Episodes

While meditating in the paddock on God's goodness, "The LORD is good to all, And His mercies are over all His works." Psalm 145:9 I mused about our sorrows in this life, which led me to "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life." Proverbs 13:12 Those thoughts brought me to Romans 8, where Paul tells us we will hope until our final redemption. When we feel like David, "For evils beyond number have surrounded me; My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not a...

Just a note: Psalm 127 is a Psalm of Solomon Praying the word of is very instructional; we cannot know the mind of God if we do not know His word, but when we know God through His word, it sharpens our prayers. In 2 Samuel 7, God answers David's prayer, as it were, to build for God a temple to bring honor to His name with a resounding no. Then God reminds David what He has already done for David, how blessed David is, and promises to David his descendants will be blessed. What is David's respons...

We conclude our Signature Episode in segments with the why of prayer and the difficulty of the truth, "the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Our growth and consistent prayer move our prayers prayer from a task or discipline to the sweetest part of our day. The Apostle Paul will be our last example. With the insight of a life lived for the spread of the gospel, Paul describes earthly life in this way: Life is full of afflictions, crushed, perplexed, persecuted, struck down, and frustrated...

We are wrapping up, or beginning to, our signature episode, in this installment, we start with David's description in Psalm 22 of the crucifixion of Jesus. Beginning, with the most historic, moment both of great joy for us and agony for our Savior. "My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?" Psalm 22:1a The spiritual separation of Jesus, his pain, and humiliation are also described in Psalm 22. What did Jesus do in anticipation of this excruciating pain? He sought the Father, gathered His frien...

Through the "Dog Food Incident," I learned that helping my dad around the house was a privilege. At the last extended time, I was able to observe my day, after I had moved from home, I was able to remind him that he was my hero and that I was privileged to be his son. That last salute to my dad had unforeseen eternal results. Thank You, Jesus! The book of Esther teaches us not to take for granted what God has called us to do, and in no way is it less than a privilege to be in the king's presence...

Our relationship with our Creator, Savior, and Sustainer is also one with our dad, our father. As we saw last time there is a natural respect we have for our earthly fathers, which translates to our Father in heaven. We add to that the fact He is King. Iconic photos exist of President Kennedy at the resolute desk in the white house with his small children playing in and around the president at work. Iconic photos of the president surrounded by his general staff during the Cuban Missile Crisis al...

I realize when we have episodes like our last one on Job being humbled by God, and I stress the need to come to Him in humility (I realize it because I have been asked) that I assert over and over that prayer is talking to God., so why stress our humble demeanor in prayer? Today, I use my loving, gentle, earthly dad as an example. As a great and open relationship we had, I did not talk to my dad like I talked to my peers. Not at all! So as we consider our earthy respect, and our close as it is r...

Listen today to God's response to Job's challenge, demanding an answer. We will hear God asking Job these questions three: Where were you when I created the universe? Job 38 How do I sustain the universe? Job 39 If you cannot contend with my creation, how will you contend with me? Job 41 Job's humility.: "Then Job answered the LORD, and said, 2 "I know that Thou canst do all things, And that no purpose of Thine can be thwarted. 3 'Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?' "Therefore I h...

We have seen the example of Jeremiah and how his prayer life saw him through the sorrow of God's wrath. Now, we turn to Job and see how his prayer life made him famous for his enduring faith. "Behold, we count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord's dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful." James 5:11 Job was a successful man; he was a wonderful father, but overall, he was a pious man. This is evidenced by hi...

Unlike Jeremiah, Job had no idea what was coming his way. One of the salient aspects of the Book of Job is that God never explains Himself, not to us or Job. We take a foray into the will of God. "And this is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent." John 17:3 "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined ...

Thank you for listening; today, we detour just a tad, looking at Jesus' chiding, gently. I believe in their focus on the physical, bread, and not the eternal. We also hear Jesus say: "For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. 31 "But seek for His kingdom, and these things shall be added to you. 32 "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom." Luke 12:30-32 The essence of being a bab...

We continue looking at how Jeremiah's long life of consistent prayer leads him to be able to say in Lamentations: "He has filled me with bitterness, He has made me drunk with wormwood. 16 And He has broken my teeth with gravel; He has made me cower in the dust." Jeremiah 3:15-16 AND "Surely my soul remembers And is bowed down within me. 21 This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. 22 The LORD'S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morn...

