1 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:03,440 Speaker 1: Life Audio. 2 00:00:10,880 --> 00:00:14,720 Speaker 2: Welcome to the Crosswalk devotional. We are so glad that 3 00:00:14,800 --> 00:00:18,119 Speaker 2: have been listening with us here today. Today's topic is 4 00:00:18,120 --> 00:00:21,400 Speaker 2: about coming Home to the Fog. We will return after 5 00:00:21,440 --> 00:00:36,879 Speaker 2: a brief message from our sponsor Coming Home to the 6 00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:44,440 Speaker 2: Father written by Vivian Bricker, read by Rochelle ALBERTI Bible. Ready, 7 00:00:45,159 --> 00:00:48,159 Speaker 2: the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against 8 00:00:48,159 --> 00:00:51,479 Speaker 2: Heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to 9 00:00:51,479 --> 00:00:55,720 Speaker 2: be called your son. But the father said to his servants, quick, 10 00:00:56,200 --> 00:00:58,920 Speaker 2: bring the best robe and put it on him, put 11 00:00:58,920 --> 00:01:01,680 Speaker 2: a ring on his finger, in sandals on his feet, 12 00:01:01,960 --> 00:01:04,520 Speaker 2: Bring the fat and calf and kill it. Let's have 13 00:01:04,560 --> 00:01:07,520 Speaker 2: a feast and celebrate, for this son of mine was 14 00:01:07,560 --> 00:01:11,360 Speaker 2: dead and is alive again. It was lost and is found. 15 00:01:11,880 --> 00:01:15,560 Speaker 2: So they began to celebrate. Luke fifteen twenty one through 16 00:01:15,600 --> 00:01:19,600 Speaker 2: twenty four. Most of us have had times when we 17 00:01:19,600 --> 00:01:22,720 Speaker 2: have strayed from God due to something bad happening in 18 00:01:22,720 --> 00:01:26,080 Speaker 2: our lives. We just wanted to late everything, including our faith. 19 00:01:26,920 --> 00:01:29,959 Speaker 2: Since we know God is all powerful, we've become disheartened 20 00:01:29,959 --> 00:01:32,200 Speaker 2: when He doesn't bring us out of a troublesome time. 21 00:01:33,400 --> 00:01:35,440 Speaker 2: I strayed from God and I was in the middle 22 00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:39,679 Speaker 2: of being diagnosed with a now known autoimmune disease. When 23 00:01:39,680 --> 00:01:42,280 Speaker 2: I was still in the process of finding a diagnosis, 24 00:01:42,959 --> 00:01:47,400 Speaker 2: I was scared of the worst case scenario and incurable disease. 25 00:01:48,320 --> 00:01:50,760 Speaker 2: I constantly prayed to God and asked that I would 26 00:01:50,760 --> 00:01:52,560 Speaker 2: not have to walk through the rest of my life 27 00:01:52,600 --> 00:01:57,040 Speaker 2: with a chronic illness. During that time, I saw my 28 00:01:57,160 --> 00:02:01,640 Speaker 2: faith begin to crumble. The excrucionating pain I was experiencing 29 00:02:01,680 --> 00:02:05,680 Speaker 2: made me question God, his goodness, and his presence in 30 00:02:05,680 --> 00:02:09,239 Speaker 2: my life. I saw other people around me who were 31 00:02:09,240 --> 00:02:12,680 Speaker 2: thriving and healthy, yet here I was sitting in a 32 00:02:12,720 --> 00:02:18,080 Speaker 2: hospital waiting to undergo another imaging test. For months, I 33 00:02:18,160 --> 00:02:20,760 Speaker 2: did not talk to God and I blamed him for 34 00:02:20,919 --> 00:02:24,640 Speaker 2: my pain. I hit rock bottom in my mental health 35 00:02:24,680 --> 00:02:26,959 Speaker 2: as I fell into this belief that God didn't love 36 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:30,680 Speaker 2: me or care about me. But I must remember that 37 00:02:30,720 --> 00:02:36,400 Speaker 2: feelings are only feelings, they are not facts. By reading 38 00:02:36,440 --> 00:02:39,799 Speaker 2: the Bible and relying on what I know rather than 39 00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:42,880 Speaker 2: how I feel, I have been able to make headway 40 00:02:42,960 --> 00:02:46,079 Speaker 2: in renewing my mind to know that God does indeed 41 00:02:46,160 --> 00:02:49,720 Speaker 2: love and care about me, and He loves and cares 42 00:02:49,760 --> 00:02:54,040 Speaker 2: about you too. While my disease hasn't changed much from 43 00:02:54,080 --> 00:02:57,040 Speaker 2: the time I was first diagnosed. My faith has changed 44 00:02:57,080 --> 00:03:00,600 Speaker 2: tremendously from the days when I was doubting God. Going 45 00:03:00,639 --> 00:03:03,240 Speaker 2: through that process has brought about much growth in my 46 00:03:03,320 --> 00:03:06,520 Speaker 2: spiritual walk with the Lord. I no longer see God 47 00:03:06,560 --> 00:03:09,920 Speaker 2: as the author behind my pain, but rather as the 48 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:16,680 Speaker 2: author of beautiful innings intersecting faith in life. Within the 49 00:03:16,760 --> 00:03:19,280 Speaker 2: parable of the Lost Son, we are met with a 50 00:03:19,320 --> 00:03:23,360 Speaker 2: wonderful encounter. The son said to him, Father, I have 51 00:03:23,480 --> 00:03:27,000 Speaker 2: sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer 52 00:03:27,080 --> 00:03:30,800 Speaker 2: worthy to be called your son. But the father said 53 00:03:30,800 --> 00:03:33,799 Speaker 2: to his servants, quick, bring the best robe and put 54 00:03:33,800 --> 00:03:36,280 Speaker 2: it on him. Put a ring on his finger, and 55 00:03:36,320 --> 00:03:39,120 Speaker 2: sandals on his feet. Bring the fat and calf and 56 00:03:39,240 --> 00:03:42,480 Speaker 2: kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate, for this 57 00:03:42,640 --> 00:03:45,640 Speaker 2: son of mine was dead and is alive again. It 58 00:03:45,760 --> 00:03:49,280 Speaker 2: was lost and is found. So they began to celebrate. 59 00:03:49,720 --> 00:03:54,200 Speaker 2: Luke fifteen twenty one through twenty four. The prodigal son 60 00:03:54,360 --> 00:03:57,400 Speaker 2: had squandered his father's wealth in wild living and left 61 00:03:57,440 --> 00:04:00,920 Speaker 2: his family behind. However, when he had passed the point 62 00:04:00,920 --> 00:04:04,680 Speaker 2: of no return, he fell before his father, confessed his 63 00:04:04,760 --> 00:04:07,400 Speaker 2: sins and told him that he was not worthy to 64 00:04:07,440 --> 00:04:11,160 Speaker 2: be his father's son. The father chose to have his 65 00:04:11,200 --> 00:04:13,840 Speaker 2: servants bring the best robe to his son, put a 66 00:04:13,920 --> 00:04:16,560 Speaker 2: ring on his finger and sandals on his feet, and 67 00:04:16,760 --> 00:04:19,960 Speaker 2: celebrate with a fatened calf. This would have been a 68 00:04:19,960 --> 00:04:22,560 Speaker 2: surprise to the son, as he would have expected his 69 00:04:22,600 --> 00:04:26,120 Speaker 2: father to send him away. Yet the father richly adorned 70 00:04:26,200 --> 00:04:30,680 Speaker 2: him and throws a celebration. The father and the son 71 00:04:30,760 --> 00:04:34,520 Speaker 2: in this parable allegorical to our relationship with God the Father, 72 00:04:35,440 --> 00:04:39,000 Speaker 2: we were lost, and now we are found. Even though 73 00:04:39,040 --> 00:04:41,359 Speaker 2: we might not have left God and squandered our lives 74 00:04:41,360 --> 00:04:44,360 Speaker 2: in wild living, we have all drifted away from Him 75 00:04:44,360 --> 00:04:48,120 Speaker 2: at some point in our Christian walk. The beautiful reminder 76 00:04:48,160 --> 00:04:50,520 Speaker 2: we have here is that if we ever drift away, 77 00:04:51,160 --> 00:04:53,560 Speaker 2: we are always welcomed home in the arms of our 78 00:04:53,600 --> 00:04:58,240 Speaker 2: heavenly Father. Praise God for his kindness, mercy and love. 79 00:05:00,120 --> 00:05:05,360 Speaker 2: Reading Jeremiah thirty one to three, Joel two twelve, or 80 00:05:05,440 --> 00:05:12,320 Speaker 2: fifteen First Corinthians one nine. 81 00:05:13,400 --> 00:05:16,680 Speaker 1: The Crosswalk Devotional is a production of Life Audio and 82 00:05:16,800 --> 00:05:20,640 Speaker 1: Salem Media. If you liked what you heard today, please 83 00:05:20,680 --> 00:05:23,080 Speaker 1: take a second to rate and review this podcast in 84 00:05:23,160 --> 00:05:26,560 Speaker 1: your favorite podcast app so that more listeners like you 85 00:05:26,839 --> 00:05:31,720 Speaker 1: can find the show. For more faith filled, inspirational podcasts, 86 00:05:32,360 --> 00:05:41,960 Speaker 1: visit us at lifeaudio dot com.