Blogs

The Kingdom Light – Episode 1118

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On today’s program, I’m gonna talk about one of the big challenges as a Christian. We’re still flesh. We have the tendency to fall into old habits. But we often feel we must present ourselves to the world as though we aren’t still dealing with sinful things. So we wear a facade of righteousness rather than being real with people. Our own righteousness is filthy rags, people see through it quickly, and the world calls us hypocrites. Let’s find a better way.

-Show Intro –

Do me a favor: SMASH that LIKE button! If you enjoy the show, please SHARE it to your social media. FOLLOW our Rumble Channel – Rumble.com/GCM, that’s Rumble.com/GCM. Email us at kingdomlight@usa.com, that’s kingdomlight@usa.com. And for links, blogs, transcripts and more, check out our website – TheKingdomLight.com, that’s TheKingdomLight.com.

Last week I said this…

Let’s face it – this world has a sin problem. The enemy dresses it up and makes it very enticing. Even when we know the dangers of letting it into our lives, our flesh still longs to engage in sinful behavior… The struggle to overcome your carnal nature is more than you can handle on your own. You NEED Jesus!

It’s true. The struggle is real. Becoming a Christian doesn’t mean we never have to deal with our own fleshly desires again. No, the enemy will tempt us all the more sometimes to make us stumble so he can discourage us. While it’s true that God gives us the power to resist and overcome sin, it can often be difficult for us to grasp that concept right away. We keep trying to do it under our own strength instead of trusting in His. And we fail. We feel guilty. And the vicious cycle begins again.

Paul talks about this in some detail in the book of Romans, chapter 7. His words may sound very familiar to many of us…

Romans 7:15-23

¹⁵ For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. ¹⁶ Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. ¹⁷ So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. ¹⁸ For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. ¹⁹ For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. ²⁰ Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. ²¹ So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. ²² For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, ²³ but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.

Sounds exhausting, right? And it CAN BE! Now I won’t deny that there are many occasions when God just outright delivers people instantly from certain things. Sometimes He does that. But that’s not always the case. Maybe there are some habits that we are more resistant to letting go of, and so He lets us learn lessons the hard way or over a period of time. The process can be long or short, and it’s often due to our own stubbornness.

Too many times, we hang onto certain behaviors – even though they’re bad for us and we know it’s wrong to continue doing them – because we simply enjoy those things too much. It’s like we’re saying, “Jesus, be Lord of my house, except for this room over here – just stay out of there and let it be.” No, we would never say those words to His face, but our actions are louder than words. We can’t live like that. He’s either Lord of all or He isn’t Lord at all.

To some extent, it’s about habits. We are creatures of habit, and it’s easy for us to fall into certain routines and repeated behaviors. The challenge is to practice good habits rather than bad ones. But we must be intentional about it. Even as we do this, we tend to be too reliant upon our own abilities rather than ASKING FOR GOD’S HELP! We are prideful and want to do things our way and all on our own. That’s not how it works.

God knows our weaknesses. He genuinely wants to help us conquer those things. He’s not waiting for us to screw up so He can smite us! But we need to be humble enough to recognize our need of Him. Many times, it’s as simple as saying, “Okay, God, I clearly don’t know what I’m doing here – so would You please help me?” Then let go of the situation and LET HIM show you the way.

Other times, we keep hanging around a group of people that are a bad influence on us. Who you hang with matters. Here’s one of my favorite Bible verses…

1 Corinthians 15:33

Don’t be deceived: Bad company corrupts good character.

Yep. If you spend a lot of time around people who do bad stuff, you’ll end up doing the same bad stuff. We naturally imitate the behavior of others. So maybe you just need to change your social clique. Hang out with Christian friends you can be accountable to. People that will encourage you in the faith AND go fishing or bowling or whatever with you – like a church small group that participates in fun and wholesome activities.

But most importantly, SPEND TIME WITH GOD! I say this all the time, and it’s true every time. Making the effort to talk with God and share your everyday life with Him is vitally important to anyone’s spiritual walk. The more time you spend with Him, the more like Him you will become. You’ll be amazed at how your overall behavior will change. Your interest in those morally questionable activities will fade away when you let Jesus be part of your WHOLE life, not just a couple of hours on Sunday morning.

Yes, we’re human and made of flesh, and that flesh longs to do carnal things. But we’re also spirit, fashioned in the image of God. The battle between our flesh and our spirit can be a very challenging struggle. But when we stop relying on our own strength and start trusting and asking God for help, we can win the fight. Feed your spirit man with scripture, prayer, and by socializing with fellow believers. And allow Christ access to every room of your house – share your whole life with Him every day. Let Him tackle those things you just can’t handle on your own and watch how masterfully He works on your behalf.

And finally, don’t put on a facade around anyone. Be real and genuine. Sometimes that means openly correcting yourself when you say or do something that’s not Christ-like. This happens to me occasionally at work. I catch myself making a joke that’s a bit, let’s say, unnecessarily crude. My spirit puts me in check, and I instantly tell my coworker, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”

At least I’ve gotten to the point where I correct myself. Decades ago, my brother and I were working at a restaurant. We were in the back of the kitchen with a friend who wasn’t a Christian, but he knew we were. I made some off-color comment to be funny, and that coworker stared at me. He said, “Dude, is that something a Christian should be saying?” Ouch. In a flash, his words had humbled me, and I had to apologize.

Showing humility indicates to others that you don’t think yourself better than them. They see you’re a real person, just like they are. Being genuine and allowing yourself to be corrected – even by a nonbeliever – creates a positive impact on them. They see you as someone who is just as flawed as them, yet willing to try to be a better person for Christ’s sake. That’s a great witness!

So don’t be too proud to ask God for help with being a better Christian. And be humble enough to accept correction publicly, or even to correct yourself in front of others. This will not only improve your walk with Jesus, but it will make a bold statement that positively influences those around you. When you let them see how much you still need Jesus, they just might realize that they need Him, too!

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The Kingdom Light – Episode 1117

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Today we’re gonna examine the story of Jesus clearing the temple and why, what He said as He did it, and we’ll also note His demeanor. Then perhaps we’ll take more seriously what it means that our bodies are the temple of God.

-Show Intro –

Before we jump in, smash that LIKE button. If you enjoy the show, please SHARE it to your social media. Remember to follow our Rumble Channel at Rumble.com/GCM, that’s Rumble.com/GCM. Email us at kingdomlight@usa.com, that’s kingdomlight@usa.com. And for links, blogs, transcripts and more, check out our website at TheKingdomLight.com, that’s TheKingdomLight.com.

We can see from scripture that Jesus was very possessive of the Father’s house, and rightly so. In this scene from “The Chosen,” we get pretty good idea of how it might have all gone down…

[clip1: Jesus clears the temple]

What was His demeanor? He kinda seemed ticked off to me. Read it for yourself in the Gospel of John 2:13-16. It’s all right there. Jesus was righteously indignant, and He showed everyone how serious keeping the temple pure and holy really is to Him.

As He stated then, the Father’s house is supposed to be a place of worship and prayer. But people had let themselves forget that. They made it into a marketplace, a den of robbers, and nothing holy remained. He overturned their tables and tore down their shops because worldly things have no place within the temple walls.

But then the Bible also tells us that our bodies are the temple of God. With all this in mind, what things that don’t belong there have we allowed to inhabit the Father’s house? What are you allowing in your temple? How do you think that makes Jesus feel? Is it time for a cleansing?

Let’s face it – this world has a sin problem. The enemy dresses it up and makes it very enticing. Even when we know the dangers of letting it into our lives, our flesh still longs to engage in sinful behavior. I know too much sugar is bad for me, but I sure do love me some cake and ice cream! Sin can be a lot more tempting than unhealthy food.

When we sin, we fling the doors of our temple open for evil things to come inside. When we make a habit of this, we allow those evil things to take up residency in the temple. Opening doors and windows in such a manner is an invitation to demonic spirits. Allowing sin to be part of our regular lives gives our bodies over to sickness, infection, disease, mental illness, and death.

The only cure is Jesus, the One who has the power to clean house. We need Jesus in our lives daily to keep the temple cleansed. We need Him to purify us from the inside out. Invite Him in, and He’ll clear out all the riff raff with all the same intensity and righteous vigor that He had when He cleared the temple that day.

The things we watch enter the temple through the eye-gate. The things we listen to enter the ear-gate. What goes in affects what comes out. The words that proceed from our mouths are a reflection of all that stuff we let enter this temple.

