On today'sTreasured Truth, Pastor Ford will remind us that we should not let ourselves be impeded in our healing from past hurts because we want to know why someone would hurt us in the way they did. We often ask why did they do it? We have to realize that we may never find out why they did what they did. And often people who do things to us don’t even know why they did them. So, we shouldn’t let this question hold us back from getting past the hurt. Find our more about how to forgive the unforgivable when you join us for today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we’ve been hurt and we realize what our offenders meant for evil, God actually meant for good, then we understand the purpose of our pain. We can see that those who do evil towards us don’t control our lives by anything that they can do to us. Instead, God controls the outcome and intends for us to go through certain things so we can become more like He wants us to be. Learn more about forgiveness as Pastor Ford continues his message called “How to Forgive the Unforgivable” on today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue to look at forgiveness on today's Treasured Truth, we’ll discover how the story of Joseph unfolds in the Old Testament. We’ll see how Joseph reminded his offenders of God’s sovereignty in his life. He said, “You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.” So, Pastor Ford will explain that Joseph was essentially saying—what you meant as a stumbling block, God meant it as a stepping stone.  Learn more when you join us for today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What happened to you may have been completely devastating. And the day it happened might have seemed like the darkest day you’ve ever lived through. But no matter how difficult it was, God is still alive and He is going to work in whatever your situation is. And on today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will remind you that God wants you to bring something out of what you’ve been through that you didn’t have before—something you never would have had if you had not gone through the devastation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's Treasured Truth, we will look at one of the greatest examples of a believer giving forgiveness to those who had wounded him deeply.  He’s someone who emulates our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and who deals with something that was extremely devastating to him. Join us for today's Treasured Truth to find out which person from the Old Testament Pastor Ford describes as such a great forgiver.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will explain that practicing forgiveness is like we’re saying, “I will not let that wrong perpetrated against me define my life.”  Forgiveness is releasing the person who has wronged us and in doing so, freeing ourselves from the bondage of unforgiveness. Join us as we learn more about forgiveness on today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Forgiving can be so hard, especially when the wrong done to us seems unforgiveable. But when we look at Jesus at Calvary, whatever was done to us can never compare to what was done to Him on the cross. And He said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do!” If Jesus sought forgiveness for His offenders, so can we. Find out more about how to forgive the unforgiveable on today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we begin to take an in depth look at the process of forgiveness on today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will describe how, in one concise verse found in Luke 23, Jesus tells us we can forgive the unforgivable. If we utilize the model Jesus lived for us to follow, we can forgive those individuals who have wronged us. Find out more when you join us for today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's Treasured Truth, we’ll continue to explore how Jesus compared believers to salt. We’ll discover that in those days, when salt had lost its savor—or lost its potential to bring flavor—they would take it and throw it out in the road for people to walk on it.  And today Pastor Ford will explain what Jesus meant when He compared certain believers to savorless salt. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will explain what Jesus meant when He said that believers are the salt of the earth. They add zest and flavor to an otherwise bland world.  Others see their joy, love, and commitment and are drawn to Christ.  But why aren’t people drawn to some believers? He’ll explain it’s because they’re not salty enough and they don’t display to the world the attractiveness of Christ. Learn more when you when you join us for the second part of a message entitled “Are you Worth Your Salt, on today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will explain that God’s delays are not denials, but they’re always for our development.  God is consistent and always doing something on our behalf.  Whatever He’s doing is either for our development, our deliverance, or setting up the details of our destiny, to get it ready for us or often, to get us ready for it. [Learn more when you join us for today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we begin this short series from Matthew 5, verse 13, Pastor Ford will help us analyze our own effectiveness in light of God’s Kingdom.  This verse tells us that, as believers, we are the salt of the earth.  But if the salt has lost is saltiness, then what good is it? Listen today's Treasured Truth to find out how you can keep your saltiness and maintain your effectiveness as a believer in Christ. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When you look at the storm you’re going through, it makes you feel like you’re ready to give up.  But when you look through the storm, to what lies beyond, then you have the resolve to keep going.  And that’s what we need to do! We need that resolve to look through the storm, keep going and pushing through.  Ultimately, we need to keep on doing what God has called us to do. Hear more when you join us for today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jesus said, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age…” So, with that statement, He was reassuring us that we can be confident that God is always working on our behalf.  And that means when God is silent, He’s actually working behind the scenes and doing things that we don’t even realize, in order to get us to the place where He wants us to be. Learn more about this important concept on today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When they were wandering in the wilderness, the children of Israel took their eyes off the promise that God had given them and put their eyes on the problems they had.  And what happened to them as a result?  All of that generation died in the wilderness.  And on today'sTreasured Truth, Pastor Ford will ask us—how many of us are dying in the wilderness because we always focus on the problem and not the promise? To learn more, join us for today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What’s the definition of compassion?  Pastor Ford defines it this way:  Your pain in my heart.  So that means, in order to be compassionate, we have to put other people’s pain in our own heart and then strive to see their situation from their perspective. And when you join us for today'sTreasured Truth, Pastor Ford will continue our current study from Galatians called, “We Need to Help Each Other.” That’s on today'sTreasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we begin a new study on today's Treasured Truth and start to look at Joshua 14, we’ll see that Caleb knew when we have a promise from God and a word from Him, what we need to do is just move forward on the word that God has given to us. So, realizing that, Caleb claimed his promise from God, despite the plans others had for him. Learn more as Pastor Ford starts a new message called If God Names It, We Can Claim It on today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue our study in Galatians on today's Treasured Truth, we’ll discover that the Apostle Paul encourages us to react to people who have needs and who can’t bear those burdens by themselves.  But he’s not encouraging us to relinquish them of responsibility that they can handle. We need to strive to achieve a balance when we seek to help people. Join us as we learn about helping our fellow believers on today'sTreasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will continue his message from Psalm 55. He’ll explain that when we’re dealing with betrayal, we must understand how it can affect us emotionally and then avoid the tendency we might develop to isolate ourselves from others.  Also, we need to remember that we can take our broken heartedness to Jesus, and He understands our grief, since He Himself was betrayed in the worst of ways by a friend. Understand more about dealing with betrayal when you join us for today's Treasured TruthSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When you join us for today'sTreasured Truth, we’ll consider David’s lament in Psalm 55, where he detailed a betrayal he experienced. Pastor Ford will explain that David is not referring to a betrayal that was perpetrated by some casual acquaintance.  Insteads, he is talking about a betrayal by an intimate friend.  We will begin to see how David dealt with this betrayal and learn from his response. To learn more, join us for today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How can we know if we are mature believers?  When God’s purpose is more important to us than our pain.  Some people won’t get involved in ministry because they know that they’re going to get hurt.  But Pastor Ford will explain on today'sTreasured Truth that we all must ask ourselves, is Christ sacrifice on Calvary more important to us than our own personal comfort?  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue our study in 2 Corinthians on today'sTreasured Truth, we will discover that the Apostle Paul had a unique perspective about his problems, because he chose to look at the Problem Solver, instead of at his problems.  Instead of looking at the Devil, who has some power, Paul chose to focus on the One Who has all power—Jesus Christ.  Find out more about learning to live with liabilities on today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we consider what the Lord Jesus did for us, we see the magnitude of His sacrifice—He paid for the sins of the entire world. We see the magnificence of it—because even when we were His enemies and while we were still sinners, He died for us. The majesty of it—the Creator died for the creature. And the mystery of it—why would someone so holy die for a world of messed up sinners like us? Find out more when you join us for today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Ford will remind us that the Apostle Paul set the example for us to not ever take our eyes off of Christ to focus instead on our problems or our pain. Rather we should do what Paul demonstrated for us. By maintaining what Pastor Ford calls an “abiding vision of God,” Paul was able to accept his suffering when God chose not to remove it from his life. Find out more about what Pastor Ford calls learning to live with liabilities on today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's Treasured Truth, we’ll continue to look at how the Apostle Paul described and dealt with his “thorn in the flesh.” Pastor Ford will point out that there was a tension, or a tandem nature about Paul’s situation—God graced the suffering to him, but Satan was the one who was giving him fits.  Satan was the one causing his pain.  It wasn’t God.  God was the one being gracious toward him. And that realization was critical to Paul’s understanding of what God was trying to accomplish in his life. Learn more about God’s grace in our suffering on today'sTreasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One reason why we’re fighting against what God is allowing to happen in our lives may be because we’re immature in our faith and we don’t understand that God’s not allowing our suffering to happen in order to hurt us.  Instead, He’s trying to help us.  He’s not trying to destroy us.  He’s trying to develop us. Learn more about this important concept as Pastor Ford continues to share how can learn to live with our liabilities on today'sTreasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We need to remember that God can do with us whatever, whenever, wherever, and however He pleases.  And on today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will explain that God’s not going to ask our permission to conform us to the image of Jesus Christ.  However, sometimes the best way He is able to do just that is through our suffering. Find out more on today's Treasured Truth.                                                                                                 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sometimes all we can see is our problems.  We’re surrounded by our handicaps, our sicknesses, and our liabilities—emotionally, physically, psychologically, socially, and financially.  But on today'sTreasured Truth, Pastor Ford will explain what we need is a fresh, abiding vision of God, like the Apostle Paul describe to the Corinthian believers. We can ask God to help us see Him in the midst of our suffering. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's Treasured Truth, as we continue to look at why God deserves all of our praise, we’ll learn that we can’t just join God’s family. We have to be born into it. So, what did Jesus do for us?  He traded places with you and with me, which allows us to be born again and become part of God’s family. Find out more on today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian church about his “thorn in the flesh.” And on the next Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will explain how Paul dealt with his suffering by keeping an abiding vision of God. That’s what helped him to deal with whatever he was going through.  When you join us for today's Treasured Truth, we’ll learn that Paul wasn’t looking to his suffering.  He was looking to the Savior. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's Treasured Truth, we’ll begin a study from 2 Corinthians, and consider why God gives us challenges and liabilities that we must deal with in our lives. And Pastor Ford will challenge us to consider this question—Why isn’t it a possibility that you have your disability not as a liability, but as a possibility? Find out more on today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we find ourselves in the midst of a spiritual battle, we sometimes can feel disillusioned and discouraged.  But on the nest Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will remind us that if we anchor ourselves to the rock of our salvation, we cannot be moved.  We can stand in the midst of the battle and hold on to the tenants of our faith. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over the course of our faith journey, many of us experience times when we have lost our passion for Christ.  We allow sin to creep in and disrupt our relationship with Him. On the nest Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will remind us about how important it is to recapture our lost love for Jesus and he’ll explain how we can do it. To learn more,  be sure to join us for today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sadly, some of us have lost our testimony for God.  Others of us have lost our hunger for the Word of God.  And some of us have lost our desire for the worship of God.  On the nest Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will explain how we can recapture our lost love for Jesus. Find out more when you join us for today'sTreasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The impetus for our praise is based on Who God is.  Because He has intrinsic glory.  That is, there’s nothing that’s added to Him that makes Him glorious.  We praise Him because He’s God all by Himself—He’s omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient.  And that means He’s worthy of our praise! Learn more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's Treasured Truth, we’ll take a break from our normal programming line-up so Pastor Ford can answer your questions about the Bible and the Christian life.  The topics he’ll be explaining include how to know if you’ve really turned from sin and received Christ, the correlation between Noah’s Ark and the Cross, and how to understand God as the Trinity.  To learn more about these topics, join us for today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue to discover our need to develop and attitude of gratitude, Pastor Ford will help us understand that God wants to do something in us, even if He doesn’t end up doing something for us.  He wants us to be His children who have an attitude of gratitude for all that He has done, but also for what He is able to do. Find out more when you join us for today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Life can be very difficult at times. But while we’re going through, whatever it is we’re going through, God’s Word tells us that we ought to have an attitude of gratitude. And on today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will share that scripture instructs us as followers of Christ to always have a perspective that acknowledges the fact that God does all things well. To learn more, join us for today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's Treasured Truth, we’ll conclude the series of messages on a man worth having.  And Pastor Ford will explain that if a man says, “I love you in spite of who you are,” then there are no requirements to be met, no rewards to be earned, and no resources to be given.  None of those things are necessary to receive love from this man. And according to Pastor Ford, that’s means he’s a man who understands commitment and he’s a man who’s worth having! Learn more when you join us for today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's Treasured Truth, we’ll continue to look at what it means to be a man worth having. And Pastor Ford will explain that kind of man has the capacity to grow. He doesn’t pretend that he knows everything.  And he has a teachable spirit.  Find out more about how being a man worth having on today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Psalm 111, the Psalmist says that he sought God with all his heart and God had every part of Him as a result.  An on today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will explains that the heart of the matter is really a matter of the heart.  And he will ask us all to consider this—does God have your heart? To hear more how to increase your devotion to God join us for today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today'sTreasured Truth, as we begin to learn about what a man worth having looks like, we’ll see how the Biblical character Othniel in Judges 1 exhibited several characteristics which that kind of man should possess. And Pastor Ford will help understand more fully what it means to be a man worth having. So be sure to join us for today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A woman worth having knows her value.  Many women do not understand that they are fearfully and wonderfully made.  And on today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will encourage women to quit letting other people make them into the equivalent of bargain basement deals, when in reality, they are actually top shelf treasures—extremely valuable and worth having.  Find out more when you join us for today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's Treasured Truth, as we begin a study in Proverbs 31, Pastor Ford will clarify the meaning of the word “virtue” in this passage.  He has discovered that it’s not focusing on purity.  But instead, it’s focusing on power—the power of a woman.  He’ll explain that a woman worth having is able and she’s powerful in her activities and her actions, just like the woman described in this proverb. To hear more, join us for today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue to learn about communication, on today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will explain that honesty and forgiveness are key factors. If we’ve been untruthful, and we’ve told someone a lie, then we need to be forgiven of the lie so effective communication can be restored.  As long as the lie is between us and the person we are trying to communicate with, we can go back and forth with them all we want to, but we still have to deal with the lie.  Once it’s dealt with, then we can begin to achieve effective communication again with that person. Learn more on today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In our relationships, if something is really bothering us and we don’t address it, but instead we pretend that nothing is wrong, then we’re not really being honest. When someone asks us, “What’s wrong?” And we say, “Nothing.”—that’s a lie.  And on today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will ask us—How can we actually discover truth in our conversations with others, when we choose to ignore it ourselves? Learn more about how it’s critical to communicate effectively on today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will explain that our praise should be done volitionally—as an act of our will.  It doesn’t matter how we feel, we should give God some praise!  We could feel like ten miles of bad highway, but we shouldn’t walk out of a worship service without saying something to God in a corporate setting and letting Him know that we appreciate Him, we’re grateful for Him, and we love Him! Learn more about worship on today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's Treasured Truth, as we continue to learn about communication, Pastor Ford will explain that our biggest communication problem is that we do not listen to understand. Instead, we listen to reply. We’re waiting so that we can say, “Oh no, that was not what you said, or that didn’t go down like that.” So, we’re preparing our reply rather than trying to understand what the other person is trying to communicate. And we'll learn that this practice hinders the overall success of our communication and relationships.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford encourages each of us to ask ourselves, “Is there something or someone that’s in the way, causing my communication to fail?” That’s an important question, because we must be careful about who we’re allowing to speak into our relationships. Those we are listening to may have good intentions, but their advice may not apply to our relationships. Find out more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To communicate is to share information with someone, either verbally or non-verbally, in a manner in which the person understands.  But on today’s Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will explain, if there isn’t any understanding on the part of the recipient of the information, then no real communication has taken place. To hear more about why communication is key in relationships, join us for today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Honest communication is so important in any relationship.  When we lie and when we get angry, we give the devil an opportunity to be in the middle of our relationship and begin his work to tear it apart.  And that’s exactly what he wants.  On today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will explain that when we don’t tell the truth and allow our tempers to get out of control, we’re playing into the devil’s hands. Learn more about how communication is the key to every relationship when you join us for today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In our relationships, we want to be able to get along and understand each other.  We want to be able to communicate fully with each other and understand exactly what the other person is saying to us, recognizing where they’re coming from.  On today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will share some tips about how to improve your communication and your relationships, based on biblical guidelines.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

God not only deserves, but He requires our praise.  And on today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will explain that the word “Hallelujah” conveys to God our highest praise. And according to Pastor Ford, God wanted us to have a word that every Christian could use, no matter what our culture, color, creed, or language, and the word that He gave us is “Hallelujah!” To learn more about this valuable expression of our praise to God, join us for today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sometimes we need to try and connect to how a person is feeling.  If they’re feeling a certain way, they feel that way, simply because they feel that way.  And on today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will explain that sometimes we need to try to bridge the disconnect we may be experiencing. And when we do, we may find out there are underlying things that may be going on that we just can’t solve.  Learn more about communication and relationships when you join us for today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When you join us for today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will urge us to understand that we ought not criticize how another person feels.  We should let them express their feelings.  And then when we communicate, we must own our feelings.  We shouldn’t say, “You did this to me.” Instead, we should say, “What you did made me feel this way.” To learn more about how communication is the key to every relationship, join us for today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The elements of communication include tone, body language and words.  And on today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will explain that if your attitude is bad, then you can assume your body language, your tone and your words, may not be fit for good communication. To understand more about how communication is the key to any and every relationship, join us for today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

