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Day by Day - 2 Samuel
His Kingdom Will Not Be Stopped
Sin is a frontal assault on the kingdom of God, but we are rescued from it by God’s grace.
#daybydaylw
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
There are two ways a king and kingdom can be overthrown, and that is either by external forces, or from within, by internal forces. You can have an enemy overthrow the kingdom, or you can have a coup take place. We have all those scenarios in our text for study this week in 2 Samuel 17.
The first threat we come across is the enemy’s attempt to sabotage the kingdom.
In this passage, Absalom is the external threat. He is the threat to King David, God’s anointed one, and by extension, Absalom is the threat to God’s kingdom. And we see clearly that God ordained that Ahithophel’s good counsel would be defeated, but why? Well, the text answers that for us as well when it says, “SO THAT the LORD might bring harm upon Absalom.” We will read and study about that harm next week. It’s a real hairy mess, if you catch my drift.
And the real laugh that is taking place here, is that God is going to take the insight and strength of the enemy and turn it on its head to work against the enemy.
When we step back and think about this, we realize that, biblically speaking, we have all been born wanting to overthrow God’s kingdom, or we have wanted the throne for ourselves. This is at the heart of sin. Sin is not a mere dismissal of God and His word. Sin is not a bit postmodern foolishness where we say, “Well, that may be okay for God but this is what is true for me.” Sin is a frontal assault on the Creator of universe. It is a satanic attempt to sabotage God’s kingdom. And what is needed to rescue us from ourselves is for someone to overthrow our own hearts, and that is exactly what takes place in the gospel. God, because of His grace and mercy, invades our souls. He regenerates our heart, gives us a new heart, gives us faith to believe, justifies us, adopts us into his family, sets us upon the Rock of of His Son, washes us, cleanses us, forgives us, gives us eternal life! This is the gospel, and this is what we desperately need, and what many of you have experienced! Praise be to God!
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Jan 28, 2025
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:03:05 min.
00:03:05 min.
Lori Cline - Greatest Hits
Lori Cline's Greatest Hits: How To Love Like Jesus
Showing the world that we love like Jesus shows them that we are loved by God.
#theloriclineshow
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
How do YOU see Jesus?
Do you see a holy man, guru or prophet? Maybe you see him as a radical faith figure who started a movement that ended with his death? Do you see him only in a manger at Christmas? Maybe you see him on a gold cross around your neck and accept that his death meant something, but did it really mean everything?
I know people see Jesus in many different ways. To me, He IS my savior, the promised son of God. HE is the beginning and the end. He IS the atoning sacrifice for my sins and the ONLY way, the truth and the life. He is the resurrected messiah, prophesied about in the Old Testament, the ONE who defeated sin and death and the one who sits at the right hand of the Father even now, waiting for the time He will return for His bride. He is with me always and He loves me.
That’s the core of who Jesus IS to me. He is so much more, but I know even if you don’t see Jesus the way I do, wouldn’t you probably still say that Jesus IS love? That seems to be the common denominator. Jesus IS love. He loved sinners. He loves you and He loves me. Jesus preached about loving our enemy and loving our neighbor. He loved well and calls us to do the same and we quote it regularly, but do we really know what LOVING like Jesus looks like? I’ll tell you what it’s not, it’s not a touchy feely gospel of good vibes and sunshine. When Jesus talks about love, it always requires sacrifice and surrender.
He lays it out for us.
John 15:9-14
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.
The life of Jesus was a full display of sacrificial LOVE. He loved to display the love of the Father. God is love and Jesus was that love sent to earth in flesh to make a way for you and me to be reconciled to the Father.
When we remain in that love, we can’t help but love others. It compels us to do so because we realize we don’t deserve it! When you are loved so perfectly, even in the midst of sin, rebellion and shame, it leads you to repentance and a desire to STAY IN that love. That’s abiding in the love of Jesus. It’s obedience to the Father. So when we obey like Jesus, we LOVE like Jesus. They go hand in hand and the beautiful result of a life lived like Jesus is complete JOY, not some empty promise the world will never deliver.
Love God and Love others like Jesus.
1 John 4:7-12
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
When you love like Jesus you show the world that you know you are loved by God. You get it and you want to give it away and obedience naturally follows. You want to know His way. You desire to take up your cross and follow. That’s how Jesus loved me and it’s how we can love like Jesus.
