Hold firmly to Jesus and His message

Hold firmly to Jesus and His message 

By Richard Templin Hancock

Revelation 2:13 “I know your works and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. You hold firmly to my name, and didn’t deny my faith in the days of Antipas my witness, my faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.

What caught my eye on this passage is "You hold firmly to my name and did not deny my faith". 

That is what I want to do today. How about you? Holding firm to Jesus and His faith. There are lots of faiths out there. But I am aiming for the faith of Christ. The faith that he teaches about in the New Testament.

For example, Jesus says in John 10:9: "I am the door. If anyone enters in by me, he will be saved, and will go in and go out, and will find pasture." We can only have true faith if we come to our Heavenly Father through the only sacrifice He will accept that will make us right with Him. As it says in Isaiah 53:5, "But he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought our peace was on him; and by his wounds we are healed." Any self-effort for salvation or faith in any religious organization is futile. Jesus is our only hope.

We are also reminded of the words of Jesus in John 10:27, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." The Holy Spirit has revealed to us to avoid other teachings. Brother John speaks of the false prophets who depart from the teachings of Jesus in First John 2:19, "They went out from us, but they didn’t belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have continued with us. But they left, that it might be revealed that none of them belong to us."

I thought this would be a good reminder for you and me this hour to stay sharp and stay rooted in Jesus.

That's it for this podcast. Follow Jesus Radio is here 24 hours a day to encourage you to have faith in Jesus Christ and follow Him daily.   Remember Jesus loves you and is just a prayer away.

The wold under the power of the evil one

The world under the power of the evil one

By Richard Templin Hancock

There is so much bad news these days. And there is a reason for that. Listen to what it says in 1 John 5:19 in the Bible: We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, as we're told in 2 Corinthians 4:3-4: Even if our Good News is veiled, it is veiled in those who perish; in whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the Good News of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn on them.

Who will deliver us from this evil world? Galatians 1:4 tells us Jesus does!: "who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us out of this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father—"

And let's be honest. For Christians, we realize that, as it says in Titus 3:3: For we were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. 

And James wrote in James 4:4:  You adulterers and adulteresses, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

Let's pray: Heavenly Father, help us to live for  Jesus and not the world system in rebellion to Him. Help us this moment to make a fresh commitment to have faith in Christ alone and follow Christ alone.  Amen.

That's it for this podcast. Follow Jesus Radio is here 24 hours a day to encourage you to have faith in Jesus Christ and follow Him daily.   Remember Jesus loves you and is just a prayer away.

Reading and Doing

Reading and Doing 

By Richard Templin Hancock

Psalm 1:2 reads: But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law, doth he meditate day and night.

I have been reflecting on this scripture verse this morning, thinking about meditating on God's word and then being obedient to that word. I suppose you could say: "meditate and do."

I can read and study the Bible, but it has little effect unless I put it into action. I could end up being a know-it-all and yet do nothing at all. That's not good. And to be honest, I don't think we truly obey until we have been, as Jesus puts it, "born again." Unless God changes my heart, I am just spinning my wheels. 

Ezekiel 11:19 reads: "And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh:" Do you need heart surgery from the great Physician, Jesus Christ? I encourage you to seek Him out in prayer and ask Him to give you a new heart.

Are you walking with the Lord? Then I encourage you to press in and press on in your daily walk with God. Why? You will find blessing upon blessing by being in His presence and His will.

And there is the blessing on your home and your life as you serve God. Deuteronomy 29:9 reads: "Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do."

Let's pray: Heavenly Father, help us to be doers and not just hearers of Your word. We look to You for Your guidance this hour. Thank You for Jesus and Your gift of eternal life in Him. Amen.

That's it for this Podcast. Follow Jesus Radio is here 24 hours a day to encourage you to have faith in Jesus Christ and follow Him daily. Remember Jesus loves you and is just a prayer away.  

Day and Night

Day and Night

By Richard Templin Hancock

I was reading a Bible passage this morning that reminded me of the importance of meditating on God's Word. Here is the passage:

Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth; but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it, for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

I don't know about you, but I can easily find other things to occupy my mind for hours upon hours. But all those moments would be so much more enjoyable if I had Jesus on my mind and shared my thoughts with Him. And budgeting time with Him and His teachings. I guess some have called it "practicing the presence of Christ." But you know, it really works!

It also says in Joshua, in Joshua 1:9: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

I figure that even though that was a word for Joshua, it’s a good word for you and me. God is like that, you know.

Life is so much sweeter with Jesus day by day.

Let’s pray: Heavenly Father, thank you for your Son, Jesus Christ, who shows us who you really are and leads us in your righteous path. Father, help us to draw close to you and your Son. Help us when we wander to return to you quickly. Help us to give you the glory. Amen.

That's it for this Podcast. Follow Jesus Radio is here 24 hours a day to encourage you to have faith in Jesus Christ and follow Him daily.   Remember Jesus loves you and is just a prayer away.  

Jesus The Image Of God

Jesus the Image Of God

By Richard Templin Hancock

Colossians 1:15 
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

I was reading this Bible verse this morning and reflecting on the fact that Jesus reveals our heavenly Father to me. When I see Jesus, I see my Heavenly Father!

John 14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

And here is another one of those verses that speak of Christ, the image of God:

2 Corinthians 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

And here is yet another verse along this theme:

John 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared Him.

Remember what it says in 1 John 4:12? No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.

And by following Jesus we learn to walk in love. I don't know about you, but for me that is a lifelong journey.

Let's pray: Heavenly Father, help us to follow after Jesus Christ this day. Reading his teachings, asking His help to live according to His word. Amen.

That's it for this Podcast. Follow Jesus Radio is here 24 hours a day to encourage you to have faith in Jesus Christ and follow Him daily.   Remember Jesus loves you and is just a prayer away.