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.
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Wednesday Apr 05, 2023
Wednesday Apr 05, 2023
The Power of God's Will - 40 Days of God's Promises Devotional on Amazon
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Well, hey there. Welcome to this week’s podcast episode. I’m the host of the show, Jan L. Burt, and I am thankful you’re taking the time to listen to episode 142. It is early April of 2023 as I record this episode, and we are in the midst of Easter week. And the Lord impressed Psalm 23 on my heart for this week’s show. I’m excited to jump in and talk about this well-known psalm and how it can bring us hope as we look toward Resurrection Sunday.
You’re listening to The Burt (Not Ernie) Show, part of the Spark Network, now playing via the Edifi app. This is episode number 142.
So for this episode, I’m going to read verses from Psalm 23, probably going to stick with the Amplified Bible today, and also talk about Jesus and the Resurrection and the hope we have. Hope that did not exist beforehand. You know, hope is kind of like gold in that it is valuable in a special kind of way. Like wedding bands, those have a special value, different than other jewelry. Hope springs eternal, that’s how the saying goes. And when it is hope based in Jesus, that’s the truth. Eternity is placed in the hearts of mankind by God as one of the many means He uses to draw us to Himself. He does not want anybody to perish, to spend eternity apart from Him (and apart from God, well, that means eternity in hell. Hell is a real place, sorry if you were taught differently, but the Bible makes it perfectly clear that hell is real and seriously, I am going to take the authority of the one who died for me over any other so-called authority. The founders, leaders, gods of other religions did not go from God to a baby to a man who was crucified, who went willingly to the cross, and rose again. Christianity is different in that regard, not like any other religious system that has ever been. And so, yes, I do believe that hell is real and has been prepared for satan and his demons and those who do not yield their life to Jesus don’t get heaven.)
Hope. It is critical for the disciple of Jesus. We need it, and He provides it.
Verse one - The LORD is my Shepherd (to feed, to guide and to shield me), I shall not want.
There’s that powerful present-tense verb! Not was, not will be at some point later on, but is, right now, currently.
The Lord is my Shepherd. He guides us. Isn’t that great news, hopeful news? Did Jesus stop guiding us after the Ascension? No! He is guiding us right now, and He is a very good, very trustworthy Shepherd. If you need guidance, He has it for you. That’s the first thing I notice when I read this psalm and think of Easter. I have guidance now, and I didn’t have that before Jesus saved me. Whenever I need it, I have it. Boy, that’s awfully good news!
And the Lord feeds us, His sheep, as He is our Shepherd. What areas of your life seem hungry or even starved? You’ve heard of attention starved children, right? Do you feel attention starved? Are you starving or even just slightly hungered in any part of your life right now? The Resurrected Jesus is the One who can feed you. You are not going to lack, you shall not want. I know that seems like too big of a promise for God to keep. We can all evaluate the state of the world, personal experiences, people who did not seem to be taken care of and we can use all those things as our legit reasons to just decide not to believe passages like this one.
But to what end? My New Testament says that he, or she, who endures to the end will be saved. Not she who punches out when it gets challenging to believe all the things the Bible promises. Pray on those things that try to trip you up, talk to God about those exact areas where you are tempted to doubt Him, let Him comfort you, speak to you on that issue, encourage you as in give you courage that you need to keep on believing even when it seems impossible, and then move forward with the Lord. That’s enduring. And that is a very different thing than many of us do when we bump up against doubts. When we work harder at enduring in our jobs than we do in our, say, marriages, our parenting, our friendships, and our walk with the Lord, that’s an indictment. Every one of us has heard that word indictment a bazillion times the last couple of weeks, and the reason is it’s a serious thing to be indicted. So, we don’t need the indictment on our own lives of working harder at enduring in our work or to run a marathon or our hobbies or or or than we do in our enduring with the Lord. One is vastly more critical than all the others combined.
He said he would feed you. Ask Him to, and be specific. I need this many dollars to pay the car insurance this month. Believe He will keep His word to you. And keep on loving Him, serving Him, enjoying being a child of God while you wait with expectation for Him to do the feeding. Won’t He do it?
And to shield you, to shield me. When you need some protection, some extra covering, He is the One who can take care of you by shielding you. He isn't saying He will send a shield to you but that He will shield you. I love that. He is close to you, right there with you in those hard times. The phone rings, you see the number, the stress starts to increase and guess what? He is there with you, in that moment, and He will guide you, shield you, feed you. And without the Cross, without Easter, you and I do not have hope for this promise. Easter changed everything, and shouldn’t it also keep changing things for us day after day after day until we finally see our Savior face to face?
End of verse 1 says I shall not want.
Believe this to be true, and true for you. God does not want you living in a state of want, feeling alone and maybe even something like an orphan. He wants you to not want, because He is taking care of you continually. He won’t miss some critical thing and say OOPS, my bad. That would be ridiculous. So don’t live your life as if the ridiculous were reality. It isn’t, it never will be. You shall not want. Because God says to. And because Jesus rose from the dead to finalize all of this, for eternity.
Verse 2 - He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still and quiet waters.
Sometimes, some days, we need rest. We need to take it easy. And guess what? Sometimes we don’t want to. We want Him to re-energize us to keep doing more, keep pushing forward, keep on keeping on. But what if it is time to rest, to be led by the still and quiet waters for a while? What if that is the season He has for you right now? It’s easy to be so used to being busy that we feel “off” when we slow way down, but when God says this is that time for you, may it be unto you as He desires it to be. There is a time for every season under heaven, and one of those times will be green pastures and quiet waters. Peaceful.
Easter is the ultimate promise of peace, the ultimate peace accord, the only one that will last and stand the test of time. Be at peace this Easter, because Jesus died to give you that peace.
Verse 3 - He refreshes and restores my soul (life); He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
Whenever I run into the wall and I’m just done, and I need some restoring refreshing, well, I can actually have it. God isn’t offering it and then saying nah nah nah nah boo boo, you can’t catch me, you can’t have this. It’s ours! And it is continually, you won’t use it up if you have a need and then another one real soon. Life is hard. The Lord knows that. And so He has made provision. This is that provision. He will restore and refresh, and Easter reminds us of that perhaps more than any other time of the entire year, doesn’t it?
And He leads us in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
When you and I bear His name, He doesn’t forget that. He does things for His name’s sake. How much less would His name be misused, even defiled, if we really bore this in mind? He leads, so I need to follow that path of righteousness He is leading me on. Cuz it’s about His name, not mine. Would it be better for us if we thought about that more often? Do the right thing, go the way He leads, for His name’s sake? You bear His name as a Christian. Why not pause and reflect on that this Easter? Look what He did for you, for me, can we not follow where He leads and realize when we don’t follow, when we choose not to walk in paths of righteousness, we don’t represent our God properly? We slander His name? Let Him refresh you and restore you this Resurrection Sunday. And also, let Him lead you. Where He leads, will you follow?
Verse 4 - Even though I walk through the (sunless) valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod (to protect) and Your staff (to guide), they comfort and console me.
Jesus faced death on our behalf, and then He dealt death a final death blow.
When you walk through those sunless places, remember how He defeated death for you. When evil seems scary, don’t give in to even a smidgen of fear because Jesus secured the victory at Calvary. He is with you, literally the Spirit of the Living God dwells within you, and so, you need not fear.
He has His rod to protect you, let Him fight off your enemies and foes, and His staff will guide you, so when you feel that nudge, that tap of His staff to get you back on track, don’t get annoyed or feelings hurt or any of that. Instead, be grateful that you get to experience your Good Shepherd's love and care and attention to all the details in your life and allow these to comfort and console you. It’s a blessing to be bumped and reoriented by the staff of our Risen King. Not everyone has this blessing. Rejoice in it. Thank Him for it. It’s a tremendous gift that Easter ensures for us.
Verse 5 - You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You have anointed and refreshed my head with oil; My cup overflows.
