How can we apply God’s promises to our daily lives? Are God’s promises conditional? What does it mean to be a child of God? What are some key promises found in the bible? Are God’s promises for me? How can we be sure God will keep His promises? What‘s more important than getting a life-changing handle on what God has promised you specifically? Expect this podcast to help you know who you are...REALLY & to help you live fully believing God‘s promises to you...REALLY.
Episodes
Saturday Feb 08, 2020
Saturday Feb 08, 2020
Luke 3: 1-3 (Amplified) - Now in the fifteenth year of [Emperor]Tiberius Caesar’s reign—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod [Antipas] was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene— 2 in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas [his son-in-law], the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness. 3 And he went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin.
~~~ While God was doing a work of preparation in John the Baptist's life prior to the start of his ministry, He was also doing a work of preparation to the times & seasons, leaders & authorities in which John's ministry work would take place. God was setting the stage with perfection in the way that only He can.
~~~ The "leaning in" that we need to do during times of preparation is so terribly important. If you find yourself in this place in your life right now, don't become weary or annoyed; instead, choose to lean in and be a good student in whatever it is the Lord is teaching you.
~~~ God is good at time. Never forget this truth! God is perfect when it comes to navigating the times and seasons of our lives.
~~~ We do not need to try and strong-arm God in order to obtain His specific promises and His specific words to us. (See verse 3 above - the Word of God came to John...if it came, then it had been sent. Trust God to send you what you most need, when you most need it.)
~~~ The way to have a truly powerful ministry is to allow God to prepare you, trust Him to set the stage, receive the word that He sends you, and then act in obedience to that word He sent you. Make up your mind in advance that you will do whatever God says to do. What will you do when you get something from the Lord? I truly hope that you will choose to share it with others.
~~~ Three Questions from verses 10-14 (verses are listed below)
#1 - What do I have that I can share today? (see verse 11)
#2 - Am I doing my work or handling resources wrongly or rightly? (see verses 12 & 13)
#3 - Am I content & would I be able to describe myself as "satisfied" with my lot in life? (see verse 14)
10 The crowds asked him, “Then what are we to do?” 11 And John replied, “The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do the same.” 12 Even some tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked, “Teacher, what are we to do?” 13 And he told them, “Collect no more than the fixed amount you have been ordered to [collect].” 14 Some soldiers asked him, “And what about us, what are we to do?” And he replied to them, “Do not extort money from anyone or harass or blackmail anyone, and be satisfied with your wages.”
Lord bless you as you continue to live believing God's promises are true for you - because they really, truly are!
Jan L. Burt
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Friday Jan 24, 2020
Friday Jan 24, 2020
Deuteronomy 5:15 (NLT) - Do nor forget that He led you through the great and terrifying wilderness with its poisonous snakes and scorpions, where it was so hot and dry. He gave you water from the rock.
Sometimes, when you have been in a place of slavery for an extended amount of time, a vast and open place of new freedom is totally scary and overwhelming, even when that vast place is a dry desert.
There ought to be a part of us that misses (yes, misses!) the desert trek...here's why - When we are in places that are too big for us (verse 15 calls this a great wilderness...that's a "too big for me" kind of place) those are the places that keep us right at our Father's side, sticking to Him like glue, refusing to let go of His hand.
Looking back, when I do a side-by-side comparision of a big, scary desert place to a season of prosperity and ease, in one of those I was not willing to step away from my ABBA Father's side...and in the other, well, I was more prone to step away.
I have found that any situation that draws me closer to Jesus - that's my favorite. Even if it's so very hard it's still my favorite.
I need to pay careful attention in my seasons of plenty so that I do not forget the Lord.
Lastly, one final point ---
Whenever we find ourselves standing on the banks of a Jordan River, looking right at our next place of promise & favor & blessing, that season of prosperity & peace that has been so longed for and prayed about --- when we find ourselves standing there looking forward, may we not forget to take a glance back over our shoulders and remember the vase and wild "too big place" we're coming out of.
Let us be careful not to forget our God in our promises land...and may we ask the Lord to bless us each with a heart that cannot forget Him.
