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Do you long to experience the abundant life that Jesus promises? We do too, and that’s why this podcast exists. In the commands of Christ, we find unshakeable, immovable truths that are foundational to experiencing abundant life. Beyond just a to-do list, the commands of Christ reveal the heart of God, show us what true discipleship is, and provide a pathway to deeper relationship with God Himself. Join us on a weekly journey through the commands of Christ
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The “double command” in this command is eye-opening! Jesus didn’t just command us to “render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's”; He also commanded us to “render to God the things that are God’s.” Truly everything we have is from the Lord and is to be used for the Lord. If we gain a vision for “rendering to God the things that are God’s”, it wi…
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The atmosphere would have been tense. People would have been waiting with baited breath to hear Jesus’ answer. “Should we pay the tax to Caesar?”, was both a politically and religiously charged question. And it was asked intentionally to trap Jesus. Would He openly come out against Rome? Would He openly speak against His people, the Jews? Listen as…
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How do we help people without enabling them? How do we help without hurting? These are tricky questions and often we find ourselves being either cynical to people or gullible. While there is not a “formula” to this, there is a key: we need to stay sensitive to the Holy Spirit. God's heart is for the poor, and He wants us to have an ear that is turn…
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Where is your focus? Is it on yourself, your dreams, and your goals? If we’re not recognizing the needs of those around us, it’s usually because we’re focused on ourselves. We miss out on participating with God and how He wants to touch others when our attention is consumed with ourselves. We need to ask God to cleanse us from a fleshly self-focus …
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Do you ever find yourself having an attitude of superiority toward those who you perceive to be “less than” you? In order to approach those in need around us with the right attitude we need to realize that we were (and still are) “the poor.” We need to see that God Himself “brought in the poor” - that He saw our need and had compassion on us. When …
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There is a tendency in all of us to exalt ourselves - to seek the recognition and attention of other people. As we dig into the context of this new command, we will see that Jesus cuts right to the heart and exposes this pride in all of us. God’s desire is that we would humble ourselves before Him, that we would be willing to take the “low place” b…
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A real evidence of faith is persistent prayer. But why do we find it so hard to continue in prayer without giving up? The answer comes down to our focus - are we focused on our fears and doubts or are we focused on God and His Word? Join Nate and Gabe as they share how the heart that is intentionally gazing on the Faithful One, is the one who will …
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God tells us to ask Him for things in prayer! But why do we ask sometimes and not see anything happen? Often we ask but then give up too soon because things don’t happen on our timeline. But all too often our asking is motivated by our selfish desires. The key to getting what we ask for is learning to ask and pray with a heart that is in alignment …
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If we want to grow in faith, it is imperative that we ask ourselves - what competes with faith in our lives? What hinders us from being able to walk in faith? If faith comes by listening to the Word of God, then the reverse is true as well. Our faith is decreased when we listen to things that are contrary to the Word of God. Unbelief and doubt come…
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Augustine said: “Faith is to believe what you do not see. The reward for this faith is to see what you believe.” When Jesus commanded us to Ask in Faith, He also gave us an invitation - an invitation to draw near to the Faithful One and allow Him to persuade and convince us of His power and His ability to perform that for which we pray. Join us as …
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Did you know that the cumulative weight of something as small as a cell-phone carried for 100 miles would add up to 70,000 pounds? This puts a whole new perspective on “setting aside every weight” in order to run the race set before us! We are thrilled to have ultramarathoner Arlen Glick join us on this delightful episode. Sharing inspiring stories…
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You won’t want to miss this episode as Nate and Gabe dig into practical aspects of how we become “a house of prayer.” As we allow the Word of God to renew our minds and change our hearts, our “temples” are cleansed. As we give ourselves wholly to the Lord and allow Him to deal with anything that would hinder us, we will begin to live and operate as…
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Why did Jesus come in and so abruptly cleanse the temple? The purpose of the temple was to be a place of fellowship and communion with God. Jesus came in and cleansed out the things that were in competition with that! He eliminated the competition for the purpose of communion with God. He desires to cleanse out the competition in our individual liv…
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What is a house of prayer? It is a place of fellowship, communication and intimacy with God. God desired that His physical temple be a place of communion with Himself, a place where He could fellowship with man. However God’s desire from the beginning has not just been to dwell with man, but also to dwell in man! He desires that we as believers be …
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Have you ever considered what it means to be a house of prayer? In this episode, Nate and Gabe share beautiful parallels between God’s temple in Jerusalem and His temple within the heart and life of every believer. God’s heart for every believer is that they become a temple in which He dwells - where communion between God and man takes place! God’s…
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Have you ever considered what an incredible servant Jesus Christ was? Not only did He humble Himself to take on humanity, but He went beyond that and “took upon Him the form of a servant” (Phil. 2:7). In this episode, Nate and Gabe exhort us to behold Jesus’ servanthood. As we deeply ponder this aspect of our Lord, may our hearts be moved to give o…
