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What stubborn problem do you have that only Jesus can fix? Blind Bartimaeus had an impossible need, but it didn’t stop him from crying out to the Lord. The devil says, “Be quiet! It’ll never happen.” But Jesus hears our cry. He asks us what He asked Bartimaeus: “What do you want Me to do for you?” Nothing is too hard for God. Let’s take our mountains to Him today. Streamed on July 2, 2024

God is drawn to people who are vulnerable and in pain—the widow, the orphan, the stranger. That’s why the writer of Hebrews tells us to remember those who are mistreated as if we ourselves were suffering. Every day we should have our antenna up: is someone mistreated, down, discouraged? Oh, Lord, give us hearts to help them.

Do you know anyone in prison? How can you reach out to them? Hebrews reminds us to remember prisoners as if we ourselves were in their position. The apostle Paul always thanked God for those who visited him, helped him, cheered his spirits when he was in chains. Let’s remember those in prison and show God’s heart to those who are hurting.

Jesus tells us, “Come to me.” Praise the Lord! But after we come to Him, Jesus tells us, “Follow me.” Where do we follow Him? To the poor, the prisoners, the blind. Jesus is not with the high and mighty and popular people. He’s with the broken, wounded, and hurting. Let’s come to Jesus, and then let’s go to Him—outside the world’s value system—to serve others.

Isn’t it horrible when Christians say, “Church is so much fun”? It’s a joy to go to church, but we are to worship God “with reverence and awe” (Hebrews 12:28). Yes, we are to come to our loving, gracious Father, but that call is mixed with a warning: “Our God is a consuming fire.” May the Holy Spirit open our eyes to our heavenly Father who loves us but is also worthy of our reverence and awe.

What do we value—our stocks? Our houses? Our phones? Hebrews warns us that, as He once shook the earth at Mount Sinai, God’s going to shake the earth again so that everything that can be shaken will be obliterated. What will remain? Love, salvation, eternal rewards, Jesus, heaven. Since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful. What we have, nobody can take away.

How seriously do we take God’s new covenant? It’s a better covenant with better promises, offering us cleansing, freedom, and peace. But we’ve got to pay attention to it. Hebrews says, “If God punished people under the old covenant when they refused Moses’ warnings, how much more us if we refuse God calling us into fellowship?” Let’s enjoy fellowship with our Savior, Jesus Christ, today.

We can refuse God. We can grieve the Holy Spirit. The Bible says so. “No, we can’t,” some say. “God is sovereign.” That’s true. But God has arranged it so that we will love Him from our hearts and not out of coercion. That’s why the writer of Hebrews says, “See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks” (Hebrews 12:25). Let’s have soft hearts that we might hear God today.

You ever notice that people who are into Old Testament legalism are also into vengeance? They say, “You’re denying Christ? We’re at war with you.” But Jesus said, “Love your enemies. Bless those who curse you.” The old covenant spilled people’s blood for vengeance. In the new covenant, Jesus shed His blood to give us peace. Praise God for the blood of Christ that brings us eternal life.

The law with its holy commandments can save no one. “No,” we say, “but I’m going to try.” Our desire is good, but it won’t change our behavior. What we need are new hearts and new minds, and no one can get those through the law. Ah, but the new covenant mediated by Jesus! It’s a better covenant, because in it our sins are washed away, forgiven, forgotten. We can rejoice in that today

We often pray “God, I have a need!” But the Lord wants to grow our faith so that we begin to pray also for the needs around us. He says, “I’ve got you—now I want you to bless others.” People around us need respite, like the man in Luke 11 who came to his neighbor at midnight seeking bread for his friend. God is calling us to be friends that people can come to in their storms. Let’s learn to intercede for others.

Your name might be on a church roll—but is your name written in heaven? If you’ve come to Jesus, then you’ve come to “the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven” (Hebrews 12:23). Too many of us find our identity in ethnicity, race, or political affiliation. But our identity is in being part of Jesus’ church. Thank God, as needy and undeserving as we are, our names are written in heaven.

We want a good report card from God. So we go back to the old-covenant way of trying to keep the law. But the law gives everyone an F. Praise God for the new covenant, which brings us to the city of the living God, where thousands of angels are rejoicing in His goodness and grace! We get forgiveness and heaven not through the law but by believing Jesus—and staying with Him.

How much of what we don’t receive from God has to do with not understanding who our Father is? To some of us, God seems distant or uncaring. But Jesus showed us otherwise. In fact, all the good in Jesus’ life came from spending time in prayer with His Father. The way God helps us is through prayer, but we will never pray unless we see God as a loving Father who will help us with whatever we need.

Are you stuck in the old covenant? Trying but failing to keep the law? The old covenant, Hebrews tells us, is gone. A new, better covenant has come, with the good news of Jesus Christ. Too many of us mix the two and miss God’s purpose for us. But we have not come to Mount Sinai, to the law. Thank the Lord, we have come to the new covenant of mercy and love.