Today, we say hello to my friend Genci, pastor of Eagles Church in Tirana, Albania, along with all our brothers and sisters who live in Albania. Genci is a man of character who loves his flock and has a beautiful family. The point of mentioning we are sinners, bigger on the inside and lonely, is to demonstrate our great need not only for salvation but to know and be known by others, most critically, God. In the lives of Jeremiah and Job, we see lives that are fully satisfied and trusting in the ...

Hello to all our listeners in Japan; I am, by reputation and truth, not much of a traveler, but my beloved friend Rob tells me you are the politest people he has ever visited. Thank you for making us a part of your Christian journey. What should be the content of our prayers? What do His people in the Bible talk to Him about, I thinking everything. You can fact-check me on that. Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah. Psalm 62:8 The ult...

Not as long as it looks; the major content of this episode ends at 16:13, and then we have our close if you are of a mind to listen. Today our request is for all our listeners to let us know, again if you are of a mind your testimonies in prayer. The freedom of episodic themes gives us a chance to slip in a little encouragement. If you are satisfied, happy, in the throes of fits and starts, or just starting out in your prayer life, today's message is to pray, pray, pray. Our prayer lives grow, a...

We highlight and rejoice in the closed countries we are heard in. We want you to know we remember you daily in our prayers and are blessed you listen. I struggled in the first year of my salvation in the area of prayer. Forty-five or so years ago, I neither understood, comprehended, nor apprehended that I was in a new and authentic relationship with my Creator, Savior, and Internal Companion who indwells us all. It took most of those forty years to realize the true nature of eternal life was: "A...

This episode is a repeat of our episode on forgiveness. This episode was well received, and as you will hear, praying that 2023 will be a year of Jubilee and Forgiveness and revisiting just how serious God is about His children forgiving as we have been forgiven seems like a good idea. Thank You, Jesus! The host is weak, faltering, and wholly inadequate for the task, but the word of God is none of those. The call for the children of God to forgive is serious, and the Bible uses: Serious Command ...

Addendum: We begin with a challenge to the special ones who listen but are in Christ, part of the Kingdom of Christ. We welcome Hong Kong and are glad you joined the Free Range Preacher on Prayer. In part two of our signature episode, we find through the Messiah, we have been reconciled to God, we are no longer enemies but Children, and we are brought into a new and transparent relationship with one another. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and gave...

Morocco has beautiful landscapes and movie sets from around the world. My favorite is Casablanca, which stars Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. Thank you, everyone in Morocco, for listening. Our impossible need: To understand prayer, we need to understand being humanity. We cry before we are able to talk, but the reasons we cry and talk are the same. We are sinners. The natural state of our sons is selfishness and self-centeredness. We are complicated and bigger on the inside. We are built Bib...

Every once in a while, not often, but consistently, I come to a particular episode that I'm doing for myself. Today is one of those. I have told my children, and then everyone else who might listen to this old guy, that the best place to be is at the foot of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in communion with Him—Payer in a simpler term. No matter my circumstance, sad or joyful in my present, the best place for me is at the foot of our Creator, God, Redeemer, King, Rock, and Refuge. Because of Hi...

France and the United Arab Emirates have at least one thing in common: a friend of mine. In today's episode, you can hear that story and how thankful I am to have listeners in both nations. A new year has started, and it is not at all uncommon for God's children to take this time to renew their dedication to God's purpose in their lives. We are also already past quitters day, the day when the promises we have made to ourselves have failed. Today, though, wherever you are in your new year's dedic...

Welcome to our listeners in northern Italy! A young man, a friend I met a few months ago, is moving this year with his family to southern Italy to reconnect with his heritage. We are sending him off in prayer to be our first listener in south Italy. Leaders in any endeavor know authority. They also know authority demands action. In Matthew 8, we see that a centurion needed only the word of the Lord of glory, Jesus the Messiah, His Savior, had answered his prayer. Our So What? When our Savior say...

Welcome to the Kingdom of Wales. That phrase has lots of history, and forgive me for it. I have a great friend from Wales. She was a great boss and a wonderful, creative person. Does anyone there know Virginia? Rounding out the top three things about Wales is for me, Virginia, your red dragon flag, Rugby - the Six Nations tourney, and, of course, that you listen to the podcast. Please, give us a line. God's family in Wales. We would love to hear from you. We suggest (I'm not your boss) if we des...

“Nuts and Bolts” - Listen at your peril, but there is an encouragement at the end. Thank you. I really enjoyed the energy of last year's October Surprise month, and the feedback was positive. (The whole message explains why we are doing "nuts and bolts," and there's an encouragement at the end today. So for Season Seven, at least to begin with, we are going to use the same format as we do for our October Surprise month. We will produce three episodes a week in a shorter format. We will test this...