Today’s Podcast

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1. Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
2. Have you ever thought what times of trouble means? If you think back, I believe every generation thinks they lived in times of trouble. But look at where we are today!
3. Scripture
   1. John 16:31-33
   2. Jesus:  So you believe now?  Be aware that a time is coming when you will be scattered like seeds. You will return to your own way, and I will be left alone. But I will not be alone, because the Father will be with Me.  I have told you these things so that you will be whole and at peace. In this world, you will be plagued with times of trouble, but you need not fear; I have triumphed over this corrupt world order.
4. Devotional
   1. I started with a question, what does times of trouble mean?
      1. For disciples: expectation of arrest, abuse, execution
      2. For early Christians: separation from families, torture and martyrdom
      3. During middle ages: crusades, kings and lords abusing power
      4. Industrial revolution: included machinery of war and weapons that killed from great distance; homes broken as men went off to work
      5. Early 20th Century: prohibition, roaring twenties, smoky back rooms where more than just illegal drinking happened, rise of the mobs
      6. World War I and II atrocities with chemical warfare; introduction of air power and short range missiles,
      7. 60’s and 70’s: flower power, drugs, sexual promiscuity
      8. 80’s and 90’s: energy crisis, financial crises, double digit inflation,
      9. 2000: Y2K, doomsday prophecies,
      10. Today: crime, finance, sexual promiscuity, drugs, terrorism, wars, religious jihad
   2. Christians are an easy target for the blame
      1. We don’t retaliate
      2. We don’t apologize
      3. We predict things will get worse, not better until Jesus returns
      4. We embrace suffering because Jesus embraced suffering
      5. World doesn’t understand and so blames us for things that go wrong
   3. We are in times of trouble, but…
      1. We need not fear
      2. Why? With everything that is going on, why shouldn’t we fear?
      3. The answer is Jesus has already triumphed over this corrupt world order.
   4. What does it mean that Jesus has triumphed?
      1. Satan tried his hardest to defeat Him
      2. Threw the worst fear possible at Jesus, death
      3. Death is a predator with humans as it’s prey
      4. Jesus overcame death proving it with His resurrection
      5. We don’t need to fear because He has triumphed over the greatest fear we as humans have – death
      6. If He has already done that and lives in us, we have at our disposal the power of the resurrection that helps us face the worst Satan can throw at us
   5. Will we have trouble? Yes. Do we need to fear that trouble? No.
5. If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”

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