Podcast
Touching Lives with Dr. James Merritt Audio Podcast
Hosted by Dr. James Merritt · EN
Under the leadership and dynamic preaching of Dr. James Merritt, Touching Lives exists to touch the lives of the lost and enrich the faith of the found. Our goal is to present the eternal, never-changing Gospel of Jesus Christ to all who would hear and pray for the Holy Spirit to move mightily among His people.
Touching Lives is currently broadcast in all 50 states and in over 140 countries around the world. All sermons, articles, and other content is made available through various digital media formats on the web. Literally millions of people have been affected through the ministry of Touching Lives with thousands responding to the Gospel of Jesus for the very first time.
20episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Our Missionary God
2w ago00:47:00Tap to summarizeMost people could answer this question without hesitation: What is the most important birth in the entire Bible? Christmas makes that one easy. But here’s the harder question: What is the second most important birth in Scripture? In Genesis 21, a 90-year-old woman named Sarah finally gives birth to a son named Isaac, the child God had promised 25 years earlier. It sounds like a personal miracle for one elderly couple, but it was far more than that. That one birth set off a chain reaction, from Isaac to Jacob, from Jacob to Judah, from Judah to David, and from David to Jesus. Without Isaac, there is no Israel. Without Israel, there is no Jesus. Without Jesus, there is no Gospel. God is a missionary God, the Bible is a missionary book, and, if you have a heart for God, you will have a missionary heart.
Transcribe →All In
3w ago00:48:10Tap to summarizeWhat does it look like to be completely, unreservedly committed to God? In 1519, Spanish explorer Hernán Cortés sailed to Mexico with 11 ships, more than 500 men, and odds completely against him. When he arrived, he gave his men a shocking order: Burn the ships. Retreat was no longer an option. They were all in. Over 3,000 years earlier, a man named Abraham faced his own burn-the-ships moment. God had finally given him the son he had waited 25 years for, a boy named Isaac, and now God was asking Abraham to give him back. What happens on that mountain in Genesis 22 is one of the most breathtaking stories in all of Scripture. It shows us what giving really is, what giving really does, and why giving is one of the most important things you will ever do.
Transcribe →Master of the Universe
Apr 1200:45:00Tap to summarizeIn 1875, poet William Ernest Henley lay in a hospital bed, one leg already amputated, and wrote these now-famous words: “I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.” It sounds courageous, but Scripture tells a different story: “Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him” (Psalm 115:3, NIV). In Genesis 17, God appears to Abraham and introduces Himself by a name never used before in all of Scripture—El-Shaddai, God Almighty—because Abraham still hasn’t grasped who is truly in charge. What Abraham discovers in this encounter is the one truth that can anchor any life: When everything seems out of control, everything is under God’s control. To live in that reality, there are three things you need to do: Walk before the Lord, wait on the Lord, and watch for the Lord.
Transcribe →The God Factor
Apr 1200:44:50Tap to summarizeIn algebra, x represents the unknown—the variable that, once you solve for it, makes everything else make sense. Abraham’s life looks that way too: unlikely candidate, impossible promise, uncertain path. But Genesis 15 reveals the x—the one variable that explains everything. It was faith in God. This chapter, which many scholars consider the most important in the entire Old Testament, reveals for the first time how a sinful human being can be made right with a holy God. Abraham shows us that faith isn’t passive; it drives out fear, it takes God at His word, and it holds on to His promises. There are three things Abraham did that activated the God factor in his life, and they’ll do the same in yours.
Transcribe →
On The Road Again
Apr 500:37:50Tap to summarizeThere are three words that are absolutely true, and if you’ve lived long enough, you’ve already said both “amen” and “oh, me” to all of them. Those three words? Life is tough. No matter how many holes you plug in the dam of life, another one pops open. Maybe it’s when the rug is pulled out from under you, a dream dies, or you feel like you’ve hit a dead end with nowhere left to go. I remember a Peanuts comic strip where Lucy was philosophizing again, as she always did, to poor Charlie Brown. “On the cruise ship of life,” she declared, “some people face their deck chairs forward to see where they’re going, while others face them backward to see where they’ve been.” She turned to Charlie and asked which way his chairs were facing. He frowned and said, “I can’t even get mine unfolded.” That was exactly where two disciples found themselves as they traveled the road to Emmaus—hopes buried beneath a stone, dreams dead. And they had nowhere to turn. It was there, on the worst road of their lives, that they met the risen Lord.