Sometimes, right in the middle of the mess, He is going to have you sit down to a feast. A well prepared meal, a well set table, in the presence of your enemies. Sometimes God shows up, shows off, and shows out by feeding us right where they can see it all. Let Him do what He will, when He chooses. Let Him handle things and often, the way He handles them will be very surprising for you and for your enemies. And don’t try to pretend you don’t have any enemies. You do. If not, then beware when all men speak well of you. Jesus said those words. If you are living for Jesus, you will have enemies. Let the Shepherd handle things. Let Him set that table for you to feast in their presence. Let Him.
And when He anoints your head with oil, when He refreshes you, when you are filled up to the tippy top and have a renewed vigor and sense of purpose, thank Him, then do as He leads.
Your cup will overflow. Easter is the perfect time to get blessed with an overflowing cup.
Verses 6 - Surely goodness and mercy and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell forever in the house and in the presence of the LORD.
This is the big one, the kicker, the finale of the 23rd Psalm
Surely.
Not maybe, not ifs here. Surely.
Goodness and mercy and unfailing shall (that means will!) follow you all the days of your life. All of them.
Celebrate this promise this Easter.
Then, you will be living in His presence all your days and will just one day move into His presence in eternity and will dwell in the house and presence of your Lord forever.
That’s Easter, my friend. Rising from the dead makes this your reality, now and forever.
Lord, may we stay near to You and depend on You and believe You for Your every promise. Your goodness toward us knows no bounds, and this Easter we celebrate You and You alone. Until we are blessed to be with you eternally, we will praise Your name and live for You in this life. May we be an example of Your love to a watching and hurting world, and may Your Kingdom come and Your will be done on earth just as it is in heaven.
Thank You, Jesus, for giving Your life and shedding Your blood so we could live forgiven and free. We glorify You this Resurrection Sunday.
Amen
Thanks so much for joining me today, and I hope to see you back here next time.
If this episode encouraged you, I’d love for you to share it. See you next time!
Wednesday Mar 29, 2023
Wednesday Mar 29, 2023
Connect with Jan here:
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Well hello there, welcome to this episode of The Burt (Not Ernie) Show. This week I’m going to share from a passage in the New Testament, from the book of Matthew, and it is one of the parables that Jesus taught. There’s a lot of hope in this parable, and we need that, wouldn’t you say? We need faith, we need hope, we need love, because these three will remain, as it says in 1 Corinthians chapter 13. If we apply what Jesus taught in Matthew 25:1-13, I think our faith and our hope will grow, and our love will also increase. Triple threat, coming at ya from the Word of God today. Let’s check it out.
You’re listening to The Burt (Not Ernie) Show podcast, part of the Spark Network, now playing via the Edifi app. This is episode number 141.
So, let me start off by mentioning that Matthew 24, which is one chapter prior to the text I’m referencing today, in that chapter Jesus was sharing about the future. He spoke on the last days, mentioned the book of Daniel, and His return, what we often refer to as His Second Coming. And at the close of chapter 24, the Lord explained pretty clearly what His servants, faithful servants as He put it, ought to be like. A faithful, sensible servant is one the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. If he returns and finds that the servants, his servants, not those who serve themselves but those who serve the master, if he finds they’ve done a good job, there will be a reward. But if they have not done what the master finds to be a good job (so, it doesn’t say to do what you or I as His servants consider to be a good job, but to do what He considers a good job…) he will return unannounced and unexpected, and he will cut the servant to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
See Matthew 24, verses 45-51 if you’d like to read it for yourself. It’s brutal in its honesty, but isn’t that what a good, loving God does? Tells the truth, in its brutal entirety, to those He loves so that they can know exactly what He expects and what the end results will be, for obedience or disobedience? Yeah, it can be hard to read text like this, but it’s a loving reminder of the absolute truth given to us by a loving God who does not want to catch us unawares.
That is the text that comes just prior to the Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids, or the Ten Virgins (depending on which translation you are reading from).
In the NLT, it says:
Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. The five who were foolish didn’t take enough olive oil for their lamps, but the other five were wise enough to take along extra oil. When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight they were roused by the shout, “Look, the bridegroom is coming! Come out and meet him!” All the bridesmaids got up and prepared their lamps. Then the five foolish ones asked the others, “Please give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out.” But the others replied, “We don’t have enough for all of us. Go to a shop and buy some for yourselves.” But while they were gone to buy oil, the bridegroom came. Then those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was locked. Later, when the other five bridesmaids returned, they stood outside, calling, “Lord! Lord! Open the door for us!” But he called back, “Believe me, I don’t know you!” So you, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of My return.
Reading this directly on the heels of Jesus speaking about the master and the servants and the rewards and punishments that will come at that time opens our eyes to how seriously Jesus wanted the listeners to take this, and us as the readers of the Bible to take it.
We should take it seriously because it is serious.
And today is the day to step up and get real about the fact that Jesus said a lot, quite a lot, about His return. If He talked about it a lot, we should pay attention to it a lot.
Think of it this way: the entire book of Revelation, which is by the way the only book in the Bible that promises a blessing to the reader so that’s pretty substantial, but the entire book of Revelation is 22 chapters of loads of prophecy. It’s a book about Jesus, right? Don’t let the scary parts scare you - because Jesus said in regard to the last days, end times things, not to be afraid. Luke 21, He says that exact thing. When you see these things happening, don’t be fearful. So I really hope you and I can trust Him so much that we will do as He said, and choose not to give way to fear. And it is a choice. If Jesus said not to be afraid, we don’t HAVE to be fearful.
In the parable I just read, there is a depiction of a Jewish wedding. Israeli weddings paint a picture of Jesus and His return. They really do. (Share a few details here)
Isn’t it incredible that thousands of years before He returns the Lord set up this type of wedding and it accurately portrays what His return will be like?
The Bible is always, always pointing to one thing, to One Man, Jesus. It’s Jesus, Jesus, Jesus from start to finish. And the ten bridesmaids, who were they waiting for? The groom. Who is the groom? If we are the Bride of Christ, then Christ is the groom.
We are waiting for our Groom’s arrival, and like a Jewish wedding, it will come with trumpets sounding.
When the parable mentions the bridesmaids falling asleep, because the hour grew late, that’s convicting, isn’t it? These ten were not five who know the Lord and five who don’t. Nope. Not five who go to church a few times a year, the Christmas and Easter services. Nope. These would be the ones who were paying enough attention to know the groom was on His way. All of them, all ten.
So let’s consider that for a moment. How are you and I doing at recognizing the signs of the times and paying attention to the current season we are in? Are we aware enough to grab our lamps and expectantly wait for what is coming? Or do we even know where we are on the Kingdom calendar?
We have to start there. If we totally miss the season we are in, thinking things will go back to normal, not much is going on right now, sure there are some things happening but you know, mostly it’s all okay, still got a whole lot of time left…well, I want to say that in the spring of 2023, even a modicum of head in the sand thinking can be deceptive and dangerous. Based on this parable, like deadly dangerous.
In this era of history, it is important to keep our eyes on Israel. What’s going on over there? You know, in the age of the Gentile church, when those of us who are not Jewish, have the opportunity to come to salvation through the Messiah, Jesus, we have had a long stretch where we haven’t kept our eyes on Israel. But when I read the Bible, in later days, things shift back to Israel. We want to be watching so we notice even the tiniest of shifts, and then we won’t be taken by surprise when things ramp up. You have to look, because our news sources don’t always talk about Israel. Right now, a lot is happening in Israel. Really interesting stuff, and it all lines up with the Word of God.
Important to pay attention to what is happening in Israel, in Palestine, in Iran, in Syria, etc. What’s up with their government currently? Got some heavy duty protesting going on right now. Key members of government resigning. Some working to pass laws that would end up with prison time for those who share Christianity with the Jewish populace. Red heifers that are being moved to Shiloh and are about two years old now. Important stuff that has to do with what Jesus said would take place right up close to the time of His return.
Caveat: I know He said no man, or woman, knows the hour or the day of His return. And that is unarguably true.
