Real
Faith
How does faith really intersect our lives - in prayer, in following Jesus, and in sharing our faith?
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Leaving Jericho
A wild story where faith, prayer, and following Jesus all collide.
And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" And Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." And they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take heart. Get up; he is calling you." And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. And Jesus said to him, "What do you want me to do for you?" And the blind man said to him, "Rabbi, let me recover my sight." And Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well." And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way. Mark 10:46-52 · ESV
What Did We Miss in Jericho?
"They came to Jericho… and as he was leaving." Mark gives no details about the visit - but Luke does. Jericho was wealthy, an oasis of palm trees near the Jordan River with royal connections, on the road up to Jerusalem.
"You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:13
If you seek Him, you'll find Him - He isn't hard to find. Zacchaeus found Jesus and did something with it: he repented and changed. Jesus taught about the cross, then showed what it would bring - life change.
Get in the Way
It was no surprise Jesus was in town - multitudes followed Him. Bartimaeus likely positioned himself in the way for an encounter.
Where do I need to position myself "in the way" for an encounter with Jesus?
What Real Faith Did
Tap each one.
1 He Heardv. 47
Bartimaeus heard Jesus was finally passing by. I wonder if he heard the voice of Jesus - and that's what made him shout.
"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." John 10:27
2 He Cried Outvv. 47-48
Speak up! Quit keeping it to yourself. Faith requires you to talk and walk - but often we don't even whisper.
"You do not have, because you do not ask." James 4:2
It's okay to ask God for anything that aligns with His will - and it's okay to whisper the desires of your heart. The crowd told him to stop bothering Jesus. Bartimaeus shouted louder.
Jesus had just taught the parable of the persistent widow, who kept asking and received (Luke 18:1-8). Now they watched it lived out.
What have I stopped asking God for?
3 He Threw the Cloakv. 50
Beggars laid their cloak out to collect money. Bartimaeus threw his. Maybe he threw it off - removing the shame and the struggle. Maybe he threw it away - sometimes you have to burn the bridge so there's nothing to go back to.
After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you want to go away as well?" Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." John 6:66-68
Why do we keep going back? Because we leave it there - just in case.
What "cloak" am I keeping around just in case?
4 He Askedvv. 51-52
Face to face, Jesus asks, "What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus already knew what he wanted - and that He could do it. Still, He asked.
"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened." Matthew 7:7-8 · ESV
When my experience doesn't line up with God's Word and character - I keep believing. Don't stop believing.
If Jesus asked me today, "What do you want me to do for you?" - what would I say?
5 He Followedv. 52
What do you do when you encounter Jesus? He changes your life - and you follow Him.
The concern: Jesus shows up and collides with someone's struggle… and now they can see, so they walk their own way.
If you'd been blind your whole life, wouldn't you run to see all the sights and colors you'd only heard about? Not Bartimaeus. He was used to being led - just not by a friend or family member anymore. Following was his normal. Now he was following the Life Giver.
His Sheep Know His Voice
His sheep know Him, hear Him, and follow Him. Know means learn - we learn His voice.
Try S.O.A.P. when you read:
Do You Truly Follow Him?
Follow = trust Him over our opinions, ideas, hopes, and even our dreams.
My Next Step
Hear. Cry out. Throw the cloak. Ask. Follow. Which one is my next step this week?
Heavenly Father, thank You for hearing us when we call out to You. Lord, help us to have faith like Bartimaeus-a faith that keeps believing, asking, and trusting, even when we can't see what You're doing. Teach us to recognize Your voice, stand firm on Your Word, and follow You above our own plans and desires. Lord, don't let us simply have an encounter with You and walk away unchanged. We want to live a life transformed and surrendered to You. We love You, Lord. In Jesus' name, amen.
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The false gods every culture in Scripture bowed to - and how they mirror the ones we serve today.
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Out of Captivity
The Hebrew people had been in captivity for a long time. God wanted to bring them out - and deliver them into something.
So often, followers of God drift back into captivity when they quit following Him and get swayed by the god of culture - by desires, hopes, and fears. They stop following the God who delivered them and fall into destruction.