So what if you make a habit of watching TV or movies that contain some very ungodly content? What excuses do you make? You might say, “But this TV show I like only has a little bit of nudity – just a little bit of foul language in it.” Okay, ask yourself if you would invite Jesus into your home to watch that show. Uh oh, to harsh?

Let’s say by allowing that little bit of sinful stuff into your spirit that you’re only opening the temple doors a little bit. Guess what? That’s all it takes. How many of you know that just cracking open a window the tiniest bit is more than enough to let in some annoying pests?

[clip2: Miyagi catches fly, “Karate Kid”]

Before you ask, I’ll tell you: Yes, I’m guilty. That’s how I know very well the truth of what I’m saying. I battled with this just recently. There were a couple of shows I was a big fan of, and I excused the fact that they contained more than a little bit of trash my spirit didn’t need. The results were ugly.

Those things built up over time and began to choke out my spiritual life. They got in the way of me hearing from God, so what do you think that did to my walk – and even to this ministry? It’s been over a month since the last podcast. Why? I hit a wall because there was no clear path for me to receive divine inspiration. There was junk in my temple.

[clip3: “This place is a mess!”]

You’d think after all these years, growing up in church, having a preacher for a dad, hearing the Gospel all my life, that I would know better. And to be honest, I did. But I still made my excuses and rationalized to myself that it wasn’t really all that bad. Surely I could let the standard slide just a little bit and be okay, right? Wrong!

If you are making your own excuses, or if you don’t think that just a little bit of ungodliness will hurt your walk with God, let me assure you that you’re either lying to yourself or listening to a voice straight out of hell. If you have a bunch of grapes, and just one of them is rotten, you’d better quickly get rid of it before it spoils the whole bunch.

Satan is sneaky. He’ll use any means to trick you into letting unholiness into your temple. Your love of action films, crime shows, certain kinds of music – he’ll use all of it. He sprinkles in just a little bit of immorality, barely even enough to notice, and it gets into your spirit. Soon, we’re so full of trash that we don’t even notice the smell.

If the enemy can infiltrate our minds, he will twist our thinking. He will make us believe all that stuff he’s moving into this temple is absolutely no threat at all. But if you’re fortunate enough, you’ll start to notice there’s something missing. All that clutter has built a barrier between you and God. You no longer hear Him.

Once that happens, you face the reality of life outside of God’s will. And friends, that ain’t pretty. Guarding ourselves from these things is more important than you realize. The struggle to overcome your carnal nature is more than you can handle on your own. You NEED Jesus!

Not only must we guard against the evil that tries to sneak in, but we also need to make sure we’re regularly taking in the good things of God. The best defense is a strong offense. Pack your temple with the things of God, and you won’t have room or as much desire for the other stuff.

Philippians 4:8

…whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Listen to praise and worship music regularly. Read God’s Word daily. Watch shows that are spiritually edifying. Attend church. Pray – communicate with God constantly. These are just a few ways to fill your temple and feed your spirit what it needs. Failure to do this puts you at risk.

Ask yourself, “Are my words blessings or cursings? Are they holy or wicked?” What pours from your mouth is evidence of what’s inside your spirit. Don’t let it become infected with fleshly things. Don’t allow God’s house – your body – to become infested with the wickedness of this world.

Pray every day: Jesus, help me to fiercely and fervently guard this temple from any and all unrighteousness! And let this verse be written upon all your temple gates…

Psalm 51:10

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

I urge you to talk with God right now about what you’ve heard here today. Ask Him to show you anything and everything that’s just cluttering up your temple. Open your heart to hear from Him. Then ask Him for the fortitude to get rid of all that stuff that’s poisoning your spirit and keeping you from living your best life within His will.

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The Kingdom Light – Episode 1116

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On today’s program, I wanna share with you one of my daily devotionals from this week. It has to do with following the example Jesus set for us, as well as a command He gave us. We’ll expound on the concept of servanthood as it relates to the attitude we should have with others. That’s next on The Kingdom Light.

-Show Intro –

Yeah, you know what time it is. Go ahead and SMASH that LIKE button! If you enjoy the show, please SHARE it to your social media. FOLLOW our Rumble Channel – Rumble.com/GCM, that’s Rumble.com/GCM. Email us at kingdomlight@usa.com, that’s kingdomlight@usa.com. And for links, blogs, transcripts and more, check out our website – TheKingdomLight.com, that’s TheKingdomLight.com.

Okay – last Friday morning, I was getting my day started with a little devotional from my Bible app, and this was just too good not to share. So I wanna start off this episode with a 2-minute video that covers John 13:14. Check it out.

[clip: Jesus teaches His disciples about servanthood by washing their feet.]

Great stuff there, so let’s break it down. Here we see Jesus once again living out the example for us, rather than just saying, “Hey guys, do this.” He made it clear that this is an important lesson to learn, then He demonstrated it through action, showing the humility and grace He wanted us to emulate.

Too often, we see the dirty side of people and steer clear of them for it. The truth is that their faults remind us of our own shortcomings, and we don’t like to admit we have them. But our attitudes toward other people’s sin or misdeeds can come across as judgmental. It can also promote the idea that we Christians are a bunch of holier-than-thou types, making us out to be judgy at best and hypocritical at worst.

But that’s not who we are supposed to be, and it’s not the life we are called to. People need to be able to see Christ’s example lived out in our lives. I mean, think about it. He was God in the flesh, and yet He never came across as one who thinks more highly of Himself than others. His willingness to humble Himself should be an inspiration to us all.

The passage here packs a profound punch. Even God -the Almighty, the Creator of all things, the One and Only Master of everything – humbled Himself to put on the flesh of mankind, laying aside all His glory and heavenly stature, in order to redeem us and free us from the bonds of sin. And if He can lower Himself to being a servant of those He created, then we ought to be able to let go of our pride and humble ourselves in service to one another.

This reminds me of the story of the good Samaritan. You may recall that two supposed “men of God” avoided caring for an injured man along the road by walking across to the other side from where he was so they could pretend not to notice him. Later came a Samaritan man who saw the injured man in need and did not ignore him, but instead he cared for him far beyond what most people would do. Why do we so often tend to behave like those who ignored the need and just walked on by?

We are called to actively serve the needs of those around us. If you see a need, meet it. If you think something good, speak it. And this doesn’t only apply to people in need of food or clothing or other basic necessities. I believe this is also a challenge to us when dealing with those who simply need a Godly influence in their lives. You know what I mean, those who we may tend to shun or avoid because of their sins – certain specific sins.

I’ll just say it. Christians in general often times can seem to be fixated on the sin of homosexuality. I’m not saying we are, but we do often give that impression. We haven’t been very good at explaining our stance and backing it up with scripture – but even when we do that, it can many times come across the wrong way. People then see us as judgy and condemnatory.

Here’s the truth. We all sin. As I said on a recent podcast, that sin is a big deal, but your sin isn’t worse than mine or mine yours. So why is it that we so often treat homosexuality as though it’s a bigger deal than our own sexual sin? My own desires can cause me to stumble.

In His famous sermon on the mount, Jesus said this…

Matthew 5:27-28

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that a man who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

I dare say that I’ve done that more times than I can count. But Christ showed me mercy. My sins are forgiven. Shouldn’t I then show grace to those who are in need of the same forgiveness afforded to me?

Let’s play it out. You meet someone or work with someone or otherwise KNOW someone who is a practicing homosexual. What’s your automatic response? Thank God I’m not like them. Back up the self-righteous truck there, pharisee. Just because you’re not guilty of the same sin as them doesn’t change the fact that YOUR OWN sin would have saved you a seat on the express train to hell had it not been for the love Jesus had for you. Guess what? He has the same exact love for them, too.

So if He can love you in the midst of your sin and make a way for you to be redeemed, can you not likewise love your fellow man who is still steeped in sin and in need of a Savior just as you were? Okay then. So what should be your response? How about treating them as Christ treated you? Love them. Share your own personal story of redemption with them. Present them with the truth about how sin threatens us all and how Jesus can set us free from it.

We all struggle with sin. Sin keeps us from living our best life in a relationship with God. Jesus is the answer.

Now, as I’ve stated many times, we don’t need to sugarcoat the truth. It can be harsh. It cuts like a sword. It might hurt. But if you can offer them the gift of forgiveness in Christ, while making it clear that you’re not judging them yourself, you just might alter their eternal destiny. You can do this by establishing common ground from the start. We all struggle with sin. Sin keeps us from living our best life in a relationship with God. Jesus is the answer. It worked for you, so it can work for them.