I wonder, though, if there are people who maybe reference that one verse and leave out everything else that Jesus said about knowing the signs of the times as His return draws near. He had some strong words for those who could read the sky and know the next day’s weather but had no clue about the things that matter most. What matters more to the church that bears His name than us knowing what season we are in and paying attention so we will not be caught off guard or un-ready when the Groom arrives?
Okay, let’s frame this through the parable.
Ten bridesmaids, all started with oil in the lamp. What’s the oil? Oil is usually representative of the Holy Spirit. Like, always I guess…no need to say usually because it’s always.
Keep your lamp filled with enough oil that if the hour grows late, like the announcement had come and the groom was on his way and he was delayed and they fell asleep in the streets out there waiting for him, so all ten were dialed in, paying attention, acted on the announcement, and none went home back to their own bed when the hour grew late and he hadn’t shown up yet. Asleep in the street while they waited - Jesus didn’t say anything about falling asleep while they waited. He is telling us it will seem like it’s taking so long, even when all the signs are there to announce His soon arrival. Are we gonna hang if it takes a long, long time?
And how are we going to hang in there? Only if we keep oil in our lamps. In that moment, we will not have time to say, “Hang on, I need to get prayed up right quick and make sure I have not been quenching the Spirit by my lifestyle, by my neglect of time with Him in my very own everyday life, I need a sec, almost ready, gimme a moment.” Peter, James, Paul introduce themselves like this: “I, Paul…I, Peter… I, James… a slave to Jesus Christ”. If we do only what we want and just flake out on what the Lord wants us to be about, can we refer to ourselves as slaves to Christ? Jesus is not going to say, “Oh, no worries. Take your time. Go find some more oil. Let me just work around your schedule, how would that be?” That is not what will happen. Delay? No good. Keep your own personal lamp filled with oil. Anything else? That will not work, my friend.
We have to have oil ready for when the moment comes.
Now, don’t shoot the messenger. It’s in your Bible, too. I didn’t write it, I’m just sharing what Jesus point blank, plainly said. He told us what He wants us to know, so we need to just do what He said.
The last week or so I have heard these exact words said over and over and over again by people in a myriad of different places, via email, instagram, and TikTok. These words: Get Your House In Order
And one man, a pastor from Ireland, shared that in conjunction with this parable. Keep oil in your lamp. Most important thing, right there.
When I see or hear or read the same thing again and again, I pay attention. This isn’t random, because our God does not do random.
That's why we can, and should, trust Him completely. Random is not a thing in the Kingdom of Almighty God. That fact right there is enough to give us great hope.
Couple that with this amazing, beautiful warning to keep oil in your lamp for this exact moment and then you will be ready when He returns for His bride, and you will go into the wedding supper of the Lamb. You don’t want to miss that, not for the world.
And it’s clear, you can’t share your oil with anybody else. That’s not God’s way, so it wouldn’t be the right way. You’ve heard it said that God has no grandchildren, that’s true. It’s your relationship with Him, and none other, that keeps oil, the Holy Spirit, filled up in the lamp which is like your life. Be much with the Lord, stay filled up with the Spirit of the living God. Don’t neglect Him, take time to be with Him, carve out that time. Put some effort into it. Pay attention, like if your personal time with the Lord costs you nothing at all, what are you really paying into it? How you can you pay attention if it costs zero of you? Something to think about.
Jesus will return for His church, His bride, His people. We are not alone, orphaned, abandoned. We have hope that extends beyond the reach of death, hell, the grave, illness, lack or loss, stress, poverty, and so on. Should we not be the most hopeful, the most excited, the most looking up with anticipation kind of people in the world? Yes! If you have hope, you should be hopeful. And if you need some hope, I know where you can access it. Be much with the Lord. Therein lies all the hope, the joy, the peace, the love, the comfort, the wisdom, the grace, the favor that you need.
Be much with your Lord. Because I can promise you, He wants to be much with you.
Next week will be a special episode for Easter, for Resurrection Sunday. Join me for that. And thanks for listening today, Lord bless you exceedingly, abundantly and fill you with hope, and fill your lamp with oil.
Thankful for you - see you next time.
Thursday Mar 23, 2023
Thursday Mar 23, 2023
Connect with Jan here:
Instagram @JanLBurt
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Facebook Jan L. Burt Author & Podcaster Page
The Homeschooling Mothers Bible Study on Amazon
Well hey, a big old hello to you today. So glad you’re listening to the show today, and I hope … well, more than hope, I’ve actually prayed that you will be blessed and encouraged and shored up and bolstered in your faith as a result of this episode. God has so much in store for His people, and as we study His word, the Bible, and literally take Him at His word, we will find ourselves in our sweet spot. Not just saying that, I believe it. Every day, I believe it. The older I get, the more I believe it. Jesus said in John 14:6 that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. The same Lord, the Way, the Truth & the Life, is going to keep His every promise. I know the One in whom I have trusted. He is good, He is faithful, He is powerful, and He is holy.
You’re listening to The Burt (Not Ernie) Show podcast, part of the Spark Network, playing now via the Edifi app. This is episode number 140.
Holiness.
Boy, I feel like I have said this so many times the last few weeks. Holiness matters.
Like, a lot. A lot, lot.
God called us to holiness, so we need to pursue that to which we have been called. Because the One who did the calling, He is the One who answered the call to go to the Cross in our place. I don’t want my life to be so focused on this life and the things of this world that I totally miss out on heeding God’s call to live a holy life. And hey, I cannot do that on my own. I have no ability to be holy in Jan’s own strength. Nope. I gotta depend completely on the Holy Spirit to work out holiness in me. So that ends up being my sweet spot to live out my life. Anything that draws me to the Lord and keeps me right there up close and personal with Him, I’ve grown to see that as a tremendous gift. Keeps me close to Jesus? Alright! I like that!
The call to holiness and my own in the flesh inability to answer the call to holiness puts me in a position to stay ultra close to the Lord so that He can work out His call to holiness in my life. It’s totally a win-win.
There is a verse in the New Testament book of Hebrews, and I’m going to read it from the King James Version today. It’s a powerful verse.
Hebrews 12:14 - Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.
I’d also like to share it with you from the New Living Translation.
Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.
Here on TBNES I often mention that little word WILL.
It’s important to note that when a verse states that something will or will not happen, God really does mean will or will not. Will means will. All means all.
It’s crazy encouraging to remember that one simple truth when we find a promise in God’s Word. It fuels belief. Literally, fans it into flame. Sets our hearts ablaze within us.
And when God says will not? That should also set something ablaze in us.
A conviction to do, or not do, whatever God is instructing.
Disobedient children. Ever been around one? Ever been one yourself? When you find yourself surrounded by a pack of disobedient children, you become fully aware that nobody else is in charge, because once parents have abdicated their God ordained parental role, things get wild. Backwards. Out of sorts and out of control. All sorts of messed up. It’s not God’s order, and we know that He is a God or order, not of disorder or chaos. See 1 Corinthians 14:33 to read that verse in its entirety.
Disobedient children are unruly, living in a state of chaos.
It comes with the territory. If the shoe fits, and all that, right?
God is not one to parent us in a manner that has ever or will ever warrant our unruly disobedience. Period. If we disobey, it’s on us, not Him. He is, of course, the perfect Father. No way around that fact. Our unruly behavior is not His fault. It just isn’t.
If this verse from Hebrews is what He wants from us, and we don’t even try to obey, then we are, by definition, disobedient.
Work at living in peace with everyone (okay…everyone…okay, Lord…because You say so, I’m gonna get after this and trust You to help me where I need helping!) and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.
Work at this, my friend! Put in some effort. That’s what work is. Work has an actual definition, and we understand that as it relates to the place we go five days a week in exchange for a paycheck, health benefits, retirement plan, etc. We know what work is. We know what it means to work. We just don’t act like that word means what it means when it comes to our own personal walk with Jesus.
