Growing Closer to God with Guided Meditation

The Jesus No One Talks About Series Pt. 2: Naming What Has Become Distorted | Tuesday Devotion

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2067782/fan_mail/new] Jesus flipping tables is one of the most misunderstood scenes in the Gospels, and we wanted to slow it down and let it read us. We start with the temple moment and the line about a “den of robbers,” then ask the uncomfortable question: what if the robbers are not just systems or other people, but the subtle distortions we carry into worship, relationships, and daily life? We talk about how Jesus is not raging at animals or the building itself. He is confronting what happens when something meant to be good gets twisted. That twist can look surprisingly respectable: performance dressed up as devotion, people pleasing disguised as kindness, fear that calls itself caution, self-reliance that looks like strength, and comparison that pretends it is motivation. Over time, those patterns can steal joy, intimacy, and freedom while we keep functioning on the outside. Then we shift into a simple but searching picture: imagine Jesus kneeling beside a table in your heart. On it sit objects representing the distortions you live with. What happens if he gently turns each one over, not to shame you, but to reveal what you cannot see on your own? We close with a short guided reflection question to help you name the “tables” in your life where something good has become distorted. If this resonates, listen through to the end, share it with a friend who needs a reset, and subscribe so you don’t miss what’s next. After you listen, what table would you ask Jesus to turn over first? Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/churchplanting] Consider helping us to take the Gospel to others here: https://patreon.com/churchplanting https://cash.app/$WellnessInstitute [https://cash.app/%24WellnessInstitute] Leave a voicemail question or prayer requests here: (585) 331-3424 Leave an email question, prayer requests or comment here: robyoung51.ry@gmail.com

The Jesus No One Talks About Pt. 2 Series: Clearing Space for Jesus | Monday Devotion

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2067782/fan_mail/new] Jesus walks into the temple and does something that feels almost backward to how we handle stress: he deals with the space first. Pastor Robert Young takes us to Matthew 21:13 “My house shall be called a house of prayer” and invites us to hear it as a word for our inner life, not just a moment in history. Before Jesus confronts corruption, he restores quiet. Before he challenges injustice, he makes room for presence. That sequence becomes a map for spiritual renewal when life feels crowded and prayer feels squeezed to the edges. We explore the idea that God often begins restoration by clearing space. The clutter is not only physical noise or busy calendars; it can be anxiety, bitterness, distraction, and the constant pressure to perform. If the heart is the temple, what has moved in and taken over the rooms that belong to prayer, presence, and rest? We slow down long enough to notice, because awareness is the first honest step toward change. This is also a practical, guided moment. You are invited to imagine Jesus placing a hand on your shoulder and saying, “Let’s make some room,” then to sit with a simple question: what is currently taking up the space in your heart that belongs to prayer, presence, and rest? We close with an affirmation you can carry into your week: “I make room for God, and God meets me in the space I open,” followed by a closing prayer to help you step back into your day with clarity. If this helped you breathe again, subscribe for more, share it with someone who feels spiritually crowded, and leave a review so more listeners can find it. Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/churchplanting] Consider helping us to take the Gospel to others here: https://patreon.com/churchplanting https://cash.app/$WellnessInstitute [https://cash.app/%24WellnessInstitute] Leave a voicemail question or prayer requests here: (585) 331-3424 Leave an email question, prayer requests or comment here: robyoung51.ry@gmail.com

The Jesus No One Talks About Series Pt. 2: Why Jesus Flipped the Tables? | Deep Dive with Dan & Sheila