God wants us to be generous, not only in our gifts to Him, but also in our gifts to others.  As we cultivate a giving attitude and a heart that is focused on generosity, then God will honor us.  But on today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will remind us that we don’t give to get.  Instead, we give out of our gratitude.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we are giving to God, it’s not about what’s in our pocket or wallet—it’s about what’s in our heart and our attitude about giving.  And on today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will share with us how we can honor God with our gifts, as we respond in gratitude for all that He has done for us.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When seeking forgiveness from another person, our attitude is crucial. People generally judge the seriousness and sincerity of our request for forgiveness based on the way our words come from our mouths. So, if we don’t approach the conversation with humility, our attitude will complicate the process. To learn more about why sometimes saying you’re sorry just isn’t enough, when you join Pastor Ford for today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As he finished out the book of Galatians, the Apostle Paul wanted the believers there to know he had an allegiance to Christ based on what Christ had done for him on Calvary’s cross.  He didn’t need anyone to challenge him to live for Jesus!  Jesus Christ and His gospel were Paul’s number one priority, and he had the scars to prove it. On today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will help us understand what Paul meant when he said, “For I bear on my body the brand-marks of Jesus.”  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the next Treasured Truth, we’ll see that as the Apostle Paul began to conclude his letter to the Galatians, he focused on the cross of Christ.  Pastor Ford will explain that Paul had praise for the cross.  Then he explained the power, the promise, and the persecution of the cross. Learn more about what this means for us when you join us for today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In some of the final verses of his letter to them, the Apostle Paul explained to the Galatian believers that the promise of victory and peace doesn’t apply to everyone, even if they’re believers.  It only applies to those who walk according to a certain scriptural guideline.  In other words, Pastor Ford will ask us—if we don’t implement what Christ has given us for victory, then why are we expecting to have victory in the Christian life? Learn more about this important concept when you join us for today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will help us understand how Paul affirmed to the Galatian believers his comprehension of his own confirmation.  And then, in his letter to them, he celebrated his liberation from sin. We’ll see that Paul gave us a great example of how to respond to the good news of the Gospel as we continue to look at the topic of embracing the cross of Christ. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's Treasured Truth, we’ll look at how embracing the cross of Christ transforms us.  As scripture says, “…Old things are passed away, behold all things are become new.” So, Pastor Ford will explain that what God provides for us in our transformation is enough to give us a foundation for holiness and godly living. Find out more when you join us for today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue to look at seeking forgiveness from others on today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will explain how we often will make excuses for ourselves. But he will remind us that Jesus died for our sins, not for our excuses. And we need to remember what we’re talking about when we seek forgiveness—it’s not what we feel about what we did to the other person.  Rather, it’s about how they felt about what we did to them. Learn more when you join us for today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Bible teaches that we each gain so much through Christ’s sacrifice for us on the cross.  And on the next Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will remind us that our pardon, position, power, provision, peace, and preservation are all in Christ.  Learn more about what Christ has done for us when you join us for today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's Treasured Truth, we’ll begin an in depth look at the cross of Christ and how we can embrace it.  And Pastor Ford will explain that Christ’s vicarious death was deficient for none, sufficient for all, and efficient for everybody who believes in Him. Find out more about what this means when you join us for today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will explain that when we see one of our brothers or sisters in need of spiritual correction, we first need to take time to pray and really think about the best, most positive way to speak words of correction or words of rebuke to them. We need to do it in the right spirit, and not permit ourselves to get upset when we don’t get the response that we think we should get or that the Bible says we should get from them. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue to look at how we should treat our brothers and sisters in Christ, we’re going to take a closer look at meekness. When someone is meek, it means that they have strength under control. And on today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will explain that God delights in people who are meek. God wants to use people in their meekness to restore the things that are broken around them. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will remind us that our fellow believers are our brothers and our sisters in Christ. We have been cemented together and sealed by the blood of Jesus through our redemption. And that fact should compel us to care for one another. We should treat each other with decency, kindness, and respect, bearing each other’s burdens. Because according to the Apostle Paul, when we do that, we fulfill the law of Christ.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When you join us for today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will start a new message called “When Sorry Isn’t Enough.” He’ll explain that forgiveness is a dialogue and simply saying you’re sorry is a monologue. In other words, when we say, “I’m sorry,” there’s nothing else to say about what’s happened. But, when we say, “Forgive me,” now we’ve included the other person and it’s going to take a dialogue to deal with what has taken place. Learn more on today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will explain how the Apostle Paul’s teaching in Galatians makes it clear that the gospel of Jesus Christ doesn’t deny the law, but rather, the law is fulfilled in the gospel. Because the central core and motivation behind what Jesus did for us is the fact that He loves us. And in return, we should love Him and not squander the liberty He has afforded to us. Learn more when you join us for today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's Treasured Truth, as we continue our study in Galatians, Pastor Ford will remind us about what the Apostle Paul was trying to teach the Galatian believers—that we as believers need to understand the more human effort we bring to the table when it comes to the process of our salvation, the more we end up nullifying God’s grace. Find out more about the “no strings attached” gospel on today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will explain how the Apostle Paul described the situation of the Galatian believers. They had heard and received the clear and simple message of salvation, but they let the those who were stuck on earning their salvation by keeping the law come along and add stuff to the gospel. So, they had a saving message, but they let others take the truth away from them, making the message of no effect. To learn more join us for today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's Treasured Truth, as we conclude our look at the story of the paralyzed man in Mark chapter 2, we’ll see how this man’s friends were determined to get him to Jesus.  Despite the obstacles, they tore the roof off the building where Jesus was teaching so that He could heal their friend.  So, Pastor Ford will ask today, what radical things are we doing to get our friends to Jesus?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When you join us for today's Treasured Truth, we’ll learn more about how we can transition from doctrine to duty. Pastor Ford will explain that what is learned in the holy place where we worship, should be demonstrated in the marketplace where we work and live. So, he’ll encourage us to take what we are learning in church with us and share it with the world.  If we were doing that more often, then more people would be attracted to what we have and want to become a part of the church themselves.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's Treasured Truth, in the passage we’ll be studying from Galatians 5, Paul says, “Stand fast therefore, in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free.  And be not entangled again, with the yoke of bondage.”  So, Pastor Ford will explain what he means is the law doesn’t empower us, it enslaves us.  And if we try to follow the law, we end up with legalism, rather than liberty. To learn more about the freedom Christ offers us, join us for today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will help us understand that when we are not keeping the Lord’s commandments, we are not loving Him.  He’ll also address this question—what does it mean for us to be committed to Jesus Christ? It means we love what Jesus loves and we hate what Jesus hates.  And that’s how we know we’re committed to Christ. Learn more when you join us for today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever received a pardon, but refused it?  On today's Treasured Truth, we’ll hear about a man named George Wilson, who did just that.  And Pastor Ford will explain that there are too many people who are like George.  God gives them the pardon they need, but they reject His offer of salvation through grace. Join us as we begin a new message from Pastor Ford called “Gave Me Liberty” on today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As our study in Galatians chapter 4 continues on today's Treasured Truth, we’ll see that just like Abraham and Sarah received a promise from God, as believers we all have received a promise too. It’s the promise that we will be delivered from the penalty of our sins through grace. The new covenant frees us from the law, and we now have the hope of salvation, but it’s only found through the gift of grace. To find out more about God’s gift of grace, join us for the next Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's Treasured Truth, we’ll be looking at what Jesus did for the paralyzed man in Mark chapter 2. And Pastor Ford will ask us to consider what did the man think that he needed most? Healing in his body. What did Jesus know he needed most? Forgiveness in his soul. Based on this, Pastor Ford will remind us just how important our spiritual healing is to our Savior.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Salvation is by grace. So, in the process of salvation, we don’t help God out.  And on today's Treasured Truth, as we look at the passage we’re studying, Pastor Ford will explain that Paul is saying the promise God made to Abraham and Sarah is very much like our salvation. God does not need our help to perform any act or to bring anything to pass, no matter what it is. He does not need our help to save us. Learn more when you join us for today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's Treasured Truth, as we continue to look at the story that the Apostle Paul allegorizes in Galatians chapter 4, we’ll see that he wants to help the Galatians understand that they are trying in vain to get salvation from the law, when the law was never designed to give us our salvation. We simply cannot get salvation by the things that we do.  And that’s Paul’s entire argument—salvation is by grace alone.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue to look at this story from the Old Testament and how the Apostle Paul is infusing it with a new meaning, Pastor Ford will remind us that Biblical interpretation follows a simple formula—when the literal sense makes plain sense, seek no other sense, lest you abandon common sense and end up with nonsense. Learn more when you join us for today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Galatians chapter 4, Paul takes the Old Testament story about Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac and allegorizes it. On today's Treasured Truth, we’re going to dig into this passage and see what timeless truths the Apostle Paul is trying to get us to understand by giving this old story a new meaning.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Law and Grace don’t mix. But the Apostle Paul was having a hard time communicating that fact to the Galatian believers and convincing them it was the truth. So, he took a story from the Old Testament and allegorized it, giving it a new twist that helped them to understand. To hear Pastor Ford explain how Paul used an old story with a new meaning in his letter to the Galatians, join us for today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will explain that challenges are an important part of our journey as followers of Christ.  What we’ve overcome determines how far we’ve come from the place where God started to change our lives.  And if we find that we’re not anywhere new, it’s probably because we have not yet overcome the challenges that God wants to use to grow us into the new creation He is making in us.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When you join us for today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will explain how the Apostle Paul set an example for us when he was addressing the Galatian believers about the errors of their doctrine. Paul equated the process to the “travails of childbirth” as he struggled to help them understand. His ultimate goal was for them to see the likeness of Christ formed in them. So, following his example, we can learn from Paul as we seek to assist our own fellow believers who may have accepted false doctrines that don’t line up with the truth found in God’s Word.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do you reach someone with the truth of God’s Word, when they are confused about a doctrinal issue and believing an error?  On today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will explain you must start by showing them your genuine concern for them and allowing them to sense your heart of compassion for them.  If you don’t start there, then they may confuse you with the “doctrine police” and you may miss the opportunity to help them understand the truth. To learn more, join us for the next Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When you join us for today's Treasured Truth, we will consider the importance of having sound doctrine.  And Pastor Ford will explain that we must be concerned about the truth of the gospel, maintaining its clarity and integrity. But we also must have a heart of compassion for others. So, to maintain our understanding of God’s truth while caring for our fellow believers, we must lovingly correct those around us who may have been duped by doctrinal error.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will remind us that we need to become intimately familiar with the truth.  Why?  Because there will be people who will come to us with errors in their teaching.  They will come with heresy and lies.  And we must be able to distinguish between the truth of God’s Word and man’s errors. Learn more about this important concept when you join us for today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As believers, we sometimes can get bogged down in our journey toward maturity, daunted by the perception that we need to abide by a lot of rules. But on today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will remind us that we should concentrate on remembering how it was when we first got saved. Do we remember the freedom that we felt and the burden that was lifted from us? Do we remember when we realized our sins were cast into the depths of the sea?  If we remember those things, we will remember the true liberty we have in Christ.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's Treasured Truth, as we continue our study in Mark 2, and we see how the friends of the paralytic man went to great lengths to get him in front of Jesus, Pastor Ford will ask us some important questions to consider.  Are we ready to break out of the box?  Are we ready to tear the roof off of all the limitations? Sometimes, in order to get people to Jesus, we have to overcome obstacles and challenges. But on today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will remind us that every effort to get someone to Jesus is worth it.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's Treasured Truth, as we seek to understand our motivation to love and serve God and our fellow believers, we must realize that Satan’s going to shoot at us to try and prevent us from striving to reach our goal. And according to Pastor Ford, if the Devil can’t mess your church up from the outside, then what will he do? He’ll find a way to join it! So, we don’t need to give Satan the bullets to shoot at us. He already knows that if he can divide us, he can defeat us. Find out more about how we can protect ourselves against the ploys of Satan on today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever considered why as believers, we do what we do? Why do we want to know Christ more? We want that for His sake. Why do we want to love Him more? We do that for His sake.  And why do we want to follow Him more? On today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will explain that everything we do as believers should all be done for the Lord’s sake.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we realize that a fellow believer is trying to earn their salvation by obeying rules, we need to emphasize for them the freedom that they have in Jesus Christ. We should encourage them to not let anyone bind them or limit their freedom, by having them do things that the Bible doesn’t tell them to do.  So, join us for today's Treasured Truth to find out what it means for our brothers and sisters in Christ to “oppose themselves” as believers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's Treasured Truth, as we continue to consider the three-fold appeal we find in Galatians 4, Pastor Ford will explain that surface level Christianity robs us of our greater power to be able to live the Christian life. And the greater power we are seeking doesn’t come through obeying rules. Rules are not the end. They are the means by which we reach the end goal, which is always greater fellowship with Christ.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we begin a new study in Galatians on today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will ask us how far will we go to help a brother or sister who has strayed from the truth of the Bible. What does it mean, really, to bring someone back to the truth, when they have forsaken and abandoned the way of grace and are going in the way of the law? We’ll learn more about this important part of our role as Christ followers on today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is your life and testimony making Jesus attractive to the people around you?  Is anyone overhearing you share what Jesus has done for you in His person, His power, His plan, His program, and in His provision? On the next Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will ask you to consider, “Who’s hearing you?” To consider your answer to that important question, join us for today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Believers who backslide don’t need our judgment. What they really need is our love.  And love doesn’t expose sin. Love covers it. And on today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will help us understand that’s what people need. In Luke 22:31, Jesus told Peter that he was going to backslide and fall. But also Jesus said He had prayed for Peter, that his faith would be strong.  So, following Christ’s example, we should pray for and encourage our brothers and sisters who are struggling. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you know anyone who could be considered a “backslider”? If so, what have done about seeking them out and drawing them back to the Lord? On today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will ask us, “Who have you gone and snatched back from the Devil—someone who really belongs to God?” He suggests that instead of saying, “Well, the Devil’s got them now…” We should go get them!  Because they don’t belong to Satan.They belong to God! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford shares a story about how God wanted to remove fear from his life.  And God knew the way to do it was to put him in a situation where he had no help but the Lord Himself.  And, because Pastor Ford has been able to look back on that situation, he’ll explain how, from that day forward, he’s never been scared. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Psalm 23 we read, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I’ll fear no evil.”  But how could David say this, when his enemies wanted to kill him?  Because he knew that God was with always with him.  And on today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will explain that just like David, we can overcome our fears knowing that God is always with us, so we don’t ever have to be scared. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we start a new message series on today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will ask us to consider how the friends of the paralyzed man in Mark chapter 2 carried him directly to Jesus so he could be healed. In the same way, we should never let anyone or anything stop us from getting to Jesus those in our lives who need Him. Hear more about this important responsibility in the lives of believers on today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's Treasured Truth, we’ll discover how to overcome fear and anxiety. Pastor Ford will explain that when we really know Who God is and we don’t just talk about Him, but we also walk in the realization of Who He is, then we’re in a good position to overcome any fears we may face. Because when we’re rightly focused on God, that’s when we never lose sight of Who God is and what God can do in, through, and around us. To learn more, join us for the next Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sometimes we just need someone who will tell us like it is. We need someone who will just get up in our face and tell us stuff, especially the hard stuff that we don’t want to hear or even talk about. We need them to disciple us. On today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will tell us about the man who did these things for him and discipled him when he first became a follower of Christ. To hear about the difference discipleship made in Pastor Ford’s life, join us for today's Treasured Truth. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we join Pastor Ford for today's Treasured Truth, he’ll ask us to consider these questions—What are people learning from our example at our church?  Are new believers who are getting saved and coming to our church learning from us and the other members of our congregation? We’ll hear more about the process of discipleship and just how important it is in the life of the church on today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's Treasured Truth, we’ll continue our current series on the process of discipleship. Pastor Ford will ask us to consider the importance of discipleship, but not at the expense of salvation. He’ll explain that salvation shouldn’t be minimized or relegated as something that is not important. But it’s just the beginning, not the end. And so, we need to understand that discipleship is like taking a step further beyond salvation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's Treasured Truth, as we continue to look at discipleship, we’ll consider the fact that when people met Jesus’ disciples, they knew that those men had been in the presence of Jesus Christ. It was evident to those they encountered because of the lifestyle they were living and the message they were giving. And that’s because Jesus had discipled them. He accomplished what He wanted to in the lives of those men through discipleship. To hear more join Pastor Ford for today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will challenge us to seek understanding of how our problems and pain can be motivating factors in our lives. As we go through difficulties, those circumstance can motivate us to lives in the “not yet,” right now.  In other words, we can focus right now on the hope we have in our future with Jesus, instead of dwelling on our current situation. Gain some encouragement and deeper awareness about your problems and pain when you join us for today's Treasured Truth Weekend.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will continue to help us understand the process of discipleship. He’ll remind us there are people in the church who are not mature believers. But if you are mature, then what’s your job as a believer? Your job is to become a disclipler. As we dig further into 1 Corinthians 4, we’ll see that it says mature believers should  be discipling those who are less mature and making sure they are firmly rooted in the truth of God’s Word so that they’re not shaken by every wind of doctrine that comes along.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's Treasured Truth, we’ll begin a new study on the process of discipleship. As Christians, we are all called to make disciples. But how do we know that we’re being effective in our discipleship? Pastor Ford will explain that we know we’re effective when we have a fourth-generation disciple, who we are helping to grow in the Lord.  Find out more about what it means to disciple generationally when you join us for today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When you join us for today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will remind us that God’s resources are reserved for those who fulfill His responsibilities. So that means our provision has to be linked to God’s purpose. And the problem is that many of us want the provision, but we don’t want to accept and follow His purpose.  Hear the conclusion of the message “Are You Going to Do What God Calls You to Do?” on today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will continue to explain the importance of doing what God calls us to do. There are times when we will lose out on the blessings of God, because we don’t have enough faith to put all of our trust in the plan He has for us.  But then there are times when we place only part of our faith in His plan, and God still chooses to bless us fully. Ultimately, how God chooses to bless us, when He chooses to do it, and how much He chooses to bless us with, is really all up to Him. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will remind us that we have a God Who cannot love us more than He already does and will never love us any less. And even though we sometimes ignore the plan He has for us and we walk away from Him, He will never walk away from us. No matter how far we stray, we never cease to be His children. Hear more about God’s amazing steadfastness when you join us for today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will answer more of your questions about the Bible and living the Christian life. The topics he’ll cover in this episode of “Ask Pastor Ford” include explaining the Trinity, happiness in marriage and getting out of debt.  To hear him share specific wisdom about these matters, join us for today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Understanding that we need to remember God and seek Him now is the focus of our study on today's Treasured Truth. As we look at Ecclesiastes 12, Pastor Ford will remind us that everyone will have to give an account to God eventually, so it’s best for us to remember God now, while we still can. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's Treasured Truth, we’ll see how scripture encourages us to remember our Creator in the days of our youth. Why? Because life is a privilege and not an obligation. Pastor Ford will remind us that tomorrow is never guaranteed and that it is so important to remember God now, while we have the opportunity to do so. Join us for today's Treasured Truth to hear the first part of a compelling message from Pastor Ford called, “How to Remember Not to Forget God.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we wrap up our study on Jehovah Jireh on today's Treasured Truth, we’ll see how Abraham learned Who God is by what he went through. And through the circumstances in his life, he learned that God is the answer. But just like Abraham, we have to be given a problem so that we can discover all that God is.  So to Abraham, God became Jehovah-Jireh. And if we go through the problems we are given, what we’ll find is that God reveals His name to us according to what we need, just like he did for Abraham. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's Treasured Truth, we’ll continue to look at how God manifests Himself as Jehovah-Jireh to us. He places His provision where we can get it, when we need it, even when we don’t know that we need it.  He then reveals His provision to us at just the right time—when we’re ready to receive it. To learn more about this aspect of our Heavenly Father, be sure to join Pastor Ford for today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Ford will remind us today that sometimes the solution to our problem is in our problem. In other words, our deficiency—which is apparent to us in our problem—may be the provision for the sufficiency that God wants to provide for us, but we sometimes cannot easily see the truth about our situation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue to learn about how God is our ultimate provider, we’ll discover how faithfulness in our current circumstances produces fruitfulness in us later. We'll see how God will test us in the little things now to reveal to us whether we will be faithful in the big things He has planned for us later.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We have the revelation from God on this side of our circumstance—God’s promise. Then we have the manifestation of that promise on the other side—God’s provision. And today we’ll look further at how our obedience is the bridge that allows us to cross over from promise to provision. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Without God we can’t and without us God won’t. So we have to be participants in His plan. And our obedience is the factor that allows us to participate. It’s the bridge that takes us to our provision. Learn more on today on Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Ford asks today, “Will you do the unthinkable? Is your faith greater than your fears?  Is the promise greater than your problem?” Because, only when all of those things are true, will you then be able to go from God’s promises to His provisions for your life. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's Treasured Truth, as we look further at how God is our ultimate provider, Pastor Ford will explain that our provision is tied to our obedience. We aren’t going to get what God has for us until we do what God has told us to do.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue to learn about God as our ultimate provider, we’ll see that the provision God has for us is often right in front of us—everybody can see it.  But in order for us to see it as His provision, He has to reveal it and manifest it to us through His power as Jehovah-Jireh—the God Who puts what we need, where we need it, until we need it, even when we don’t know that we need it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When God instructed Abraham to sacrifice Isaac He was testing him. But after Abraham demonstrated total faith, God ultimately revealed Himself as Jehovah-Jireh and provided the sacrifice to take Isaac’s place.  Today we’ll learn more about the reasons why God tests His children and see how He becomes our Jehovah-Jireh, our provider, in the midst of those tests.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Ford will remind us today that we should learn to connect the good times and not separate them from the bad times because God loves us always—both in the good times and in the bad.  We’ll see that even negative things in our lives have divine purpose and can be part of God’s ultimate provision for us. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, as we start to look at Genesis 22 and see how God is our ultimate provider, Pastor Ford asks us to consider this—how many of us have blown our blessing because we have not been prepared for what God has prepared for us? We’ll learn that there’s probably a lot of people to whom God hasn’t given their blessings, because He’s said to them, “You aren’t ready for Me to bless you yet.” Find out more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, as we study John 12 and continue to learn about how Mary broke her alabaster box of fragrant perfume to anoint Jesus, we’ll see the extent of the sacrificial love she was showing to Him by doing that.  And perhaps her story will compel us to consider what it is that we will sacrifice for Jesus.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

