Who is someone that the Lord is impressing you to talk to and develop a relationship with so that you can share with them the message of Jesus for this generation? In this week’s podcast, we will learn how God blessed Jeremiah and gave him the courage to speak the truth and stand up for the message God wanted him to share.Contributor: This week Amanda will share how she has found a mission field where she works and how God impresses her to pray with her patients. She has discovered that it is her job to share the Word of God and has learned how to leave the watering of the seed she has planted up to God

Who is someone that the Lord is impressing you to talk to and develop a relationship with so that you can share with them the message of Jesus for this generation? In this week’s podcast, we will learn how God blessed Jeremiah and gave him the courage to speak the truth and stand up for the message God wanted him to share.Contributor: This week Amanda will share how she has found a mission field where she works and how God impresses her to pray with her patients. She has discovered that it is her job to share the Word of God and has learned how to leave the watering of the seed she has planted up to God

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Starting with Jesus

Heather Bennett

Reflect and Renew April 2023

Hezekiah, the Praying King

Treasure Found in the Temple

Katie Chitwood

Joash, the Boy King

God’s Special Messengers


When I was young, I used to think I needed to go overseas, perhaps to even a different country to teach others about God. However, that mindset has shifted as I have become well aware that there are non-believers all around me. I have been impressed to pray with my patients. In my efforts to share Jesus with others, I'm serving Him no matter what the outcome is. Welcome to Reflect and Renew.

Hey, I'm Katie. I'm so glad that you'll be joining me today. We will be learning and growing together in our walk with Jesus. You will surely be encouraged and challenged as we study week by week and hear from the experiences of others. Our family loves to collect books about people who have stood for God no matter the cost.

There are so many good ones. Dare to be a Daniel, The Seventh Day Ox by Bradley Booth, 1 Miracle After Another by Pavel Goya, Bruschko by Bruce Olson, A Thousand Shall Fall by Suzy Haasel, the list can go on and on. Why are these books so inspiring? Because they tell the story of men and women who stood for the truth. They stood for the right, no matter what.

They were willing to do what they needed to do to follow God and their conscience. This week we're looking at some of the last prophets that God sent before his people were taken into captivity by the Babylonians. You should check out our devotional at startingwithjesus.com slash renew, and you can read it with us. I don't read through it, I just kind of summarize and bring out a few points that stood out to me. But you should check it out, startingwithjesus.com slash renew.

There are 3 prophets covered in this week's lesson, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Jonah, but we're going to focus on Jeremiah today. Jeremiah was a prophet that God sent to warn his people. You would think that he was bold and brave, but he wasn't. In fact, he was quite shy. When God first called Jeremiah to be a prophet, he had an excuse.

He said that he was a youth. But God didn't accept that excuse. Nope. He said, do not say I am a youth, for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and Whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of their faces, for I am with you to deliver you." Then God did something special.

He touched Jeremiah's mouth and told him that God's words were put into his mouth. Do you think Jeremiah turned around and ran away? No. He went and he preached. He did just as God had commanded.

He gave the messages of warning. The next 40 years were filled with those messages of warning for the people to repent, to turn to God. But they didn't listen. In fact, they threw Jeremiah into prison. Did he give up?

Nope. He kept right on warning. He kept right on telling. Kept right on sharing his special message. No matter the circumstances.

So what lesson is there for us today? Giving a message of warning to people who despise you? Yeah. If they throw you in jail, if they mock and laugh at you, keep going. Have you ever faced those circumstances?

Maybe it wasn't something quite so big. Maybe it was something smaller, like a co-worker who laughs at you because you are spiritual, or when you offer to pray with somebody, they just get mad or get irritated and start telling you off. Are we to give up? No. We have all the more reason to share God's last day message boldly with those around us, telling others about Him.

Today we're going to hear from Amanda, who God impresses her to pray with her patients. You're going to hear that it's not always easy and she sometimes experiences rejection, but she's discovered that it's her job to share, just like it was Jeremiah's job to share. And then it's up to God to water that seed that was planted in the hearts of those she prays with. When I was young, I used to think I needed to go overseas or perhaps to even a different country to teach others about God. I actually don't ever remember an opportunity to share my faith to a non-believer until I became an adult.

