1 00:00:06,200 --> 00:00:09,039 S1: Tell me if you resonate with this. Your Christian life 2 00:00:09,039 --> 00:00:12,239 S1: began with a burst of joy. Prayers were answered. You 3 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:16,079 S1: saw huge changes in your own life and growth. And 4 00:00:16,120 --> 00:00:18,480 S1: things happened around you because God was at work. He 5 00:00:18,480 --> 00:00:21,919 S1: felt like he was present with you. There was nothing 6 00:00:21,920 --> 00:00:26,160 S1: you couldn't do. With you and God. But now you 7 00:00:26,160 --> 00:00:28,160 S1: find it hard to read your Bible. You try to 8 00:00:28,200 --> 00:00:30,320 S1: sing the songs, but your heart isn't in it. You 9 00:00:30,360 --> 00:00:33,760 S1: kind of mutter them. And your spiritual walk has become 10 00:00:33,760 --> 00:00:38,440 S1: a slog through what feels like quicksand. If that is you, 11 00:00:39,040 --> 00:00:41,959 S1: there's help and hope ahead. Today, from the president of 12 00:00:41,960 --> 00:00:46,919 S1: Dallas Theological Seminary, doctor Mark Yarbrough, will join us, and 13 00:00:46,920 --> 00:00:50,559 S1: we're going to talk about the process of rekindling your heart, 14 00:00:50,600 --> 00:00:55,160 S1: reviving your faith. If that's your struggle, don't miss the 15 00:00:55,160 --> 00:00:58,240 S1: conversation straight ahead on Chris Fabry. Live the program from 16 00:00:58,240 --> 00:01:01,560 S1: the heart to the heart and for the kindling of hearts. 17 00:01:01,560 --> 00:01:05,200 S1: Let me thank our team. Ryan McConaughey doing all things technical. 18 00:01:05,240 --> 00:01:07,640 S1: Chris is our producer. Lisa is here. Josh will be 19 00:01:07,640 --> 00:01:10,960 S1: answering your calls. There's Caleb too. Hey, Caleb. Some of 20 00:01:10,959 --> 00:01:13,520 S1: the greatest lessons I think are learned in the School 21 00:01:13,520 --> 00:01:17,440 S1: of Suffering. And that's what Colleen Chow has been through. 22 00:01:17,480 --> 00:01:21,280 S1: She has advanced degrees in life struggles, and she's put 23 00:01:21,280 --> 00:01:25,160 S1: her energy from her terminal diagnosis a few years ago 24 00:01:25,720 --> 00:01:28,720 S1: into using the days that God has given her to 25 00:01:28,760 --> 00:01:32,920 S1: focus on eternity, to focus on heaven. Her book, On 26 00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:36,440 S1: Our Way Home is our thank you. During this month 27 00:01:36,440 --> 00:01:39,479 S1: of March, we are more than halfway through and if 28 00:01:39,480 --> 00:01:41,480 S1: you give a gift of any size right now, we 29 00:01:41,480 --> 00:01:44,920 S1: will send you a copy of On Our Way Home 30 00:01:45,200 --> 00:01:50,800 S1: by Colleen Chow 86695. Fabri you can give that way 31 00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:59,560 S1: (866) 953-2279 or go to Chris fabri.org. RG. Scroll down. You'll 32 00:01:59,560 --> 00:02:01,440 S1: see how you can be a friend or partner with 33 00:02:01,440 --> 00:02:06,800 S1: us right there. Chris Fabry live Dot. Mark Yarbrough is 34 00:02:06,840 --> 00:02:10,800 S1: a popular Bible conference speaker, professor, and president of Dallas 35 00:02:10,840 --> 00:02:14,639 S1: Theological Seminary, author of a number of books, including his 36 00:02:14,639 --> 00:02:17,920 S1: best selling How to Read the Bible Like a Seminary 37 00:02:17,919 --> 00:02:21,840 S1: Professor and Jonah Beyond the Tail of a Whale. He's 38 00:02:21,840 --> 00:02:25,480 S1: also the featured speaker at the Story of Scripture conferences 39 00:02:25,760 --> 00:02:29,560 S1: sought after Bible teachers. Been married for 30 years to Jennifer, 40 00:02:29,680 --> 00:02:32,520 S1: his high school sweetheart. Well, we got to talk about that. 41 00:02:32,520 --> 00:02:36,200 S1: Four adult children, one son in law live in Texas. 