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Well so what happened to the Podcast Preacher, I mean we haven’t had such a gap in messages for quite a long while. I was in the Coronary Care Unit (CCU) at Enloe Hospital in Chico for eight days.

Hey Mr. Podcast Preacher don’t you preach on divine healing and didn’t you get healed of a pile of illnesses a couple of years back? So, what are you doing back at the hospital?

I intend on answering those questions using this season of my life to further discuss divine healing and but also mixing it with wisdom, not fear or a lack of faith but wisdom (Heb 11:6). And but also I feel that in some of my previous healing or miracles, signs, and wonder messages, I may have come off too one sided, which is to say or imply that if you didn’t get healed then it is all on you. That way of preaching is too God-in-a-box and can come off as judgmental and even be wrapped up in this idea that I am more spiritual than you because I got or get healed and you may not have. No, I still believe in a God who has already healed us and does indeed still perform miracles, signs, and wonders, but for the journey that each of us takes to receive and to give out I believe it is here that God works distinctly and uniquely with each of us (Acts 2:22, Heb2:4, Mark 11:22-24, James 5:14-15, Mark 16:17, 1 Cor chapter 12). I would not want anyone to ever go away from one of my messages feeling like they don’t measure up to any sort of religious qualification for God to move in their life. Please forgive me if I have been the source of any spiritual frustration or discouragement to you.

Be very encouraged That God meets you where you are at, and as long as you stay away from comparisons with others, you will be on the straight and narrow path (Matt 7:13-14). Maybe in this season God is just showing me that He is not a formula to understand in order for us to get what He Himself has promised whenever we want it. He is ever so deeply committed to us that we would simply become as children who could enter His kingdom as I am sure that otherwise in any other condition we cannot enter (Matt 18:3, Mark 10:15). Testimonies are not challenges directed at us. It is not a measuring bar insofar as to gauge our spiritual maturity. Every Christian is uniquely called and equipped to do what God has called them to do (1 Cor chapter 12). So, stay away from spiritual works competitiveness and trying to one-up someone on testimonies, they are destructive and very relational harmful thus turning God into nothing more than a spiritual miracle, signs, and wonders slot machine. And well besides it has been my experience that we have way too many of us sharing testimonies that elevate or glorify us and not God. God testimonies should reveal the workings of the supernatural, not efforts that you made to bring about something. Again, this happens when we have fallen into a spiritual competitiveness instead of really being grounded in our relational personal walk with the all-ever-living God of everything (Acts 8:18-20, 1 Tim 3:1-10, Titus 1:5-9).

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Well, so well, well, this is not going to be a feel-good message, but one that is necessary for continued growth. I was reading the final book in a four-book series titled the Ethiopian Bible and I was noticing how authentically born Christians really rub against the religious mindsetted peeps. Meaning those who think that God approves of their lifestyle regardless of what they do, because after all they have been in church their whole life. Oftentimes these types are simply minded in that they believe if you believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord you will be saved, no additional action items necessary.

Rom 10:9 - that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

You see it says it so it must be true. Well let’s look at some other samples and see if we can see a pattern or way of thinking that is expressed in the bible:

God said:

Gen 2:16-17 - 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Gen 3:1-5 - 3 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”

Watch the twixy-conundrum. God said, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat. But satan repeated it back in a weird sort of way right: “You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” Look if you had to listen to that again, that is the catch or hook that satan intended to use. Verse 2 - let’s see if we can see the author of confusion’s plan at work (1 Cor 14:33):

2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”

Ok so like satan she did not quote God accurately and that is what created the crack so to speak. “You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die. In Gen 2:16-17 God didn’t say, “nor shall you touch it.” And but now before you say awe that is just being semantical, listen again to the words and how each time God is quoted they move away from what He originally stated. Hey look, she ate it and we are, all of humanity, born into sin, so I cannot be too far off of this point right?

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Ok so wow, I didn’t see that coming you might say when all of a sudden you are challenged by a brother or sister in your church, ministry, family or friends so abruptly that the communication sits the Holy Spirit right down and you seem to be the only one that is aware that it has happened.

Allow me to try and unpack this end-time ever increasing behavior as it is complex involving a wide range of emotions, spirits sometimes, and even revealing cracks in our spiritual foundation.

James tells us in an entire chapter the primary communication problem that we have. Let’s see if we can pick it up along with some other communication issues.

James 3 - My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. 2 For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. 3 Indeed, we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. 4 Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. 5 Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things.

