The Crosswalk Devotional: A Daily Devotional Christian Podcast

God’s supportive strength isn’t reserved only for Olympians. God makes it available to each of us, as well. Just as athletes face different outcomes at the Olympics, we also encounter a spectrum of experiences in our own lives.  SUBSCRIBE to our sister podcasts:Your Daily Prayer: https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-prayer/Your Daily Bible Verse: https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-bible-verse/ Full Transcript Below: God Will Strengthen You in All Situations By: Whitney Hopler, Crosswalk.com Contributing Writer  “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” – Philippians 4:13, NIV  As we watch the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, we see athletes from all around the world competing with impressive strength. The Olympic Games highlights some of the strongest people on our planet – athletes who have spent years working hard in training, to develop top skills in their sports. They’ve focused on strengthening themselves both physically and mentally to prepare for the pressure of intense competitions.  For some of these Olympic athletes, the Paris Games will lead to victory as they achieve their dreams of winning medals. They will celebrate moments of success, and so will their coaches, families, friends, and nations. Stories of their triumphs will be shared widely, inspiring people around the world.  For other athletes, these Olympics will lead to defeat as they lose competitions or even have to pull out of competing due to illness or injury. Athletes who don’t meet their goals – or who even suffer heartbreaking losses – may be profoundly disappointed from falling short after years of preparation. They may question their future in their sports, or even their own self-worth.  In Olympic moments of both victory and defeat, one truth remains constant: God’s love for each athlete is complete and unconditional. God’s love is not contingent on success or failure. It doesn’t require any medals won or records broken to earn. It can’t be lost like a sports competition can be. Instead, God loves all the athletes – both those who win, and those who lose – simply because of who they are. God sees beyond the outcomes of the competitions to the souls of each individual he has lovingly created. God cherishes them, supports them, and is ready to empower them with his unlimited strength to handle any situation well. Just like Phillipians 4:13 says, the athletes can do all things through God, who strengthens them. They can be strong in any type of circumstances – either good or bad – if they rely on God as their source of strength. For athletes who are victorious, God is there to bring them joy and to remind them that their worth is based on his love for them, not on their achievements. For athletes who face disappointment, God is there to offer encouragement and to remind them that their value is not diminished by a loss.  God’s supportive strength isn’t reserved only for Olympians. God makes it available to each of us, as well. Just as athletes face different outcomes at the Olympics, we also encounter a spectrum of experiences in our own lives. We sometimes win by achieving our goals and sometimes lose by missing out on what we want. Regardless of our circumstances, God’s promise remains true:  He is always there to strengthen us.  Phillipians 4:13 directs our attention to the limitless strength that God provides. Whether we are seeing our dreams come true or suffering through challenging situations, we can rely on God’s strength to see us through. The strength God gives us encompasses everything we need strength for – physical endurance, emotional resilience, mental fortitude, and spiritual sustenance. We can “do all things” – which means that we can handle any situation we encounter well – when we rely on God’s strength to help us do so. The more we connect with God’s presence with us in all circumstances, and the more we pray for God to help us when we need strength, the stronger we can become.  So, let Olympic athletes inspire you to seek strength from the ultimate source of strength: God himself. God’s strength will be there for you when your life is going well and you achieve your goals. It will also be there for you when you feel overwhelmed by stress or discouraged by disappointing situations. No matter what happens as you run the race of faith, God will empower you to handle it well.  Intersecting Faith and Life  As you consider how you can rely on God’s strength to help you in all situations, reflect on these questions:  What are some situations in your life where you need God’s strength the most? How have you experienced God’s strength in the past? Are there any areas in your life where you are trying to rely on your own strength rather than seeking God’s help? If so, how can you trust God more in those areas? How can you remind yourself to turn to God for strength during both the good times and the difficult times you encounter? What habits can you develop to stay connected to God’s strength on a daily basis?  Further Reading Isaiah 40:31 2 Corinthians 12:9 Psalm 46:1 Ephesians 6:10 Joshua 1:9 Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

