Deuteronomy Study | Weeks 4 & 5 Combined | Remembering God's Faithfulness & The Ten Commandments Blueprint

This week we're doing something a little different!

Due to scheduling conflicts, we weren't able to record our Week 4 recap, so we've combined Weeks 4 and 5 into one powerful episode.

Join Evelyn Ello and Krystal Clark as we continue our journey through the book of Deuteronomy and discover how God's faithfulness in the past shapes our trust today—and how the Ten Commandments remain God's blueprint for living a life that honors Him.

In this episode we discuss:

📖 Why Moses repeatedly reminded Israel to remember God's faithfulness

📖 How remembering God's goodness strengthens our faith today

📖 The purpose behind the Ten Commandments

📖 Why God's commandments are an expression of His love—not merely a list of rules

📖 How Jesus summarized the entire Law in Matthew 22 by calling us to love God and love others

📖 Practical ways believers can apply these timeless truths in everyday life

Whether you've been following our Deuteronomy Bible Study or you're joining us for the first time, this episode offers biblical teaching, practical application, and encouragement for every believer seeking to grow deeper in God's Word.

"You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." — Matthew 22:37 (NKJV)

If this episode encourages you, we'd love for you to Like, Subscribe, Share, and leave a review. Your support helps us take God's Word Beyond the Church Walls and into homes around the world.

🌐 Website: https://www.btcwministry.com

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May God bless you as you continue growing in His Word!

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Hello and welcome back to Unfiltered Faith. I am Evelyn. And I'm Crystal, and we are so glad you're here today. We really are. Whether you're listening on your morning commute, sitting on your back porch, or you've got your Bible open and you're studying along with us, thank you for spending this part of your day with us. Before we get started, we always like to say this because it's important. We are not biblical scholars, we're not theologians, we are just two ladies who love Jesus, love studying his word, and love talking about what he's teaching us. Everything we share is meant to encourage you to open your own Bible, read the scripture for yourself, and let the Holy Spirit be your teacher.

SPEAKER_00 0:36

Amen. And I hope these conversations make you hungry for God's word and not just depend it on ours. That's right.

SPEAKER_01 0:44

We will need to catch everyone up. Last week we weren't able to get together and record our podcast for week four of our Bible study. So life got busy, schedules didn't line up, and before we knew it, we were heading into week five. So we talked about just moving forward, but neither one of us felt good about skipping those chapters because there is some really important lessons from them.

SPEAKER_00 1:07

Yeah, and honestly, you know, I do feel like it worked out, you know, better this way. Week four naturally leads into week five. So it's almost like Moses is building one thought on top of another, so it just works out.

SPEAKER_01 1:19

Yeah, that's exactly how I felt. And he's reminding Israel don't forget what God has done. And then he follows it up by reminding them how God has called them to live. Those two ideas belong together.

SPEAKER_00 1:33

Yeah, so today we're going to slow down a little bit. So we're going to look back at week four, catch everybody up, and then move into week five before we continue with our study for next week.

SPEAKER_01 1:43

Okay, so let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for another opportunity to gather around your word. Thank you that no matter where each person is listening today, you are present with them. Lord, open our hearts to hear what you want us to hear. Help us not just gain knowledge, but grow in obedience and in our relationship with you. Guard our conversation, keep us faithful to your word. If we say anything that points people anywhere other than Jesus, stop us in our tracks. We pray that every listener walks away encouraged and challenged to spend more time with you. We ask all this in Jesus' mighty name. Amen. So one thing I love about Deuteronomy is that Moses doesn't sugarcoat anything. You know, um, as we talked about last night, he loves the word he called them his stiffed neck people, like he gets to the point. He's not standing in front of Israel pretending they've always been faithful. He's honest. He reminds them where they failed, but he also reminds them over and over where God has been faithful. It's true. You know, that really spoke to me because isn't that our story too?

SPEAKER_00 2:46

You know what it is. You know, and as I was reading this week, I kept thinking, you know, if I were writing this, I'd probably spend more time talking about the promised land. But that's not what Moses does. Moses spends a lot more time talking about remembering.

SPEAKER_01 3:03

You know what? I noticed the same thing. They are finally standing on the edge of receiving everything God promised. And Moses almost presses pause. Yeah. It's like he says, Eh, before you step into everything you've been praying for, don't forget the one who brought you here. That really hit me.