That’s the truth.
It’s a perfect love and the resulting ripple effect on the world around us continues to put on full display the truth that is the common denominator from Genesis to Revelation, God SO loves the world. I hope you know that love today. You can discover even more about it at LIFEWORD.org.
I’m Lori Cline.
By: Lori Cline
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Jan 28, 2025
Show
The Lori Cline Show
Duration
00:05:08 min.
00:05:08 min.
Build Like Jesus
Pure Heart
Dr. Steve Crawley discusses the truth that impure motives can misalign a leader's focus and lead their organizations off course.
By: Dr. Steve Crawley
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Jan 27, 2025
Show
Build Like Jesus
Duration
00:01:19 min.
00:01:19 min.
Day By Day Expressions
Day By Day Expressions
Churches oftentimes under use the talents of the creative people in their midst.
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Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Jan 27, 2025
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:05:59 min.
00:05:59 min.
Day by Day - 2 Samuel
Do You Believe In Providence?
Understanding God’s providence brings the fullness of life to a believing soul.
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Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
This is the central statement, the climax if you will, of the whole passage.
“For the Lord had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, so that the Lord might bring harm upon Absalom.”
Do you believe in the providence of God? I am not talking about fate or coincidence. I am talking about a personal being, God, and His right and might to orchestrate all the events of mankind in order to bring about His glory and His people’s good. The providence of God includes not only His actions, but also his choice not to act in certain circumstances. All of it is according to His providential plan.
It seems like we talk a lot about the providence of God around here doesn’t? But I hope you realize that we talk a lot about it because God talks a lot about it in His word. He wants us to know that we are not alone! He wants us to know that we are secure within Him. He wants us to know that you can gather the wisest, strongest, most intelligent, most political people on the earth—the top scientists, top doctors, top philosophers and combine them with the most sinister of people who are willing to do anything to accomplish their goals, and they will only ever accomplish what God has ordained for them to accomplish. It is that simple! And it is that beautiful. And it is a doctrine that brings out the fullness of life to a believing soul!
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Jan 23, 2025
Duration
00:02:19 min.
00:02:19 min.
Day by Day - 2 Samuel
Am I Just A Robot?
God does not force us into any action, but He orchestrates all things according to His will.
#daybydaylw
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
In 2 Samuel 16-17 we have been studying events that make it clear that God is in control of the operation of the world.
You may say, “But what about my free will, Clif. Am I just a robot? If God moves and acts in such a way that no one can stop his will, then what about my will? Is it just overpowered? Do I even really make any choices?”
The answer is no, you are not a robot, and yes, you really do make choices, and they all fit within the providence of God. Absalom is not standing there thinking, “I don’t want to ask Hushai his opinion, but there is just this force that is making me open my mouth.” No! Absalom willingly asked Hushai. God does not work in violence against his will. We are not real sure what Absalom’s motivation was at this point in asking Hushai, but what we are certain of is that there was an invisible providence taking place, and that belonged to the LORD.
I could sit down across the table from a Grand Master Chess player, and before the game ever started, he could tell me, “Check Mate.” And I could say, “Wait! I haven’t even made a move! How can you say Check Mate?” And you know what, the Grand Master Chess player wouldn’t even have to explain it to me. He could just say, “Okay then, let’s play.” And in no time it would be check mate. Did the Grand Master chess player force me to make any certain opening moves? No. Could he back me into a corner, taking away options? Sure. But all the while he would be working in accordance with my will, my skillset, and still able to say “Check mate.”
So it is similar with God and His providence and the Christian should take much comfort in this fact. This is where our victory lies. When Paul writes in Romans 8, “What shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us,” the these things are very weighty doctrinal truths such as foreknowledge, predestination, and calling. But the conclusion is we win because God is in total control.
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Jan 24, 2025
Duration
00:02:50 min.
00:02:50 min.
FamilyLife Today
Parenting in the Digital Age
Parenting in the digital age comes with lots of concerns. Melissa Kruger and Jim Mitchell
share with FamilyLife Today hosts, Dave and Ann Wilson, how grace and communication
can build foundations that last.
By: FamilyLife
(FamilyLife)
(FamilyLife)
Aired on
Jan 24, 2025
Show
FamilyLife Today
Duration
00:24:55 min.
00:24:55 min.
