Reverend Ben Cooper's Podcast
Reverend Ben Coopers podcast, offers an inviting space for listeners to explore Christianity and spiritual growth with wisdom, humor, and a deep commitment to biblical truth. Through Rev. Ben's engaging conversations with guests, the podcast not only explores the timeless wisdom of the Bible but also tackles the pressing issues of life, faith, and hope in a way that is accessible, thought-provoking, and enriching. Whether you’re seeking spiritual nourishment, answers to life’s big questions, or simply a place to reflect on your faith, the Rev Ben podcast is a valuable resource on your journey.
In each episode, Rev. Ben guides listeners through profound theological reflections, personal stories, and practical insights drawn from the Bible and the broader Christian tradition.
Reverend Ben Cooper's Podcast
C2 - Devoted Life: Walking with Faith: (PBC-@013)
Title: Living Devoted – Faithful Living in a Distracted World
In a world full of noise, chaos, and constant change, how do we remain anchored in a life devoted to Jesus? In this inspiring episode, we take a deep dive into what true spiritual devotion looks like—through the lens of Scripture, and through the everyday challenges we all face.
We begin with the story of Abraham, a man who chose obedience even when the future seemed uncertain. His journey wasn’t just about promises—it was about surrender, trust, and unwavering faith. In contrast, we examine Lot’s decisions, highlighting how comfort and compromise can lead us away from the presence of God. This contrast challenges us to look inward and evaluate what we’re choosing in the face of cultural temptation.
This conversation isn’t just about biblical characters—it’s about us. It’s about living fully devoted lives today. We unpack practical ways to stay rooted in your faith, no matter what society throws at you. From building a daily rhythm of prayer and Scripture study to making intentional choices that align with your values, this episode is packed with insight and encouragement.
We also explore how testing and trials aren’t signs of failure but opportunities to grow stronger. God often forges our devotion in the fire of adversity. When we embrace the discipline of daily communion with Him—through honest prayer and reflection—we tap into the strength we need to live boldly and faithfully.
True devotion is not about perfection; it’s about consistency. It's about showing up in your faith day after day, even when it's hard. This episode is a call to action for all believers to rise up with intentionality, live with purpose, and walk faithfully in step with the Spirit.
Whether you're new to your faith or have walked with Christ for years, you’ll find encouragement here to keep going, keep growing, and keep God at the center of everything you do. Subscribe now, share with a friend, and let’s grow together in devotion.
https://www.pastorbencooper.co.uk/
https://www.rbchristianradio.net/
God bless you. We thank you so much for your life, wherever you are at this moment in time. We thank you from the very depth of our heart. It is Friday afternoon, it is the 8th of September and it is seven minutes past three here within the UK, and I've got my lovely brother and my friend before me, mark, and we're going to have a nice little chat for the next 45 minutes or so, seeing where the Lord is going to lead us.
Speaker 2:The Lord is good and we was just looking at some statistics before we pressed these buttons and I just want to say thank you to everybody, everybody, wherever you are at this moment in time. We see iran was on the list, you know afghanistan, myamar, hong kong, china, all these places across the world, and we want to thank you so much and just to give you a quick rundown, we are in 59 countries and 815 cities. So, whoever you are downloading these podcasts, we just want to say thank you from the bottom of our heart. May god carry you and the lord anoint you like never before, and we pray all of us that record this stuff together we pray that you will feel the love of jesus christ in your life and don't you allow society and culture to make you give up. You press into the scripture, you hold on to jesus christ because he is everything that you require to get through every second, every moment of day of life. So, wherever you are at this moment, may god carry you in the mighty name of jesus christ.
Speaker 2:Mark, we're in, we're go, my friend, and it's good to have you back with us today. You know the Lord is moving very, very powerfully in your life and in certain areas of this nation, and my life too, and everybody's life that's listening to this podcast, wherever they are at this moment in time. But today's title is A Devoted Life. Mark, good afternoon.
Speaker 3:Good afternoon Ben.
Speaker 2:We're in.
Speaker 3:We are in, we're ready to go. Yeah, we're ready to go. It's uh, it's hot outside today and uh, yeah, it's nice, nice and cool in here it is.
Speaker 2:We've got the air con on. We don't want to tell anybody too much, but it's really cool in here it's a bit of a heat wave outside.
Speaker 3:I know it's hit 30, isn't it?
Speaker 2:it's, isn't it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, we're not used to it here.
Speaker 2:No, we're not, we're not, we're really not used to it. But, mark, you've come up with a great. God has pressed this on your heart today, and it's interesting. A devoted life. Now to me, what is a devoted life? I would straight away think of someone that might sit in the hills far away, in a monastery or somewhere that is literally just cut away from society and living a devoted life with no one around them, no internet, nothing around them. But it's not quite that, is it?
Speaker 3:it's not quite that it's not quite that at all.
Speaker 2:The christian no not for the christian. We can be busy, we can be living and walking and and doing everything we need to do as a believer, but our lives are devoted.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and that devotion might require taking steps of faith into the unknown.
Speaker 2:Leaps of faith into the unknown. You know, like jumping out of the boat. You know a devoted life, so you've got some scripture there for us, mark. What's the main one we're coming from?