“What have I done?” We’ve all had those moments. We can’t undo our mistakes, recover our losses, take back our words. When Esau came to his senses after selling his blessing for a bowl of soup, he wanted the blessing back. But he couldn’t get it. Let’s speak and act prayerfully and carefully. Jesus will help us do it today.

Instant gratification. We’ve all given into it—temptation, harsh words, cheating. But it costs us. We lose out with God. Esau learned this when he gave up a beautiful spiritual blessing for a single meal. “Don’t be godless like Esau,” the writer of Hebrews tells us. Let’s value spiritual realities over immediate satisfaction.

Are you fearful? Anxious? Unsettled? Jesus offers us a peace that no one can take away. We think, “It’s just a little unsettledness. It’s no big deal.” But God says “Be anxious for nothing.” We don’t have to fight for God’s peace. We just need to take command of our hearts and turn from our troubles to God’s faithfulness. It will restore peace and joy to our souls.

Have you ever met a bitter person? Angry. Accusing. Playing the blame game. Every one of us could be bitter about something—but we don’t have to be. We have Jesus. Let’s make sure “that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many” (Hebrews 12:15). God’s grace can keep us sweet.

“Make every effort,” the writer of Hebrews says, “to be holy.” But wait a minute. We can’t be holy in our own effort. Yes, the Holy Spirit is the only One who can make us like Christ. But we aren’t to sit back and say, “It’s a done deal.” Like the apostle Paul, we should “press on” to be more like Jesus every day.

Many Christians are anxious about the future. Our culture has drastically changed, rejecting God’s authority and glorifying sex, money, and power. But God tells us what He told the Jews who were exiled in Babylon: “I have plans to give you a future and a hope.” It may look like Babylon is winning, but we can be faithful, fruitful, and full of hope in the victory of God that's sure to come.

Hebrews tells us, “Make every effort to live at peace with everyone.” There is no such thing as a healthy fighting Christian. We should do whatever we can to live at peace with people, even those who disagree with us or we think are in the wrong. May God help us to avoid contention like the plague so that we can be more like Jesus, the Prince of Peace.

Sometimes we run the race of faith with a limp. That’s why the writer of Hebrews tells us to take stock of our lives: where are we lame or weak? We should pinpoint the spot, then strengthen ourselves in God! We’ve got a race to run. Let’s throw off self-pity and be healed so that we can run with endurance.

When our parents disciplined us, it wasn’t pleasant, especially if we got a spanking. But it taught us right from wrong. It’s the same with God’s discipline. When we submit to the Lord in the disappointments and hardships of life, God will train us by them—and produce in us a harvest of righteousness and peace.

Nothing will change our cities and bring a harvest of souls except an outpouring of the Spirit of God. But it has to start with a spirit of supplication, or prayer, on God’s people. When God visits His people, we will want to pray, have to pray, like people did in past revivals in America, Ireland, Scotland. May the Spirit rest on us so that we may encounter the living God and be set on fire by Him.

The Christian church in America today has lost the message of holiness. People make light of the things of God. But God wants us to be partakers of His holiness. The culture says, “I’ve got to be me,” but Christianity says, “I’ve got to be like Christ.” Let’s embrace God’s discipline so that we, by His grace, can be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ.

We don’t like hardship. But the writer of Hebrews reminds us that God uses hard times in our lives to discipline us. An intelligent son realizes, “Dad’s disciplining me because he loves me.” Everything God does is for our good, even the spankings and corrections. Let’s receive God’s discipline so that we can really live.

When we love someone, we want them to love us back. It’s no different for Jesus. One family in the Bible especially loved the Lord—Lazarus, Mary, and Martha. That’s why going to their home was so special for Him. Do we love Jesus? Let’s see how Martha’s service for Jesus, Lazarus’s communion with Jesus, and Mary’s worship of Jesus can encourage us to love Him even more.

In Hebrews 12:5 we find a strange “word of encouragement”: “Do not make light of the Lord’s discipline.” In our narcissistic society, that doesn’t sound like encouragement. But it is. Discipline is proof that God loves us. A wise person takes the rebuke of the Lord; a fool fights against it. Let’s receive hardship as God’s correction—and proof of His love.

The more like Jesus we become, the harder things will be. The spirit of antichrist in this world picks up the scent of Christ that we carry and says, “I hate that.” But when Satan comes at us with a one-two punch, let’s consider what Jesus went through so that we won’t grow weary and lose heart. Christ died for us; He loves us. He’s going to help us.

Jesus suffered. So will we. But Jesus knew how to handle the pain He endured: He looked ahead to the joy before Him. He knew that His suffering would end—and that the reward would be worth it. No matter what we suffer in Christ—hardship, disappointment, temptation, onslaughts of Satan—let’s fix our eyes on Jesus. He rejoiced. So can we. It will be worth it all.

Do you need more of God’s power to live a life that glorifies Jesus and draws people to Him? We don’t get it by being tough. We get it by dying to self. In our weakness, God’s grace is enough—and His power is made perfect in us. As we get to the end of ourselves, we’ll begin to live—and the power of God in us will draw others to Jesus Christ.

