Episode 143 – Where Is God When You Are In Need of Hope?

Posted on January 27, 2013 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

 

In our recent national election in the United States, people on both sides of the political aisle were touting their candidate as the solution for what ails the country. However, as we have said before again and again, politicians are not the solution to what ails America – Jesus is the solution.

In today’s episode, Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Lead Pastor at Pacific Baptist Church in El Segundo, California will show us that there are 4 unshakable truths about God that will bring hope to those struggling in hopelessness.

Please open your Bible to Isaiah 7 as we discover that God is With Us!

 

 

With that Biblical prayer it is our hope that you have realized that God is with you when you need hope the most! God is seeking to bless you and move you in such a way so as to bring about help in your time of need!

If you would like to explore how to enjoy God’s presence in one’s daily life, Dr. Smith has written a daily devotional book that will help you do just that!

In His Presence is a detailed look at walking with God through life’s ups and downs. Built around the premise that God welcomes you into His presence with joy and pleasure, In His Presence helps you see that the life of abundance can only be enjoyed when we take everything to the Lord and walk every day at His right hand.

You can order a copy of In His Presence from Amazon by clicking the link on the side panel of the Eagles In Leadership website.

Today’s episode was recorded in El Segundo, California and edited by Ryan Longsworth.

And now, until next time, we are praying that you would be filled with the love of God so that you can demonstrate His love to the lost and dying in your city! God bless!

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Preach Repentance, Heal Lives!

Posted on January 23, 2013 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

Artwork courtesy of richardgleaves.blogspot.com

It’s never too late!

No matter how far you have gone on a wrong road, turn back.

-Turkish proverb

 

Disciples proclaim a need for life change to each person they meet! Repentance is the Biblical term that signifies a change in loyalty, a submission of one’s will to the King of kings, Jesus. Having commissioned the Twelve to minister for Him, Jesus sends them out. Note they proclaim a simple message: “People should repent!”

Before any long-term life change can occur, one must come to the understanding that they need to surrender to the love and leadership of King Jesus. Once that step is made, hope and healing can flood the soul and life of anyone. As the Gospels point out in parallel passages, preaching the Good News of the Gospel is telling people they should repent.

“So they went out and preached that people should repent. And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.” (Mark 6:12–13, NKJV)

“So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.” (Luke 9:6, NKJV)

We imitate Jesus when …

  • We proclaim to the people we meet that there can only be one Lord of life, and His name is Jesus!

There is sweetness to our life of submission. Jesus provides what we have searched for our entire life. Where we have looked for intimacy through sex, Jesus provides love through sacrifice. For our misguided search for happiness from a bottle, a buffet or a bonanza of cash, Jesus plants real joy in our soul through a loving, loyal relationship that never flees, no matter the mess we are in. Repeatedly we discover that all we have ever sought for can be found in the inexhaustible riches of the One who loved us and gave His life for us. He generously replenishes what we leak and fills us again and again with His never-ending compassion and care.

Telling someone else of the amazing grace of Jesus is so easy for the true disciple. Their daily experience with the fountain of hope and help provides a never-ending source of timely testimonies. As you share from the abundance of God’s mercy and Jesus’ grace, draw people to surrender. Nothing else provides the hope and help they look for!

 

© 2012 Dr. Matthew Lee Smith. All rights reserved. Not for resale.


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Episode 142 – Where Is God In My Everyday Life?

Posted on January 20, 2013 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

It is impossible to escape from God’s all-knowing control, no matter how far or fast we might go, for God is everywhere! In the Old Testament King David told us that the LORD knows us penetratingly, as if He has scoured every detail of our life and thus knows us intimately!

In today’s episode, Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Lead Pastor at Pacific Baptist Church in El Segundo, California will show us that there are 6 facts that we need to keep in mind each and every moment of every day.

If your life is difficult and you struggle with the uncertainties of whether God cares about you, we encourage you to open your Bible to Psalm 139 as we discover that God is With Us!

 

 

With that Biblical prayer it is our hope that you have discovered that God’s presence and fingerprints are all over your life, each and every day.

If you would like to explore how to enjoy God’s presence in one’s daily life, Dr. Smith has written a daily devotional book that will help you do just that!

In His Presence is a detailed look at walking with God through life’s ups and downs. Built around the premise that God welcomes you into His presence with joy and pleasure, In His Presence helps you see that the life of abundance can only be enjoyed when we take everything to the Lord and walk every day at His right hand.

You can order a copy of In His Presence from Amazon by clicking the link on the side panel of the Eagles In Leadership website.

Today’s episode was recorded in El Segundo, California and edited by Ryan Longsworth in Los Angeles, California.

And now, until next time, we are praying that you would be filled with the love of God so that you can demonstrate His love to the lost and dying in your city! God bless!

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God Rewards Right Motives and Behaviors!

Posted on January 16, 2013 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

Artwork courtesy of neropta.com

Leaders must develop a philosophy toward rewards that is incredibly simple: Reward performance and only performance.