Am I stepping on any toes today? Hey, I’m probably stomping on your entire foot with this episode. Mashing all your buttons. Bringing up all kinds of emotions. But that is what God’s Word does at times. If you and I are never startled and kind of awakened from our slumber in some area of our life, we may not be allowing the Bible to penetrate our hearts.
If we can go to workday after day for our earthly provision, if we recognize and act on the importance of work as it pertains to this temporary life, why don’t work hard spiritually speaking, when it impacts eternal life? Not a works-based salvation, that is not a thing per the Bible. Jesus paid it all, and I want to be totally clear about this. I’m not ever going to advocate a works-based salvation. It’s 100% Him, I did nothing to earn my salvation or attain it. But after my salvation, I am responsible to spend time investing in my relationship with my Savior. And one way I do that is by reading, and believing, the Word of God. And in the Bible, here in Hebrews 12, I am flat out told to work at living a holy life. I am not given a pass to dishonor Jesus by my blatant, sinful, outrageously not-Christlike behaviors. Holy living is what I am called to, and that call does not in any way, shape or form negate that my salvation was obtained completely by Jesus at Calvary. The two don’t fight against each other. It’s about maturing in the Lord. Living a holy life matters because God said it does. In fact, He says that those who are not holy will not see the Lord.
This is so serious!
Will not.
God is not playing here.
We must follow holiness, as the KJV says.
Follow it. Get after it. Don’t let it be far off in the distance. Keep close to it.
Let’s view holiness properly, and no longer make excuses within the church or in our own lives for a lack of a holy pursuit. Can we all agree that in light of the Word of God, and in light of what Jesus did for us on the Cross, that holiness is important?
Follow peace. Keep pace with it. That’s a simple way to say live right, live holy. Don’t be lagging in this area. You can’t be a person of peace for other people, on their behalf, in their stead. But as far as it depends on you, be a man or woman of peace. Work at it, says the NLT. That sounds like effort.
Peace and holy living matter to the Lord. So, they both need to matter to His children.
Do we A) understand holiness and do we B) value holiness?
Our lives will reveal the answer to both questions. No need to try and hide it, this isn’t a test we can cheat on. Our lives provide the answer. It’s clear, like it or not.
If you are in hot pursuit of something, you are following it, right? If we do not value something, we are not going to pursue it, and certainly not with any fervor. Hot pursuit does not describe the lukewarm believer. People in pursuit of something are going after it to obtain it, to overtake it, to accomplish the end goal.
Let’s be like that - driving on the Highway of Holiness like it's the Autobahn and we’re in a Bugatti or a McLaren or an Aston Martin or a Gordan Murray. James Bond this thing, ya know?
Wear the tread off the tires. That kind of fervency!
Holiness. I think the Church and the world need a whole lot more of it.
A bit shorter episode today, but it gives you a few spare minutes to pause and pray and talk to the Lord about your current biggest, most looming needs and to listen for His reply, His guidance and wisdom and hope and His help.
And next time, in episode 141, we’re gonna dig into God’s promises and grab hold of hope. Kind of hope-dealer over here, that’s my goal. Keep living all in for Jesus, because I tell you what, on that day when you meet Him face to face, you will not regret for one millisecond that choice.
Lord bless you, see ya next time.
Bye bye
Thursday Mar 16, 2023
Thursday Mar 16, 2023
Connect with Jan here:
Instagram @JanLBurt
TikTok @JanLBurt
Facebook Jan L. Burt Author & Podcaster Page
A 60-Day Prayer Journal for Parents on Amazon
Well, hello there and a big old Happy Spring to you today. Anybody else glad that spring seems to be here, or almost here? I’m hopeful and praying that good things are growing and bearing fruit in your life as a result of what the Lord is doing in and through you, and the spring season reminds me of that. I’m grateful you are listening today as we think about, talk about, and hopefully also prayerfully consider how holiness makes an impact on us individually and as part of the corporate body of Christ. Let’s get going!
You’re listening to The Burt (Not Ernie) Show Podcast, part of the Spark Network, now playing via the Edifi app. This is episode number 139.
In episode 138 I shared from Psalm 30, verse 4, as well as Isaiah 35:8 and 2 Corinthians 7:1. Three fantastic verses from the Bible that kicked off the podcast series on holiness.
Psalm 30:4 KJV - Sing to the LORD, O ye His saints, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness.
Let’s rejoice in the fact that the God we love and who loves us is holy. This is such good news for us! He can’t suddenly stop being holy, right? And His holiness comes with assurance to us that He will not quote/unquote mistreat or mishandle the ones He so dearly loves. So good to know this!
Isaiah 35:8 NLT - And a great road will go through that once deserted land. It will be named the Highway of Holiness. Evil-minded people will never travel on it. It will be only for those who walk in God's ways; fools will never walk there.
Who you walk with matters. Remember that!
2 Corinthians 7:1 Amplified - Therefore, since we have these great and wonderful promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, completing holiness (living a consecrated life - a life set apart for God's purpose, in the fear of God).
God’s promises are true, and He wants them to be our reality. Maybe not all at once, all on the same day, instantly like our drive-thru fast-food society has gotten so used to…but true for us, nonetheless. Because of this, we should want to live a holy, consecrated life that really is set apart for God’s purposes.
Now let’s look at 1 Thessalonians 4:7, from the Amplified Bible.
For God has not called us to impurity, but to holiness (to be dedicated, and set apart by behavior that pleases Him).
This verse gives us a working definition, like a one-sentence how-to manual regarding living out a holy life as a follower of the Lord Jesus.
First things first, it tells us that God has not called us to impurity.
Like, this could be a mic drop moment all by itself.
Definitions for impurity include: lack of consistency - contamination or pollution - the quality or condition of being impure - something that makes something else impure -
So God has not called us to a lack of consistency (hint hint - the way you live out your daily walk with Jesus is actually very important and is a purity issue - it matters enough to God to PUT IT IN THE BIBLE and so it ought to matter to His people, am I right??). He has not called us to contamination or pollution - so, let’s be careful and cautious and not let ourselves just get overrun by the world and it’s systems (and it has systems, like it or not, it just does - and many of those are not aligned with God’s Kingdom and His ways). And don’t be the one doing the polluting and contaminating. Like, if you are into really trashy music, if you play video games and the group you play with online uses garbage language and you kind of do sometimes too, say you drink too much (and for me as the daughter of an alcoholic who died in a tragic manner at age 47 while intoxicated, I can tell you that too much is probably a limit to be reached far below what you might think…it cost me and my family so much, I just think one drop of something that can cause the kind of lasting damage my dad’s death caused is too much. And before you quote Paul to me, when he told Timothy to take a little wine because since it was good for the stomach…well, if you need to use a verse like that, with it’s obvious and totally clear medicinal intent, if you use that verse to explain away or defend your consumption of alcohol…um, that says a lot and none of what it says is positive and maybe I can be the loud, bold voice encouraging you to lay off the sauce and go dry. Remember when we used to be more frank and bold about things like this, things that can literally wake someone up out of a stupor, show them that others can see they are on a bad, bad track and help them do a hard reset that changes their life for the better? Can we get back to that? I guess I just did get back to it. I’m not sorry! Standing at my dad’s freshly dug grave at age 15 - that girl ain’t sorry to be so frank in her speaking either. Too high a price was paid and it was never what the Lord wanted. Nuff said about that for today.) The quality or condition or being impure. God didn’t call us to that. What’s the state you live in? Hard question, important question. The quality of your life is determined by the condition or state in which you live. Is it pure, or impure? Something that makes something else impure - this could turn into a lengthy list of things God has not called us to. It’s okay, it’s good, it’s fitting and appropriate for God’s people to avoid things that make us impure. Don’t think I need to go into great detail, but some things we just avoid. God didn’t call us to certain things. And sometimes, just by taking a verse and breaking it down and actually applying it to our lives, rather than skimming over it, reading the entire paragraph as fast as possible, well that may not bring about the life change that God wants for us.