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Have you ever noticed how easy it is to serve with a motivation to be accepted or recognized by other people? This is something we need to watch out for and ask God to purify us from. The core motivation of one serving the Lord is that we do everything for the glory of God. The greatest joy of the servant ought to be pleasing the master. As we dig …
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Man finds his ultimate fulfillment in life when he lives out his created purpose. We see from the beginning of creation that man was created for the Lord. We were created to serve the Lord. When we live for self and are self-serving, it leads to bondage and emptiness. We were created to live for something bigger than ourselves - better said, we wer…
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The more we look at how God’s kingdom works, the more we will see that His ways are actually opposite man’s ways! Man’s way of leadership is seeking to be served. It involves vying for position and recognition. God’s way of leadership is that we seek to serve and put others' needs above our own. As we dig into the Command of Christ to “Be a Servant…
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“Do you believe that stuff?” was the question that changed the course of atheist engineer Spike Psarris’ life. It was a question asked by a Christian co-worker when he saw Spike reading a new-age book during a lunch break. This launched a series of conversations between the atheist and creationist that ultimately led Spike to acknowledge that his e…
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Have you ever wondered how to practically love your spouse? Or what you should do when they don’t seem to be meeting the needs that you have? Or where the desire and strength to honor marriage comes from in the first place? Listen as Nate and Gabe share from God’s Word about the source of honoring marriage as well as practical ways Christ can enabl…
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Is the sensual music we listen to really a big deal? Does it really matter if we watch movies and read books that glorify fornication and adultery? The culture of our day does not honor marriage. So much of the entertainment that we consume gives an unbiblical view of marriage! Join Nate and Gabe as they challenge us to be purposeful in engaging in…
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The root of so many marriage problems doesn’t actually stem from the couple's problems with each other! Many times it comes from a breakdown in an individual’s personal relationship with God! Are you putting the Lord first in our life? Do you have a heart that is sensitive and humble to Him? As we give Christ centrality in our lives, He will be abl…
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What is the purpose of marriage? Is it companionship? Pleasure? Procreation? Having a clear vision for the purpose of something is key in living in harmony with it. As we look at Scripture, we will see that the purpose of marriage is something much bigger than just two people. Marriage is meant to be a picture of Christ and the Church. But what is …
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Have you ever forgiven someone only to wake up the next morning to feel all the old hurts and bitterness again? We can be discouraged and wonder, “did I actually forgive them?” It is important to realize that just as we need to come to the initial choice to forgive, we also must learn to walk out the “journey” of forgiveness. A key in this journey …
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It is sobering to realize that when we choose to withhold forgiveness toward an offender, we actually give ground to the enemy in our lives. Bitterness allows the enemy to have an “advantage” and to wreak havoc in other areas of our lives. Join Nate and Gabe as they exhort us to allow God to heal our pain so we can become channels of love and forgi…
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When Jesus says we must forgive seventy times seven, He was referring to an infinite number! If we grit our teeth and try to forgive in our own strength, we will see how impossible this is. However as we depend on the Lord, He is able to fill us with His forgiveness. We as believers ought to seek to have the heart of our King - a heart that forgive…
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Can you imagine the incredible burden of having a $4 billion debt? To pay such a sum back would be impossible! And beyond that, can you imagine the gratefulness that would overwhelm you if you were told the debt had been forgiven? In Scripture we read that a man was forgiven such a debt, but turned around and refused to forgive someone else a debt …
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One of the reasons we are warned to “beware of covetousness”, is because it starts out below the surface of our lives. It begins many times unrecognized in our thoughts and desires and if left unchecked, suddenly we find ourselves caught in its trap. Are we setting our affection on temporal things? Are we cultivating desires for things that are out…
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As believers, we need to be careful that we don’t derive our identity and value from our paycheck or our possessions - if we do, we will always be covetous for more! The substantive part of our life is not made up of the things we possess. But rather, our identity is found in the Person of Jesus Christ! The more we realize this the more we will exp…
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As you dig deeper into this command, you will discover that it is God’s love for us that causes Him to warn us of covetousness. Covetousness causes us to seek after temporal things that only bring emptiness and death. But as we embrace the boundaries that God has given to us, we find true joy and fulfillment. Whether it's advertisements coming from…
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A rich man was once asked, “How much money is enough?” He answered, “Just a little bit more.” This answer illustrates the ugly root of covetousness. Covetousness is wanting more than what God has allotted to me. Join Nate and Gabe as they delve into the command of Christ to Beware of Covetousness. Whether it's advertisements coming from billboards,…
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What does it mean to “be angry and sin not”? Is it even possible to get angry without sinning? In this episode, Dr. S.M. Davis expounds from scripture how acting out even in a little anger is never ok. The effects of anger in the home are devastating - causing breakdown in relationships and ultimately causing parents to lose their children's hearts…