SPEAKER_00 3:18

Yeah, me too. Because, you know, if we're honest, we talked about this last night. Most of us pray the hardest when life is difficult.

SPEAKER_01 3:26

That's absolutely true. When the bills are piling up, when someone, you know, you or a loved one is sick, you know, when we're waiting on answers, we're talking to God all day long during those periods.

SPEAKER_00 3:38

Yeah, and then, you know, when life settles down, it's not maybe as hectic or chaotic. You know, the prayers get maybe a little bit more shorter and rushed. Uh the Bible stays on the table just a little bit longer. And then before we realize it, we've drifted. And not because we stopped believing that's not the case, we just stopped paying attention.

SPEAKER_01 4:01

Yeah, and like you said, you know, things got busy. It's kind of really what happened to us last week, you know, before we knew it. Like life was so busy, things were happening. Before we knew it, we're like, ah, we didn't get a chance to record the podcast, right? So, you know, I think that is an important difference. Moses isn't warning Israel about atheism, he's warning them about spiritual forgetfulness. Yeah. You know, there that's the big difference.

SPEAKER_00 4:23

Yeah, and you know, like we've said in previous podcasts, that doesn't happen all at once. Nobody wakes up one morning and says, Well, I'm just done with God today. Yeah, not all right. So it's it's usually just by, you know, little choices, whether it's I'll just skip today or I'll just pray tomorrow. Or I've got, you know, so much going on, you know, one day becomes one week, a week becomes a month, and suddenly we wonder why we don't feel close to the Lord anymore. And you know, I know I for one am super guilty because we're doing the the Bible recap. Um, and I was at probably my highest, like 60 something days behind.

SPEAKER_01 5:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:04

And I'm just it was just like one day piled out of this. And then just I'm just like, oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_01 5:09

Yeah, you feel like you're never gonna get caught up, you know. I think every believer has been there at some point. Yes, you know, not because we like you said, we stopped loving God. No, it's just because life got loud. And if we allow it, life will get louder, you know. Um, if we're not intentional, the urgent things in life start pushing aside the in eternal things. And there's where it gets a little dangerous.

SPEAKER_00 5:31

Yeah, and that's you know, that's why I love Deuteronomy 8. You know, God knows exactly what's waiting for Israel. He knows they're about to live in beautiful homes that they didn't build. Yep. They're going to harvest vineyards that they didn't plant, and they're going to enjoy blessings that they did not earn. And instead of saying, here, just go enjoy yourselves, his warning is don't forget me.

SPEAKER_01 5:57

Yeah. That almost seems backwards, don't you think? Mm-hmm. Like we expect God to warn us about the hard times, but instead, here he warns us about the good times.

SPEAKER_00 6:06

Well, it's because he knows he knows our hearts, right? He knows we're human, and probably that comfort has a way of making us feel self-sufficient and less reliant on God.

SPEAKER_01 6:17

Yeah, actually it really does. I I was thinking about that while I was reading this. Have you ever noticed how easy it is to thank God when you're waiting for something? You know, but once the prayer is answered, you move on to the next thing. Yeah, ouch. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 6:32

Yeah. Guilty. Guilty. Or, you know, we're already asking him for the next blessing before we've really thanked him for the last one.

SPEAKER_01 6:43

Oh, that's true. And I don't think that's because we're ungrateful people. I don't think that. I think we're just forgetful people. Yeah. You know, and that that's a difference. Yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_00 6:52

You know, one verse I highlighted was Deuteronomy 818. And it reads, And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the power to get wealth. And that's in the New King James Version. And you know, when I read that, I thought, hmm, I don't think this is just about money.

SPEAKER_01 7:13

You know, I had the same thought. Because if all we see in that verse is finances, I think we miss the bigger picture. You know, everything we have, our ability to work, to think, to serve, to encourage others, to raise, you know, a family, to minister. All those are gifts from God.

SPEAKER_00 7:28

Yeah, even just waking up this morning with breath in our lungs.

SPEAKER_01 7:32

Amen to that. There are people who didn't wake up today, so there that is a blessing. Every breath we take is a gift from God. I think sometimes we become so accustomed to God's blessing that we stop recognizing them as blessings.

SPEAKER_00 7:47

Yeah, I would kind of say um that reminds me of Israel with the manna, right? Like could you imagine just seeing bread every morning? Like at first it had to be so incredible, but then after a while it became just mundane or just very normal for them.