Size
34MB
34MB
Lori Cline - Greatest Hits
Lori Cline's Greatest Hits: The Object Of My Affection
There are many things to love in the world, but God should have our hearts.
#theloriclineshow
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
LOVE is in the air! Your response to that may be, ‘oh no it’s not’! OK, you may not be IN love at the moment, BUT we all have objects of affection in our life. So then the question is, what or WHO is the object of your affection?
My forever valentine is my husband, so his cute face comes to my mind. I adore my two miracle girls. I pour my love, care and attention on them daily. You may really LOVE your car or truck, so maybe that’s what comes to your mind.
Those strong feelings of affection and adoration for whatever we love, are powerful. We love so much we will spend billions of dollars showing it over the next few weeks, and I know many of you will spend a good bit of that on your pets! We love our family. We love our friends. I love my dogs, Roxy and Ruby. My husband loves his 1959 Gibson acoustic guitar.
The objects of our affection and love direct our attention, care, time, passion and often our life. This CAN get out of hand. Remember ‘The Lord Of The Rings’? Tolkien, the English author and scholar, imagined a world where the story revolved around one object, a very powerful ring. It became ‘the precious’ object of affection for anyone who possessed it, but its power was so strong it could NOT be controlled, so it had to be destroyed.
The story of that ring is a good reminder as we consider where our hearts attention may be. Is it healthy? Is it out of balance? Are the objects of our affection honoring to God? What about God? Where is He in the mix?
Here’s what I have come to learn over and over in my life. When God is NOT the primary object of my affection and focus of my heart, I AM out of balance. I’m going to repeat that for me one more time. When God is NOT the primary object of my affection and focus of my heart, I AM out of balance.
Life becomes more and more about ME. All the things, all the desires of my heart, all the objects of my affection, end up serving ME, not God.
God knows our hearts are prone to wander. That’s why Jesus in Mark 12 boils all the commandments down to the greatest with the first and foremost one being to, ‘love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ He’s reminding us to keep God as the primary object of our affection! God first. His way and have no OTHER gods before Him.
Yet our hearts wander. Our eyes and desires shift from God to self. WE become the object of our affection, so much so that we are blind to what is true.
Paul wrote very clearly to this LOVE of SELF and the fruit that is produced as a result.
2 Timothy 3:2-5
People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
Look around and you see that kind of behavior everywhere. What happens is when we love ourselves and our pleasures MORE than we love God, we naturally live out of a narcissistic worldview. We filter God’s word and truth in a ‘narcigesis’ way, in which we bend it to our selfish, self pleasing, boastful and proud liking. SELF becomes the center of the story and God is further and further removed from it or put in His place according to our liking. This is the danger of making SELF the object of our affection. Paul warns against it and calls it like he sees it. Either God is first or I am.
What has our heart? Where is our devotion? What matters most? Take an honest look at the characteristics and fruit of your life. Do they resemble what Paul described in 2 Timothy 3?
Only when our heart is set first on loving God, is everything else in our life set into its proper place.
That’s the truth.
I pray we seek God first today. Take SELF out of the picture. As we do the desires of our heart actually come more and more into view.
I’m Lori Cline.
By: Lori Cline
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Jan 23, 2025
Show
The Lori Cline Show
Duration
00:05:28 min.
00:05:28 min.
FamilyLife Today
Lost and Found - What to Do When Children Lose
If your children lose faith, you don't have to! Author, Stuart Scott, and hosts, Dave and Ann
Wilson, give advice to parents navigating these circumstances with patience, prayer and
trust...on FamilyLife Today.
By: FamilyLife
(FamilyLife)
(FamilyLife)
Aired on
Jan 23, 2025
Show
FamilyLife Today
Duration
00:24:55 min.
00:24:55 min.
Size
34MB
34MB
FamilyLife Today
Navigating the Heartbreak of Wayward Children
The turmoil parents experience when children stray from faith can be significant. Author,
Stuart Scott, joins Dave and Ann Wilson, hosts of FamilyLife Today, to discuss how to
navigate these challenges.
By: FamilyLife
(FamilyLife)
(FamilyLife)
Aired on
Jan 22, 2025
Show
FamilyLife Today
Duration
00:24:55 min.
00:24:55 min.