42 00:02:36,200 --> 00:02:38,480 S1: You grew up in Texas, right? Mark? 43 00:02:38,800 --> 00:02:42,799 S2: I am a Texas boy. I'm wearing boots authentically. How 44 00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:43,200 S2: about that? 45 00:02:43,240 --> 00:02:44,480 S1: Do you wear the hat, though? 46 00:02:44,760 --> 00:02:46,959 S2: No hat, just boots. Boots. Okay. 47 00:02:47,480 --> 00:02:51,120 S1: The new book is The Rekindled Heart Six Essentials for 48 00:02:51,120 --> 00:02:54,959 S1: Reviving Your Faith. You told me just before we went 49 00:02:54,960 --> 00:02:59,010 S1: on the air that something happened three hours ago that 50 00:02:59,010 --> 00:03:01,770 S1: has changed your life. I got to know what it is. 51 00:03:02,169 --> 00:03:04,210 S2: Okay. It was a little longer than three hours ago, 52 00:03:04,210 --> 00:03:09,050 S2: but it's today. So at 920 this morning, I became 53 00:03:09,050 --> 00:03:10,290 S2: a grandfather. 54 00:03:10,370 --> 00:03:12,169 S1: Ah, Lisa was right. 55 00:03:12,210 --> 00:03:12,490 S2: Yeah. 56 00:03:12,490 --> 00:03:14,330 S1: She said he's got to be a granddad. 57 00:03:14,370 --> 00:03:17,169 S2: Yeah, yeah, I'm here on, uh, the Dallas campus today 58 00:03:17,169 --> 00:03:19,650 S2: at Dallas Seminary. In catty corner from us is a 59 00:03:19,650 --> 00:03:22,490 S2: birthing center where our daughter and her husband, you know, 60 00:03:22,530 --> 00:03:26,210 S2: just gave birth. And so I, it is so appropriate 61 00:03:26,210 --> 00:03:29,010 S2: for me to give a shout out to Cameron Boon 62 00:03:29,010 --> 00:03:32,490 S2: Chandler £10, eight ounces. 63 00:03:32,530 --> 00:03:32,970 S1: Whoa. 64 00:03:33,250 --> 00:03:34,730 S2: No, no. Yeah. 65 00:03:34,730 --> 00:03:37,010 S1: We got a £11 baby. We've got a. 66 00:03:37,330 --> 00:03:38,690 S2: We got a sumo wrestler. 67 00:03:38,690 --> 00:03:41,770 S1: I know that's like a £9 hammer that Ernie, Ernie 68 00:03:41,810 --> 00:03:44,530 S1: Ford sang about. That's that's a huge baby. 69 00:03:44,850 --> 00:03:47,170 S2: That's right. He came out half grown and needs to 70 00:03:47,210 --> 00:03:50,130 S2: shave already and things like that. So you know he's. 71 00:03:50,130 --> 00:03:50,290 S1: Got. 72 00:03:50,450 --> 00:03:50,850 S2: A he's. 73 00:03:50,890 --> 00:03:51,530 S1: A chunk don't you. 74 00:03:51,530 --> 00:03:54,090 S2: Think? He's a chunk. He's a chunky little fella but 75 00:03:54,130 --> 00:03:56,890 S2: happy and healthy and we are just tickled. This is the. 76 00:03:56,930 --> 00:03:59,770 S2: This is our first. We have four children and so 77 00:03:59,770 --> 00:04:02,250 S2: she is our oldest. And so she and her husband. 78 00:04:02,250 --> 00:04:04,250 S2: So they've made us grandparents today. 79 00:04:04,250 --> 00:04:09,130 S1: That is fantastic. Well, congratulations. And congratulations to, uh, to 80 00:04:09,170 --> 00:04:13,050 S1: Cameron for for making it in here, you know? Uh, okay, 81 00:04:13,210 --> 00:04:17,570 S1: so the first question, when you were a boy growing up, 82 00:04:17,610 --> 00:04:21,089 S1: you still had the cowboy boots then did you dream 83 00:04:21,089 --> 00:04:23,849 S1: about being president of Dallas Theological Seminary? 