"Who Am I?"
But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?" He said, "But I will be with you…" … God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And he said, "Say this to the people of Israel: 'I AM has sent me to you.'" … "This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations." Exodus 3:11-15 · ESV
The Names of God
Every name is a reminder of who He is. Tap a name to reveal it.
Tap any tile to flip it back.
He Proves Himself
The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them. Exodus 7:5 · ESV
In our culture we often feel like we have to talk people into faith. But if I have to talk you into it, it's not faith.
…and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. 1 Corinthians 2:4 · ESV
Ten Plagues. Ten Fallen Gods.
Egypt followed false gods looking for real answers. So God brought plagues that went head-to-head with those gods - and then asks us where those same idols live in our lives today.
1 Water into BloodExodus 7:14-25
What would I panic over if I lost it?
2 FrogsExodus 8:1-15
What reigns supreme - my family, or my faith in Christ?
3 LiceExodus 8:16-19
Am I okay trusting God beyond my ability to control?
4 FliesExodus 8:20-32
Am I okay trusting God beyond my ability to control?
5 Disease on LivestockExodus 9:1-7
Is my identity in my income or my career?
6 BoilsExodus 9:8-12
Do I ultimately trust God as my Healer?
7 HailExodus 9:13-35
Do I trust God as my Protector and Provider?
8 LocustsExodus 10:1-20
Do I trust God as my Protector and Provider?
9 DarknessExodus 10:21-29
In an age where AI is everywhere for knowledge, where do I go for wisdom and true enlightenment?
10 Death of the FirstbornExodus 12:29-36
By my actions and thoughts - who do I really trust for my future?
The idols have changed.
The heart hasn't.
Who holds yours?
Who Holds Your…
Where do I place my wisdom?
For the wisdom of this world is folly with God.1 Corinthians 3:19 · ESV
God's wisdom may look foolish to the world. Whose voice do you trust most?
Where is my treasure?
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.Matthew 6:21 · ESV
Follow your time, money, and attention - they point to what your heart clings to.
Where is my hope?
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.Proverbs 13:12 · ESV
When your hope is in something that can't deliver, your heart gets sick waiting on it.
What If Other Things Have Been Holding Me?
Then the LORD said, "I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey…" Exodus 3:7-8 · ESV
My Next Step
What's one "god" I need to take off the throne this week - and what will I trust God with instead?
God, You are I AM. Not my paycheck, not my plans, not my strength, not the voices around me - You.
Show me what my heart has been clinging to. Knock down every idol I've built, and take Your rightful place over my head, my heart, and my hope.
Thank You that You've seen me, You've heard me, and You're moving. I trust You to deliver me. In Jesus' name, amen.
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Old Demons. New Names. One True God.
We're looking at how the Old Testament reveals false gods, what the New Testament says about them, and how they reveal themselves today.
This week we travel back to the book of Daniel - three young men from Judah. Three kids from a place of praise, combatting the worship of idols. The enemy is always after what you worship.
Babylon Changes the Name Tag
Babylon carries the idea of confusion - by mixing.
An Idol in Plain Sight
King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its breadth six cubits. He set it up on the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon… And the herald proclaimed aloud, "You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace." Therefore, as soon as all the peoples heard the sound… all the peoples, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the golden image. Daniel 3:1-7 · ESV
The plain of Dura - "dwelling." The idol was set up right where people lived. In chapter 2, Daniel is interpreting dreams and getting promoted - God is real in chapter 2. And right in the midst of some worshiping God, an idol goes up in plain sight.
We've watched the same fade in our culture: idol worship slowly built in plain sight - in our midst, while we live, right in front of us.
That's the mixing. Wanting what God offers, through our own means.
God's Commandments vs. Cultural Components
It Always Comes Down to Submission
There's a fade that happens right before the bowing. It's always been the same pattern.
In Bible times it looked like paganism - serve idols and lots of gods. Today it looks like secular humanism - I am god.
Same Lie. New Clothes.
Start with the truth, then watch how it slides.
We've taken what God made and ordained and let it slip into idols - in plain sight.