Size
34MB
34MB
FamilyLife Today
Transforming a Blended Family
On this episode of FamilyLife Today, hosts Dave and Ann Wilson join FamilyLife Blended
podcast host Ron Deal for an inspiring conversation with Fred and Anita Von Cannon. The
Von Cannons share their powerful story of overcoming family trauma, building a blended family, and the transformative role of the gospel in their marriage and parenting journey.
By: FamilyLife
(FamilyLife)
(FamilyLife)
Aired on
Jan 21, 2025
Show
FamilyLife Today
Duration
00:24:55 min.
00:24:55 min.
Size
34MB
34MB
Day by Day - 2 Samuel
What Is Your Advice Like?
When we seek someone’s advice, it should be rooted in righteousness and integrity.
#daybydaylw
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
In 2 Samuel 16 we have Absalom and his entourage marching into Jerusalem, with Ahithophel at his side. We must remember that Ahithophel was a very trusted advisor to David, who traded sides, and who has now joined forces with Absalom. But not only is there Ahithophel, we are also re-introduced to a man named Hushai. Hushai, you will remember, was sent into Jerusalem by David as a spy, so that David could know what Absalom would be up to with his military plans. This is the context and these are the characters of this current episode—Absalom, the Usurper; Ahithophel, the Advisor; and Hushai, the Spy.
Quite the tense and exciting story we have here. Will Hushai succeed in his task, or will Absalom or Ahithophel discover the secret intentions of Hushai? Will his cover be blown?
As we continue to read, the question surfaces as to how Absalom should make his presence felt and known in Jerusalem. What should be his official coming out statement? So he turns to Ahithophel and says, “What advice do you have for me?”
Ahithophel looks around the King’s house, ponders, and then says, “I think the most dramatic and clearest statement we can make to all the people that you are now the king, is if you conquer all of your father’s concubines. In this way all of Israel will know that you not only defy your father, but that you have taken over his throne.”
Remember, when David ascended the throne of Israel, he too assumed or took in all the wives and concubines of Saul. In that day, that was a sign of possession. Women were treated like property, and so if you took over their wives and concubines, then you were taking over their property.
But what happens in our text today is that Absalom does so in a fashion that is done in public in order to humiliate and shame David. But this as well should not be surprising because God told David through the prophet Nathan that this very thing would happen to David.
Now the important feature of this part of the story comes in 16:23 “Now in those days the counsel that Ahithophel gave was as if one consulted the word of God; so was all the counsel of Ahithophel esteemed, both by David and by Absalom.”
Now remember, the question at hand by Absalom is, “What shall we do?” What should we do to make the kingdom of Absalom known?
So Ahithophel doesn’t stop with just the advice of setting up a brothel on the roof of the king’s house. He also advises Absalom to let Ahithophel gather up 12,000 soldiers and go hunt down David. He would only hunt down David, and he would bring back the rest of David’s people to be in the kingdom of Absalom. And Absalom and all the elders of Israel agreed with Ahithophel. His plan made perfect sense to them. Let Ahithophel go out and fight the battle while Ahithophel stayed back, on the king’s roof, and amplify the sin that David committed by 100.
What are we to learn from this little segment of this story? I think one truth we can glean is that when we seek someone’s counsel, that counsel should be rooted in righteousness and integrity. Although Ahithophel’s advice may have been politically expedient, it was divorced from any moral truth.
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Jan 21, 2025
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:04:40 min.
00:04:40 min.
Lori Cline
Lori Cline's Greatest Hits: This Is Faith’s Promise
If we are hoping for something that hasn't come yet, we can trust God sees it.
#theloriclineshow
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
Do you believe things today are as they ought to be? If you’re on a beach somewhere with your toes in the sand and not a care in the world, you just might believe that. But even IF that is where you are, things still aren’t as they ought to be are they? We DO have so many cares in this world. We don’t have to look far to find pain. It’s in our own lives, in the lives of those around us and we see it everyday in our country and around the world.
When my heart is overwhelmed with the truth that things are NOT as they ought to be, I remember 1 Peter 5:7 that says, ‘cast all your care on Him because He cares for you.’ We weren’t meant to carry the weight of this world. We can find rest as we lay ALL our cares down at the feet of Jesus.
