Running to Win - 15 Minute Edition

When resentment, envy, or anger entangle us, our souls are dragged away from God like the two sons of Abraham who parted ways. God's intention was for Isaac to carry on the line of inheritance. In this message, we begin to look at three lessons about the flesh and submission to God. We cannot live as a child of promise and a child of the flesh at the same time. This month's special offer is availa...

For 99 years he was known as "Abram" until God gave him the name "Abraham, the "father of many nations." Arabs say the sons of Ishmael own what was then Canaan. Jews claim Isaac as the first son of promise based on Genesis 17. In this message, we see the participants in God's covenant with Abraham. What might this land covenant teach us about our battle against the flesh? This month's special offe...

When God is silent, we often doubt His promises. After the birth of Ishmael, Abraham did not hear from God for years. In this message, we are going to look at the nature of the God's covenant with Abraham. God institutes circumcision to mark the newly expanded covenant. What happened when God called Abraham by name, the "father of many nations"? This month's special offer is available for a donati...

We might be the victim of our own decisions or others. Abraham and Sarah's maid Hagar bore a son—an heir. When she was pushed into the desert, God found her and comforted her. In this message, we look at God's command and promise to Hagar. People do not have the last word. In our despair and our extremities, God sees and intervenes. This month's special offer is available for a donation of any amo...

Since Abraham's wife was past childbearing, he slept with their Egyptian maid, Hagar. The concocted plan backfired. Anger and bitterness took over their family. In this message, we identify the short and long-term consequences of trying to manipulate God's promises. The result can still be seen in Middle Eastern tensions today. This month's special offer is available for a donation of any amount....

Sometimes, we try to engineer circumstances to bring God's will to pass. In the face of childlessness, Abraham and Sarah were faced with a decision—one of desperation, frustration, and opportunity. In this message, we walk through the sequence of events that led to conflict in Abraham's family. The immediate consequences were devastating.  This month's special offer is available for a donation of...

How do we know God is working in us to bring about His purpose? In Genesis 15, God makes a covenant with Abraham—entirely based on His own word. In this message, we are invited to a covenant without conditions. What does it mean that the work of Jesus is all that is needed to gain eternal life? Our eternity depends on it. This month's special offer is available for a donation of any amount. Get yo...

Can our eternal future be guaranteed? God promised Abraham many offspring, more than the stars in the heavens, pledging to give them Canaan. In this message, we reflect on another promise God gave Abraham: his faith was "counted to him for righteousness." This gift provides the faith and right standing before God announced in the gospel. This month's special offer is available for a donation of an...

When situations spiral into sin or anxiety, what really matters is our own trust and whether God is trustworthy. In Genesis 15, God makes an astounding promise. But Abraham is obsessed with the problem of the promise. In this message, we begin to reflect on God's three promises to Abraham. Do we trust God to protect and preserve us? This month's special offer is available for a donation of any amo...

In our heart of hearts, we have a choice of allegiances: receive God's blessing or manipulate to our own ends. Lot chose to ally with the King of Sodom. Abraham paid homage to the King of Salem, priest of God Most High. In this message, we perform a heart check on what possesses us at our points of decision. Our choices expose what we really want.

On his journey, Abraham meets someone named Melchizedek near what is now Jerusalem. He recognizes this other man of God's spiritual authority, giving a tenth of all that he had. Just who is Melchizedek? In this message, we find three lessons for our hearts today. Let's explore the mystery.  This month's special offer is available for a donation of any amount. Get yours at offerrtw.com or call us a...

The decisions we make—even about money—have eternal consequences. After an unusual victory in battle, Abraham is given a choice to be generous. In this message, we are introduced to two kings at Abraham's point of decision. Are we living like God owns everything or do our decisions and bank accounts say otherwise?  This month's special offer is available for a donation of any amount. Get yours at...

In tracing the life of Abraham, we also trace the lives of his relatives. Lot lifted his eyes only to choose the best land, while Abraham lifted his eyes to what God gave him. In this message, we find two ways to live:  looking out for number one, or letting God be God. God gives His best to those who entrust their future and legacy to Him. This month's special offer is available for a donation of...