Speaker 3:So there are a couple of uh, short verses, short texts, that I want to share. Uh, genesis 12, verse 1, says the lord had said unto abraham, leave your native country and your relatives and your father's family and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I I will bless you and make you famous and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. All the families on earth will be blessed through you. So Abraham departed, as the Lord had instructed, and Lot went with him. Abraham was 75 years old when he left Haran.
Speaker 2:Wow, amazing.
Speaker 3:And then Hebrews 11,. Verse 1 says Now, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Going on to verse 8 says that by faith, abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed, and he went out, not knowing whether he went by faith, he sojourned in the land of promise as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles, with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise, for he looked for a city which has foundations whose builder and maker is God. So if we just leave it there, there's Abraham, who God has called to leave his native country, who God has called to leave his native country.
Speaker 2:Well, he left. I think it was.
Speaker 3:Luz, yeah, he was of a pagan nation. So the Lord called him out with his family and the Lord made promises to him.
Speaker 2:Obviously, they were Very clear promises, wasn't they?
Speaker 3:I'll make you famous A great nation, a great nation A great nation.
Speaker 2:The world will know your name, abram, the world will know you. But very interesting, in the scriptures as well. When God was having and God has had many conversations with Abram God told him walk before me and be blameless. What a calling. Walk before me and be blameless. Quiet calling. Walk before me and be blameless. Quietness has hit the studio when you really think about that. Walk before me and be blameless. Psalm 119, 105. Your word is a lamp unto my feet, a light for my path, walking before god, but walk blameless. Holy, righteous Mark.
Speaker 2:It makes me frightened to think about that.
Speaker 3:As soon as we step away from the cross, we're on rocky ground.
Speaker 2:We are. It's like walking on nails, isn't it? You're walking on deadly territory that's going to pin you and hold you down, and Abram was righteous. And it's really interesting that Lot as well you know. I think you mentioned Lot in part of the scripture there.
Speaker 3:In Genesis.
Speaker 2:In Genesis and when they come to divide the land up, I've always been fascinated because the Bible says that Lot was a righteous man too. But when they divided up and Abraham said to Lot, like, what's happening here basically is that our herds are growing, we're getting too big, we've got to separate to a degree, you go wherever you want to go and they're looking across. And Lot decided to go to Sodom and Gomorrah. And when you look at the scripture, lot spent most of his time when he left Abraham sitting within the gate of Sodom and Gomorrah. And when you look at the scripture, lot spent most of his time when he left Abraham sitting within the gate of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Speaker 2:I know we're coming off track a little bit, but what I'm coming to? That Lot was a righteous man, but what drove him to live in such a debased sort of place, I wonder. And we know the story of sodom and gomorrah, about the two angelic beings came down from heaven and they destroyed it. And we understand what the the people outside of abraham uh, lot's house rather was saying about the angels to bring them outside and all the terrible stuff that they wanted to do. And you look at a righteous man. Why would a righteous man, why would he want to go back? Why would he want to go to that place? You know, he had any place that he could have gone to, but he decided to move his family into sodom and gomorrah. I think there's a lesson that needs to be learned, as the subject that we're talking about a devoted life is that you've got to keep yourself away from temptations of the world, like sodom and gomorrah was a place of full temptations, of the lust of the eyes.
Speaker 3:Everything was happening in sodom and gomorrah and everything was all plenteous there as well, like when overflowing it was.
Speaker 2:It was an overflow of whatever. Indulge yourself in anything, indulge yourself in anything, indulge yourself in anything and no consequence. And then you've got Lot with his uncle, a righteous man. They had everything. And Lot decides to move into the gateway and live within the parameters of Sodom and Gomorrah and the angels had to grab him by the arm the scripture said and pull him out. They said if you don't go now, you are going to die. And they had to physically get hold of this righteous man, lot, and pull him out of the city. I think there's a lot to be learnt between Lot, because God called him, through the scripture, righteous. Just because we're righteous, it doesn't mean to say that it will extract us from the Sodom and Gomorrah temptations.
Speaker 3:The temptation is still there.
Speaker 2:It's still there.
Speaker 3:Even as riches increase, set not your heart upon them.
Speaker 2:And I believe, mark, the more that the riches increase, and the riches in Christ, and the more we get closer to Jesus, the Sodom and Gomorrah that is around us becomes more illuminated, it becomes brighter and it can almost be more attractive. The more you seek Jesus, the more the enemy lights up the activities around the world. And so, with Lot, very interesting that that man come through good stock. He had a good uncle, he had a good family, good staff and God called him righteous. But he went and he lived in that debased place and he didn't want to leave. He didn't want to leave, didn't want to leave.
Speaker 3:The angels had to snatch him out with his family and I think he even had a level of importance there, like those people around knew who he was yeah, so there's a there's.
Speaker 2:So you gotta be careful of pride, haven't you? Of of being, um, when you get a name for yourself, you to be careful that doesn't be a driver that you. It's all about me, rather than look what God's done. So a devoted life, looking at our brother Abram being devoted, a devotional walk with Christ, or walk with Jesus or walk with the scripture, that is completely cut away from the world yeah, how do we get there?