If He wants real and lasting change in our lives as a result of knowing Him and of knowing what He has said to us in His Word, the Bible, then we should also want that. Make our desires Your desires, Lord. And may we not miss the details that You’ve given us in the Word of God. Amen to that?
So what has He called us to?
To holiness, it says here in 1 Thessalonians 4 verse 7.
Our God has called us to holiness.
To be dedicated and set apart by behavior that pleases Him.
I’m so glad this verse is this clear! Lest you think I’m just harping on you today, a harpy in trousers to quote True Grit, hey I’m not just bagging on you. This isn’t my own idea here, this idea of holiness. Good grief, no! I was a walking, talking disaster before Jesus reached down into the pit that was my existence (not exactly a life I was living, more like existing and drifting along on the byways). I did not know one single thing about holiness.
But God! Is He not mighty to save? Yeah He is!
Are you, am I, dedicated to behavior that pleases God?
Dedicated to it?
When’s the last time you were dedicated to something?
Sold out working toward a goal. All in. Committed. Could not be deterred or distracted. Focused. Dialed in. In the zone. Nobody pulling you off your A game. Dedicated!
When?
That’s how He wants us to be regarding the way we behave! Dedicated to behavior that pleases Him. And what doesn’t please Him? Go to the Word and see what it says. Sexual sins do not please Him. Filthy language and lying lips do not please Him. Hate in your heart, bitterness, anger, malice, wrath, speaking badly about others, manipulation (yeah, that makes the list… remember King Saul in the Old Testament, first king of Israel, before David was king? He manipulated on a grand scale and God did not take kindly to it). Stealing bits and pieces from your workplace, God’s not good with that. What the Word says, take it seriously and live accordingly and where it seems too hard to live per the Word of God, cry out to the Lord, ask the Holy Spirit of God to do it in you, through you, and for you and He will answer that prayer. You ask God to make a holy life your life and boy won’t He do it? Yes indeed, you’d better believe it. And in this era, this day and age, when the writing is on the wall and the signs of the times all point toward the end of the world coming soon and then soon and very soon we will meet our King, I’m completely serious about this, in this era, you and I need to live holy lives. Because without holiness no man, no woman, no one can see the Lord. That’s a direct quote from Hebrews 12:14.
I don’t think the Lord called me to do a podcast series on holiness at this point in time just because. It don’t matter, no big deal, no sweat off my brow, just whatever.
No, it’s not whatever. It’s critical mass. It’s the end game, and not the Marvel version. You are here on this planet now, and now is the time to understand that if you are not actively keeping oil in your lamp, then you are in for a rude awakening. (Read about that in the parable of the ten virgins - Matthew 25, verses 1 thru 13 - please take time to read it and pray about it…we just don’t have time to put this off.)
Holiness matters now, right now. Because now is all you actually have, my friend. You are not promised tomorrow. This matters right now. Be dedicated to behavior that pleases God.
And then you will be set apart as a person who knows their God. Isn’t that what we really want? And if we don’t want that, deep down, don’t we want to want it, as Christians? When our behavior sets us apart, we don’t have to stand on a street corner with a cardboard sign screaming at people because the people we work with, our neighbors, our friends on social media, in our small group, the people living in our own homes, our great aunt Bertha from North Dakota and our old best friend from third grade in Tucson, Arizona will see as set apart. As a peculiar people, like it says in Deuteronomy 14. Standing out, different. Marked by God and for God. That’s what holiness looks like. Does it look like that on you? Are you putting on holy living, like you put on your clothes each morning? If not, why not? And why not start putting it on right now?
Today I’d like to pray before I wrap things up, and I hope this prayer will encourage and bless you because that is truly what my heart desires. For you to be so blessed, so encouraged as you walk so closely with the Lord right now, in the very midst of this rough and tumble world and all the things it brings with it. Blessed right now and also a blessing to those in your life.
Father, I am coming to You today with a heart that is longing for Your people, Your church, to live holy lives. For us to be set apart and recognizable as people who know You, who love You, who live for You. May the one listening today receive a huge, heavy dose of encouragement from You. Pour out Your love on him or her - show them how great Your love is for them in a way that will mean the most to them right here, right now. And bless them with overflowing peace, no matter what is happening in their life currently. Bless them with joy, deep and abiding joy that cannot be altered or removed by anything outside of them. Bless them with good, godly friendships, with church homes that spur them on toward love and good deeds and holy living. For a desire to spend time with You every single day, in prayer, reading Your Word, enjoying Your presence, in praise and worship. Put Your hand on them, leading and guiding them in all that they do. Bring conviction where it is needed, and bring about real and lasting changes where they need to happen. We cannot do this without You, Lord. It is not possible for us to get it all together, to clean ourselves up, but with You nothing is impossible so I am asking You to do what only You can do, and make us people who are marked and noticeable as having been with You. Every time we have an encounter with You, Lord, may we be changed for the better. Let us be a blessing to as many people as we possibly can, and may we never grow so weary that we stop pursuing You. Give us the energy we need for our daily lives, protect each one of us, shield us and also grow us and mature us. Heal us, physically, mentally, emotionally, financially, and in any other way that will bring glory to Your name. Help us to remember that we simply do not know when our last moment on this planet will be, and to live well with each day we have. Stay near to us, Lord, and keep drawing us closer and closer to You. Sometimes the road seems rough and the walk seems long, but I am asking You to show us today that it’s really just You walking us home, and we can walk well and walk worthy when we walk it side-by-side with You. Make the yoke easy and the burden light for the one listening today. Give them faith to reach out and touch the hem of Your robe if that’s what they need to do. Keep oil in our lamps, Lord, as we await Your glorious return. And when harder times come for those who follow Jesus, as Your Word says they will, ready us, steady us, prepare us, strengthen us, and may we never forsake You because You have promised never to forsake us. Thank You for hearing my prayer today. Hear and answer, move and act, do far above and beyond I could ever ask, think or even imagine. And do it quickly, Lord, because today is the day I am asking and today is the only day we’ve got. Thank You, Lord. I ask these things in the name of Jesus. Amen.
I hope you’ll join me for episode 140 and I’d be so blessed if you feel so led to share this podcast with friends or family or church members and also I’d like to invite you to subscribe to the show on whatever platform you listen to podcasts on. And I’m working on a little something that I’m hoping to give to you in the next episode, just a free item I’m creating that I hope will be a blessing to you, so keep your eyes peeled for that.
See you next time and keep on keeping on for Jesus, my friend!
Connect with Jan here:
Instagram @JanLBurt
TikTok @JanLBurt
Facebook Jan L. Burt Author & Podcaster Page
Tuesday Mar 07, 2023
Tuesday Mar 07, 2023
Biblical definition of HOLINESS:
The Hebrew word for “holiness” is qōdes, a word that highlights the realm of the sacred in contrast to everything common and profane. The adjective qādôš, “holy,” refers to God and what belongs to him. In various places in the Hebrew Scriptures, God is called by the title the “Holy One of Israel.”
The New Testament uses the words hagiazo, to “make holy” and hagio “holy” or “sacred.” Jesus is called “the Holy One of God.” And those who acclaim Jesus as Lord are called hagioi, or “saints.” As believers, we are literally set apart, made holy, because of our relationship with the one who bridges the gap between a holy God and sinful human beings.
Psalm 30:4 KJV - Sing to the LORD, O ye His saints, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness.
Thankfulness should be a key characteristic, a marker, for Jesus' followers. We ought to be the most thankful, joyful people on this planet.
And the remembrance of the holiness of God should inspire us to give thanks. (Keep this in mind the next time you attend a worship service and sing to the Lord Most High.)
Because God is holy, and cannot be unholy, we have hope and assurance that in all His ways toward us, He can be trusted. The holiness of God only adds to the faithfulness of God. How could an utterly, completely holy God do wrong, make decisions to harm us, deny of the things that matter most in light of His Kingdom and eternity? He is holy, and so He is good. And that goodness extends to us, His people.
