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It's A Control Issue - Remote Control - 252 · Marriage Life and More and Bible Study

0:05
Daniel Moore: When we find ourselves surrounded by chaos, what should we do?
0:08
Daniel Moore: The same thing we do when we realize we've gone off course while driving, or when we're hiking and discover we strayed from the path we stop, turn around and go in the right direction.
0:20
Daniel Moore: In this case, that means turning away from what is wrong and turning back towards God.
0:25
Daniel Moore: The encouraging truth is that God is always waiting for us.
0:29
Daniel Moore: He still loves us and deeply desires for us to return home to Him, and the path back to Him hasn't changed.
0:36
Daniel Moore: This week, on Connecting the Gap, we continue our study on unshaken, holding fast in a culture of compromise.
0:44
Daniel Moore: This week we're getting into episode 10.
0:47
Daniel Moore: We'll be back with that right after this.
0:55
Daniel Moore: Welcome to Connecting the Gap.
0:57
Daniel Moore: This is a podcast about marriage, bible and book studies, and we interview people that have a story.
1:24
Daniel Moore: I'm Daniel Moore, your host.
1:25
Daniel Moore: Thank you, guys for joining us this week.
1:27
Daniel Moore: If you're not familiar with our show, check out our website at www.
1:29
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1:40
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1:45
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1:47
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1:57
Daniel Moore: This week, we are starting episode 10 of our series on Unshaken.
2:02
Daniel Moore: We've been taking the book of Daniel, using scenarios that Daniel went through and applying them to our lives.
2:08
Daniel Moore: Today, as we learn how to stand fast in a culture that's completely compromised all around us, satan's trying to take us down as Christians.
2:17
Daniel Moore: How do we stand against that?
2:19
Daniel Moore: We've been going through a series on that exact subject here over the last 10 weeks or so, so we're going to get back into it this week, and this week's episode is entitled.
2:28
Daniel Moore: It's a Control Issue Remote Control.
2:44
Daniel Moore: It was a Tuesday evening and, like most nights, I hit the sack around 10 pm.
2:49
Daniel Moore: It's my usual routine to keep my phone on vibrate while in bed, an intentional choice to quiet the noise and give my mind a break from the flood of headlines and opinions.
2:59
Daniel Moore: That night especially, I needed the silence.
3:03
Daniel Moore: That night especially, I needed the silence.
3:05
Daniel Moore: The past few days have been filled with coverage of the chaos erupting on college campuses across the country.
3:12
Daniel Moore: Protesters clashing over free speech, cancel culture and deep ideological divides.
3:16
Daniel Moore: One video after another showed shouting matches turning violent.
3:22
Daniel Moore: When I woke up on Wednesday morning and eventually started checking the news and social media, the notifications were pouring in.
3:29
Daniel Moore: Did you see what happened at Stanford?
3:32
Daniel Moore: What do you think about the students storming the lecture hall?
3:35
Daniel Moore: How should we respond?
3:37
Daniel Moore: Well, I scrolled through the news heart-heavy.
3:41
Daniel Moore: A peaceful demonstration had spun out of control.
3:44
Daniel Moore: Students and faculty members were injured, property destroyed.
3:49
Daniel Moore: A professor who had dared to express an unpopular opinion was escorted off campus for his safety.
3:55
Daniel Moore: Once again, the nation was gripped by another cultural firestorm.
4:01
Daniel Moore: Once again, I suspected what I had to say wouldn't be what many wanted to hear, because, while I was heartbroken over the violence in the division, my deeper concern wasn't the surface-level outrage or ideological warfare.
4:15
Daniel Moore: Yes, there are real issues at play Free speech, tolerance, mental health, the role of academia but beneath all of that lies a more profound crisis.
4:26
Daniel Moore: The real issue is spiritual.
4:30
Daniel Moore: We have lost our moral compass.
4:33
Daniel Moore: We've traded humility for pride, truth for opinion and grace for outrage.
4:39
Daniel Moore: Like Dr Martin Luther King Jr once said, the richer we have become materially, the poorer we have become morally and spiritually.
4:48
Daniel Moore: We've built smarter campuses and more connected communities, but we've forgotten how to live in peace with one another.
4:55
Daniel Moore: Each morning's headlines confirm it we are a nation adrift from God.