God has sent us the trials we are experiencing in our lives, and He wants us to see them in the way that He sees them. That’s because He’s shaping us to make us into something that we currently are not. And why is He doing that?  Because in the current shape we’re in, God won’t give us what He ultimately does want to give us at the point when we have eventually been conformed to His will. Find out more when you join us for today's Treasured Truth.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Others can tell how much we love Jesus by the way we serve Him. They can tell by the way we give to Him. They can tell by the way we worship Him.  You see, a lot of us have a fake “Zirconium Jesus.” Because if we all had a real “Diamond Jesus” then there’d be nothing that would keep us from going crazy about the Lord Jesus Christ! Find out what this means on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we live the Christian life, we need a love that will sacrifice for the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Because many of us have praise for Christ on our lips, but the rest of our lives doesn’t demonstrate our love for Him. In other words, according to Pastor Ford, we often have high praise, but low living! Learn more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we wrap up this study from Genesis 2 and take a concluding look at “the perfect guy,” we can thank God for His grace and His power, as He continues the job of shaping us and molding us into His image. As long as we don’t become too stubborn, by not allowing Him to work in our lives, the Lord is continually making us into the people He wants us to be—whether that’s the “perfect guy” or the “perfect gal.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue to look at the character of “the perfect guy,” if you’re a husband, instead of putting down your wife because of her weaknesses, you should rather strive to become her strength in her weaknesses. Then as a husband, you can become like Jesus to your wife. And Pastor Ford will remind us that’s exactly what the Bible says, that a man ought to be like Jesus to his wife. Find out more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do you know if you’re on your way to becoming “the perfect guy”? One way is to look at your stewardship in the areas of time, talent, and treasure. Are you following the Lord’s commandments about those areas in the way you’re supposed to be following? The perfect guy has resources that have been given by God and he exercises good stewardship of those resources.” Learn more on today’s Treasured Truth.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s power in the name of Jesus.  So much so, that when we focus on Him and on magnifying His name, our perspective changes.  We will realize that the problems in our lives will become smaller, in comparison to the light of His glory.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Before you make a commitment in a relationship, you should really consider some facts about the person with whom you are seeking a relationship.  Pastor Ford will urge us to quit making deep commitments to shallow people.  According to him, there’s too many who are making Mercedes investments into “hooptie” people.  Find out what the means on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The perfect guy will be someone in whom Jesus is resident and through whom the power of the Holy Spirit can be observed. So, he has the residency of Christ, and he has transparency.  We’ll also see that he has security and liberty.  Pastor Ford asks, “What else could you want in a man?” Learn more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nowadays, women often find themselves in relationships with men who don’t really think it’s important for dating to lead to marriage.  This seems to be acceptable within today’s popular culture.  But as we consider some Biblical principles of dating and relationships, Pastor Ford explains that if a man will not be accountable to anyone, and will not give you his last name, then he won’t be responsible as somebody to be in a relationship with. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’ll hear more of Pastor Ford’s description of the perfect guy, based on Genesis 2, and we’ll see that this person has respiration from God—God breathed in him and gave him the breath of life.  The perfect guy also has revelation—he’s a man of the book.  And, he has a relationship given by God.  These are just a few of the characteristics we’ll learn today as we look at how to identify the perfect guy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we start a new study from Genesis 2, we’ll begin to look at the attributes of someone who could be considered “the perfect guy.” We’ll also learn some characteristics of someone who’s not. And Pastor Ford will ask, “What do you do when your prince charming turns into a frog? What do you do when your knight in shining armor turns out to be a fool in aluminum foil?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we consider the purpose in our problems and pain, we need to realize that it’s not how much of Jesus we have, but it’s how much of us that Jesus has. We need to ask ourselves, do we really trust Him in our time of trouble?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Ford answers some listener questions today covering a variety of topics including moral issues related to today’s headlines, ways for single women to relate to men in a godly way, and how to respond when your spouse has an affair.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we’re going through persecution—but we know that we have Biblical salvation— that assurance should override any suffering we may be experiencing. How can that override any suffering? Because suffering’s only temporary, but salvation is eternal. Learn more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Ford explains that in order for suffering to be remedial, then what we have to realize is that we need to quit looking at the circumstances, and also quit looking at Satan. Instead, we have to start looking at the Savior! We have to begin by saying, “I know that God is controlling this thing.” And then we have to trust that He is going to get us through whatever we are facing.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Suffering always has significance. God allows us to go through what we’re going through to develop in us something that is lacking in our character and to strengthen our walk with Him. And when we endure suffering, that’s when we find that we become more mature spiritually.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we become involved in ministry at our local church, we need to remember Who we’re working for. That it’s God Who has called us to this work and ultimate we’ll be accountable to Him. God has gifted each of us in special ways and has given us the things that He wants us to do.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue our study in the book of James, Pastor Ford will ask us to consider this question—even though we’re going through something right now, are we more committed to Jesus’ purpose than we are to getting out of our pain?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When will followers of Christ be encouraged to serve in their local congregations? When they begin to understand that God has led them to the place where they worship, not just to get food from His Word. God led them there to work. And as Pastor Ford will remind us today, that’s all because we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, to do good work!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we begin a study in Colossians 4, Pastor Ford will remind us today that followers of Christ are called to get involved with ministry at their local church. The church needs more people who utilize their gifts and are faithful in service—those who say, “God called me to this and I’m going to do this to the best of my God-given abilities. I may not always do it right. But I’m going to keep doing it until I get it right.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the Old Testament book of Judges, chapter 11, we read about Jephthah’s foolish vow. And today Pastor Ford will begin to explain how Jephthah came to make such a rash and drastic statement and then to what extent it affected his daughter and his own life and ministry.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many of us may be going through a tremendous struggle right now, but as we begin to look at how there is purpose in our problems and pain, Pastor Ford will encourage us to not waste our sorrows. Instead, we should embrace them, realizing that God is up to something and is working in our lives.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue to look at 2 Corinthians and understand what made the mindset of the Macedonian believers such an example for us, Pastor Ford will explain that the basis of their sacrificial spirit was a result of them understanding God’s ultimate sacrifice. God gave the best of heaven—Jesus, for the worst of earth—us!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are some people, no matter what you do to them, no matter what they go through, they will never deny Jesus, they’ll never backslide on Him. They can go without food, without job, without lots of things, and they still have the joy of the Lord. They still tell people that Jesus Christ is the center of their joy. And Pastor Ford points out how they can do just that and what having the mindset actually requires.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Ford says that in 2 Corinthians 8, here’s what Paul is saying, ‘The reason, the Macedonians have become your example is because your thinking about giving is wrong. You don’t have the right motivation for giving. They do. And so, you need to have the Macedonian Mindset.” Find out what that mindset is on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We often wonder why there are shadows in our lives. Pastor Ford will explain today that it’s sometimes because we’ve let some kind of “moon” come in between us and God. What is moon? A moon doesn’t possess its own light, it only reflects what the sun gives it. So, he’ll ask us, “What is it that God has given to us, that we’ve now allowed to replace Him?”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today’s world, we buy more, but we enjoy it less. We have bigger houses, but smaller hearts. We have more conveniences, but less time. We have multiplied our possessions, but we have reduced our values. And we have learned how to make a living, but we haven’t learned how to make a life. On today’s Treasured Truth, we’ll continue to look at stewardship and Pastor Ford will encourage us to not follow the world’s example of how to handle our money and view possessions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How can we know if we are mature believers? When His purpose is more important to us than our pain. Some people won’t get involved in ministry because they know that they’re going to get hurt. But Pastor Ford will explain today that we all must ask ourselves, is Calvary more important than our own personal comfort?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we begin to look at the theology of stewardship, Pastor Ford will ask how many of us have made God the Lord of the leftovers? Because if we’re honest with ourselves, He usually gets our leftover time, our leftover talents, our leftover treasures. We often think, ‘If I have anything left, then I can give to God.’See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we look at the difference between joy and happiness, we learn that joy is produced by the Holy Spirit; happiness is produced by the human spirit. And so, if it’s independent of circumstances, joy is not impacted by what’s happening around us or to us. Joy is what’s happening through us.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we seek to understand joy, we’ll discover that joy changes our attitude, our affections, and it helps us with the way we act and respond to the circumstances in our lives. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Part of understanding joy is considering its source. Our joy is based on our relationship with God and it is born in us by the Holy Spirit. Joy elevates us in the presence of God. It controls our worship of Him, even when we’re going through difficult times and situations.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’ve been learning that grace has many benefits. Today Pastor Ford will share how grace transforms our tears into triumph, our gloom into glory, our weakness into strength, our barrenness into fruitfulness, our worries into worship and our heartaches into hallelujahs!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One benefit of grace is justification. With justifying grace, Jesus clothed us in His righteousness. So now when God looks at us, He no longer sees our sin, He sees His Son, because we’re covered in the blood of Jesus Christ.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we look further at the benefits of grace, Pastor Ford will help us see that grace sets us up and provides everything we need for where God is taking us.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Who is grace? Titus 2:11-13 says, “The grace of God has appeared to all men.” Pastor Ford will explain today how that verse is referring to Jesus. He’s the grace of God! And as believers, we receive all the blessings of His benefits.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue our study in 2 Corinthians, we discover that Paul had a unique perspective about his problems, because he chose to look at the Problem Solver, instead of at his problems. Instead of looking at the Devil, who has some power, Paul chose to focus on the One Who has all power—Jesus Christ.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Even though it often seems that the benefits we’re expecting are delayed, grace is always working on our behalf to give us what we do not deserve. And God is either getting us ready for what He has for us or He’s getting ready for us the things He has in store for us.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Pastor Ford will remind us that the Apostle Paul essentially encouraged us to not ever take our eyes off of Christ and put our eyes on our problems or our pain. By maintaining what Pastor Ford calls an abiding vision of God, Paul was able to accept his suffering when God chose not to remove it from his life.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prayer is an indispensable weapon in spiritual warfare. It’s our cooperation with God in our stance with Him against our common enemies. And so what we want to do is see why and how we should apply prayer as one of our main weapons of warfare. So join us to learn more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we look at Luke chapter 9, we’ll learn the purposes of prayer based on the disciples’ prayer and Pastor Ford will explain the spiritual warfare in which we are engaged and how prayer is one of the main weapons we can use in battle.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we look at Luke chapter 9, we’ll learn the purposes of prayer based on the disciples’ prayer and Pastor Ford will explain the spiritual warfare in which we are engaged and how prayer is one of the main weapons we can use in battle.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When our heavenly Father tells us to do something, we shouldn’t question it, but rather we should just do it because He said so.  We’re His children and He’s our Father—and He knows best.  We can be grateful for God’s prerogative because it’s always focused on the best outcome for us. Learn more about this on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Ford will remind us that God works His sovereign will in spite of us.  He uses us, even though we may not realize that we’re being used by Him.  He is still working out His plan for the best possible outcome in our lives.  And although we may not see it or understand what He’s doing, we can still be grateful for His sovereignty. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on Treasured Truth, we’ll continue to look at how the Apostle Paul described and dealt with his “thorn in the flesh.” Pastor Ford will point out that there was a tension, or a tandem nature about Paul’s situation—God graced the suffering to him, but Satan was the one who was giving him fits. Satan was the one causing his pain. It wasn’t God. God was the one being gracious toward him.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nothing will make us pray like a problem.  And that’s one reason why God allows problems to enter our lives so we will learn to depend more on Him.  But we don’t need to understand God’s methods, we just have to trust that He is God and that He knows best and then be thankful for His work in our lives.  Learn more about this on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We can’t see God with our eyes. And signs of how He is working in the world and in our lives are not always visible to us. But the Scriptures assure us that no matter what we perceive He is always working. And for that we can be grateful and can express our gratitude to Him in prayer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Praying with an attitude of gratitude involves focusing in on thanking God for Who He is.  We can express our gratitude to Him for His many attributes, like His power and His purity.  And we can begin by shifting our focus from ourselves to Him. Find out more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gratitude is an important part of life, especially when it comes to our relationship with God. In our prayer life, we ought to be thankful. We ought to always have an attitude of gratitude and be thanking God continually for all that He has done. To learn about this and more, join us for today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

God sometimes tells us to wait for answers to our prayers until it’s humanly impossible for what we’re waiting for to be accomplished. We wait until there’s no earthly way for it to happen, so that everyone knows if God didn’t do it, then it just wouldn’t get done. Learn more about why God sometime tells us to wait when we pray on today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One reason why we’re fighting against what God is allowing to happen in our lives may be because we’re immature in our faith and we don’t understand that God’s not allowing our suffering to happen in order to hurt us. Instead, He’s trying to help us. He’s not trying to destroy us. He’s trying to develop us.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

God has various reasons for having us wait for answers to our prayers. One of them is to bless others while blessing you. But sometimes that may require a delayed answer for us. Learn more about this on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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We pray to commune with God and to communicate with Him.  But there are also other objectives we should have when we pray.  Learn about all five reasons why we pray on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We commonly think that there are three ways God answers prayer—yes, no, and wait. But today, we’ll look at a fourth answer to prayer that we don’t often consider. God will sometimes answer us by saying, “My grace is sufficient for you.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The greatest invitation to pray lies in the phrase, “Our Father.” With that invitation, God supplies the initiative for us to come to Him. And because He is the Author of prayer, He is supposed to be the aim and the focus of our praying.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We need to remember that God can do with us whatever, whenever, wherever, and however He pleases. And guess what—He’s not going to ask our permission to conform us to the image of Jesus Christ. However, we must realize that sometimes the best way He is able to do just that is through our suffering. Find out more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we look further at the structure God has given us for prayer, Pastor Ford will lead us to explore more about what the exact basis of prayer should be and what makes our individual prayers valid.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