Isaiah 35:8 NLT - And a great road will go through that once deserted land. It will be named the Highway of Holiness. Evil-minded people will never travel on it. It will be only for those who walk in God's ways; fools will never walk there.
Who you walk with matters.
If you find yourself surrounded by evil-minded people, or by foolish people, you likely need to pause, examine your surrounding and your life, and determine whether or not you are really walking on God's Highway of Holiness.
Find people who are walking in God's ways and move on from those who are not. How can two walk together unless they agree, it asks in Ecclesiastes. How, indeed? You can love people who are not walking in the Lord's ways, but it isn't wise to walk side-by-side, hand-in-hand with them. And if you are walking hand-in-hand with foolish, evil-minded people, can I lovingly and caringly as...WHY?
2 Corinthians 7:1 Amplified - Therefore, since we have these great and wonderful promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, completing holiness (living a consecrated life - a life set apart for God's purpose, in the fear of God).
This verse mentions God's promises. It also mentions holiness.
Do we want God's promises to be our reality?
If the answer is YES, then we must focus on our own personal holiness. Not perfection, but consecration.
Would you say that you live your life as one set apart for His purpose? And do you have a healthy fear of God, wherein He is reverenced as He ought to be?
Holiness matters so very much.
And a lost, hurting, broken world needs a whole lot of holy living by God's people.
Be sure to subscribe so you'll know when the next episode on this series about holiness drops, and thanks for listening to The Burt (Not Ernie) Show.
If you'd like to connect with me, you can find me here:
Find me here:
Jan is the author of the new book “A 60-Day Prayer Journal for Parents” & “The Power of God’s Will – 40 Days of God’s Promises Devotional” (available on Amazon). Find Jan on Instagram: @JanLBurt, TikTok @JanLBurt or at her website JanLBurt.com or at her YouTube channel, “God’s Promises for You with Jan L. Burt”.
Take the quiz "Which of God's Promises is for You?" via this LINK.
Thursday Feb 23, 2023
Thursday Feb 23, 2023
Find me here:
Jan is the author of the new book “A 60-Day Prayer Journal for Parents” & “The Power of God’s Will – 40 Days of God’s Promises Devotional” (available on Amazon). Find Jan on Instagram: @JanLBurt, TikTok @JanLBurt or at her website JanLBurt.com or at her YouTube channel, “God’s Promises for You with Jan L. Burt”.
Let's get back to basics.
What are the "basics" for a disciple of the Lord Jesus?
Get into the Word of God - read your Bible daily.
Spend time in prayer - talk to the Lord & listen quietly for His reply daily.
Don't forsake the gathering of the saints - allow iron to sharpen iron by spending time with other followers of Jesus.
And specifically relating to The Burt (Not Ernie) Show Podcast, get back to the basics by finding out what God's promises are and live in a state of chronic, contagious belief that those promises are true and will continue to prove true for you.
In this episode, we look at Psalm 12, primarily verse 6, to remind us that God's promises have already been perfected and are trustworthy and certain.
Psalm 12 - New Living Translation
1 Help, O Lord, for the godly are fast disappearing!
The faithful have vanished from the earth!
2 Neighbors lie to each other,
speaking with flattering lips and deceitful hearts.
3 May the Lord cut off their flattering lips
and silence their boastful tongues.
4 They say, “We will lie to our hearts’ content.
Our lips are our own—who can stop us?”
5 The Lord replies, “I have seen violence done to the helpless,
and I have heard the groans of the poor.
Now I will rise up to rescue them,
as they have longed for me to do.”
6 The Lord’s promises are pure,
like silver refined in a furnace,
purified seven times over.
7 Therefore, Lord, we know you will protect the oppressed,
preserving them forever from this lying generation,
8 even though the wicked strut about,
and evil is praised throughout the land.
You have a hope, you have a future, you have a purpose, and I implore you to find a promise in the Bible that you can grab hold of, hang on to, and pray back to God in utter, sold-out belief.
Join me starting in episode 138 for a special podcast series on HOLINESS.
~ Jan L. Burt
Thursday Feb 16, 2023
Thursday Feb 16, 2023
Find me here:
Jan is the author of the new book “A 60-Day Prayer Journal for Parents” & “The Power of God’s Will – 40 Days of God’s Promises Devotional” (available on Amazon). Find Jan on Instagram: @JanLBurt, TikTok @JanLBurt or at her website JanLBurt.com or at her YouTube channel, “God’s Promises for You with Jan L. Burt”.
Well hey there, hello to ya today. Hope you are doing well, growing in God’s grace, receiving all that the Lord has for you, blessing and encouraging others around you in your day to day life, just living for Jesus on a continual basis. Really, isn’t that what it actually means to be quote/unquote living the dream? And hey, just in case nobody has told you this today - you are pretty doggone fantastic. God put you in this world intentionally. He loves you so very much, and you are incredibly valuable to Him. That makes you one in a million. One in a zillion. I’m so thankful you’re listening today. Should we grab hold of a promise from the Bible and see what God has for us, those He so dearly loves?
You’re listening to The Burt (Not Ernie) Show podcast, part of the Spark Network, now playing on the Edifi app. This is episode number 136.
In the New Testament, there is this incredible, amazing, profound book. The book of Hebrews. It’s a winner winner chicken dinner kind of book, ya know what I mean? It grows me up whenever I read it, encourages me, emboldens me, increases my love for others and my heart for the Lord, it disciplines and it unites and it is powerful and so worth taking the time to read, to study, and of course to believe. When we read our Bibles, I hope that we end our time in God’s Word believing Him more than we did before we started reading. Like, that ought to be happening every single day. I actually mean this, not kidding at all, not just speaking fluffy words, but seriously. I mean this. Believe that what God has said in the Bible is exactly what He means. He meant it and He still means it. So, our job is to believe. To do the work of believing. And ya know what? That work of believing changes everything.
Hebrews chapter ten, verse twenty-three in the Amplified says this:
Let us seize and hold tightly the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is reliable and faithful and trustworthy (to His word).
The King James reads this way:
Let us hold fast to the profession of our faith without wavering; (for He is faithful that promised)
Now this is a verse to get excited about. I can stand on this one! And it is firm, it is solid, it will hold up under whatever may be pressing down on me. All I have to do is just what it says - hold fast. Seize it and hold tightly to the profession of our faith. The confession of our hope. Look, we need to be verbal and vocal about the Lord. I’m not talking about getting on a soapbox here, this is not about your social media presence. I want to encourage you, remind you, to say out loud to yourself, to the devil, to your little dog who is sleeping at your feet, say out loud that you are holding tightly, you are holding fast. Say out loud that you trust the Lord, that you know His Word is true, that His promises are for you, that the hope you have in Him is not misplaced, it is sure. It is certain. It is rock solid. And you will not be moved from your belief. Sometimes we need to say this to ourselves, out loud. Maybe even with our outside voices. Do you need to say it out loud today? Remind the devil of this verse. He will not, cannot win. The end game is finished. Jesus takes it all. Isn’t that great news? Seize it. Take hold of it, hold fast, hold tightly. And do it without wavering.
You don’t hope in hope; you hope in God! You don’t hope in circumstances, bank balances, the state of the union or the state of the world. You hope in the Lord! Jesus did not remain in that grave, my friend. He is not there. He is risen, just as He said He would be. That is the One in whom you hope. His name is Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah. And that is why we hold fast to the profession of our faith WITHOUT WAVERING. Because He who promised is faithful. I’ve said it many times before, but it’s so true and such a great reminder that I’m gonna say it again. He is faithful, and He cannot ever for a single solitary moment be unfaithful. The Lord won’t just oops, by accident be only partially faithful. He is always going to do what His word promises. Do not waver in your belief. The place you put your faith roots down matters. If that place is the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world, King Jesus, then you have good roots. You will be like a tree planted by streams of water, bearing fruit in season and out of season, stable and rooted so that you will grow stronger in life’s storms, not weaker. You have the Living Water. Jesus holds the keys to death and hell. He holds the very keys to life. You have what you need, all that you need, for all time if you have Jesus. So you ought to hold fast to the profession of your faith without wavering. When Jesus returns He will have two names written on him - Faithful and True, it says in the book of Revelation. Those are His names! And they tell us who He is! Faithful. True. You are in excellent hands. No need to waver when the One whose names are Faithful & True is your Lord. Isn’t that great news?!