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2067782/fan_mail/new] Picture the scene most people think they already understand: Jesus storms into the temple, flips tables, and “finally snaps.” We slow that story down and follow the details that change everything, because the cleansing of the temple is not a divine temper tantrum. It’s a calculated, prophetic takedown of a system that turned worship into a pay-to-enter experience and pushed outsiders to the margins.  We are Dan and Sheila, Pastor Robert Young’s AI co-hosts, and we’re walking through his notes on why Jesus flipped the tables as part two of Jesus No One Talks About. The geography matters: Jesus goes straight to the Court of the Gentiles, the only space where non-Jewish seekers could pray. And what fills it? A festival-fuelled marketplace with forced currency exchange, inflated fees, and an animal sacrifice pipeline that functions like a monopoly. We connect the temple tax, Tyrian shekels, subjective inspections, and the Bazaars of Annas into one picture of organised exploitation.  Then we ask why Jesus chooses disruption instead of debate. The answer sits in the Old Testament prophets and in the Scriptures Jesus quotes on site: Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11. “Den of robbers” is not about petty theft. It’s about religious cover, a safe house for people who harm the vulnerable and then hide behind ritual. No wonder the leaders move to destroy him, because he is not just interrupting commerce. He is stripping legitimacy from the whole structure.  Finally, we bring the story into the present. If worship can’t be franchised and access to God can’t be sold, what tables have we tolerated in our own routines, communities, and hearts? Press play, share this with someone who has wrestled with “righteous anger,” and then subscribe, leave a review, and tell us your answer: which table would Jesus overturn first in your life? Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/churchplanting] Consider helping us to take the Gospel to others here: https://patreon.com/churchplanting https://cash.app/$WellnessInstitute [https://cash.app/%24WellnessInstitute] Leave a voicemail question or prayer requests here: (585) 331-3424 Leave an email question, prayer requests or comment here: robyoung51.ry@gmail.com

The Jesus No One Talks About Series: Jesus, Both Lion & Lamb | Friday Devotion

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2067782/fan_mail/new] One verse can reframe your whole picture of Jesus: Luke 19:10 says the Son of Man comes to seek and to save the lost. We start there, because it keeps faith from turning into performance, politics, or personality. Jesus is active, personal, and intentional about restoration and that has real implications for how we treat people who are messy, skeptical, defensive, or quietly searching.  We talk through a balanced view of Jesus that doesn’t flatten him into a single trait. He confronts the Pharisees and Sadducees, but he also welcomes leaders like Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea when they come with sincerity. The point isn’t that Jesus is anti-religious people; it’s that he is anti-hypocrisy, anti-oppression, and anti-pride. He offers grace to anyone, religious or not, but humility is the doorway. If you’ve ever struggled with how to be honest without being cruel, or kind without being vague, this reflection helps you name that tension and move forward with wisdom.  We sit with the image of Jesus as both lion and lamb, both judge and savior, full of both grace and truth, then we make it personal with a simple question: how can you reflect both the truth and grace of Jesus in your relationships? We close with prayer, asking God to shape us into people who carry truth and love together. If this resonates, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs encouragement, and leave a review so more people can find the show. Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/churchplanting] Consider helping us to take the Gospel to others here: https://patreon.com/churchplanting https://cash.app/$WellnessInstitute [https://cash.app/%24WellnessInstitute] Leave a voicemail question or prayer requests here: (585) 331-3424 Leave an email question, prayer requests or comment here: robyoung51.ry@gmail.com

The Jesus No One Talks About Series: Jesus Exposes Motives | Thursday Devotion

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2067782/fan_mail/new] A clean outside can hide a crowded inside, and Jesus refuses to let us settle for appearances. We open with Matthew 23:25, where Jesus warns about polishing the cup while the interior stays full of greed and self-indulgence. It’s a short passage with a long echo, especially for anyone tired of performative faith and ready for real spiritual growth. We talk about how Jesus sees beneath the surface: he knows when questions are traps, when motives are impure, and when hearts are closed. But we also hold onto this crucial nuance: even his sharpest words are invitations to repentance. Every “woe” is meant to wake us up, every confrontation is an act of mercy, and every exposure is aimed at redemption. That changes how we receive conviction, not as humiliation, but as healing. Then we slow the pace and make it practical with a guided, three-minute reflection question: “What motive is Jesus gently bringing to the surface in your life?” We follow it with a simple affirmation you can carry through the day and a closing prayer asking Jesus to shine light, realign what’s misaligned, open blind spots, and lead us into renewal. If you’re searching for a Christian devotional, a prayerful reset, or a way to examine your heart with honesty and hope, this is for you. Subscribe for more Scripture-based reflection, share this with a friend who needs a reset, and leave a review telling us what motive you’re inviting Jesus to heal. Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/churchplanting] Consider helping us to take the Gospel to others here: https://patreon.com/churchplanting https://cash.app/$WellnessInstitute [https://cash.app/%24WellnessInstitute] Leave a voicemail question or prayer requests here: (585) 331-3424 Leave an email question, prayer requests or comment here: robyoung51.ry@gmail.com