Speaker 3:like in Hebrews 11 verse 10 it says for he, abraham, looked for a city which hath foundations whose builder and maker is God so. God himself has made the foundations of this city. He's made it and if we're looking for it with our earthly eyes, we can so easily be distracted to think that where, where we can see abundance and health and life, that that is the uh, that is the place to go I think that the quick answer to all this stuff is seek ye, first, the kingdom of God and his righteousness.
Speaker 2:Seeking God, seeking God. You mentioned the city of God. The foundations have to be God. You know, the Bible tells us that beautiful story. You know about the characters that one builds on sand, one builds upon the rock. The rains came, the situations were hit, hitting both houses. The torrents came down from heaven, the earth gave way to water, the streams were rising, it was raining, but if you build upon the rock, you're going to be able to stand, and I believe that's where we are at this moment in time.
Speaker 2:So, whoever you are across the world, now is a time to seek Jesus, the righteousness of God, and to be found, to be in the kingdom. But the more you want the kingdom, the more you will find that Sodom and Gomorrah is around at your feet, right around you. You know, wherever you go, wherever you go, you see all these temptations of the world, the sins of the lust of the eyes, the, the pride of life and all this sort of stuff is around us wherever we go. So just because, just because we are righteous, and we are righteous because of the scripture tells us doesn't mean to say that we are extracted from the fact that we still have issues in the earth suit that we are, we are living in. So we've all got to be very careful.
Speaker 2:You look at the great writer of the new testament mark where we still have issues in the earth suit that we are living in. So we've all got to be very careful. You look at the great writer of the New Testament Mark where it says O wretched man am I? Why do I do the things I hate and I can't do the things that I should do? And that was, I believe, one of the greatest writers or the writer that's ever walked this earth, the great writer, the great evangelist, the great apostle. So every one of us hits parts in our lives. When you're hungry for Jesus, the devil can almost fill your belly with something, can't he?
Speaker 3:He can fill your belly. Yeah, and later on we read in Genesis 22, abraham's faith was tested. So you know, not only might we have to go into a place that we don't want to go, but then also god will will also bring testing our way and that's quite scary it's quite painful as well, if you've ever been tested ben uh, yeah, I know, I know what it's like to be tested, to be stretched, going for it.
Speaker 2:Now, there are seasons of it. You know, god tests you and god stretches you, and it's time for maturity and it's time for growth and we, we grow through the seasons of testing. We grow even. What I love about god is that nothing can separate us from the love of God. So, even if the test goes completely wrong, he still loves us. Even if I fail him at the highest level, he will still love me. Even if I let him down at the last second and something happens and we have a wobble, his love is so powerful and so overwhelming. You know his love covers over a multitude of sins the love of god. So, wherever you are, if you feel that you're in a test, if you feel that you're, you're like abram that that when god said take your one and only son. Whoa lord, hang on a minute, jesus, you want me to take my one and only son and to sacrifice all that I have. But you told me, out of my son will come, nations will come, the world will come, will come everything.
Speaker 3:Now you're telling me to slay him and you know what I think the testing that comes from god can't be imitated by man never, because you said earlier about a devoted life, isn't just living on a hill and just separate from society. If someone wants to live, live that kind of lifestyle, then in a way maybe it's. It's quite somewhat easy like to 100 percent mark to just to just turn away from everything in in life and just cut yourself off from it all yeah so how? How do we develop a godly devoted life?
Speaker 2:I would say this go and live in sodom and gomorrah and be stretched and tested on every level, but hold it and stand on the rock because you are right. If we both went right, we're going. We're going to go to asia and we're going to live in a hill and we're going to have no internet. We're going to have no phones, we're going to have no communication with the outside world. You're not being tested in the way of the worldly test, are you? But there'll be other tests that will be on upon you. There will be certain areas that I probably won't be able to cope with. I won't be able to cope with the loneliness, and that sounds odd. I wouldn't be able to cope with that. So I'd be stretched in different ways.
Speaker 2:But I believe that if you are a Christian and you are going to work, you are in an ivory tower, and if you're in a nation that is completely anti-Christ, you are being tested. If you're in a university and you are a young christian, you've got everything on the table partying, sex, drugs, rock and roll. That is where you get the testing ground, not because god has thrown you in there and god's wanting to watch you fail, because god, god does. God doesn't do that. But the greatest place to grow in maturity and in faith is to be in the river. Jordan is right in the thick of life. You know you was talking about. You spent a bit of time up in town. That is a place where a Christian will grow. Sodom and Gomorrah, you know, in an area where you're really relying on God to keep you safe, to keep you strong, to keep you focused on him. Everything is on the table. In certain areas, there's so much to learn and I believe people grow more.
Speaker 2:Christians grow more when they are in a harder environment definitely yeah if I went and lived down a hill in the middle of uh, somewhere, I'm not being tested. But if I'm thrusted into culture and life, workspace, community, community, ungodly situations, that's when you've got to take a stand. That's when you've got to stand for your faith. So what is a devoted life is very difficult to box up, to square up and to put into a. For me, a devoted life is being sold out to jesus christ. Sold out.