84 00:04:24,770 --> 00:04:27,489 S2: That was not on the bucket list. In fact, when 85 00:04:27,490 --> 00:04:30,890 S2: I graduated from high school, I had a full ride, Chris, 86 00:04:30,930 --> 00:04:34,849 S2: to a school in Texas called Tarleton State. They had 87 00:04:34,850 --> 00:04:40,250 S2: just launched a new degree program called Large Ranch Management. 88 00:04:40,890 --> 00:04:43,490 S2: How about that? And that's where I was. That's where 89 00:04:43,490 --> 00:04:46,330 S2: I was going. That was kind of my life trajectory. 90 00:04:46,330 --> 00:04:49,250 S2: I had a a grandiose idea of getting, getting that 91 00:04:49,250 --> 00:04:51,410 S2: degree and getting hooked up with a billionaire that lives 92 00:04:51,410 --> 00:04:53,570 S2: in Montana. And I could run his ranch for the 93 00:04:53,570 --> 00:04:54,450 S2: rest of my days. 94 00:04:55,210 --> 00:04:58,409 S1: Okay. So did you want to raise cattle? What was 95 00:04:58,410 --> 00:04:59,450 S1: going to be on the ranch? 96 00:04:59,730 --> 00:05:03,010 S2: Oh, I love anything outdoors. I love working with animals. 97 00:05:03,010 --> 00:05:07,130 S2: I just love being outside. And I love hard physical labor. 98 00:05:07,410 --> 00:05:10,330 S2: So I get great joy out of painting cattle troughs 99 00:05:10,330 --> 00:05:12,130 S2: and putting in a fence. I know it sounds kind 100 00:05:12,170 --> 00:05:15,290 S2: of crazy, but I just I enjoy the solitude that 101 00:05:15,290 --> 00:05:17,850 S2: that gives. And, you know, having a job that you 102 00:05:17,850 --> 00:05:19,890 S2: have in front of you, that's going to require work, 103 00:05:19,890 --> 00:05:22,250 S2: effort and energy and then to see it completed. So 104 00:05:22,290 --> 00:05:23,330 S2: I just love that. 105 00:05:23,370 --> 00:05:28,050 S1: Well, that, uh, being a pastor or a seminary professor 106 00:05:28,050 --> 00:05:31,169 S1: or a president of a seminary, that's hard work too, 107 00:05:31,210 --> 00:05:31,730 S1: isn't it? 108 00:05:31,930 --> 00:05:34,850 S2: Well, I've decided long ago that running a ranch and 109 00:05:34,850 --> 00:05:38,729 S2: running a seminary are very similar, actually. Uh, you know, 110 00:05:38,770 --> 00:05:41,330 S2: you need cattle prods from time to time. You got 111 00:05:41,330 --> 00:05:43,170 S2: to have a lot of vision, a lot of guts 112 00:05:43,170 --> 00:05:46,290 S2: to move forward and things like that. But in all seriousness, 113 00:05:46,290 --> 00:05:49,969 S2: the Lord, I wasn't running from God, but, uh, my 114 00:05:49,970 --> 00:05:51,849 S2: wife and I had she was not my wife at 115 00:05:51,850 --> 00:05:54,050 S2: the time. We met in junior high, started dating in 116 00:05:54,050 --> 00:05:56,570 S2: high school, and we would have married right out of 117 00:05:56,570 --> 00:05:58,890 S2: high school, but it would have totally freaked our parents out. 118 00:05:59,089 --> 00:06:02,290 S2: So we decided to wait two years and my dad, 119 00:06:02,690 --> 00:06:04,770 S2: a very wise man, said, hey Mark, why don't you 120 00:06:04,770 --> 00:06:07,410 S2: do two years of Bible college? And I had been 121 00:06:07,410 --> 00:06:10,690 S2: working at church. And so in those years, in fact, 122 00:06:10,690 --> 00:06:13,290 S2: early on in my freshman year in Bible college, the 123 00:06:13,290 --> 00:06:15,050 S2: Lord just did a number on me. Like I said, 124 00:06:15,050 --> 00:06:18,290 S2: I wasn't really running. I didn't have a major Jonah moment, 125 00:06:18,490 --> 00:06:21,609 S2: but I had not heard the Lord make it clear 126 00:06:21,610 --> 00:06:23,930 S2: this is what I was supposed to do. And in 127 00:06:23,970 --> 00:06:27,930 S2: that first