5:01
Daniel Moore: This is what it looks like when we abandon Him.
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Daniel Moore: When we remove Him from our classrooms, our courts, our conversations.
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Daniel Moore: What remains is division, confusion and chaos.
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Daniel Moore: And while it's tempting to jump into the debates and pick a side, I believe our calling is deeper than that.
5:21
Daniel Moore: It's to turn back, to return to truth, to rebuild not just our institutions but our hearts, on the foundation of the one who alone brings peace.
5:35
Daniel Moore: Whenever devastating events or large-scale crises take place, many people start asking where is God?
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Daniel Moore: How could he allow this?
5:43
Daniel Moore: But the truth is God hasn't gone anywhere.
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Daniel Moore: It's us who have drifted away from him.
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Daniel Moore: God, our faithful father, is still patiently waiting for us to return, ready to welcome us back with open arms, just as he always has.
5:59
Daniel Moore: Some also wonder is this God's judgment?
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Daniel Moore: Is he punishing us for our actions?
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Daniel Moore: I mean, I understand if not everyone agrees, but I don't believe that's the case.
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Daniel Moore: Jesus bore all of the judgment for our sins on the cross, reconciling us to God through his sacrifice.
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Daniel Moore: I believe God's love for us remains steady and unconditional, and he longs for us to come back home.
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Daniel Moore: He continues to offer His grace and mercy to anyone willing to seek Him.
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Daniel Moore: The bigger issue is that many of us simply don't want to turn back.
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Daniel Moore: Like disobedient children, we choose to remain in our self-centered paths rather than acknowledge our wrongdoings and return to the Father.
6:44
Daniel Moore: It's the same attitude described in the parable of the prodigal son We've left behind the care, love and protection of our Father in pursuit of our own way, only to be surprised by how lost and broken it leaves us.
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Daniel Moore: That scripture is in Luke 15, 11-32.
7:03
Daniel Moore: Ultimately, the choice is ours.
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Daniel Moore: 15, 11-32.
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Daniel Moore: Ultimately, the choice is ours, and choices come with consequences.
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Daniel Moore: We can't hold God responsible when we're faced with the results of walking away from His presence.
7:15
Daniel Moore: When we step away from God, we also leave behind the safety that comes with Him, and while he allows us the freedom to make our own decisions, that free will includes the risk of hardship when we turn away.
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Daniel Moore: God doesn't author tragedy or stir up disasters.
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Daniel Moore: We often bring those upon ourselves.
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Daniel Moore: What's truly amazing is that, even in the darkness of our self-inflicted consequences, god is still willing to use those moments to lead us back to Himself and into His embrace.
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Daniel Moore: Throughout Scripture, we see generation after generation turning their backs on God.
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Daniel Moore: Remember how God allowed the Babylonians to conquer Israel, although he had rescued them many times before.
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Daniel Moore: Their continued rejection of His guidance led to serious consequences.
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Daniel Moore: Their continued rejection of his guidance led to serious consequences In every single instance, including the story of Daniel.
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Daniel Moore: Stepping away from God resulted in confusion and destruction.
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Daniel Moore: When God is not at the center, things always fall apart.
8:23
Daniel Moore: When we find ourselves surrounded by chaos, what should we do?
8:24
Daniel Moore: Well, the same thing we do when we realize we've gone off course while driving, or when we're hiking and discover we've strayed from the path we stop, turn around and go in the right direction.
8:35
Daniel Moore: In this case, that means turning away from what is wrong and turning back toward God.
8:40
Daniel Moore: The encouraging truth is that God is always waiting for us.
8:44
Daniel Moore: He still loves us and deeply desires for us to return to Him, and the path back to Him hasn't changed.
8:51
Daniel Moore: We see this path clearly outlined in God's response to a previous generation of Israelites who had pushed Him aside Because of their rebellion and pride.
9:02
Daniel Moore: They were overrun by locusts, triggering a famine.
9:05
Daniel Moore: It's a powerful parallel to our current state.
9:09
Daniel Moore: We've ignored our relationship with God for so long, and now we find ourselves in a spiritual and moral famine, desperately in need of hope and healing.
9:18
Daniel Moore: But healing is possible if we follow the same instruction that God gave to Israel In 2 Chronicles 7.14,.