SPEAKER_01 8:06

Well, an expectation. Yeah, they expected it. They did if they woke up one day and it wasn't there'd be like, what?

SPEAKER_00 8:10

I mean, weren't they at some point weren't they complaining about it? Yes. And that's when he brought the quails or something.

SPEAKER_01 8:16

Yeah. And I think that's a good example, right? The miracle became routine. Right. And I wonder how often we do that. You know, we do we we pray for a job. God provides the job. Six months later we're complaining about said job, you know. We pray for a house. God provides the house. Then we spend more time complaining about the upkeep and then than we do thanking him for the roof over our head.

SPEAKER_00 8:37

Yeah, I am trying to change that. Like as I'm loading up the dish or like the clothes, I'm like, thank you, Lord, that we are all clothed, because I have dirty clothes in my washer. Like I'm trying to complaining about the clothes. I'm trying to actually, you know, flip my thinking on that. Right, gratitude. Yeah, or like for also for me, it's you know, we pray for children, and then when they become toddlers, we become overwhelmed in that chaos of you know raising them.

SPEAKER_01 9:03

Sister, that's not gonna stop just a toddler as I'm just gonna be.

SPEAKER_00 9:05

Oh, I know right now she's a toddler, but you know, it's like I just get so frustrated and it's overwhelming. Overwhelming, and then I I have like this mom guilt because I prayed for her. I and I know she's a blessing, and I don't ever want to take that for granted, but then it's like I get frustrated and overwhelmed, and you know, I just I hate that. It's like this vicious cycle of being super grateful for her, but at the same time, like I am frustrated, and I I hate that, but I'm human and it's real life.

SPEAKER_01 9:32

I think it's easy to lose sight of the fact that many of the things we complain about today are answers to prayers that we prayed for yesterday.

SPEAKER_00 9:40

That's true, you know, that's very true. And that's you know, it's definitely a a thought worth pondering, you know.

SPEAKER_01 9:45

Yeah, well, it really is. You know, Moses kept reminding Israel to remember because remembering changes how we live. Yeah, you know, when I and when I intentionally remember God's faithfulness, it affects my attitude. You know, it affects how I handle difficult people, it affects how I trust him with tomorrow.

SPEAKER_00 10:04

Oh, that's that's really good. And then Moses, you know, he does something very interesting. You know, he does start reminding them of their failures, and he doesn't do that to shame them, he does that to remind them how patient God has been with them.

SPEAKER_01 10:23

And we know God is patient with them for sure. Yes, you know, that brings up the golden calf, right? Can you imagine? I just Moses is on the mountain receiving the law from God, and before he even comes back down, the people are worshiping an idol they made with their hands. How crazy is that?

SPEAKER_00 10:39

I I know, and I think what trips me up about that story is it's Aaron. You know, like Moses entrusted Aaron to guide these people while he's gone. And then it's Aaron who's like, give me your gold, and Aaron actually makes a golden arm.

SPEAKER_01 10:54

Enough of you people, just give me your gold.

SPEAKER_00 10:55

And he's like a priest, you know, he's like the Levite priest. That's just it's crazy to me. Right. But it's funny. I mean, it's not funny, but you know, it did well, it goes to show.

SPEAKER_01 11:04

Truly, they they were they were like God is patient, but we were so impatient, the people were so impatient waiting for waiting for Moses.

SPEAKER_00 11:11

Yeah. So, you know, that account, of course, it always amazed me. Um, and it wasn't because they made an idol. Right. I think what got to me is how quickly they turned to an idol.

SPEAKER_01 11:28

I think that's what struck me too, because you know, we all have, unfortunately, at some point idolized something and not realized it. So I think for them to have the idol, to make the idol, it was the quickness of it. You know, they they had seen God's power, they had watched him deliver them from Egypt, they had crossed the Red Sea, they had eaten manna, they had watched and even complained about the amount of manna they were getting, you know, they had watched water come from a rock, yet in a matter of days, yeah, they were bowing before a golden calf. That that's mind-blowing.

SPEAKER_00 11:59

Yeah. And then it brings us to the point that just because we see miracles, yeah, that does not automatically produce obedience.

