Have you ever noticed that it’s kind of an unusual event when somebody confesses to a crime?  People don’t like to admit to being wrong.  You can see some wonderful examples of that in our own government lately.  But all sorts of people do this.  The problem with that though, is that you can’t solve a problem that “doesn’t exist.”  You have to admit there is a problem before you can fix it.

So since we live in a culture of “It’s not my fault” and “Don’t judge me” and “Nobody’s perfect”, nothing ever gets any better because people hide behind excuses.  Daniel gave a great example of beginning the healing and restoration process for his whole nation, by first admitting that they had totally screwed things up and that it was their fault and that they need God’s help to get right again.

If you’d like to see healing and restoration in your own life or your marriage or family or even country, this pray of Daniel is a good example to follow.

Click the link to hear what he was praying about.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 41:02 — 18.8MB)

Do you pray?  What’s your prayer life like?  Do you feel power in it or is it more like you’re talking to the ceiling?  Would you like to know the power of prayer?  You’ll find it in the will of God and his goodness.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 49:11 — 22.5MB)

There’s an art that the church in America has lost.  We have churches across the country that can put on a good show.  They have talented musicians and excellent speakers and top notch sound and lights and presentation.  They offer everything from childcare to counseling to laundry and hairstyling.  But as the services have become like professional shows, the prayers have lost power.  These days we pray for things we want, we pray to get healthy if we’re sick, but I don’t hear a lot of prayers that are simply to honor God and commit our lives to serving him.

The core of the church is found in a real connection to God.  It really doesn’t matter how good the presentation is, if the relationship with the Lord is lacking.  So the church in many ways looks good on the outside, but it’s kind of empty on the inside.

How about you?  Can you identify with that.  If you’d like to know what a good prayer life is like, Daniel provides an excellent example to follow.

Click the link to listen to the message.

note: I noticed that the audio in this one is on the quiet side.  So you might have to turn your volume up a bit to hear it well.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 50:33 — 23.1MB)

I know lots of people who really get into the “end times” kind of stuff–and so many who want to know who the antichrist is–is he alive now, and what is he up to?  We’ll we reveal in this message who the antichrist is.  We know his name and where he’s from.  We even know how he comes to power.  So if you just gotta know now, and can’t stand to wait.  Just take a listen!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 48:12 — 22.1MB)

A lot of times when people think about prophecy, it’s generalities and possibilities that might be misinterpreted.  But one of the cool things about the prophecy in this chapter of Daniel is that an angel explains exactly what is going to happen centuries before the actual events!

Take a listen and see what I mean…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 56:43 — 26.0MB)

Someone once told me that any morning you can get up and go to the bathroom by yourself, it’s a good day.  I think it’s even better than that.  Any day you wake up and find yourself still breathing, that means God is at work in the world, and he wants to do amazing things in the world through you.

This week’s message takes a look into how God can bring good out of the worst of situations.  It’s a really interesting look at how God has been working through his people across the ages to bring grace and peace to a world in spite of all the pain and suffering that evil people choose to do.

Take a look around, and maybe you’ll see just how much good is going on in the world around you!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 51:28 — 23.6MB)

How could prophecy from thousands of years ago really have an impact on the world today, on the country, on you personally?  The warnings God gave to kings and kingdoms millennia ago hasn’t changed.  He’s been trying to get people just to be good people and live moral lives since the beginning.  And I for one am glad that he hasn’t given up on us yet!  And you can see throughout history how the nations that fear God and live according to his moral law find peace and prosperity, while the nations that push God away also push away his protection and providence.  So these ancient kingdoms and peoples that are prophesied about in Daniel serve as examples for us to learn from to either follow God to success or follow the world to destruction.  Which do you prefer?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 45:10 — 20.7MB)

Were you ever afraid of monsters in your closet or under your bed?  What are you afraid of now?  What if you could turn monsters into hope?

When you read through the prophecy in Daniel, there are so many frightening and disturbing images and metaphors.  But the ultimate message is one of God setting things right in the world.  One day Jesus will get rid of all evil and usher in his kingdom where his people will rule in faithfulness and righteousness.

One day, the monsters will all be slain and the Lamb will rule and reign.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 50:45 — 23.2MB)

So Daniel received this wild vision of weird looking beasts that represented world kingdoms that would rise up one after another to rule the world.  And now we look back in History and see how that prophecy unfolded, and how those “mighty” nations rose up and conquered everyone around them and then disappeared again .  So what does that matter to us?
Well, it just goes to show that when God says something he means it.  So we ought to pay more attention to what God wants from our lives than what the world says.  All the nations of this world are temporary and the only thing that endures is God’s Kingdom.  So if you want to have a hope for a truly meaningful life now, and beyond the pinpoint of life we live on Earth, the only way to avoid a meaningless existence is to start living your life according to the design specs of our Creator.

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Some people think that prophecy is meant to tell the future.  But the real purpose of prophecy is to get us to prepare for the future.  If you will repent and believe, you will change your future!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 49:28 — 22.6MB)