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Our tendency towards offenses is to react in our flesh. It is helpful to see our offender as God’s agent for developing the character of Jesus in us. Instead of just reacting to conflict and offense from our human perspective, what if we asked God for His perspective? God is able to use even the conflict we experience among believers to form Christ…
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What hinders us from going to offenders? Are you harboring bitterness? Are you going to others who are not part of the problem or solution? When we are offended we need to go to the Lord first and allow Him to search our heart. As we take the situation to Him, He is then able to give us His heart and His forgiveness toward our offender. Imagine the…
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How are we to “go to offenders” in the first place? So often we approach an offender with our motive being vindication - we go in anger and pride and with a desire to expose them. However it is key that we approach a straying brother with the heart God has for them. If we go with an attitude of humility, love and a desire to restore, it has the pot…
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Going to offenders is not about condemnation; it’s about restoration. Join Nate and Gabe as they dig into the context surrounding this command. This command will open your eyes to see the heart of God to restore, not condemn, those who are lost. Imagine the change we would see if we, as the Body of Christ, had a heart for restoration toward offende…
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We all have “little ones” in our lives - whether they are young children physically or those who are spiritually immature in the faith. A very practical aspect of living out this command is that we learn to take time to invest in these “little ones.” Whether you are a parent with children or someone in a discipleship setting, you will be encouraged…
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It is so easy to have the mentality that we need to do something impressive or become something great in order to be used by God. In this episode, Nate and Gabe explore many examples from scripture illustrating the truth that God uses the “little ones” - the ones who are weak and dependent on Him - to accomplish His purposes. Oftentimes the reason …
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We are often impatient with ones who are less mature than us. However it is so important for us to humble ourselves and accept the fact that we are “little children” who are completely dependent on our Heavenly Father. As we rest in Him and receive His gentle demeanor toward us, we will be able to communicate this same attitude of love and patience…
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When the disciples asked Jesus “who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”, they were probably not expecting Jesus to answer the way He did! He pointed them to a little child and said that we must become as little children in order to enter the Kingdom. Join Nate and Gabe as they explore the rich insights of becoming “as little children” - ones…
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Often when we think of denying self, we think of abstaining from things that are obviously “bad.” We need to be aware that there is also a “lust of the flesh” that looks good - it is a desire to be good in our own strength and by our own efforts. We must deny this dependence on the flesh because even though it looks good, it keeps us from dependenc…
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Does our behavior define our identity or is our identity supposed to define our behavior? Often we wrestle with our identity in Christ because we still wrestle with old patterns and behaviors. It is paramount to our Christian life that we learn to bring our behavior in line with who we are in Christ. In this episode, Nate and Gabe share that this m…
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What does it mean to deny yourself? And what does it look like to deny yourself daily? Listen as Nate and Gabe discuss the freedom that comes when we forget ourselves and our own interests and begin to live for the Lord’s purposes. At the core of this command to “Deny Yourself” is that we learn to say “no” to ourselves and “yes” to Jesus every time…
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Do you ever hear the words “deny yourself” and interpret them to mean something austere and lifeless? In this episode, Nate and Gabe will challenge you to think about the lifegiving implications of Jesus’ command to Deny Yourself. Where living for self brings bondage, depression, and darkness, you will see that turning from self and following Jesus…
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We can know a lot about God, but information doesn’t change us. One of the Greek words used in Scripture for the word know is “ginosko.” The meaning is deep and beautiful and refers to something beyond just knowing information — it is an experiential knowing, a knowing that changes us. In this episode, Nathan Johnson testifies to the fact that your…
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How are we to deal with the compromise, the hypocrisy, the unbelief (i.e., the leaven) in our lives? In this episode, Nate and Gabe give encouragement on how to allow the Lord to search our hearts, expose us, and bring us back into fellowship and communion with Him in every area of our lives. As we humble ourselves under His Word, He will replace t…
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It has been said that “Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.” Beware of the lie that “little things” are not a big deal. In this episode, Nate and Gabe will expound on the fact that, “A little leaven leavens the whole lump.” Do you seek to keep certain things hi…
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Jesus said that the leaven of the Pharisees was hypocrisy. They loved the praise of men, they looked good on the outside, they did and said all the right things, but inwardly they missed the mark! Hypocrisy is very connected to pride - “I want to look better than I am.” In this episode, Nate and Gabe exhort us to ask ourselves the question, “Is the…
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What is leaven? And what are its effects? In this new study on the command of Christ to “Beware of Leaven”, Nate and Gabe will take a deeper look into the metaphorical “leaven” in our own lives. Leaven is something very small that grows in secret, and ends up permeating the whole. Do you seek to keep certain things hidden so people will have a good…
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