Telling The Truth

When faced with a crisis do you find yourself prepared knowing where to turn, or do you panic and simply react? As Jesus faced the reality of the cross, He instinctively turned to His Father in prayer. Is prayer your first line of defense in a crisis? In this teaching, Stuart Briscoe looks to Jesus' example to teach us about the comfort available to us through prayer.

Worship is a response to God's self-revelation. Prayer, which is either a spoken or unuttered response to Him, is therefore a premier aspect of worship. Whether in the congregation or alone, Jesus taught us we should pray and pray continually.

“Don't put your head on the pillow at night if you hadn't had your nose in the Book during the day.” —Stuart Briscoe  In addition to recognizing the significance of congregational worship, it's important for believers to develop the practice of personal daily devotions. 

When you come to familiar Scriptures, do you tend to pass them by? Most of us have heard Psalm 23, describing the Shepherd's relationship with His sheep. Take time and allow the Lord to give you a fresh revelation on these verses as Jill Briscoe shares her heart and perspective on one of her favorite passages in Scripture.

“A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” Proverbs 25:11 Have you ever had an “ah ha” moment? A time when something was said that just clicked with you, and it permanently changed your perspective? Throughout Stuart Briscoe's lifetime, from his childhood to his service in the Royal Marines, and then as a full-time pastor, he had a number of spiritual “ah ha” moments—times when people he greatly respected shared words of wisdom with him that shaped his worldview and ministry. Stuart explains the five key statements that left a lasting impression on him and drive his faith today.

A parable is defined as an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. And the parable of the prodigal son found in Luke 15 may be one of the most famous parables in Scripture. The story of the prodigal son is about God losing something very precious and sending His son, Jesus, to get it back. This is God's world, and He wants it back!

Have you ever been with someone who seemed to have an inner joy, even in the midst of a difficult crisis? As Christians, we have the Holy Spirit living in our hearts, which brings incredible joy—and yet it's true that we can lapse into feeling depressed and hopeless. So how do we keep our joy? In this message Jill explores how you can experience joy on the inside, even when things are all wrong on the outside.

We have an insatiable desire to control and manipulate what happens around us—all in pursuit of achieving happiness. But the truth is we have very little control of what's happening around us, and hence little chance of finding the happiness that eludes us. As believers in Jesus, should the pursuit of happiness really be our end goal? Do we need God to fix our happenings, or do we need God to fix our attitudes? In this message, Stuart teaches from Nehemiah, where we learn where to find stability, security, and well-being—and discover where God wants us to focus our minds so we can rejoice and be glad, even in uncertain days.  

Scripture tells a story about a widow who has run out of options on how to pay her creditors. She's facing the real possibility that she will lose both of her young sons to slavery as a means of paying her debt. This desperate woman is out of money, out of hope, and out of faith. She's angry at God for the situation she's facing with seemingly no way out. Have you ever felt that way? How do you find peace when your faith is completely out of focus? When the sheer weight of the moment has blinded you to the Holy Spirit at work on your behalf, Jill's message will remind you that God is sufficient. You have all you need when you have all of Him in all you.

What do you do when you are suffering through a hard time? Many of us sulk, complain, and feel sorry for ourselves. Others put on a strong face, but when they are alone, the fear and sadness take over, and they break down. Much of the apostle Paul's life was spent suffering—most of the time in jail. But unlike many of us, Paul was joyful no matter what his circumstance. This “spiritual art” of contentment was something Paul learned—and it wasn't easy. In this message, Jill uses Paul's life as an example of how we can learn contentment, joy, and peace of mind no matter what we are going through.

To all in the world—and even many in the church—joy and godliness seem like separate pursuits. Joy is seen as circumstantial happiness, and godliness is seen as rigid rules of self-denial. But that supposes a low view of joy and an even lower view of godliness! In this message, Stuart heralds the heights of true joy and godliness—the deep and abiding blessing at home in the heart of those like God, devoted to love and steadfast faithfulness.

A casual reading of the parable of the widow and the judge might suggest that Jesus was saying if we go on asking God to do what we want, He will give in eventually and we will get our own way!  A careful study of Luke 18:1-14 presents a very different picture.

Security comes with the confidence of knowing who you are and where you belong. In Ecclesiastes 4,  we see Solomon mourning for the lost outside his palace gates as he watches them toil with the meaningless distractions of this world. Today, there are still millions of people walking around with the emptiness of not knowing God. And as this breaks the Lord's heart, it should move us to take action in sharing the Gospel.

If we are honest with ourselves, instant gratification is the driving force for many of our actions. But that pleasure soon fades. Jill brings us to Ecclesiastes 2 where Solomon puts this theory to the test in an effort to see what truly satisfies.

When you can't feel God with your feelings, feel Him with your faith. There are plenty of times in life when we feel like God isn't with us because we are focused on our emotions. These are the times when it is crucial to speak Scripture over our circumstances. Then we will find ourselves being lifted out of the pit.

In a world filled with “me-first” thinking, it's natural to wonder if we matter to anyone. Who really cares about me? In Ecclesiastes 4,  we get to see Solomon's longing for significance in another's life, which ultimately can only be satisfied by God. In this message, Jill uses an acrostic for W-I-S-D-O-M.

Why are we here? Is there a purpose? We have a need to know the meaning of life because God has put eternity in the hearts of man. Jill leads us to various chapters in Ecclesiastes to help us make sense of it all.

The Holy Spirit can do amazing things within us, if we let Him. In this message Jill explains how we can let the Spirit change us, how we can develop the Spirit's character, how we can respond to the Spirit's call, and so much more. Learning these things can help us walk in the Spirit—not the flesh—so we can have a positive impact on the lives of those around us.  

Living in obedience, walking after Him, and seeing people come to Christ through our Godly actions are all ways we can bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Would you say this describes your spiritual life? This message by Jill will help you understand how to let the Holy Spirit guide your spiritual life so you will bear much fruit.