It’s Not What We Believe in It’s Who We Know – Our Very Best Friend - Purity 1479

Welcome to the MT4Christ 24/7 Podcast. I'm M.t. Clark, and this is today's photo. To see today's photo, go to mt4christ.com or follow me, M.t. Clark, on Facebook or Twitter, or watch us on YouTube. Good morning. Today's photo of a cloud-filled blue sky over the unmarked but clear pathway of the right-of-way off of Bullock Road in Slingerlands, New York comes to us from yours truly as I capture this scene during a quick pit stop while on the go yesterday at work. Well, it's Thursday, and I share what meets the minimum qualifications of a pathway photo to encourage you to look around, uh, to see the simple beauty, uh, you encounter in your day-to-day existence, and to get on or to stay on the path of Christian discipleship where you will never walk alone. Surely, sure, um, coming to faith in Christ and proclaiming that you have been born again may cause some of your friends and family to disown you, um, but none of our earthly relationships can compare with the friendship and new life we receive when we put our faith in Jesus and make the bold decision to not only just believe but to follow him with the way we live our lives. You know, following Jesus isn't exactly the most popular thing to do in this world broken by sin. And when we choose to follow Jesus, it always comes with a cost. And from the beginning, Jesus was clear about that. In Luke 14:25-27, it says, now great multitudes went to him, and he turned and said to them, if anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, wife, and children, brothers and sisters, and yes, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. Jesus makes it clear here that our relationship with him comes first, and that we will have to bear our cross and come after him, or follow, um, him to be his disciples. So why would we ever do that? Oh, I don't know. Uh, the forgiveness of sins, eternal life, peace with God, a new identity, no, no more fear, no more death. These are just a few of the precious gifts or promises that we receive when we put our faith in Jesus that make whatever cost we have to pay more than worth it. But beyond these things that we could think of as doctrine or future promises, we who walk in the Spirit know that we find our BFF, our best friend forever, in a real relational way when we follow Jesus. He, he's Emmanuel, God with us. And if you haven't developed a conversational relationship with the Lord where you experience his presence on a fairly regular basis, we implore you to seek the Lord and open your heart as well as your mind to the absolute reality of his abiding presence. There's a— there is an old expression, to know him is to love him. And so we ask, do you know Jesus or do you just know of him? Because if you know him, you will love him and you will seek to be with the one you love and try to share his love with others. Um, this morning's In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley devotional reminds us of what a friend we have in Jesus, and I'm sharing it on the blog today because I never tire of telling others about the wonders of the love relationship we can have with Jesus. And Dr. Charles Stanley writes, um, let's see, he writes, The Best Friend You Will Ever Have. Our Savior is forever faithful and will meet our every need. Many of us are familiar with the hymn What a Friend We Have in Jesus. We know that our Savior is a great friend, but let's consider some specific aspects of his relationship with us. He is committed to us. This commitment is brought— is for more than a lifetime. It's eternal. And though life is bound to hold some disappointments, the Lord himself will never let us down. Um, let's see. He is open and transparent at all times. Jesus will continually show us more about himself as we desire to learn. He is sensitive to our wants as well as our needs. He knows how to meet our deepest longings and lovingly invites us over and over to connect with him. He is an inspiring, comforting listener who never, who's never quick to criticize. He doesn't interrupt, and his eyes are so lovingly fixed on us that his heart hears exactly what we are saying. What kind of friend is Jesus? John 15:13 answers the question: Greater love has no one than this, that a person will lay down his life for his friends. Because he gave himself for all people, we as his followers can certainly offer our friendship to someone else. Who in your circle of influence needs the sacrifice of your time? Or care. That was all from Dr. Charles Stanley. Oh, what a friend we have in Jesus! The Lord walked with me through the fire, or through the fire with me, and has utterly transformed my life. When I think of him and what we have been through together, my heart burns with this overwhelming mixture of love, joy, sorrow, and devotion that tells me that I would go to the ends of the earth to tell others of the wonders of his love and gladly lay down my life if he should call me home. I'm waiting for Jesus to come back, but in the meantime, I will remember the times we walked together and spend my days seeking to be in his presence and to be more and more like him. My love for Jesus pales in comparison to his love for me, but that's okay. It's not a competition, and I'm just grateful to know him at all. So let me encourage you to remember the times that Jesus has been with you so that that you too can burn with his love and joy and be motivated to take the love he has given you and pass it on to someone else who needs it, you know, needs to know him and the real friendship they can have in him. You know, any question as to what our purpose is in life is answered by our friendship with the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. So know him more, and make him known to more. Today's Bible verses come to us from A Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling by John G. Cruis. This morning's meditation verses come from the section on forgiving others, and today's verse, uh, verses come from Genesis 45, and they are verses 9 through 11 from the New Living Translation. The word of God says, now hurry back to my father and tell him, this is what your son Joseph says: God has made me master over all the land of Egypt. So come