Friday Jan 24, 2020
Friday Jan 24, 2020
Proverbs 3:5 & 6 (AMP) - Trust in and rely confidently on the LORD with all your heart and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him, and He will make your paths straight (removing obstacles that block your way).
Proverbs 3:5 & 6 (ESV) - Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. I all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Proverbs 3:5 & 6 (NIV) - Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
The command to acknowlege Him means to observe Him and get to know Him in the process of living.
Trusting Him is actually depending on Him.
Take an honest look at your life, find a couple of areas in which you'd like to think you are really trusting God...Now, do this: Say, "I am trusting the Lord with..." (fill in whatever it is you are trusting Him for). Can you take out "trusting" and insert "depending on" with total ease? Can you say, "I am depending on the Lord regarding..." as easily as you could say you are trusting Him?
Trusting God means leaning solely on Him without a plan B.
To acknowledge Him means to observe Him - to get to know Him right in the midst of this daily life we're all living.
How good are you at observing God?
Do you watch how He does what He does? Or do you primarily want to see the positive end result of what He does?
If a key part of having our paths made straight and our way smoothed out ahead of us is a result of observing the Lord, getting to know Him better & better, as in knowing Him so well that we can see His ways occurring around me even when we cannot seem to find Him in a situation, then we need to be about observing Him!
God puts a high premium on us knowing Him well. That is truly amazing!
He promises that He will make your paths straight and smooth - God will literally and figuratively move obstacles out of the way in the physical realm and the spiritual realm. Will really does mean will...when He says He will do something, don't doubt Him!
Your role is to trust and rely on Him - to observe Him - really get to know Him - and stop relying on your own insight and understanding.
Tuesday Jan 14, 2020
Monday Jan 06, 2020
Monday Jan 06, 2020
Episode 12 isn't based so much on one specific verse - but it sure is a real-world, true-life example that God gets done what He wants done & our mistakes and foibles can't undo His good plans!
As youth group leaders for over a decade, my husband and I have shared a lot of personal stories with a lot of students. But this true story from our teen years is hands-down their favorite one.
Why?
Because it reminds them at this stage of life as teenagers that they cannot mess things up so badly that they will totally wreck on and ruin God's intended plans for them.
It always seems to be a timely message & I hope it blesses you right now, whatever you might be facing!
Lord bless!
Find me here:
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Monday Jan 06, 2020
Monday Jan 06, 2020
Show Notes ~~~ Please be sure to listen at minute 21:54...I share some honest stuff that I don't want anyone to miss (also at the very end of the show notes below)
Psalm 33:16&18 (NIV) - No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. - But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His unfailing love.
What's true for the prince is true for the pauper when it comes to Biblical truth.
God is not a respecter or persons. The Word of God offers this proof:
Romans 2:11 (NIV) - For God does not show favoritism.
Acts 10:34 (KJV) - Then Peter opened his mouth and said, "Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons."
God doesn't show partiality. He will not respect one person over another person - He just won't do that! So regarding our verses from Psalm 33, let me say once again that what is true for the prince is true for the pauper in God's kingdom.
Isaiah 54:17 tells us that no weapon formed against us will prosper...it doesn't say the weapons won't form against us, but it does promise those weapons will not prosper against us. Those are two very different things, for which I am so thankful! (The Amplified Bible phrases it like this - "no weapon formed against you will succeed.")
Isaiah 54:17 (NKJV) - "No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is from Me," says the LORD.
TRUTH BOMB: Do you fear the Lord?
What does "fear of the Lord" really mean?
God tells us over and over again in His Word not to be afraid...and yet He also tells us we are to fear Him. How do these two fit together? (see Deuteronomy 31:8 & Romans 8:28 & Isaiah 43:1 & 1 John 4:18)
Fear of the Lord involves a sense of awe, magnifying God for who He truly is, revering Him, respecting Him, obeying Him and trusting Him, acknowledging that He is Sovereign.
Proverbs 9:10 (AMP) - The (reverent) fear of the LORD (that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome) is the beginning and the preeminent part of wisdom (its starting point and its essence). And the knowledge of the Holy ONe is understanding and spiritual insight.