Exchanged the Truth for a Lie
For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things… because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. Romans 1:21-25 · ESV (read on through v. 31)
The same fade shows up in Daniel, in Romans, and in 2026:
3 Ways the Fade Comes
Tap each one.
1 The Set UpDaniel 3:1-3
Over and over in the opening of Daniel 3, we see the king setting it up. A 90-foot golden idol doesn't get built overnight. It takes time.
"And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." John 12:32 · ESV
The question isn't whether we're lifting something up in plain sight of our lives. It's what - or who - we're lifting up.
What idol am I setting up in my life?
2 Fall Down & WorshipDaniel 3:7
There's some kind of submission to - and worship of - something in all our lives.
Verse 7: every kind of music, people, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped. Every kind of music at once is chaos.
Not if, but what - what am I centering my life around? What frames my time, money, and decisions? What am I submitting to?
3 The Fiery FurnaceDaniel 3:13-15
Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought… "Is it true… that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up?… But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?" Daniel 3:13-15 · ESV
When they wouldn't bow, the others told on them. Culture hates it when you don't worship what it worships. Today we call it cancel culture.
"Don't be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell." Matthew 10:28 · NLT
We can't let those who have no real power over us threaten us. Our hope and shelter are in God alone.
Whose "or else" has had too much power over me?
Stay Standing
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up." Daniel 3:16-18 · ESV
Put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness… hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil… take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Ephesians 6:13-18 · NLT
Our God is able to save us. But even if He doesn't…
Didn't We Throw In Three?
But suddenly, Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in amazement and exclaimed to his advisers, "Didn't we tie up three men and throw them into the furnace?" "Yes, Your Majesty, we certainly did," they replied. Daniel 3:24 · NLT
Suddenly the king declared no one could speak against their God - and promoted the boys. When they wouldn't bow, God was lifted up and revival broke out.
My Next Step
What am I setting up in my life to worship? How am I building my life?
Am I still standing - even if I'm standing afraid? Where do I need to stand this week?
God, You alone are worthy. Show me every idol I've let go up in plain sight - every thing I've lifted up, centered my life on, or bowed to without even noticing.
I won't bow to culture's name for me. You created me, You define me, You command - and I respond. Give me courage when the pressure says "or else."
Thank You that You're with me in the fire, and that the fire can only burn what has me bound. Fill me with Your Spirit so I stay standing. Lord, let revival start with me. In Jesus' name, amen.
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Elijah Calls Them Out
"Now summon all Israel to join me at Mount Carmel, along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who are supported by Jezebel." 1 Kings 18:19 · NLT
One prophet of God. 850 prophets of false gods. One mountain.
Who Really Rides the Clouds?
Tap each verse.
Psalm 68:4 Reveal
"Sing to God, sing in praise of his name, extol him who rides on the clouds; rejoice before him - his name is the LORD."
Psalm 104:3 Reveal
"He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind."
Deuteronomy 33:26 Reveal
"There is no god like the God of Jeshurun, who rides through the heavens to help you and on the clouds in his majesty."
Isaiah 19:1 Reveal
"See, the LORD rides on a swift cloud and is coming to Egypt."
Nahum 1:3 Reveal
"The LORD is slow to anger and great in power… his way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet."
Daniel 7:13 Reveal
In Daniel's vision, one like a "Son of Man" comes with the clouds of heaven - imagery later tied to Jesus.
Elijah's point: since you think this is a battle over who rules the heavens, let's let them fight it out. And he picks a mountain where they worshiped Baal - home-court advantage.
An Unholy Covenant Brings Unholy Ties
King Ahab married Jezebel, a woman who didn't follow YHWH. Scripture warns us not to bind ourselves in covenant with unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6:14).
Altars in Our Land
Do we see the same ties in our culture? Many altars are being built. Look at 1973 - the year an old "trinity" of Molech, Baal, and Asherah showed up in our laws:
How Long Will You Waver?
Elijah came near to all the people and said, "How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him." But the people did not answer him a word. 1 Kings 18:21 · NASB
All you get from sitting on the fence is a splinter. This isn't an intellectual thing - it's a spiritual one. Sometimes you just have to decide who you're going to worship, then center your life around Him.
