Gospel Light Minute X with Daniel Whyte III

GLMX #135: Getting to Know the One Who Never Resigns

Mark Burnett says his Life has Been Changed by the Bible (Gospel Light Minute #88)

Praying Through the Bible #27 | with Daniel Whyte III TEXT: 2 Kings 20:1-11 We are in a series of messages titled "Praying Through the Bible: A Series on Every Passage and Verse Regarding Prayer in the Bible". The purpose of this series is to encourage and motivate you to pray to the God of the Bible. We highlighted each of these over 500 verses and passages in the new Prayer Motivator Devotional Bible. So far, we have done 26 messages in this series. This is message #27 titled "How to Pray for Healing and Life." As you might recall, our previous two messages in this series came from the life of King Hezekiah as recorded in the book of Second Kings. And our message today also deals with the events in the life of King Hezekiah. If you are wondering why we are talking about Hezekiah so much, it is simply because Hezekiah evidently was a praying man. He understood the power of prayer to God, and he frequently communicated with God in prayer. However, no matter how spiritual or in tune with God one may be, that does not cause one to be exempt from troubles and problems in this life. God never promised that this life would be smooth sailing, even if you are a follower of Christ. In fact, Jesus Christ promised his disciples that they would certainly have trouble on this side of heaven. And Philip Melanchthon, the German reformer who worked with Martin Luther said, "Trouble and perplexity drive me to prayer and prayer drives away perplexity and trouble." So, even though Hezekiah was a righteous king; even though he was a good man and a praying man, we see in this passage that trouble visited his house once again. The first two times trouble came, it was in the form of the Assyrian army threatening to destroy Jerusalem. But this third time, trouble hits Hezekiah much closer to home. 1. Notice Hezekiah's severe sickness. The Bible says that "In those days Hezekiah was sick unto death..." What were "those days" that this passage is referring to. Well, historians say that Hezekiah's sickness came during the time of the Assyrian invasion. This was an especially bad time for Hezekiah to fall ill. He had the responsibility of defending Jerusalem against her enemies, he was trying to encourage his people to trust in the Lord and not lose heart, and now, he had to deal with a severe sickness as well. The Bible does not tell us exactly what this sickness is besides the fact that it involved boils on the skin. This was not just a bad case of the flu; this was a sickness that Hezekiah nearly died from. 2. Notice Hezekiah's private prayer. The Bible tells us that right after he received the message that he would die, Hezekiah "turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the Lord". We see here once again that Hezekiah's reaction in difficult situations was to immediately go to the Lord in prayer. When the Assyrian leaders were threatening to destroy Jerusalem, he went up to the house of the Lord and he called the prophet Isaiah to pray with him. When he received a threatening letter from the King of Assyria, he immediately "spread the matter" before the Lord in prayer. And now, we see that when he is incapacitated and laying on his death bed, he once more goes to the Lord in prayer. 3. Notice the amazing answer that Hezekiah received. Evidently, Isaiah left the room as Hezekiah was praying. And the Bible says that before he could get off the palace grounds, God told him, "Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the Lord." What an amazing answer to prayer! Just a few minutes after Hezekiah began praying and pouring his heart out to God, God sent his answer through the prophet Isaiah -- Hezekiah would live for 15 more years.

