Bethel Church LJ Podcast

When we face trials, we do not face them as the world faces them. When the world faces trials, peace is a subjective peace which finds its source in the absence of adverse circumstances. It is a peace that is based on feelings, when everything is good, I have peace.

The peace Jesus gives us is objective, it finds its source in the unbroken relationship we have with God the Father through Jesus Christ the Son! It is not dependent on circumstances or feelings, it is a reality in the Christian’s life by virtue of the blood that was shed, the redemption provided through the cross of Jesus Christ, the righteousness of God in Christ that is imputed to us by grace through faith and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.

And because of this assurance we have in Christ, we stand as a light in this world, a testimony that reflects the glory of God.

As a Spirit, the Holy Spirit is not limited by space and time. He can be anywhere and everywhere at the same time. Likewise, since we were created as tri-partite beings (Spirit, Soul, and Body), the Holy Spirit was made to and as we have already pointed out, does indwell those who have been born again. The Holy Spirit takes up residence in our spirit.

Elisha received the prophetic mantle of Elijah as the primary prophet to the nation. What we learned through the scriptures today is, even though he had received and was also actively moving in the anointing, Elisha has to learn how to grow in it and with it.

Through the revelation of what Elisha did, we learned some things that he did right, and my contention is that we also learned from some things he did wrong. Just as Elisha had to learn how to flow in the prophetic anointing so that it would benefit God’s people, so must we learn to do the same.

In short, even though he was walking in greater power, Elisha was learning that he hadn’t stopped being a servant to become a prophet. He was a prophet, it’s just that in this prophetic role, he he had to learn how to serve not just one man, but how to serve his gifting to the nation.

(5/8/2024)

The Word of God is truth. It draws a dividing line between what is right and wrong in the eyes of God. We cannot redefine truth based on what is acceptable or not in culture, or what we feel should be right and wrong. It is God’s prerogative alone to do so. In the end, God’s Word will be the final judge over our lives and how we live in conformity to it.

We found that both Elijah and Elisha knew that the end of Elijah’s ministry and life was near. Elijah’s departure would necessitate someone to take over what Elijah had developed. Elisha, although the likely successor, would be put through a series of “tests” to see whether he would indeed be the person to receive the mantle that was on his mentor. In the end, he did receive the mantle and became the next major prophet in Israel as he fulfilled his divine purpose and call in the service of God on behalf of the people of God.

What we learned today is that the Word of the Lord is given to not only inspire, and to instruct, but also given to inform. It shows us God’s perspective on the circumstances we find ourselves in. This dynamic is called prophetic insight, and it is God’s revelation to us of how He sees the situation. God’s Word is still going out and informing us of His will today. How about you? Will you believe the report of the Lord?

What does the God’s love look like? Jesus was and is God’s nature made visible. But what He said, and by how He lived, He demonstrated God’s love to us. What we saw today is that in stark opposition to the world which is always wanting to use others that they may go up, true love willingly goes down in service to others that others may go up.

Why did He demonstrate this principle to us so definitively? Because, once again, we become what we behold. It’s so that we would become like Him and in doing so, truly be a reflection of Him so that we might reveal His love and His glory to the world around us.

The Kingdom of God literally means the rule and reign of God. God is King whether we recognize it or not. When we recognize it and submit to it, we find that the benefits and the privileges of the Kingdom, the promises that God has made to His people then begin to flow into their lives.

Thus far, we looked at how Micaiah was sent with the Word of God to Inspire the King of Israel to fight and to Instruct the King to be prepared for an upcoming battle. What we want to highlighted today is the importance of knowing God’s Word. In Knowing His Word, we become knowledgeable of His Will. Not only must we know it, but we must also understand what the Word of God means. Understanding without doing makes the Word of God ineffective. Therefore, we must be doers of the Word for it to release its power into our lives.

All 3 gospels tell us that immediately after the experience on the mountain where Jesus had been transfigured, Jesus and the three were confronted with a situation in which the rest of the band had been unable to cure an epileptic boy. Jesus asserted his authority over the demons and gave some significant teaching on the importance of faith. When asking Jesus why they could not cast it out, Jesus replied to them that it was because of their “little faith.” The context seems to suggest that their faith is still in an immature stage. It has not yet grown up to what it will be.The emphasis in the passage can be found in the words, “you will say.” In other words, what you were able to do today, is not necessarily what you will be able to do in the future. Your faith today will eventually grow to the point where you will be able to face these same kind of situation and in faith, you will see that it is grown to the place where it can and will with it.