If normal dads want to do what’s best for their kids, how much more should we expect the perfect, heavenly Father to always do what’s best for his kids? Jesus made this point to another audience filled with good folks like you and me. He said, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11). Jesus starts his teaching on prayer by clarifying how he wants his listeners to view the God to whom they are speaking. Because your view of God will determine your practice of prayer. And your practice of prayer will reveal your view of God. But Jesus doesn’t just tell us that we are talking to a God who is “Father,” so we know he is willing to help. He also tells us that we are talking to a God who is “in heaven,” so we know that he is able to help. “In heaven” isn’t meant to communicate distance; it’s meant to communicate competence. Because God is “in heaven,” he is unstoppable. Jesus is connecting the identity of the one we are speaking to in prayer with the God who “is in heaven and does whatever he pleases” (Psalm 115:3 CSB); the one for whom “all things are possible” (Mark 10:27); the one who easily brought about every miracle we find in Scripture. His power is unmatched and unending. And he never needs a break when he does more in a moment than we can do in a lifetime. Jesus wants us to know from the very beginning that we are speaking to a God who is endlessly capable and eagerly willing to do what’s best for his kids. He wants us to have so high a view of God’s power that we really believe he can make a difference in our inner thought life, health, relationships, finances, work life, and more, and a high enough view of God’s love that we really believe he is eagerly working to do what’s best in our lives. Do you view God like this? How do you know what your heart really thinks about God’s ability or willingness to help you with your problems and plans? Look at your prayer life. If you are daily asking God for help, you have a heart that believes in God’s ability and love. If you aren’t asking, you don’t. When we say that we’re too busy to pray, our lives are saying, “It is more productive for me to get to work than to ask God to help me with my work.” That shows that we aren’t seeing who God is and what he can do rightly. Jesus designed our prayer life to change our perspective. And at the heart of this change is a change about how we view God, from thinking he is unable or unwilling to help to knowing he is able and willing.

Ben and Ione re-hash their very first fight about rock piles in Sedona, Arizona from 2006, and try and once and for all get to the bottom of who was right and who was wrong. They also explore rumors they've heard about themselves, the pros and cons of being an artist couple, their frustration with the American Supreme Court ruling, and the birth of the "Weirder Together Podcast Network". This episode features music from Suzihttps://www.instagram.com/suzisangthis/https://www.tiktok.com/@suzisangthis Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As we learned yesterday, a united church brings joy and passion to our faith. But unity is not uniformity. It is not just some static state of being, but rather a powerful movement God is forming that is transforming a people to rise to places of service, opportunity, and identity. There are several components and characteristics of this work of grace. The work of unity will arise and serve to better connect a currently fragmented church. We will begin by uniting the various branches of the Evangelical movement, and subsequently, we will see greater Kingdom collaboration between the Catholic Church and the Evangelical Church, particularly on issues of life, religious liberty, and strengthening the core institution of marriage across the world. The work of the Spirit toward more unity in the church will include stronger Euro-American-Latino relations. Denominations will become much more multiethnic and racially diverse or they will continue to diminish in size and influence. When Faith Catches Fire, it also ushers in a movement with a passion for wholeness! This will be a wholly healed, healthy, happy, and humble movement. As a well-structured, theologically sound movement, it will engage people with the holiness of God (1 Peter 1:16), the healing virtue of Christ (1 Peter 2:24), healthy living (3 John 1:2), joyful living (John 15:11), and humble living (Luke 14:11; 18:14) where people emerge so blessed that they thrive and become a great blessing to everyone they know (2 Corinthian 9:8). Feed the Fire: The Spirit of God brings unity and sets our faith on fire so that it shines for the world to see. How are you reflecting the wholly healed, healthy, happy, and humble movement of God?

It is your job to protect the unity of your church. Unity is the soul of fellowship. The church is made up of imperfect humans. We must passionately love the church in spite of its imperfections. "Let us concentrate on the things which make for harmony and the growth of our fellowship together." Romans 14:19

Jesus said that in the day of judgment, "Many will say to me" that they are His children only to hear the awful words, "I never knew you: depart from me" (Matthew 7:22-23). I don’t want that to happen to anyone, so I never assume that anyone—even if he has had exposure to the gospel—has made the personal choice to believe in Christ as his personal Savior. “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, He gave the right to become children of God” - John 1:12

Your job is not to make him drink. Your job is to make him thirsty. Make others thirsty for the gospel by living in a way that is consistent with your message. The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. - Revelation 22:17

Every sinner, whether his sins are small or great in our eyes, stands condemned to death and eternity in Hell apart from God’s grace. Let us never fail to witness to anyone because of fear or prejudice. "... they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness." - Acts 4:31b

In this three-part series we are seeking to hear from some of our African-American brothers within Faith Bible Church for the purpose of understanding their experiences and knowing how we can serve, love and pray for them and most of all seek unity as a church.S:3 E:27

In this three-part series we are seeking to hear from our African-American brothers within Faith Bible Church for the purpose of understanding their experiences and knowing how we can serve, love and pray for them and most of all seek unity as a church.S:3 E:26