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Revival…it starts with me.

Today we shared from the final chapter in the book, The Battle Plan for Prayer, from Alex and Stephen Kendrick, something that we also shared back in 2017-18. This last chapter encourages us to pray for revival. It basically summarizes the past 34 chapters in the book and asks the reader to think about all of those different elements, putting them together to pray for a turnaround of our attitudes towards prayer and about what God can really do in our world in 2021.

The prayer is for you, for me, for the church, for the world and ultimately for the glory of God. The challenge is to ask him fervently and continuously to do marvelous work in our day; not just now, not just soon, but for the rest of our lives.

Alex and Stephen share their desire to not give in to the general sense of helplessness about the state of our country and other nations of the world. They encourage us not to give into the apathy, the fear, and the inevitability that no one can do really anything about it. So this conversation is timely for not only a new year, but the events of the last 36 hours.

We should not fall into the trap of becoming disinterested churches that aren’t making a mark for Christ in our community and neighborhoods. We should not fall into the trap of tolerating our own sins, being consumed by our own selfish pursuits, and living a lifeless religion while millions of people are dying without Jesus.

The chapter is a very direct, in-your-face, call to action to encourage us to the humble and repentant hearts that we need to truly stimulate a revival within ourselves and our world.

So…think about this…what would the world look like if we saw God’s Spirit poured out in abundance on us? God has a track record of doing this! He’s helped revive families, restored broken lives, and salvation has overcome addictions and self-destruction.

There’s no reason we can’t see all of these things and more. Unless we decide not to pray. Unless we decide not to care. Unless we decide to believe the enemy’s deceptions, instead of believing the proofs and promises of God’s word, across time.

Once again, scripture clearly lays out the raw ingredients that have consistently led to revival. The first comes from 2 Chronicles chapter 7 verse 14: “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and I will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

In the Book of Joel, chapter 2 verses 12 and 13 it says, “Even now, declares the Lord, return to me with all your heart and with fasting, weeping and mourning and rend your heart and not your garments.”

When Jesus announced the arrival of his earthly ministry in Luke chapter 4, he declared, “the spirit of the Lord is on me,” with whom he would set the captives free, open the eyes of the blind and release the oppressed from their bondage.

That same Holy Spirit is still here for believers and he is STILL able to work mightily in us…IF we are God’s surrendered people.

The secret to revival, is united, repentant, humble prayer. A prayer that is persistent. A prayer that is extraordinary, believing that what God wants is always better and more important than what we want!

God simply wants people that are devoted to him. People that are in love with him. People whose hearts are ready to be used for reaping the Harvest. And most importantly, people whose lives are surrendered to his word and then ready to receive the blessings that only he can provide.

We need to seek him with all our hearts.

OUR PRAYER:

Lord God our Father in heaven, we need you. We’re desperate for you. We pray now in the name and through the blood of Jesus that you would stir up faith and repentance among us like never before. We ask that you would soften our hearts toward you and break our hearts towards sin. Unite your church in fervency, fasting, and devotion to prayer, desiring nothing more eagerly than our desire for you and your glory to be poured out upon us. May we humble ourselves and pray, turn from our wicked ways and seek your face until you heal our land. Have mercy on us Lord. Forgive us. Cleanse us. Heal us. Send Revival, oh Lord, bring millions to saving faith in your son Jesus and cause us, as your children, to be solely devoted to serving you, loving you and extending love to others. May the world see your glory and may your name be honored and adored among the nations in our generation. In Jesus name, we pray in faith, amen.

Thanks for listening!
– Joe and Alyssa

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Praise Thursday!

This weeks devotionals come from Our Daily Bread

Lexie’s devotional pick for this week is from Thessalonians 1:1-10 called Worth The Wait.

Alyssa’s pick for Praise Thursday this week is from Proverbs 16:24 titled Healing Words.

Congratulations to Sandy of Mount Vernon for winning this week’s bible trivia and receiving a $5 gift certificate to Everlasting Cup!

Q: what city was Jesus born in?

A: Bethlehem!

Thanks so much for listening to the Afternoon Drive!

-Alyssa & Lexie

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Understanding Emotions And Eating Tacos! Praise Thursday!

This week’s devotionals come from Our Daily Bread.

Joe Rinehart’s pick for today’s devotional comes from Psalm 147: 1-11 and is titled God Understands. This story is of a young boy going through a difficult change; moving to a new home and going to a new school. The young boy in the devotional exclaims to his mother that he has “too many feelings” about everything that is changing around him. We may go through really big changes and feel too many emotions that may overwhelm us. But this devotion tells us that we don’t have to feel discouraged or alone in those feelings. God understands the feelings we feel.

Lexie Merritt’s pick for this Praise Thursday comes from Matthew 10:37-42. The devotional, titled Even A Taco, tells us about two college graduates looking for a way to serve in a ministry for the world. That ministry? Ending childhood hunger. They began selling tacos with a buy-one-give-one philosophy. For every taco sold, one meal would be given to meet the specific needs of malnourished children. Jesus tells us that our ministries help and give to the disadvantaged. He says a simple cup of cold water helps the disadvantaged. If a cold cup of water classifies as giving to the disadvantaged, then so does a taco, right?