God is the Author of prayer and gives us the requirements of prayer. He tells us in His word that we must be in a relationship with Him, in order to pray. Learn more about the divine structure of prayer on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, Pastor Ford continues to share with us the basics of prayer. He will remind us that prayer is not only for us to commune with and communicate with God, it’s also for us to commit more fully to Him and cooperate with His will in our lives.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Ford will explain that when we get to the root of it, prayer is first of all communion with God. However, we need to realize that definition of prayer doesn’t seem to fit how most believers view prayer and utilize it in their lives. Learn more about this on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sometimes we have to go back to the basics to recall the foundational truths of our faith. Today, Pastor Ford begins a study on the basics of prayer, reminding us about the importance of the discipline of prayer.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sometimes all we can see is our problems. We’re surrounded by our handicaps, our sicknesses, and our liabilities—emotionally, physically, psychologically, socially, and financially. What we need is a fresh, abiding vision of God. On today’s Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will remind us that we can ask God to help us see Him in the midst of our suffering.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When trying to get out of debt, will we do as the widow in the book of 2 Kings did? As Blind Bartimaeus and as Abraham did? What is it they did? They believed God to bring life to a dead situation. They didn’t try to figure out how God was going to do it. They just acted on what God said and held on despite all the negative circumstances in their lives.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue to look at how to get out of debt, we’ll learn that when we borrow, it entwines us and unites us together with someone other than God who’s going to direct our lives because of what we owe them.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we allow God to use our stuff for His purposes, He takes our stuff and multiplies it to meet our needs. Learn more about how God honors us when we honor Him with our finances on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If God loved us enough to set us free and to pay our sin debt, then He loves us enough to guide us, guard us, govern us, and to grace us, then to provide and protect us as we give generously to others and begin to honor Him with our money. Learn more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How can we know that we’re serious about getting out of debt? When we commit to giving God what is due to Him first. That’s how we know we’re serious and we can trust that God will honor us when we honor Him with our finances. Learn more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian church about his “thorn in the flesh.” And Pastor Ford will explain how Paul dealt with his suffering by keeping an abiding vision of God, so that it helped him to deal with whatever he was going through. We’ll learn that Paul wasn’t looking at his suffering. He was looking at the Savior.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do we begin to get out of debt? A good place to start is by crying out to God for His help. Yet, the problem is some of us cry out to Him, but we’re not serious. We’re waiting on God to do something to get us out of debt and God is waiting on us to do something to show Him that we are serious and are desperate for His help. Find out more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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When we desire restoration, we first must recognize what’s wrong and then do something about it. Sometimes we encounter problems or issues, and we want to give up instead of resolving them. But the passage we’ll be studying today encourages us not to give up, but instead to grow up. Learn more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we begin a study today from 2 Corinthians, and consider why God gives us challenges and liabilities that we must deal with in our lives, Pastor Ford will challenge us to consider this question—Is it conceivable that you have your disability not as a liability, but as a possibility?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Our fellowship with God is not an afterthought for Him. Instead, it was a forethought. Because He set things up before we sinned so we would know that when we sin we can restore our fellowship back with Him. Learn more about this important aspect of God's love for us on the next Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why should we get or give forgiveness? Because it consistently deepens our sense of God’s grace to us and magnifies His forgiveness toward us. It begs us to ask ourselves, “How dare we keep something against someone when God’s forgiven us for all that we have done?” Find out more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When seeking forgiveness, our response to the hurt and pain that we’ve caused the person from whom we’re seeking forgiveness is crucial to their healing process. As we study about how to get forgiveness, today we’ll begin learn more about how important proper restitution can be.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we’ve studied Genesis 50 in the past, we saw how Joseph forgave his brothers for the terrible things that they had done to him. In this new study, Pastor Ford will share the steps that Joseph’s brothers took to seek that forgiveness from him. Learn more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we look further at the story of Esther, we’ll learn more about how God brought her to a specific time and place in order for her to fulfill her destiny. Pastor Ford will encourage us to consider how God wants us to use the time He’s given us in our lives to fulfill our own destinies and to do great things for Him. Hear more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Don’t try to substitute anything for obedience because there is no substitute.  Your service won’t substitute.  Your worship won’t substitute.  Your money won’t substitute.  Nothing substitutes for total obedience of God’s will for your life. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When it comes to spirituality, sometimes we’re five miles wide and only a half inch deep. We know the lingo better than we know the Lord. So, we’re complaining in the light about what we’re sneaking around and doing in the dark.  And Jesus says to us, “Why do you call Me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?”  Find out more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Ford wants to remind us today that the Lord says to all of us, “If you believe Me and trust My word, you don’t need a verse.  You don’t need a chapter, a book, a section, or a testament.  You just need one word—Come!” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, Pastor Ford will remind us how we should approach worship. He'll explan that when we come to worship the Lord, we shouldn't judge the way others are worshipping. We should just worship the Lord in the way that the Holy Spirit and the truth that we’re hearing is leading us to, and let others worship the way in which they are being led. Find out more on today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re always going to get out of worship what we bring to worship. As we’re leaving a worship service, some of us may feel compelled to talk about how we feel after we’ve left God’s presence. Instead, we ought to talk about how God felt after we left His presence, because worship is all about Him. If we come to worship to get something out of it, then we’ve come for the wrong reasons. Learn more when you join us for today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we think about the time we spend living our lives for the Lord, we tend to focus on duration. But God focuses on donation. We focus on longevity, but God focuses on legacy. We may hear someone say, “I’ve been saved for twenty years.” And that may be true, but that person’s been out of God’s will for eighteen of those years. So, Pastor Ford will explain that at the judgment seat of Christ, they’ll only get credit for the two years they were living in the will of God. Learn more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is God's manifested presence? How do we experience it when we come together for worship? The scriptures say that the Lord dwells in the midst of the praises of His people. That means whenever we praise God, He manifests His presence among us. And Pastor Ford will point out that scripture indicates the Lord actually comes and “sits down on” our praise. Find out more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We have a Savior Who loves us with an everlasting love. We have an Intercessor Who continually prays for us according to the will of God. Our Redeemer offers us grace, salvation and hope. And that should be enough motivation for us to keep hanging in there, no matter what we face.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

God’s plan to redeem us has been in place since the beginning of time. He planned it and provided it for us before we ever sinned. In order for us to know this salvation that the Father appointed for us in eternity past, the Son atoned for us at Calvary and the Spirit applied it to us in time. Our part in the process is to accept the grace He has provided for us. Find out more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You may find yourself in a difficult place. You may be the only believer at your workplace or in your family. But instead of lamenting about being the only believer in your circle, instead think of yourself as the first believer. Don’t quit or withdraw. Let your light shine so that those around you can come to know Who Jesus is.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, Pastor Ford remind us that we all need to understand everything Jesus gives us when we accept Him as Savior.  He gives us His person to live with, His purpose to live for, His priorities to live by, His provision to live on, and His power to live through. Find out more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On most tombstones, there’s the date of one’s birth and the date of one’s death, and then a dash in the middle.  We don’t control the day we’re born or the day we die.  But we do control what we do with the dash in the middle. So today, Pastor Ford will encourage us to use the time represented by that dash to make it count for the Lord. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you feel that you need a little more Jesus in your life? If we really love Jesus, then we’ll draw near to Him. We’ll also want to get to know Him better. How do we do this? Pastor Ford says we should seek communion with Jesus. Join us [for today’s Treasured Truth] as we start a new message from Hebrews 10.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When they were surrounded by enemies and their back was up against the wall, all that King Jehoshaphat and the army of Judah did was trust God. And God fought the battle for them. Today, Pastor Ford will remind us that it’s just like the good news of Jesus Christ. We have strong enemies that stand against us—the world, the flesh and the Devil—but we don’t have to fight them on our own because Jesus already did.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Ford reminds us today we must believe that where God leads, God feeds. And where God guides, He provides. We have to believe that when God directs, He always protects. Hear more about these important reminders on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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In 2 Chronicles 20, the children of Israel praised God in the midst of the battle and they praised God after the battle was over.  And this is what we can learn from them—that in the midst of whatever is going on, we ought to be those who can say, “I don’t care what’s going on in my life, it’s not going to stop me from praising the Lord!” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue to study about praising God, Pastor Ford will ask us—are we giving God what He wants? Are we dying daily and following Jesus? Are we following His command to go into all the world and preach the gospel? According to Pastor Ford, if we’re not doing these things, maybe we don’t have what we want, because we haven’t yet given God what He wants.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, we’ll continue to study 2 Chronicles 20 and see how King Jehopshaphat led the army of Judah into battle praising the Lord. And we’ll discover how that action on their part completely changed the outcome of the battle. And we’ll learn from their example that sometimes we can think our problems are too big, when the real issue is, our praise is too small.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2 Chronicles 20, King Jehoshaphat and the army of Judah were in a predicament. They were besieged, and in addition to being severely outnumbered, they didn’t have enough weapons. They didn’t have the right resources and they didn’t even really have the guts to stand up to their enemies. But they realized that God was going to be there, because they knew that battle is the Lord’s. So they chose to praise the Lord, instead of fearing their circumstances. Find out more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When confronted with enemies on every side, King Jehoshaphat and the army of Judah received a promise and instructions from God. And even though their back was up against a wall, and it seemed like their situation was hopeless, they chose to act in faith and believe that God was telling them the truth and that their circumstances were telling them a lie.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue to study in the book of 2 Chronicles, we’ll see how God gives King Jehoshaphat and the army of Judah a promise. Pastor Ford explains that God did that because they needed to understand what He was going to do in the midst of their current circumstance. He wanted to change their outlook, by telling them their outcome.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you only see the trials and the tragedies around you, or do you also see the Lord? Do you see the providential hand of God working in your life? If not, then you’ll want to listen as Pastor Ford reminds us today of how we can trust God when we feel like our back is up against the wall.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue to learn why every praise belongs to our God, Pastor Ford will explain how in the Psalms, King David was trying to get us to see why he was so blessed and that it was because he never put a limit on God. As David grew, God just very naturally poured out His blessings on him. So, Pastor Ford will ask us—what’s our capacity for comprehesion of Who God is? Because we only receive from God in correlation with Who we know Him to be. Find out more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we face trails and we feel like we have nowhere to turn, God wants us to know that He is bigger than what we are facing and what feels like it’s bigger than we are. And when we attach ourselves to God and trust His plan, we don’t have to worry about what we’re going through.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When our back is up against the wall, we have to seek the face of the Father. We have to know that Christ is there with us because He has promised to never leave us, nor forsake us.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When our back is against the wall, do we realize that God is there with us? We may not feel like He’s there, but Pastor Ford will remind us today that the Bible tells us that He really is there, waiting to assist us in our time of need.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we wrap up our study in Hebrews 4 today, Pastor Ford will continue to explain Who it is that we serve.  Hebrews identifies Jesus as the Great High Priest and we’ll hear some practical application related to what the means for each of us as believers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue our study in Hebrews 4, we’ll look further at Who Jesus is as our Great High Priest. And Pastor Ford will encourage us to consider Who it is we have on our side—He’s the Son of God, which makes Him the perfect person and the perfect sacrifice for our sins. Find out more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, as Pastor Ford continues to teach us that every praise we have belongs to our God, he will point out that often what keeps us from praising God is that fact that we have an incomplete comprehension of God.  And that’s one thing King David expressed in Psalms—he’d experienced a comprehensive view of God and had discovered how incomprehensible, and worthy of praise God actually is.  Learn more when you join us for today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this new year, we can be the success that Christ wants us to be if we realize that He’s the reason for our success.  And we need to understand that we serve The Great High Priest, Who is personal to us.  He’ll be for us whatever we need Him to be. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Who do we serve?  Christ is described in scripture as “The Great High Priest” Who is present in our lives.  He proved through Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego that He’s a very present help in the time of trouble.  But here’s the problem—we don’t really understand Who He is and many of us don’t recognize Him when He comes to us in our trouble.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At the beginning of this new year, we don’t need resolutions or a list of things to accomplish.  We need a revelation.  We need to understand Who we have in Christ and then confidently cling to Him.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the most important questions you can ask yourself in life is who you’re going to serve.  That’s because the answer to that question determines the answers to any and every other question you will ever have in life.  And as we begin this study in Hebrews 4, Pastor Ford will remind those of us who have decided to serve Christ, Who it is that we are serving. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Biblical leadership requires compliance with Christ’s command to love others.  And true biblical compassion will result in a desire to serve and meet the needs of others.  Because when you love someone, your perspective about them changes, and it becomes easy to serve them.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, Pastor Ford will encourage us to freely praise God and one way we can do that is to sing to Him!  Even if we can’t carry a tune in a bucket, or we don’t know a piano key from a car key, we still need to sing! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we are confident about who we are in Christ, then we will more readily serve others.  As believers, we are children of the King and joint heirs with Jesus.  So, the act of humbling ourselves and serving others doesn’t diminish that fact or demean who we are.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we say that we love others, we should ask ourselves, what is it costing us?  If we really love others like we think we do, then that love will require sacrifice.  Sometimes it costs us things like our pride or our dignity to take on the role of humility and serve people sacrificially.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The compassion that Jesus had that caused Him to serve was an intellectual compassion.  He willingly chose to love people and serve them.  And as believers, we need to think with the mind of Christ and learn from His example as we strive to serve others. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John 13 describes how Jesus washed His disciple’s feet in the upper room.  As we look at His example of leadership, we’ll see that Jesus was motivated to serve others out of His love for them.  He loved His disciples, so He humbled Himself and washed their feet to demonstrate for them true servant leadership. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we think about the birth of Christ today, we’ll be reminded that we shouldn’t really care about what day Jesus was born on.  We should just care that He was born.  We shouldn’t celebrate a day.  We should celebrate the Person of Jesus. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The message of Christ’s birth brings us joy in spite of any sorrow we may be experiencing.  In the midst of whatever we’re going through, we can have joy, because Jesus came to earth to give us joy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

God delights in using little and seemingly insignificant things.  We can see that in His choice of Bethlehem as the birthplace of His Son.  Even the prophet Micah said, “Oh thou Bethlehem Ephrata, little are you.”  So, Pastor Ford asks us today, “Are we little enough, to become big enough for God to delight in using us?”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we study the prophecies about the Messiah, Pastor Ford will remind us that the prophet Micah foretold Christ’s birth.  And Micah didn’t want us to miss his message: “Listen! The most significant person Who ever lived and Who ever will live, will be born in the most insignificant place—Bethlehem.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we really think about Christmas, we should gain a whole new perspective that differs from the world’s view.  Pastor Ford reminds us that God invaded human history when Jesus was born.  That should give us a whole new outlook.  He came the first time.  So, we know He’s going to come the second time.  We ought to be living like we know that He’s coming again. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s easy to fall into the mindset that Christmas is just about the gifts and the celebrations.  But Christmas is really about the Christ Who came and took the center stage of history.  It’s about God being born as a baby, bringing comfort and conversion to all mankind. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You may have heard the saying, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.”  And this time of year, that really rings true for us as believers.  Christmas is not about “the what” we know.  Christmas is about “the Who” we know.  We don’t celebrate Christmas about “the what” of Christmas.  We celebrate Christmas about “the Who” of Christmas—Jesus Christ! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joy is tied to the birth of Jesus.  The Gospel of Luke says that there would be tidings of great joy to the world at Christmas. So, as we celebrate our Savior’s birth, our celebration should be motivated by and filled with joy!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’ll take a break from our regular program line-up to allow Pastor Ford some time to answer your questions.  This episode of “Ask Pastor Ford” will cover topics like how to put all of your trust in the Lord, soul ties in relationships, and how to re-establish a close, personal relationship with God.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Ford will remind us today that Jesus didn’t say, “Be of good cheer, I’m going to get you out of this. Be of good cheer, it’ll all be over after a while.” No, He said, “Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” Jesus is saying, even when it doesn’t look like victory and doesn’t feel like victory, it still is victory, because He’s already guaranteed it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When asked about our commitment to Jesus, many of us have probably said, “Oh yeah, I live for Jesus… I’ll even die for Jesus!”  But today, Pastor Ford will ask these convicting questions—”How do you think you’re going to die for Jesus when you can’t even make it to church for Jesus? How are you going to die for Jesus when you don’t give Him a dime from a dollar? How are you going to die for Jesus?  You don’t pick up your Bible or even get on your knees to pray.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Crises are discouraging and sometimes even overwhelming. But maintaining our commitment to Christ in the midst of a crisis should always be our goal. Because no matter what we’re going through or what kind of persecution we might face, if we still have the approval of Jesus, then that’s really all that matters.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Crises are a part of life for everyone and many times they bring suffering into our lives.  But as believers, we have actually been called to suffer for Christ.  We’ll learn today how suffering grows us, grounds us, graces us, and grooms us for what God has in store. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue our study in Psalm 145, Pastor Ford will describe how our praise of God should be both personal and pre-meditated. In other words, we should voluntarily praise God for all that He’s done for us personally, and we should be purposeful about giving our praise to Him. Learn more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the process of becoming what God intended him to be, Daniel learned to wait on God. During his time of waiting, God developed his character and helped him understand that he was not fit to lead until he knew how to follow. Learn more from Daniel’s example about becoming what God intended on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

God gives us certain gifts and equips us for what He has in store. We just need to be ready to respond when He opens doors for us. We’ll see how to be ready when we look at the story of Daniel and observe how he became what God intended him to be. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rahab’s name is mentioned in the genealogy of Christ that we read in Matthew chapter 11. But there’s no mention in that passage about the fact that she was a prostitute. Why? Because God took her past, redeemed it, then changed her life’s direction, so she could fulfill the destiny He had for her. She was no longer what she used to be!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many of us are never going to get where God wants us to be because we can’t let go of our past mistakes. We can’t let go of things, places, and people in the past. But what we need to understand is that the past is in the past. And in order to move forward, we have to leave it there. Learn more when you join us for today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All of the “heroes and she-roes” we read about in the Bible had flaws, just like every follower of Christ. We all have flaws. But consider this—how are your flaws and imperfections allowing God to prepare you to do a great work for Him, just like Rahab and the others we read about in Hebrews 11? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue to study about worship, Pastor Ford will help us understand what the focus of our worship should be. He’ll explain that if we were worshipping you, then we could worship you your way. But we’re worshipping God and therefore, we should worship God His way. His way ought to override our way and our preferences about worship. Discover more about making God’s way of worship your focus on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Now that it’s December, are you making plans for special year-end giving? If so, there’s a different approach you can consider, which goes beyond writing a check to your church or favorite ministry. On today's Faith & Finance Live, host Rob West will explain how you can do year-end giving from your IRA. Then, he’ll answer some questions on a variety of financial topics. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From what we can see about Rahab, it’s surprising that God used her. From the evidence in her past, she seems to be someone God would not choose to use. However, her commitment to God is right. And because of that commitment, God cancelled out everything that was wrong about her past and allowed her to become part of the lineage of Jesus.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we begin to look at the example of Rahab, we’ll see that some of us as believers need to get a different script and quit throwing others’ past sins in their face, reminding them of what they used to be. It’s the Devil who’s called "the accuser of the brethren." So, we shouldn't follow his example. If it’s in the past, what we ought to do is leave it there.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