It’s the love of God that covers a multitude of sin. Our approach to those who need forgiveness must be from a place of love. It shouldn’t even smell like judgment. Our job is to introduce people to Jesus, tell them how He changed our lives, and encourage them to start a relationship with Him of their own. That’s when the Holy Spirit will step in and water the seeds we’ve sown.

Continue to pray for them and be a friend who’s always there, but let God do what He does best. He will work in their lives, help them see any sin that impedes their growth, and free them from those chains. Because that’s what a loving God does. He’s not asking you to save them. He’s asking you to serve them. Love them like Christ loves you, and they’ll be more inclined to believe that He loves them too.

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The Kingdom Light – Episode 1115

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We are here to deliver the good news to the world: Christ has redeemed us from sin! But what happened to those who died before Jesus came? This question baffles a great many people. As Christians, we should be able to answer it when asked. Can you? Today, we’ll dive into the scriptures and reveal the truth.

-Show Intro –

First off, go ahead, SMASH that LIKE button! If you enjoy the show, please SHARE it to your social media. FOLLOW our Rumble Channel – Rumble.com/GCM, that’s Rumble.com/GCM. You can email us at kingdomlight@usa.com, that’s kingdomlight@usa.com. And for links, blogs, transcripts and more, check out our website – TheKingdomLight.com, that’s TheKingdomLight.com.

I wanna start off by challenging your beliefs a little bit. If you’re like me, you believe the Bible is the infallible and undeniable Word of the Living God. As such, it should hold up under the greatest of scrutiny. Often times, people simply don’t understand. But the best way to interpret scripture is through other scripture.

Let’s start with a verse in Matthew where Jesus responds to those asking for a sign. After calling them wicked for asking as they did, He told them the only sign they’d see is that of Jonah. Predicting His own death, Jesus said…

Matthew 12:40

“For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

Make a mental note of the last few words there, in the heart of the earth. We’re gonna discover today just what that really means.

Now some have said the Jonah story is a fairytale. They claim that it’s impossible for a man to survive 3 days inside the belly of a large fish. Of course, God could have made the impossible possible, but what if the truth is in the subtext?

Jesus made the comparison to Jonah knowing that He Himself would be crucified and buried in a tomb. For the analogy to stand, perhaps Jonah – like Jesus – actually died and was resurrected. Stay with me. Consider that Jonah’s time in the belly of the great fish was very similar to Jesus’ time in the tomb. His body was there, dead, but His spirit was elsewhere. Again, let’s allow scripture to interpret scripture…

Jonah 1:17

And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Jonah prays to God in chapter 2. Notice what he says here…

Jonah 2:2

“I called out to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice.”

This mention of being in Sheol suggests his spirit and body were separated. Though his body was in the belly of the great fish, Jonah seemed to experience several things outside the fish below the depth of the waters. Therefore, it’s quite logical to assume that he was dead – or at the very least, close to it.

Jonah 2:5-7

“The waters closed in over me to take my life; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped about my head at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God. When my life was fainting away, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple.”

This would seem to indicate that Jonah had an out-of-body experience of some sort, and that his spirit even descended into Sheol. Again, this mirrors the experience of Jesus somewhat. It is said that He also went into Sheol and to the place known as Abraham’s Bosom.

The Bible mentions Sheol several times, but we seldom study the significance of this area said to exist below the earth. Is there a place like this literally deep underground? Consider the conversation between Jesus and the thief on the cross next to him. After the first thief on the other side mocked Jesus and cursed Him, this man defended Jesus. He demonstrated through his words that he believed Jesus truly was the Son of God as He claimed.

Luke 23:43

And he (Jesus) said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” 

People have argued about this passage and its significance. They say things like, “See that? This guy was a sinner who never got baptized or said the sinner’s prayer or anything. But he still made it to heaven!” But there’s a major flaw in this line of thinking.

Jesus promising the thief he would go to paradise is NOT the same thing as taking him to heaven. Jesus didn’t ascend to heaven until many days later. Paradise is a different place entirely, and it’s in that area under the earth where Sheol is said to be. In fact, paradise and the place called Abraham’s Bosom are one and the same. Here is an artist’s depiction…

For context, let’s look at a parable Jesus told about a rich man and Lazarus…

Luke 16:19-31

“There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”

There’s SO MUCH good stuff contained within this text. And while this was indeed a parable, the story reveals a great deal about the afterlife. It tells of a deep underground realm where there is an area of paradise – where Abraham’s spirit was – and a bit further down and across a great chasm, or divide, there existed another area known as Hades.

It was understood in those days that a soul went to paradise – or the place where father Abraham was – after living a righteous life. This was a place of comfort and peace. Likewise, those who were wicked at the time of death went down to Hades – a place of continual torment. These aren’t the same as heaven and hell, but they were holding places for the souls of all who died before Jesus came and changed everything.

NOW what Jesus said to the thief on the cross makes more sense. He assured him, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” And that’s exactly where they went after dying on their crosses. Jesus went there with a mission to set captives free. He descended into that realm to swipe the keys of death, hell, and the grave – or more accurately, the keys of paradise, Hades, and Sheol itself.

But why did it take 3 days? While in paradise with Abraham and all the souls of the righteous who’d died, Jesus delivered the gospel message to them. I believe He explained the concepts of sin, forgiveness, and redemption through His blood. I’m sure they asked Him many questions, and He answered each and every one. That’s where they finally had the opportunity accept Him as Savior – all of them, including the thief who’d shown such faith during crucifixion.

What about those across the chasm in Hades? As the previously read parable clearly suggests, the spirits of the wicked would have also been able to hear this gospel message preached for the first time. Since Jesus took charge of all the keys, He could release any of them who chose to believe in Him. We have evidence of this in scripture, too…

1 Peter 3:18-20

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey…

1 Peter 4:6

For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does.

Some of you may be thinking, “Oh sure, if they’re in the torment of Hades, naturally they’re gonna say they believe just to escape punishment.” This presumes the silly notion that Jesus wouldn’t know their hearts and minds and the wicked might trick their way out of Hades. No, but the point is that EVERY human soul has a chance to accept or reject Christ as Lord.

The same is true today. Even now, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is being preached across the earth. Time is getting short, and soon every soul will be judged according to the choice they make. Accept Jesus and His gifts of salvation and eternal life or reject Him and go the other way. That choice is yours. So, choose wisely. It is, after all, the most important choice you’ll ever make.

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The Kingdom Light – Episode 1114

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Up next on The Kingdom Light, I’m gonna differentiate between conviction and condemnation. These two often get conflated and confused, so we’ll look at the difference between them. I’ll also deal with what causes each to occur. Along the way, we’ll learn that all of us are convicted – but not everyone will be condemned. Stick around.

-shOW inTRO –

Before we get started, SMASH that LIKE button! If you enjoy the show, please SHARE it to your social media. FOLLOW our Rumble Channel – Rumble.com/GCM, that’s Rumble.com/GCM. Email us at kingdomlight@usa.com, that’s kingdomlight@usa.com. And for links, blogs, transcripts and more, check out our website – TheKingdomLight.com, that’s TheKingdomLight.com.

Conviction versus Condemnation. What’s the difference? Which is worse? And what’s the point of it all? Let me start by stating the obvious – sin separates us from God. It prevents us from enjoying the close relationship with our Creator that we all need. That’s a relationship our spirits crave, and we are never truly fulfilled in life without it.

Here’s where conviction comes in. Conviction of sin is a merciful act of the Holy Spirit. It’s how He calls it to our attention and says, “This is in the way of you experiencing a closer and better relationship with me.” We experience a feeling of guilt and an inner understanding that we’ve done something that hurts the Lord’s heart.

Remember when you were a kid and did something wrong? That pain in your spirit was conviction. You knew you’d messed up. Worse yet, Mom or Dad may have given you a look of disapproval because of it. You saw their disappointment and felt even more awful. Often times, that feeling of conviction was even worse than any punishment you might receive because you knew you’d let them down by doing wrong.

It’s like that with our Heavenly Father. He loves us more than we know, and it definitely disappoints Him when we sin. The thing is, wrongdoing must be rectified. There has to be a penalty for it. As the guilty party, we are required to pay a price. Sadly, the cost of sin is steep. This is where condemnation enters the picture.

Condemnation for your sin is what comes at the time of judgement. When you break the law, you get arrested and taken before a judge. Conviction means you are found guilty, and then the judge sentences you to pay a price. But being found guilty of sin before God – the Great Judge of Heaven – means being condemned to far worse than a monetary fine or prison time.