down to me immediately. You can live in the region of Goshen where you can be near me with all your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds and everything you own. I will take care of you there, for there are still 5 years of famine ahead of us. Otherwise, you, your household, and all your animals will starve. Today's verses are the second of, of 3 passages of scripture that fall under the 15th point of our Counseling Reference Guide's resource section on forgiving others. And the 15th point is Joseph forgave his brothers for selling him into slavery, slavery, and treated them kindly. Today's Bible verses demonstrate the depths of Joseph's forgiveness to his brothers who had sold him into slavery. Joseph was able to rise above his personal pain and didn't just begrudgingly agree to forgive his brothers. He saw that everything that happened to him, all his suffering, had been a part of God's plan, and he saw that he was to act as his family's Savior in a way. So he implores his brothers to come and live with him, knowing that even broken family relationships can be restored when the Lord is obeyed and honored. As always, we encourage everyone to go to mtforchrist.com, where we always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist our brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk. Today we continue sharing from According to Your Word: Morning and Evening Through the New Testament by Stephen F. Alford.. And in Alford's devotional, he prompts us to read a chapter of scripture. Today's chapter is Jude, Jude 1. There is only one. And from Jude 1, he shares a portion of verse 20, which says, praying in the Holy Spirit. And Stephen Alford writes, herein lies the secret of effectual prayer. Likeness, the spirit, also helps in our Likewise, the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses, for we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. Romans 8:26-27. And then he writes, so praying in the Holy Spirit really means guided prayer. God's will in prayer, effectual fervent prayer. How necessary then to pray in the Holy Spirit. And Alford ends by praying, teach me, O Lord, of this kind of prayer. Amen. Amen. And, uh, you're praying in the Spirit, you know, depends on the circles you grew up in, but I, I agree with Alford's, uh, Alford's definition that it's guided you know, by the word of God and the Holy Spirit. It's God's will being done in prayer, uh, and effectual fervent prayer that we're really, you know, we mean it. We're not coming to prayer bored, we're coming to prayer totally engaged and asking for the Lord's help, and we're expecting that he will help. Um, and when we act in faith, you know, amazing things can happen. And that's why we always ask, have you fully surrendered to God? You know, have you made Jesus your Lord and Savior? And have you decided to be a disciple by following him? Not just, uh, just believing and sitting at home, but to really look at your life and look at God and his kingdom and try to make the two one, to put them together as God would want us to. To pick up our cross and to follow Jesus. Um, when we do that, God calls us to a better life. Now, we might have to repent, change some things, but, you know, they can't be transformed if you don't change. And when the Lord calls you to be changed, it's always a good thing. Um, and he'll, he'll call us to, to do good works. And one of the good works I get to do, I've been blessed with, is leading the Celebrate Freedom support group at Starpoint Church. It's a Christian Recovery and Discipleship Group, um, where we, you know, encourage each other to walk in the Spirit and, uh, to get over or overcome those hurts, habits, and hangups that keep us stuck. And, um, you know, I know that freedom in Christ is, is possible, and we invite anyone in the Upstate New York region that can get to Clifton Park on a, on a Wednesday night to join us, uh, next week. Um, we met last night and it was a good time, and We hope to see you then, uh, next week. Um, however, if you're not in Upstate New York, we, we believe that you can find or increase your freedom in Christ too by joining one of our podcast classes on YouTube. And if you go to our playlist section on our YouTube channel, you'll find playlists for the Bondage Breaker, Victory Over the Darkness, Freedom in Christ, Celebrate Freedom Discipleship course, and many others to encourage you in your walk of faith. And we believe if you, if you seek the Lord and, you know, seek to, to know him and to follow him, he will lead you, uh, in the way you should go. And that, that path will help you to discover who you are in Christ and to lead you in freedom from the past to live out your purpose in the kingdom. So we invite you to do that. And, uh, you know, we, we close by asking, are you empty for Christ too? Have you surrendered yourself and allowed the Holy Spirit to come in to make a change? If so, we say great, keep on walking and talking with God. If not, we suggest you pray and seek the Lord, um, ask him to reveal himself and ask him to help you. And, um, we know that if you mean it, you're sincere, um, and you're willing to follow and pay the cost of discipleship, The Lord will be, be there to meet you and be there to help you. And that's why we pray. Lord God, Heavenly Father, thank you for another day in your kingdom. We thank you so much for all that you've done for us. We thank you for the deep friendship we have with you, Lord, um, that you never leave us or forsake us. And come what may, you'll be with us and you'll be there. You were there at the beginning and you'll be there at the end. And, uh, you were faithful yesterday and you'll be faithful today. And, uh, Lord, we just thank you for who you are and what you've done in our lives. And, um, we just pray for you to go before us today, Lord. Lead us in the way we should go. Help us to see the things you want us to see. And, Lord, we pray for anyone listening or reading today's message or watching us on YouTube, that they'd be blessed as well, that you'd come alongside them and their prayer requests, their walk of faith, and, uh, show them the way. Lord, we thank you, we praise you, we love you, and we pray all these things in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.