if you are stuck in a season of discouragement it’s time to start counting up the good. We bless the Lord when we make note of his goodness and beauty at work in our life. He doesn’t want us to forget to see his benefits.  SUBSCRIBE to our sister podcasts:Your Daily Prayer: https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-prayer/Your Daily Bible Verse: https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-bible-verse/ Full Transcript Below: Psalm 103:2  Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, Life can get heavy. We each start our days with a “patience tank” and it seems that as the day goes on that tank gets depleted down to empty. Sometimes that tank can hit empty before seven am if you have demanding kids that wake up before the sun rises. Stress depletes our patience and joy. Over time if we don’t get a break from those patience draining days we can feel ourselves facing burnout and then our tank is underfilled before the day even begins. We just can’t catch up and find ourselves not being the people we want to be. Instead we see a frantic, angry, impatient, and very frustrated version of ourselves emerge so much more than we’d like. As I’ve been wading through this dynamic in my life as a Mom, I’ve found myself feeling very discouraged. When I review my day all I see are my failures. I am fixated on how I should have been kinder to my child, more diligent with another kid, or more loving in general. I’ve just been stuck on the idea that I’m not good enough for this life I’ve been given.  The other day I was once again taking a mental recap of what I should have done better as a parent when the Holy Spirit stopped me with his whisper voice. He told me to write down what I did okay as a Mom that day and maybe even just over this past year and a half since we’ve become a family of seven through foster care and adoption.  My list began with simple things like I woke up to take my kids to their swim meet, I made sure everyone had food for breakfast, I celebrated my kids wins with food and ice cream, and I made sure my younger kids were cared for on this busy day. These are things I mostly look over as a parent, the ways I serve and give everyday in my home. Instead I am constantly working on my life improvement plan but God wants me to stop and see that there is good in my days as a parent. He even can help me appreciate the hard growing moments that happen because they are part of us being a family.  This is not to overlook our need to apologize when we mess up and change our behavior when we are stuck. But the enemy-of-our-souls wants to bog us down in our not enoughness that we can’t see how we with God we are more than overcomers! Discouragement breeds hopelessness which halts our ability to live by faith.  So if you are stuck in a season of discouragement it’s time to start counting up the good. We bless the Lord when we make note of his goodness and beauty at work in our life. He doesn’t want us to forget to see his benefits.    Maybe parenthood isn’t your hard place but work is. Start to note the ways you are blessing your company, coworkers, and doing what you can to excel in your job. It could be that you are discouraged as a spouse or maybe as a daughter, son, friend, and the list goes on. The real truth is that we each offer value to the places we are because we are made in the image of God. While the struggle of life is real, his blessings that come through us are good.    Intersecting Faith and Life  Start a daily list of how you are doing okay in an area you have felt discouraged. I say okay because sometimes we are too discouraged to even use the word “good” . These things don’t need to be major wins but tiny ways that you showed up and served well. Give God glory for the blessings he has given you.  Next make a list of what has been weighing on you. Maybe it’s a lack of patience, depression, anxiety, a need for wisdom, or something else. Pray over this need and hand it to Jesus. Ask him to show him what tools you need and what steps to take but let go of the shame you’ve been carrying around. His grace is sufficient to cover our needs.  Further Reading  Count ‘Em By Brandon Lake  A Morning Prayer to Count Your Blessings - Your Daily Prayer - February 25 Counting Our Blessings Cultivates a Grateful Heart Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

The love of God is not a response to how great we are, or how good we can be. The love of God is not a possession that we yield, or an accolade we merit. Love is the foundation of who God is. Love is the full identification of God’s being and it existed over us before any action or mistake in our lives. SUBSCRIBE to our sister podcasts:Your Daily Prayer: https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-prayer/Your Daily Bible Verse: https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-bible-verse/ Full Transcript Below: Is God’s love true or real?  “This is love, not that we loved God, but God loved us and sent his only son into this world so that we might live through him.” (1 John 4:10) In his book, “Seeing is Believing”, theologian Greg Boyd makes a distinction between something that is true, and something that is real. To say something is true is to affirm something about it – to make some sort of declaration. Importantly, you can claim something to be true without having any personal interaction with it. For example, I know that the city of Paris is true, even though I have never been there. The fact is truth is an intellectual property more than a personal experience. But to say something is real, says Boyd, is to have a personal experience of it. We can talk about the truth of God’s love easily enough. We can pose questions about it, we can read books about it, we write essays and blogs about it; But love calls us deeper than just affirming the truth of God’s love as some intellectual assent to a theological doctrine. God’s desire is for us to experience the reality – the realness – of his love, and it is for that purpose that God sent Jesus into the world. See, the love of God is not a response to how great we are, or how good we can be. The love of God is not a possession that we yield, or an accolade we merit. Love is the foundation of who God is. Love is the full identification of God’s being and it existed over us before any action or mistake in our lives. True, we might deny it, and we might choose to live away from it, but because God’s love for us is real, we can do nothing to negate it. God’s love for us exists just as much as God exists.  