Your sin is like a stain on your soul. Sin cannot stand in the presence of a Holy God. And since it then separates you from Him, the ultimate price of sin is eternal separation from God – that’s called hell. While that sounds harsh, the Bible warns us that “the wage of sin is death.”

But there’s Good News! It’s summed up nicely in this passage…

Romans 8:1

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

He paid the penalty for your sin, so if you’ve accepted Him as Savior, His blood and forgiveness have you covered. In the courtroom of heaven, satan accuses you of all the bad stuff you ever did.

Then your defense attorney, Jesus, who has never lost a case, stands up and says…

“That’s not the whole truth. My client is covered by the statute which states, ‘Any and all wrongdoing shall be forgotten, cast as far as the east from the west, never to be remembered again.’ This is also known as the Clean Slate Clause. I personally paid the price for all the above on Calvary’s hill. To whit, I request that all charges against my client be summarily dismissed.”

Before the devil can utter another word, the gavel slams down and God says, “So ordered. Case dismissed! You are free to go. Enter now into your heavenly reward, my child.” Why?! Because God LOVES YOU SO MUCH that He made it possible for you to be ransomed from the grips of sin forever.

Thats the good news of the Gospel of Christ! And it’s why we all need Jesus. Without Him, we’d be condemned to eternity far away from God in a place where torment never ends, because the price of our sin can never be paid off without the blood of Jesus. If you think conviction is uncomfortable, trust me, it’s nothing compared with eternal condemnation.

Here’s something I want you to understand. When I align myself with what the Word of God calls sin, I’m not pointing a finger at you or anyone else. If I quote scripture that says this is sin or that is sin, I’m not hating on you for your sin. I have my own sin I struggle with, too. You have to realize that sin is a big deal, but your sin isn’t a bigger deal than mine (and vice versa).

And if you do feel convicted, remember, that’s the Holy Spirit doing that – not me or anyone else. And it’s a merciful thing to be corrected by the Holy Spirit. It gives you an opportunity to make things right, to repent, and ask for Jesus to take an active role in your life. Conviction leads to repentance, and repentance is followed by forgiveness.

Sin is a heart problem. Pray for God to purify your heart. It’s a process that takes time. But if you trust in Him and cultivate a relationship with Him, your life will be changed for the better.

When conviction comes, thank God for it. He lovingly corrects His children because He wants what’s best for them. Don’t let the guilt turn your heart cold. Satan will use that to falsely condemn you. But Jesus wants to deliver you from your sin, forgive you, and present you to the Father as blameless. Let go of pride and let the blood of Jesus wash you clean.

Let me say another thing here. If at some point in the past you were hurt by the church, that wasn’t God that hurt you. I’ve been in some pretty hurtful situations in church before, too. But God never hurt me. He’s the only One who could heal me.

People are imperfect beings. That includes anyone who attends a church. Often times, people will let you down. Yes, even people at church. Sometimes well-meaning people goof up. Other times a bad spirit can creep in and cause strife within the church and cause you to be let down. But don’t let church-hurt steer you away from God.

Satan loves that. He loves seeing people turn away from God because of church-hurt. He’ll tell you, “See how hypocritical these people are?! You don’t need that kind of stress and frustration in your life. Go your own way, and you’ll be fine.” But it’s a lie!

When church-hurt happens, that’s a great time to draw closer to God. Talk to Him about your pain. He cares. Seek His guidance. He wants to help you grow through those hurt feelings. We need Him in our lives all the time, but even moreso in times of strife. So hold fast to Him.

God will never let you down. He will never fail you. And even in times when you fail Him, His Holy Spirit will remind you through conviction of sin that He’s still there for you. He’s always for you, always ready to forgive and restore. And there’s nothing greater than living in the loving presence of God the Father, with your path illuminated by the Kingdom Light.

-End Transcript –

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The Kingdom Light – Episode 1113

-Begin Transcript –

On today’s program, I’d like to draw a distinction between two opposing kingdoms. One currently operates here on earth and is ruled by satan. The other is established in the heavens and is ruled by God. These two kingdoms continually clash, but this epic battle between good and evil is approaching a dramatic conclusion.

– SHOW INTRO –

Do me a favor and SMASH that LIKE button! If you enjoy the show, please SHARE it to your social media. FOLLOW our Rumble Channel – Rumble.com/GCM, that’s Rumble.com/GCM. You can email us at kingdomlight@usa.com, that’s kingdomlight@usa.com. And for links, blogs, transcripts and more, check out our website – TheKingdomLight.com, that’s TheKingdomLight.com.

Some of what I’m about to say can be difficult for our finite minds to comprehend. We are currently bound to the reality of this existence within the confines of time itself. So it’s hard for us to imagine a place where time doesn’t exist. And yet, that place is where our story began.

In the realm of the infinite NOW, God always existed. He always was, always is, and always will be. He established His own Kingdom in that realm. He created angelic beings to light and inhabit that Kingdom. He gave them names, titles, and duties to perform. Being established in this infinite realm, their places and roles were to be permanent and everlasting.

One of, if not the first of, the creatures God created was the mighty angel, Lucifer. His name means light, and he was known as “the morning star.” He was given authority over a vast portion of heaven, and other angels were subject to him. Indeed, he was powerful, and he was second only to God Himself.

Meanwhile, God began creating a new realm below the heavens. He created time itself as the canvas to which all within this new existence would adhere. In it, He created all manner of animals and creatures and finished it all off by forming mankind in His own image, giving him dominion over this entire earthly kingdom.

Lucifer wasn’t too thrilled about that, so he soon became discontented with his status. He was used to being the Big Man on Campus, so-to-speak. Even though his was a lofty position with great authority, God never gave him dominion over an entire kingdom. Now here was this man Adam, made from dust, and he was given dominion over the whole earth? What?!

This was the beginning of Lucifer’s fall. He did not want to be subject to mankind, even if it was in the Creator’s own image. He soon got it in his mind that he should be elevated – not only above the other created beings – but also above the Most High. Lucifer desired to BE god.

And so, he led a revolt. He got a third of the angels to side with him, no doubt enticing them with the idea of being gods themselves. They made their choice freely in this forever realm, and because of that, their betrayal of the Creator would be everlasting. There would be no repentance or forgiveness for their rejection of God’s rule.

War broke out in the Kingdom of Heaven. God would not be defeated, but He knew Lucifer and his armies would never stop, so He stripped them of their titles of authority and cast them out of the heavens and down to earth. Lucifer then became known as satan, but his desire to rule remained.

We know the story of how mankind fell. In the Garden of Eden, satan tempted Adam and Eve in the form of a serpent – many now believe this was less likely a snake and instead something more like a dragon. In any case, mankind sinned, giving satan a much desired victory over the image of God.

This however happened within the created confines of time, meaning it would not last for eternity. Satan managed to gain rulership over this earthly kingdom, but nothing he attained within this realm would be everlasting. So his thirst for power and his anger toward God increased.

Because of this, satan would focus his attention on building his own kingdom here on earth while perverting and defiling everything he could of God’s creation. The Bible tells us that these fallen angels – referred to as sons of God – took human females and defiled them. These acts resulted in the birth of giants.

The book of Enoch goes further, saying some of these giants also defiled animals in the same way, resulting in creatures that appeared as part man and part beast. This would explain ancient writings depicting such things as centaurs, mermaids, etc. Regardless, satan had ample reason to want to pollute the bloodlines of man, as well as the rest of creation.

Even today, we see evil attacks against the image of God – against mankind. Each attack is measured, carefully designed to pervert and distort humanity away from what God intended. It’s satan’s way of thumbing his nose at God and saying, “This is MY kingdom! I’m in charge here!”

The push to become neither male nor female – a blatant defiance of God’s creation. Satan is trying to remake humanity in his own image, stripping it from any resemblance to God. Abortion – an obvious attack against the image of God, as well as a wicked sacrifice to one of the false gods of satan’s kingdom. These are only two examples.

With each blow, satan reaffirms his defiance of God and his desire to dethrone Him. Throughout history, this has been an ongoing struggle – satan’s forces doing their worst, while God’s allegiant angels continue to protect God’s people. We still reside within a kingdom controlled by evil, but this earthly kingdom is coming to an end.

Whenever God’s people get together and raise up their voices in worship to the Creator, a clash of kingdoms occurs. Scripture says the Lord inhabits the praises of His people. So in those moments, Heaven comes down and invades the earth in the spirit. God communes with His people here, and His Holy Spirit gives them power.