semester, honestly, I set in some classrooms and 128 00:06:27,970 --> 00:06:31,250 S2: I saw some young professors that were just on fire 129 00:06:31,250 --> 00:06:34,010 S2: for the Word of God, and it changed me. And 130 00:06:34,010 --> 00:06:35,929 S2: the Lord began to kind of chip away at that. 131 00:06:35,930 --> 00:06:38,570 S2: And then I had this life trajectory. And so you 132 00:06:38,570 --> 00:06:40,610 S2: should have seen me when I went and told my wife, Jennifer, 133 00:06:40,610 --> 00:06:43,010 S2: I said, remember that whole Montana thing I sold you on? 134 00:06:43,250 --> 00:06:44,970 S2: I said, I think the Lord's called me into ministry 135 00:06:44,970 --> 00:06:47,410 S2: and I'll never forget her words. Chris, you'll love this. 136 00:06:47,410 --> 00:06:49,609 S2: She said, oh, I've known that for quite some time. 137 00:06:49,610 --> 00:06:52,010 S2: I wondered how long it would be before you do it. 138 00:06:53,050 --> 00:06:53,450 S1: I love. 139 00:06:53,450 --> 00:06:53,570 S2: It. 140 00:06:54,170 --> 00:06:55,970 S1: I love it. Okay, so how did you do? Is 141 00:06:55,970 --> 00:06:57,850 S1: that when you knew that she was the one? 142 00:06:58,890 --> 00:07:01,049 S2: I think I knew she was the one long before there. 143 00:07:01,050 --> 00:07:04,450 S2: We were already actually engaged by then. But I didn't 144 00:07:04,450 --> 00:07:06,170 S2: know how she was going to respond to that. You know, 145 00:07:06,210 --> 00:07:10,050 S2: because that really wasn't in our trajectory full time Christian ministry. 146 00:07:10,050 --> 00:07:12,010 S2: And we didn't even know how. I just knew the 147 00:07:12,010 --> 00:07:14,090 S2: Lord was calling me. So I didn't know whether it 148 00:07:14,090 --> 00:07:16,730 S2: was going to be in the local church and higher education. 149 00:07:16,930 --> 00:07:20,210 S2: And I have found my foot in each one of 150 00:07:20,210 --> 00:07:23,890 S2: those worlds. MM. And, um, so the Lord just made 151 00:07:23,890 --> 00:07:26,330 S2: it clear and I had some, again, some Bible profs 152 00:07:26,330 --> 00:07:28,330 S2: that just turned me on to the word. And I 153 00:07:28,330 --> 00:07:30,690 S2: was like, man, Lord, if you would ever give me 154 00:07:30,690 --> 00:07:35,450 S2: the privilege to teach the word like that and to 155 00:07:35,490 --> 00:07:40,250 S2: watch people's eyes just open up for the first time 156 00:07:40,250 --> 00:07:44,010 S2: and connect the dots from Genesis to Revelation. And in 157 00:07:44,010 --> 00:07:47,690 S2: God's kindness in his grace, that's really what he has 158 00:07:47,690 --> 00:07:49,730 S2: allowed my life to be engaged in. Stan. 159 00:07:50,210 --> 00:07:53,210 S1: We're going to talk about that called there's a called 160 00:07:53,210 --> 00:07:55,730 S1: conference for women in Ministry. We're going to talk about 161 00:07:55,730 --> 00:07:58,530 S1: that a little later this week. But how do you 162 00:07:58,530 --> 00:08:00,690 S1: define that? Because I hear people say that I was 163 00:08:00,690 --> 00:08:03,210 S1: called to this. I have a calling. How do you 164 00:08:03,210 --> 00:08:05,450 S1: define called or calling? 