That’s the beauty of faith. Even when the world around us is falling apart, I am blessed. If you are IN Christ, you can claim that same blessing and promise. So even if things aren’t as they ought to be, it CAN be well with your soul and as it ought to be because you are IN Christ. He makes it right, even when it’s not. It’s a beautiful truth that is not based on what you see. It’s based on a HOPE that is found in what we cannot see.
It’s faith’s promise. Things may not be as they should be now, but one day they will be and until then, it IS well with my soul.
Faith’s promise is that one day things will be as they ought to be. So we walk by faith and look to the promises of God. He’s never not kept one by the way!
Look at Abraham and Sarah in the Old Testament. God promised them a son. God told Abraham in Genesis 15 to count the stars and if he COULD count them, that would be the number of his descendants! Do you know how long Abraham and Sarah waited for a child? A very long time. But the Bible tells us that Abraham believed in the Lord. He had faith, even when things weren’t as they ought to be. There was a time Abraham fell on his face and laughed about it all, Sarah laughed too, but thankfully they lived through that, and even though he was one hundred years old when Sarah conceived, God was faithful to His promise.
Hebrews 11:12
And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
Abraham walked by faith. He laughed a little along the way, but still He believed.
What are you believing for today that you aren’t seeing? Trust and know that God sees. His plan for your life IS good. His timing is perfect. His ways are SO above our own. We can’t see the big picture, but when we walk by FAITH and believe in the promises of God, we are BLESSED and in our heart, things ARE as they ought to be.
Receive this blessing today and believe in the promises of God for your life.
Numbers 6:24-26
The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.
This blessing of God’s people is called “the Aaronic benediction” asking God to delight in His people and show them favor. God’s favor leads to peace. This isn’t a life without pain, struggle, death or war, this is a heart that believes in a God who IS faithful to His promises even when things around us are not as they ought to be.
That’s the truth.
May the Lord bless you and keep you as you trust IN Him and walk each day, by faith.
I’m Lori Cline.
By: Lori Cline
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Jan 21, 2025
Show
The Lori Cline Show
Duration
00:04:11 min.
00:04:11 min.
Day By Day Expressions
Day By Day Expressions
Churches oftentimes under use the talents of the creative people in their midst.
#daybydaylw
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Jan 20, 2025
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:07:19 min.
00:07:19 min.
FamilyLife Today
Becoming the Boss to Managing Your Feelings
Managing feelings, intentionality, and mentorship are all key to building strong
marriages. On FamilyLife Today, hosts Dave and Ann Wilson, invite Bobby and Rebecca Markham and Christian and Maddie Villafane to share personal stories and insights on
these topics.
By: FamilyLife
(FamilyLife)
(FamilyLife)
Aired on
Jan 20, 2025
Show
FamilyLife Today
Duration
00:24:55 min.
00:24:55 min.
Size
34MB
34MB
Build Like Jesus
Holiness in Leadership
Dr. Steve Crawley defines "holiness" and shows us how being holy is essential in both spiritual and corporate settings.
By: Dr. Steve Crawley
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Jan 20, 2025
Show
Build Like Jesus
Duration
00:01:22 min.
00:01:22 min.
FamilyLife Today
Releasing Marriage Baggage
Speakers, Preston and Jackie Hill Perry, share their journey of overcoming marriage
struggles with FamilyLife Today hosts, Dave and Ann Wilson, and offer advice for building
a strong, God-centered marriage.
By: FamilyLife
(FamilyLife)
(FamilyLife)
Aired on
Jan 17, 2025
Show
FamilyLife Today
Duration
00:24:55 min.
00:24:55 min.
Size
34MB
34MB
Day by Day - 2 Samuel
Are You Willing To Walk On The Trail?
When we see someone hurting, we should be a friend who uplifts them.
#daybydaylw
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
Friend, are you in the wilderness, knowing not which way to turn or walk? Are you in a season where there is a trail of tears behind you. It may be that you are there because of your own doing and choices you have made. Very possible. Will you have faith enough to say with David, “whatever comes, I will trust the Lord. I desire and long for his favor, but I will submit to his discipline as well, for whatever comes my way as His child, it is ultimately good.”
And on that trail, when prayers are made as you walk up the mountain, you can trust that God’s answer is already walking up the other side to meet you.