Ok so right away we see that we are cautioned not to let, or you could say, “allow” many of us to be teachers? Why? Because a teacher needs to be accurate, publicly observable, able to teach, emotionally mature, confident in their calling and craft, humble, able to teach from the anointing and the Holy Spirits leading, able to teach on the whole bible especially on difficult subject matter. And but then we have two issues in todays Christian world or maybe three. We have people trying to teach from a lack of knowledge of the bible, we have others who are unable or unwilling to teach because they do not read their bible, and we have an open willingness for the spiritually proud to try and teach over one called and assigned to teach. In a strange way it is like some sort of knowledge competition and it usually comes from insecurity.

Now to help out a minute there are two levels of teaching, the first is that we are all supposed to be able to teach others even if it is at a milk level with baby Christians. The other is the office of a teacher which is usually someone who is at a higher level spiritually speaking. When I say level I mean that they simply exhibit an insatiable appetite to read, study, do research, and to read their bibles usually with lots of cover-to-cover reading journeys. Now within these two groups there are also differing levels or expertise’s so to speak. I could not teach a college course that is pre-scripted as that is not my preferred teaching style. I really rely on the holy Spirit to bring scripture into remembrance so that I can go and flow. Others are the opposite and that is just fine.

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Well so after that title reading we should define fear and awe as it relates to God to kick things off:

Fear - In the Bible, fearing God generally means having profound reverence, awe, and respect for His holiness and power, rather than being terrified of Him. It is described as a 360-degree awareness of His presence that motivates believers to obey His commands, hate evil, and live in a way that pleases Him.

Key Aspects of Fearing God:

• Reverence and Awe: It is a recognition of God's supreme authority, glory, and majesty, acknowledging Him as God while recognizing our place as His creatures.

Ah, but now I must include a definition within a definition – let’s look at the word awe:

• The Bible calls for an awe of God primarily through the concept of "fearing the Lord," which implies deep reverence, admiration, and wonder, rather than mere terror. Key verses include Psalm 33:8, which instructs all inhabitants to stand in awe of Him, and Hebrews 12:28-29, which commands worship with reverence and awe.
• Ps 33:8 – 8 Let the whole world fear the Lord,
  and let everyone stand in awe of him.
• Heb 12:28-29 - 28 Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. 29 For our God is a devouring fire.

Key Scriptures Stating or Encouraging Awe of God:

• [Psalm 22:23 (ESV): "You who fear the LORD, praise Him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify Him, and stand in awe of Him..."
• [Psalm 119:161 (ESV): "Princes persecute me without cause, but my heart stands in awe of Your words."
• [Psalm 4:4 (ESV): "Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah" (this is often interpreted as "Stand in awe/tremble and sin not")
• Context of Awe in Scripture:
• Reverence vs. Terror: The biblical "awe" (or fear) of God is an attitude of total admiration and respect for His power and holiness, not a paralyzing terror.
• Awe of His Works/Word: Examples include being awestruck by His creation such as described in Psalm 8 or His profound truth as described in Psalm 119:161.

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What a song? Yes, and but my sister Debra Avey, who is also a board member of Applied Strengths Ministry wrote a song called “Podcast Preacher.” The link is included in this intro, click on it and thump it up for Jesus!

https://hyperfollow.com/DebraAvey

So why a song for a ministry, I mean churches don’t have songs about themselves. Ha, could you imagine listening to a song about this or that denomination. No, but so I did because it popped into my head one day that this whole ministry is about getting people to read and apply their bibles. I am not looking to build large groups of followers, well unless they were all doing what the bible says, then well maybe, but no. Reading your bible is the most important thing you can do even above going to church, although one should be done without the exclusion of the other.

The message is a shorty sporty but hits a major milestone in this ministry. What's the milestone podcast Preacher? It was coming up with a song that represented the ministry not in totality but yes definitely in part. In totality the assignment of my life is to equip the saints for the work of ministry and to make disciples eventually releasing them through others into operating and miracle signs and wonders while serving in love in meeting all of the elements discussed or that represent the fruit of the spirit.

Listen, there are times when truth doesn’t just come through teaching; it comes through sound.

And it carries the same call we talk about here—which is that we go deeper, beyond the surface and into the place where truth is found.