Those last few words of this verse in the King James are so, so important.
For He who promised is faithful.
You have probably heard that said many times. It comes straight from the Bible, right here in Hebrews 10:23.
For He, being God, who promised is faithful. Right now, He is faithful. Tomorrow, He will be faithful. And so on. His faithfulness won’t wear out or dry up or expire or anything like that. He is faithful and so He will keep on being faithful. God’s faithfulness remains. Isn’t that comforting?
It stays. It never recedes. It just simply IS.
Breathe easy today, my friend. For He who promised is faithful. That’s your promise. And it is pretty critical to remember this truth today. I have a feeling that some of you listening are facing some stuff that is not good, not fun, sort of just plain icky. This is a perfect promise for you! He who promised is faithful.
Your job is simply to seize and hold tightly the confession of your faith without wavering.
Do you remember what it was like, that moment when you first realized how much Jesus loves you, that He died for you, that He was holding out forgiveness and eternal life to you? Like, the moment when you went all-in with Jesus because you knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that He went all-out for you. He died to give you life. Remember what it was like to see that truth clearly, and to know it was yours?
Don’t let this moment today pass by without remembering what it was like. Because that right there is the confession of your faith that you need to hold tightly to. Seize it anew today and hold on for dear life. Let times of refreshing come from the Lord. Ask Him to fill you today with overwhelming peace and joy, and believe that His will for you is good. And rest in Him, right in those hard places of your life, you truly can find rest. You are allowed to rest. Did you know that? He has things for you to do, Kingdom work, for sure. He wants you to love people and to go to your job and work well, as unto the Lord, for sure. And He has rest and peace of heart and mind for you, too - that is also for sure. Some of you need to know that the Lord has given you permission to rest, and to enjoy that rest.
Look at how Jesus described the Sabbath in Mark chapter 2, verses 24 thru 28. The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. You are allowed to actually rest, and taking a day of rest is something both the Old and New Testaments say is good for us.
Do what’s good for you. Do what Jesus told you to do. Obey Him because you love Him. Rest - have a weekly time of Sabbath rest.
That is a big change for some of us. But listen, I was raised by a mother who was a worker. Growing up, there were a lot of years, like a lot of years in a row when mom only had one day off a year, and that was Christmas Day. I really am not exaggerating at all, not even the tiniest bit, when I say my mother worked 80-100 hours a week, week after week, every single week. That’s a lot of hours. She lived on a few hours of sleep each day for decades.
Work was obviously a huge focal point in my family as I was growing up. Not a lot of recreation, basically no vacations. Mom’s recreation was gardening, and that is work for sure. Resting was hard for her. So her kiddos, all six of us, have each been workers to some extent. But you know, for me, I got sidelined when my heart problems came about. Now I still did far more than I should have, I just kept going and going, and it did get to where I paid a steep price. My recovery time from mid-week long days would get longer…and then it got to worse and worse. Now I have never been confined to bed, like I have been told by cardiologists and electrophysiologists I should be, and I believe that is because I simply by faith choose to believe God’s promises more than anything else. But I did hit a point when I was literally forced to slow way down physically. Some days, I struggle with that. I get upset. I want to find a way to be able to do more, force myself into some different state of mind…but this is not a state of mind, and while I live by God’s promises alone, I can’t force God’s hand and do all the things I used to do. In a way, I am in a sort of long term Sabbatical rest mode, I guess.
And my GRRR attitude at times, my desire to be able to do more and to quote/unquote improve my life by being able to do, do, do so much more…that has made it harder for me to actually rest in the Lord. Because the Sabbath rest isn’t just about catching a nap or chilling out for a couple of hours, maybe like sitting on the porch bird watching or something like that. It’s about God giving us rest. And when you are a worker, that kind of slow down and rest and just be with the Lord and receive from Him and just resting and knowing it is a gift from Him, well, it can be hard to actually relax.
Practice it anyway, even though it is hard. It’s good for you, I promise. And also, it’s been hard to have this forced slow down due to my health. I’d much rather nobody else ever face a health diagnosis like heart failure and be able to take that weekly Sabbath rest and not hesitate to enjoy it and really recharge the way God wants you too, I’d rather that happen than being made to take the rest while sort of fighting against it. If God has it for you, then trust Him enough to take it from Him, knowing it is for your good and His glory.
Because He who promised is reliable and faithful and trustworthy.
I hope you walk today in more and more of the love of the Lord than you did yesterday or the day before that. His love for you is so deep and wide and high and vast, you’ll never really understand it fully in this life. But my prayer is that you understand is as much as you can, and that you experience more and more of that love daily.
Thanks for listening to the show today, and hey, don’t forget, if God is for you (and He is!) then who can be against you? Remember that truth today.
See you next time.
Wednesday Feb 08, 2023
Wednesday Feb 08, 2023
21 Days of Prayer - 21 Prayer Devotions by Jan L. Burt
Well, hey there! Welcome to this episode of the podcast. I am so very thankful that you have taken the time to listen to the show today. You know, listening is so important for any relationship. Parent / child, marriage, boss / employee, good friends are good listeners, am I right? And I think that is also true of our relationship with God. If we listen well, good things will come of it. Listen well to God’s Word by applying what you read in your Bible each day, what you learn in your small group, what the pastor has to say in his weekly sermon. Show you are a good listener by the application of the Word to your life. And also, during your prayer time, don’t just talk talk talk, say amen, and never slow down and listen. God may have something really important, terribly encouraging, challenging at times, that He wants you to know. So be sure to get quiet enough to hear Him (having a pen and a journal handy is super helpful for me - but I am a very wordy person, so it seems pretty spot on for me to listen well with a pen in my hand because I remember best what I right down, but if that is not helpful for you, ignore it and do what works). Today’s verse holds a whopper of a promise for us. It’s big, it’s vast, it’s important. So, let’s get to it.
You’re listening to The Burt (Not Ernie) Show, part of the Spark Network, now playing on the Edifi app. This is episode number 135.
Today we are going to look at one single verse found in the books of psalms, smack dab in the middle of the Bible. Psalm 62, verse 8. I’m going to read from the Amplified version for this episode.
AMP - Trust (confidently) in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him. God is a refuge for us.
So, the promise in this verse comes attached to some things. First, we need to evaluate the state of our hearts and discern whether or not we are fully trusting in the Lord. At all times. And the Amplified Bible uses the word confidently as an adverb to help us really understand how we are to be trusting in the Lord. Confidently. By definition, that word indicates certainty and total trustfulness. Full of conviction. Having assurance. Confidently.
Trust confidently, full of conviction, having assurance, certain and totally, in God at all times.
All means all, doesn’t it?
When are we to trust confidently in the Lord?
Oh, only at all times.
Every single moment of every single day. At all times.
And we are also told here in Psalm 62 verse 8 to pour out our heart before Him.
Pour it out.
Don’t hold on to bits and pieces of the things that are weighing heavily on your heart and mind.
Do not hold back when you talk to the Lord about what’s troubling you, about what’s happening in your life and in your world.
If He didn’t want you to get it all out, ya know, like let’s get this totally out of our system, God would not have said to do this. He doesn’t mince words with us. He isn’t playing hide and seek with us. He loves us with an everlasting love. And out of that love for us, He calls us to pour our heart out before Him.
Jesus said in John chapter 14 that we will obey Him if we love Him.
Could it be possible that this directive to pour it all out, all that heavy stuff in our heart, before Him feels wrong in some way, and so we don’t really do it? Like, we kind of pour out our hearts during our prayer time, but only kind of. Not totally, since that could involve tears possibly at times or real, raw honesty that doesn’t feel very Christian sometimes. It can leave us feeling a bit exposed, maybe like shaky or wobbly.