Satan hates this because it disrupts his kingdom. It threatens his power here. Since Jesus came, everything changed. When He died, He took authority away from the devil. Jesus stole the keys to death, hell, and the grave. He rose again, and left this realm, paving a path for the rest of us to do the same. Ever since, satan has been even more determined to build an army to defeat God.

Today, those evil forces are hard at work. On one front, they continue distracting people with deceptions that lead them further away from God. On another front, they go about destroying mankind through abortion, the trans-agenda, and other means. All this, while keeping secret their covert control of worldly governments, through which they quench their thirst for power.

We are rapidly nearing the end of time, and with it, the end of satan’s reign. The ultimate clash of kingdoms is about to occur. When it does, satan will use his influence through the anti-christ to gather his earthly armies to fight against the armies of God. This world will see great destruction, like never seen before.

When every vestige of satan’s kingdom is defeated, and time is no more, Christ Jesus will establish His Kingdom here on earth. It will be a NEW Heaven and a NEW earth, because making all things new is what He does. And the Word of God says of this Kingdom, “there will be no end.”

So then, how should we respond to this? Should we place all our hopes on that which is fleeting or that which is eternal? Should our focus be on the temporary and the material, or rather on that which will never end? We live here, for now, in this realm. But we are given life through the spirit, the breath of God, so we are made for more.

It’s easy get caught up in all the things of this world, distracted from the reasons God created us. In His own godly image, we are meant to be rulers in His vast Kingdom. Not as those who rule wickedly in hunger for more power, but as loving and just rulers who pattern ourselves after the One and only God, our Supreme Ruler.

Jesus taught us to lead by serving. In contrast, satan wants to be ruler of all by rejecting God’s ways entirely. If we choose to adhere to the ways of this world, we are rejecting God in the same way as satan. But the Bible tells us clearly…

Romans 12:2

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

That renewal of our minds involves a spiritual reminding of who we are as God’s people and the purpose He gives us. The trappings of this world, still currently ruled by satan, can cloud our vision and keep us from being who we’re meant to be.

So reject worldly ways. Rebuke satan and his evil forces. Acknowledge Jesus as Savior. And pledge undying allegiance to the Kingdom of God, rather than the kingdom of this world which is about to meet its end. Pray as Jesus taught us…

Matthew 6:10

Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Let His will be manifest in your life. Remember who you are in Christ, who you were made to be, and take your rightful place. No longer a slave to the kingdom of darkness, but a commissioned saint of God, committed to shining the Kingdom Light.

-End Transcript –

The Kingdom Light – Episode 1112

-Begin Transcript –

A while back, I did a Bible Study post dealing with sheep and goats. It was about how God separates His followers from those who don’t follow Him on the day of judgment. He refers to us, His followers, as sheep.

But we’ve seen the term sheep receive a bad reputation. Today, people are called sheep when they seem to blindly follow the wrong person or mindset, prone to believing lies rather than the truth. Why do you suppose this has happened? Could it be the world sees us as foolish for believing the Bible? Of course it does! But there’s more to it. We’ll get into that in a minute.

– Show Intro –

First, go ahead, SMASH that LIKE button! If you enjoy the show, please SHARE it to your social media. Give us a FOLLOW on our Rumble Channel – Rumble.com/GCM, that’s Rumble.com/GCM. And for links, blogs, transcripts and more, check out our website – TheKingdomLight.com, that’s TheKingdomLight.com.

Satan is sneaky. He’s very good at infiltrating our societal lexicon of words and expressions and turning them to promote his own agenda. We are living in the prophesied times when people are falsely calling evil good and good evil. The same has happened with the figurative sheep and goats.

Just as sheep have metaphorically gotten a bad rap, goats have gotten a good one. In the biblical metaphor, it is the wicked who reject Christ that are referred to as goats. But today, we call someone who excels in a position to the point of being the best ever at it – the GOAT, or the Greatest Of All Time.

Everything is backwards. No one wants to be called a sheep but instead glorifies and adores those they call a GOAT. Yeah, I think it’s part of a subtle plan to alter our perceptions of good and bad. Call me crazy if you want, but I’m about to explain, and you haven’t seen crazy yet.

This past week as I was driving to work one morning, I felt the Holy Spirit come over me as I was praising God. What happened next was indescribable. I began preaching. Alone in the car, but not really alone, I felt the Spirit of the Lord compelling me to preach. To whom? I don’t know. Perhaps just to the angelic beings in the spirit realm around me. Regardless, the words had to come out.

Understand something, I’m not prone to doing things like this. It was a surprise to me. But God had put a word on my heart, and it had to be preached…powerfully. Anyone passing by the car, if they saw me, probably thought I was nuts. But here is the gist of what came to me…

Being a sheep isn’t what the world says it is. Jesus called us sheep for a reason – a very good reason. It wasn’t an insult. It’s not because we blindly follow just anyone. You ready for this? It’s because we know His voice. Hear that again. It’s not because we’re idiots who fall for anything, to the contrary – it’s because WE KNOW…HIS…VOICE.

Look at what the Word of God says…

John 10:26-28 (Jesus speaking)

“But you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.”

Look closely at this passage. I believe there’s a strong message here for us today. It applies to the world we’re living in, why some people believe lies, and why others hear and know and trust and believe what the voice of truth says.

You see, sheep do NOT blindly follow anyone. That’s not who they are. That’s not in their character as sheep. Instead, it is those who are NOT sheep who refuse to listen, hear, and believe the Master. Jesus says here, you do not believe because you are not among my sheep.

Meanwhile, it is His sheep that hear Him, and KNOW HIS VOICE. We, as sheep in His fold, follow Him because we recognize His voice as the voice of truth. So we follow Him. We believe. We’ve learned to differentiate the Master’s voice of truth from the enemy’s voice of lies. Otherwise, we’d be suseptible to following just any voice – any deception.

I want you to hear and truly receive what I’m saying here. And because I know someone out there is gonna make this political, let me say this in addition. Donald Trump is not our master. His is not the voice we follow. Not Elon Musk, not JD Vance, not anyone else except the One and Only Person of Jesus Christ. He is our Master, and it’s His voice we recognize and follow.

I know there are some of you who believe a lot of the propaganda. You ask things like, how can you support the awful policies of this administration? First, you’ve been lied to about those policies. If I believed what you believe is so, I would be just as outraged as you are. I don’t, so I’m not.

Second, I don’t automatically trust what I hear. It has to line up with what I KNOW to be true for me to believe it. And that which I KNOW to be true was given to me by the Holy Spirit. That same Spirit has taught me to recognize truth. Therefore, I also recognize what is not truth.

This isn’t some superpower. I’m not necessarily more intelligent than you. I’ve simply plugged into the Ultimate Source of Truth through my relationship with Jesus. It is that connection that gives me a spiritual understanding and discernment.

I know the voice of truth, and I follow it. Now you may get defensive here and ask, are you saying you’re a better Christian than I am? The answer is no because I don’t view it as a competition.

I’m not trying to belittle you or your walk with God, if indeed you claim to have one. I’m trying to encourage you to go deeper and be as intentional as you possibly can about your relationship with God. Why? Because I know just a few of the benefits I’ve received by doing just that.

What you should ask yourself is, do you know how to recognize the voice of truth? Do you know the Master’s voice? Are you spending time with Him every day? Is He being welcomed to be an active part of your life? You have to want Him there. You have to realize your need for Him. Then let Him speak to you and guide you.

Folks, I can’t get by without talking to my Lord each day. I need Him. I thank God I’ve cultivated a relationship with Him to the extent I have, and I know I need still more of Him in my life. I’m grateful to have learned to hear His voice. He teaches, guides, corrects, and protects me with that voice. That’s a blessing I wouldn’t have without His welcomed presence in my life.

What’s more, I remember quite well what is was like trying to live day to day without His constant presence. I was conflicted. I was frustrated. I heard one convincing narrative over here, but a contradictory narrative over there, and I didn’t know for sure what to believe. Even as a professing Christian, I was still suseptible to the constant programming the enemy was engaged in to trick me.

As I sought to get closer to Jesus, I started to notice a few things clearing up in my mind. But I still struggled to believe all of it. Finally, I got so frustrated with the diametrically opposing narratives that I decided to pray a very specific prayer. It was probably the most adamant I’ve ever been with the Lord.

My prayer was simple, but God knew I was serious about it. I voiced my aggravation regarding the conflicting worldviews, and I boldly insisted, “Lord, I want to know the truth. I don’t want to fall for lies and be lead away from You. Please, help me see things more as You see them.” He heard me.