God tells us to walk by faith in the present, based on the word He gave us in the past, so that we know our future is secure. By this, what is God doing? He’s letting us see that faith keeps the person who keeps the faith. Learn more about faith on today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

God is a friend to the friendless. He’s hope for the hopeless. He’s a shelter in the time of storm. He’s our rock in a weary land, our comforter in trial and trouble. And the only question is—what do you need Him to be for you right now? Whatever it is, that’s what He’s going to show Himself to be.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever noticed that often the things that God tells us to do are things that don’t make sense? But what He ultimately wants to do is connect our “natural” with His “super” and give us the supernatural outcome which is for our best. Find out more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We don’t worship God because we’re worthy.  We worship God because He’s worthy!  We worship God because every praise belongs to Him.  We cannot really fathom His worth, but if God were small enough to be understood, then He wouldn’t be big enough to be worshipped.  Find out more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable, does the impossible and accepts the intangible. We can trust God even though we can’t see Him because He has revealed Himself to us in His word, through creation, and all that He’s done for us.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Ford will share that faith always extends itself above and beyond the natural and logical circumstances of life and firmly embraces the supernatural based on God’s Word. Learn more of what the Bible says about the supernatural works of God on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See how Abraham’s actions demonstrated total obedience, because he had learned that Yahweh could be trusted when you join us as we conclude Pastor Ford’s first person presentation of Abraham’s testimony.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join us today to hear a unique message and learn how Abraham trusted God for “the there” when God did not reveal to him “the where” in this dramatized, first person presentation of Abraham’s testimony from Pastor Ford.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Ford will explain that you shouldn't let anything hold you back from becoming what God wants you to be. If you’ve got issues, God will look past those issues to do by faith what He wants done. And He’ll deal with your issues while you’re on your way to becoming what He wants you to be. Find out more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Psalm 22 says that God dwells in the midst of the praises of His people.  So, Pastor Ford will explain that the best way for us to experience the manifested presence of God is to lift our hands and to open our mouths to say, “Hallelujah!  Thank you, Jesus!  I praise your name!”  Learn more when you join us for today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When things don’t go our way, we should quit looking around us and start looking ahead.  We may find ourselves in the midst of a mess, but if we look ahead, we can be reminded of how God is going to take us where He plans for us to be. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many of us become frustrated and defeated—ready to give up, give in, and go back, rather than to go on—simply because things did not go our way. We believed that it was going to happen a certain way, and it didn’t. So now, we’re ready to go back to where we know God does not want us to be.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many of us as believers fail to reach our goals for the same reason that can prevent a swimmer from reaching the ocean’s shore—fog.  Fog has caused us to lose our motivation.  The fog of problems and the fog of discouragement—these issues obstruct our view of what the goal before us actually is.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Genuine faith perseveres even when things don’t go its way.  Pastor Ford will explain that’s because a faith that can’t be tested is a faith that can’t be trusted. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, Pastor Ford will share with us some things to consider when we’re going through trouble at work.  As believers and followers of Christ, what should we be saying when we encounter trials of any kind?—"This is only a test!”  It’s a test to see whether or not we really believe and trust God.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

God may not do things the way we want Him to do them.  He may not do them when we want Him to do them.  But, He is always faithful and will do them according to His will and always with our best interests in mind.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When things don’t go our way, we usually go away from God.  We don’t come to church.  We don’t read our Bibles.  We don’t pray.  We don’t get involved in the things of God.  When things don’t go our way, we usually pout, doubt, and we walk out. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The people we read about in Hebrews 11 had their faith “pinned down.” In other words, they didn’t have a faith that did not trust God when things looked like they weren’t going to go the way that they wanted them to go. Learn more about this on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We have to be careful about who we are partnering with in life and ministry.  We need to try and partner with someone who believes what we believe.  Pastor Ford will explain that’s because many of us have allowed ourselves to be robbed of the promises of God because of who we are hanging with. Find out more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The partnership of faith requires forgiveness. We ought to make our minds up that whatever we have against one of our bothers or sisters will be forgiven. We should decide that we will not allow our unforgiveness to stop the promises of God and stop us from working together as the body of Christ for a greater good and a greater cause.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue our study in Genesis 39, we’ll see how the biblical character, Joseph, went from the pit where his brothers placed him, all the way to the palace of Pharoah. And Pastor Ford will explain that just like Joseph, we can’t get to the palace without first being in the pit. And that’s why most people often don’t make it where God is taking them, because they quit when it gets hard.  They don’t understand that God is building them up for what He’s built for them.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we look at the partnership of faith, we’ll see how God sometimes gives us a promise that’s not just conditioned on us obeying, but it depends on someone else obeying as well. Sometimes in ministry we will not accomplish what God has given us as a corporate body because we won’t obey corporately and work together. Learn more about this on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sometimes waiting by faith requires us to go ahead and step out in faith. The key is in the promises. If we know what God’s promises are, then we can trust Him to lead us as we move forward, even if we don’t know exactly where we’re going. We can be confident that God’s going to provide for us, care for us, and guide us according to His promises.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Part of waiting by faith is being obedient. As long as we’re listening to somebody else and following someone other than who God said follow (which was Himself) then we’re not going to hear from Him. We can go ahead and pray all we want, but He won’t speak. He is silent when we are disobedient.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Looking at the life of Abraham, we’ll see how he stepped out in faith to go where God was leading him, even though he didn’t know where it was that he’d end up. Like Abraham, are you ready to give God the blank check of your life, signed, and let Him fill it in? If you’re not, then Pastor Ford will explain that you’re not ready to wait on God by faith.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Waiting by faith doesn’t mean you’re sitting in some place or you’re standing still. Rather, because you are waiting by faith, it means you’re making progress, spiritually speaking, even in the midst of what you’re going through.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, Pastor Ford will have some practical advice for those of us who find ourselves in jobs we don’t like. One way to find a better perspective is to consider the fact that God has placed each of us where He wants us to be. And if we see our job, not as a job, but as a mission and ministry that God has appointed us to, then we will have a completely different mindset.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sometimes waiting by faith is closely related to our obedience. There are some things that you won’t get from God until after you do what He has told you to do. If you’re looking for it before, it’s not going to happen until after you do what you’re supposed to. Learn more about this important concept on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you have flood faith? Do you have the kind of faith that allows you to believe whenever your storm comes—whenever the water is drenching you and you feel like you’re going to drown—you’re still trusting God? And even though you’ve gone under for the second time, you know that He’s going to save you. That’s the kind of faith we’ll hear about on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Noah worked on the ark for over a hundred years before God actually made it rain. Yet Noah’s faith endured that long delay and he continued to prepare for the coming flood that God had warned him about. Noah had the kind of faith that trusted God implicitly. Do you have that same kind of faith?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

By looking at the life and faith of Enoch, we discover that the quality of our life is more important than the quantity of our life. It is better to have a short-lived godly life, than a long-lived ungodly life. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Worship must be intricately tied to worth. When we worship God, we make an attempt to express to Him the value that we see He has.  But we can’t give God anything equivalent to all that He’s worth, so we give Him all we’re worth. That’s one way we can honor God and worship Him with our money. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If we want a vital, vibrant, victorious relationship and fellowship with God, then we have to do what Enoch did. We learn from Genesis 5 that Enoch spent time with God. His was a daily walk with God that shaped his life and defined who he was. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Looking at the example of Enoch from Genesis 5, we’ll learn today that if we want to walk with God, we have to be on the same page with Him. But we need to realize that a walk with Him also means being on His page and not on our page. It means doing it His way and not our way.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we study further about how faith worships, Pastor Ford will teach us today that righteousness is accredited to our account. Holiness is the result of righteousness. So righteousness is positional, and gained by what Christ did for us on the cross. But holiness is something we practice in life as we seek to honor Him.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we look at how faith worships, we learn about the difference between the offerings that Cain and Abel brought to the Lord in Genesis.  We’ll see how Cain brought what he thought was his best.  But it did not meet God’s standard.  This study will show us that our access to God is not through our best, but through His son’s blood. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Often we spend more money than we should tyring to keep up appearances.  But today, Pastor Ford will remind us that we all are worth more than we think we are, because we are made in God’s image. So, we shouldn’t judge ourselves by where we live, what we drive and what we wear.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We can’t speak things into being. No matter how much faith we have that the words of our mouths will bring things to pass, we don’t have that kind of power. The only One who can create anything by the word of His mouth is God. Anything we get is based on what He has already called into being. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Ford explains that we typically want what the people in Hebrews 11 had, but we don’t necessarily want to do what they did.  And if you want what they had, then you have to do what they did.  And so what did they do?  They believed God fully by faith in His Word. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we look further at Hebrews 11, we’ll hear about how God honors those who act upon His word by faith, to obtain by faith in His word what they couldn’t obtain any other way. Learn more about this on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Faith has an object. That object is Jesus Christ. It’s not just faith in faith, for the sake of believing. In order to be saving faith, our faith has to be in Jesus, because faith in faith really amounts to nothing more than just positive thinking.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

God’s provision sometimes requires us to move out, without knowing what’s ahead. But if we trust God fully, we know His provision will come to fruition even if we can’t see right now what it is or how it will happen. According to Pastor Ford, faith is God giving us insight into foresight like it’s hindsight. Find out more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Pastor Ford begins to talk about how a lot of us need an extreme money makeover, he’ll share about the enticement of debt and how it draws us in. And he’ll point out how the ease of getting credit doesn’t help us resist debt’s allure. But the Bible offers clear and wise advice about avoiding debt and honoring God with our money.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The writer of Hebrews reminds us that as we live the Christian life, we walk by faith and not by sight. We may not understand the trials we encounter because we can’t see their purposes. But we can always trust that God has the best plan for us, and He allows those trials to take place for our good. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What comes to your mind when you hear the word worship? If you automatically think of the choir and the band at church, then you may not really understand what worship truly is. Pastor Ford wants us to understand that we ought to be able to worship God wherever we are and whenever He prompts us to worship Him.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Pastor Ford begins a new message from Hebrews 13, he explains that the only reason we can come to God and give Him the sacrifice of praise is because Jesus provided for us the pathway to God and the power to worship Him. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When dealing with temptation, if you ask yourself, “Is it sin?” about anything, then it’s a good indication that whatever you’re considering is a sin to you.  The Bible says, “Whatever is not of faith is sin.” So, if you can’t do whatever you’re doing in faith, then you shouldn’t do it, because it becomes a sin for you if it’s not done in faith. Find out more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

No one is exempt from temptation. The Bible says, “…let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” Your Bible knowledge is not going to exempt you.  Your service, or singing in the choir, or your giving record is not going to exempt you. So, Pastor Ford gives a warning to the super saints—the people who say, “It won’t happen to me.” None of us should ever say that, since we can’t know in advance what we will or will not do.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As he finished out the book of Galatians, Paul wanted the believers there to know he had an allegiance to Christ based on what Christ had done on Calvary’s cross. He didn’t need anyone to challenge him to live for Jesus! Jesus Christ and His gospel were Paul’s number one priority and he had the scars to prove it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Whenever we overcome temptation, the process of overcoming purifies us.  It makes us stronger and better; it builds us up.  Our roots grow deeper into our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and we become more like Him. Join us for on today’s Treasured Truth, as Pastor Ford begins a new series about taming temptation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we conclude this study on teamwork, Pastor Ford explains what the priority of our commitments should be.  Our first commitment is to our Sovereign.  Our second is to the saints.  And the third is to the service, in that order.  If the service is messing up the saints, then it’s messing up our commitment to the Sovereign and whatever the service is, it shouldn’t be done.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s very easy to form your own agenda when you’re in ministry.  And Pastor Ford explains that you can know when you’re doing something for yourself and not for the Lord when something doesn’t go your way and you get mad about it.  That’s a clear indication that you’re not seeking God’s glory, but instead you’re seeking your own.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we begin a new study in 1 Corinthians 3, Pastor Ford reminds us that we Christians are all on the same team and we must work together to accomplish ministry.  And Christians who realize that all unity in ministry is based on the finished work of Christ, will glorify Him by uniting themselves. Learn more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What you’re going through right now, what you’re worried about right now, and what you’re stressing about right now—that’s the now, it’s not the later!  And God wants us to understand that today is not the end of all that He has planned for us later. So don’t let failure now, rob you of your hope for the later.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Paul began to conclude his letter to the Galatians, he focused on the cross of Christ. He had praise for the cross. Then he explained the power, the promise, and the persecution of the cross. Learn more about what this means for us on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We need to understand that failure isn’t final. Sure, we all fail. But then we get back up, brush ourselves off, and start all over again. Failure is not final! How do we know? Because we’re still alive! And if we’re still alive, that means that God still wants to use us.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we look at the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6, we discover several reasons why we ought to praise God. And if we are going to respond to those reasons, we need to consider making praise a priority in our lives, in order to give God all the glory.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

God gets all the glory, but He works through us to generate glorious results.  We’re laborers together with Him. And so, why do we do what we do? It’s all for His glory. So, Pastor Ford will explain that if we’re not doing something for the glory of God, we should stop whatever it is—now! Because everything we do should be done completely for His glory.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Grace saves us, shapes us, and then gives us the power to serve God. He gives us power to be able to do what we cannot do, so that He can use us to impact the lives of people and show them His grace. And because of His grace, we need to make sure He gets the glory out of our lives. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’ll see today how the Christian life from start to finish is lived by grace.  Grace converts us and transforms us.  And that’s just a few of the reasons why it’s so amazing!  Learn more of what’s so amazing about grace on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In some of the final verses of his letter to them, Paul explained to the Galatian believers that the promise of victory and peace doesn’t apply to everyone, even as believers, but only to as many as walk according to a certain rule. In other words, Pastor Ford will ask us—if we don’t implement what Christ has given us for victory, then why are we expecting to have victory in the Christian life?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Grace is amazing and should be extremely important in our lives. Pastor Ford will explain that if what we’re doing isn’t being done by the grace of God, then it doesn’t really count with God. If who we are isn’t because of His grace, then God is not pleased with us, because we’re not living by His grace. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, Pastor Ford will share about how waiting is sometimes part of the opposition you are facing. And actually, the waiting can lead you to the opportunity that is still ahead. So, as scripture encourages us—if we don’t become weary, then we will reap if we don’t faint. We need to give God time to bring about what He has planned and to prepare the opportunity He ultimately has for us.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sometimes, when we realize that our opportunity is disguised as opposition, we need to change our plans. But many of us aren’t willing to do that, so we end up succumbing to the opposition instead of finding the opportunity. Learn more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Satan will often use opposition to discourage belivers.  But opposition is just opportunity that is cleverly disguised.  We’ll see today how the Apostle Paul realized that his opportunity was designed as opposition so he would become discouraged.  And we’ll see how to combat that same strategy that Satan tries to use against us.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Because God has told us that He knows the plans He has for us, then that fact ought to give us confidence about our future.  God will determine the outcome of our lives and we can be confident that what He has for us in the end will be the things that we expected, and that will be all according to His promises.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, Pastor Ford will help us understand how Paul affirmed to the Galatian believers his comprehension of his own confirmation.  And then, in his letter to them, he celebrated his liberation from sin. We’ll see that Paul gave us a great example of how to respond to the good news of the gospel as we continue to look at the topic of embracing the cross of Christ.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue in the book of Jeremiah, we will learn more about how God is making it clear through this scripture passage that He alone knows what is best for us and He is working in our lives to accomplish it. And Pastor Ford will remind us that since God is in control, when He decides what is going to happen in our lives, it then becomes our destiny. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

God comprehends and controls the situations in our lives. And today Pastor Ford will explain that just because we don’t know or understand what God is doing, it doesn’t mean God isn’t doing what’s best for us. It means God understands what’s best for us and we should trust Him.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue our study in Jeremiah 29, we’ll see that when God talks about having the knowledge about the plans for our lives, He’s indicating that He has all of the details of our lives—the decisions we must make and the directions we must go. Ultimately, God is the only one Who can tell us how to make the right choices.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

God doesn’t just give us a second chance. He allows us to seek His forgiveness as many times as we need. He knows the plans that He has for each of us, and He’s willing to forgive us and bring us back into fellowship with Him, every time we stray.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scripture says that God is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we could ask or even think. And today, Pastor Ford will explain that he actively acknowledges that fundamental truth by praying, “God, if this prayer of mine is not big enough, then please super-size it!”. Learn more about taking our limits off of God, on the next Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today’s Treasured Truth,  we’ll look at how embracing the cross of Christ transforms us.  As scripture says, “…Old things are passed away, behold all things are become new.” So, Pastor Ford will explain that what God provided for us in our transformation is enough to give us a foundation for holiness and godly living. Find out more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Ford will remind us that God wants to take us from sin to salvation, from hell to heaven, from emptiness to everything, and from barrenness to fruitfulness.  He’ll turn our worries into worship.  So, if we can can begin to comprehend all of this about God and take our limits off of Him, then we won’t fear turning over our unknown to our all-knowing God! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s easy for believers to put God in a box.  But Pastor Ford will encourage us today to look beyond the way that God did things in the past for you.  Because God may choose to do things differently in the future.  If you keep looking for Him to do things the way He always did them before, then you may miss what He is doing in the present. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, Pastor Ford will point out that prayer is not peripheral, but rather, prayer is paramount in our lives.  It’s not optional.  It’s essential. Learn more about how effective prayer can be on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, Pastor Ford will share how important it is to have a place in your home, where you go to meet with God on a regular basis.  That’s one part of building up a better, more consistent intercessory prayer life. Find out more about how to pray for others when you join us for today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most of the prayers that Jesus prayed weren’t for Himself.  They were intercessory prayers that He prayed for other people.   And today, we need to follow His example.  Pastor Ford wants to help believers become better intercessors, so that God would be working through the prayers of His people.  Learn more about intercessory prayer on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Bible teaches that we each gain so much through Christ’s sacrifice for us on the cross.  Pastor Ford will remind us today that our pardon, position, power, provision, peace and preservation are all in Christ.  Learn more about what this means for us on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