The Afternoon Drive also gave away a $5 gift certificate to Everlasting Cup by asking this Trivia Question:

“What were the waterpots that contained the water which Jesus turned into wine normally used for?”

The Answer: Ceremonial Washing!

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When Love and Listening show up

Today we shared inspiration from Our Daily Bread and from the book Redeeming How We Talk by Ken Wytsma and A.J. Swoboda.

We also shared EXCITING info about what we’re doing for Mother’s Day – get the details here.

Todd’s devotion is called ‘God-Sized Love.’ Read more here!

Joe’s devotional was about the value of listening.

Consider the three components of communication: speaker, listener and meaning. If words are the seeds a speaker sows, then the listener is the soil. Jesus draws upon this idea in the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-23). Several times in the gospels, Jesus accuses people of having ears to hear but never hearing. They hear the words but they are not listening. They cannot receive the meaning, so the seed falls on the ground, but because of the preconditions, or the state of our hearts, the word never penetrates the soil in a manner that would allow the seed’s potential to be realized. In other words, it won’t grow.

This is also why the teacher in the book of Proverbs counsels us “to not answer a fool according to his folly.” (Proverbs 26:4). He means that the correction or advice you might offer such a person will fall on deaf ears or sterile soil.

One way we can help our cause is by seeking common ground. Remember that communication isn’t just about the content, it’s also about getting aligned with the other person. If we want to ultimately long for relationship and for dialogue, we must engage the hearts of listeners first. Trying to become united in purpose means that a lot of our communication hinges on grace, permission and trust.

These things usually must exist before we enter into difficult conversations with success. This means we would do well to spend as much time tilling the soil as we spend sowing seeds.

Next to prayer, listening is perhaps the best way to create a positive context for conversation. Listening forces us to exchange hats with others and walk in their shoes. When we exchange hats, we develop empathy and understanding. Then we can more tenderly voice our concerns or offer our advice. We become like a doctor tuned into the sore spots and thus better at treating them. You can never go wrong with listening, but you can rarely go right without it.

Thanks for listening (see what I did there?)
– Joe and Todd

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Praise Thursday: It's Time to Pray…Again and Unimaginable

Unimaginable

It’s Time to Pray…Again

Because this is such a new devotional – it’s not on the website! So, here is a picture!
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As you can see, Lifeline 2020 has been postponed. Click HERE to find out more.

Here at WNZR we are devoted to keep you informed during this crazy in the world. We are updating our COVID-19 Update page daily with information from Trustworthy.

Hi, this is Hannah. Today’s show was my last Afternoon Drive as a student. I just wanted to pop in a quick thank you in this blog. My last four years working for WNZR have been so have been so transformative in my life. I’ve been able to develop my professional skills, along with so many other things. I was adopted into a family. All of that was possible because of you. So, from a deep part of my heart, thank you. I cannot truely put into words how much these last four years have meant to me. 
Untill next time.

Thanks for checking out the blog!

– Hannah and Todd

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Perspectives on the Golden Rule and finances

Today we get back to our leadership devotionals from the book, Time With God For Fathers, by Jack Countryman.  We have some good reminders for leaders as we start the New Year!

#1 The Golden Rule for Leaders
Luke 6:31
“Do to others as you would have them do to you.”

Sometimes people twist the Golden Rule this way: “Do unto others before they do it unto you.” Our selfish desires to have our own way in life can create a wall between us and God.

The Lord encourages us to love our enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return and our reward will be great. That’s Jesus speaking in Luke 6:35.

The attitude with which we embrace life will determine the leader that we become! God knows us from the inside out. Let the chief desire of our hearts be to please Him; and by doing so, the way that we walk and talk will help others see the love of Christ through us. Living to please God changes everything.

#2 Money Isn’t Everything
Proverbs 16:16
“How much better to get wisdom than gold, to get insight rather than silver!”

The love of money touches everyone in life. We often spend most of our working hours trying to get more. The more we get…well…maybe the more we want.

We can sometimes gain an appetite for material possessions we do not necessarily need. 1st Timothy 6: 9 says, “Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.”

The Bible cautions and even condemns the desire to get rich; not because money is a sin, but because money makes a terrible master. People whose primary goal is to get rich end up serving money; and therefore, cannot serve God.

Your leadership perspective about money with your family, friends and co-workers will make a difference!

Thanks for listening!
– Joe and Todd

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Praise Thursday – God with Us!

The word Immanuel means, as we learn in Matthew 1:23, “God with us.”  The coming of the Christ child fulfilled what Isaiah wrote in chapter 7, verse 14: “the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”

In his book Hidden Christmas, Pastor Timothy Keller shares that for centuries, the Jewish religious leaders and scholars had known that prophecy, but did not think that it should be taken literally. They thought it was simply predicting the coming or arrival of some great leader through whose work, God would be present with his people.