How to Get Out of an Impossible Situation

Sunday Evening Evangelistic Message #100 TEXT: Joshua 2:1-21 Jericho is one of the oldest inhabited cities of the ancient world. Even though it is located in one of the hottest climates in the region of Palestine, it is a wonderful oasis. It is known as the "city of palm trees." Date palms, banana trees, sycamore trees, and henna trees populate the landscape. It is the type of place you would go to rest after a long, tiring journey. However, despite all of its beauty, in the 15th century B.C., the city of Jericho was a very wicked place that was deserving of God's judgment. In our passage today, we find that the children of Israel are getting ready to take possession of the Promised Land. And as part of that process, they have to conquer the nations that are already in the land. Their first stop along the way is the city of Jericho, and they are under strict commands from God to destroy it. 1. First of all, notice the sin of Jericho. Joshua 6:17 tells us that the city of Jericho "was accursed by God, even it, and all that are therein." A divine "ban" -- signified by the Hebrew word "herem" -- was placed on the city and all that was in it. In the military terminology of that day, when a "ban" was placed on an enemy city that meant that nothing in the city was to be left alive. Everything was to be completely and utterly destroyed. 2. Secondly, notice the sin of Rahab. Joshua 2:1 says, "Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot's house, named Rahab, and lodged there." In the midst of this corrupt and sinful society we meet a woman named Rahab. The Bible tells us that Rahab had a house on the wall of Jericho. Many scholars believe that she also ran an inn, and thus, it was natural for the Israelite spies to stop at such a place so they could masquerade as travelers while they were on their spy mission. Rahab, however, is most known for her occupation as a prostitute. She was also a liar. When the king of Jericho sent his men to demand that she tell them where the spies were, she said that they had come and gone without her knowing who they were, when in fact, she had hidden them on top of her roof. The Bible does not condone or excuse Rahab's behaviour. It simply reports it. 3. Third, notice the salvation of Rahab and her family. After her confession of faith, Rahab tells the spies, "Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the Lord, since I have shewed you kindness, that ye will also shew kindness unto my father's house, and give me a true token: And that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death." Rahab realizes that the end of Jericho is at hand, and as any wise person will do, she tried to find a way to get out while she still could. She not only tries to find a way for herself, but for her entire family. Rahab may have been a sinner, but she was not stupid. She knew that judgment was coming, and did what she could to avoid it. The spies make a promise to Rahab. They say, "When we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household, home unto thee. And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be guiltless: and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him." + Plus, listen to Bishop Paul S. Morton singing "Walk On By Faith" and New Life Community Choir singing "We Walk By Faith"

Rapper and hip-hop artist Jay-Z sings a song titled "Forever Young". In this song he talks about his desire to be forever young. Then he asks the question, do you really want to live forever and ever? His song, even though it may not be talking about living forever in Heaven, according to the Bible necessarily, (and yes, the original cut has some unsavory language), but Jay-Z's song touches on a longing that is in the soul of every man. Listen to a few of the lyrics that I can share with you: Forever young, I wanna be forever young Do you really want to live forever? Forever and ever Forever young I wanna be forever young Do you really want to live forever? Forever and ever Jay-Z's lyrics testify also to our culture's obsession with youth. Television ads about anti-aging creams and techniques populate the airwaves. People fret over dieting and health issues all in an effort to look and feel younger. This past week, a new project was launched to study how humans can extend their life span. The project is being funded with millions of dollars from the founders of big companies such as Google and Facebook. Make no mistake about it, people have a longing and desire to live forever. This obsession with youth is a reflection of our desire for immortality, permanence, and living forever. This is a desire that humans have experienced since the beginning of time. You might recall learning about the fabled Fountain of Youth, the waters of which were said to restore the youth of anyone who drank from them. This fountain was spoken of and sought for from the fourth century BC in Ancient Greece to the 16th century in what is today Florida. The Holy Bible tells us about a place where people's bodies will no longer age and decay, where people will never get sick or diseased, where no one will ever die -- in other words, where everyone will be forever young. The best thing about this place, however, is that everyone who goes there will be in the presence of the loving Creator who is the source of all life, energy, and vitality. This place is called Heaven or Paradise, and right now, I want to share with you how you can get there so you can indeed be forever young. + Plus, listen to Newsboys singing "I Am Free"

She is a star television and movie actress who began her career at four years old. She has appeared in numerous commercials, television shows, music videos, and major movies. She was cast in her first film, the 1995 hit "Friday", at age thirteen. At age fifteen, her performance in the critically acclaimed 1997 film "Eve's Bayou", earned her her first NAACP Image Award nomination. Since then, her film appearances include: Roll Bounce, Waist Deep, Stomp the Yard, Jumping the Broom, and Think Like a Man among many others. She currently stars in the lead role of the new NBC TV drama series "Deception." One of the things that stands out in the show is that in the midst of all that "deception", her character wears a cross around her neck. I believe that she does this to be a witness for Jesus Christ. And may I say with all due respect to her husband and without fear of successful contradiction, she is one of the most beautiful women in the world. Although she was not raised in the church, she says that she is a Christian and that she will not do roles that she feels might disappoint God. She said in an interview, over the years, "I have learned that I need to really keep my eyes on the prize which is God and not worry so much about what other people think of me. And if I keep my eyes on the prize, people will think what they need to think of me, good or bad." Regarding the roles she plays, she said, "I think that, for me, it’s about portraying a character creatively and artistically as an actress. I believe that God has gifted me as an actress and intends for me to use that gift, but He also intends for me to use it to glorify him. So, if I’m playing the most perfect, religious girl, then nobody gets anything out of it. It’s like being a Christian and only hanging out in church. When I play a character, I try not to judge her because ultimately it’s about where she ends up and what she learns from the journey, no matter what happens along the journey. Does she become a better person?" She reads her Bible "every day without fail" and is determined to continue growing in her faith. Married to a Hollywood movie executive who is also a preacher, she said that she is happy to have "a partner who shares the same heart for God that I have, who walks down the same road as I, and who wants the same things in life that I do. I’m also happy that I found someone who understands what I do for a living, and wants to use that as a tool to help glorify God....It’s just a blessing now that people are listening as I try to share the love of God and empower young women." Her name is Meagan Good.