~ Neil H. Snyder and Angela P. Clontz

 

Rewards. Most “Christians” have a great suspicion when anyone starts talking about them. And when Jesus speaks of them, many go “spiritual” and say ridiculous things like, “I just want to be in Heaven with Jesus. I don’t need any rewards.” As if rewards were, in and of themselves, evil at worst and toxic at best.

Diametrically opposed to such “false modesty” is the Biblical teaching of Jesus. He not only tells us that there are rewards, He clarifies that they are given when anyone acts in a manner that pleases God. In other words, rewards are to be embraced and rejoiced in; yes, even expected. Jesus was adamant about the issue:

“He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.” (Matthew 10:40–42, NKJV)

We imitate Jesus when …

  • We act in such as way as to obey and please God, thus receiving a reward for our demonstration of love and faith!

While it may sound spiritual to negate the concept of rewards, most people grumble when they are not recognized for their efforts – even in the Church! Jesus understands because He designed us this way. It is His sincere hope that we, as His disciples, will reward those around us when they act in faith and love.

Generosity is noticed in Heaven! While you may not gain rewards by greed, you surely can expect them for sincerity of faith and generosity of love. The Kingdom of Heaven notices when we act in generous ways … and so do others! Heaven rewards such a disciple’s lifestyle … do you?

 

 

© 2012 Dr. Matthew Lee Smith. All rights reserved. Not for resale.

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Episode 141 – Where Is God When Life Goes WRONG?

Posted on January 13, 2013 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

Your problems are God’s pathways to His plans! Just as Joseph, the great-grandson of Abraham shows us, God often leads in mysterious ways so He can bless many through our lives if we trust Him throughout the journey!

In today’s episode, Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Lead Pastor at Pacific Baptist Church in El Segundo, California will guide us through Joseph’s life to teach us the 8 prevailing truths we need to hold onto when life goes WRONG!

If you are struggling with life and wondering where God is and when He will show up, we encourage you to open your Bible to Genesis as we seek to understand that God is With Us!

 

 

With that Biblical prayer we have a better understanding that God is working out the dream he placed in us in ways we cannot begin to imagine.

If you would like to explore how to enjoy God’s presence in one’s daily life, Dr. Smith has written a daily devotional book that will help you do just that!

In His Presence is a detailed look at walking with God through life’s ups and downs. Built around the premise that God welcomes you into His presence with joy and pleasure, In His Presence helps you see that the life of abundance can only be enjoyed when we take everything to the Lord and walk every day at His right hand.

You can order a copy of In His Presence from Amazon by clicking the link on the side panel of the Eagles In Leadership website.

Today’s episode was recorded in El Segundo, California and edited by Ryan Longsworth in Los Angeles, California.

And now, until next time, we are praying that you would be filled with the love of God so that you can demonstrate His love to the lost and dying in your city! God bless!

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Am I Worthy of Jesus?

Posted on January 9, 2013 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

Artwork courtesy of: en.wikipedia.org

Want to earn the loyalty of those you lead? Be loyal to them. For example, the Roman emperor Augustus Caesar was asked by a former soldier to testify for him in a lawsuit. The busy emperor assigned an assistant to go. But the soldier pointed to his battle scars and said he’d fought for Augustus in person. Augustus understood the lesson and did the same.

~ Adapted from Bartlett’s Book of Anecdotes

Loyalty is earned by being loyal. If we want to the loyalty of another, we ourselves must be loyal to them. To the level we desire loyalty we must provide it. In this great section on the commissioning of the Twelve for ministry, Jesus calls for the loyalty He provides to others.

The test of loyalty is sacrifice. One sacrifices for those they love. The greater our love, the greater our sacrifice will be. (John 15.13) We cannot claim a love we do not demonstrate. The truth of our love is always seen in the way it plays out in our relationships. Jesus calls for a greater loyalty to Him than we are to have to our biological family!

“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.” (Matthew 10:34–37, NKJV)

We imitate Jesus when …

  • We realize that loving God takes precedence over our own family, even those closest to us!

Jesus knows that many people have their priorities mixed up. For most of humanity, there are no relationships of greater importance than family. “Blood is thicker than water,” has been the common phrase for generations. Jesus would agree, as long as we place Him as our highest family member and our greatest relationship. He also realizes that commitment will create strain among those closest to us.

Jesus calls you to confess Him before everyone else. When you do that, you are ready to serve Him as His disciple

 

 

© 2012 Dr. Matthew Lee Smith. All rights reserved. Not for resale.

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Episode 140 – Where Is God When Your Family Rejects You?

Posted on January 6, 2013 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

Welcome to the Transformed podcast.

When your family rejects you, God is still with you! As the teenage Jacob shows us, God will show up, back up and take up our cause when we trust our lives to His care.

In today’s episode, Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Lead Pastor at Pacific Baptist Church in El Segundo, California will guide us through 8 family videos from Jacob’s life, each showing us that no matter what happens in our lives, if we will truly walk with God, He will be with us!