Transcribe →Braveheart
Mar 2900:45:10Tap to summarizeWhat makes someone truly brave? William Wallace, Scotland’s 13th-century national hero, led his outnumbered army to victory at the Battle of Stirling Bridge, proving Scotland could defeat the mighty English. The movie Braveheart immortalized his courage with the famous line: “They may take our lives, but they’ll never take our freedom!” The film won five Academy Awards and made more than $209 million worldwide. But here’s the thing—parts of the movie were made up. We don’t know if Wallace actually said those lines, and the movie’s climactic battle scene didn’t happen in an open field (it would have been a massacre). The real battle occurred on a narrow bridge. I’m taking you back to what I believe is the original braveheart—a man whose story is completely accurate and should be made into a movie. His name is Abraham. This story in Genesis 14 shows more about Abraham’s greatness than any other part of his life, revealing how we, too, can be bravehearts. The Apostle Paul reminds us, “Now these things occurred as examples …” (1 Corinthians 10:6, NIV). God is great and wants us to be great. The secret to greatness? Every day, follow God’s way. See how burden, battle, and blessing work together to build the courage you need for the life God’s calling you to live.
Transcribe →Don't Forget God
Mar 1500:46:30Tap to summarizeHave you ever made a promise to stick with something 100% only to cave at 98%? Clayton Christiansen, the famous Harvard Business School professor, taught that it’s easier to hold your principles 100% of the time than 98% of the time—because at 98%, you’re constantly debating whether “this time” is the exception. Abraham discovered this truth the hard way. God had called him to leave everything behind and follow Him to a new land, promising to bless him personally, nationally, and globally. Abraham packed up and obeyed, mostly. He took his nephew Lot when God said leave everyone, and when famine hit the Promised Land, he panicked and fled to Egypt without asking God. What started as faith turned into doubt, and doubt is simply forgetting God. Every time Abraham dropped from 100% trust to 98% trust, he made decisions that nearly cost him everything. It cost his integrity, his wife, and his witness. When doubt knocks at your door, let God answer. Discover three ways doubt attacks your faith, and how to let God answer every time. Understand how forgetting God happens in stages, so you can catch yourself before you lose your integrity, your peace, and your witness.
Transcribe →Trust and Obey
Mar 800:39:30Tap to summarizeWho were Jesus’ favorite Old Testament heroes? If you guessed Moses, you’d be right—Jesus mentioned him 25 times. But number two might surprise you. Abraham, referenced 17 times, appears in Jesus’ teaching nearly as often. Why did Jesus love talking about this man? Because Abraham shows us a relationship with God that doesn’t start with our searching for Him, but with His grace finding us. Three thousand years before Jesus walked the earth, God spoke to a 75-year-old idol worshiper living in present-day Iraq and gave one command: “Go.” Abraham didn’t know where he was going, why he was going, or what would happen when he got there. But he knew who was telling him to go, and that was enough. Every time you trust God’s word and obey His will, you discover what Abraham learned—that when you walk with God, He shows you things you could never see standing still. Learn the three steps that take you from where you are to where God wants you to be.
Transcribe →
The Lord’s Supper
Mar 100:37:25Tap to summarizeWhat if the most important meal you’ll ever eat isn’t about satisfying physical hunger but remembering spiritual salvation? Three thousand years ago in Egypt, Jewish families smeared lamb’s blood on their doorposts so God’s angel of death would “pass over” their homes. One thousand years later, Jesus transformed that ancient Passover meal into something far more personal. He established the Lord’s Supper. In it, He showed that He was the ultimate Passover Lamb and His blood would cover the sins of all who believe. Because of His death and His shed blood, a holy God can pass over your sins. This isn’t a funeral; it’s a celebration of the One who is alive. Every time you take this meal, God invites you to remember and appreciate what happened, examine what’s happening, and anticipate what’s coming.
Transcribe →
Stand Tall Stand Strong
Feb 2200:43:15Tap to summarizeIn the aftermath of any tragedy, we face this reality: Evil is real and rampant. There is no place on this planet that is evilfree. As one author wrote, “I will never understand those who can read the headlines every day and then assert that people are basically good ... Evil is woven into the fabric of humanity.” Throughout our study of Elijah, we’ve seen him facing or fleeing evil, but always returning to fight it, because that’s what it means to live the God life. And it’s not to be confused with the good life. While the good life might avoid evil, ignore it, or let others deal with it, those living the God life don’t have that option.
Transcribe →