Now let me warn you, don’t pray a prayer like that unless you really mean it. I meant it, but I had no idea what it was I was really praying for. The answer to gaining that kind of spiritual insight had to come through a closer, more intentional relationship with Him. That part is great, and I highly recommend it. But certain knowledge comes with responsibility and it will radically alter how you see the world.

I’ve been calling myself a Christian all my life, but there are depths of spiritual understanding that I never came to realize until after the age of 50. In fact, most of what I’ve learned which has so radically changed my worldview has only happened within the last 2 or 3 years.

I’m only now beginning to realize how that was all ordained by God. Prior to 3 years ago, I was leading worship at Grace Pointe Community Church in Dacula, GA. I was overseeing the audio visual department there. I was very busy doing the Lord’s work, but God knew it was time for me to take a deeper dive spiritually.

I always felt like it was mainly for family reasons that I picked up and relocated back to Tennessee. Now I see God’s hand in it for other reasons. He knew better than I did what I really needed. At some point, we all have to move out of our comfort zone in order to grow. I’m so thankful to have a Heavenly Father that cares enough to put me where I need to be, just so I can grow in Him.

Wherever you are right now with your walk in Christ, you can never be too close to Him. He’s not done working on you until He calls you home. This life, right now, is so precious. All I’m asking is that you don’t squander it by becoming content and complacent with where you are.

There’s always more you can learn from the Master if you’re willing to spend enough time with Him to know His voice. If not, you’ll be suseptible to any and every voice out there. You will be deceived. That’s just a fact, y’all. It’s how things work.

This is where Christianity differs from every religion – it’s not about a struggle to reach the divine, but rather about realizing the Divine One has already made a way for you to reach Him, and He desires a relationship with you to seal the deal.

Pursuing the relationship with God is what changes you. That’s where you learn to hear His voice. So know this: it’s okay to be a sheep, as long as you’re in the fold of the Good Shepherd – Jesus Christ. That’s where lies become easy to spot, and truth is illuminated by the Kingdom Light.

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The Kingdom Light – Episode 1111

-Begin Transcript –

On today’s program, I’m gonna cite several examples of counterfeit wisdom – or what I like to call “profound puffery.” You know, stuff that sounds really wise or profound, but isn’t. The enemy uses it all the time to convince people to do certain things, act a certain way, or to simply get you to believe in some false sense of virtue. The goal is to deceive you entirely about what is good and moral and just. Kinda like how the serpent deceived Adam and Eve in the Garden. It’s the same old lies dressed up and presented in new ways.

– Show Intro –

First things first, go on and SMASH that LIKE button! If you enjoy the show, please SHARE it to your social media. Give us a FOLLOW on our Rumble Channel – Rumble.com/GCM, that’s Rumble.com/GCM. And for links, blogs, transcripts and more, check out our website – TheKingdomLight.com, that’s TheKingdomLight.com.

I know we’ve all had times when we convinced ourselves to go ahead and do things we deep down knew we shouldn’t, right? We somehow managed to rationalize our way into thinking it would be okay, but we got there in stages. That little voice told us it’s not really all that bad – it’s no big deal. Then it said, even if it’s a mistake, you’ll learn from it. Eventually, you kept listening until it had you thinking it was actually a GOOD idea to do it. So, you did it. And how’d that work out for ya?

[clip from “Justified” – Raylan says, “There are other things than smart.” Art replies, “Yeah, those are NOT smart.”]

Folks, we’ve all made mistakes. I’ve made some doosies. My point is that we were all born with the predilection to do the wrong thing, even when we know we shouldn’t. Satan knows this, as well. He knows that if he presents us with an opportunity to fail, it often takes a very small push to put us on the wrong path. That’s pretty much what happened in the Garden of Eden.

But he also knows that we like to feel like our actions are justified. So he has developed many ways to trick us into taking a bad road while appealing to our sense of right and wrong and making us feel morally okay with the decision. He uses high-sounding terminology, self-gratifying rationalizations, and yes – he especially likes to use wise old sayings and Bible scriptures taken out of context.

We like to believe we are good people. The enemy uses that. The world’s version of moral teaching for young people is to tell them things like you’re a good person – when the truth is we’re all born with a tendency to do bad things. It takes discipline and training to do right. The world argues, but we’re all born with a sense of morality – we know right from wrong. And that’s true, but what they don’t tell you is that conscience is a gift from God. Every day is a struggle between our spirit who knows what’s right and our flesh who desires to sin.

The half-truth is often a very effective tool. Similarly, worldly arguments that contain these half-truths can sound very convincing. And, as I said, satan loves to use the Word of God out of context to mislead people – it’s one of his specialties. This is especially convincing to those who only have the tiniest rudimentary understanding of scripture – if that.

Some of the deadliest tragedies that have ever taken place were the direct result of the Bible being taken out of context. Cult leaders and other false teachers have used people’s own lack of understanding of God’s Word time and time again to lead them astray. And satan still does it to this day – WHY? Because it still works. There are millions of people out there who don’t have a true Holy Spirit informed comprehension of scripture. And these people are like low-hanging fruit just waiting to be plucked…and deceived.

Too often, we are guilty of simply giving mental ascent to something without exercising the discipline of seeing if that something lines up with God’s Word. Or our understanding of the Bible is so lacking that we can’t verify anything. That’s called following blindly or just going with the flow. This is not wisdom. To the contrary, it’s dangerous.

I often see dear friends and loved ones posting things on social media, in which they use a Bible verse to justify their stance on a controversial topic. That within itself isn’t the issue, but it can be a problem when you lack the proper understanding. Now, this is the point where some of you may hear a little voice rise up and say, who are YOU to tell ME what I DO or do NOT understand?! Are YOU claiming to be WISER than ME?!

First of all, I am what GOD says I am. I would never claim to be anything more or less than that. Second, wisdom comes from hearing, learning, and applying the truth of God’s Word. It takes time and effort. It’s not a matter of pulling a verse-of-the-day card out like it’s a fortune cookie. We all have to put aside our pride and realize how little we really do know and then seek after the knowledge of truth – which is ONLY found in God.

You see, I’ve learned enough to know that I still have a lot to learn. But I have, thankfully, gained a bit of wisdom over the years. And I know without a doubt that none of that would have happened if I hadn’t first sought after a relationship with my Creator. You can read the entire Bible through, cover to cover, and not gain any insight until you’ve encountered the One who inspired those scriptures.

Before you use God’s Word to justify your worldview, you’d better establish a relationship with Him and know for sure that you understand His Words. Even satan knows God’s Word, but he has no desire to serve Him. Do you? See, that’s another big part of it that people don’t get. If serving God and His purpose isn’t part of our daily routine, we probably have no business invoking His words to serve OUR purposes.

So here are some more examples of the world’s profound puffery – or satan’s counterfeit wisdom. Notice how each one sounds nice but lacks depth. Also note the appeal to SELF rather than servanthood to God. When you know what to look for, it becomes easier and easier to see the deception buried within each and every one of these:

• You can be anything you want to be.
• You deserve to be happy.
• You are enough.
• Believe in yourself.

These all sound amazing, don’t they? Surely there can’t be anything wrong with thinking these types of things, right? Look again. Closely. These are all self-deluding half-truths that can lead a person to failure, depression, and worse. They sound great on the surface, but they lack substance. They can’t stand alone. Without any supporting statements, they’re easy to pick apart. Here, I’ll show you…

You can be anything you want to be, really? How? If you want it bad enough? If you work hard enough? Lots of people try very hard to be things they were never meant to be. Most fail. Those who get there and realize it doesn’t fulfill them – what good is it? If what you’re striving to be doesn’t line up with the gifts and abilities you were given, your desire and this petty expression have put you on a dead-end road that could waste your whole lifetime. SO, at best, it’s a conditional statement that never tells you the conditions. And at worst, it’s a lie.

You deserve to be happy, right? By who’s measure? This leads to the question, why aren’t you happy? If you deserve it, how come it hasn’t happened? How do you make it happen? This statement gives you NOTHING to work with. It never addresses what happiness actually is, and it asserts your worthiness of it without quantifying what that even means.

You are enough – so that means, what? You don’t need anything or anyone? Does it assert that you alone are sufficient? That you should be able to handle anything that comes your way? What happens when you find out you’re NOT enough? This statement is a lie from the pit of hell that tells you don’t need GOD. That’s what it really says.

Believe in yourself – uhm, okay. That’s it? Nice pep talk. It’s just more of the same empty platitudes. Try telling this to someone who is battling loneliness and depression. They’ll tell you to pound sand. It does nothing at all to address any long-standing mental illness that could be going on. In other words, it’s highly ineffective against that person’s demons.

