Real Truth with Ruth

Join Ruth Hendrickson and Pastor Mark Smith for the final episode of Overcoming Homosexuality.

Join Ruth Hendrickson and Pastor Mark Smith for Part 4 of Overcoming Homosexuality.

Join Ruth Hendrickson and Pastor Mark Smith for Part 3 of Overcoming Homosexuality.

Join Ruth and Pastor Mark Smith as they talk about overcoming homosexuality.

What does it look like to hunger for more of God?   What holds us back from the more of God?   God has been convicting me to intentionally press into the "more" that He has to offer. I have wanted to go deeper, but He is talking about the intentionality it takes to truly go deeper with Him.   We have yet to explore new depths, and there is an open invitation to go deeper in this season.     Script...

When a stream has a blockage, it cannot flow as it was designed. Jesus tells us in John 7 that out of the believer's heart should flow rivers of living water. This river impacts your life, the atmosphere around you, and the lives of others also. However, when there is a blockage, you cease to have the kingdom impact God intends for you.   Today, we will look at several contributors to the blockage...

Is your God holy or familiar?   What difference does it make?   How do the fear of the Lord and the holiness of God go hand-in-hand?   In Matthew 6, as Jesus teaches the disciples to pray, he speaks of the holiness of God. When we become too familiar with God we can lose the holy aspect of His nature. However, when we grow in our understanding of the holiness of God our relationship with Him deepe...

Why did Jesus usually not allow the demons to speak?   Because Jesus didn't need the same camp that he was sent to plunder to become his public relations committee.   Often, the church gets sidetracked by the demonic antics that come with deliverance.   What can we learn from Jesus' interaction with the demons in Mark 1?   Scripture Referenced: Mark 1:21 -26 Mark 4:35 -41 1 Corinthians 9:9 1 Timot...

What would change in your life if you genuinely believed that God is always with you? How would this impact how you respond to the fear that swirls around?   The world around us wants us to walk in an element of fear. The challenge with fear is that it will keep us from the fullness of our relationship with God. Fear will cause us to become powerless and abort the wonders of the Kingdom of Heaven....

Do you struggle with your faith? It is okay to admit that walking in the fullness of faith can be a challenge. All of us have seasons of doubt and levels of unbelief.   What causes seasons of little faith? What makes us question if God is real or if He can do something? Demonic encounters can shake our faith to the core. Crisis and loss can overwhelm our faith as we try to catch our next breath. U...

What is the church shouting to the world?   What are you shouting to the world?   The church of Jesus Christ should herald the heart of Jesus, which longs to receive sinners into His family. Those who come to Him will not be cast out! But no religious elite should feel smugly comfortable in the church.   Keys:   Crowds hang around Jesus - come and go. Disciples are called to follow Jesus, obey, an...

How do you view life? What is the call on your life? How do you evaluate that call? In the early 1900s, a shepherd had an assignment and a vision. His little, daily action steps changed the atmosphere of his neck of the woods. His work didn't look large or daunting. Literally, he planted one seed at a time as he executed his vision. He knew many seeds would not survive, but that didn't change his...

Are you in a new season of your life? It can be challenging to find your footing with God when you enter a new season, by our choose, or by life events. Truthfully, finding your footing usually happens with some trial and error. However, God is present in the struggle and will enable you to see your next step. During this journey, there are some valuable lessons that we can learn. Scripture Refere...

As you go through your day, what holds your mind captive? Have you made your list, checked it twice, and come up missing a gift or two? Or are you busy planning the menu and cleaning the house? For some, you are missing loved ones, and your thoughts are filled with grief as you move step-by-step to a holiday without them. Whatever holds your thoughts captive ultimately holds you captive. This time...

Are you committed to Jesus Christ? Are you surrendered to Jesus Christ? Does it make a difference? Often we will talk about committing to Jesus Christ. However, the older generations would talk about surrendering to Jesus Christ. As I was in the Word of God today, I was asked that very question. Many are committed to a marriage or a relationship until they are not. We may be committed to a diet or...

Have you ever thrown a temper tantrum?   Have you observed someone throwing a temper tantrum?   Are you stubborn?   Are you stubborn for or against God?   Today, we will look at what happens when we resist the faithful hand of God vs. when we grab hold of the hand of God.   You will identify the places where you have become stubborn or thrown a temper tantrum and the impact on your life.   You wil...

Are you a light for the kingdom of Heaven? If so, do you have a dimmer switch? Today, you will remove the dimmer switch from your life as we explore what it means to walk in the light and be the light for the Kingdom of Heaven. You will find that the darkness cannot control you unless you allow it, for your light will always pierce through any level of darkness. You will be encouraged as the Holy...

Do you dump salt on your food before you taste it? In Matthew 5:13 , we are told that we are the salt of the Earth. However, I suggest we do not understand what that means in our daily lives. Jesus is emphatic that YOU are the salt of the Earth. And, if that pure salt is tainted with something else, it cannot have an impact. What does being the salt of the world mean in your everyday life? Does it...

Imagine you are watching an action and adventure movie. You are trying to figure out the scene as a farmer is plowing. The music begins to shift, and you see the enemy creeping around the field's edges. The farmer doesn't have a chance. He doesn't have any weapons, or cell phones, just an old stick that he uses to prod his oxen. Our unlikely, seemingly insignificant hero is a man named Shamgar. Hi...

Is it right to question authority? Of course, there are times, seasons, and individuals when we need to act with wisdom and question authority. However, there are also times when we should not question authority. In other words, it is right and good to question authority until it is not! We live in a world that is full of sham authority. We need the wisdom of Heaven to know what to question and wh...

How is your heart? As a believer, it is important to get to the core or heart of the matter. Just as in the natural we can have heart trouble; we can also have heart trouble in the spiritual. If our hearts (the whole of our being) is not in alignment with God it will eventually rise to the surface. At that moment, we can embrace healing which leads to a firm foundation and good fruit. Or, we can e...

Are you becoming the person that the world needs you to be? The world will give us a glimpse of how that image must appear. However, the Word of God will provide us with a very different picture. You must become authentic in your walk with God. In becoming authentic in that relationship, the authenticity will bleed through to the world and culture around you. When we become authentic with God, we...

Growing up, we sang "This Little Light of Mine." With all the gusto our little bodies could muster, we would belt out the words and put the actions with them. As adults, many of us add dimmer switches to our light and control the brightness. However, Jesus clearly says we are to bring the light into the room and let it shine. How do we bring in the light? What difference does that light make in ou...

When fear replaces faith, it creates a crisis-fueled question. What questions are you asking God amid your storm? Today, we will look at positive questions that cropped up when faith and fear collided in the disciples' lives. As you journey with them, you will identify your questions and allow Holy Spirit to reveal the root behind the question. Come expecting to be repositioned for the storms to c...