If I'm going to worship a holy God, I'm going to have holy habits: church, prayer, tithing, sharing my faith. I'm deciding to worship Him and give Him space.
Am I wavering? Where am I sitting on the fence?
Fire Falls on Sacrifice
"Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD, and the God who answers by fire, He is God." And all the people said, "That is a good idea." 1 Kings 18:24
Elijah knew God's fire always falls on sacrifice. Baal's prophets shouted, danced, and cut themselves until their blood flowed (v. 28).
3 Steps to Picking a Side
Tap each one.
1 Repair the Altar1 Kings 18:30
Elijah repaired the altar of the LORD that had been torn down. We need to repair the altars in our lives.
"But I have this complaint against you. You don't love me or each other as you did at first!" Revelation 2:4 · NLT
What "first thing" have I let slip into normal?
2 Dig the Ditch & Fill It1 Kings 18:32-35
So with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD, and he made a trench around the altar, large enough to hold two measures of seed. 1 Kings 18:32
Four jars of water, poured out three times - until the trench was full.
Water was precious. It hadn't rained in three and a half years - and he poured it all out.
What do I need to let go of or pour out - even if it feels precious?
3 Pray & Trust1 Kings 18:36-37
"O LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and I have done all these things at Your word. Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that You, O LORD, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again." 1 Kings 18:36-37 · NASB
Elijah's prayer: You're the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. I've obediently followed You. Now answer - so they'll know You are God.
The father instantly cried out, "I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!" Mark 9:24 · NLT
Where do I need to say, "God, help me trust You"?
God Will Always Prove Himself True
My Next Step
This week, I'm picking a side. Here's one holy habit I'll start - or restart:
God, You alone ride the clouds. You are the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel - and You are my God.
Forgive me for wavering. Help me repair the altar of my life and give You back the space that belongs to You. Give me the strength to keep pouring out, even when it feels like a waste.
I do believe - help my unbelief. You can't lie, so I'll trust Your Word over my feelings. Let Your fire fall on my sacrifice, so others may know that You are God. In Jesus' name, amen.
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A Worship War on the Hill of War
Athens was the intellectual capital of the world.
The Areopagus - Mars Hill - was where the council met over religion, philosophy, education, morality, and the courts. Its name means the hill of Ares, the god of war. Fitting that it became the place of a worship war.
While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply troubled by all the idols he saw everywhere in the city. He went to the synagogue to reason with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and he spoke daily in the public square to all who happened to be there. Acts 17:16-17 · NLT
In places like India, people speak of 33 million gods - a culture that seems to worship everything. Then it dawns on us: so do we. We just call it other things.
No Other Gods. Period.
"You shall have no other gods before me." Exodus 20:3
We usually hear that as "nothing more important than Him." That's true - if we put second things before first things, we lose both. Order matters.
But God is saying more than that. He's not saying "have no god that's more important." He's saying have no other god.
"This has happened because my people have abandoned my instructions… Instead, they have stubbornly followed their own desires and worshiped the images of Baal, as their ancestors taught them." Jeremiah 9:13-14 · NLT
Old Gods. New Names.
Idol = an object of extreme devotion. Our lives are full of them. Tap each god to see what it looks like today.
Tap any tile to flip it back.
♥ AphroditeSexual beauty, romance, physical desire
$ PlutusWealth and prosperity
∞ DionysusPartying, drunkenness, escaping reality
? AthenaIntelligence, philosophy, education
We have idols too - we just call them sports, success, relationships… even worship.
To an Unknown God
"Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way, for as I was walking along I saw your many shrines. And one of your altars had this inscription on it: 'To an Unknown God.' This God, whom you worship without knowing, is the one I'm telling you about." Acts 17:22-23 · NLT
Paul doesn't attack their idols. He asks a simple question: who gets the final say? Who or what do you really worship?
Full of idols - pursuing sex, success, wealth, status - but deep down they could tell something was missing. We fill our lives with likes and hearts, comments and trophies… and something is still missing.