My experience has taught me that I can’t simply BE whatever I want. But I’ve learned I have a purpose in Christ. As for what I deserve, thank God I haven’t gotten what I really deserve. Instead, He has given me a happiness I could never be worthy of within myself. I know I’m not enough on my own. But with Him, I can do all things. Dude, I don’t have all the answers, so I have to believe in something far greater than myself. I believe in a God who loves me. And THAT gets me through every single day.

How about this one? A friend of mine shared a post recently that talked about Jesus being all about love – which is true. The post went on to say that, if we claim to follow Jesus, we ought to love people who are different from us – which is STILL TRUE. But it took it further, implying that our opposition to certain lifestyles somehow equates to hating them. I submit that the author of this post frankly has no clue.

First, Jesus is indeed all about love, but He’s also all about righteousness. In His love for us, He warned us about sin. He acknowledged the existence of sin and its deadly results, encouraging us all to refrain from it. Ultimately, He died on a cross and shed His own blood in order that we could be free from the power of sin. When we acknowledge sinful behavior, as He did, we do it out of love for those who are sinning. When you embrace a sinful lifestyle, you are rejecting Christ, so Christians should love you enough to tell you the truth about that and encourage you to repent and accept the forgiveness Jesus offers.

Second, these types of posts often speak of concepts like love without any notion of what love even is. They equate it with sexual desire, which is another thing entirely. God established sexual desire as part of creation, but like so many other things, it has been perverted. His Word plainly states that sex is designed to be shared between a husband and wife. It explicitly forbids any and all other sexual behavior, calling it deviant and an abomination. That’s not me hating on anybody, it’s just me relaying what the Word of God says.

For those out there who would say, I don’t believe you, that’s not in the Bible – I encourage to read for yourself such passages as Romans chapter 1, 1st Corinthians chapters 5 and 6, 1st Timothy chapter 1, Hebrews chapter 13. And trust me when I tell you, there are plenty of other places – though once should be enough. Let me get back to my original point…

The world is full of bad advice that sounds like wonderfully insightful stuff until you dig just beneath the surface to find it’s all a bunch of meaningless fluff. Call it profound puffery, counterfeit wisdom, or whatever you like. It’s meant to fool you, control you, and lead you far away from truth.

The only way to find real truth and gain Godly wisdom is to SEEK AFTER IT! How? Through a personal relationship – One on one – with your Creator, the One who loves you more than you can possibly know. Getting to know Him, and the deep love He has for you, will forever change your life. That’s a promise you can count on.

God will reveal to you the purpose He has for you, and you will finally understand what you were created for. If you haven’t yet started that journey, call out to Him now, right where you are. He’ll meet you there. When He does, He’ll give you something all those empty fluffy platitudes never could…meaning.

And that’s what happens when you step out of the darkness of this world, and into the Kingdom Light!

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The Kingdom Light – Episode 1110

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On today’s program, I wanna shine a light on the legacy media’s tendency to lace their stories with a thick layer of negativity. We’ll talk about why they do this, and I’ll show you how you can easily spot a left-leaning headline. The more you realize about how they hook you, reel you in, and tug at your emotions, the more you’ll come to know why you shouldn’t trust them.

But first, DO IT! Do it now! SMASH that LIKE button! If you enjoy the show, please SHARE it on your social media. Remember to give us a FOLLOW on our Rumble Channel. And for links, blogs, transcripts, and more, check out our website – TheKingdomLight.com, that’s TheKingdomLight.com.

Okay folks, I’ve been telling you for the longest time now that the old legacy media is nothing but a propaganda arm of the establishment elites and crooked politicians. It’s been that way for decades, and that’s a conservative estimate. But I’m not gonna leave this alone because too many people are still under their spell, and I am deeply motivated to promote the truth about this. Today, I even brought a few receipts, so hang on for that.

Let’s start by going back to the late 1980s and early 1990s – why then? Because that’s roughly when I first started really paying attention to politics and media coverage bias. I remember then those on the left, which was practically the entirety of the news media, were saying how the republicans were going to basically starve the elderly, force them to eat dog food, and put everyone in the poor house. No, I’m serious. The news had an obvious slant to the left.

Back then, one of my broadcasting heroes – the late, great Rush Limbaugh – coined the phrase, “the dumbing down of America.” He was speaking of the ongoing effort to create a nation whose citizens were uninformed, ill-informed, or just plain misinformed. It involved the schools and universities indoctrinating students with liberal ideologies, and then the reinforcement of those ideas in a controlled media environment. Rush spoke of biased newscasters as “the willing accomplices in the media.” Sadly, he was right.

Today, we have a whole lot more news sources available to us than we did back then. With a growing number of independent journalists out there, what you believe is based more and more on who you listen to. Censorship efforts came out strongly against any and all sources who didn’t line up with the narratives being pushed by the “mainstream” – which is where the term mainstream media came from. That mainstream, of course, was and is still controlled by rich elites who have corrupted the system and bent the narrative to suit their purposes.

Fortunately for us, there was backlash against the censorship. We still have multiple sources – and that number continues to grow – who simply will not bow down to those elites who want to control everything. So we can see for ourselves how stories in the media are covered differently, depending on whether the reporting source is allegiant to the truth and the people…or to the false narratives of the establishment.

Want proof? Here ya go. Inflation going down is a good thing, right? It makes the current administration look good. Who do you suppose might not want Trump’s presidency to look good? Here’s how the recent drop in inflation was covered by different sources in the media.

See the distinct difference? On one side, we have stories about inflation going down during the first full month of Trump’s current term in office. On the other side, we have stories about how that good news doesn’t really matter because there’s always some dreadful looming threat, and things are still really bad because Trump is bad, and you should hate him as much as we do. They simply can’t grant him the win. They have great difficulty allowing any positive message to get out in regard to Trump because of their blatant bias against him.

Let me say this, too. There’s always some kind of trade war going on. The fact that Trump is using tariffs as a bargaining tool to get other countries to ease off of their tariffs on the US isn’t something the negative nancies on the left want people to understand. As for egg prices, we’re still trying to recover from the slaughter of millions of chickens last year due to the avian flu. But no, I’m sure the fact that our largest egg producer was ordered – by the Biden admin, by the way – to destroy more than 1.6 million laying hens just a few months ago…no, I’m sure that has nothing at all to do with the egg shortage and the subsequent high price of eggs.

There’s always more to the story than what the biased legacy media tells you. They strategically leave out anything that doesn’t fit their standard “everything Trump does is wrong” narrative. Or they just make stuff up and outright lie to you. Don’t believe me? Here’s an example of that, which speaker Mike Johnson highlighted just recently. Listen.

[clip1: Speaker Johnson calls out fake story about spending bill]

These lies are being called out, and I’m grateful for that. Believe me, I am. But unfortunately, most people who are under the spell of the legacy media aren’t getting it. They aren’t hearing it, they aren’t seeing it, and contrary to what Speaker Johnson said at the end there, too many people ARE buying the lies.

Here’s another falsehood being live fact-checked by Karoline Leavitt in the White House press room the other day. It is encouraging to see this, but more people need to see the reality that the media is in the bag for the left. Here, check this out.

[clip2: Karoline Leavitt corrects AP reporter who tries to misrepresent the tariffs as tax hikes]

The nerve of this guy, trying to give a lecture on tariffs like he’s some expert, when he’s lying about it the whole time. He’s never paid a tariff in his life. That’s bull. But she does an excellent job of putting him back in his place.

Back to my point, though. These things have to be exposed and seen by more people. Let me show you another example of how different media sources will show you where their allegiance is just by how they report a story.

Again, gas prices going down is a GOOD THING, right? Not so fast. Left-leaning CBS claims an “expert” thinks low gas prices might signal BAD THINGS AHEAD! They can’t let you think, even for a second, that anything good is happening under President Trump. And this is right there, in your face. Don’t see the bias? You’re not looking.

These media hacks are all running around like Chicken Little, saying, “The sky is falling! The sky is falling!” Except they’re also saying, “Oh, and just so you know, it’s all Trump’s fault that the sky is falling!”

I said before that I feel highly motivated to help expose the lies of the legacy media. I do, because I have – as I’ve said before – close friends and family members who are caught up in this web of deception. They look at me and misjudge me based on the lies they believe from their news sources. If your sources are feeding you fear, they are feeding you lies. They are giving you a false view of the world, of people who threaten their power over you, and they make you believe the worst possible things about your own family members – things that are just not true.

