Light on Life Podcast

Holiness is the word for today. It's found in Pauls's simple message to the Thessalonians - this is the will of God your sanctification. How does one aspire to a sanctifying holiness? Does it come by continually working on ourselves or does it come some other way? So in today's podcast, we take up what Paul took up Why God Is Super Pleased with Holy Living and Right Conduct. That's our focus on th...

Answered prayer is a joyous occasion indeed. But what happens when the answer to your prayer seemingly doesn't come? What is up with this? Have you ever asked yourself why you didn't get the answer? It's okay to ask that question because the answer on the other end of that query leads to astounding insight into the character and mind of God. What to Do When the Answer to Your Prayer Is Delayed, th...

Today, we take a broad look at the subject of anxiety, a symptom that's on the rise in a mighty way in some as they struggle in uncertain times. Did you know that unscrupulous people are using anxiety to make money? Journalist Eric Sevareid (1912–1992) said, "The biggest business in America is not steel, automobiles, or television. It is the manufacture, refinement, and distribution of anxiety." S...

Helping others is our focus today. Just how do we go about that and be effective? There's a right way to help that brings lasting results. In the first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul found a way to help those believers through their time of trial. Would you like to know what method he employed? Stay with us as we address the Real Reward of Helping People Through a Tough Day. That's our focus on...

In today's episode, we delve into the subject of hindrances to the gospel of Jesus Christ. These hindrances have only one origin, the Kingdom of Darkness. One gentleman said that the Lord has given to every man his work. It is his business to do it, and the devil's business to hinder him—if he can. What do we do when it seems like we are not making progress doing the thing God called us to do? Hin...

In today's episode, we peer into the open door of a subject mostly unspoken in our churches, the Wrath of God. It's not a comfortable subject for sure. In Scripture, wrath is God's stop sign showing His strong and vigorous opposition to everything that smacks of evil. Knowing that there are over 580 references to the wrath of God in the Old Testament alone, why is it that this subject is primarily...

We're talking about the Word of God today, specifically the Word of God working in you. To get God's Word in you, we must get the Word out of the book, out from between the leather covers and off the pages and down on the inside of us for God's will to be performed in us. As we will see in this podcast, Paul commended the Thessalonians for this very thing. How the Word of God Is Remarkably at Work...

During this Father's Day season, we are talking about the subject of spiritual dads. Paul was a spiritual dad to the born-again believers of Thessalonica. Spiritual dads, natural dads, — it's great when a natural dad is also a spiritual one. We're talking about spiritual dads today. How a Spiritual Dad Can Demonstrate the Love Walk towards His Children, that's our focus on this week's Light on Lif...

Today, we undertake to highlight the vital nature of responsibility as it relates to those who have just received Jesus as their Savior. What is our role when it comes to people who have just been born again? Isn't it to make disciples? That's what Jesus said. Take the raw elements of a new convert and help them on their journey of being molded into the image of God. That's positive production. Pr...

The Second Coming of Jesus is at the forefront of today's study in 1 Thessalonians. It is mentioned in every chapter of this epistle. As you read and study you will find that the Second mentioned eight times as much in scripture as the First Coming of Jesus. It was a constant part of the conversation of the early church. Is it part of your dialogue? Why the Second Coming of Jesus is the Expectatio...

Modeling is a term that has been kicked around in leadership and development circles. What is modeling? One writer said that it is the influence our decisions and lifestyles have upon those around us. Whether we realize it or not, we're always modeling something. Unlike fashion modeling—in which appearance is paramount—modeling the Christian life requires honesty and authenticity. To model a relat...

God is always moving. From the very first pages of Genesis, where the Spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters, we can know that a move of God is always imminent. It's just the way it is. God never stands still, and He never goes backward. His direction is always forward. I don't know about you, but that motivates me. I like moving forward. There is nothing spiritual about stagnation. In...