Paul says: let me tell you about that God.
Let Me Tell You About That God
"His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him - though he is not far from any one of us. For in him we live and move and exist." Acts 17:27-28 · NLT
What You Worship Is Your God
"If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?" Matthew 16:24-26 · ESV
What drives my behavior, commands my attention, or feels like something I can't live without?
Today We Decide
A city full of idols. A war for your worship. Today is the day we make a decision.
Which "old god with a new name" has been getting my worship?
What will I put back on the altar this week?
Lord, thank you for who you are! You alone are creator and Lord of all.
Forgive me for making you one of many when you long to be my one and only! Reveal the things in my life that I've worshipped in your place!
Today, I commit to deny myself, take up my cross each day and follow you! You God are the one and only! I choose you! In Jesus name! Amen!
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Praise is celebration. Worship is a posture of the whole life - not just a song set, but a way of being.
Every decision, every relationship, every ordinary moment is an act of worship - or it isn't. The question isn't whether you're worshiping. The question is what you're worshiping with your daily choices.
When Mary heard that Jesus was near, she rose quickly and fell at His feet. She didn't wait until circumstances made sense. Worship is a response to who He is - not a reaction to how our circumstances feel.
Paul and Silas were in prison - beaten, chained, at midnight. They sang hymns to God. The ground shook, every door opened, and the jailer asked: "What must I do to be saved?" Worship didn't just help them cope. It changed the room - and an entire household came to Christ.
God isn't after your money. He's after your heart.
If He's not God of all, He's not God at all.
What you won't lay on the altar becomes your idol.
The apple is provision - food for you. The seeds inside have no nutritional value. You can eat them and they do nothing. Or you can plant them and grow apple trees that produce for generations.
The same God who gave you the first seed (your job) has given you new seed in your harvest. He's not asking you to go hungry - He's asking you to trust Him with what has no value to you but infinite value in His hands.
At the Red Sea, God parted the waters before they crossed - that's provision. At the Jordan, they had to step in first - then it parted. Tradition says they were neck deep. That's the Promise Land.
What separated provision from prosperity? Faith and obedience. The Promise Land is on the other side of stepping in.
The tithe comes from Genesis 14 - Abraham gives a tenth of everything to Melchizedek after God gave him the victory. It predates the law by centuries.
The tithe is taking the seeds from your first harvest and giving them back to God. It says: I believe You can do more with 90% than I can do with 100%.
He gives Seed (job) for Bread (provision) that contains new Seeds (opportunities for blessing).
Your harvest is tied to the seed you put in the ground. Why would God give me more if I'm not faithful with what He's already given me?
The Israelites were slaves in Egypt, about to be set free. The last plague was the angel of death - it would take the firstborn of every home, unless that home was "passed over."
Each family brought in a pure, spotless lamb - without blemish, without "sin." It lived with them for four days, then it was slaughtered, and its blood was wiped over the doorposts of the home.
Humanity deserved death. Something had to take their place. A pure sacrifice had to step in and cover them.
Jesus came not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it.
Not for the sake of ritual - but for the sake of relationship.
The bread was His body. It was broken for you.
His body was broken so yours didn't have to be.
You may have been saved years ago and still see symptoms of sin - but you're saved. Just like the Spirit is renewing you, your body is being renewed.
That's why it takes faith. He paid the price for your healing.
The wine is the blood. It was poured out as a sacrifice.
From the beginning of time - something has to die for something to live.
Adam and Eve had never seen death. Everything was made to live forever. Then sin entered the world and separated God from His creation.
They realized they were naked and covered themselves with leaves. We try to cover ourselves the same way - and it doesn't last.
They didn't know how to deal with their sin. God did. He sacrificed an animal and covered them.
God looked at you in your sin. Jesus looked at your sin - knowing there was nothing you could do about it - and decided to take your place.
His blood was poured out. It covered you. And death has to pass over you because of Him.
Remember Him - not just what He did for you. It's a relationship.
Remembering Jesus isn't looking backward to live in the past. It's looking backward so we can live differently today and tomorrow.