165 00:08:05,850 --> 00:08:08,130 S2: Yeah. You know, when I, when I talk about that, 166 00:08:08,130 --> 00:08:10,130 S2: to me, it's like determining the will of God in 167 00:08:10,130 --> 00:08:12,210 S2: your life. I mean, there's lots of different ways that 168 00:08:12,210 --> 00:08:13,809 S2: I think we can say this. For me, I didn't 169 00:08:13,810 --> 00:08:17,850 S2: have an audible voice. Uh, it was a prodding and 170 00:08:17,850 --> 00:08:20,730 S2: there was a disruption in my spirit, if I can 171 00:08:20,730 --> 00:08:25,370 S2: phrase it that way. And, um, so when I talk 172 00:08:25,370 --> 00:08:27,970 S2: to students or anybody that comes in and I have 173 00:08:27,970 --> 00:08:30,570 S2: a privilege of engaging with, I say, first of all, 174 00:08:30,570 --> 00:08:32,490 S2: you got to commit this to prayer. I mean, you've 175 00:08:32,490 --> 00:08:35,450 S2: got to make this something that you bring before the 176 00:08:35,450 --> 00:08:37,850 S2: Lord on a regular basis and say, Lord, are you speaking? 177 00:08:37,850 --> 00:08:41,089 S2: Are you directing me in a particular way? Second thing is, 178 00:08:41,090 --> 00:08:44,490 S2: is you need to saturate yourself with scripture. The third 179 00:08:44,490 --> 00:08:47,569 S2: thing is, is that you need a godly counsel around 180 00:08:47,570 --> 00:08:51,620 S2: you that you talk with. You need seasoned men and 181 00:08:51,620 --> 00:08:55,380 S2: women in your life that you can bring this before, 182 00:08:55,580 --> 00:08:57,579 S2: and they're going to be a good checks and balance 183 00:08:57,580 --> 00:09:00,740 S2: for you. And so that's really what I did with 184 00:09:00,740 --> 00:09:03,260 S2: my call. I talked to my parents about that. I 185 00:09:03,260 --> 00:09:06,260 S2: talked to some of these Bible professors, individuals that had 186 00:09:06,260 --> 00:09:10,100 S2: been very influential in my life. I wanted to get their, 187 00:09:10,500 --> 00:09:14,540 S2: their wisdom pouring into this and say, hey, I'm feeling, uh, 188 00:09:14,540 --> 00:09:18,620 S2: a movement of God that is asking me something. And 189 00:09:18,620 --> 00:09:21,579 S2: then we would talk about what that is. So I 190 00:09:21,620 --> 00:09:24,180 S2: think that it's going to, it's going to revolve around 191 00:09:24,179 --> 00:09:26,900 S2: those three things that are going to be really critical 192 00:09:26,900 --> 00:09:30,460 S2: for any individual that is determining the will of God 193 00:09:30,460 --> 00:09:34,900 S2: and a call into Christian ministry in particular, because that's 194 00:09:34,900 --> 00:09:38,500 S2: a question of, uh, has the Lord gifted me for this? 195 00:09:38,820 --> 00:09:43,179 S2: Is there a passion for his work? Is there, you know, 196 00:09:43,220 --> 00:09:46,580 S2: when we look at the characteristics of, of, of women 197 00:09:46,580 --> 00:09:50,739 S2: and men in Scripture. AM I seeing that being portrayed 198 00:09:50,740 --> 00:09:54,100 S2: in my life? And I think those are some of 199 00:09:54,100 --> 00:09:56,140 S2: the things that we need to be able to wrestle 200 00:09:56,140 --> 00:10:00,020 S2: with when we're trying to determine God's purpose for our lives. 201 00:10:00,380 --> 00:10:03,460 S1: That's doctor Mark Yarbrough. You can find out more about 202 00:10:03,460 --> 00:10:08,219 S1: him@christian.org and our featured resource, an excellent book we're going 203 00:10:08,220 --> 00:10:12,460 S1: to talk about today, The Rekindled Heart six Essentials for 204 00:10:12,460 --> 00:10:16,340 S1: Reviving Your Faith. If you feel like God's a million 205 00:10:16,340 --> 00:10:18,620 S1: miles away, you read the Bible and it just kind 206 00:10:18,660 --> 00:10:21,380 S1: of lays there. You don't feel that fire you used 207 00:10:21,380 --> 00:10:25,500 S1: to feel. Stay with us. More straight ahead on Moody Radio. 