How a Whore and her Family Got Saved Down at the Whore's House

GLMX #134: So Jay-Z, You Want to be "Forever Young" and Live Forever and Ever? Here's How.

Meagan Good Keeps her Eyes on God and Uses her Acting Gift to Glorify Him (Gospel Light Minute #87)

Praying Through the Bible #26 | with Daniel Whyte III TEXT: 2 Kings 19:8-37 We are in a series of messages titled "Praying Through the Bible: A Series on Every Passage and Verse Regarding Prayer in the Bible". The purpose of this series is to encourage and motivate you to pray to the God of the Bible. We highlighted each of these over 500 verses and passages in the new Prayer Motivator Devotional Bible. So far, we have done 25 messages in this series. This is message #26 titled "Take it to the Lord in Prayer." In our last message in this series on prayer we were introduced to King Hezekiah of Judah. We learned that King Hezekiah was a good king who ruled his kingdom well. However, one day he received some bad news in the form of an Assyrian army at the gates of Jerusalem. We saw that King Hezekiah immediately went into the house of the Lord and then he asked the prophet Isaiah to pray for the city regarding this matter. God answered the prayers of King Hezekiah and delivered Jerusalem from destruction by causing a distraction for the Assyrians in the form of an Egyptian army that had to be dealt with before the Assyrian king could carry on his assault against Jerusalem. While Assyria's occupation with the Egyptian army provided a reprieve for the city of Jerusalem, it did not resolve the conflict. As we see in our passage today, the Assyrians turned their attention to the Jewish people once again. Let's look at this passage, and once more, we will see the power of God in response to prayer. 1. First of all, notice the repeated threat. When the King of Assyria heard that the Egyptians were on the march, he did not leave the land of Judah without repeating his threat to the city of Jerusalem. He told his officers to write a letter to King Hezekiah. In the letter he told Hezekiah, "Let not thy God in whom thou trustest deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria. Behold, thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, by destroying them utterly: and shalt thou be delivered?" 2. Secondly, notice the reaction of the king. Verse 14 tells us that "Hezekiah received the letter, and read it: and Hezekiah went up into the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord." Hezekiah did exactly what any child of God should do in such a situation. He spread the matter before the Lord. First Peter 5:7 says that we should cast all our care upon Him because He cares for us. One of the greatest mistakes you can make in this life is to try and bear all of your burdens alone when Jesus Christ is there with you and he wants to carry those burdens if you will just let go of them. You have to stop wanting to control everything and place everything in God's hands. 3. Now, notice the result of Hezekiah's prayer. The Bible tells us that "Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, That which thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard..." Have you ever tried to talk to somebody, and it seemed as though they were not really listening to you. They may have been nodding their head and acting as though they were listening, but they were not really hearing what you were saying. Well, it is such a blessing to know that God does not treat us that way. He listens to everything we have to say to Him. And in this passage, we see where He gives Isaiah a message that starts out by saying, "Hezekiah, I have heard your prayer."

Take it to the Lord in Prayer

Sunday Evening Evangelistic Message #99 TEXT: Leviticus 21:1-9 Last week, we looked at the true meaning of the Passover in the book of Exodus. In that message, we found the children of Israel on the cusp of their deliverance from slavery in Egypt. Now, in Leviticus 21, the children of Israel are close to the end of their forty year journey to the Promised Land. Much of the older generation -- those who were adults when the children of Israel left Egypt -- had died off, and now, their children -- those who were very young at the time of the Exodus and those who were born in the wilderness -- are on their way to the Promised Land. However, this young generation apparently had not learned the lessons that God had taught their parents. Unfortunately, they did not take heed to the suffering that their parents went through during their many years of wandering in the wilderness. As we see in this passage, this younger generation made some of the same mistakes that their parents made, and they had to learn the hard lessons for themselves... 1. First of all, notice their sinful action. The Bible says that the "people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread." 2. Now, notice their sudden repentance. Just as they were quick in their sin, the children of Israel were swift in their repentance. Our passage states that "the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people." 3. Now, notice their simple faith. God hears Moses' prayer for the children of Israel and he tells Moses what to do so they can be delivered from the fiery serpents. God says, "Moses, make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live." + Plus, listen to Shirley Murdock singing "Nothing But The Blood" and Michael W. Smith singing "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus"