9:27
Daniel Moore: It says If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
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Daniel Moore: Healing our land begins with us.
9:42
Daniel Moore: Look at the four directives in this verse.
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Daniel Moore: First, we must humble ourselves.
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Daniel Moore: Humility is the starting point for any genuine transformation.
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Daniel Moore: Right now, far too many Christians respond to cultural shifts with arrogance and hostility.
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Daniel Moore: It's disheartening to see our reactions, often escalating tensions instead of easing them.
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Daniel Moore: If we hope to find a way back to God and see restoration in our nation, we have to start by looking inward, not outward.
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Daniel Moore: Instead of blaming others, we must examine ourselves.
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Daniel Moore: Our anger needs to be brought under control and humility has to become our posture in everything.
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Daniel Moore: As a nation, we've often been prideful, convinced that we know best.
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Daniel Moore: Worse, many of us assume that God sides with us automatically, rather than ensuring we are fully aligned with Him.
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Daniel Moore: In times like these, we will either choose humility or we will suffer humiliation, rather than offering critical comments online or quoting scripture to shame others.
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Daniel Moore: We should be falling to our knees in prayer, and our humility also has to reach into our interactions with others.
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Daniel Moore: We simply don't know their experiences or the things that they carry.
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Daniel Moore: We simply don't know their experiences or the things that they carry.
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Daniel Moore: We can't read their hearts like God.
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Daniel Moore: Can I remember watching an African-American reporter explain to his son how to behave during a traffic stop?
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Daniel Moore: I wept listening to the burden he carried and the need he felt to pass that burden to his child.
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Daniel Moore: That moment changed my perspective and reminded me to approach others with more compassion and understanding.
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Daniel Moore: I have no grounds to think I'm superior to anyone, especially those who face ongoing injustice and discrimination.
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Daniel Moore: If we are truly committed to repentance, then humility should characterize everything we think, say and do, starting with our relationship with God and flowing into our relationships with others.
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Daniel Moore: The next step is prayer.
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Daniel Moore: I once read a bumper sticker that said prayer should always be our first response, not our last resort.
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Daniel Moore: Sadly, it often takes a crisis to drive us back to prayer, but scripture tells us over and over again that we are to be people who live in continual dependency on God, and prayer is how we express that dependence.
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Daniel Moore: Even when prayer becomes our last resort, the incredible truth is that God still hears us and responds immediately.
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Daniel Moore: I mean, isn't that amazing Scripture promises draw near to God and he will draw near to you.
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Daniel Moore: Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
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Daniel Moore: That's in James, chapter 4, verse 8.
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Daniel Moore: Prayer isn't about informing God of what's going on in our lives.
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Daniel Moore: He already knows.
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Daniel Moore: It's about bringing our hearts into alignment with his.
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Daniel Moore: If, as Paul explains in Ephesians 2.6, we are seated with Christ in heavenly places, then prayer places us in that spiritual position where our outlook shifts.
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Daniel Moore: It's where we lift our voice and admit God, I need you.
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Daniel Moore: This leads us to the third step.
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Daniel Moore: In returning to the Lord, we must seek His face Now.
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Daniel Moore: Before you think that's impossible, remember that seeking His face simply means seeking His character.
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Daniel Moore: It's about pursuing God's heart, his will and His standards.
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Daniel Moore: As we move back toward Him, our pursuit should be focused on who he is and how he calls us to live.
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Daniel Moore: In doing so, we begin to see more clearly how far we've strayed and how deeply that distance affects our lives.
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Daniel Moore: While we seek God, we should also pray and invite the Holy Spirit to reveal the areas where we've compromised.
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Daniel Moore: We ask Him to convict us and guide us back to a pure path.
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Daniel Moore: Like the psalmist, we can pray, search me, god, and know my heart, test me and know my anxious thoughts, see if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.
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Daniel Moore: That's Psalm 139, 23, and 24.
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Daniel Moore: Once God reveals these things to us, we come to the final step in this process and finally we must turn.
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Daniel Moore: There's something powerful in the simplicity of that word turn.
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Daniel Moore: God doesn't ask us to earn His forgiveness or pay some debt.
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Daniel Moore: He simply calls us to turn from our path back to His.