"Respectable sins" are often the most dangerous in families. Abraham let his nephew Lot pick the land he wanted while agreeing to take what was remaining. Lot's pursuit of prestige and position would result in terrible consequences, affecting his testimony, his family, and his character. This is the law of unintended consequences.  This month's special offer is available for a donation of any amou...

After failing his first test by lying about Sarah in Egypt, Abraham returned to God. Yet his renewed faith is tested again during a dispute about land. In this message, we meet two men—Abraham and his nephew, Lot—at the impasse of faith. Let's learn from Abraham why we do not have to manipulate circumstances or insist on our own rights. God has our lives in His hands. This month's special offer is...

On his journey to Canaan, Abraham took a detour, leaving behind the altars he had built. With God now a more distant memory, Abraham lied to Pharaoh and seemed to get away with it. In this message, we finish four lessons about backsliding. More burdens than blessings come from backsliding.  This month's special offer is available for a donation of any amount. Get yours at offerrtw.com or call us a...

One choice can cloud the conscience. To save his skin, Abraham bent the truth, telling Egypt's Pharaoh that his wife was his sister. He tried to out-maneuver the Egyptians rather than trust in God. In this message, we begin to identify four lessons at the junction of trusting or backsliding. What was the outcome?  This month's special offer is available for a donation of any amount. Get yours at o...

Life's trials do not come with instructions. Can we trust God to take care of us? Abraham was chosen by God to leave the comforts of Ur, going to a land he had never seen. Along the way, he came face to face with a test of faith which involved his own wife. In this message, we discover the pitfalls of backsliding—turning from God to go our own way.  This month's special offer is available for a do...

Every loss, challenge, and heart ache that God brings into our life, reminds us that we were made for another world. God gave Abraham unconditional promises, but not all of them were fulfilled in this life. In this message, we find three lessons from Abraham's first steps of faith that prepare us to trust God with our own journey. Are you living and longing for eternity?   Click here to listen (Du...

When God makes a unilateral promise, we can take it to the bank.  God chose Abraham, telling him that all the earth would be blessed through his posterity. Yet Abraham would only ever see that promise fulfilled through the eyes of faith. In this message, we'll identify three aspects of God's promises to Abraham: personally, nationally, and universally.   Click here to listen (Duration 14:35)

Our spiritual journey is not based on how much faith we possess but rather upon the One in whom we trust. God called a man out of Ur of the Chaldees, promising to make of him a great nation. In this message, we'll investigate the background, family, and false gods that Abraham left. Abraham found himself facing a lifelong journey of trust in God.    Click here to listen (Duration 14:35)

Although God's revealed will in Scripture is often dismissed, ignored, or even labeled as hate speech, the consequences of celebrating sin will come. Ancient Babylon's leaders had no idea that their time was up until it was too late. A festive party ended in the king's death, and God's judgment was served. In this message, we're equipped to proclaim God's Word with compassion and conviction.   Cli...

Are we willing to stand alone, knowing that God stands with us? Daniel was alone in warning the Babylonian king of his pending destruction. That night, King Belshazzar's feast began with revelry but ended with his death and the downfall of his empire. In this message, let's explore Daniel's three indictments against Belshazzar in the last hour. We'll be challenged to live for Christ in a world tha...

The judgment of God may be long in coming, but it can come with a vengeance. When the pride, blasphemy, and idolatry of Babylon had gone far enough, God wrote the handwriting on the wall. In this message, we set the scene of the Babylonian king's "happy hour" as well as his perplexing hour. Let's face how God deals with nations, even America.   Click here to listen (Duration 14:35)

When most people might bow to the power of the state or cultural pressures, Christians must remain faithful. We've come to know the living and the true God. In this message, we'll look at two more lessons for America from the faith of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Are we prepared to face the consequences—whether God delivers us or not?  Click here to listen (Duration 14:35)