In complete self-offering, God’s love has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Scripture reminds us of this not because it’s a nice thought, or a hope-filled idea, but because it is a reality that encompasses us. It is real for our lives! God’s love for you is real, and to know God is to know that love, deeply, intimate, profoundly.  God’s divine, magnificent, earth-shattering, radical, and unyielding love transforms us. It pushes aside all that bars our knowledge of Christ. It pushes aside fear of punishment, fear of not being good enough, fear of missing out or messing up; fear of being rejected. John writes that there is no fear in love because love’s only mission, God’s only mission, is to produce life. This means that the number one thing that God wants from you right now, is for you let Him love you.   Intersecting faith in Life. It can be easy to base our spiritual life on a faulty premise of earning. In this word of merit and deserve, we might think that doing loving things earns God’s love for us. Talk about loving others, even showing our faith, becomes rooted in some sort of ethic of deserve. If I do x, God will lovingly do y, we think. But that is not how God’s love works. “This is love”, writes John, not that we loved God, but God loved us and sent his only son into this world so that we might live through him.”  What if God’s doesn’t want you to try harder, or to study more. What if God isn’t setting up a long list of tasks through which you can prove your worth. What if God just wants to love you, as you are, in this moment. Now that can be scary. To be loved is to be vulnerable – and to be truly loved, is to accept that love even in your ugliest moments. But it is when we experience love in that place that we find healing and growth. So where do we start? We start by dropping our defenses and letting the love of God flow in.  God first loved us”, writes John (1John 4:10), which means our heavenly Father the active agent and we are the recipients. The question that we sit with is: do you want to experience the love of God? Do you want to know God’s love, not as a truth to ponder, but as something to feel, as a reality to be enfolded?   God’s desire for you is to have you experience the fullness of that love. And in an astounding act of grace, God has made receiving that love very simple. All you need to do is open yourself to accept the gift that is perpetually held out to you in the presence of Jesus. As you are right now, facing whatever it is you are facing and dealing with whatever it is your dealing with, dare to believe that Jesus stands with you, and offers you, his love. As surely as he is there, so is his love for you. Yes, the love of God is true, absolutely and eternally, but it is also so much more. It is real, and it is something you can experience, and live within. For further reading 1 John 4:7-12 “3 ways to experience More of God’s Love” on crosswalk.com Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Just as athletes train rigorously to compete at the highest levels, we are called to train ourselves in holiness. Spiritual training promises benefits not only for our current lives, but far beyond, for eternity!  SUBSCRIBE to our sister podcasts:Your Daily Prayer: https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-prayer/Your Daily Bible Verse: https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-bible-verse/ Full Transcript Below: Train Yourself for a Holy Life By: Whitney Hopler, Crosswalk.com Contributing Writer “Train yourself for a holy life! While physical training has some value, training in holy living is useful for everything. It has promise for this life now and the life to come.” – 1 Timothy 4:7-8, CEB  During the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, we are captivated by the dedication and achievements of athletes from around the world. These champions have spent countless hours building their skills in 32 different sports. Their dedication to physical training is evident in their strength, agility, and endurance. Each competition showcases the extraordinary capabilities of the human body when trained to its peak performance. Olympic athletes show us the pinnacle of what people can achieve from physical training. Consider the graceful precision of a gymnast on a balance beam, the explosive speed of a sprint runner, the creative choreography of a breaker, or the power of a swimmer cutting through the water. These athletes have committed their lives to rigorous training regimens, strict schedules, and relentless practice. They sacrifice comfort and leisure to achieve excellence, driven by the desire to compete at the highest level and perhaps win the gold medal of their dreams.  Yet, as awe-inspiring as their physical accomplishments are, the Bible tells us that there’s something far more important. Even though physical training has some value, training in holy living holds even greater value.  Just as athletes train rigorously to compete at the highest levels, we are called to train ourselves in holiness. Spiritual training promises benefits not only for our current lives, but far beyond, for eternity! That’s because our bodies are only temporary but our souls live forever. The effort we put into growing more holy will bring us rewards that never end. It’s more than worthwhile to train for a holy life. However, we need to be committed to doing so. Spiritual training requires dedication, practice, and perseverance, just like physical training does. The inspiration we draw from watching Olympic athletes can fuel our desire to excel in our own lives. While we may not ever compete in the Olympic Games, we should prepare for something even greater – lives in heaven with our holy God. Here are some ways we can train ourselves for living holy lives:  Regular prayer and meditation: Just as athletes follow a strict training schedule, we should build prayer and meditation habits we enjoy, which will motivate us to stick to those habits every day. We can set aside specific times each day for prayer (talking with God) and meditation (listening to God), making these spiritual disciplines a non-negotiable part of our routine. One of the ways we can listen to God is by meditating on God’s Word, the Bible. When we internalize Bible verses, God will use those verses to guide our thoughts and actions so we can make the best decisions day by day.  