What are you going through today? Problems, anxiety, heartache? Fix your eyes on Jesus. Not only is He the originator of faith, but He also helps us in our own races of faith. He knows that we can’t do anything on our own, and He helps us as we’re running our long marathons. Whatever your need, you can trust God to help you today.

We’re not the first people ever to believe. Think of it: we’re successors in the school of faith of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, Samuel. That’s why Hebrews tells us, “The great men and women of faith went this way first. Remember what you’re part of! Throw off everything that hinders you, and run with perseverance.” Let’s keep running the race today.

We’re in a race. And Hebrews 12:1 tells us to run our race “with perseverance.” Not only that, but we also have to stay on the course “marked out for us.” Are you running on the track God wants you on? Or are you fighting cultural, political, racial, financial wars? We need to run with perseverance, and we need to stay on track—in the race of faith.

A lot of people don’t like the word “sin.” It’s negative. But Christians have to deal with this issue, because Hebrews tells us to throw off “the sin that so easily entangles.” Jesus didn’t save us so we would put up with sin but so we would overcome! Let’s pray and root for each other to avoid sin at all costs—by the grace of God.

Do you have a listening heart? We need ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to us. We don’t add to Bible revelation; the canon of Scripture is closed. But the Spirit is still speaking today—guiding us, encouraging us, making His Word real to us. The Lord has a timely word for us in our times of need, but we have to be listening.

Ever tried to run with a ten-pound weight on your back? It slows you down. That’s why the writer of Hebrews told us to throw off “everything that hinders.” Whatever slows us down—staring at our phones, binge-watching a show, getting likes on social media—let’s throw it off. We need endurance. Let’s get in shape spiritually.

Too many Christians today have lost sight of heaven. They’re earthly minded. But the real reward of faith is not here on earth. How could it be when some of the heroes of faith were sawn in two, or beaten half to death, or lived in holes in the ground? No, our reward is in heaven. God’s got something better for us than anything on this earth.

God doesn’t live in a building. He lives in His people, both collectively and individually. But Satan attacks, seducing people through false teaching and inciting division in the church. That’s why God has given us gatekeepers to protect His temple. Let’s discern God’s Word and keep out of the church all that would contaminate the people of God.

There’s a dichotomy in faith. Sometimes it delivers, and sometimes it says, “You’re going to go through a rough patch, but hold on. Keep your testimony. Keep believing. Your reward will be greater on the other side.” Yes, things are hard, but it’s not the end of the world. Let’s not fear when difficult times come. Our citizenship is in heaven, and it’s a lot better there than anything we have here.

Too many of us quake when we’re challenged about being a Christian. “Well, I go to church, but I’m really not into it that much.” But the heroes of Hebrews 11 faced “jeers and flogging, chains and imprisonment,” and they stood—by faith. Let’s stand for the Lord Jesus Christ by faith. He’s watching, and we will get our reward.

Have you ever heard a preacher say, “Just have faith, and you’ll never have trouble”? The Bible says the opposite. Faith is a mystery. Sometimes we’re delivered from trials—and sometimes we’re strengthened in our trials. Let’s not be knocked down by persecution. Let’s be strong in faith, like the Old Testament saints were. Our real hope is in heaven.

Before He left the earth, Jesus told His disciples, “Tell people about Me. That’s your mission.” Where were they to start? At home. It’s hard to talk about missions around the world if we don’t start right where we live. But they couldn’t do this without power—and neither can we. Let’s ask God to fill us with His Spirit so that we can be His witnesses, starting at home and then to the ends of the earth.

Do you believe in miracles? Jesus said, “Only believe. All things are possible,” and no scripture says that He’s changed that. In Hebrews 11, “women received back their dead.” It’s rare, and God is sovereign over healing, yet He calls us to believe. Or maybe you have a son or daughter who is dead in sin. God can save them. Let’s draw a line in the sand and believe the Lord to raise our children to life.

We never know what God can do until we step out by faith into battle. The Old Testament heroes of the faith became powerful, where? “In battle.” They trusted God for victory and said, “Let’s go face this.” What battles does the Lord want you to fight in ministry, in your family, in His calling on your life? Let’s find out how powerful God will be when we face them in faith.

Jesus is coming back, and when He does, He will ask each of us one question: “What did you do with the gift that I gave you?” We all have different gifts. But t’s not how much we have; it’s what we do with what we have. Let’s not be lazy for Jesus, like the servant who buried his gift in the ground. Let’s use what we have for the Lord and hear Him say, “Good job, faithful servant!”

God loves to take weak people and make them strong. How? By faith. We’re all weak. But when Satan berates us and says, “How can you live for God? That habit is too strong. You don’t know enough verses. How will you stand for Christ in that job when people mock you?” we can go to God and say, “God, You love to turn weakness into strength. By faith, I trust in You.” God will make us strong.

What mountain are you facing today? The Old Testament men and women of faith conquered kingdoms—not by weapons but by faith. For those kingdoms that have to come down in front of us today, let’s not feel sorry for ourselves, complain, give way to anxiety. Let’s face the challenges and trust God. Faith is the victory. It overcomes the world, conquers kingdoms, and gets what’s promised.