You may not be walking through a trail of tears of your own this morning. But what we have seen in these events are people who are willing to walk with David in his grief. Ittai, Zadock, Abiathar, and now Hushai. Friends who stick closer than a brother. Friends who are willing to lay down their lives, their time. Friends who are willing to walk the dusty trail, so that it won’t be a trail of loneliness. Are you that friend today? Are you willing to hold up the weak arms of another, and help straighten the collapsing knees? Or will you sit on the sidelines as the caravan of hurt passes by?
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Jan 17, 2025
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:02:00 min.
00:02:00 min.
FamilyLife Today
Taming of the Tongue
Overcoming marriage challenges is hard work. Preston and Jackie Hill Perry join FamilyLife Today hosts, Dave and Ann Wilson, to share how to overcome marriage conflicts with grace and effort.
By: FamilyLife
(FamilyLife)
(FamilyLife)
Aired on
Jan 16, 2025
Show
FamilyLife Today
Duration
00:24:55 min.
00:24:55 min.
Size
34MB
34MB
Day by Day - 2 Samuel
God’s Providence Is Pushing Through The Crowd
Sometimes we expect a supernatural answer to prayer, but God works in routine providence.
#daybydaylw
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
God’s Providence—-Read the text 15:32-37
You have to see this picture in your mind. We are told in 2 Samuel 15:30 that while David was traveling to the top of the Mount of Olive, he was told of Ahithophel. And while traveling to the top, he prayed that guttural prayer “please turnt he counsels of Ahithophel into foolishness”. And then we read in verse 32, “While David was coming to the summit, where God was worshiped, a man by the name of Hushai showed up! Hushai was sharing in the distress of David, robe torn, dirt on his head as symbols of being in mourning. And here is the answer to David’s prayer from verse 31. Notice that David says, “…you will defeat for me the counsel of Ahithophel.”
This is absolutely God’s providence on display for all of us to see and take hope in. While David was taking one strained step after another, trying to make it to the summit, carrying his broken heart, tears in his eyes and this prayer on his lips, while all of that was going on and David reaches the summit, the designated place of worship, Hushai is pushing through the crowd to get to David.
My friends, see in this passage, that when you think all is lost, when confusion has set in, don’t ever forget that God is moving in the crowds, God hears your prayers, and He has already put the answer to your prayers in motion. This is the providence of God.
Now, the answer to the prayer, especially for us, may be difficult to discern, because I think we are always thinking in terms of the unexpected, supernatural, when many times, the answer to the prayer is in the routine providences of God. We just have to have the spiritual insight and discernment to recognize what is going on.
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Jan 16, 2025
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:02:35 min.
00:02:35 min.
Lori Cline
Lori Cline's Greatest Hits: Have You Tried This Water?
God fills us with His goodness and sustains us. ~~~ Have you ever been excited about a lemon? Well I have and I’ll tell you why! I got one for Christmas this year. It wasn’t wrapped in a box or anything, I actually picked it off of a tree. This wasn’t just any lemon off of any lemon tree. This was a lemon that grew on a lemon tree that my parents bought and planted in a pot. My Daddy was so proud of that little lemon tree. If they got at least 2 big lemons each year they were happy, because that meant at least one or two lemon meringue pies. My Daddy met Jesus face to face this past summer. Goodness how we miss him. We’re still in the year of firsts. This first Christmas without him, our family gathered. Even though Daddy’s no longer with us, he’s still everywhere around us. So much of who he was and what he loved and lived for, remains in us and in ways, in all things he left behind. One of the things he enjoyed was that lemon tree. This Christmas, it was full of lemons. Everybody got one. Round, yellow rays of sunshine in a way from Daddy. I’ve never been more excited about a lemon. Now something else you should know about me is I LOVE lemons. I am an avid lemon water drinker. I have been for a long time. So bringing one of the lemons that my Daddy loved home with me for Christmas was just about the best gift I could have gotten. I didn’t want to cut it at first. I wanted to just keep it, but I knew it would go bad if I didn’t. It was meant to be picked, and enjoyed. So I did. I sliced it up, filled a glass of water and squeezed a big slice in and let it float to the top. Do you think I enjoyed that glass of lemon water? Listen, I drank every drop. Then I filled it up again and drank all that. That wasn’t just any lemon water. That was lemon water from a fresh lemon off of a lemon tree my Daddy loved and cared for! That just made it taste that much better. It was good. I felt close to my Daddy and I was refreshed. Isn’t that the way this life is supposed to be lived? We have a father who is good. He is a giver of good gifts. He is our good shepherd and IN Him I shall not want. He refreshes my soul and IN Him I am blessed and filled up as I taste and SEE His goodness in my life. Psalm 34:8 Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. When you savor something good, you want more. You can’t stop talking about it. You give five star reviews because you want people to know the goodness you’ve experienced. The Lord IS good. What I have tasted and seen in my life over and over keeps me abiding IN Him. I take refuge in Him. I am connected to the vine. He IS my portion. When I am poured out He fills me up yet again. He is ALL I need in and out of every season. When I see His moving in my life and when I simply must wait, I know He is with me working it all for my good, in HIS time. Nothing else compares to the Father’s love for me. It’s so sweet. I’m not sugar coating anything here. Life IS hard and sometimes you get lemons. But then again, sometimes you get lemons! Through it all, I can be refreshed, renewed and know He is with me. That’s the truth. Have you tasted the goodness of God? It’s good water. I’m Lori Cline.