208 00:10:36,220 --> 00:10:40,980 S1: Doctor Mark Yarbrough is president of Dallas Theological Seminary. I 209 00:10:40,980 --> 00:10:43,819 S1: get to talk with the president of Dallas Theological Seminary 210 00:10:43,820 --> 00:10:47,980 S1: today about a really important topic because when he goes 211 00:10:47,980 --> 00:10:51,100 S1: around the country, when he speaks, when he hears from 212 00:10:51,100 --> 00:10:53,700 S1: people in the pew as well as those who are 213 00:10:53,700 --> 00:10:57,540 S1: studying at Dallas, he hears this a lot, that the 214 00:10:57,580 --> 00:11:05,219 S1: hearts that need rekindling six essential essentials for reviving your faith. 215 00:11:05,420 --> 00:11:08,100 S1: So that's where you are today. If you know somebody 216 00:11:08,300 --> 00:11:11,980 S1: who is in that situation, it's like everything started and 217 00:11:11,980 --> 00:11:14,900 S1: it was you were on fire for God, whatever that means. 218 00:11:15,300 --> 00:11:18,420 S1: And now it's like, I don't even feel a spark 219 00:11:18,420 --> 00:11:21,140 S1: of it. What's wrong with me? I want you to 220 00:11:21,140 --> 00:11:23,980 S1: listen to what he has to say. Featured resource is 221 00:11:23,980 --> 00:11:28,740 S1: the Rekindled Heart. It's just released recently. Go to Chris 222 00:11:29,620 --> 00:11:36,260 S1: dot y. Mark Yarbrough to to write about this. What 223 00:11:36,300 --> 00:11:39,100 S1: what happened in your past that made you that set 224 00:11:39,100 --> 00:11:40,620 S1: you up to write about this? 225 00:11:41,380 --> 00:11:44,020 S2: Well, I think, you know, in Chris, you know, this 226 00:11:44,020 --> 00:11:46,660 S2: from your writing. I mean, this comes out of the 227 00:11:46,660 --> 00:11:51,020 S2: experience of life to some degree, right? And, um, that's 228 00:11:51,020 --> 00:11:53,860 S2: probably true with this. We've been working through a project 229 00:11:53,860 --> 00:11:58,459 S2: here at the Seminary of Core Values. And many of 230 00:11:58,460 --> 00:12:03,100 S2: these principles are some of the core values of Dallas Seminary. 231 00:12:03,460 --> 00:12:06,260 S2: But I began to wrestle with these things in a 232 00:12:06,260 --> 00:12:09,100 S2: much larger context. And there is a story that really 233 00:12:09,100 --> 00:12:11,660 S2: led to it. So, um, I told you, I love 234 00:12:11,660 --> 00:12:14,380 S2: the outdoors, you know that. And I'm an avid fly 235 00:12:14,380 --> 00:12:18,260 S2: fisherman and I was actually fly fishing in Wyoming every 236 00:12:18,260 --> 00:12:20,500 S2: other year. I do this mega trip. It's a ten 237 00:12:20,500 --> 00:12:24,300 S2: hour horseback ride into the Tetons and it's you unplug 238 00:12:24,300 --> 00:12:26,300 S2: and you get away. Well, I was there with a 239 00:12:26,340 --> 00:12:31,179 S2: friend of mine, and, um, you know, when you're camping, uh, 240 00:12:31,179 --> 00:12:33,339 S2: kind of the rule of camping is the first person 241 00:12:33,340 --> 00:12:35,860 S2: up in the morning has to get the fire going. Right. 242 00:12:36,620 --> 00:12:39,940 S2: And so, uh, I was the first person up. I 243 00:12:39,980 --> 00:12:44,180 S2: love getting up early. And there was another gentleman that 244 00:12:44,179 --> 00:12:46,420 S2: was on this trip with us. There's only about 12 245 00:12:46,420 --> 00:12:50,340 S2: of us, and we walked over and sat down at 246 00:12:50,340 --> 00:12:52,820 S2: the fire. It was not going yet, but you could 247 00:12:52,820 --> 00:12:56,300 S2: see the coals from the night before. So I got 248 00:12:56,300 --> 00:12:58,580 S2: up and I went and got a little, you know, wood, 249 00:12:58,620 --> 00:13:00,260 S2: and I was getting ready to toss it on and 250 00:13:00,260 --> 00:13:02,620 S2: I could just sense that he wanted to say something. 