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Daniel Moore: That's all he asked.
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Daniel Moore: The word repent literally means to change direction, to turn around, and as a people we need to repent for the many ways that we've stepped away from God, for not valuing human life, as seen in issues like abortion, violence and racism.
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Daniel Moore: For our sexual immorality, evident in our obsession with lust, pornography and the pursuit of pleasure, and for our failures to help and care for the vulnerable, the poor, the homeless and the sick.
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Daniel Moore: True change happens when we stop blaming others and begin to pray.
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Daniel Moore: Lord, change me.
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Daniel Moore: And when we do that, three things begin to unfold.
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Daniel Moore: First, we will hear from heaven.
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Daniel Moore: God always listens to the sincere cries of his people, we must express our deep need for his kingdom to come and his will to be done on earth just as it is in heaven.
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Daniel Moore: This plea is central to the Lord's prayer, the model Jesus gave his disciples in Matthew 6, verses 9-13.
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Daniel Moore: As we pray and genuinely seek him, god promises to forgive us our sins and give us a new beginning.
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Daniel Moore: He will begin to heal our hearts and strip away layers of shame, sin, anger and brokenness.
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Daniel Moore: When our prayers come from a place of true passion and honesty, we can trust that God will move.
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Daniel Moore: It may not be immediate, though sometimes it actually is, but we can rest in the assurance that we've returned to the refuge of His presence, protected in the loving arms of the Almighty.
16:03
Daniel Moore: People could possibly think that I'm a control freak, probably because I like things neat and I have opinions about how the yard should be cared for.
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Daniel Moore: You know there's a system, people, but a control freak, nah.
16:15
Daniel Moore: My wife and I are a team.
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Daniel Moore: We make decisions together, from what to eat for dinner and to whether or not we should pretend we didn't hear the dryer buzz.
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Daniel Moore: She's got her strengths, I've got mine, and we balance each other out like peanut butter and jelly or coffee and sanity.
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Daniel Moore: We both run the household.
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Daniel Moore: For example, she runs the calendar, sets up outings with friends and the actual house.
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Daniel Moore: I run to the store when she tells me we're out of sugar.
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Daniel Moore: You know, it's teamwork.
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Daniel Moore: We don't agree on everything, though.
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Daniel Moore: You know.
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Daniel Moore: Sometimes she wants to binge on a crime documentary and I'm in the mood for something that won't give us trust issues, but we talk it out from the middle ground and somehow end up watching HGTV like two suburban retirees.
17:02
Daniel Moore: Now, if I was a control freak, well, life would look like a bad reality show.
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Daniel Moore: I'd be calling all the shots what we eat, when we eat, which way the toilet paper rolls I mean over, obviously, but that's beside the point.
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Daniel Moore: Every day would start with a briefing and end with a performance review.
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Daniel Moore: My poor wife wouldn't be able to buy a scented candle without filling out a requisition form.
17:26
Daniel Moore: I'd be the guy standing over her shoulder like that's not how you fold a fitted sheet.
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Daniel Moore: As if anyone knows how to fold a fitted sheet.
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Daniel Moore: You know we all just ball it up and shove it in the closet.
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Daniel Moore: I mean, let's be real.
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Daniel Moore: But that's not our vibe.
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Daniel Moore: We laugh, we compromise, we tag each other in and out of the chaos.
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Daniel Moore: I don't need to be in control of everything, just the thermostat and sometimes maybe the remote, okay, and definitely the barbecue grill.
17:55
Daniel Moore: What we have both learned, though, is that letting go and trusting God brings greater peace than holding on tightly and trying to manage everything yourself.
18:05
Daniel Moore: You probably won't be shocked to hear that the Babylonian rulers in Daniel's time seemed a bit controlling At least that's how they come across to me.
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Daniel Moore: One of the most well-known stories in the book of Daniel is when he's thrown into the lion's den and walks out completely unharmed.
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Daniel Moore: But do you remember what led him to being tossed in with those fierce animals?
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Daniel Moore: Well, let's take a closer look.
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Daniel Moore: In Daniel, chapter 6, verses 13 to 23, it says Then they said to the king Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, your majesty, or to the decree that you put in writing.
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Daniel Moore: He still prays three times a day.