According to Pastor Ford, learning to be content with what you already have is one way to avoid being jealous of others.  And for those of us who are believers in Jesus and are seeking to honor Him with our lives, another way we can escape jealousy’s grip is to simply ask ourselves—can we glorify the Lord through our jealousy?  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue to learn more about jealousy, Pastor Ford will not only share the negative effects that jealousy can have, but he’ll also share with us some practical ways to defeat jealousy and prevent it from taking root in our lives. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In his writing, Shakespeare referred to jealousy as a “green-eyed monster”—and as Pastor Ford will point out today, that is a very fitting analogy.  Jealousy can have many negative effects and if we’re not careful, it can destroy us.  To learn more, join us for today's Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are there safeguards we can use to prevent ourselves from participating in gossip?  Pastor Ford shares eleven questions we can ask ourselves to help combat the natural tendencies that we all have toward the sin of gossip. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Satan likes to use division as a tool to disable the effectiveness of those who follow Jesus.   And one thing he uses to cause division is gossip.  Gossip often leads to confusion, arguing and fighting.  And when believers are involved with all of those things, they are not moving forward and they are certainly not being effective for the cause of Christ.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we begin an in depth look at the cross of Christ and how we can embrace it, we’ll learn that Christ’s vicarious death was deficient for none, sufficient for all, and efficient for everybody who believes in Him. Find out more about what this means, when you join us for today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we’re going through a situation that involves misunderstanding, it’s easy to want to take things into our own hands and try to fix it.  But Pastor Ford will encourage us today to turn it all over to God.  We should pray that God will open the eyes of those who have misunderstood us.  We shouldn’t rush in and try to fix things ourselves.  We should let God handle it!  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue to look at misunderstanding today on Treasured Truth, we’ll see that often manipulation can be a factor that leads to misunderstanding.  And sometimes people who might have their own interests in mind can complicate the communication process even further, for their own purposes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Misunderstanding can occur so easily.  And often, it can happen when someone who is involved in the misunderstanding assigns the wrong motivation to the person who is sending the message.  And Pastor Ford will point out today that no matter how good your motivation may be for what you are doing, there’s always going to be someone who will ascribe to you a different motivation.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, Pastor Ford will challenge us today to consider these questions—Can you worship Jesus, even when you don’t get what you want? Even if you don’t get the job, if the sickness isn’t healed, if you never get a husband, if you never get a wife, or if your children never come back from “the far country”?  Like Job, can you still say, “The Lord giveth, the Lord taketh away, blessed be the name of the Lord?”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What do you do when Jesus doesn’t do what you want, how you want and when you want?  Today, Pastor Ford will point out that the mother we meet in Matthew 15 decided she was going to go beyond her expectation.  She expected Jesus to help her, but He was silent in that moment. So, she began an exercise in faith by deciding to sit and wait for Him to respond. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we see a brother or sister in need of spiritual correction, we first need to take time to pray and really think about the best, most positive way to speak words of correction or words of rebuke to them.  We need to do it in the right spirit, and not permit ourselves to get upset when we don’t get the response that we think we should get or that the Bible says we should get from them. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Who do you go to when you have a problem?  Is the fact that Jesus is ready to help you with anything you need something that you remember in your time of need?  As we begin a new study in Matthew 15, Pastor Ford will introduce us to a woman who had an audacious faith and believed that Jesus was the only One Who could help her. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Ford will challenge us today to consider the need we have to understand how our problems and pain can be motivating factors in our lives. Even though we go through difficulties, they can motivate us to live in our “not yet,” right now.  In other words, we can focus right now on the hope we have in our future with Jesus, instead of dwelling on our current situation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we face problems and pain in life, we need to understand that what we’re going through is for the future that we’re going to. That struggle is a part of making us who we’re going to become and it is designed to accomplish God’s purpose for our lives.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Ford will remind us today that sometimes the solution to our problem is in our problem.  In other words, our deficiency—which is apparent to us in our problem—may be the provision for the sufficiency that God wants to provide for us.  But often, we can’t easily see the truth about our situation. So, we must learn to trust God more fully for the outcome.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue to consider how to see purpose in our problems and pain, Pastor Ford will explain the various kinds of suffering we can encounter.  One of those is remedial suffering, and God uses it much like a potter uses heat to cure his clay.  So, it’s during those times when God uses suffering to burn character into us that cannot be changed, to burn compromise out of our life, and to burn off the carnality from our behavior—all of those adjustments help us resemble Christ and not the world.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue to look at how we should treat our brothers and sisters in Christ, we’re going to take a closer look at meekness. When someone is meek, it means that they have strength under control. Pastor Ford will explain that God delights in people who are meek. And God wants to use people in their meekness to restore the things that are broken around them.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

God has sent us the trials we are experiencing in our lives, and He wants us to see them in the way that He sees them.  And that’s because He’s shaping us to make us into something that we currently are not. And why is He doing that?   Because in the current shape we’re in, God won’t give us what He ultimately does want to give us, when we have eventually been conformed to His will.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s power in the name of Jesus.  So much so, that when we focus on Him and on magnifying His name, our perspective changes.  And the smaller the problems in our lives will actually become, in light of His glory.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we consider the purpose in our problems and pain, we need to realize that it’s not how much of Jesus we have, but it’s how much of us that Jesus has. We need to ask ourselves, do we really trust Him in our time of trouble? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue our study in the book of James, Pastor Ford will ask us to consider this question—even though we’re going through something right now, are we more committed to Jesus’ purpose than we are to getting out of our pain? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You may be going through a tremendous struggle right now, but as we begin to look at how there is purpose in our problems and pain, Pastor Ford will encourage us to not waste our sorrows. Instead, we should embrace them, realizing that God is up to something and is working in our lives.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today’s Treasured Truth, we’ll be reminded that our fellow believers are our brothers and our sisters in Christ—we have been cemented together, sealed by the blood of Jesus Christ—and that ought to mean something.  And because of this, we should at least treat each other with decency, kindness, and respect.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sometimes, when we’re taking care of God’s business and serving in ministry, we are hesitant to acknowledge the gifts of other people in our midst.  We see them as an intrusion against our own ministry, instead of an infusion of help from God. And instead of seeing them as a threat, Pastor Ford will encourage us to discover the gifts of others, help them develop their gifts, and deploy them into service for God’s glory. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, Pastor Ford will help us identify some very practical ways we can tell if God has called us to a certain ministry, before we dive in headfirst to what we think we’ve been called to do.  We’ll learn how to discover our passions and priorities and identify our desire to glorify God, all while following His guidance. Find out more on today’s Treasured Truth.                                                                    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

God calls those who have believed in Jesus to do the work of His ministry in the church and around the world.  They’re called and chosen by Him because of their passion for certain ministries. But today Pastor Ford will explain that there are those who went but weren’t actually sent.  In other words, they were appointed to a certain ministry by man, but not anointed for it by God.  So, as we seek to take care of God’s business, we need to be sure we are called by Him to do what we’re doing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The widow in Luke 7 was mourning her son’s death.  But when she encountered Jesus, He told her to stop crying.  He had a reason to urge her to cease her mourning, because He knew His plan.  He was about to bring her son back to life.  To find out more about how Jesus miraculously worked in the life of this woman, join us for today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue our study in Luke 7, we’ll see how Jesus responded to the faith of the widow in this passage and brought her son back to life.  Jesus had a purpose in this encounter, and that was to demonstrate God’s great power.  And in doing so, to honor the faith of this seemingly insignificant woman. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, Pastor Ford will explain that Paul’s teaching in Galatians makes it clear that the gospel of Jesus Christ doesn’t repudiate the law, but rather, the law is fulfilled in the gospel.  Because the central core and motivation behind what Jesus did for us is the fact that He loves us.  And in return, we should love Him and not squander the liberty He has afforded us. Learn more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There is no such thing as coincidence with God.  Only providence.  Nothing is accidental.  Everything is Providential when it comes to the things that God allows to happen to His people. So, Pastor Ford will remind us today that it’s never too late to call on God to work through His providence on our behalf. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How can we know if we are mature believers?  When His purpose is more important to us than our pain.  Some people won’t get involved in ministry because they know that they’re going to get hurt.  But Pastor Ford will explain today that we all must ask ourselves, is Calvary more important than our own personal comfort?  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue our study in 2 Corinthians, we discover that Paul had a unique perspective about his problems, because he chose to look at the Problem Solver, instead of at his problems.  Instead of looking at the Devil, who has some power, Paul chose to focus on the One Who has all power—Jesus Christ.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Ford will remind us that the Apostle Paul essentially encouraged us to not ever take our eyes off Christ and put our eyes on our problems or our pain.  By maintaining what Pastor Ford calls an abiding vision of God, Paul was able to accept his suffering when God chose not to remove it from his life. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, we’ll continue to look at how the Apostle Paul described and dealt with his “thorn in the flesh.” Pastor Ford will point out that there was a tension, or a tandem nature about Paul’s situation—God graced the suffering to him, but Satan was the one who was giving him fits.  Satan was the one causing his pain.  It wasn’t God.  God was the one being gracious toward him.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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One reason why we’re fighting against what God is allowing to happen in our lives may be because we’re immature in our faith and we don’t understand that God’s not allowing our suffering to happen in order to hurt us. Instead, He’s trying to help us.  He’s not trying to destroy us. He’s trying to develop us.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We need to remember that God can do with us whatever, whenever, wherever, and however He pleases.  And guess what—He’s not going to ask our permission to conform us to the image of Jesus Christ.  However, sometimes the best way He is able to do just that is through our suffering.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sometimes all we can see is our problems. We’re surrounded by our handicaps, our sicknesses, and our liabilities—emotionally, physically, psychologically, socially, and financially. In order to look beyond all these things, we need a fresh, abiding vision of God. Pastor Ford will remind us that we can ask God to help us see Him in the midst of our suffering.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian church about his “thorn in the flesh.” And Pastor Ford will explain how Paul dealt with his suffering by keeping an abiding vision of God, so that it helped him to deal with whatever he was going through.  We’ll learn that Paul wasn’t looking at his suffering.  He was looking at the Savior. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we begin a study today from 2 Corinthians, and consider why God gives us challenges and liabilities that we must deal with in our lives, Pastor Ford will challenge us to consider this question—Is it conceivable that you have your disability not as a liability, but as a possibility? Find out more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Galatians 5, Paul was trying to help the Galatian believers understand that if they were going to rely on the law to save them, then that necessitated obedience to all the law.  They couldn’t just can’t pick and choose! They couldn’t say, “We want to obey some of the commandments, not all of the commandments.” Pastor Ford will help us understand more of what Paul was teaching the Galatians about this important point on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If we encounter problems in our marriage, we will often blame God for allowing us to marry the wrong person.  But today, Pastor Ford will counter that notion by reminding us that we came up with the idea of marrying that person.  It was our choice to proceed in the relationship.  But now we say, “Why did God allow it?” But in reality, we did it.  We made the decision and the choice.  So, why are we blaming God? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

According to Pastor Ford, you have to get a divorce from yourself, before you get into a relationship with a potential spouse.  There has to be two funerals before there’s one marriage.  Each spouse has to die to self!  That’s because marriage is not a 50/50 venture.  It requires 100 percent from each person. To hear more, join us for today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Ford has this question for us today—what makes us want to get out of so quickly the marriage that we wanted to get into so desperately?  As we continue to discuss issues that may arise in a marriage, we’ll explore why so many people easily seek a divorce in today’s society, after desperately wanting to be married to their spouse in the beginning of their relationship. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Ford will remind us today that Jesus died for our salvation and to give us the ability to be able to have a better marriage.  He did all that He did to redeem us from our sins.  Pastor Ford will also ask us—since Jesus died for us, then why is it that in our marriages, we can’t seem live for Him and forgive our spouses?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you married in search of happiness, then you didn’t really understand what marriage is all about.  The Bible says, “Therefore, a man will leave his father and mother, cleave to his wife and the two of them will become one flesh.”  Oneness is the goal of marriage.  Happiness is a by-product.  Join us today as we look further at the what happens when a marriage has a case of the “toos”.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When a marriage has a case of the “Toos,” one thing that happens is there are too many unmet expectations.  And often married people will focus on the “what ifs” of life instead of on the “what is.”  And when the “what ifs” take precedent over the “what is,” then it often leads to disappointment and disillusionment.  We’ll begin to look at how to deal with expectations  in your marriage on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Perspective and perception are two key factors that affect our understanding of suffering. Our perspective governs our perception. In other words, the way we look at whatever we’re going through will determine how we perceive and comprehend it. So it’s crucial for us to try to gain God’s perspective on our suffering, instead of looking at it from our own perspective.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

God used Goliath, a giant, to bring David to prominence, because David was the young man whom God had chosen to later become King of Israel.  If he’d had no encounter with the giant, he would have had no prominence in his youth.  And then God used the Devil to bring Job to prominence—no Devil, no prominence.  He used the cross to bring Christ to prominence.  So today, Pastor Ford will ask—do you see how God uses suffering?  He uses it for His purposes and for His glory. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Suffering always has a purpose.  As we begin a study in Revelation 13, we’ll realize that sometimes our suffering is actually related to our redemption.  When God allows us to suffer, He’s not trying to destroy us. He’s trying to develop us. But in order to understand the process, we have to see suffering from God’s perspective.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we conclude our look at the story of the paralyzed man in Mark chapter 2 we’ll see how this man’s friends were determined to get him to Jesus. In spite of the obstacles, they tore the roof off of the building where Jesus was teaching so that He could heal their friend. So Pastor Ford will ask today, what radical things are we doing to get our friends to Jesus?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

According to Paul, the Galatians had the clear and simple message of salvation, but they let some people who were overly concerned about religious practices come alongside them and add stuff to it.  So, in the beginning, the Galatians had a message leading to salvation, but then they let others adulterate it, taking the truth away and making the message ineffective.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue our study in Galatians, Pastor Ford will remind us about what Paul was trying to teach the Galatian believers: We as believers need to understand the more human effort we bring to the table when it comes to the process of our salvation, the more we end up nullifying God’s grace. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today we’re looking at what Jesus did for the paralyzed man in Mark chapter 2.  What did the man think that he needed most?  Healing in his body.  What did Jesus know he needed most?  Forgiveness in his soul.  Based on this, Pastor Ford will remind us just how important our spiritual healing is to our Savior.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, Pastor Ford explains that challenges are an important part of our journey.  What we’ve overcome determines how far we’ve come.  And if we find that we’re not anywhere new, it’s probably because we have not yet overcome the challenges that God wants to use to grow us. To learn more, join us for today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are you ready to break out of the box?  Are you ready to tear the roof off of all the limitations? Sometimes, in order to get people to Jesus, you have to overcome obstacles and challenges.  But Pastor Ford reminds us on today’s Treasured Truth that every effort to get someone to Jesus is worth it.  See omny.fm/listener for privacy information.

Is your life and testimony making Jesus attractive to the people around you?  Is anyone overhearing you share what Jesus has done for you in His person, His power, His plan, His program, and in His provision?  Pastor Ford asks today, “Who’s hearing you?”See omny.fm/listener for privacy information.

As we start a new message, Pastor Ford will ask us to consider how the friends of the paralyzed man in Mark chapter 2 carried him directly to Jesus so he could be healed.  In the same way, we should never let anyone or anything stop us from getting those in our lives who we know need Jesus to Him.See omny.fm/listener for privacy information.

As we learn more about how we can transition from doctrine to duty, Pastor Ford will explain that the things learned in the holy place, should be lived in the marketplace.  So, he’ll encourage us to take what we are learning in church with us and share it with the world.  If we were doing that more often, then more people would be attracted to what we have and want to become a part of the church themselves. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, as we study John 12 and continue to learn about how Mary broke her alabaster box of fragrant perfume to anoint Jesus, we’ll see the extent of the sacrificial love she was showing to Him by doing that.  And perhaps her story will compel us to consider what it is that we will sacrifice for Jesus. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Others can tell how much we love Jesus by the way we serve Him. They can tell by the way we give to Him.  They can tell by the way we worship Him.  You see, a lot of us have a fake “Zirconium Jesus.” Because if we all had a real “Diamond Jesus” then there’d be nothing that would keep us from going crazy about the Lord Jesus Christ! Find out what this means on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we live the Christian life, we need a love that will sacrifice for the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  Because many of us have praise for Christ on our lips, but the rest of our lives doesn’t demonstrate our love for Him.  And according to Pastor Ford, in other words, we often have high praise, but low living!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we consider what the Lord Jesus did for us, we see the magnitude of it—He paid for the sins of the world.  We see the magnificence of it—we were enemies and while we were yet sinners, He died for us.  The majesty of it—the Creator died for the creature.  And the mystery of it—why would someone so holy die for a world of messed up sinners like us?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue to look at why God deserves all of our praise, we’ll learn that we can’t just join God’s family. We have to be born into it. So, what did Jesus do for us?  He traded places with you and with me, which allows us to become part of God’s family. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the passage we’ll be studying today from Galatians 5, Paul says, “Stand fast therefore, in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free. And be not entangled again, with the yoke of bondage.” So, Pastor Ford will explain what he means is that the law doesn’t empower us, it enslaves us. And if we try to follow the law, we end up with legalism, rather than liberty. [To learn more, join us for today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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The Psalmist says that he sought God with all his heart and God had every part of Him as a result. So, Pastor Ford explains today that the heart of the matter is that it’s all a matter of the heart. Does God have your heart today?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, Pastor Ford will explain that praise should be done volitionally, as an act of our will.  It doesn’t matter how we feel, we should give God some praise!  We could feel like ten miles of bad highway, but we shouldn’t walk out of a worship service without saying something to God in a corporate setting and letting Him know that we appreciate Him, we’re grateful for Him, and we love Him! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