When we look at fear of the Lord as a way to honor, revere, esteem, glorify Him it turns our typical definition of fear on its head.
Here's a question for you: Does that definition of fear of the Lord sound like a good description of your walk with Jesus? (not your Wed. night Bible study or Sun. morning worship walk, but your every day walk)
There is a promised blessing in this verse that comes when we fear the Lord. Our fear of the Lord is our baseline for the promise to be true in our lives.
And that promise is..... The Lord's EYES are on YOU!
Don't blow past this too quickly! Allow yourself a moment to grab hold of this promise. The Lord's eyes are on you!
Imagine being at Buckingham Palace & the Queen of England having her eyes fixed solely on you. You're the focal point of her gaze. She is looking upon you with the highest favor & she does not take her eyes off of you. Every movement is noted and noticed. No way, no how someone could make a move against you because where her eyes lie are also where her Royal Guard is watching...one signal from her and they will handle a situation before it can become a situation.
Now that is a small idea of what it means to have the Lord's eyes on you. This promise is a really big deal! And this promise is yours!
I know sometimes it is really hard to keep hoping. Sometimes we have to make the decision to just believe again, to hope against hope. I pray you can do that today. Don't live a hopeless life. Believe again - hope again. ANd gain the tremendous blessing this verse grants to you today.
NOW FOR SOMETHING PERSONAL...
I am part of a conference for the new year, and I have 3 sessions in this online conference (there are over 80 total sessions by 50 speakers & it's all online).
But I almost didn't complete the session called "Redeeming an Orphan Spirit". I have never in my life been under the kind of spiritual attack that took place as I worked on this topic. I almost didn't finish it - things have been very, very intense to say the least. I did end up completing the work and that conference session goes live on Friday, January 10th. This probably sounds "slimy & salesy" but I am saying this anyway (look, the couple of bucks I make on an affiliate ticket is not worth the spiritual attack I've dealt with so that's not why I am sharing about this session).
If the enemy was working that hard to keep me from finishing this thing, then it is possibly because he has a fair number of God's children living more like orphans than like children of the Most High God...and I don't think he wants that to change. He cannot steal your salvation - you cannot be snatched from Jesus' hand, those are His words & they are 100% true - but he can work hard to keep you living far beneath the Lord's will for your life. So if that sounds like your life, please consider grabbing a ticket to the conference.
It is call the "New Year, New Beginnings 2020 Conference for Moms" so many of the sessions are aimed at women...but if you are a dude, hey for the price of maybe one lunch out this week & a couple of Starbucks, you can grab a ticket and honestly, if you might be dealing with this sense of being an orphan, then that's worth the $25. But you can only get tickets through January 10th (that's Friday) and then you don't have access to this ever again. Here is the link - I sure hope you check it out because I am telling you what, based on what I have experienced as of late, satan does not want you to know about the orphan spirit. Let's not let him have the upper hand!
Redeeming An Orphan Spirit conference session goes live Friday January 10th
Find me here:
Titus 2 Discipleship with Jan L. Burt membership site (Titus2DiscipleshipwithJanLBurt.com)
on Instagram ~ @titus2disciplejanburt
on Facebook ~ Titus 2 Discipleship with Jan L. Burt
sign up for my newsletter ~ God's Promises for You
Monday Jan 06, 2020
Monday Jan 06, 2020
1 Corinthians 2:12 - (Berean Study Bible) - We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.
1 Corinthians 2:12 (NLT) - And we have received God's Spirit (not the world's spirit) so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.
1 Corinthians 2:12 (AMP) - Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the (Holy) Spirit who is from God, so that we may know and understand the (wonderful) things freely given to us.
Whenever you hear someone teaching or speaking about the Word of God, always check what they're teaching with what the Bible actually says. It's just too important to take for granted and God wants you to know His Word for yourself - because, after all, it is a love letter from Him to you!
This portion of the Word of God shows us that Paul was relying not on his own wisdom or abilities, but on the Holy Spirit. The same wisdom Paul had access to is also available to every single Christ follower via the same Holy Spirit that provided Paul all that he needed for his ministry & calling. Wisdom is available to all believers and it is not anything at all like the world's wisdom.