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Daniel Moore: When the king heard this, he was greatly distressed.
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Daniel Moore: He was determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort until sundown to save him.
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Daniel Moore: Then the men went out as a group to King Darius and said to him Remember, your majesty, that according to the law of the Medes and Persians, he said continually rescue you.
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Daniel Moore: A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles so that Daniel's situation might not be changed.
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Daniel Moore: Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him, and he could not sleep.
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Daniel Moore: At the first light of dawn the king got up and hurried to the lion's den.
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Daniel Moore: When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue from the lions?
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Daniel Moore: Daniel answered May the king live forever.
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Daniel Moore: My God sent his angel and he shut the mouths of the lions.
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Daniel Moore: They have not hurt me because I was found innocent in his sight, nor have I ever done any wrong before you.
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Daniel Moore: Your majesty, the king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den, and when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him because he had trusted in his God.
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Daniel Moore: King Darius clearly had a fondness for Daniel.
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Daniel Moore: He was hesitant to send him into the lion's den, spent a sleepless night worrying, and was thrilled when Daniel came out without a scratch.
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Daniel Moore: But despite his feelings for Daniel, darius fell into a trap of his own making, influenced by the jealousy and scheming of his court officials.
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Daniel Moore: Darius had appointed 120 satraps or court officials, and from among them he chose three administrators to oversee everything.
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Daniel Moore: Daniel was one of the three and quickly rose in the king's esteem.
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Daniel Moore: Seeing how much favor Daniel had with the king, the other officials grew fearful for their own status.
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Daniel Moore: Determined to remove Daniel, they came up with a clever plan that fed into the king's vanity.
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Daniel Moore: They persuaded Darius to issue a decree that no one in the kingdom could pray to or worship any god or person other than the king himself the punishment Death by lions.
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Daniel Moore: Darius, not realizing the implications and too caught up in the flattery, signed the decree unintentionally, allowing Daniel to be targeted.
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Daniel Moore: And when the time came, instead of revoking the decree and appearing weak, darius allowed it to proceed, desperately, hoping Daniel would somehow survive, thanks to God's protection.
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Daniel Moore: Daniel did.
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Daniel Moore: What concerns me is how often we, as believers, resemble Darius or his court officials more than we do Daniel.
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Daniel Moore: Like Darius, we find ourselves pressured to go along with the crowd, to avoid conflict, to maintain appearances.
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Daniel Moore: We're afraid of looking full, as you're being judged, so we stay quiet when we should speak.
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Daniel Moore: Like those officials, we try to take control, manipulating circumstances and people to suit our agendas, but it rarely ends well.
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Daniel Moore: In fact, it usually pulls us further away from God.
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Daniel Moore: There may be no clearer example of someone trying to take control of his own life before finally surrendering to God than Jacob.
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Daniel Moore: You might remember that Jacob was Abraham's grandson and Isaac's son.
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Daniel Moore: From the very moment of his birth, jacob showed signs of trying to take control.
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Daniel Moore: As a twin, he came out grasping the heel of his brother, esau, almost as if to say I'm not letting you get ahead of me.
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Daniel Moore: In fact, the name Jacob means trickster, supplanter or even heel grabber.
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Daniel Moore: That desire to control circumstances became a defining pattern in Jacob's life.
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Daniel Moore: Jacob seemed to be striving for advantage his entire life, with help from his mother, he manipulated both Esau and their father to steal the blessing meant for the firstborn.
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Daniel Moore: First, he took advantage of Esau's hunger and bought the birthright for a bowl of soup.
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Daniel Moore: Later, he deceived his aging father by pretending to be Esau to receive the paternal blessing Once the damage was done and Esau's fury became a threat.
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Daniel Moore: Once the damage was done and Esau's fury became a threat, jacob fled to live with his uncle, laban, but even there, jacob's life didn't go as planned.
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Daniel Moore: He fell in love with Rachel and, after agreeing to Laban's demands to marry her, jacob was tricked ironically, into marrying Leah, rachel's sister.
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Daniel Moore: Eventually he married Rachel too, but the thing persisted.
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Daniel Moore: Jacob kept trying to control his own story.
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Daniel Moore: One of the most striking moments of his life came when he was literally wrestling with God, who appeared in human form.