SPEAKER_01 12:10

Man, that's such a good point because sometimes we think, well, if God would just do one big miracle in my life, I would never doubt him again. Yeah. And I know this to be true because I have I know some non-believers who have said those very words. Well, if God would just show himself or come down and just show me that and I'm thinking, you don't want God to show himself, okay? But but to show that, you know, show himself in some manner that they would not doubt him. Well, we know that's not true. Right. Because Israel proves that's not true. Right. You know, miracles can get your attention for sure, but only a surrendered heart produces lasting obedience.

SPEAKER_00 12:46

Yeah, I have to be honest. I did think that when grandma was dying. Yeah. You know, I was like, man, I was like, if God would just miraculously heal her, this one person I love the most, like, there would be no denying. Right. You know, like those that thought, I mean, it did cross my mind. Absolutely. Um, but here's something else I noticed. Like, Moses, you know, he doesn't spend all his time talking about Israel's sin. He actually spends just as much time talking about God's mercy.

SPEAKER_01 13:14

You know, I'm glad you brought that up because that's the part that really gives me hope. Right. And hopefully it gives everybody hope. You know, Israel failed. Again and again and again.

SPEAKER_00 13:25

And again.

SPEAKER_01 13:26

You know, exactly. Yet God continued pursuing them. Yes. He disciplined them, but he didn't abandon them, and that should we should all have hope in that. Yeah. Because that's exactly what he's doing for us today.

SPEAKER_00 13:39

Right. And I mean, that's basically the gospel in a nutshell, even.

SPEAKER_01 13:42

You know, it really is. You know, when I read those chapters, I couldn't help but think about how patient God has been with me over the years. I have been in seasons where I've known better. You know, I have been in times where I was stubborn, times when I wanted my own way, and yet God never stopped loving me. He corrected me, he redirected me. Sometimes he closed doors. I thought I wanted open. But every bit of it was because he loved me too much to leave me where I was in that at that time, in those seasons.

SPEAKER_00 14:14

Oh yeah. You know, and I I think that somebody needs to hear that today. You know, maybe you've been carrying guilt over past mistakes. I'm human. I have done that myself plenty of times, more times than I'd like to admit. Or maybe you're thinking, gosh, I just I've failed too many times. Like, how can I go back to him?

SPEAKER_01 14:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:35

Been there, done that. Those thoughts have also flooded my minds. Like, you just feel like you're too far gone. But you're not. And Israel's story reminds us that God's mercy is greater than our failures.

SPEAKER_01 14:48

Oh, amen to that. Now, that doesn't mean our choices don't have consequences. They absolutely do. But failure doesn't have to be the end of our story, it doesn't have to define us when we repent and turn back to the Lord. And honestly, I mean that's a perfect bridge into week five. It really is, because after reminding Israel where they've been in chapter four, chapter five, Moses reminds them of God's commands. Not because they're earning God's love, they already belong to Him. The commandments weren't given to make them God's people, they were given because they were God's people. And so this is their guidance.

SPEAKER_00 15:25

Yes, and that's such an important distinction. Obedience doesn't earn our salvation. We can't earn our salvation. It flows from our relationship with God.

SPEAKER_01 15:37

It's true, and sometimes people hear commandments and immediately think rules, restrictions. Yeah. But when I read Deuteronomy 5, I don't see that. I don't see an angry God handing out rules. I see a loving God giving boundaries to protect his children.

SPEAKER_00 15:52

Um, yeah, I mean, just like any good parent, you know, does, they give their children boundaries. You know, a parent doesn't tell a child not to run into traffic because they just want to ruin their fun. I mean, they do it because, you know, they love them. Like we'll tell Riley she's gotta watch for cars, and she'll say, Oh, so I don't get squished by dirty wheels? Yes, baby, because we don't want you to get squished by dirty wheels.

SPEAKER_01 16:14

That's why you don't go right to the street. I mean, that's a perfect picture, right? God's commands aren't meant to steal our joy, they're meant to protect it.

SPEAKER_00 16:22

Right. And another thing I noticed this week is that Moses isn't giving Israel a brand new set of commandments. I mean, he's reminding them of something they've already heard. So these are not new.

SPEAKER_01 16:34

Yeah, yes, and I think that's important because this is a new generation. Most of the people standing there weren't the ones who stood at Mount Sinai 40 years earlier. Moses wanted to make sure this new generation understands that God's covenant didn't expire with their parents. You know, now it's their turn to walk with the Lord.

