
Hosted by Mike Miller · EN

Human reasoning, religion, philosophy, and even biblical knowledge alone cannot bring saving faith. People can know facts, organize doctrines into systematic theology, and even perform religious works, yet still be spiritually lost. Truth is not a system to be assembled — it is a Person. Jesus is not just a teacher or prophet but God incarnate, the exact image of the Father, who humbled Himself to become a man in order to bridge the gap between sinful humanity and a holy God. This calls for complete surrender: forsaking personal opinions and beliefs, pride, and self-made religion in order to truly know Christ. Salvation comes not from intellectual agreement with known facts, but from yielding to Jesus Christ as Lord and King. In the end, all we have, need, and claim is Jesus — and only by knowing Him can we know the truth and be made free.

We should apply to ourselves the words of Jesus to Peter in John 21:22 "What is that to thee? Follow thou me." We need to stop worrying about what others are doing — their faults, failures, faithfulness, or hypocrisy — and instead focus on our own walk with God. People will disappoint, churches will never be perfect, and this world will always be fallen, but none of that excuses us from obeying God. What will matter in eternity is how faithfully we walked with the Lord, not how much time we spent judging, fretting over, or trying to control others. The call is to live joyfully, trust God with other people, love even enemies, and keep our eyes on Christ.

Temptation is more than the pull toward sin; it includes trials, afflictions, and persecutions that test whether our faith is genuine. Every temptation asks the same question: will we trust God and remain faithful, or will we turn aside for relief or an easier way? God never tempts anyone to do evil, but He allows trials while the devil uses lies to deceive and destroy. Temptation always involves deception, offering promises that never deliver. Enduring temptation is possible because God provides a way of escape, and those who endure are strengthened, proven in their love for God, and promised the crown of life. Victory comes by taking temptation seriously, maintaining godly boundaries, and staying anchored in the Word of God.

God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think. In times of discouragement, spiritual darkness, personal trials, and cultural decline, believers often lose heart because they lose sight of who God is. By considering God's infinite power revealed in creation, Scripture, and His dealings with His people, we are called to stop relying on our own strength and plans and to trust Him fully. God's work is never limited by our circumstances, failures, or imaginations. He is able to save to the uttermost, sustain the weary, defend His people, and finish what He has begun. Therefore, we are exhorted not to despair, not to give up on lost loved ones, not to grow weary in well-doing, but to keep our eyes fixed on the Lord who never fails.

"A nation rises or falls with the virtue of its women. The degeneracy of women marks a nation's fall." That standards for godliness for the female gender are clearly stated in the Word of God. Ignorance is not the problem - most people know what the Bible says, but they have set themselves against God in this matter and chosen to stand with the ungodly world and defy God and his Word. The standards God has set down in his Word concerning the relationships between male and female are the pillar of all morality. Moral collapse is always immediately preceded by the abandoning of God-given morals concerning sex. Men and women are mutually responsible to guard one another from fornication. However, there is an obvious double-standard among almost everyone now. This message is directed to women about their responsibility in this matter. We will talk about men and their responsibility later.

True thanksgiving isn't just words — it starts with a genuine heart of gratitude. Gratitude is a feeling of goodwill and appreciation toward the one who has blessed us, and it naturally leads to spoken thanks. Without that feeling, spoken "thanks" are empty; and without expressing it, the feeling doesn't bless the giver. True thankfulness always shows up both in the heart and in the mouth. Failing to give thanks — to God or to other people — reveals a darkened, selfish heart. Scripture shows that an unthankful heart is one of the first steps to a darkened heart. Many people enjoy God's blessings but never acknowledge Him. Telling others what God has done is part of true thanksgiving. Thankfulness must be expressed openly. The Bible tells believers to "make known His deeds among the people." Likewise, in everyday life we ought to openly thank spouses, family, friends, and anyone who blesses us. Children should be taught to say "thank you," not just as manners, but to form hearts that appreciate and are grateful for the kindnesses shown to them.

Jesus spent His last moments before the cross reassuring His disciples. They were scared and confused because He was leaving, but He told them not to let their hearts be troubled and reminded them that He had already overcome the world. He promised His presence, the coming of the Comforter, and that His death would lead to something greater. The lesson is that we often react just like the disciples when life gets difficult—we forget God's past faithfulness and let fear take over. Jesus' answer is to trust Him. Faith means relying on God's promises in every season. Just as He guided the disciples, He'll guide us too. So we're called to stay steady, remember what God has already done, and trust that Christ will never leave us without comfort.

Jesus said, "…lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth…" Earthly treasures are things that make us appear successful, comfortable, or proud — clothes, property, money, conveniences, status, and all the modern comforts people feel they must have. Jesus wasn't just warning against materialism — He was warning against the selfish mindset behind it. So when Jesus said, "…but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven…" we must consider that a selfish mindset is just as wrong in spiritual things as in earthly things. We cannot think of "laying up treasure in heaven" as personal gain or spiritual profit. The real heart of laying up treasure in heaven is tied to the greatest commandments, which are to love God, and to love your neighbor as ourselves. Treasures are not laid up in heaven by "taking care of myself spiritually." Instead, it comes from serving others, sacrificing, giving, helping, and seeking their good — not our own. We are laying up treasures in heaven when we are serving others, as part of the kingdom of God, and for the glory and honor of God, and not for ourselves.

We either trust in the Lord will all our heart, or we lean to our own understanding. The natural tendency is to lean on one's own wisdom. We trust in what we have learned through our experiences in life, both good and bad. We trust in what we have learned from the culture we have lived in. We trust in what our denomination or group that we have identified with. We trust in our feelings about things, but have a hard time really and truly trusting in the Lord with all our heart in everything. If the Bible says "thou shalt not..." and we do it anyway, we are NOT trusting in the Lord. If the Bible says "thou shalt..." and we refuse to do it, we are not trusting in the Lord, we are leaning to our own understanding. Next time you have a dilemma in your life, or a problem, or anything that perplexes you, stop and take a good, long, honest look at yourself and see how much you are leaning on your own understanding to figure it out, and how much you are really trusting in the Lord about it.

There is a great contrast between the natural man, who lives according to fleshly desires and discerns everything by his physical senses, and the spiritual man, who is transformed, and directed by the Spirit of God dwelling in him. The only way for the natural man to be changed into a spiritual man is by being born again—spiritual rebirth through the Word and the Spirit. Only those in whom the Spirit of Christ dwells can truly understand and embrace spiritual realities, overcome the world and the flesh, and live in accordance with God's will. Spiritual discernment is not derived from human reasoning, education, or worldly experience, but from the Holy Spirit's guidance, which enables believers to judge all things according to God's Word, reject the works of the flesh, and embody the fruit of the Spirit. We all need to be honest with ourselves and recognize whether we are truly walking in the Spirit or still living after the flesh.