Their basic tenet, around which every lie they tell is based, is this: Trump is evil, and so is anyone who supports him. Why? They tell you, without really telling you. You hear them all the time saying, “Trump is an existential threat to democracy.” He’s not, but he IS a threat to THEM. He represents the desire of the rest of us to rid our government of fraud and corruption. So yeah, he does indeed represent a threat to the power of those corrupt who grow richer off of our tax dollars – which they fraudulently misuse and funnel into their own schemes.

Ever wonder how so many career politicians who make around $200K or less per year somehow have net worths over $40M? I’ll tell you how. They’re crooked. A lot of it is insider trading, but still more is from misappropriation of our tax dollars.

We elected Trump to drain the swamp – to clean up all the waste, fraud, and abuse of power. As he does just that, he threatens the livelihood of every corrupt politician and deep state crony there is. So they have to make it seem like he’s doing something that threatens innocent people. They make up stories of how his policies are somehow destroying people’s lives, taking benefits away the elderly and veterans, and anything else they can think of to deflect from the fact that the only ones threatened by him…are THEM, the corrupt.

These purveyors of gloom and doom are recycling all their old lies and dreaming up new ones. It’s all variations on a theme. It’s the old “starving old people and forcing them to eat dog food” thing all over again. Put a negative slant on every story, especially if it’s really good news. Make everything seem dreary and hopeless, and make sure people believe it’s all Trump’s fault. Him and his crazy MAGA cult. They tell stories that are designed to trigger people’s emotions – that’s the hook. Then they repeat it again and again. And they keep on convincing people their lies are true.

You’ve heard it said, if a lie is repeated enough, people think it’s truth. Do you know why that works? Do you understand the dark power behind deception of this kind? How does someone who practices witchcraft cast a spell? Do you know? Part of it involves chanting a mantra over and over. You know, kinda like how the propagandist media keeps repeating their lies over and over. This is why I said earlier that people are under their spell. It’s an actual truth.

As people of God, what are we prepared to do about this? I keep telling you. We have to make war in the spirit. The spreaders of darkness and lies have been doing this for a very, very long time. They are serious about it, dedicated to a cause. So WE must also be serious about combatting this evil, dedicated to the righteous cause of spreading light and truth. If the purveyors of gloom and doom are gonna be stopped, we have to pray hard, dig into the Word of God, know our power in Christ, and fight this fight every day, until the day comes when the whole world finally sees…the Kingdom Light.

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The Kingdom Light – Episode 1109

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Last weekend, I talked about the cost of pursuing and proclaiming truth. On today’s program, I wanna look at the other side and speak on the rewards of following this calling God gives us. As much as I am familiar with the mockery – and often times, the seething hatred – you run into while simply stating truth, I also know quite well that the rewards are indeed greater when you remain in God’s will. In fact, there is NO place I’d rather be.

First, you already know what I’m gonna say – SMASH that LIKE button! I do appreciate that. And if you do enjoy the show, please SHARE it to your social media. Remember to FOLLOW this program on Rumble, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. For links, blogs, show transcripts and more, visit our website – TheKingdomLight.com, that’s TheKingdomLight.com.

I’m gonna let you in on a little uh, inside scoop, I guess you’d say. Though I don’t want to get too bogged down on personal stuff, I feel like when it’s a testimony that might encourage others, why not share it? So, the truth is that uh, last week’s podcast almost didn’t happen. I know there are occasional things that happen that prevent me from doing a show every single week, but this was something else.

So, for several days leading up to last weekend, I was stuck at home and missing work due to another bout with my lower back. Those of you who’ve followed me for a while may know this, but I have dealt for many years with chronic pain stemming from Degenerative Disc Disease. Everyone has this to some extent, as we get older, yes, our bones, joints, vertebrae, discs, etc., will degenerate – or wear out – over time. Unfortunately, the level of degeneration in the discs of my lower back is considered severe for a person my age.

Now, I said all that to say this. Whenever something aggravates this aliment, the usual consistent but manageable level of pain can increase to the point where I’m pretty much physically useless. Can’t work, can hardly even move – that’s what it was like for days, and it can often last for weeks. This is just part of life for me, okay, and I’m not trying to garner any pity or anything. Again, I’m sharing this for a reason.

There are plenty of people who face similar and much worse difficulties, and perhaps some of you do as well. My point is that, how you deal with those obstacles in life is key to living a rewarding life. What do I mean? Look, God has a plan and purpose for each of us. When stuff gets in the way of following His will – say, excruciating back pain – yeah, we typically put life on hold, and our calling gets put on hold, too.

That by itself may not seem like a big deal. It even makes sense. If an athlete gets injured, he or she may have to sit out a few plays. Right? Fine. But when anything gets in the way of continuing God’s work, it’s wise to take a closer look at the situation. I had to ask myself, Am I unable to sit in a chair and do my podcast, or would I just rather lay around and do nothing because of this pain?

Naturally, my flesh wanted to do something I call medicate and hibernate. Truth be told, that’s not the best thing to do in that situation – even physically, let alone spiritually. While it’s understandable that my back needed rest and time to heal, I still needed to move around and get some exercise. And if I’m being completely honest, even in pain, I could still sit in this chair and do the show.

I’m not saying it would have necessarily been wrong for me to skip that weekend and just focus on getting better, but I definitely felt compelled to talk to God about it. And that’s ALWAYS a good idea. We often have to get outside of ourselves and our circumstances to see the broader picture of what’s really going on.

In my case, I had a word God wanted me to put out there. I don’t know who it was for, and that doesn’t matter. This was one of those times when obedience was more important than any sacrifice.

1 Samuel 15:22

…Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen to the voice of the Lord.

I needed God’s input in that moment. And so often, we go about our lives trying to do everything, be everything, and say everything we think we’re supposed to without taking a moment to ask God for HIS opinion. We have access to His guidance, but we so seldom take advantage of it. But when you stop to think about it, what better way to know you’re following in God’s will than to, well gee, maybe communicate with Him on a regular basis? I mean, that sure seems like good advice to me.

On most days, we don’t see the big picture. And on days when we’re going through a painful situation, we don’t see ANYTHING outside our own tiny little bubble.

But even in those toughest times, we have an Ace in the hole: access to the all-knowing, all-seeing, Almighty God. He sees everything that we don’t, everything that’s going on and causing or contributing to our troubles, and He has keen insight on how we should proceed. Like the old song says, just a little talk with Jesus makes it right.

Isaiah 55:8-9

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

The guidance that our Lord provides is invaluable, and it’s only ONE of the many rewards of remaining in His will. Even when we are coming up against persecution for speaking truth, the rewards still far outweigh all of it. Last week, I mentioned another one of those rewards. Remember? James 1:3 told us that the testing of our faith produces steadfastness. The more we engage people with the truth, the more we develop these skills. And our continued steadfastness and perseverance leads us to deeper rewards in Christ.

1 Samuel 26:23

The Lord rewards every man for his righteousness and his faithfulness…

That’s just the natural order of things as God established it. Remaining in His will and doing what He called us to do, regardless of what stands in our way, will automatically result in the rewards of our faithful Creator. And of course, when our work here is done, the greatest rewards program of all time is waiting for us. Another one of last week’s scriptures…

Matthew 5:12

Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven…

How about this one?

James 1:12

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

And let me tell you, this is only the beginning. The types of rewards and gifts of love that Our Heavenly Father wants to pour out on us, we cannot even fathom! An old preacher used to say, “There is no other place quite so lovely as within the will of God.” It’s truly the greatest place you can be. It may cost you a few friends, it may even cost you pain and suffering, but the rewards of serving Christ are so much greater than any of that.

Romans 8:18

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

That’s a familiar verse, but let’s look further in that chapter…

Romans 8:31-32

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

If we just trust God and commit to His will, He will give us everything we need to accomplish the work. Despite circumstances, in the face of mockery and ridicule, His strength is perfectly sufficient to see us through. And though we don’t do God’s will so we can reap the rewards – we do His will out of love, respect, and obedience – you have to admit that those rewards make it a really sweet deal.

Folks, drop us a line anytime. If this ministry is at all a blessing to you, I would love to hear that from you. Send an email to kingdomlight@usa.com, that’s kingdomlight@usa.com. If you have a prayer request, or just a comment about the show, that email address again is kingdomlight@usa.com.

I hope and pray that this word today ministers to you and encourages you to seek God’s advice daily, press forward into the fray, follow His will, and as always, keep shining…the Kingdom Light!

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