James 1:5 (NIV) - If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
One thing that stands out to me here is that if we feel oppressed, if we feel like we are living under spirit that governs the world, we need to know beyond any semblance of a doubt that it is not God's will for us.
But, what does that phrase "spirit that governs the world" mean?
The Bible talks about the prince of the power of the air in the New Testament (see Ephesians 2:2) and in the Old Testament book of Daniel we have examples of demonic forces (which are evil spirits) working against the Lord's angels to try and prevent His work and His will from being done in the lives of the people on earth (see Daniel chapter 10). Satan & his evil minions work consistently in this world to influence people, to establish strongholds, to bring chaos and disorder where God would bring peace and order...we have an active enemy scheming against us.
But sometimes we fail to live well because we fail to identify the evil source that is coming against us.
Since we have not received the spirit of the world but we have rather received the Holy Spirit, and He has "ownership rights", so to speak, it benefits us to remember that the devil and the Holy Spirit can't dwell in the same place...and that gives us a promise of tremendous value. We are safe and secure because we are sealed by the Holy Spirit (see Ephesians 1:13).
It is so incredibly important to take our feelings - to literally grab hold of the way you are feeling (grab those feelings by the throat!) and put those feeling directly under the authority of the Word of God.
Do not allow the enemy to trick you into thinking that you have to "feel" such-and-such a way...as if you have no choice in the matter. That's simply not true!
You have received the Spirit of God and He does not share you with the enemy. Period.
And bear in mind that over the course of your entire life the Holy Spirit will help you to understand better & better & better, in ever increasing measure, what God has given to us.
There is so much to this promise...it really does take a lifetime to learn.
When our pastor officiates a wedding, he often says that it takes 20 years to really get to know someone & he encourages the couple to continue to study one another. How much more time might it take to really get to know God in all His infinite-ness & vastness? No need to rush the process or feel as if it is taking too long...just enjoy the process of getting to know more and more what God has given to you!
So often Christians live as though they have had things taken away from them but right here in this verse we are promised that God's Spirit will help us understand all that we have been GIVEN!
Fully given!
Not partially or scarcely or minimally - God is not a minimalist! He has given us so much & He wants us to see that more and more on a daily basis.
Never forget that our God is a generous giver.
You've got promises & 1 Corinthians 2:12 is one of them.
Grab hold of this and hang on tight as this year moves forward!
(I believe that is a word for someone right now - if it is for you, please don't blow this off...hold on to God's promise for you today!)
And also, as a bit of a side note, one great way to kick off your Bible reading in the new year would be to read all of the book of Daniel (maybe split it up over 2 days of reading) and then read Psalm 1 and pray Psalm 1 over your life for the next 5 days. I challenge you to give this a try and share about it!
ONE FINAL MENTION ON A VERY PERSONAL TOPIC...
I am part of a conference for the new year, and I have 3 sessions in this online conference (there are over 80 total sessions by 50 speakers & it's all online).
But I almost didn't complete the session called "Redeeming an Orphan Spirit". I have never in my life been under the kind of spiritual attack that took place as I worked on this topic. I almost didn't finish it - things have been very, very intense to say the least. I did end up completing the work and that conference session goes live on Friday, January 10th. This probably sounds "slimy & salesy" but I am saying this anyway (look, the couple of bucks I make on an affiliate ticket is not worth the spiritual attack I've dealt with so that's not why I am sharing about this session).
If the enemy was working that hard to keep me from finishing this thing, then it is possibly because he has a fair number of God's children living more like orphans than like children of the Most High God...and I don't think he wants that to change. He cannot steal your salvation - you cannot be snatched from Jesus' hand, those are His words & they are 100% true - but he can work hard to keep you living far beneath the Lord's will for your life. So if that sounds like your life, please consider grabbing a ticket to the conference.
It is call the "New Year, New Beginnings 2020 Conference for Moms" so many of the sessions are aimed at women...but if you are a dude, hey for the price of maybe one lunch out this week & a couple of Starbucks, you can grab a ticket and honestly, if you might be dealing with this sense of being an orphan, then that's worth the $25. But you can only get tickets through January 10th (that's Friday) and then you don't have access to this ever again. Here is the link - I sure hope you check it out because I am telling you what, based on what I have experienced as of late, satan does not want you to know about the orphan spirit. Let's not let him have the upper hand!