SPEAKER_00 16:52

Yeah, and that, you know, really makes me stop and think. You know, faith isn't inherited. Right. Right? So, you know, your faith can't get me and my brother or Riley into heaven. So just because, you know, your parents love the Lord like you love the Lord and I love the Lord doesn't automatically mean that our children will, right? That's right. Or others that we love will. So at some point, every person has to make the decision that they, you know, they're gonna follow God for themselves. Yeah. That's a personal decision and that's relationship.

SPEAKER_01 17:29

Yeah, and I couldn't agree more. You know, as a parent and a grandparent, you know, we teach our children, we pray for them, you know, we bring them to church, read the Bible with them, but eventually it does become their decision. You know, God doesn't have grandchildren, right? He only has children. So each of us have to come to him personally. You know, he says, you know, his word won't return void.

SPEAKER_00 17:49

Right. So Yeah. And bring them, I forgot the exact verse. I think it's in Proverbs, I think, but it's uh, you know, basically teach themselves. Raise them up, teach them up in their his ways. Won't stray from him as they get older. Yeah. Um, and that's a good reminder. You know, sometimes we put so much pressure on ourselves, like wondering if we if we've done enough, you know. But the truth is, we sh we should absolutely, and we need to pour into our kids and our grandkids the love of Jesus, the mercy, and and the God's forgiveness. But we also have to trust the Holy Spirit to work in their hearts.

SPEAKER_01 18:27

Yeah, exactly. Uh, that takes a lot of pressure off, doesn't it? You know, if we stay faithful, we keep praying, we keep living out our faith, and they're witnessing that, yeah. Um, you know, then we have to just trust God with what we can't control.

SPEAKER_00 18:42

Right, because God is in control. That's right. Um, another thing I noticed is that before God gave Israel any commandments, he reminded them who he was.

SPEAKER_01 18:55

He did. I love that too. He said in Deuteronomy 5, 6, I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You know, he doesn't start with here is a list of rules. Right. He starts with relationship. Right. You know, he reminds them, I'm the God who rescued you.

SPEAKER_00 19:14

Yeah, and you know, that changes, that changes everything because obedience isn't where the relationship begins. It's the response to the relationship. We love God, therefore we obey him.

SPEAKER_01 19:28

Yeah, and honestly, that's still true today. You know, we aren't trying to obey God so that he'll love us. Right. He already demonstrated that he his love for us through Jesus Christ on the cross. Yeah. You know, we obey because we love him. Right. You know, Jesus even said, If you love me, keep my commands. Not because we're earning salvation, because we cannot, but because our hearts have been changed.

SPEAKER_00 19:51

Right. And you know, when you look at the Ten Commandments through that lens of Jesus, like if you love me, you keep my commandments, then they feel completely different, right? So they're no longer just a checklist, but it's but it's a reflection of God's heart.

SPEAKER_01 20:10

That's true, that's exactly how I see them. You know, the f the first commandments teach us how to love God, and we talked at at length last night during our Bible study. Um, you know, the first four commands show us how to love God, and then the rest, the other six, show us and teach us how to love people. And didn't Jesus say those were the two greatest commands love God and love your neighbor.

SPEAKER_00 20:34

Which would make sense that he says, if you love me, you'll keep my commandments, because that's what those ten commandments are about. Yep, love it. Starts with that and loving people, which means if we are struggling to love people, which I will admit I at times do, because I know I think anybody who's human does. It's probably worth asking how our relationship with God is doing. Maybe there's something we might have to surrender there somewhere.

SPEAKER_01 20:59

Oh boy, that's that's a real heart check right there, because it's easy to say we love God while we're holding bitterness against someone or refusing to forgive or speaking harshly.

SPEAKER_00 21:10

Yeah, and I don't think Jesus separates those things.

SPEAKER_01 21:13

He doesn't. And honestly, neither does Moses. You know, the commandments weren't just about outward behavior. They revealed what was happening in the heart.

SPEAKER_00 21:22

And that's one thing, and I've I've learned over the years. God is always after the heart. He can change behavior, but first he wants our hearts surrendered to him.

SPEAKER_01 21:33

Absolutely. You know, I hear people say, We're under grace now, so the commands, you know, the commandments don't matter anymore or don't matter as much, you know. I don't think that's what scripture teaches us at all.