Speaker 2:He comes first in everything and I think we find that story on the shoreline of galilee, when jesus said drop your nets, come and follow me, because them nets represented their business, their life, their children, their food, their mortgages, their nets. When Jesus says, drop your nets, he's telling you to drop everything. It doesn't sound much, does it? But when you look deeply into what Jesus was telling them to do at the shoreline drop your nets, leave your business, leave your house, leave your family, leave your children, leave everything. Come and follow me. Shall I bring a purse. Drop your purse, leave your money, hang on, I've got a gun. Bury my mom and dad, let the dead bury their dead. A devoted life to me is literally being stripped back.
Speaker 3:And following jesus, yes, those things are so close to us. When abraham was called to sacrifice um his son, then yeah, that's, that's, that's uh that's like how much more, uh, how deeper can you get?
Speaker 2:job. I suppose job runs a parallel with that, doesn't it? When job was like just losing everything, he didn't waver did he. He didn't murmur.
Speaker 3:No.
Speaker 2:He just quiet, focused and Job was a righteous man. How would that be listeners, Mark and myself, if we went through a Job experience? I can't think about it. I don't know if it's selfishness, fearfulness. I don't know if it's selfishness, fearfulness.
Speaker 3:I don't know. Well, the Lord tests us in different ways. Oh, he does, Mark. Yeah, I mean, these are extraordinary men of God.
Speaker 2:I hope we don't have to go through what Job went through.
Speaker 3:Please, no, no no, no, or other men of God, but he does test us as well.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he does, mark, and I believe those days of how God tested them. God doesn't do that anymore. That was a set purpose, a set time in the scripture, but God does test us in the smaller things of life, what you're watching on the telly.
Speaker 3:But it may happen like if someone has a family, a wife that leaves the husband, or the husband leaves the wife.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it can happen.
Speaker 3:Unfaithfulness. There are many trials.
Speaker 2:Completely.
Speaker 3:Many things that just come up that we're not expecting. Maybe a sick relative. Yes, yeah, maybe they haven't got long to live, that we're not expecting. Maybe a sick relative, yes With yeah, maybe they haven't got long to live and so, yeah, some things can come out the blue and we ask why God why Lord?
Speaker 3:as was discussed last week with with with our friend, about sickness. The Lord brings sickness. It's a grace of God, in a way reminds us of the limits of this life, and it should bring us lower, like the Lord brings us down, but in our own pride we can be so arrogant in our own pride.
Speaker 2:It's like, you know, the devoted life, life as mark is saying and I'm saying is literally listeners. Go for jesus christ. Let the world know that you love jesus. Let the world know that you want the gifts of the holy spirit. Let the world know that you follow your way, the god of israel, the king of kings and the lord of lords world know that you follow Yahweh, the God of Israel, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. You know, seek you first the kingdom of God.
Speaker 2:Wherever you sit in the world at this moment, whenever you're capturing these broadcasts, wherever you are at this time, you know we are all going through that ring of fire. Wherever we are, whatever nation, as a Christian, we are all being battered and we are all being knocked wherever we live, you know. But we've all got to stand strong together. This is not about denomination. This is standing together as a devoted brother and a devoted sister and being followers of jesus christ and being like abraham. You know, being seen to be righteous, being seen to be a righteous person that's steadfast in the word of God. When God said move, he moved. When God said jump, he jumped. When God said stay, he stayed. You know, it's obedience. Obedience makes us righteous.
Speaker 3:The thing is, if you haven't been through much testing, Trials. Yeah, like you might hear these kind of stories and wonder, well, why? Why should I devote my life to God if that means I'm going to go through, you know, endure difficulty when I could just have an easy life?
Speaker 2:Yeah, actually, Mark, you know you said something really important there. We don't get an easy life if we decide to do a Jonah on God, because it becomes worse and we rob ourselves. So people would say to yourselves well, if you're going to be this Christian, then suddenly you're going to be tested and stretched and you've got to lay things down. What's the point of that? It's better and it's more beneficial for all that to take place and for everything to be done than actually to be a sinner and to live in a way that you are going to go to hell. But they can't see it that way round. Why would you want to give up this? Why would you want to give up that? Because by giving that up, I'm getting closer to God, I'm walking closer to the King and God is moving in my life. You know a righteous life Interesting. What does it look like? A righteous life?
Speaker 3:I think there's a difficulty, like in church, and in some churches you can have a lot of worldliness and I've met some good people in churches, but they're, they're just good, whether, yeah, there, there, there, there are people that I've come across who, um the Lord, can be there, but also, yeah, it's quite difficult to um yeah to yeah, it's very difficult to um, yeah to yeah, it's very difficult, mark, isn't it?
Speaker 2:it can be really really difficult. You know, church folk can be really difficult at some point, can't they? They can be really really unusual. But you say church folk now, are they devoted to jesus? That's the question, because you said, saying you get some nice people in church, and we do, we get lovely people across the board of church, but it's I've got to be saved, I've got to be saved. That's the criteria, isn't it?
Speaker 3:like it's a serious walk as well. It's not just uh.
Speaker 2:It's not just Sunday mornings, is it?
Speaker 3:No, it's a life, it's a life Now.
