Burning Hearts with Rachel Herbeck

Our true transformation comes from our minds being renewed in Christ. Today, we discuss how we can submit our minds truly to this renewal so that we may look like Christ and share in his glory.

In Christ, we have a new nature through our Baptism, but we are tempted to still live in our old nature that is corrupt and deceitful. Today, we explore how to fight the battle between our two natures.

The devil often uses the tool of discouragement to get us to fall back into futile ways of living. We see today in the psalms that a tool to overcome discouragement is to worship and praise the Lord in all circumstances.

As we continue to discuss this idea of futile thinking, we see often how we are tempted to fall back into our old patterns of life. We see how sin darkens our mind and we ask for the grace to resist temptations so that our minds may be enlightened by Christ.

This week, we take up a section in Ephesians 4 where Paul discusses and describes the reality of the futile minds of those who don’t know Christ. We ask the Lord to deliver us from futile ways of thinking.

We need to take an active role in transforming our minds as we continue to walk in our new life in Christ. Paul calls us to think on a certain set of virtues that will help us renew our minds to think on the things of God.

God promises to give us peace that surpasses all human understanding. When we are dependent on the Lord and give Him our anxieties, his peace acts as a guard to our hearts and our minds.

In today’s passage, Paul commands us further to have no anxiety about anything! He then gives us a way to pray that helps us give all of our anxieties over to the Lord so that we may walk in freedom. 

Paul gives us the command to rejoice in the Lord always. Today, we learn how to practically rejoice in Him, not in our circumstances or in our own successes. Through our rejoicing, we give witness to others that the Lord is coming again.

Today, we begin Philippians 4 and build off of the amazing reality that Paul reveals to us: that we are citizens of Heaven. It is from that security and truth that we rejoice in the Lord even when it is hard.

Galatians 2:20 invites us to be crucified with Christ. What does that mean and how is that expressed in our lives?

What does it mean to live by the Spirit and to walk by the Spirit? What differences can we expect in our lives when we do?

The fruits of the Spirit need to be grown and experienced by those around us. What are three fruits in particular needed in the Church today?

In Galatians, St. Paul makes a distinction between the flesh and the Spirit. What are three desires of the flesh particularly prevalent in today’s society?

Let’s look at the book of Galatians this week and see what St. Paul has to teach us about the Holy Spirit, freedom, and faith.

Paul teaches us today that we must continue to press on toward the goal of Heaven and being with Jesus face to face. We learn from him that mature disciples actually desire to press into the sufferings of Christ so that they may learn to live in the power of the resurrection.

Today, we see Paul laying out for us his central desire in following Christ: to know Him, live in the power of his resurrection, share in his sufferings, and become like Him through his death. This is a challenging word, and we ask for the grace to desire to share in Christ’s sufferings so that we may obtain the resurrection from the dead.

Today, we discuss the amazing truth that through our baptism, we are found in Christ. Not only do we belong to Him, but we are made a part of His body, so He is in us and we are in Him.

Paul continues to expound on the surpassing worth of Jesus. As we continue in Philippians 3, we reflect on the reality that the only thing of true worth and value is to gain Christ.

We begin this week by diving into Philippians 3, where Paul expresses to us that Jesus Christ is the only thing that will satisfy us. We ask for the grace of the Holy Spirit to see Jesus as worth giving everything up for.

Peter shows us that God is purifying us by fire, not to harm us, but so we may look like Jesus. Because of this, we can learn how to rejoice at all times and in all things – waiting for the living hope we will inherit when Christ is revealed.

Through Jesus Christ, we have an amazing inheritance waiting for us in Heaven. This inheritance will be the full participation in the very glory of the only Son of God. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to empower us to live in this reality today.

Peter encourages us in the reality that we are born into a living hope – a hope for eternal life that has energy, life, and stands as the source of our salvation and holiness. Today, we examine how to live in that hope.

Today, we continue to hear from Peter about our identity. We are not only sanctified by the Spirit, but we are sanctified for obedience to Christ. In light of this, we examine our own lives so that we may walk in total obedience to Christ.

We begin this week by reading 1 Peter 1 and we are reminded by Peter that we are chosen, destined, and sanctified. We ask the Holy Spirit to help us remember this profound truth about our identity.

The words that Jesus gives us about eternity are trustworthy and true. As we dive deeper into Revelation 21, we see that not all will inherit the Kingdom, and we ask God to give us courage and faith to endure until the end.