 God not only deserves, but He requires our praise. Pastor Ford explains today that the word “Hallelujah” conveys to Him our highest praise. God wanted a word that every Christian could use, no matter what our culture or color, no matter what our creed, and no matter what our language, and the word that He gave us is “Hallelujah!”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When striving to live a successful life, we need to understand that when we meet the requirements, God gives us the rewards He has planned for us.  Pastor Ford explains that God tells us in His word that He is going to take use where we cannot go ourselves.  He’s going to make sure that He blesses us.  What a promise He has made to us!  Learn more about God’s promise on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Ford will help us understand that when we are not keeping the Lord’s commandments, we are not loving Him.  He’ll also address this question—what does it mean for us to be committed to Jesus Christ?  It means we love what Jesus loves and we hate what Jesus hates.  And that’s when we know we’re committed to Christ. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When trying to live a successful life, we must realize that God has already made provisions for us.  Pastor Ford says what we have to do is wait on God and just take a chill pill!  We have to say, “God we trust You and we understand that we can totally depend upon You.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Proverbs 3:1 says, “My son, forget not My law, but let your heart keep My commandments.”  And so, there’s the guideline for living a successful life.  Do you want to live a successfully?  Then you need to listen to God and keep His commandments.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we wrap up our series on worship, Pastor Ford asks the question, “What is this worship we’ve been talking about?”  He concludes that worship is all that we are, responding to all God is.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you reflect on the grace that God has given you, or do you think that you have just been lucky in life?  Today, Pastor Ford asks that poignant question and wants us to realize that God’s grace is constantly evident in our lives and that God doesn’t get the proper praise from us, because we don’t recognize all that He’s done through His grace for us. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

King David was motivated to praise God because he couldn’t help responding to God’s goodness.  Today, Pastor Ford will ask us—have you considered God’s goodness lately, and has it motivated you to praise Him? Find out more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever received a pardon, but refused it?  Today we’ll hear about a man named George Wilson, who did just that.  And Pastor Ford will explain that there are too many people who are like that.  God gives them the pardon they need, but sadly, they reject His offer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Ford prompts us to think about why the problems in our lives seem so difficult.  Whatever the problems are, they’re difficult because they’re most likely still in our hands, and not in God’s hand.  Consider this—have you put your problems in His hand yet?  We need to realize God is majestic and all powerful, and He can help us handle any problem that we face. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford reminds us about the exchange that took place between Christ and us.  He took our sin and gave us His salvation.  He took our sadness and gave us His joy.  He took our carnality and gave us His spirituality.  And He took our poverty and gave us His wealth. So, based on all that Christ has done for us, we have plenty of reasons to worship Him!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today we turn to Isaiah 40, as Pastor Ford describes how God craves our worship.  He’ll explain that this passage drives us to worshipping God, by giving us a glimpse of His glory, so we will be mesmerized by His majesty, blinded by His beauty and humbled by His holiness. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Ford wants us to realize that if we start telling God, “This is the day that the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad”—even in the midst of what we’re going through—then the Bible tells us that God is going to receive our praise and change us from worriers into worshippers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If we want peace, Jesus is our peace.  If we want righteousness, Jesus is our righteousness.  Whatever element of our life we are struggling with, He identifies with it and redeems it in us.  So, when God sees us, He does not see our sin, He sees His Son—and that’s definitely something to be joyful about and worship Him for.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As our study continues in Galatians chapter 4, today we’ll see that just like Abraham and Sarah received a promise from God, we all as believers, have received a promise too. It’s the promise that we will be delivered from the penalty of our sins through grace.  The new covenant frees us from the law and now we have the hope of salvation, but it’s only found in grace.  To find out more about God’s free gift of grace,  join us for today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, Pastor Ford will let us know that our real focus should be on worship.  Whatever we are going through, we ought to be able to say like the Psalmist says, “This is the day that Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it!”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on Treasured Truth, Pastor Ford will explain that God has choreographed the day that lies ahead for each of us.  His sovereignty is all over this day that each of us will be living.  So we need to understand He chose for us specifically whatever we are going through.  He has a purpose that He’s trying to work in us, so that we would not lose our joy, and so we would stand firm in our faith in Him.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, Pastor Ford will share the difference between thanksgiving, praise, and worship.  According to him, when we bless God for what He’s done specifically for us, that’s thanksgiving.  When we bless God for what He’s done in the world around us, that’s praise.  But when we bless God for Who He is, that’s worship.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

God desires for us to worship Him.  And He wants sincere worship from us.  Why?  Because He not only wants to redeem us, and for us to allow Him to use us for His purposes, He also wants us to be rejoicing in Him and expressing our joy to Him through our worship.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, Pastor Ford will remind us that God’s resources are reserved for those who fulfill His responsibilities. Our provision has to be linked to His purpose.  And the problem is that many of us want the provision, but we don’t want His purpose. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Salvation is by grace.  So, in the process of salvation, we don’t help God out.  As we look at the passage we’re studying today, Pastor Ford will explain that Paul is saying the promise God made to Abraham and Sarah is very much like our salvation.  God does not need our help to perform any act or bring anything to pass, no matter what it may be, which ultimately means He does not need our help to save us. Learn more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are times when we will lose out on the blessings of God, because we don’t have enough faith to put all of our trust in the plan He has for us.  But then there are times when we place only part of our faith in His plan, and God still chooses to bless us fully. How God chooses to bless us, when He chooses to bless us, and how much He chooses to bless us with, is really all up to Him. Find out more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’ll be reminded today that we have a God Who cannot love us more than He already does and will never love us any less.  And even though we sometimes ignore the plan He has for us and we walk away from Him, He will never walk away from us.  No matter how far we stray, we never cease to be His children. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we’re committed to Jesus, we need to have a commitment that’s three dimensional—first to the person of Christ, then to the proclamation of the gospel, then to participation in what He has called us to do and gifted us for. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It costs a lot to be a disciple of Jesus.  But guess what—it costs more not to be one!  Because Jesus said, “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it.  But whoever loses their life for My sake, will save it.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we look at what it really means to be committed to Jesus, Pastor Ford asks us to consider this question—Are we paying the price that it takes to follow the Lord Jesus Christ?  Because there is a cost associated with following Him, and it includes self-sacrifice.  Have you begun to pick up your cross, die daily, and follow Him? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue to look at the story that Paul allegorizes in Galatians chapter 4, we’ll see that he wants to help the Galatians understand that they are trying in vain to get salvation from the law, when the law was never designed to give us our salvation. We can’t get salvation by the things that we do.  And that’s Paul’s entire argument—salvation is by grace alone. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When our world is falling apart and we’re trying to keep it all together, we need to understand that everything in our lives needs to be all about Christ. It has to be! And Pastor Ford will explain in Philippians 4, Paul is essentially saying, ‘If you kill me, I’ll go be with Christ. If you let me live, I’ll live for Christ.  And if you make me suffer, I’ll get a crown from Christ.’ So, bring it on! It’s all about Jesus Christ! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

God is not trying to change our outcome.  He’s trying to change our outlook.  Because He knows if He can change our outlook He can then change our outcome.  And if we’re filled with fret, we can’t be filled with faith.  We can’t be fretful and faithful at the same time. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Ford explains that our eschatological promise is in the future—our “not yet.”  But our existential problem is in the present—our “right now.”  So we need to understand that we can focus on our “not yet” and it will deal with our “right now.”  That’s because we know that our “right now” can’t cancel out our “not yet,” based on the promise that God has already made to us. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Ford will remind us today that regardless of what we see going on now, whatever God has promised will happen is going to happen.  Regardless of what we feel now, it’s going to happen.  Regardless of who gets in our way, or whatever traps the Devil sets, we can always be confident that what God has promised is going to happen.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We can be confident that no matter what happens, God is going to do what He’s said He’s going to do.  And we can’t say anything or do anything to change that.  No circumstances or anything that the Devil does, should ever persuade us to believe anything other than what God has promised us.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue to look at this old story with a new meaning, Pastor Ford will remind us that Biblical hermeneutics follows a simple formula—when the literal sense makes plain sense, seek no other sense, lest you abandon common sense and end up with nonsense.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we look further at the story of Esther, we’ll learn more about how God brought her to a specific time and place in order for her to fulfill her destiny.  Pastor Ford will encourage us to consider how God wants us to use the time He’s given us in our lives to fulfill our own destinies and to do great things for Him.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we think about the time we spend living our lives for the Lord, we have a tendency to focus on duration. But God focuses on donation.  We focus on longevity, but God focuses on legacy.  We may hear someone say, “I’ve been saved for twenty years.”  And that may be true, but that person’s been out of God’s will for eighteen of those years.  So, today Pastor Ford will explain that at the judgment seat of Christ, that person will only get credit for the two years they were living in the will of God.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We have to remember that our attitude is crucial when we are seeking forgiveness from another person.  People generally judge the seriousness of our asking forgiveness based on the way our words come from our mouths.  If we don’t approach the conversation with humility, then it will definitely complicate the whole process.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue to look at seeking forgiveness from others, Pastor Ford will explain how we often will make excuses for ourselves.  But he will remind us that Jesus died for our sins, not for our excuses. And we need to remember what we’re talking about when we seek forgiveness—it’s not what we feel about what we did to the other person.  Rather, it’s about how they felt about what we did to them. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Galatians chapter 4, Paul takes the Old Testament story about Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac and allegorizes it.  Today we’re going to dig into this passage and see what timeless truths Paul is trying to get us to understand by giving this old story a new meaning. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, Pastor Ford will explain that forgiveness is a dialogue and saying you’re sorry is a monologue.  In other words, when we say, “I’m sorry,” there’s nothing else to say about what’s happened.  But, when we say, “Forgive me,” now we’ve included the other person and it’s going to take a dialogue to deal with what the issue is. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Abraham learned Who God is by what he went through. He learned that God is the answer. But just like Abraham, we have to be given a problem so that we can discover all that God is. So to Abraham, God became Jehovah-Jireh. And if we go through the problems we are given, what we’ll find is that God reveals His name to us according to what we need. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today’s Treasured Truth, we’ll see how—as part of being Jehovah-Jireh to us—God puts stuff where we can get it, when we need it, even when we don’t know that we need it.  He then reveals His provision to us at just the right time—when we’re ready to receive it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue to learn about how God is our ultimate provider, we’ll discover how faithfulness in our current circumstances produces fruitfulness in us later.  We'll see how God will test us in the little things now to reveal to us whether we will be faithful in the big things He has planned for us later.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We have the revelation from God on this side of our circumstance—God’s promise.  Then we have the manifestation of that promise on the other side—God’s provision.  And today, we’ll look further at how our obedience is the bridge that allows us to cross over from promise to provision. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Law and Grace don’t mix.  But the Apostle Paul was having a hard time communicating that fact to the Galatian believers and convincing them it was the truth.  So, he took a story from the Old Testament and allegorized it, giving it a new twist that helped them to understand.  To hear how Paul used an old story with a new meaning in his letter to the Galatians, join us for today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Without God we can’t and without us God won’t.  So we have to be participants in His plan.  And our obedience is the factor that allows us to participate.  It’s the bridge that takes us to our provision. Learn more on today on Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Ford asks today, “Will you do the unthinkable?  Is your faith greater than your fears?  Is the promise greater than your problem?”  Because, only when all of those things are true, will you then be able to go from God’s promises to His provisions for your life. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we look further at how God is our ultimate provider, Pastor Ford will explain that our provision is tied to our obedience. We aren’t going to get what God has for us until we do what God has told us to do. Learn more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue to learn about God as our ultimate provider, we’ll see that the provision God has for us is often right in front of us—everybody can see it.  But in order for us to see it as His provision, He has to reveal it and manifest it to us through His power as Jehovah-Jireh—the God Who puts what we need, where we need it, until we need it, even when we don’t know that we need it.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When God instructed Abraham to sacrifice Isaac He was testing him. But after Abraham demonstrated total faith, God ultimately revealed Himself as Jehovah-Jireh and provided the sacrifice to take Isaac’s place.  Today we’ll learn more about the reasons why God tests His children and see how He becomes our Jehovah-Jireh in the midst of those tests.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

His death on the cross proved Jesus’ humanity, but the resurrection proved His deity.  So, His death was His humiliation. But His resurrection was His exaltation—confirming what Jesus was communicating when He said, “I am the resurrection and the life.” Find out more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We should learn to connect the good times and not separate them from the bad times because God loves us always—both in the good times and in the bad.  We’ll see that even negative things in our lives have divine purpose and can be part of God’s ultimate provision for us. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today as we start to look at Genesis 22 and see how God is our ultimate provider, Pastor Ford asks us to consider this—how many of us have blown our blessing because we have not been prepared for what God has prepared for us? We’ll learn that there’s probably a lot of people to whom God hasn’t given their blessings, because He’s said to them, “You aren’t ready for Me to bless you yet.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we conclude this series from Joshua 1, pastor and author James Ford, Jr. encourages us to not let the little things in our lives keep us from discovering the everything that God has for us.  And he explains that one thing God wants us to do in order to be in line with His will is readily obey His precepts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

God’s word never has an expiration date.  It’s as relevant today as it was back in the beginning.  But we see in His word that God’s timing is not like ours.  Pastor Ford wants to remind us that if God took 700 years to fulfill a promise about His Son, then He may also take more than just a few years to fulfill the promises that apply to our lives. To learn more, join us for today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In His word, God has given us the revelation about the promises that He has for us.  But He’s given us that revelation without giving us the manifestation of those promises yet.  That’s because there must be a demonstration of application on our part in order for us to receive that manifestation.  Pastor Ford will dive more deeply into these concepts on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Jesus told them who He was and shared with His followers what we can consider the greatest statement ever made, He wanted them to know He was not just another man.  He was not just a good man.  He was not just a prophet.  He was not just a rabbi.  He is God in the flesh.  Find out what He told them specifically on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue these messages from Joshua chapter 1, Pastor Ford will describe how faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable, does the impossible, complies with the incomprehensible, and accepts the intangible.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Ford wants us to understand that we often let the little things keep us from the everything that God has for us.  Because where God’s will is concerned, we need to understand two things—we’re either in the way or on the way. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Ford explains that God has already given us the revelation—His promise.  But we don’t get the product—the manifestation of the promise—until we meet the qualifications for what God has said we can have.  Learn more as we continue this series called Takers, from Joshua 1. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Ford reminds us today that everything we need is in Christ.  We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.  There are no limitations.  There are no barriers.  We need to take the lid off, break out of the box, and do the things He has called us to do! To learn more about what He has called us to do, join us for today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We must respond to God’s plan and also rest in His promises.  Pastor Ford describes how the more we depend upon God, the more dependable we find Him to be.  No matter what comes our way, we follow God’s plan and He’s going to execute it and bring it to pass. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Apostle Paul set an example for us when he was addressing the Galatian believers about the errors of their doctrine.  He equated the process to the “travails of childbirth” as he struggled to help them understand.  His ultimate goal was see the likeness of Christ formed in them. So, we can learn from Paul as we seek to assist our own fellow believers who may have accepted false doctrines that don’t line up with the truth found in God’s Word.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue to look at how God commanded Joshua to take the land that was promised to the children of Israel, Pastor Ford explains that sometimes the problem with us as believers is that we take the things that we shouldn’t be taking and we don’t take the things that we should be taking.  So we have to be careful to determine what it is that God really wants us to take. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jesus is a taker.  The most spectacular robbery didn’t happen in a movie.  It happened on a hill called Calvary where Jesus died and took our sins on Himself.  He is a taker, who came to take away what we don’t need and give us what we do need.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue this series called Takers, Pastor Ford reminds us about how God elevated Joshua to a place of leadership so he could lead the children of Israel into the Promised Land.  He’ll also share some important leadership principles that will help us as we find ourselves in the place to lead others. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we begin a new study from Joshua chapter 1, Pastor Ford explains that God has called us as believer to be takers. And some of the things that He wants us to take are the promises He gives us in His Word. But which promises are ours to claim? To learn more the promises in God’s Word, join us for today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we conclude our study in Hebrews chapter 12, Pastor Ford will remind us that it’s essential for us as followers of Christ to come to a place where we clearly see our own inadequacy.  The more we see God in His holiness, the more we should see ourselves in our sinfulness.  To learn more, join us for today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do you reach someone with the truth of God’s Word, when they are confused about a doctrinal issue and believing an error?  You have to start by showing them your genuine concern for them and allowing them to sense your heart of compassion for them.  If you don’t start there, then they may confuse you with the “doctrine police” and you may miss the opportunity to help them understand the truth. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As part of our preparation for our ultimate destination, followers of Jesus must understand that it’s crucial to develop the correct kind of reverence for both Jesus and God the Father.  And part of that is fearing God.  Find out what it means to fear God when you join us for today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue our study in the book of Hebrews, Pastor Ford will share about what it means to be a friend of the world and why being one is a detriment to those of us who are followers of Christ. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Ford will remind us that as believers in Christ, throughout life, we are heading toward our ultimate destination.  And through the peaks and valleys of our journey, God is working on us.  He’s chiseling away from us all that is not Christ-like and adding more to us that is like Him.  So, the longer we’re on this road, the more we’re being conformed into the image of Jesus.  Learn more about this when you join us for today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

God wants to use people in our lives to prepare us for our ultimate destination.  Today, Pastor Ford will share a story about his own personal experience with this and ask us to consider who it is we are disregarding in our own lives, that God actually wants to use to bless us.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Part of our preparation for our destination is learning that our messes and our miracles have to live together. And, as Pastor Ford will explain today, there are a whole lot of us who can’t deal with that. We think that since we’re forgiven, our messes ought to be gone. But sometimes the messes we find ourselves in are the consequences of the choices that we’ve made and we have to live with them—especially if those choices were against God.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we consider the importance of having sound doctrine, Pastor Ford will explain that we have to be concerned about the truth of the gospel, maintaining its clarity and integrity. But we also have to have a heart. So we have to lovingly correct those around us who may have been duped by doctrinal error.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If we’re going to work with God to achieve His goals for our lives, we have to know where we’re going.  Where is God wanting to take us?  What is God trying to make us?  And today, Pastor Ford will let us know that our part of working together with God is making sure that the trip along the way is a good one by not getting in the way of His work in our lives.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As God prepares us for and moves us toward our ultimate destination, He wants to bless us along the way.  And He wants to put us in the places where He can bless us.  Today, Pastor Ford will explain that the best way to receive the best blessings from God is to have purity in our lives before God, so there’s nothing to prevent His work in our lives. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we start a new study in Hebrews, Pastor Ford will begin to explain that our ultimate destination as believers is to come to a place in our lives where are like Christ.   And as preparation for that destination, God uses means in our lives to accomplish His will.  Part of that process includes God not avoiding our pain to accomplish what pleases Him.  Learn more about this when you join us for today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we learn the seventh reason why God gave us money, Pastor Ford will help us understand that part of showing our thankfulness to God is through sharing what we have with others.  He’ll point out that it’s the height of hypocrisy for congregations of believers to have any members who have needs that are not met.  Believers should be taking care of one another and meeting the needs of their brothers and sisters who are in need.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If we look around us for what we need, then we look at the agents of the provision.  But when we look up, we look to the source, which is God.  And He wants us to look at Him.  Therefore, He’s going to make sure that your family can’t help you, that your bank account can’t help you, and that your job can’t help you.  God does all of that because sometimes, the only time we’ll look up to see Him as our source of everything, is when we’re lying flat on our backs in desperation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, Pastor Ford will remind us that we need to become familiar with the truth.  Why?  Because there will be people who will come to us with errors in their teaching.  They will come with heresy and lies.  And we must be able to distinguish between what is God’s truth and what is man’s errors in order to remain faithful.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