By: Lori Cline
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Jan 16, 2025
Duration
00:04:06 min.
00:04:06 min.
FamilyLife Today
Why Spiritual Health Matters for Your Marriage
Like physical health, your marriage’s spiritual health determines resilience & strength for
what hurtles your way. On FamilyLife Today, hosts, Dave and Ann Wilson are joined by
Authors Dave & Ashley Willis help to cheer you on.
By: FamilyLife
(FamilyLife)
(FamilyLife)
Aired on
Jan 15, 2025
Show
FamilyLife Today
Duration
00:24:55 min.
00:24:55 min.
Size
34MB
34MB
Day by Day - 2 Samuel
Trail Of Tears And The Providence Of God
Even as we make plans and follow God, we can be stricken with grief.
#daybydaylw
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
In 2 Samuel 15:24-29 David sends Abiathar and Zadok back into Jerusalem, not in resignation, but in a strategic move. David is setting up spies in the camp of Absalom.
But then we read that David is still in grief. This still hurts. He is still broken over His sin, perhaps, with Bathsheba and Uriah. He is hurting because his own son is causing chaos within David’s kingdom. He is hurting. And in the midst of that pain, he receives the news that Ahithophel has betrayed him. We already knew that from last week, but now, David finds out. One more blow to the soul. One more person betraying him.
We can hear David’s hurt in Psalm 41—“Even my close friend, in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.”
He writes in Psalm 55 “my companion stretched out his hand against his friends; he violated his covenant. His speech was smooth as butter, yet war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords.”
David knows heartache and pain. And then, with a faint breath and exhausted soul, David prays, “O LORD, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.”
And this is where the Trail of Tears meets the Providence of God.
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Jan 15, 2025
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:02:12 min.
00:02:12 min.
Doc Talks
"Third Culture Kid" - ft. Melody and Pam Risner
When parents go to the mission field, it has an effect on their children.
#doctalkspodcast
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
By: Brian Sheppard
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Jan 14, 2025
Duration
00:29:26 min.
00:29:26 min.
FamilyLife Today
Why Physical Health Matters for Your Marriage
Could your physical health influence how you act toward your spouse? On FamilyLife Today
with hosts Dave and Ann Wilson, Bestselling authors Dave & Ashley Willis chat about
genuine change in your bodies & relationship.
By: FamilyLife
(FamilyLife)
(FamilyLife)
Aired on
Jan 14, 2025
Show
FamilyLife Today
Duration
00:24:55 min.
00:24:55 min.
Size
34MB
34MB
Day by Day - 2 Samuel
When Sorrows Like Sea Billows Roll, Pt. 2
While we are yielded and submissive to God’s will, that does not mean we should be passive.
#daybydaylw
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
How do you submit to God’s plan in the midst of suffering?
But how do we do that? I think a large part of the answer is believing what God has promised. God had said that he had forgiven David. God had promised to extend David’s lineage forever. And it seems that David was resting in those promises.
In fact, we see David resting in those promises in Psalm 3. “You are a shield about me; you are my glory, and the lifter of my head. I cried to the LORD and he answered me from his holy hill. I lay down and slept! I woke again, for the LORD sustained me. I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me.”