In today's podcast, we are going to talk about the high value of praying for one another. We need to home in on this and give it the due place in our lives. You know we pay a lot of lip service to the notion of praying for one another. The words 'pray for me' or 'I'm praying for you brother' are part of our Christian-ese vocabulary. For people in the church world, it's the thing to say. I mean you...

How does one pioneer a power packed-church? That's the question today. We are going to take a look at how the call of God and the zeal of the Lord upon the Apostle Paul turned into a power-packed Church in one the ten most influential cities in the Roman Empire, the city of Thessalonki. How to Start a Power-Packed Church: Lessons from Thessaloniki, that's our focus on this week's Light on Life.  

So, we have arrived at Paul's letter to the Thessalonians, the first letter that is, Paul wrote 2 letters to this church. In upcoming podcasts, we are going to be talking about 1 Thessalonians. We will look at the subject of integrity, then, jump into talking about persecution, and, of course, Paul talks about the Second Coming of Jesus. But first, let's talk about the book's historical background...

Praying on all occasions in the Spirit is Paul's next admonition to the church after he talks about the armor of God. He uses the term praying always or at all times. This is on the heels of Paul encouraging the church to put on the whole armor of God. So what that tells us is that there is a link between the armor of God and the prayer life. That link is what we are going to examine as we ask the...

Faith in the resurrection of Jesus is the cornerstone of the gospel. If Jesus didn't rise from the dead, then what we have is an empty message. But Jesus did rise from the dead -- there are witnesses to that fact - over 500 witnesses for that matter. So in this podcast, we set our sights on the most basic of Christian beliefs -- the resurrection of Jesus. Do You Believe in the Resurrection of Jesu...

We've arrived. Today, we take a look at the final piece of the armor of God, the Sword of the Spirit. What is the Sword of the Spirit? Well, the scripture says that it's the Word of God. So, our interaction with the Bible is necessary when we engage the levels of devils that come against us to steal, kill, and destroy. How to Become an Expert at Swinging the Sword of the Spirit of God, that's the...

Today's lesson brings us to the next to last piece of God-ordained armor for the Jesus lover, the Helmet of Salvation. Having the right mindset is essential for the believer. God knew that the battle for the mind would be ferocious at times. What does this helmet of salvation do for the child of God? It keeps us focused on our salvation. Why You Must Be Serious about Wearing the Helmet of Salvatio...

Our study on the armor of God brings us today to the shield of faith. What an essential piece of armor this is. As Jesus followers, The Father God has generously equipped us with the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. But it's up to us to put them on and put them to use. The question is ar...

As we continue to look at the armor of God, we are reminded that we are to put on the shoes of peace. Peace is our message and our environment. We walk in peace, we live in peace, and we proclaim peace. But what are these shoes all about? That's the question we are going to look at in today's podcast. How the Gospel Shoes of Peace Helps a Holy Warrior Win. That's our focus on this week's Light on...

Our study on the armor of God brings us to the Breastplate of Righteousness. Why is righteousness considered such an essential piece? Why is it a weapon for good and for God? To what extent should we go after an understanding of this valuable piece of armor? These are all good questions. If you remember, Jesus told us to hunger and thirst after righteousness. In the barren, and frigid world in whi...

The loin belt of truth is an astounding and necessary piece of the armor of God. Truth is a big deal - can we say a super big deal, especially in dark times. My my! What a dangerous habit to not take sides with the truth. It's lethal because the loin belt of truth is what holds all of the armor of God together. Paul listed the pieces individually for us in Ephesians six. In today's podcast, we div...

Paul, in Ephesians 6:12, what's us to know that our combat is not with people. It's not with flesh and blood, but with levels of devils. He likens this conflict to a wrestling match. If you have ever seen a wrestling match, you know it is not pretty. How do you win this engagement? We are talking about the whole armor of God today: "How You Wrestle Against Levels of Devils and Win" all on this wee...

When the Bible speaks of putting on the whole armor of God, what does that mean? The second question we must ask is what is its purpose? Why do we need this armor? These are the questions that we are endeavoring to answer.  How To Put On and Step Out with the Whole Armor Of God. That's our focus on this week's Light on Life.