However, Matthew writes that this promise is greater than anyone imagined!  It did not come true figuratively, but literally. Jesus Christ is “God with us” because the human life in Mary’s womb was a miracle performed by God himself.  Then Jesus, with his life, his claims and his resurrection, convinced his closest followers that he was not just a prophet telling them how to find God, but God himself coming to find us.

Keller writes that this claim, that Jesus is God, gives us the greatest possible hope.  Why?  Because it means this world is not all that there is…it means that there is life and love after death and it means that evil and suffering will one day end.

And it is not just hope for the world, but hope for you and me personally. A God who was only holy would have not come to us in Jesus.  He would have just demanded that we pull ourselves together and be moral and holy enough to be worthy of relationship with him. But our God is fully holy and fully human – so he doesn’t send someone else – he comes himself!  Jesus is one of us – and that should give us all hope!

So what is the purpose of “God with us?” What does “with him” mean? Pastor Keller writes that the purpose of the incarnation is that we would have relationship with him. In Jesus, the unapproachable God of the Old Testament becomes a human being who can be known and loved. Through faith, we can know this love.

This is a complete shift from the Old Testament. Think about this: anytime anyone drew near to God in the Old Testament, it was terrifying! God appears to Abraham as a smoking furnace; to Israel as a pillar of fire; to Job, as a hurricane or tornado. When Moses asks to see the face of God in Exodus 33, he was told what?  That it would kill him…that he could only get close to God’s back.  When Moses came down off the mountain in Exodus 34, his face was SO BRIGHT with radiance that the people could not look at him!

So Pastor Keller asks this: can you imagine if Moses were alive today and heard the message of Christmas? What would he say?  How would he react? What if Moses heard John 1:14 “the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us – we have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son?”

Keller thinks Moses would say, “Do you know what this means? This is the very thing I was denied! Through Jesus, you can meet God. You can know him personally and without terror.  Do you realize what’s going on? Where’s your joy?  Where’s your amazement? This should be the driving force of your life!”

And why did God show up this time in the form of a baby instead of fire? Because this time He has come not to bring judgment but to bear it; to take away the barrier between humanity and God. Jesus is God with us!

Thanks for listening!
– Joe and Todd

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Legacy, the Big Picture and Avoiding Negativity.

Proverbs 20:7
The righteous lead blameless lives; blessed are their children after them.

Integrity- it’s a very important word. It’s helpful to describe who we are in the Lord and how our loved ones perceive us. It is a foundational element in the life we lead with our heavenly father.

The Lord calls us to do what is good and right, even when no one is looking. Now, why is that? Well, Godly living reflects His holy character in us; and in turn, glorifies Him.

By living with integrity, you give those who follow you a gift that will last a lifetime. What greater legacy could you leave than a personal record of godly living?

2nd Corinthians 4:18
18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Sometimes we get so caught up in the day-to-day that we miss the big picture God has for our lives. God has given us the task of letting the world know about what Jesus has done for us. He made it possible for us to have an eternal life of intimacy with our heavenly father.

Our daily struggles are only temporary. We have to fight to maintain focus on the eternal. If we truly love God, then we should work every day to please him, and tell others about Him. You only have one life to live for eternity. Let it be your best life, starting now.

Here is that link to the Francis Chan Rope Illustration

 

 

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Avoid Negativity

Choosing to be happy at work means avoiding negative conversations, gossip, and unhappy people as much as possible. No matter how positively you feel, negative people have a profound impact on your psyche. Don’t let the negative nellies bring you down.

Therefore, since you have been raised with Christ, strive for the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. – Colossians 3: 1-4

Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” – 1 Corinthians 15:33

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. – Philippians 4:8

If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. For in so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you. – Proverbs 25: 21 & 22

Whoever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick-tempered displays folly.- Proverbs 14:29

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. -Ephesians 4:2

Thanks for listening!
– Hannah and Todd

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Our Home Security System

Today we continue our devotions from the book “Time with God for Fathers by Jack Countryman.”

Proverbs 1:33 (NIV) leads us to a biblical application of a ‘home security system…’

“but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.'”

 A growing number of people fail to seek God’s wisdom in living. It is no secret that we live in a “me first” culture.

Often we seek ourselves, against all warnings and conventional wisdom. Thoughts of our future, our safety, our selfish desires…while not giving any thought to the impact on people of around us.

Living this way is spiritually irresponsible and a dangerous way to live. If we try to live apart from God’s wisdom, we will struggle with fear, disillusionment, doubt, worry and frustration. Our lives fall apart when we do not consult the wisdom of God.

The smartest way to build a safe home and lifestyle is to involve our savior every step of the way.

Romans 5:3-4 (NIV)

3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.

A leader’s character is demonstrated in how they handle unpleasant and stressful situations. We’ve talked before how God will use trials to mature and develop us.

No one likes trials, that’s obvious. But when we learn to see our trials as situations to grow, we begin to walk down the path God has placed ahead of us.

It is important to remember that He will walk with you through these trials too. Even as you struggle and grow, God will give you the strength to continue.

His loving grace washes over us like sunlight on a cloudless day.

Also, here is the information we shared about the Kokosing State Scenic River Cleanup on Saturday:

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Thanks for listening!
– Joe and Todd

 

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