251 00:13:02,820 --> 00:13:06,540 S2: And he pointed to the coals and he reached down 252 00:13:06,540 --> 00:13:09,420 S2: and he kind of moved the ashes over the top 253 00:13:09,780 --> 00:13:11,740 S2: and he pointed at it. And then he looked at 254 00:13:11,740 --> 00:13:14,980 S2: me and he said, that's my faith. He said, it 255 00:13:14,980 --> 00:13:18,340 S2: used to be like the night before when it was 256 00:13:18,340 --> 00:13:21,860 S2: a vibrant fire. And he said, but that's where I 257 00:13:21,860 --> 00:13:26,820 S2: am right now. And that picture stuck with me. And 258 00:13:26,820 --> 00:13:29,420 S2: I thought, you know, when I talk to people all 259 00:13:29,420 --> 00:13:34,300 S2: around the country, in the church, outside of the church, um, 260 00:13:34,340 --> 00:13:36,420 S2: and you talk to them about faith, this is a 261 00:13:36,420 --> 00:13:39,420 S2: common theme that you hear of like, you know, I 262 00:13:39,460 --> 00:13:42,979 S2: came to know the Lord and I was on fire, 263 00:13:42,980 --> 00:13:47,700 S2: or I had some major moment in my life and 264 00:13:47,740 --> 00:13:50,620 S2: God did almost a miracle and I was on fire. 265 00:13:50,660 --> 00:13:54,580 S2: I watched him do something amazing in my family, or 266 00:13:54,580 --> 00:13:58,300 S2: I had a health scare and God delivered me and 267 00:13:58,300 --> 00:14:01,700 S2: I was on fire. And then you have other moments 268 00:14:01,700 --> 00:14:05,179 S2: in life, and those can occur for a variety of 269 00:14:05,179 --> 00:14:08,820 S2: reasons that we could talk about. And that is a 270 00:14:08,820 --> 00:14:12,699 S2: great picture of what my friend said. Sometimes our faith 271 00:14:12,700 --> 00:14:16,060 S2: is on fire. It's vibrant, it's active. It's, you know, 272 00:14:16,100 --> 00:14:19,060 S2: it's that that metaphor that we have of a heart 273 00:14:19,060 --> 00:14:22,420 S2: that's on fire for the Lord. And then at other 274 00:14:22,420 --> 00:14:26,420 S2: times we find ourselves where, oh, it's there. It's not 275 00:14:26,420 --> 00:14:29,860 S2: like it's gone away, but it's dormant. So that's how 276 00:14:29,860 --> 00:14:31,900 S2: this book in many ways came about. And that's how 277 00:14:31,900 --> 00:14:33,900 S2: that that metaphor came to be. 278 00:14:34,340 --> 00:14:37,460 S1: Okay. So is it okay to have that kind of 279 00:14:37,500 --> 00:14:40,990 S1: ebb and flow? Because you can't you can't keep a 280 00:14:40,990 --> 00:14:44,630 S1: fire burning hot all the time. Well, I guess you can. 281 00:14:45,110 --> 00:14:48,390 S1: In a furnace. You can. But is it? Are the 282 00:14:48,390 --> 00:14:51,790 S1: ebbs and flows of the fire okay, or should we 283 00:14:51,830 --> 00:14:53,230 S1: be concerned about that? 284 00:14:53,350 --> 00:14:55,790 S2: Well, here's what I'm going to say. It's inevitable that 285 00:14:55,790 --> 00:14:58,390 S2: you are going to have some level of ebb and flow. 286 00:14:58,430 --> 00:15:01,710 S2: I have never talked to a child of God that 287 00:15:01,710 --> 00:15:05,110 S2: has not had moments where their fire was not active 288 00:15:05,110 --> 00:15:07,990 S2: and vibrant. Doesn't mean it's gone. It's not out, you know? 289 00:15:08,030 --> 00:15:10,630 S2: So don't let's not push the metaphor too far. But 290 00:15:10,630 --> 00:15:13,430 S2: it does mean that it's not as active as it 291 00:15:13,470 --> 00:15:16,430 S2: once was. And that can happen. You know, for lots 292 00:15:16,430 --> 00:15:20,470 