This is quite an encouraging message for anyone who has struggled to know if God cares for them. So, let’s open our Bibles to Genesis as we seek to understand that God is With Us!

 

With that powerful prayer we begin our study, “God is With Us!” Sensing the presence of God is something that every Christ-follower truly seeks after.

If you would like to explore how to enjoy God’s presence, Dr. Smith has written a daily devotional book that will help you do just that!

In His Presence is a detailed look at walking with God through life’s ups and downs. Built around the premise that God welcomes you into His presence with joy and pleasure, In His Presence helps you see that the life of abundance can only be enjoyed when we take everything to the Lord and walk every day at His right hand.

You can order a copy of In His Presence from Amazon by clicking the link on the side panel of the Eagles In Leadership website.

Today’s episode was recorded in El Segundo, California and edited by Ryan Longsworth in Los Angeles, California.

And now, until next time, we are praying that you would be filled with the love of God so that you can demonstrate His love to the lost and dying in your city! God bless!

 

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Confess or Deny?

Posted on January 2, 2013 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

 Artwork by godsbreath.wordpress.com

If Peter walked away from Christ and his friends (Matthew 26:56), THEN tried to follow Jesus at a distance AND also placed himself in a very unhealthy environment (Matthew 26:58) which led to him eventually denying Christ (Matthew 26:69-75) then the SAME THING will happen to us if we follow in those steps.

~ Perry Noble

Fear can have complete power over us if we are not careful! As Jesus explains to the twelve disciples at the official ceremony to authorize them to execute Jesus’ mission, it is the mission of the disciple of Jesus to confess Him to every person they meet, regardless of the power, persecution or pain they could inflict.

You know the scenario: You are put on the spot and your peers begin laughing about the “religious crazies” in the world. Then they ask you what you think. For a splitting moment before you answer you know you have a choice: You can gain friends by denying Jesus or you can lose friends by confessing Him. At least that’s the only two choices the devil wants you to think about. As we discover from the words of Jesus today,

“Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 10:32–33, NKJV)

We imitate Jesus when …

  • We confess our love relationship with Him in front of anyone and everyone!

Life comes by confessing our love relationship with King Jesus! In that moment when you are put on the spot, will you react to the negativity and seek to keep your friends or will you respond with the passion of a life that lives in the unfathomable compassion of the Christ?

It is these moments that WHAT you answer and HOW you respond changes everything. From those who are skeptics or hostile to the Lord Jesus, you will most likely be persecuted. But from those who are genuinely friends, they will begin to put the pieces of your words of confession and  your grace-filled life towards them together. In those moments, witness is born!

Jesus calls you to confess Him. The people you encounter need Him. It’s a match made in Heaven!

 

© 2012 Dr. Matthew Lee Smith. All rights reserved. Not for resale.

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Happy New Year from Eagles In Leadership!

Posted on January 1, 2013 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

It has been a great privilege serving you in 2012!

Eagles in Leadership looks forward to helping you develop godly disciples who rise to the challenge of Christlikeness and become leaders in your ministry and organization!

Happy New Year!

From

Matt, Melodee, Tabitha, Mike and Ryne!

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Episode 139 – Where Is God As We Look Into the Future?

Posted on December 30, 2012 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

Welcome to the Transformed podcast.

It’s the end of the year and the Mayan Calendar predictions (or interpretations) were wrong! We are still here!

So what is ahead for us as God’s children? What does the future hold? First, let’s talk a bit about 2013!

2013 is going to be amazing!

Well, let me qualify that just a bit …

2013 is going to be amazing –

 for those who will seek after God with all they’ve got!

According to Hebrews 11.6, 2013 will be amazing for you if you choose to: (1) Believe that God exists and (2) Believe that God rewards those who diligently seek Him.

For today, we want to move further into the future and again ask the question: Where is God as we look into the future?

If you will turn to Romans 8, Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Lead Pastor at Pacific Baptist Church in El Segundo, California wants us to see that there are 4 emotional facts that should fill us and thrill us with hope! God is with us!

 

 

With that powerful prayer we want you to remember as you put up the new calendars, “God is With Us!” It is also our joy to wish you Happy New Year 2013! We look forward to another exciting year to share God’s Word and will with you!

If you would like to explore how to enjoy God’s presence, Dr. Smith has written a daily devotional book that will help you do just that!

In His Presence is a detailed look at walking with God through life’s ups and downs. Built around the premise that God welcomes you into His presence with joy and pleasure, In His Presence helps you see that the life of abundance can only be enjoyed when we take everything to the Lord and walk every day at His right hand.

You can order a copy of In His Presence from Amazon by clicking the link on the side panel of the Eagles In Leadership website.

Today’s episode was recorded in El Segundo, California and edited by Ryan Longsworth.

And now, until next time, we are praying that you would be filled with the love of God so that you can demonstrate His love to the lost and dying in your city! God bless!

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