Community friendships: Engaging with a community of believers gives us encouragement, accountability, and support that can help us grow spiritually. Just as athletes train with coaches and teammates, we can benefit from the guidance and companionship of our fellow Christians. We can build friendships with others in our church by attending worship services regularly, participating in a small group, and seeking out mentors who can help us grow. Self-discipline: Like athletes who resist unhealthy habits, we must exercise self-control to avoid sin and pursue righteousness. We can ask the Holy Spirit to help us develop more self-control, so we can turn away from temptations that will lead us farther away from God and instead pursue activities that help us grow closer to God.  So, as we watch the dedication and discipline of Olympic athletes in action, let’s get inspired to excel in our walks with God! Imagine the spiritual endurance we can build, the strength of character we can develop, and the close relationships with God we can achieve when we commit to training ourselves in holiness. Just as Olympians keep their eyes on the prize, we should focus on the eternal reward that awaits us. The discipline and perseverance we cultivate in our spiritual lives will not only enrich our earthly lives now, but also prepare us for an eternity in heaven with God.  Intersecting Faith and Life As you consider how important it is to train well to live a holy life, reflect on these questions:  How does the discipline of Olympic athletes inspire you to be more disciplined in your spiritual life? In what ways can you incorporate daily spiritual training into your routine? What obstacles do you face in training for a holy life, and how can you overcome them? Who in your life can support and encourage you in your spiritual training? What specific steps can you take this week to grow in holiness?  Further Reading  1 Corinthians 9:24-27 Philippians 3:14 Hebrews 12:1 2 Timothy 2:5 James 1:12 Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Just as our surroundings shift when a storm is coming, so too do our ordinary circumstances when the Lord comes onto the scene. SUBSCRIBE to our sister podcasts:Your Daily Prayer: https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-prayer/Your Daily Bible Verse: https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-bible-verse/ Full Transcript Below: A Change in Atmosphere  by Deidre Braley  When I was just a bare-footed wild child growing up on the edge of a great Maine wood, I would relish the hot, midsummer nights when the sky would turn dark and turbulent as a blackened eye and thunder would begin its war drum in the distance. On these evenings, my parents would bring my sister and I out onto our covered porch and we’d sit there, watching and waiting with half-held breath until hot electricity finally struck its purple zing across the sky.  I was no meteorologist, but even as a child I knew there was a powerful shift happening in the atmosphere. The whole world felt pregnant, magnetic, anticipatory. In the storm-filled air, my breath felt different. Familiar objects like our house, our chairs, the rusty blue swingset—they seemed novel in this light. Even my mother and father seemed changed. I felt as though anything  could and would happen, here in this familiar-but-foreign environment.  When I hear people talk about God as if he’s boring—as though he is just a set of hymns stuck in the back of a stubborn old church pew—I want to grab their hands, pull them outside, and tilt their chins to the electric excitement all around them, just like my parents did for me when a storm blew in. I want to say, “Look! Listen! Feel! Can you sense it—this palpable change in the air when the Holy Spirit comes into our midst?”  Zephaniah 3:17 says, “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.”  Just as our surroundings shift when a storm is coming, so too do our ordinary circumstances when the Lord comes onto the scene. Our problems look different when examined under his light. Our hanging heads can’t help but lift toward the timbre of his voice. Our raging, fearful hearts settle in the presence of his quietude.  This is the wonder of God: that wherever he is, anything and everything can happen. Even our most commonplace lives can become electric with possibility when they’re brought into the midst of our great Creator. And even our most troubling problems can take on new form when we let God remold them in his hands.  That is why it is so important to be intentional about entering into God’s presence each day. If we spend all of our time looking at our lives from a worldly perspective, we’ll quickly become disoriented, disengaged, or just completely discouraged. But when we spend time with the Lord, he doesn’t make us stand at the threshold of the throne room—he hurries us in and shows us the world from his perspective. Even if nothing on the outside seems changed after these encounters, the air inside our souls will have undergone a tangible, atmospheric shift—allowing us to experience the same old world in a whole new way.  Intersecting Faith & Life:  Does it feel difficult to feel God’s presence in your life right now—and to believe he hasthe power to change the atmosphere of any of your current circumstances? Read throughJob 38-39, and mark which examples of God’s might and omniscience are most strikingto you. When you begin to doubt if he can make a difference in your life, practice saying, “If God can [insert one of the examples you marked], then he can [make a specific change in your life]. It might sound something like this: “If God can ‘loosen Orion’s belt’ (Job 8:31), then he can also provide the money I’ll need to service my car this week.”  Being in nature is an incredible way to remember God’s power and awe-inspiringattributes. Romans 1:20 says, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” Take a walk on the beach, lay on your back beneath the stars, or—better yet—pull up a chair and watch a storm. Bring your awareness to God, and praise him. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