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Daniel Moore: Jacob refused to release his divine opponent until he received a blessing.
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Daniel Moore: He did, along with a limp and a new name.
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Daniel Moore: God changed him from Jacob the hill grabber to Israel, meaning one who wrestled and overcome.
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Daniel Moore: Jacob spent his life battling for a future that God had already prepared for him, and the truth is, many of us do the same.
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Daniel Moore: We work, push and strive, trying to force things to go our way, only to run into walls again and again.
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Daniel Moore: God gives us space to try, but our attempts to control will never fully succeed.
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Daniel Moore: Jacob himself would likely tell us when life isn't going the way you hoped, it's time to surrender and let God take over.
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Daniel Moore: Just before Jacob's pivotal encounter with God, things had come to a head Once again.
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Daniel Moore: Fleeing, this time from Laban, jacob found out that Esau was coming after him with a group of men.
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Daniel Moore: Fearful and desperate, jacob split his family, servants and belongings into two camps, hoping that if one was attacked, the other might escape.
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Daniel Moore: He sent everything and everyone ahead and prepared to meet Esau alone, feeling the pressure of all his past actions mounting at once.
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Daniel Moore: The night before their meeting, as Jacob sat in solitude, another battle began, this time a spiritual one.
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Daniel Moore: We read in Genesis, chapter 32,.
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Daniel Moore: This left Jacob all alone in the camp and a man came and wrestled with him until the dawn began to break.
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Daniel Moore: When the man saw that he would not win the match, he touched Jacob's hip and wrenched it out of its socket.
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Daniel Moore: That's verses 24 and 25.
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Daniel Moore: This wasn't a random encounter.
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Daniel Moore: It was God in disguise.
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Daniel Moore: Through this encounter, god was showing Jacob that his own strength wasn't enough.
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Daniel Moore: By injuring Jacob's hip, god made it impossible for Jacob to rely on his natural power any longer.
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Daniel Moore: From that point forward, jacob had no choice but to lean on God.
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Daniel Moore: It's a lesson that we all must take to heart.
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Daniel Moore: We so often grasp for control in the areas we think we can manage.
26:20
Daniel Moore: We place our trust in wealth, status, job titles, intelligence or social connections, but when life begins to unravel.
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Daniel Moore: None of those things can hold us up.
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Daniel Moore: Challenges come.
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Daniel Moore: We try to run from them, but find that there's no real escape.
26:38
Daniel Moore: Eventually, we all reach a breaking point, a moment when the only way forward is to admit that we need a strength greater than our own, and that strength can only come from God.
26:52
Daniel Moore: Jesus clearly showed us where true rest and help can be found.
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Daniel Moore: In Matthew 11, 28, 29,.
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Daniel Moore: It says Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
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Daniel Moore: Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
27:11
Daniel Moore: Take note that he said Take my yoke, which means we must be willing to release our own.
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Daniel Moore: In other words, stop relying on your way of doing things and start following his.
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Daniel Moore: His way is lighter and more freeing.
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Daniel Moore: Just like eagles that soar higher by riding the wind instead of constantly flapping their wings, we can rise to new heights when we let God carry us.
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Daniel Moore: When we surrender and allow God to lead, we not only gain fresh strength, but we also receive a new identity, just as Jacob did.
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Daniel Moore: After Jacob's intense wrestling match with God, something significant happened in the form of a conversation.
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Daniel Moore: What is your name, the man asked?
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Daniel Moore: He replied Jacob.
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Daniel Moore: Your name will no longer be Jacob, the man told him.
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Daniel Moore: From now on, you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won.
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Daniel Moore: That's Genesis 32, 27, and 28.
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Daniel Moore: God first inquired Jacob to acknowledge who he had been the trickster, the deceiver, the one always trying to maintain control.
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Daniel Moore: But once Jacob admitted this, god gave him a new name and a new identity, one that signified transformation.
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Daniel Moore: He was no longer to be known as Jacob the manipulator, but as Israel, a prince with God.
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Daniel Moore: God doesn't just see you as you are right now.
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Daniel Moore: He sees who you can become.
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Daniel Moore: He looks beyond your current reality and sees your potential.
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Daniel Moore: Your creator recognizes greatness in you, even when you don't see it yourself.