SPEAKER_00 21:45

No, I I agree. And I think that's because, you know, when Jesus did his his teaching, he did not lower God's standard. If anything, he raised the bar to what to the initial Ten Commandments.

SPEAKER_01 22:00

Well, exactly. Because if we look at it, let's say he he said it's not just murder, it's hatred. Right. You know, it's not just adultery, it's lust. You know, so he kept bringing everything back to the actual condition of the heart. Right.

SPEAKER_00 22:16

So, you know, we can change our habits for a little while, but lasting change comes when the Holy Spirit begins changing us from the inside out. So he changes our hearts to be more like Jesus.

SPEAKER_01 22:28

Well, that's and that's exactly why Christianity isn't about trying harder. Right. You know, it's about surrendering more. You know, I spent years thinking spiritual maturity meant I had to become stronger, like a stronger person. But the older I've gotten, the more I've realized spiritual maturity means becoming more actually more dependent on Christ.

SPEAKER_00 22:47

Yeah, you know, I I do love that because you know, dependence is seen as weakness, but it's not. That's right. You know, it's it's trust, it's trusting, and it's even we look at marriages, you know, people look down when it talks about being a submissive wife because it's like, oh well, I'm subservient or I don't matter. That's not what it is at all. That means that you are trusting in God to find you a husband that will lead your household. That's right, and that you are his partner. Yep. You know, so people, you know, people unfortunately do look down on dependence and they do look down on the submissive wife because they think that they both are weak when in fact they're not. You're you're trusting God.

SPEAKER_01 23:28

That's right. Well, I mean, that's the that's the human aspect of everything. You know, everybody wants to be independent, everybody wants and you know, there is you know, the way we look at independence, independence is totally different than the way the Lord's looking at it. Yeah, you know, and I think that's really what Moses wanted Israel to understand, that everything God commanded was ultimately for their good. You know, not because he wanted to control them, but because he loved them enough to show the path that leads to life. And you know, that's the title of my study book here. Yeah, choosing the path that leads to life. And that's exactly what Moses is doing. He's standing before the people saying, You know, I've walked with God, I've seen his faithfulness. Please don't make the same mistakes we've made. Right. You know, please walk with him, please trust him, stay close to him, you know.

SPEAKER_00 24:17

And that message is just as relevant today as it was thousands of years ago. You know, people are still searching for purpose and searching for peace and searching for uh fulfillment. And God's answer has not changed. It's come to him, walk with him, and trust him.

SPEAKER_01 24:36

Amen. And if I could leave our listeners with one thought before we close today, it would simply be this never let God's blessings become so familiar that you stop thanking him. Yeah. Take time to remember where he found you, remember the prayers he answered, remember the doors he opened, and remember the mercy he showed you when you didn't deserve it. Because remembering builds gratitude, and gratitude keeps our heart close to God.

SPEAKER_00 25:05

You know, we kind of talked about it before about maybe doing um like a gratitude journal.

SPEAKER_01 25:10

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 25:10

And so if if this is something maybe you struggle with, you know, maybe maybe set a gratitude journal.

SPEAKER_01 25:15

Yeah, I mean well, we did that during our week four, which you know, we did earlier. We said, you know, get a journal in every day, and I even challenged, you know, everybody, and I'm I'm guilty, I haven't really started myself, but challenge to like send your spouse or your you know your significant other something every single day, like in a text of what you're grateful for, you know, from you know what in them, like what it what are you you know grateful that the Lord has done in their lives together, you know? Yeah, I think it's a great deal.

SPEAKER_00 25:40

Yeah. And you know, as we've been just talking today, you know, uh one thought that keeps coming back to me is you know, I think remembering has to be intentional. Oh yes. You know, none of us accidentally become more thankful. I think that's why like a gratitude journal would be great because it kind of keeps everything at the forefront.

SPEAKER_01 25:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 25:58

Um, because we have to choose it, we have to choose to be grateful and thankful for all of God's blessings.

SPEAKER_01 26:04

Absolutely, and I agree. And maybe that's why one reason why Moses repeats himself so often in Deuteronomy. Yeah. You know, when I first started reading this book and, you know, building this Bible study, I remember thinking, didn't we just read this? Like, you know, because it does repeat itself a lot. Then I realized that's the point of Deuteronomy. You're like, you know, parents repeat themselves, teachers repeat themselves. The people who love us most repeat the things they don't want us to forget.