And yet, God wants just this exact thing from His dearly loved children. And according to 1 John, that’s exactly what we are - dearly loved children.
We are safest when we are smack dab in the center of God’s will. No place else will ever be more safe, more secure, for us.
And one way we can know God’s will is to find out what He has told us in His Word. The Bible in this psalm tells us to pour out our hearts to Him and to trust in Him confidently at all times.
When we do those two things, we are in the will of God. We are safe. We are secure. Period.
And then, look out now, cuz here is where it gets really. And then, the promise comes.
God is a refuge for us.
IS.
A beautiful present tense verb.
IS.
God is a refuge for you.
Go ahead, turn to Him in confident trust right now today, whatever the case may be, like where you are dealing with some junk in your life, right in that exact spot, turn to God in confident trust and pour your heart out to Him. And then, just you watch Him show up as your refuge.
Your shelter, your protection, in a dangerous or difficult situation.
He is going to protect you right there in that place of distress.
And God will keep on providing you with protection and shelter for as long as you need it. This isn’t a promise with an expiration. Friendships can be like milk, and can have expiration dates but God’s promises are not at all like milk. They don’t expire or curdle or go bad.
They last. They prove true. And they always hold up, no matter what.
(Ask me how I know…)
God as your refuge means God is your recourse in times of trouble.
Recourse - think about that.
Legal recourse comes to mind when I try to think of how that word applies, where I’ve heard it used before.
Can you think of a better source of refuge and recourse than the Lord God Almighty? The One who was and who is and who is to come? The Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end? The Great I AM?
Nothing and no one can stand against the power of our God.
You are not alone, you are not abandoned, you are not set aside, you are not forgotten, and you never will be.
Because God is, right now, today, in this very moment, a refuge for you.
And tomorrow, He will be a present tense, in that very moment, refuge for you.
You don’t walk alone through this life.
And you certainly don’t battle alone.
Put on armor of God, pour out your heart before your trustworthy Lord, and enjoy the benefits of being hidden away in your place of refuge.
Look, not to be too blunt here, but the truth is that so many of God’s promises are for us right now, here in this place, while we are living this life here on this earth. In eternity, in heaven, the new heavens and the new earth that are to come for those of us who know Jesus as Lord and Savior, look we won’t be needing many of the promises we find in our Bibles. When we can see Him face to face, when He makes all things new, when He wipes every tear from our eyes and all things are set right and there is no longer the impact of sin and death will be gone forevermore…we won’t be living by faith, because our faith will have become sight.
So today is the time to believe God’s promises. They are not for later on, down the road, after a while. They are for right now. And they cannot be used up or worn out so when you need this promise again in a couple of days, which is normal for me at least, been a day or so time to take up another one of God’s promises and choose to believe it, ya know? They’ll be plenty good for all of your tomorrows. But for your today, don’t leave them out of your life. Because they are for today. God wants you living in the light of His blessings right now, this very day. Jesus did not endure the cross and procure your freedom so you could wait around to live in that freedom, eh, ya know, maybe later one, next month I’ll really get serious and start applying this to my life, and kick my prayer time into a higher gear.
Well, how ‘bout now? Like, today? Right now? What’s wrong with now?
There’s a lot more wrong with, “I’ll get around to walking in the freedom Jesus offers me later on,” than is wrong with, “Today I am going to live in state of chronic and contagious belief - what God has for me can’t not be for me, and it is for this very moment in time.”
Which one honors the Lord more? Which one stretches and grows our faith more? Which one gives us a testimony that points to Jesus? Which option is the option God wants us to choose?
Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.
Isn’t that how the saying goes?
Well, today don’t be putting off what it says in Psalm 62:8.
Do it now, today, and get yourself the full blessing of this promise.
Let me end this episode by reading the verse to you just once more real quick.
And I will also add a link to a free prayer resource I created, oh golly, it’s been a few years back that I put it together, but it’s on the subject of prayer so it’s still not expired, right?
Psalm 62:8 - Trust (confidently) in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him. God is a refuge for us.
Would you do that today?
And expect Him to keep up His end of the deal, because He always, always does.
Lord bless you, thanks for listening today and I’ll be back next time for episode number 136.
Find me here:
Jan is the author of the new book “A 60-Day Prayer Journal for Parents” & “The Power of God’s Will – 40 Days of God’s Promises Devotional” (available on Amazon). Find Jan on Instagram: @JanLBurt, TikTok @JanLBurt or at her website JanLBurt.com or at her YouTube channel, “God’s Promises for You with Jan L. Burt”.
Wednesday Feb 01, 2023
Wednesday Feb 01, 2023
A 60-Day Prayer Journal for Parents on Amazon
Join the email list HERE
To enter the giveaway, you can DM Jan via Instagram @janlburt
In this episode of The Burt (Not Ernie) Show, we take a look at the promise we find in Isaiah 31:21.
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will heart a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."
God is fully aware that you have decisions to make in your daily life. And He has help for you regarding those decisions, those crossroads, those moments when you aren't exactly sure where to turn or which road to take.
This verse promises some key things.
As always, when we find a promise in the Bible we need to make a conscious decision to believe that exact promise.
Your level of belief is actually very important if you want to "level-up" in life.
You have an enemy, Satan, who never takes a day off and never misses an opportunity to hit you where it hurts. He only & always wants to hang you out to dry.
God never, ever wants that for you.
What you believe, what you have faith in, is the foundation upon which you build your life. It matters tremendously because it will either stop Satan's lies & manipulation & accusations... or allow those things.
Let's go for the stop.
Whether you go....
That's what this verse says.
Whatever comes up, whatever choices or options you have, you will (WILL!) hear a voice behind you saying, "This is the way; walk in it."
Jesus often asked if His listeners had ears to hear. Clearly, listening well matters. We need to listen up, listen closely, listen carefully. We must listen in order to obey. "This is the way; walk in it."
Not "This is the way... but you do you, do whatever ya want..."
Listen to heed. Listen in order to obey. Remove the spiritual wax from your ears.
If you ask God for His direction, and He answers by giving you direction, then you ought to go that direction.
God wants to be involved in your life. He wants to give you the help you need, along with insight and wisdom and favor and blessing. This verse make that totally clear.
So, what do you want?
Life is too short & too hard for us to miss out on what God is offering us here in Isaiah 30:21.
Don't miss out and take a misstep.
Ask - Listen - Obey
God will keep His promise.
You can walk in that!
See you next time!
Jan L. Burt
Find me here:
Jan is the author of the new book “A 60-Day Prayer Journal for Parents” & “The Power of God’s Will – 40 Days of God’s Promises Devotional” (available on Amazon). Find Jan on Instagram: @JanLBurt, TikTok @JanLBurt or at her website JanLBurt.com or at her YouTube channel, “God’s Promises for You with Jan L. Burt”.
Friday Jan 20, 2023
Friday Jan 20, 2023
The Power of God's Will - 40 Days of God's Promises Devotional on Amazon
This special episode of the podcast focuses on a true story from Jan L. Burt's childhood when she broke into her babysitter's mother's house and did a whole lot of damage.
Jan shares some insight about coming to God as we are and not waiting until we "have it all together".
She also encourages listeners to be a blessing to others with a super-easy-to-do technique... that of listening well when they speak, and offering to pray for them when they are facing a difficult situation or circumstance.
Enjoy this episode and listen to hear exactly how a four-year-old managed to break into a house, and why she was certain something terrible would happen to her when she was caught.
Jan L. Burt
Find me here:
Jan is the author of the new book “A 60-Day Prayer Journal for Parents” & “The Power of God’s Will – 40 Days of God’s Promises Devotional” (available on Amazon). Find Jan on Instagram: @JanLBurt, TikTok @JanLBurt or at her website JanLBurt.com or at her YouTube channel, “God’s Promises for You with Jan L. Burt”.