Speaker 2:Oh, a mark, a life, a lifestyle, a walk, decisions. You know it's gone quiet, isn't it? When you think about it, because you're thinking to yourself this is so serious. A devoted life, monastery lifestyle, a lifestyle of a nun? We're not referring to that. We're referring to going to work, bringing a family up, being on your own or being in a family, living in the world, but not of the world and not part of the world, but working and walking within that in certain areas, but being devoted to the scriptures.
Speaker 2:Man, that's like, that's tough, it's the toughest thing. I think that's where that word comes in Mark endurance. The Bible says doesn't it tough? It's the toughest thing. I think that's where that word comes in mark endurance. The bible says consider it pure joy when you go through trials and testings of many kinds, because the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must tarry so that you'll get to the end of the prize. So we've got to go through with joy, lord Lord. I thank you, lord, that this is a bad day because, lord, there's a reason for the season. You know, consider it pure joy, my brother and sister, when you go through trials of many kinds, because the development of your faith, perseverance must complete itself. So we have to go through the fire of life, we have to go into the ivory towers, we have to be the commuter, we have to be the parent, we have to be married, unmarried. We have to experience all these things of life to experience the grace and the mercy of God.
Speaker 3:But also to find the foundations that Abraham was looking for, whose builder and maker is God.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 3:Like the foundation that the world offers us, you know.
Speaker 2:Sad.
Speaker 3:If we might find a way to make loads of money through the internet, then you'd think well, if I have loads of money, then that means I'll be safe and happy and settled yeah but actually actually the foundation, spiritual uh. Security in god is um is is a foundation that that is more sure than anything in this life definitely.
Speaker 2:It's like you've got to. You've got to build your foundation upon the rock. That is so, so important for both of us and for everybody listening. We've got to build our lives upon the rock. We've got to build on jesus. Again you come back to the new testament story. The rains came, the streams rose, but those who built upon the rock, they was able to stand. But those who built upon the rock, they were able to stand. But those who built upon the sand, they crumbled and crashed, and it says they fell with a great fall. So building on the world is building on sand. Building on Jesus is building on the rock. How do we build on the rock? There's many scriptures that tell us.
Speaker 3:Well, Ecclesiastesastes 7 12 says that wisdom and money can get you almost anything but only wisdom can save your life yeah, money, money can get.
Speaker 2:Now, mark, we've had this conversation before off air, I believe. Isn't it interesting that the mega churches can go and plant a church anywhere because you've got money. So when you've got money in the church, it's a business drive, isn't it?
Speaker 3:without a doubt, when you've got money, yeah, it's like a big business, a corporation it's a corporation rather than the kingdom.
Speaker 2:So you can go and buy instruments, you can go and plant a church, you can do anything when you've got untold streams of income coming in the door. But then a devoted life is when God calls you as a missionary and says go and plant a church over there. And you go, god, I ain't got nothing. That's the call of God, because anything that is achievable with me is not of God, because God is the God of the impossible that brings the impossible into the possible. So if you want to see God's hand in your life, the dreams and the visions that God has dropped in you, it is impossible to do with yourself, but all things are possible to those who believe. So a righteous person will look at your life, look at your own life and go. I can't do it. You know there's so much to look at what a righteous life is, what a righteous person is, what all this stuff tarries up to be.
Speaker 3:Can I ask Ben, how do you live?
Speaker 2:a devoted life ben, how?
Speaker 3:how do you live a devoted life?
Speaker 2:well, how do I live a devoted life? As soon as I wake up in the morning actually before I wake up in the morning I literally wake up praying. I literally wake up and I'm literally praying lord. And the prayer I pray is literally will you help me, lord? Before'm consciously awake, before all this stuff happens in this world, I'm literally saying, lord, father, I just need you today, lord, will you please help me? So, straight away, I'm engaging in God straight away and even when I go to sleep I'm speaking and talking and and it's just literally praying and just seeking him in every area of life. You know I read the word through periodically, times through the day and through the studying and through what we do here and different things that I do. So I read the word, I listen to the word.
Speaker 2:I found out that praying is a continuum of life, like waking up in the morning and praying before you're actually consciously alert. I've learned that there is something so different between the human me and the spiritual me that the spiritual me is always connected. The worldly me is like has to catch up, very difficult to explain unless you've experienced it. So the devoted me is like literally looking for jesus in everything. Will you help me, lord? I need you today, jesus, I I've got a situation that I'm faced. Will you? Will you make a way today, lord? I love you, I want to be lord. I want to seek your holiness more, questioning and asking and and reading and praying, even when you're driving, when you're walking, when you're in in the church and when you're driving, when you're walking, when you're in the church and when you're in the studio on your own and doing things, and just always seeking him and being hungry for him, being hungry for him.
Speaker 3:Hungry. Well, I read a text as well recently to you about food. You talk about hunger John 12, 24,. Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides alone, but if it die it brings forth much fruit. And yeah, the beauty of it is like we are to die and like the life of prayer you know, recognising that we're nothing without him and he gives life an increase and brings forth fruit in the life.
Speaker 3:I think when you start to get a grasp on how important prayer is and finding a way to read scripture or to listen to sermons, some way to get the word into your soul.
Speaker 2:Feed yourself.