When we think about someone becoming a disciple that means that the person accepts Jesus’ sacrifice. Jesus did not say, rely on your pastor or the evangelist to share the gospel, He called you and me to go and make disciples of Jesus. A large reason why  church is not growing is because the enemy has caused the church as a whole to sit back and believe that the gospel is true but it is not our job to share. SUBSCRIBE to our sister podcasts:Your Daily Prayer: https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-prayer/Your Daily Bible Verse: https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-bible-verse/ Full Transcript Below: One of the Sneakiest Lies Satan is Telling the ChurchWritten By: Emma Danzey Matthew 28:19-20 says, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Have you wondered why the church is not growing as rapidly as you hoped? Is it as shocking to you as it is to me that the church in America is not growing from conversion, but from church transfer? In 2015 Bonnie Kristian shared from Relevant Magazine, “So while the statistics about the American church are troubling, American Christianity is far from the only thing going. Consider: In 1900, Europe and North America housed 82 percent of Christians worldwide.• By 2010, just 38 percent of professed Christians lived on these two continents.• By 2050, that projected figure is a mere 27 percent.” She goes on to share how although the church is dying here, it is exploding in Africa, Asia and Latin America. This was almost 10 years ago, and today Emma Davis from Reach Right Studios shares, “Only 16% of churches in the US are experiencing growth or hyper expansion.” One of the sneakiest lies that Satan is telling the church is, “It is not my job to share the gospel.” Jesus’ last words to His disciples on earth was for them to go and make disciples of all nations and that He would be with them. This is still a command for every believer in Jesus today.  “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations” When we think about someone becoming a disciple that means that the person accepts Jesus’ sacrifice. Jesus did not say, rely on your pastor or the evangelist to share the gospel, He called you and me to go and make disciples of Jesus. A large reason why  church is not growing is because the enemy has caused the church as a whole to sit back and believe that the gospel is true but it is not our job to share. We do not want to “step on toes,” we fear what others will think about us, we like staying in our Christian circles, or we just simply do not know how to share our faith because no one has ever taught us.    We are all coming from different backgrounds and experiences, but the Lord wants to use us as His vessels to share the hope of heaven with others. He has invited us into building His kingdom. The response of another person is not on us, but we are called to offer the gospel and trust the Holy Spirit to move. We leave the results up to Him. I was recently speaking with a 60-year-old friend and he shared that if he heard that the results were left to the Holy Spirit, he would have felt freer sharing his faith growing up. Unfortunately, he was taught that if a person did not accept Christ, then it was his fault. This caused him to feel defeated at ever even trying to share the gospel. He had a defeated mentality. The enemy so often uses this lie and redirects our eyes to the wrong thing, instead of resting in the work of the Spirit and relying on the living and active Word of God. Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, We do not just share the good news of the gospel with others, we disciple them. Just like Jesus taught and walked alongside the disciples, we too are invited to walk alongside others on their faith journeys. We celebrate when they are baptized, we help them when trials come up, we pray with and for them, we study the Bible with them, we are in genuine relationship with them. No, we cannot do this with everyone we meet. However, this is why it is not just the pastor’s job, this is the role of the church. We are the body of Christ, we function best when everyone is involved and connected. We know that we serve the Triune God who is still working and still baptizing people. And teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. We disciple and we teach others to grow in God’s Word and relationship with Him. We also model to them how to share their faith with others. Spiritual multiplication happens when believers in Jesus begin to disciple others and send them out to share the gospel. It is the great commission. It is our calling as believers in Christ to share Him with the world. This starts right in our communities, thinking about who is around us who needs Him. Intersecting Faith and Life: Have you ever been tempted to believe that sharing your faith was a pastor or evangelist’s job and not yours? Who is someone specific that you believe God has placed in your life who needs the gospel? Begin praying for this person and spend some time asking into their faith, then share the gospel with them in the power of the Holy Spirit. There are many wonderful resources out there to guide your conversation, such as God Tools.   