God gives us a promise we can hold onto each day: that He will make everything new. Today, we discuss how we can hold onto this promise and even be transformed by his love here and now as we journey to Heaven.

God doesn’t want to just make everything better from afar like a genie. Through this passage, He communicates to us that his desire and intention is to dwell with us forever in an intimate relationship of love.

Today, we approach the amazing reality that the Church is the Bride of Christ, prepared as a gift from the Father to the Son who has paid the price for each one of us.

We begin Revelation 21 with a promise from God that something new is coming, that this isn’t all there is. In light of this, we ask the Lord to give us a deeper desire for Heaven.

We return to the fundamental question of discipleship: Am I willing to lose my life? As you listen today, ask the Holy Spirit to help you place your life fully in the hands of God and give you an eternal perspective.

In Matthew 16, we see Jesus’ ultimate invitation to his disciples: to come and die so that they may enter into eternity. Today, we ask the Holy Spirit to lay the cross of Jesus upon us so that we may enter into his death.

How do we find true freedom? Through Jesus’ teaching, we see that it isn’t by securing our own happiness, but through giving ourselves over completely to Christ through self-denial.

Jesus calls us to deny ourselves because He knows our inclination to self-worship. In today’s episode, we see the importance of self-denial in our process of spiritual formation. 

As we begin to read Matthew 16, we see Jesus telling his disciples exactly what it means to follow Him: denying themselves and taking up their crosses daily. Today, we examine our lives in light of Jesus' idea of discipleship so that we, too, can follow Him.

Through his suffering, Jesus shows us that He knows what we are going through and is able to sympathize with us in our weakness. Therefore, we can go to Him in temptation and receive strength for our race.

Today, we dive into the amazing reality that Jesus, as the pioneer of salvation, opened a new way for man. As fully God and fully man, He brings human flesh into Heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

Sometimes we can’t see that God is in control because of all the chaos in the world. Today in Hebrews 2, we are invited to look at Jesus and fix our eyes on Him instead of the problems in the world, trusting He is in control.

In today’s episode, we read in Hebrews 2 that the message of the Gospel has been proclaimed to us by God, attested by the disciples, and confirmed by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we are encouraged to not drift from the truth of the Gospel.

Today, we dive into Hebrews 1 where we see that Jesus is seated securely at the right hand of the Father. This reality gives us comfort, hope, and security in all circumstances as we choose to trust Him who rules over all things.

The Samaritans are transformed when they encounter Jesus’ word as he teaches and preaches to them. Our witness is important, but it is the true Word of God that changes and transforms hearts.

When the Samaritan woman encounters Jesus, she is so transformed that she leaves her water jug and goes into the city to testify to who Jesus is. In this episode, we discuss how Jesus calls each of us into a deeper transformation that empowers us to leave our old patterns of living behind.

As He talks with the woman, Jesus sees her and loves her for who she truly is. For each one of us, He meets us where we are and sees us even in our sin. We discuss how we let Jesus see us and heal us in our brokenness.

Jesus’ meeting of the Samaritan woman follows an Old Testament pattern of significant meetings at wells, particularly the meeting of Jacob and Rachel. Through this understanding, we explore Jesus bringing fulfillment to the old covenant through this meeting with the Samaritan woman.

In today’s episode, we begin a journey through the story of the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4. We see how Jesus follows the plan laid out by His Father to encounter this woman in her own brokenness.

On today’s episode, we discuss Paul’s encouragement to not lose heart. Even in times of tribulation, if we endure, God promises us an eternal reward that is greater than we can possibly ask or imagine.

Paul roots himself in the unbelievable truth that we have died with Christ and are raised with Him. Today, we are invited into a deeper confidence in the Lord so that we may know in the depths of our hearts that He will bring us home to be with Him forever.

Paul shows us today how we are crucified with Christ and raised to new life with Him. Because of this, we can face any and every circumstance in life, knowing that Jesus has defeated death.

Today, we see how differently the Christian is called to live in the world. We read Paul’s amazing words that they are in affliction but not crushed by it, and we ask the Lord to give us strength to live this way each day.

We begin to dive into 2 Corinthians 4 and discuss how the Holy Spirit shines the light of God’s glory into our hearts. Even greater, He chooses to dwell in us and we ask the Holy Spirit to lead us deeper into this reality.