Speaker 3:Yeah, then yeah, until you reach that point, you don't. When you start to see the fruit, when you start to die and see the fruit in your life and get a grip on these things, then you begin to realise what it's all about, why we pray, why we love the word, why we believe in God, the faith, the faith to see things as God sees them. That's right not, not as uh we see them from uh from the river jordan.
Speaker 2:I tell you what a devoted life really makes you think. When you you like, you sit back and you just close your eyes and you think I'm hungry, I'm so hungry for jesus sometimes. I get so hungry I get myself angry I don't know if that makes sense to anybody I get myself, I want him so angry. I get angry. I get so hungry for him. I get angry with myself. Come on, please, lord, please, lord, please, please. You know, it's just an eagerness, an eagerness to see him, an eagerness to see miracles, to see signs and wonders, an eagerness like a you could use the word zeal. I suppose you could use that, you know. So looking for Jesus will take you in unusual places. Looking for Christ will take you to explore life like you've never explored it before. Looking for Christ will take you to explore life like you've never explored it before. Being a Christian is the most powerful way to live a life, because we are devoted to him. We do live a devoted life and so often we look to these characters in the Bible and when you look at our lifestyles and the way we live and everything that goes on around our lives I'm not saying this in a big-headed way, but we do pretty well, mark. We do pretty well. Christians do pretty well when you think what the society in the UK completely not given any minutes to God whatsoever.
Speaker 2:The church has come out with it already. The church has already said, hasn't it last week, that the church is in decline. We're not a Christian nation anymore. A big article in the Telegraph this week as well been put out there by a secular journalist to say Britons are not turning to the church and how the church is tearing the pews out. But in such a time as this, when the world and the UK needs spiritual guidance, the church is tearing the pews out. When the church is ducking its head, isn't it? We've never been in so much need for seeing Christianity rise like never before. But we're in a crisis. So the believers that are out there at this moment in time, wherever you are across the world, in many nations and many cities that you're in, it's really important that you live your life radically for Jesus Christ. You be braggadocious for Jesus, you absolutely be wild for Jesus Christ and you live that beautiful life for Jesus. You let God take you to explore life, but you get so into the word of God, and you live by faith. You know.
Speaker 3:That's an important thing, though, getting into the word, and living it. Because obedience, I think, is part of when God called Abraham, he was was obedient, and we can be so zealous in our own strength that, that yeah and and I've seen it before at other churches where you can, there can be an element of zeal, but the the scripture, the foundation is, is just rooted in the world, and that's what these churches, that's one of the issues with the churches that are so worldly and their foundations are not rooted in the scripture.
Speaker 2:That's the key. Mark, you said something really, really important that the preacher and the teachers and the leadership team need to be rooted in the word of God. Now, this is not about lifestyle, because the Bible says all have sinned and fallen short. No one's got a lifestyle that is absolutely so beautiful and so pure Everyone you know. It's not about the lifestyle. It's about getting in the word and saying, Lord, will you shape me? So the leaders of the church need to be in the word and not deviating from the word and saying, lord, will you shape me? So the leaders of the church need to be in the word and not deviating from the word. But we've had many conversations about different churches, of how they're more interested in in messy church and cafe church and all these other worldly tools that are on the table in the in of religion and not bringing the word of God. How many people go to church on a Sunday that are literally hungry for the word of God and they leave church and they're still hungry? They haven't heard.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I completely agree. I mean, I've looked on the Messy Church webpage and I cannot say that I see anything, except for a little statement somewhere about us that we are Christ-centred, but other than that it's all just about fun and games and messiness, no scripture, nothing grounded in the gospel.
Speaker 2:No, that's correct.
Speaker 3:It's very easy for people to come together and talk about these kind of things, but when you talk about the word of god, the scripture, it's you. You might not even see a bible in some of these churches no, you don't, you don't mark.
Speaker 2:But what? What we've done here through lockdown? I felt god really chastising me. I really felt it and still to this day, still feel it. And I heard very clear now I'm not saying that God put his head through the clouds and went Ben, you're doing so great down there, you're the best in the world. Nothing like that whatsoever. I heard and I felt inside my innermost being that God said sweep through the house. What do you mean, lord? God didn't poke his finger through. I didn't have Gabriel come down and comb the air and sing songs to me and tell me what to do. I just felt God saying to me sweep through the house. What do you mean, lord? Sweep through the house?
Speaker 2:I cleared everything out of every ministry, of the youth ministry, the children's ministry, the men's ministry, the women's ministry. Every ministry was swept through and swept out and we cancelled everything. And what did we do? We come back to the fundamental points of Christianity worship, communion, prayers and scripture. And that's why in the church today that we don't have any sunday schools, we don't have any youth ministries, because I believe so much in, in a way that I've never believed before, that god wants all of us to be under the sound of the word of god and no segregating, because that's a worldly thing. And when you look at Christ, when Christ gave messages and he spoke on the Mount of Olives and wherever he was, it says the men, women and children were together well, yeah, keep looking to the Lord and like with it, with Abraham.