Further Reading: Mark 16:15 Psalm 96:3 Ephesians 2:8-9 Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Despite our differences, we share a common purpose: to seek God, reach out to him, and discover that God is right there with us.  From the beginning, God made all nations from one person. SUBSCRIBE to our sister podcasts:Your Daily Prayer: https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-prayer/Your Daily Bible Verse: https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-bible-verse/ Full Transcript Below: God’s Global Family By: Whitney Hopler, Crosswalk.com Contributing Writer  “From one person God made all nations who live on earth, and he decided when and where every nation would be. God has done all this, so that we will look for him and reach out and find him. He isn’t far from any of us, and he gives us the power to live, to move, and to be who we are. ‘We are his children,’ just as some of your poets have said.” – Acts 17:26-28, CEV  The Olympic flag, which displays 5 connected rings representing our planet’s inhabited continents, was designed to show how nations around the globe can come together in peace and friendship. The 5 different colors of the rings were planned so that athletes from every nation on earth could identify at least one color from his or her own nation’s flag. At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, athletes from more than 200 different nations worldwide are participating. The Olympic Games shine a powerful spotlight on the world’s nations. Watching the Olympics, we learn about both the diverse sports and the diverse national cultures represented there.  In Acts 17:26-28, the Bible points out that God has intentionally created and placed each nation and individual in their specific time and place on earth. The diversity we see around us is not accidental; it is a deliberate part of God’s design. The Bible also reveals that God’s plan for each of us is to search for him and find him. God is the loving Heavenly Father of a global family of humans. We’re all connected, by God’s design, and God wants to have close relationships with every one of us around the world. From the beginning, God made all nations from one person – Adam, the first human being – to show us our shared origin and interconnectedness. We are all a part of God’s global family. Each nation and each person makes a valuable contribution to our world. This diversity reflects the creativity and vastness of God’s nature.  Despite our differences, we share a common purpose: to seek God, reach out to him, and discover that God is right here with us. God’s proximity to us is a source of great comfort. He is not a distant deity, but a caring Father who empowers us to live, move, and be who we are. Our identity and existence are rooted in God. No matter where we are in the world, we have access to God’s love and guidance.  As God’s children, we are called to embrace our identity and live in a way that reflects God’s love and unity. We can honor this truth by recognizing the value in every person, regardless of their background. We can also celebrate the diversity of God’s creation while seeking to build bridges of understanding and compassion. By doing so, we fulfill our role as members of God’s global family, letting God’s love flow through us to a world that desperately needs it.  Let the Olympics inspire you to learn more about the different nations in our world, and the people who live there. Try food from different nations at ethnic restaurants. Listen to music from around the world. Watch documentaries about various countries. Talk with someone you know who is an immigrant and listen to his or her stories. If possible, plan to visit nations that especially interest you, so you can experience their distinctive cultures yourself. The more you learn about your global family, the more you can learn about the Heavenly Father we all share!  Intersecting Faith and Life As you consider how you’re a valuable part of God’s global family, reflect on these questions:  How does understanding that God made all nations from one person influence your view of humanity? What are some practical steps you can take to build bridges of understanding and compassion with people from different backgrounds? How can you celebrate and embrace the diversity of God’s creation in your community? How does knowing that God gives you the power to live, move, and be who you are impact your sense of identity and purpose? In what ways can you actively seek God and reach out to him in your daily life?  Further Reading Genesis 1:27 Psalm 139:13-14 John 17:21 Galatians 3:28 Ephesians 2:14 Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Take some time alone with the Holy Spirit today. Tell him you want to feel his presence and spend time with him. Consider asking him some questions to get to know him better, like:  SUBSCRIBE to our sister podcasts:Your Daily Prayer: https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-prayer/Your Daily Bible Verse: https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-bible-verse/ Full Transcript Below: Soul Brother  By Deidre Braley  I studied abroad in Spain for one semester of college. One weekend, my friends and I made a short, cheap trip to Barcelona, where we spent most of our time hunting for free sightings of Salvador Dalí’s work and staying in a crummy hostel. And while I remember very little about where we ate, what we saw, or even how we afforded to get there, I’ll never forget the way I felt when I met a fellow traveler one evening as we were leaving our room.  This person was from England, and with a group of friends who were also traveling for the weekend. By chance, we’d all happened to exit our rooms at the same time, and as we bumbled through the narrow hallway we introduced ourselves, talking about where we were from and feeling quite jovial that we could drop our subpar Spanish skills and simply communicate in English for a while.  