God is faithful to supply everything that we need.  He sets us up to have everything necessary to make our journey very successful.  And He shows us His faithfulness by providing what we need over and over again. To hear more about how God does these things, join us for today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We can have money, as long as our money doesn’t have us.  And we can know that our money doesn’t have us when we give to God what He asks us to. And Pastor Ford will explain today that one of the signs or indications of the depth of our commitment to God is shown when we freely give our money back to Him.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sometimes, even Christians forget that we can never serve God and money.  But today, Pastor Ford will explain that it’s our God-given responsibility to serve God with our money.  See, the world asks us how much did you have?  And God will ultimately ask us, what did you do with what you had?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the reasons that God gave us money is so we can be generous and help others.  And today, Pastor Ford will remind us that as the church, and as individual Christians, we ought to be helping the weak and needy, and meeting their needs for God’s glory. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, we’ll discover the third reason why God gave us money.  And Pastor Ford will explain that when the people of God, comprehend the value of God, they give to God unreservedly, for His glory.  In other words, when God’s people understand God’s value, then they value God more than their valuables!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As believers, we sometimes can get bogged down in our journey toward maturity, daunted by the perception that we need to abide by a lot of rules. But Pastor Ford will remind us today that we should concentrate on remembering how it was when we first got saved.  Do you remember the freedom that you felt and the burden that was lifted off of you?  Do you remember when you realized your sins were cast into the depths of the sea?  Remember those things and you will remember the true liberty you have in Christ. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Because we know that God will provide for our every need, then we shouldn’t worry.  But still, we sometimes do worry.  Pastor Ford will explain that worrying when you’re supposed to have faith is like being two-faced according to scripture.  That’s because we’re supposed to trust God in every situation.  Our faith should be strong, even when it’s washed in the waters of adversity.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sometimes God uses people as agents to bless us and to meet our needs.  But Pastor Ford will explain today that we sometimes reject the very provision of God, because we don’t like who He has chosen to use to bring our blessing to us. Find out more when you join us for today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scripture says that our God will supply all our needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.  And that’s a promise we can count on!  Pastor Ford will remind us that God is not going to let us out give Him.  When we use our resources for His purposes, then God increases His provisions and gives us more resources.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue to look at the topic of finances and stewardship, Pastor Ford will talk about the second reason why God gave us money.  And we’ll learn that every blessing God has intended for us as believers has already been prepared.  We’re just waiting for those blessings to be manifested for us in God’s perfect timing.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Ford will be making an important connection for us today.  He’s going to show us that money is always connected to the Master.  And as followers of Jesus, He is our Master.  We cannot separate our money from Him. Learn more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we seek to understand our motivation to love and serve God and our fellow believers,  we must realize that the Devil’s going to shoot at us to try and prevent us from striving to reach our goal.  And according to Pastor Ford, if the Devil can’t mess your church up from the outside, then what will he do? He’ll join it!  So, we don’t need to give him the bullets to shoot at us. He already knows that if he can divide us, he can defeat us. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As followers of Jesus, we sometimes attach the ideas of poverty and spirituality to each other. But today, Pastor Ford will help us understand that those two descriptions aren’t synonomous and they don’t belong together. He explains that his job is to separate those two terms for us. And our job is to interpret what he’s saying, while digging into the scriptures to determine whether or not he’s actually telling us what God’s Word says. To learn more, join us for today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue to look at the reasons God gives us money, we’ll see today how God wants us to line our decisions up with His will for us in order for us to fulfill our destiny.  And that includes our decisions about how to handle our money.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

God gives us money for several reasons.  And as we begin today to look at those reasons, Pastor Ford will help us understand that God doesn’t always give to us directly what He wants us to have.  Instead, sometimes He uses His power in certain ways so powerful people will use their power and provision to invest in the lives of believers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, Pastor Ford will explain that our salvation through Jesus can actually be described in financial terms.  Through His sacrifice, Jesus became the investment.  And as He redeems us, we become the dividends of His investment. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Pastor Ford continues to encourage us to be wise stewards of the money God has blessed us with, he will explain that we can maximize our money by taking advantage of wise investment strategies.  We should have our money working for us, instead of working against us.  We work for our money, so now that we’ve earned it, we need to learn how to make our money work for us.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever considered why as believers, we do what we do?  Why do we want to know Christ more clearly?  For His sake.  Why do we want to love Him more dearly?  For His sake.  And why do we want to follow Him more nearly? Pastor Ford will remind us today that it’s all for the sake of Jesus! Find out more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we take a closer look at the story of the unjust steward that we read about in Luke 16, we’ll learn that Jesus was definitely not commending his dishonesty.  But rather, He was commending the fact that the steward did something that demonstrated he was handling his money wisely.  To learn more, join us for today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, Pastor Ford will explain one way in which the children of darkness are wiser with their money than the children of light are, and it’s because they tend to plan more for the future.  He’ll help us understand that it’s not the amount of money you make, but rather your attitude towards your money that makes the difference.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue this study from Luke 16, about how to manage money wisely, Pastor Ford will explain the difference between needs, wants, and desires.  If we can learn the difference between those, then we’ll be on our way to learning to maximize our money.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we begin to look at the story of the dishonest steward in Luke 16, Pastor Ford will explain how the children of darkness can sometimes be wiser than the children of light when it comes to handling their money. Find out more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scripture says that where your treasure is, there your heart is also—and it’s true.  Pastor Ford will tell us today, “Show me where you spend your time, your talent, your treasure and your talk, and I’ll tell you who and what is your focus.”  And then he’ll ask us—“If someone were to look at your checkbook, would they be able to tell that you’re a Christian and that you love Jesus?” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we realize that a fellow believer is trying to earn their salvation by obeying rules, we need to emphasize for them the freedom that they have in Jesus Christ.  We should encourage them to not let anyone bind them or limit their freedom, by having them do things that the Bible doesn’t tell them to do.  So, join us to find out what it means for someone to oppose themself as a believer on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we begin a series of messages that Pastor Ford hopes will help us get our money right, he has a sobering reminder for those who follow Jesus.  As His followers, our main priority ought to be focused only on Him, not on money.  The Bible states clearly that we cannot serve the Master and money.  We have to have Jesus in a priority position in our lives.  The Master has to be first.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Ford will remind us today that God won’t make us do anything, but He can put us in situations that will make us do what is best for us.  For instance, God has a better opportunity for you, but you won’t leave your job because of security.  So, He lets you get fired, in order for you to eventually get hired into a better situation. Find out more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As believers, sometimes God places us in a storm, to show us that He’s still in control.  So, even when we’re obeying God, we can suffer and we can encounter opposition.  That’s because God has some ultimate purposes, which are to teach us to trust Him and to show Himself as sovereign over the circumstances of our lives.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Ford will remind us today that when things get out of control, Jesus is still in control.  Teaching from the passage we will study today, Pastor Ford explains how Jesus shows His deity through His sovereignty, and exercises His power over all of creation. Learn more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Ford will encourage us today to put ourselves and everything we have into the hands of God.  Because when He takes it in His hands, He multiplies everything that we give Him. Maybe you don’t have what you need because it’s still in your hands and you haven’t yet put it in His hands. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue to consider the three-fold appeal we find in Galatians 4, Pastor Ford will explain that surface level Christianity robs us of our greater power to be able to live the Christian life.  And the greater power we are seeking doesn’t come through obeying rules.  Rules are not the end. They are the means by which we reach the end goal, which is always greater fellowship with Christ. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When God allows challenging circumstances to enter our lives He’s probing our faith. Those challenges are designed to bring out something in us, that we don’t even know we have, until that circumstance we face activates it. We’ll see how this happened for the disciples through the challenge they faced in John 6, on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Little becomes much in the Master’s hands. If you take the little that you have in your hand and put that in His hand, He’s able to multiply it.  God always likes taking our natural and adding His super to it and doing something supernatural.  Find out more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Who do you look to when you have a situation, when you have a problem?  Do you look to your intellect? Do you look to your Pastor or your church? Do you look to your bank account?  Do you look to your friends or your family?  Or do you look to Jesus?  Pastor Ford will share with us why there’s no reason for us to look to anyone or anything else, but Jesus. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Ford will explain today that the best ministry comes out of our pain, comes out of our lack, and comes out of our brokenness. Sometimes we have to be bruised in order to be used.  Ministry is not easy, but it’s worth it!  Because when we go through what we have to in order to minister, we end up bringing more glory to God through our pain, lack and brokenness.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we begin to look at the miracle of the loaves and the fishes, we’ll see how Jesus is going to teach His disciples how to minister by providing them an example of what they should do.  Every time Jesus gave a message, He always gave the model.  In other words, Pastor Ford says, Jesus would talk it, then He would always walk it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we begin a new study in Galatians, Pastor Ford will ask us how far will we go to help a brother or sister who has strayed from the truth of the Bible.  What does it mean, really, to bring someone back to the truth, when they have forsaken and abandoned the way of grace and are going in the way of the law?  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Ford reminds us today that if Jesus conquered death, then what is our sickness to Him?  He can handle our employer.  He can handle our haters.  If He can conquer death, then He can handle all of our difficulties and our insufficiencies.  That’s because our insufficiency, becomes sufficiency, through Christ’s all-sufficiency.  Jesus can handle all the issues that we have. We just need to trust Him! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Just as so many people were waiting to be healed at the Pool of Bathesda, too many of us are hanging out at the pools of life where there are no answers.  We’re hanging out at the pool of materialism, the pools of our careers and our jobs, the pool of our family.  We’re hanging out looking for answers in something that will never satisfy, instead of looking to Jesus for our answers and healing. Find out more about how Jesus is the Power at the Pool on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we begin to look at the passage in John 5, where Jesus healed the man who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years, we’ll see how everyone waiting to be healed at the pool of Bethesda, was placing their hope in the power of the water in the pool.  Instead, they should have been placing their faith in the One Who had Power at the Pool—Jesus. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue to look at what it means to launch out into the deep, we’ll see that Peter didn’t understand the capacity of the blessings that Jesus wanted to bestow on Him.  That’s because he was too small in his thinking.  And because of that, he missed out on some of the blessings God had in mind for him.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Ford says that faith is believing it is so, even when it’s not so, until it becomes so, because God said so.  Then when we launch out into the deep, what are we doing?  We’re stepping out in faith, believing what God has said and trusting He will go with us into the unknown.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue to look at the reasons why people reject Jesus, Pastor Ford will emphasize the holiness of Jesus.  Jesus is holy just like God is holy.  And then he will ask us to consider how we react to that holiness.  Do we revere it?  Or do we scoff at it, trying to minimize the truth of it, like so many people in our society try to do today? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some churches today reject new ideas.  They refuse to break tradition and resist change, because they are repulsed by the unfamiliar.  But Pastor Ford says we have to learn to launch out into the deep!  We have to trust the Lord to begin to do some things on our behalf.  And we need Christians who are willing to sail into some uncharted waters.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue to look at the miracles of Jesus, we see that there were crowds of people in and around Galilee, who witnessed these miracles take place.  They were impressed by what Jesus was doing, but they still weren’t placing their faith in the right place.  They were believing in His power, but they weren’t yet believing in His person.  See what kind of difference that makes on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There is a certain progression to faith that each of us undergoes in order for our faith to grow.  Often, we will see that God places us in situations that cultivate that progression and cause our faith to grow unexpectedly, because we have to rely on Him to help us through the situation in which we find He has placed us.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today we’ll see how faith can grow.  And that wherever you are in your faith walk right now, you don’t want to stay there.  Because, according to Pastor Ford, you’re either going forward or you’re going backwards, but you’re never standing still when it comes to your faith journey.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue to study the passage that tells us about how Jesus turned water into wine, Pastor Ford wants us to consider this—What are we doing that sets us up for the miracle that we’ve been asking for?  Are we walking in the direction of the miracle that we’ve been seeking?  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Holy Spirit plays a major role in revealing who Jesus is to those who are seeking to know Him.  Simply put, some people reject Jesus because the Holy Spirit has not yet revealed the truth about Jesus to them.  Find out more about this important concept when you join us for today’s Treasured Truth. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the scriptures portray in John 2, the people at the wedding in Cana obeyed Jesus when He instructed them to fill the water pots with water. Pastor Ford will explain that their obedience was cooperative, meaning, they played a part in the miracle!  In other words, they did what they could do so that Jesus could do what they couldn’t do.  And that’s because God is never going to do for us what we should be doing for ourselves. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we consider Jesus’ all sufficient power and how He might choose to work in our lives, we know that He can work things out for us, but we may not really understand how.  Pastor Ford explains that lack of understanding can sometimes cause us to have a lack of faith.  But we need to trust that Jesus is going to turn our obstacle into an opportunity.  And, we need to obey Him, even though what He’s doing doesn’t make sense to us. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is Jesus your first response or is He your last resort?  Do you run to Him?  Why do we need to run to Him?  Because as the Bible explains, He is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we could ask or think according to His might working power in us! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It doesn’t matter what you’re going through when Jesus has the power to overcome anything.  If you’ve been left out, put out, or burnt out, Jesus can work it out for you.  Remember, if He can turn water into wine, then He can choose to work a miracle in your life too. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At the wedding in Cana, Jesus performed his first recorded miracle and turned water into wine.  We have some instances in our lives where we want Jesus to work on our behalf and turn our water into wine.  How does that happen?  How can we get Jesus to turn our water into wine?   Find out more on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Ford will explain that some people reject Jesus because they say they’ve tried Him, but He doesn’t work. But we’ll learn today that what those people have actually tried is going to church. They haven’t really encountered Jesus in an authentic way. We’ll discover the difference between just going to church and really knowing Jesus on today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wherever we are—at home, on the job, or any place else—we’re to be praising God.  As we continue to look at Psalm 103, Pastor Ford will share with us how praise is supposed to be continual, and it’s actually supposed to be the lifestyle of believers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Praise is not supplemental.  Praise is fundamental.  Pastor Ford will explain that it’s not optional, but rather, praise is essential.  As we begin to look at Psalm 103 today, we’ll discover what perfect praise looks like. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Ford will explain today that the irony about Jesus is that He is both the medicine and the Physician.  He’s the Lamb and the High Priest.  And the children of Israel mistook His positive and powerful presence and did not accept Him as their Messiah.  We’ll learn more from our study in the book of Jeremiah when you join us for today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, we’ll look further at the Old Testament book of Jeremiah and see how the people of Israel rejected God’s solution for their problem.  We’ll learn why they did what they did and what excuses they used.  And ultimately, Pastor Ford will help us understand how we can learn from the mistakes they made. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Jeremiah chapter 8, the prophet Jeremiah is speaking to Israel and chastising them for rejecting the provision of God.  They had a reluctance to accept God’s prescription for their problem. And today, Pastor Ford will help us understand the metaphors used in this scripture passage and explain about the significance of the balm in Gilead. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue to consider the profound nature of the incarnation of Christ, we see that there’s no way we could have done for ourselves what He did for us.  We couldn’t save ourselves and so God set it up with the purpose of saving us in mind.  Do you realize that if you were the only person in this world, God would have still sent Jesus to die for you?  Isn’t that amazing to consider?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue to see how Joseph was a great example of obedience in accepting his assignment from God, Pastor Ford will help us understand how things could have been much different for him.  He could have disobeyed and walked away.  But because he was in tune with God and understood the importance of obedience, we can look back at his story and find encouragement. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, Pastor Ford will continue to share encouragement for those of us who find ourselves in a blended family situation.  And he’ll remind us that if you need help understanding how to raise a child, whether the child is yours or not, then scripture—especially the book of Proverbs—is full of wisdom to help us know how. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we experience the struggles that come in life, we have to rely on God’s strength to get us through.  As we continue to look at the story of Joseph and how he accepted his role as the earthly father of Jesus, we’ll see how he’s depending on God to give him wisdom and the power to do what he needed to do.  He was rightly related to God and that was key in helping him face the truth of his situation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, Pastor Ford will help us understand that it really does take a man of character to meet the challenge of raising someone else’s child.  When we are part of a blended family, having good character can help us overcome the issues that are part of that situation.  We’ll continue to learn from the example of Joseph when you join us for today’s Treasured Truth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we begin to look at the story of Mary and Joseph in the book of Matthew, Pastor Ford will talk about how it was apparent that Joseph’s character enabled him to deal with Mary’s announcement that she was going to have a child.  There were many ways he could have responded, but he listened to God, obeyed.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

 Since the beginning of time, God has had a plan for our salvation.  And when we look at the timeline related to the incarnation of Christ, everything that God said would happen did happen.  And so that means we can trust that everything God wants for each of our lives, will happen too. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If we’ve been untruthful, and we’ve told someone a lie, then we need to be forgiven of the lie so effective communication can be restored.  As long as the lie is between us and the person we are trying to communicate with, we can go back and forth with them all we want to, but we still have to deal with the lie.  Once it’s dealt with, then we can begin to achieve effective communication again with that person. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In our relationships, if something is really bothering us and we don’t address it, but instead we pretend that nothing is wrong, then we’re not really being honest. When someone asks us, “What’s wrong?” And we say, “Nothing.”—that’s a lie.  Pastor Ford will ask us today—How can we actually discover truth in our conversations with others, when we choose to ignore it ourselves?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.