God has made promises to us. That Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection are enough to satisfy the wrath of God against us; it is enough to pay off our debt of sin; it is enough to secure our righteousness and eternity forever. His ascension back to heaven came with the promise of the sending of the Holy Spirit to indwell us, to comfort us, to embolden us, to be our wisdom, our strength, our hope, our life. So we rest in those promises, which leads us to being yielded to God’s will. If the Spirit of God is indwelling us for those purposes, then do you not think that the Holy Spirit will be yielded to His Father’s will?
But yieldedness and submission does not mean passiveness in our lives. Resting in the promises of God does not mean retiring from the work of God. Resting in the promises of God is oftentimes full of action.
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Jan 14, 2025
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:02:53 min.
00:02:53 min.
Lori Cline
Lori Cline's Greatest Hits: It's Not For Me To See
Although we do not see the big picture of God’s plan, we can trust that He does. ~~~ Are you ready to turn the page? Yep, me too. What is it about January that at times feels like it lasts forever? It’s 31 days. There are other months that have 31 days, but why does January feel like it has 47? Needless to say, with all the winter weather we’ve had, I’m ready to turn the page into February and move one day closer to Spring! Let this season pass on by, because I can’t see any growth. I need to SEE something grow! Things burst out of the ground in the Spring and I can get OUT and GO! In Winter, everything is cold and still, including me. We’re not very good at being still are we? Does it take a layer of ice and snow or an arctic blast to force us to be still? Sometimes it does. The beautiful rhythms of time and rotation of seasons is no accident. Each one fulfills a purpose. The growth we see in Spring would not come without the rest and renewal of winter. It’s easy to forget there is purpose in a bitter cold season of stillness with no visible growth. It’s a reminder we are NOT in control and it’s in that stillness and surrender we KNOW God IS. God IS always at work. Even when I don’t see it. What God is doing in a season of winter is unique and beautiful, just like each snowflake that falls to the ground. A unique design being formed AS it falls. Beauty through surrender. It’s the same in our life. Surrender, even in a cold season of NOT seeing, IS bringing forth something beautiful in a season to come. That’s the way God works. We don’t have to see it to believe it. We TRUST and KNOW He is working through all things and there IS purpose in every divine moment. I love what Jesus said to Peter when Peter didn’t want Jesus to wash his feet. John 13:7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” Peter couldn’t see the big picture. Jesus did. It wasn’t for Peter to see, he needed only to surrender, serve and follow. Today, remember you can’t see the big picture. You weren’t meant to. This season may not look the way you had hoped, it’s ok. Simply surrender, serve and follow. Trust God is in control. Trust requires letting go of wanting so desperately to SEE God move when and where and how you want Him to in your life. We can’t realize or understand what He is doing, but later maybe we will. Still we surrender, serve and follow. For now, we simply REST where we are, in THIS season. Even in the cold, even in what we can’t see. We can be still and know God IS at work and HE is the only one who brings restoration, renewal, revival and He will make all things new in the season to come. That’s the truth. Don’t question in the cold of winter, the goodness God has shown you in the Spring, Summer and Fall. His will WILL be done as we surrender, serve and follow. I’m Lori Cline.
By: Lori Cline
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Jan 14, 2025
Duration
00:03:36 min.
00:03:36 min.
FamilyLife Today
Why Emotional Health Matters for Your Marriage
Why's emotional health a big deal in marriage? On FamilyLife Today with hosts, Dave and
Ann Wilson, Bestselling authors Dave & Ashley Willis share their story--and how vulnerability became their game changer.
By: FamilyLife
(FamilyLife)
(FamilyLife)
Aired on
Jan 13, 2025
Show
FamilyLife Today
Duration
00:24:55 min.
00:24:55 min.
Size
34MB
34MB
Day By Day Expressions
Day By Day Expressions
Christians should know how God has gifted us so we can use those gifts to our best ability.
#daybydaylw
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Jan 13, 2025
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:09:25 min.
00:09:25 min.
FamilyLife Today
Beyond the Stereotype
Raising teenagers doesn't have to be "terrible." Dave and Ann Wilson, hosts of FamilyLife
Today, invite Brian and Jen Goins to explore the realities of parenting as kids transition to
adulthood.
By: FamilyLife
(FamilyLife)
(FamilyLife)
Aired on
Jan 10, 2025
Show
FamilyLife Today
Duration
00:24:55 min.
00:24:55 min.
Size
34MB
34MB
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