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Daniel Moore: When you hand over control to him, he gives you more than guidance.
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Daniel Moore: He gives you a new name, a new identity and a new future.
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Daniel Moore: The final phase of Jacob's transformation, after surrendering to God, was blessing.
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Daniel Moore: Please tell me your name.
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Daniel Moore: Jacob said why do you want to know my name?
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Daniel Moore: The man replied.
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Daniel Moore: Then he blessed Jacob there Genesis 32, 29.
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Daniel Moore: The word translated as blessed in this passage can also mean happy, but this isn't a fleeting or superficial happiness.
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Daniel Moore: It refers to a deep, settled joy that comes from being in right relationship with God.
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Daniel Moore: This kind of lasting joy mirrors what Jesus described in the Beatitudes during the Sermon on the Mount.
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Daniel Moore: In that teaching he gave nine statements beginning with blessed are each revealing what we gain when we choose God's way over ours.
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Daniel Moore: One in particular highlights the point.
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Daniel Moore: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
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Daniel Moore: That's Matthew 5, 6.
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Daniel Moore: When we truly crave God's ways, his standards and His holiness, more than our own understanding of right and wrong or what we believe will make us happy, we will be filled with something far greater.
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Daniel Moore: In simple terms, blessed are those who make a U-turn and come back home to God.
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Daniel Moore: Jacob discovered through hardship that breakthrough only comes through brokenness.
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Daniel Moore: We can't become the people God created us to be while clinging to our own ideas of who we think we should be.
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Daniel Moore: One of the most powerful and hope-filled actions in the Bible is repentance.
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Daniel Moore: Unfortunately, repentance is often misunderstood today.
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Daniel Moore: People associate it with shame or judgment, but in reality it's a beautiful, restorative act that brings freedom and new life.
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Daniel Moore: God isn't waiting for perfection.
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Daniel Moore: He's drawn to hearts willing to admit weakness and need.
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Daniel Moore: The psalmist wrote in Psalm 51, 17, my sacrifice, o God, is a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart.
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Daniel Moore: You, god, will not despise.
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Daniel Moore: If we want to stand firm in a culture that constantly demands we bow to its broken values, we must be willing to let go of control.
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Daniel Moore: Jacob spent his entire life reaching, grasping and struggling to get what he thought he wanted, but the whole time his striving only moved him further from the very life God had prepared for him.
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Daniel Moore: Even when he encountered God face to face, he wouldn't give up.
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Daniel Moore: But what God wanted from Jacob, what he wants God face to face, he wouldn't give up.
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Daniel Moore: But what God wanted from Jacob, what he wants from all of us, is surrender.
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Daniel Moore: Jesus said that's Mark 8, 8, verse 35.
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Daniel Moore: You'll never fully experience all your life is meant to be until you entrust it to the one who gave it to you in the first place.
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Daniel Moore: As you may recall, this episode began by acknowledging the sadness and brokenness that we see in the world around us.
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Daniel Moore: People often ask me what they can do in the face of such overwhelming need.
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Daniel Moore: Many expect me to say something like just pray, or give some practical advice for donating time or money.
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Daniel Moore: And while those actions are good and important, the response I find myself giving most often is this check the direction of your heart.
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Daniel Moore: You won't know the full potential of your life until you place it entirely in God's hands.
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Daniel Moore: While I don't frequently use the word repent, that's exactly what I'm describing.
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Daniel Moore: When we seek God first, with humility and a willingness to surrender our need to be in control, he begins the work of restoration, one person at a time, one church at a time, one community at a time, until it spreads through states and eventually the nation.
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Daniel Moore: The truth is, we won't change ourselves through our own efforts.
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Daniel Moore: Only God can bring true transformation.
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Daniel Moore: He is our only hope.
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Daniel Moore: Well, that's going to do it for this week's episode.
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Daniel Moore: Next week, come back.
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Daniel Moore: We'll have a brand new episode in our series of Unshaken, as we study the book of Daniel.
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Daniel Moore: As we go, we just want to remind you that we believe that God's word never fails us.
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Daniel Moore: God's word has stood the test of time and through Jesus' death on the cross, he has connected the gap.
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Daniel Moore: This is an extension of Connecting the Gap Ministries.
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Daniel Moore: We pray that you have a blessed week.