who has rattled the gates of hell and trampled over death, you can fulfill whatever He has called you to do. As your relationship with God deepens, you will become more aware of His promptings, whether through the whispers in your heart or the principles that come alive in His Word. You will not only understand but truly believe you are God’s masterpiece, created to do good things He prepared beforehand for you to do (Ephesians 2:10). You will become more intentional in living a mission-possible life, using your gifts to further the greater purpose of serving God, not just yourself. You will impact people, and your efforts will affect eternity. God is in this with you. He is beside you. He is rooting for you, and he is fighting for you. Remember, with Him, all things are possible. What excuses are you most likely to make when God’s calling seems too big to you? Why would a deepening relationship with God help those excuses lose their power?

# Divine CallingThe concept of God calling individuals to serve others and fulfill their purpose in life.

# Faith in Action # Service to the Needy # Overcoming Excuses # Relationship with God

21/02/2022Faith Matters Podcast

#420 - But I’m Not a Good Speaker; Potential Day 2 of 7

The Bad Speaker Moses wasn’t a good speaker, but God still used him talk to Pharaoh, which ended up saving millions of people from slavery. He was also a part of some pretty incredible miracles God did through him. Here’s the thing. You don’t need to be the best. You just have to be willing to be used by God. He can even take your weaknesses and do great things with them. Moses even argued with God and told God to send someone else. Make sure to say yes when God calls you to something because if you say no, He will find someone else who is willing, and you will miss out on the awesome things God could use you for. So, where do you feel like you fall short? What areas of your life do you need to say yes to God? Try it and see what happens. Keep reading this plan. In the next few days, you’ll see how this story ties into our purpose. 'Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God. And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; and I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites. Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt. And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain. And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt: And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations. And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God. and I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey. but every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians. And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty: And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand. And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go. ' Exodus 3:1-22 https://my.bible.com/bible/1/EXO.3.1-22

# Divine CallingThe concept of being chosen or called by God for a specific task or purpose, as exemplified by Moses in the episode.

# Faith # Moses # God's Plan # Overcoming Weakness

# divine-callingRelated Episodes

# divine-callingRelated Episodes

# Divine CallingThe belief that individuals may be chosen by God to fulfill specific purposes or missions in life.

# Divine CallingThe concept of God calling individuals to serve others and fulfill their purpose in life.

# Divine CallingThe concept of being chosen or called by God for a specific task or purpose, as exemplified by Moses in the episode.