In 1977 Steven Spielberg released a science-fiction movie titled "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." The movie was extremely popular and made over $337 million worldwide. It tells the story of Roy Neary, an Indiana electrician, and others who have "close encounters" with objects or beings from outer space. Astronomer J. Allen Hynek popularized the term "close encounter." A close encounter is the sighting of or contact with such an object or being. In the film, some of the characters were kidnapped by aliens, which caused tremendous grief to their families. Because of their experiences, these characters became convinced that there is more to the universe than we know, and that sometimes, whatever else is out there can be quite dangerous. This past week, we, too, were also reminded that the universe is a dangerous place. In Russia, many people experienced a "close encounter" with an object from outer space when an unpredicted and unexpected meteorite weighing ten tons and traveling faster than the speed of light crashed through earth's atmosphere creating a sonic boom that damaged some structures and shattered glass windows across a vast area. Over 1,000 people were injured from the event. Additionally, astronomers also tracked an asteroid which zipped past our planet a mere 17,000 miles away -- that's closer than many satellites which men have put in orbit. Scientists say that the chances of a meteor hitting earth and an asteroid nearly hitting earth on the same day are one in 100 million. Yet, they both happened this past Friday. These "close encounters" serve to remind us of just how vulnerable we are in the universe. Many scientists believe that a huge meteor that struck near what is today the Gulf of Mexico is the reason why the dinosaurs became extinct. And many others say that it is just a matter of time before such an event happens again -- causing major loss of life and major environmental changes for the earth. In fact, the Bible speaks of stars falling from the sky and striking earth during the end times. No matter what happens to the earth, we do not have to fear such an event if we know what will happen to us when we die. We do not have to worry if we are depending on the one who owns the earth and the entire universe. Psalm 24:1 says, "The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein." This verse tells us that not only does the earth and everything in it belong to God, but you belong to God as well. God loves you and cares about you. He wants you to go to Heaven to be with him after you die. Because of this great love, he sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to earth to die on the cross for your sins. Your sins are the bad, wrong things that you do, and those things are what will cause you to be eternally separated from God in a place called hell after you die. However, John 3:16 tells us that "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." If you trust in Jesus Christ and His saving work on the cross, you will not perish in Hell, but you will have everlasting life in Heaven with God. + Plus, listen to Newsboys singing "In the Hands of God"

He is a NFL football coach and former professional football player. He played college football for the Baylor Bears and was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 1981 NFL Draft. He was known as "The Heart of the Defense" for the Chicago Bears' Monsters of the Midway in the mid-1980s. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998. He later pursued a career as a coach. He served as linebacker coach for the Baltimore Ravens and then for the San Francisco 49ers where he was promoted to the head coaching position. Today, he is currently the linebacker coach and an assistant to the head coach for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League. Despite his tremendous success on the field, he found that he felt "empty" and unfulfilled. He said, "I had everything. And it was right after the Super Bowl that I realized that I was really, really empty. I had done all this stuff. I had made the Pro Bowl. I just signed a great contract. I was the MVP that year. I had just won the Super Bowl. But I was the emptiest and the most frustrated." Although he was raised in a Christian home, the lifestyle of sports superstardom had overshadowed his faith, and he had come to a crossroads. He said, "I just remember, one day, breaking down. I remember saying, 'Lord, I’m supposed to be Your son, and You don't talk to me or use me. You don't do anything. I don't understand this.' In my spirit, I heard two things. One was 'I want to use you, but there are some things that you gotta clean up first.' The second thing that I had to do was forgive my father." His father had divorced his mother and walked out on the family when he was 12 years old. Once he chose to do that, he says, "Day by day, God began to take away some of the bad habits that I had. Had it not been for Jesus Christ in my life, I'm sure I'd be divorced. I'm sure that I'd know my kids from a distance.” Now an ordained minister, author and motivational speaker, he says, "There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that I would take in place of my faith. To me, Christ means everything. I know that He's got my back no matter what I do. So that gives me all the freedom in the world to be the man that He's called me to be." His name is Mike Singletary.