Redeeming An Orphan Spirit conference session goes live Friday January 10th
Find me here:
Titus 2 Discipleship with Jan L. Burt membership site (Titus2DiscipleshipwithJanLBurt.com)
on Instagram ~ @titus2disciplejanburt
on Facebook ~ Titus 2 Discipleship with Jan L. Burt
sign up for my newsletter ~ God's Promises for You
Saturday Dec 14, 2019
Saturday Dec 14, 2019
Psalm 103:2 (New Living Translation) - "Praise the Lord, I tell myself, and never forget the good things He does for me."
Consider memorizing Psalm 103 - it is a life-changing passage to commit to memory!
OR
Consider reading it every day for 7 days straight - you'll benefit from this exercise!
Reminding ourselves of the good things God has done for us is the best kind of "self-talk" we can engage in.
Grateful people are not "sour" people.
Thankful people are the ones you want as your "LIFER" friends.
What do you need to put into place to help you remember to praise the Lord?
What could you ever write down on your daily to-do list that's more important than taking time to praise God for all the good things He has done for you?
Can you READ Psalm 103:2 & then DO Psalm 103:2 & then GAIN all the BENEFITS of Psalm 103?
(Of course you can because you can do all things through Christ who gives you strength!)
Find me here:
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Saturday Dec 14, 2019
Saturday Dec 14, 2019
Genesis 18:14a (Amplified) - "Is anything too difficult or too wonderful for the LORD?"
Make up your mind & choose to decide right now that you already have faith to believe this promise for your life today, right from the very start of this episode.
The Amplified version of Genesis 18:14 offers a broader view by adding "or too wonderful" to this verse, which often reads, "Is anything too hard for the LORD?"
I want to challenge you to a new level of faith today - don't paint with a broad brush regarding this verse & it's application to your life. Apply it in this exact moment, on this exact day. It's for your "right now", not just for your "later on".
Some people are not "happy" with life unless they are at their appropriate level of misery.
Some people are just not okay unless they're not okay.
God's Word is never, ever silent. So I gotta ask...what is Genesis 18:14 saying to you today?
Learning from the hard things in your life is growth - but learning from the hard things in someone else's life is wisdom. Choose wisdom as often as you can.
God does not need your intervention. Remember that when you are tempted to "help out"!
Find me here:
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Monday Dec 09, 2019
Monday Dec 09, 2019
Psalm 40:16-17 (New International Version) -
"But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who long for your saving help always say, 'The LORD is great!' But as for me, I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer; you are my God, do not delay."
Psalm 40:16-17 (Amplified Bible) -
"Let all those that seek and require You rejoice and be glad in You; let such as love Your salvation say continually, The Lord be magnified! (As for me) I am poor and needy, yet the Lord takes thought and plans for me. You are my Help and my Deliverer. O my God, do not tarry!"
Key Points ~~~
The Lord is great - this is present tense! Don't solely remember His past greatness but acknowledge that He is great right now.
Our enemy will work overtime trying to prevent us from ever getting real & raw in our prayer time. Why? Because that is exactly when we will find true healing & lasting deliverance.
You drive your own car differently than you try out a drive in your BFF's brand new automobile...you paint your own house any old color you choose, but no when you're a renter...
Is God your God? Then pray like that's true for you - make it your truth!
Christ-following is more about how we live than what we know. When we live like we don't know what we truly do know, we are living like tenants (or renters) instead of like heirs in Christ.
Know your place! When it comes to prayer, your place is never to be out of the Lord's presence.
God takes thought of you. He sees you. And He is planning for your based on the promise that He takes thought of you.
In the Amplified, "Help" and "Deliverer" are capitalized - they are names of God. If He is "Help", can He do other than help? Since He is "Deliverer", will He not deliver us? Will He tarry? Will He delay? Will God be tardy? Is He going to linger and take too long? No, God cannot ever show up too late because He never tarries for too long.
Isaiah 43:19 (ESV) - "Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."
Find me here:
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