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Ok so this message might initially come across as weird, and I say so what if it does as I have biblical examples of highly weirdnesses. When Lazareth climbed out of the grave, that, just a few days earlier, he was placed in, with the expectation that he would, well stay there, it was weird (John 11:1-44). And well when a big fish swam nearily close to the shore and burped up Jonah after he had died in his belly, well that too was weird; and well you might even say a bit stinky weird (Jonah chap 1-2). Ok one more and then we must go on. What about the walls of Jericho coming down with a shout and the blowing of some shofars (Joshua 6:1-21). Weird? Ah, but no wait, it gets weirder; what of a girl named Rahab:

The story of Rahab surviving the fall of Jericho is primarily found in Joshua chap 2 and chap 6 of the Old Testament. She survives because she hid two Israelite spies, and in return, she and her family are spared when the city walls fall, marked by a scarlet cord in her window, as promised by the spies.

Key Details of Rahab’s Story

• Location: Rahab, a Canaanite woman in Jericho, lived in a house built into the city wall. (could this have been a city built by giants? Ah, maybe later on that one)
• The Agreement: She hid the spies on her roof under flax and later allowed them to escape via a window, asking for safety in return. (in this she underestimated the plan of God for her life)
• The Sign: She hung a scarlet cord from her window, which the Israelites used to identify her home for protection during the destruction.
• Survival: While the city fell, her home remained standing. She was later integrated into Israel and is listed in the genealogy of Jesus.

Rahab is also highlighted as an example of faith in the New Testament (Hebrews 11:31, James 2:25). We will get to those scriptures in a minute.

How did she survive the great crumble? It’s a miracle big city time. She must have been hidden under the hand of the Almighty. And why? Why would God protect a harlet, after all, she was not living a clean life. Because well we will see it in the next bit in the message and well it just ads to the already weirdnesses:

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Ha, but ok, so no it’s not the backwards meaning but it is the intended meaning. Let me say it another way, “suffering is necessary for positive spiritual growth which is intended to increase our maturity, both in the natural and spiritually speaking, and life effectiveness.” Is that more clearerness? Ha…

I will try and show our intense need to go through suffering, trials, testing, and God correction in order to meet that objective. I tell you that without these elements happening, that is suffering, trials, testing, and God correction in our lives, we would run to worshipping false gods in a heartbeat. Do you have support for that position Mister, Mister? Yes. Every time the Israelites got comfortable in the things of God, they soon drifted into sin and began to take on the same characteristics of those whom didn’t give a hoot about God. Yes, every time without exception. I recommend reading the book of Ezra and see how and what the Israelites departure from God looks like. Their departure from worshipping the one true living God is expressed 100’s of times in the Old Testament. And but if you pinch yourself and reply ouch, and but if you didn’t get that reply give it a stronger go and when you get to the ouch part, let it be a simple and funny reminder that we are no different from them.

We, for perhaps due to our American culture don’t really like suffering and at times we can attribute it to a non-believers destiny because they are attached to the world and to the will of the god of this earth (2 Cor 4:4). But suffering, trials, testing, and God correction is to strengthen us and to keep us on the right God path in order that we don’t stray into false-god harlotville and make the same mistake they did. It seems that God placed the Old Testament first so that we could look into the mirror of history and avoid doing what His own people did. It is like the Jews went first for our benefit so that we could learn from them, and but are we learning from them? I say that we can but according to Rev chapter 3 some of us won’t learn.

Perhaps this message can change that.

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A farmer always knows what type of seed they are planting. Would they randomly cast seeds into their field? Nope, every farmer knows what seed to plant so that they are not surprised that if they wanted Pumpkins that they actual got Watermelons.

Seeds are symbolic of a couple of things in the bible. They are genuine seeds that, if planted using the farming rules for seeds, they can produce the intended crop. Seeds also are represented as the words that we speak. If we speak good words we reap good seed feedback, but if we sow or speak bad words, we will reap bad seed feedback. The word of God is also considered seed which is why we are to read and apply it consistently within our lives so that we can reap a good harvest of intended things. I will explain intended things as we move through this message.

Offerings are our financial seed. They are handled a couple of ways in the Bible. Apostles or disciples in training would be sent to those in other churches in order to provide input, correction, exhortation, teaching or even church admin advise. It was expected that they would receive resources or offerings from the saints that they visited. Paul shares with us what this looked like back in his days:

Phil 4:15-16 - 15 Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only. 16 For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities.

And we saw offerings giving in response to the Apostles ministry:

Acts 4:34-37 - 34 Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, 35 and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.

36 And Joses, who was also named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of Encouragement), a Levite of the country of Cyprus, 37 having land, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

And we saw how God views our offerings and already knows the size of our wallets so in no way is impressed with the amount given but the sacrifice and faith that accompanies our offering:

Mark 12:41-44 - 41 Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. 42 Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans. 43 So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; 44 for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.”

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