The Radical Truth

This is the final lesson in our study on Character and God's Power. To wrap up this study and show how important godly character is to the outpouring of the Spirit in an individual and church I want to look at the prophet Elisha and his servant Gehazi. This will be a very enlightening study and I am sure it will affect you life.

The spiritual condition of the American church is at an all time low. Compromise and immorality are the norm. At the root of the problem is the poor condition of the character of individuals and churches. Character matters and it is very important to God. In today's lesson we will look at the third reason why the power of God is not powerfully moving in the American church. With an understanding of the things that hinder the Spirit's outpouring is the potential to right the wrongs and see revival sweep this country once again. Accept the challenge in this study by applying the Biblical truths to your life. You will not be sorry!

This week in our continuing study on Character and God's Power we will begin examining how the quality of our character directly affects how the power of the Spirit will work in a believer or church. God is a miracle working God and longs to reveal His glory and power in and through His people. If the power is withheld from the church there is a reason for it. It then becomes the responsibility of believers to understand what the hindrance is and do something about it. The are three main reasons that have to do with our character why the power of the Spirit is withheld from the church. Today we will endeavor to learn about the first two and next week we will dig into the third. You will be enlightened by this teaching and my prayer is that is will bring radical change to your life.

The subject of today's podcast may seem like a strange one, but it is actually very practical. I want to study how suffering benefits us. Specifically I want to examine how God uses suffering to help develop a godly character in believers. It is good for us to understand that the trials we experience have value and are not just seasons of meaningless pain and suffering. There is a hitch to this, suffering will only truly benefit those who love Jesus. So listen and learn how the Lord will use the trials you have had, and the ones yet to come, for your well-being.

It is easy to love sin because it is an innate part of our fallen nature. This means that to love Jesus more than sin, pleasure, wealth or even self is costly and suffering is involved. Until we have a better love than our base love of sin and self we will continue to practice the sins we know are contrary to God's Word and our conscience. In today's lesson we will learn how to develop that better love and why we need to forsake the love of this world.

This week's podcast will be sure to challenge your faith. At this juncture in our study on Character and God's power we are looking at how suffering for Jesus is a part of Biblical Christianity. Through today's study you will learn why Christians suffer for the faith and how the quality of our character determines how we respond. You will find this teaching to be very practical and beneficial. So listen and learn so you can grow in Christ.

This is part fifteen in our study on Character and God's Power. Today we will look at how suffering helps reveal the true condition of our character. We all wish that suffering and trials were not a part of life. Since we cannot escape them, we would be far better off if we learned how to live the victorious Christian life through them. Though that is God's plan for mankind in general, it can only be fulfilled in the lives of those who are authentic followers of Jesus. You will learn through this podcast how God can use the suffering and trials you experience to draw you closer to Him so that you can overcome all of life's challenges.

In today's podcast we will look at how the condition our character is powerfully influenced by the quality of the relationship we have with Jesus. Before anyone can develop a Christlike character they must be genuinely born again, which means they have entered into a living relationship with Jesus. Bona fide followers of Jesus reveal the reality of the relationship they have with Christ by through godly character. We cannot rise any higher in the quality of our character than the relationship we have with Jesus. So listen to this teaching and you will learn the tremendous value of walking near to Jesus.

Love is today's topic in our continuing study on Character and God's Power. The quality of our character determines how we love. To word it a little differently, the quality of our love is a gauge to the condition of our character. In this lesson we will learn how love reveals not only our character, but our spiritual condition. People with godly character prove it by how they selflessly love others. Selfish expressions of love always reveal a corrupt character. So take a listen and learn how you can grow in Christ and the Spirit's power to selflessly love God and others.

Obedience to God is the topic of today's podcast. This is probably the largest subject in the Bible and is of greater importance than most people think. Without obedience to God and His Word people will not make heaven their home. But in our culture that glorifies rebellion we can be blind to the beauty and joy found in obedience. Not just that, for obedience to be real it must be loving. We cannot love selflessly unless we obey those we claim to love. Listen, learn and take to heart the powerful lesson you will hear today.

The first Beatitude is the topic of today's continuing study on Character and God's Power. This is an extremely important subject for the church today. Brokenness is the foundational character trait of all character traits so its importance cannot be overstated. You will be challenged with this teaching, and if you listen closely, you might learn a truth that could change your life.

The subject of today's study on Character and God's power is tongues set on fire by heaven. To have tongues set on fire by hell comes to us very naturally. But if we want tongues set on fire by heaven it must be a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit. That is exactly what God wants to do in the lives of true believers. If we want tongues set on fire by heaven than our lives must first be ablaze with holy fire for Jesus. The world may not understand this, but it is waiting for the moment when saints will be so full of the Spirit that they proclaim to a dying world with tongues of holy fire the wonders of our crucified and resurrected Lord. Listen to this podcast so you can learn how to be a part of the awesome work the Lord is doing through His people.

The tongue is the subject of today's podcast and should prove to be very challenging. We will examine the power of the tongue and how it influences the lives of other people either for good or bad. This lesson will close looking at what James meant when a tongue is set on fire by hell. Next week we will dig into what it means to have our tongues set on fire by heaven.

Two important points that influence the quality of our character are the subject of today's podcast--our frailty and the Biblical teaching on the flesh verses the Spirit. It is vitally important that we understand what influences the condition of our character or we will be destined to keep repeating the same failures. Those who have the courage to look into the mirror and give an honest answer why they act the way they do have the hope of positive change. To grow more like Jesus will powerfully influence all of our relationships.

Dignity and depravity are truths about what it means for us to be human in this fallen world. According to how we understand these two dimensions of our humanity will directly affect the quality of our character. In last week's podcast we studied what it means for us to be depraved. We will concentrate in today's lesson on the wonderful truth of our God given gift of dignity. This teaching will powerfully touch your life.