Speaker 3:you know we're seeking a city. We're seeking a place where we're among other believers. If you go to church and you come out and you feel still hungry and you're not among people who are Bible-loving believers, we're looking for people who are Bible-loving believers and it's a spiritual city. Maybe you won't find all of those people in one place.
Speaker 2:No, scattered, and I believe we're in a time where we're sitting in like there's a change. God has like flipped many of us around to go right, okay, I'm going to follow Jesus. God has like flipped many of us around to go right, okay, I'm going to follow Jesus. Churchgoers suddenly feeling very disorientated and very unusual, very peculiar, because there's been a change, the church has changed. It looks different. I've been here all my life. Hang on a minute, it's saying so. Different. It's because God is turning you towards him more and more. Not to say that anyone was lost before, but what I'm saying is god has turned up the hunger radar in you because we are living at the end days and at the end times.
Speaker 2:Scripture is very clear. What is going to happen to the christians and the bible believing believers? That there'll be a hunger. There'll be a first, there'll be a. I want more of jesus christ. There's an eagerness, there's a. I've got to have him more. So god is moving powerfully. You know, and I honestly believe that we are all living a devoted life, because that's what christianity is, but then in the devoting we sin, because we're human beings, sinners, saved by grace yeah, but that also means we have to be convicted to repent in order to live a life.
Speaker 2:To come back again.
Speaker 3:Loosed from what we've been set free from. We haven't been brought out of the world to go back into it.
Speaker 2:No, no, no, no, no. That's the power of redemption, that's the power of being redeemed and being set free and realising, Lord, I'm a sinner, saved by grace. Lord, I've said something, I've I've acted angrily, I've done this, I've done that, I've been unforgiving. But, lord, will you, will you? And then the holy spirit brings us under conviction and suddenly we start to move on, don't we? Yeah, because of the power of the holy spirit.
Speaker 3:It brings such peace and freedom and freedom. Yeah, liberty, you know it can heal, heal relationships with relatives. It can. It can kill the past if you, if you have anger or or, um, you're grieving about something, or just setting you free from, from limiting beliefs about you know, false beliefs about yourself, that the enemy would have you believe about yourself.
Speaker 3:But no, we're called to live in freedom yes and we have to be prepared to, like abraham, in faith, sojourn in the land of promise as a strange country dwelling in tabernacles. You know it's a journey. This life, this pilgrimage is a journey and we're yeah we're, we're to be uprooted and here in the uk, like we have this mentality of man's house is his castle and kind of building a house and setting your roots down deep.
Speaker 2:And don't move.
Speaker 3:A place, so it's quite scary to think about moving to another place. It is.
Speaker 2:Mark, but I'm just going to say something on the back end of what you're saying. Not long ago I don't know if I've said this before, not long ago I love the denomination, I'm in, I love all that and I've been in it for 26, 27 years and, and it's great, I I understand all that and respectful and all that. But then suddenly I felt the lord take me out the building, took me out the front of the building, you know having a bit of an unusual day. And uh, I turned back and I looked at the church and I looked at the fence on the left, I looked at the fence on the right and I was feeling a bit down, thinking is this here, this, this, is it like what you're saying it? We, we root our life in a set square, half a mile almost, and you think I've boxed myself in. But then I felt god tell me this, turn around. So when I turn around, so the church was behind me and I couldn't see and it was obviously. Everything was at my back and I looked across the houses right at the end of the road and I looked up and I felt God saying you belong to a global movement, don't restrict yourself by your thinking. Don't allow your thinking to keep you in the same job forever. Don't allow the thinking to keep you in the same postcode.
Speaker 2:Because what you've just said, when freedom comes, you can travel the world with jesus. You can go anywhere, but the world restricts us. Look at you, les, look at the criteria. Now that's coming on every human being in the uk. We are watched, we are camera'd, we are seen, we are monitored. Our spending, our living, our eating, our going, that's not of God.
Speaker 2:God says wherever you go is freedom. Every place the sole of your foot shall tread upon is your territory With Jesus. There is freedom and you can go anywhere with Jesus. But why do we limit ourselves to a small, little stretch? Because we think small and we allow ourselves to think small. Mark the world is before you. God has great things for you, the listeners. You know you can go anywhere and do anything with jesus, but don't miss your calling. I think that's really important. Don't miss your calling, not saying jesus is going to pass any one of us, but what I'm saying is don't let the blessing pass you by, because look at what happened when the church was praying earnestly for the miracle and he came out of prison and he went and he knocked on the door and the servant girl said the miracle's at the door and the church said no, it's not, we're carrying on praying.
Speaker 3:Yeah, prayer is so important. I mean, I I can't imagine a church without prayer meeting, but that you do get churches that don't pray, you do mark don't you? And you know, prayer is, is so dynamite yeah, yeah it we.
Speaker 3:You need to have a prayer filled life if, if you want to be close to the Lord and you want to be in the safest place, then, yeah, you need to be praying, you need to look to him, find him in the word, in the scriptures. Have your life, yeah, geared towards him and he'll lift you up. He'll lead you, amen, towards him and he will lift you up. He will lead you, amen. And in that life of freedom we can walk with more integrity, maybe even grow in leadership or in gifts that the Lord's given to us.
Speaker 2:Yeah, again, mark, you're saying something that's interesting. What is God calling us to?