SPEAKER_00 26:32

Yeah, and that's true. And you know, Mom, I can still hear things that you used to tell us growing up. And at the time, you know, I probably rolled my eyes as like, oh gosh, like not this again. But you know, now I hear myself saying, you know, the same things. I'm like, oh geez, I sound like my mom.

SPEAKER_01 26:46

Yeah. Isn't that funny how that works? You know, you spend years saying, I'll never say that, or I'll never do that, right? Yeah. Then one day it comes right out of your mouth.

SPEAKER_00 26:54

Like, whoops, there it goes.

SPEAKER_01 26:56

But seriously, I think Moses understood something that we all need to remember. People don't drift toward God. Right. We drift away from him if we're not intentional, you know. That's why time in God's word matters. That's why prayers matter, that's why gathering with other believers matter. That's why I love Wednesday nights, you know, gathering uh and Sundays, you know, gathering with other like-minded people. Not because God is keeping score of how often you're attending Bible study or how often you're doing, you know, in his word. It's because those things keep our hearts centered on him.

SPEAKER_00 27:29

Yeah. You know, and if there's somebody listening today that feels like, you know, maybe they've just drifted away. I hope and pray that you don't hear condemnation, because that's not what this is. What I do hope and pray you hear is an invitation. Because that's the beautiful thing about our God. When we turn toward him, he's always there, no matter how far we went.

SPEAKER_01 27:53

Amen. And maybe you're listening today and you're thinking, I remember when I was closer to the Lord than I am right now. Can I encourage you? Don't stay there. Don't let shame convince you to keep running. The same God who welcomed the prodigal son home is waiting for you to with, you know, with open arms. Take one step back toward him. Open your Bible, spend time in prayer. Talk to him honestly. You don't have to have those perfect words. We talked about that at length last night. You know, we don't need these big fancy prayers, you know. Just talk to him. He already knows your heart. Open up.

SPEAKER_00 28:28

Yeah. And you know, don't wait until Monday or don't wait until next month. You know, just start today. Even if it's just reading one chapter, even if it's spending, you know, just five quiet minutes talking with the Lord. Just small, faithful steps is what matter.

SPEAKER_01 28:45

You know, they really do. You know, before we close, I want to leave everyone with one verse that really captures what we've talked about here for chapter five, and that's Deuteronomy 8.2. And it says, And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these 40 years in the wilderness. Now, I love that verse, and the reason why is because Moses doesn't say God only led them through victories. Right. You know, he says he led them all the way. So through the waiting, through the testing, through the uncertainty, through the miracles, God was faithful every single step.

SPEAKER_00 29:23

And he still is.

SPEAKER_01 29:25

Amen. Certainly he is. So if you'll close us up in prayer.

SPEAKER_00 29:29

Sure. Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for your incredible faithfulness. We thank you that even when we forget, you never forget us. Forgive us for the times we've taken your blessings for granted, or allow the busyness of life to crowd out our time with you. Help us to remember, help us to live with grateful hearts. Teach us to love you with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength. And may our obedience flow out of love and not obligation. Lord, please bless every person listening today, encourage those who are weary, strengthen those who are struggling, and draw back those who have wandered, and remind each of us that your mercy is new every single morning. We love you, we thank you, and we pray all this in the precious name of Jesus. Amen. So thank you so much for joining us today, and we really, really hope this conversation encouraged you to spend time in God's Word this week.

SPEAKER_01 30:30

If it did, would you do us a favor? Share this episode with a friend or family member. You never know how God might use one conversation to encourage someone else. And if you're looking for a Bible study to join, we'd love to invite you to be on the church walls ministry on Wednesday nights. We meet every week to study God's Word together, and whether you're brand new to the Bible or you've been studying it for years, you're welcome.

SPEAKER_00 30:54

And you can also connect with us on social media where we share daily encouragement, Bible study posts, updates about the ministry, and any kind of community outreach that we're doing.

SPEAKER_01 31:04

And remember, our goal has never been to just know more about God. Our prayer is that every one of us would know him more personally and take his love beyond the four walls of the church into our homes, our workplace, and communities. That's what Beyond the Church Walls Ministry is all about. Until next time, stay in the Word, stay close to Jesus, and remember, God has been faithful every step of the way. We'll see you next week. God bless.