I was surrounded by Christian friends in the small community growing up. However, that mindset has shifted as I have become well aware that there are non-believers all around me. I sense this mission field when I am working at a skilled nursing facility here in Chattanooga, Tennessee. I work as a speech-language pathologist providing rehabilitation for adults who have had neurological trauma and have lost the ability to think, communicate, and swallow. Over the past few years I have been impressed at pray with my patients that I meet there.

Some of them are in such dark places in their lives. I never know the answer I will get when I ask the patient, can I pray with you? Some will eagerly accept the invitation and then others just seem to tolerate it, and then others will adamantly refuse. There used to be a time I was more hesitant to share my faith and prayers to perfect strangers because of the fear of rejection and doubting that I had the right words to say. There have been multiple times that my efforts have just seemed so worthless.

There was 1 day in particular, I sat there beside the bed of a very agitated young man. He had a long history of drug abuse. He was mad at everyone, and I couldn't say anything right to make him calm down. I just felt an urge to offer to pray for him. He adamantly refused right away.

He also told me that he thought my life was worthless, too, just as his was, and he also told me I shouldn't waste my time believing in God. Initially, I took this pretty hard and I thought, well, I must not be doing something right. But now, as I look back on this experience, it is now that I am thankful that it happened because of what it taught me. God helped me to realize that I am not here to say only what people want to hear. It also taught me that in my efforts to share Jesus with others, I'm serving him no matter what the outcome is.

It is through the Holy Spirit that someone may be convicted through the words that I share. In 2nd Corinthians chapter 12 verse 9, I remember that His grace is sufficient for me, for his power is made perfect in my weakness." Even though I may see my attempt to share Jesus's love with someone as weak and perhaps even worthless, God reminds us that his power is perfect when we are weak. God's power is what can grow that seed that we plant. It only takes a small seed planted within someone's heart for God's Spirit to work. During these difficult times that we live in, we must be ready to share God's love with boldness and to not be ashamed if our attempts seem lost to us.

God is ready to move those mountains. I also love the verse 2nd Timothy chapter 1 verses 8 and 9. It says, Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God who has called us and saved us with a holy calling not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began." I'm reminded that Jesus is very familiar with this human experience. He's also familiar with many rejecting his message of salvation while here on earth, but like Jesus we can rely on God's perfect strength. I just want to encourage you friends, keep fighting that good fight, keep sharing your faith, even if it seems like no 1 cares or is even listening.

It truly is making a difference in someone's life. Have you ever faced rejection when you offered to pray with someone? I love what Amanda encourages us to do, to keep going, to keep telling. That it's our job to tell, to share, to be a witness, and it's God's job to do the rest. This week our challenge is to read a book by Ellen G.

White. Her messages and letters to people all over the world were inspired by God. She writes on marriage, on family, on parenting, health. Oh, and there are wonderful books that have helped people to know Jesus in a deeper way. I know you're busy, just like I am, and you may not have time to read, but that's okay, because they've turned many of her books into audio books that you can listen to for free any time of the day or night.

Sometimes I wake up in the night and I can't go back to sleep, so I'll turn on an audio book of hers and just relax and listen to it. I want you to check it out. You can go to www.egwwritings.org for all of her books and audiobooks. If you want to try a book that covers the weekly lessons we're discussing, then check out the book Prophets and Kings. I think you'll really enjoy it.

There's some extra insights that we don't cover or talk about here that I know you'll like. I know I've been so blessed as I've listened to or read her books and I hope you'll try it too. Let's pray. Dear Lord, help us to be like Jeremiah, to share your message to those around us. What you put in our hearts, what you put in our minds, when you prompt us to say something, help us to follow those promptings.

Help us to be bold and brave with those around us, to share your love. In Jesus' name, Amen. This podcast is sponsored by Starting with Jesus. To find out more about other programs or to find out the links that were shared in this podcast, just check out the description box below. You

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Reflect and Renew April 2023

God’s Special Messengers

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Recorded

Other Teachings in Series

Hezekiah, the Praying King

12m

Treasure Found in the Temple

20m

Joash, the Boy King

16m

God’s Special Messengers

11m

God’s Special Messengers

11m

Sound Doctrine