Have you ever met a total stranger whom you feel an instant connection with, as though you’ve known them your whole life? This is how I felt with one of the members of this group. On the outside, it would appear we had nothing in common, except that we spoke the same language. But on the inside, I felt my soul coming alive with recognition. I had the rare sensation of being completely seen and known—as though this person and I were kindred spirits, or that maybe we’d been cut from the same cloth when God was spinning us into existence. By the end of the night, we were strolling down the streets of Barcelona arm-in-arm, talking conspiratorially about inside jokes only we seemed to understand.  I never saw that person again, but thinking about that night reminds me that there is another who we can have this kind of soul connection with: Jesus.  I often find myself daydreaming about what it will be like to meet Jesus for the first time. I wonder what he’ll look like and what he’ll smell like, what he’ll say and how he’ll smile. But if there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that he will feel like a soul brother.  1 John 4:13 says, “This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit.” See, when we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior of our lives, we don’t have to spend the rest of our time earthside waiting to meet him. He puts his Spirit inside of us, enabling us to connect with him on the most intimate of levels.  “In Christ you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed,” Ephesians 1:13-14 reads. “The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory.” In this way, we can hear, know, and commune with his Spirit even as we wait for the fulfillment of our inheritance and our redemption. I imagine that the time we spend with the Holy Spirit in this life will prepare us for that familiar feeling of reunion with Jesus in the next.  As we wait and long to meet Jesus face-to-face one day, we needn’t wonder what he’ll be like. Rather, we can turn to the Spirit that he’s placed inside us and begin getting to know him better today. And when we do finally open a door and bump into Jesus one day? Why, he won’t feel like a stranger. He’ll be a soul brother—and we’ll be linking arms and exchanging secrets in no time.  Intersecting Faith & Life:  Take some time alone with the Holy Spirit today. Tell him you want to feel his presence and spend time with him. Consider asking him some questions to get to know him better, like:  What makes you smile? What would you like me to know about you? What do you ask of me today? Then, allow yourself to sit in silence and solitude. Record any specific impressions you feel, any words you hear, or any pictures you see in your mind. As you grow in this practice, you will likely grow in your awareness of his presence—and also your ability to hear and understand him.  Further Reading:  Romans 8  Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

God is focused on relationship. We tend to be focused on activity. He is the One who tells us to "be still" (Psalm 46:10) and to come to Him and rest (Matthew 11:28). We are the ones who are striving to do more.   SUBSCRIBE to our sister podcasts:Your Daily Prayer: https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-prayer/Your Daily Bible Verse: https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-bible-verse/ Full Transcript Below: What More Does God Want Me to Do?  by Cindi McMenamin  "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”  (Matthew 22:37 NASB)  Do you ever feel burnt out with all that you’re doing for God? Perhaps your life revolves around ministry or maybe you just wonder sometimes if God’s pleased with you or if you should be doing more.  We live in a culture focused on doing to the point that busyness is our badge of success and multi-tasking in the church is what appears to others—and ourselves—as ultra-spiritual. But although a relationship with the living God produces a desire to obey Him and serve Him, that service results in joy and rest, not perpetual stress!  In my book, When Women Long for Rest, I point out that God would rather have us be with Him than do a bunch of things for Him. I see that in Jesus' response to a man who asked Him about the greatest of all the commandments. Jesus' answer was "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind."  God is focused on relationship. We tend to be focused on activity. He is the One who tells us to "be still" (Psalm 46:10) and to come to Him and rest (Matthew 11:28). We are the ones who are striving to do more.   Yet, as we spend time cultivating a love relationship with God, we will then know how to serve others and we will be able to discern His gentle voice saying, "This is what I have for you" or "Step in and help her with that." But it will never be at the expense of overlooking our primary responsibilities or feeling over-extended.  Jesus, after all, told His closest followers, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest" (Mark 6:31), not "Let's try to cover even more territory today by working even harder!" Intersecting Faith and Life:  If you are caring for young children, or working full time, or someone who constantly has your hands full (and who doesn't these days?), let me remind you of these three principles when it comes to doing more for God:   Grow in your love for Him and the labor will follow—but in the way He wants, not in the way your guilt determines. As you sit at God’s feet, He will eventually call you to get up and serve Him. But if we aren't taking time to be still, open His Word, and listen for His voice and direction, how can we possibly know how and where we are to serve Him?  