Speaker 3:We have to ask him what is God calling us to the gifting?
Speaker 2:The gift, the skill set, the anointing, the power. You know we limit ourselves because we allow ourselves to think like the world. But we are living a devoted life. Realize that you are a devoted believer and we are devoted believers because our heart is devoted. We are given, we have been snatched out of the fire. God has us. So we are living a devoted life, but the flesh likes to live the other type of life, in complete disobedience to the word of God. But what we've got to remember is our heart is living for Jesus. Our heart is right. Get your heart right, get your heart focused, get your heart in the word of God, live heartily for Jesus Christ. But you can go anywhere, mark. You could go anywhere on this earth that God is calling you to go.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Anyone that's listening to this, but we box ourselves in into commuting into town. The same drive on the M25, the same job, the same warehouse job, the same this, the same that. And I believe that there are many Christians living quite sadly within themselves. They know they're believers.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, it isolates Sin, and darkness of this world will seek to isolate you box you in yeah, and you'll be defined by the world. But as soon as you start finding a way to get the word into you, whether it's reading, whether it's um reading and praying over, the scriptures, the psalms, uh, whether it's writing whatever, whatever it is, as soon as you start really taking this stuff in, then you can start to be defined by how God sees you.
Speaker 2:And you grow, and you grow Like Gideon. Look what Gideon said to the angel of the Lord, me. Are you calling me a warrior? What are you talking about? I'm the least in my family, in my clan. I'm and and I'm not saying that we say that about ourselves, but society tells us that, you know, some people might have been brought up in in different backgrounds and that where your parents have been really telling you, you're not this, you're not that, you'll never do you. You know so words really affect the human being. So if we've been growing up in a household that has been, the words have been penetrating us in a way of a negative way. That's going to affect us now in our adulthood.
Speaker 3:We put faith in it we put faith in those false labels.
Speaker 2:We put faith in the lie.
Speaker 3:But the scripture says that we're fearfully and wonderfully made Psalms. And you know it's beautiful Like made, and you know it's. It's beautiful like god's creation. It's a miracle.
Speaker 2:Every person you are a miracle life is a life.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you are a miracle like listeners. You're miracles and the city of god is is going to be the most beautiful place, with a life without sin in eternity with no tears, no sadness, just no sickness.
Speaker 2:No ULEZ, no government, no Just the river of life.
Speaker 2:Just pure worship, pure Christ, purity at a level that this human being, me, cannot even grasp or imagine. You know, mark, we've done 51 minutes and we're going to have to bring this aircraft to land in just a few moments. But believers, wherever you are across this world, look in the mirror this afternoon and say to yourself God loves me, god has saved me, god has given me a hope and a future. I can go anywhere and do anything in the will of Jesus. I'm not going to be trapped and hemmed in by governments. I'm not going to be trapped and hemmed in by culture and society. Who the Son sets free is free indeed. And I'm free Because you're living a devoted life.
Speaker 2:Your heart belongs to God. You know Jesus Christ loves you. The word is with you. You are blessed and highly favoured, wonderfully and fearfully made, as the psalmist writes. You know God is with you. The hand of the Lord is over you and you live your life for Jesus.
Speaker 2:You can go anywhere because God owns everything. Everything belongs to him, everything is for him, everything was created by him and you are in the everything and he loves you unconditionally. And whatever you are seeking in the world, don't seek what the world's got to offer. You Lay down what the world has and pick up what Jesus has for you, because you're a missionary, you're a preacher, you're a teacher, you're a brother, you're a sister in Christ, you're a warrior for God. You are blessed and highly favoured. God has your life and don't live a life of quiet, desperation, a life of sadness, a life of being entrapped, entrenched by what this world and culture is doing. Rise up, because the Bible says you will soar on wings as of eagles and remember all things are possible to those who believe. Mark's got something to close on.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I've got Proverbs 9, just a couple of verses. So Proverbs 9, verses 10 and 11, says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of the holy is the understanding, for by me thy days shall be multiplied and thy years, the years of thy life, shall be increased. So may that be applicable for all of us online and here in the church today.
Speaker 2:Amazing. You know we've covered a lot of subject. We've like thrown a blanket over so much stuff there. But wherever you are, and what Mark, through the power of the Holy Spirit and through being obedient to God, brought to the table devoted life, you know, be that Christian that you shine. Let your light shine in your workplace, let your light shine in university, in your family, your relationships. Let your light shine and you stand up for Jesus Christ.
Speaker 2:Be that radical, braggadocious, warrior, man or woman, whoever you are Jew, greek, slave or free, according to the word of god, you rise on wings as of eagles and you can live for jesus christ because the world belongs to him and you belong to him. You can go anywhere and do anything with jesus christ. Have a great day wherever you are. It is friday afternoon here within the UK, and may God bless you and carry you in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. We will see you very, very soon. Thank you so much for downloading all this stuff. It is the 8th of September, one minute past four, friday afternoon, and it is a sculpture here in the UK. God bless.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to Eden Church from this latest podcast. You can find us on Buzzsprout, Spotify, Apple Music, iHeartRadio, Google Play, Alexa, Mixcloud, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
