FRESH Official Podcast

Your Invitation to Grow

Life has a rather annoying habit of taking unexpected turns. Just when you least expect it, whoompa! You find yourself in a hole; a place where, in a million years, you'd never have expected to find yourself. What if I told you that that could be the biggest opportunity God will ever hand you? Jacques Lusseyran was blinded at age seven in an accident. His world shifted overnight. But rather than retreat into despair, he developed extraordinary inner perception and resolve. During World War II, he became a leader in the French Resistance, organising one of the most effective underground newspapers against the Nazis. Arrested and sent to Buchenwald, he survived despite the brutal conditions. His blindness, rather than a limitation, became a spiritual lens that sharpened his insight, courage, and compassion. In his memoir "And There Was Light" he writes, "I was not silent in my heart, and I discovered that joy can exist in darkness." Romans 5:3-5 … we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. (NRSV) When life shifts unexpectedly, right there you have God's invitation to grow. When through suffering you endure, it without doubt builds your character. You walk with Jesus through that hellhole and, let me tell you, He will fill you with a certain, rock-solid hope as He pours His love into your heart by His Spirit. Seriously, that place … is the greatest opportunity He'll ever hand you. That's God's Word. Fresh … for you … today.

One Day

Some things are black and white. Thou shalt not murder – obvious, right? Though shalt not commit adultery – obvious, yes, although these days you have to wonder. Other things … well, not so obvious. And those not-so-obvious things cause a lot of conflict. Question: Is euthanasia a compassionate choice to end suffering or a violation of the sanctity of life? Is artificial intelligence a wondrous innovation or does its unregulated development represent an existential threat to humanity? I'm sure you have views on those and many other so-called grey areas in our understanding of right and wrong. And to be sure, when evil is being perpetrated in the name of social advancement, it needs to be confronted. But as opinions become more polarised, as societies become more divided, as the rhetoric becomes more vitriolic, you have to ask yourself, what part am I playing in the erosion of civil debate and discourse? Why am I throwing stones at others rather than looking in the mirror at myself? Romans 14:11-12 Yes, the Scriptures say, "'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'Everyone will bow before me; everyone will say that I am God.'" So each of us will have to explain to God about the things we do. That's about present humility and future accountability. While we're out there busy judging others, the truth is that God alone is the judge and one day we will all answer to Him. Humility and self-righteousness are mutually exclusive. So before you rip someone's head off in an argument, remember … each of us will have to explain to God about the things we do. That's His Word. Fresh … for you … today.

Be Strong and Brave

Do you like change? No? Well, you're not alone. The truth is, very few people do. Picture this. Moses is preparing to die. Joshua's about to take over the leadership of Israel. They stand on the threshold of the Promised Land, with Moses giving his final instructions. They're facing powerful enemies, fortified cities, the uncertainty of a critical leadership transition. And in that moment, Moses entreats them not to be afraid, but to be strong and courageous. Well, yeah, that's easy for you to say, Moses … you're not the one crossing over the River Jordan. You're not the one having to fight battle after battle to take the Promised Land. And that's why Moses gives them the reason to be courageous: Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and be brave. Don't be afraid of those people because the LORD your God is with you. He will not fail you or leave you. Most of us don't like change. As much as we might hope for this to improve or that to resolve itself (whatever your this's and that's happen to be) when change comes along, even positive change, it's unsettling because we don't know how it'll turn out. And that's especially true when change comes at a time, as it did for Israel, when we're facing some serious challenges ahead. It's one thing to be told, be strong, be brave, don't be afraid. But that's not enough. What is enough - what's always more than enough - is the reason we have to be courageous, because the LORD your God is with you. He will not fail you or leave you Because that's His Word. Fresh … for you … today

When Your Foot is Slipping

The pressures we face in life often creep up on us gradually, imperceptibly. You just live with them, until one day you find yourself at breaking point. I caught up recently with a man in his seventies, just finishing up a part-time job, wondering what God had for him next, in a bit of pain, facing knee replacement surgery, thinking about his finances, and the time he and his wife have left together on this earth. And as happy and positive a person that he is, I could see that with all this "stuff" swilling around in his head, he was under pressure. That's how it is in life. I'm sure you relate. The person who wrote this psalm was part of a community under pressure, where the good people were suffering at the hands of the wicked. So he prays to God: Psalm 94:18-19 When I thought, "My foot is slipping," your steadfast love, O LORD, held me up. When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul. NRSV It's not a nice feeling, when under the load you're carrying it feels as though your foot's slipping, as though the cares that plague your heart are set to overwhelm you. Let's be honest - God doesn't always remove the cause of our distress. Instead, He comforts us – He upholds us through it all. So, that divine comfort isn't the absence of trouble but the presence of God amidst it, turning anxiety to joy, collapse to stability. Hang in there. You're not alone. That's God's Word. Fresh … for you … today.

Just When You Least Expect It

Life is mostly made up of the mundane and the repetitive … until it's not. Until something happens that goes way beyond anything you'd imagined, even if you can't see it until you look back on it years later. Does the name Albert McMakin ring a bell? Probably not. But in 1934 this young farmer, who'd recently come to Christ, was keen to share his faith with others. There was a revival meeting happening in Charlotte, North Carolina, so he urged his good friend Billy to come with him. But that lanky farm boy wasn't in the least bit interested. In fact, he refused point-blank. So Albert offered to let him drive his vegetable truck to the meeting. That did it. Billy agreed. That evening, under the preaching of evangelist Mordecai Ham, Billy Graham was convicted by the gospel. He didn't respond immediately, but within days he'd surrendered his life to Christ, forever changing the course of history. It's estimated that over 3.2 million people came to Christ through Billy Graham's public preaching events during his lifetime. Back in the 1st Century AD, Acts 13:4 Barnabas and Saul were sent out by the Holy Spirit. They went to the city of Seleucia. Then they sailed from there to the island of Cyprus. That marked a turning point for the early Church … for the first time taking the Gospel beyond the Jews to the Gentiles. The rest, as they say, is history. Albert, Billy, Barnabas, Saul. Ordinary people, each with a preordained role, through whom God did mighty things. For each one, their day had begun like any other day. But then … God. Watch out because, just when you least expect it, the Holy Spirit will show up. That's God's Word. Fresh … for you … today.