Podcasts
Root Issues
We're taking a break from our series, Babylon: The Seat of Satan's Power, this week. In this replay from our "Exposed" series, we look at what allows pride to flourish and grow inside us. We’ll look at life in America and examine the ways it encourages us to be proud. We’ll also talk about trials in marriage and how they can foster our pride in unexpected ways. Both topics will help us see more clearly the way God deals with pride and the consequences of its unchecked influence.
While pride and selfishness are celebrated in much of American culture, the Lord tells us in His Word that they will lead to destruction.
For thousands of years, thick spiritual darkness covered the entire world. The prince of darkness, Satan, longed for the day when he would once again unite the globe in open rebellion to God's authority. But one day, 120 men and women left an upper room in Jerusalem with a fiery zeal and a white hot love for Jesus of Nazareth - the man who had changed everything about their lives. Their passion and their testimonies were infectious and began plundering the kingdom of darkness of its subjects daily.
When God's people are inflamed with love for Jesus and a zeal for His Kingdom, Satan's master plan for humanity is presented with a massive threat. But the enemy won't go down without a fight. In this show, we'll look at one of his most effective counterattacks - fostering a church culture that is full of apathy.
The Lord desires to wake us up from our apathetic lifestyle so that we'll put forth the effort to seek Him and know Him more.
Last week, we began looking at some of the main tactics Satan uses to lead mankind into rebellion against God. In this episode, we’ll look at another example of how Satan does that. Join us, as we examine how our enemy works tirelessly to promote a lifestyle of selfishness and pride in us and how that leads us into rebellion against the Lord. We’ll also discuss how God earnestly and tirelessly works to tear those things down in every believer’s life.
Satan has constructed a world-system that feeds a lifestyle of pride and self-centeredness, that mocks at God’s rule and authority.
When we sin, we naturally don’t want to take responsibility for our actions. We want to blame others or even blame God. But Scripture clearly says that it’s our own desires which lead into sin. In this discussion, Brooks, Josh and Chris unpack how they went from a place of making excuses when they sinned, to a place of brokenness and contrition over their spiritual condition. They also discuss how the Lord brought them to a place where they were no longer controlled by their desires.
When we learn to consistently treasure the Lord instead of our sinful desires, we begin to look more like Him and less like the world.
Up to this point in our series, we've been taking a bird’s eye view of the spiritual realm to expose how the world is being controlled by an ancient spirit bent on rebellion against God. Now it’s time to zoom in and start looking at some of the practical, every-day things that the spirit of Babylon uses to draw mankind into that rebellion. We'll expose some of our personal vulnerabilities, and some of the weaknesses in our religious system, which leave us exposed to this very powerful, very seductive and very evil spirit. Journey with us as we look at the massively important realm of desire.
While it’s true that our desires can influence us, only our will can make the decision to act upon those desires.
If we are going to resist the enemy, we must learn to be fighters. That's what Josh, Kyle, and Trey found out early on in their walk with the Lord. The battle was hard, and they weren’t expecting it. In this discussion, they reflect on how worldliness will kill a fighting spirit, and how God has helped them to become willing to enter the battle. We hope you’ll be encouraged by their stories and by their growing passion to know Jesus!
When we taste and see that the Lord is good, He begins to be the one we are fighting for.
There is a dark spirit at work in this world, seeking to destroy mankind by convincing them to unite in rebellion against God. That spirit is of course, Satan. But he isn't alone. All around us, there are demonic beings trying to exert their very powerful influence upon us. This week, we’re going to take a brief look at the demonic realm and how these dark spirits work to gain dominion over a person's heart. And we’ll follow that up with a conversation about a powerful strategy to effectively fight against their evil influence.
Most people live their lives pursuing pleasure, little realizing that the spirit of Babylon is leading them to their destruction.
Sexual sin is an obvious manifestation of a worldly mindset. But there are many other, less obvious, and less wicked ways, in which Satan allures us into a godless lifestyle. This was definitely true for Gabriel, Chad and Vinny – three men on staff here at Pure Life Ministries who were once hopelessly caught up in the world system. In this special roundtable discussion, they sit down to discuss the details of what drew them away from God, and also the miraculous transformation that occurred during their time in our Residential Program.
If you are immersed and influenced by the system of this world, it will blind you to your true spiritual condition.
Scripture reveals that Satan desires to seduce all mankind. By marshaling the entire demonic realm, he seeks to deceive us and lead us into the same lustful, corrupt and godless mindset which marks his kingdom. The truth is, that as we look at the vast majority of men and women, we realize that Satan has succeeded in this plot. Most of humanity has bought into his lies, wholeheartedly pursuing a self-centered life in this present world. And so, in the sixth episode of our series Babylon: The Seat of Satan’s Power, we discuss what the Bible calls Kosmos. As we explore what Kosmos really is, we’ll see why it’s such a serious threat to every believer and what our response to it should be.
The world’s system is constantly seeking to squeeze the minds of believers into its attitudes, values and opinions.
If you’ve been listening to our Babylon series, then you know that it’s all about exposing the spirit that is working in this world to bring everyone into rebellion against God. So far, we’ve explored the historical origins of Babylon. Now we’re going to look at how Satan is crafting a worldwide rebellion against God. He will do it much more easily than we could imagine. He’ll do it by appealing to our desires.
Pursuing our desires, in opposition to God’s will, leads to spiritual exile from His presence and drives us into spiritual darkness.
To understand how the spirit of Babylon invades our way of thinking, we must understand how Satan uses men to help promote his goals. There have been many examples of such men and women throughout the ages, but the first was Nimrod, the founder of Babylon. The rebellion he began against Yahweh continues even today and can be found in the beliefs of many religions, cultures and organizations. And if we aren't careful, any of these ideas can influence us and steal our hearts away from the Lord.
Today, mankind is unifying under a rebellious doctrine which deceives us into believing we can determine what is right and what is wrong.
Just because we take extreme measures to prevent giving in to sexual temptation doesn’t mean anything has changed in our hearts. We can’t just put off sinful habits, we need God to give us a new heart – one in which He produces the true fruits of righteousness. In this roundtable discussion, Josh, Chris, and Luke sit down in the Pure Life studio to discuss the crazy things they did to overcome their sexual addiction and how it never worked. But their stories will also give hope to anyone in bondage as they share how God blessed them and freed them tremendously during their time in our Residential Program.
If your drive in life is to truly love others and pursue righteousness, the Lord will provide the strength and grace for you to do it.