Look for where He is calling you to serve and go where He leads. This is difficult if you tend to be a people-pleaser. Yes, there are Sundays when you may need to help in the church nursery because someone didn't show up and you know it's the right thing to do. But in terms of regular service for the Lord, wait upon God, pray for timing and clarity and walk through the doors that He opens, don't try to pry them open yourself or walk through them out of guilt. Ministry isn't limited to Sundays. When we think of "doing something" for God, we tend to think of activity in the church building. While each of us in the body of Christ is to exercise our spiritual gifts in a way that uplifts and encourages the rest of the body, that implies connection with a local church where you can be your "part" in the functioning body of Christ. But that doesn't mean that ministry occurs only within a church setting.  Ministry happens anywhere that you are salt and light on this earth and wherever Christ is glorified through you. Your greatest ministry right now may be to support and encourage your spouse or to invest spiritually in the lives of your children. If you have a job outside the church but feel you need to do more inside the church, find that balance so you can still be used effectively no matter where you are. Followers of Christ tend to forget the amazing ministry they can have simply by living next to and working alongside non-believers and continuing to live as followers of Christ.  Remember, our works and activity for God are not something we do to earn God's favor. Jesus did enough to secure God's forgiveness and acceptance of us when He gave His perfect life in exchange for ours as a penalty for our sin. Our service, in light of what Christ did for us on the cross, is simply to show our love and obedience to Him. It's our way of saying "I've been freed from the yoke of sin and I have a new master now...it's the Lord Jesus." Serving Him from that mindset brings joy, not stress.  Serve Him out of inspiration, not obligation, and you may find that instead of feeling guilt for not doing enough, you are feeling so very privileged to do the little that you can.  Lord, show us today how to serve You wherever we are, as a way of saying we love You.  Further Reading: Psalm 62. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Is there a bible verse that keeps coming to mind? Are you unable to get it out of your head? Maybe God is putting it there for good reason. Pray and ask Him what He wants you to know. Here are 3 ways to know when God is talking to you. SUBSCRIBE to our sister podcasts:Your Daily Prayer: https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-prayer/Your Daily Bible Verse: https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-bible-verse/ Full Transcript Below: 3 Ways to Recognize When God is Talking to You By Kelly Balarie “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” – Psalm 19:1 NIV I walked with a friend. Struggling with a sickness that was incredibly hard, I sought just the right words to encourage her.  No words would suffice. What do you say when there is nothing to say? I’ve learned, listening is always more powerful than speaking when one is going through the wringer of life.  So, I asked her questions and then let her speak. I actively repeated what she spoke to let her know that I was hearing her heart. Eventually, the moment of awkward silence arrived where I had nothing left to ask. I needed to say something. God, help me?!! I looked towards my feet, pondering what to say. A leaf caught my attention. Amazingly, it was shaped like a heart.  I knew God wanted me to share His love for her. He gave me an answer to my inner unsaid pleading for just the right words!! “God loves you so much.” I told her.  A well-spoken word at just the right moment has the ability to break through to a person’s heart like nothing else. God reminded me of His heart for my friend through nature. This is one of the many ways that God speaks to us.  Scripture says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” – Psalm 19:1 NIV How else does God speak? The second way that God speaks is through the Word of God. To store His Words in our heart is to hear them sound in our mind when the going gets tough.  When my kids act up, sometimes I feel afraid. When fear comes at me a mile a minute because I have stored God’s Word in my mind, I often hear a bible verse pop in my head. His Word kills my fear. The third way God speaks to us is through people. Have you ever experienced a repeat situation time and time again? Maybe it feels like people are always telling you the same thing. Once, I had a women’s minister at a church tell me that I was intense. Again, a friend, I prayed with told me I also was intense. I started to feel a little upset about that. People don’t want to be around intense people. However, the more I considered their words, the more I realized that Jesus was intense too.  God was communicating to me, through people’s words that what people noted about me, was something He loved and created. How might God be trying to reach you? Intersecting Faith & Life: Is there a bible verse that keeps coming to mind? Are you unable to get it out of your head? Maybe God is putting it there for good reason. Pray and ask Him what He wants you to know. Do you keep running into a similar situation with people? What might God be trying to say to you through this? Do you ever sit and look at God’s creation? What can you surmise about God’s character and nature based on how He has created the world?  Kelly uplifts believers with boosts of faith; find encouragement by getting Kelly’s blog posts by email. Kelly, creator of the “Hear God’s Voice” podcast, is also a blogger, national speaker, and author of Take Every Thought Captive, Rest Now, Battle Ready, and Fear Fighting. Kelly, a real cheerleader of faith, loves seeing the power of prayer in live action. She loves seeing the look on people’s faces when they realize –God is faithful! Kelly’s work has been featured on The Today Show, CBN’s 700 Club, Relevant and Today’s Christian Woman.  Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.