S2: of reasons. I mean, sometimes we can bring it on ourselves. Look, 293 00:15:20,550 --> 00:15:22,350 S2: you can't see me right now, but, Chris, my hand 294 00:15:22,390 --> 00:15:25,030 S2: is raised. And, you know, this is the Yarborough hand 295 00:15:25,030 --> 00:15:28,390 S2: of stupidity being raised. You know, and it's like, you know, 296 00:15:28,510 --> 00:15:31,430 S2: who who of us does not have stories where it's 297 00:15:31,430 --> 00:15:37,590 S2: our own foolishness and sometimes it's neglect. Uh, sometimes it is. 298 00:15:37,590 --> 00:15:40,070 S2: It's what I call listening to the pattern of the 299 00:15:40,070 --> 00:15:43,790 S2: world we live in a noisy world that is vying 300 00:15:43,830 --> 00:15:47,830 S2: for our heart and our attention. The minutes of our 301 00:15:47,830 --> 00:15:53,030 S2: day to cast our focus in the things of this world, 302 00:15:53,030 --> 00:15:56,870 S2: as opposed to what Scripture says in Colossians chapter three. 303 00:15:57,030 --> 00:16:01,550 S2: Set your minds on things above. And so there is 304 00:16:01,550 --> 00:16:05,990 S2: a fight for our mind. And so our own stupidity 305 00:16:05,990 --> 00:16:09,910 S2: can certainly do that. I also know that we live 306 00:16:09,910 --> 00:16:15,630 S2: in this fallen, horrible, broken Genesis three world. And one 307 00:16:15,630 --> 00:16:18,310 S2: of the mysteries of the faith is that sometimes God 308 00:16:18,310 --> 00:16:21,070 S2: allows things in our lives that we wish he would not. 309 00:16:21,630 --> 00:16:23,630 S2: Mark Yarborough's got a big long list, and I bet 310 00:16:23,630 --> 00:16:27,390 S2: Chris Fabry does too. If things that the Lord allowed 311 00:16:27,390 --> 00:16:32,390 S2: to happen to us. And sometimes this world can just 312 00:16:32,390 --> 00:16:36,510 S2: beat us up from the brokenness and things that are 313 00:16:36,510 --> 00:16:41,110 S2: done to us. And, um, so then, you know, the 314 00:16:41,110 --> 00:16:42,550 S2: last one that I would say, and I kind of 315 00:16:42,590 --> 00:16:48,110 S2: alluded to this one, it's, it's not even necessary necessarily, um, uh, 316 00:16:48,630 --> 00:16:52,870 S2: direct stupidity, but it's just negligence. We just get lazy 317 00:16:52,870 --> 00:16:56,630 S2: in our faith. And that's where in many ways, I 318 00:16:56,630 --> 00:17:00,190 S2: began to zero in, in these, what I call six essentials. 319 00:17:00,190 --> 00:17:03,710 S2: And it's not exhaustive. This is not the end all list. 320 00:17:03,710 --> 00:17:05,870 S2: This is certainly not a to do list. Do these 321 00:17:05,869 --> 00:17:08,550 S2: things and your faith will be on fire. But I 322 00:17:08,550 --> 00:17:11,390 S2: think that the six that I bring forward are so 323 00:17:11,430 --> 00:17:15,430 S2: important and so critical that if someone finds themselves where they're, 324 00:17:15,710 --> 00:17:18,550 S2: they're in that moment, right? Looking at the, the early 325 00:17:18,590 --> 00:17:22,030 S2: morning calls and saying, man, that's kind of where I am. 326 00:17:22,030 --> 00:17:24,230 S2: It's not vibrant. It's not as active as what I 327 00:17:24,230 --> 00:17:26,550 S2: want it to be. These six essentials are going to 328 00:17:26,550 --> 00:17:29,510 S2: help that individual. But here's what else I think. I 329 00:17:29,510 --> 00:17:32,590 S2: think these six essentials are going to help the individual 330 00:17:32,590 --> 00:17:34,950 S2: that may be listening to us even right now, saying, 331 00:17:35,109 --> 00:17:37,550 S2: my faith is on fire. I'm in one of those 332 00:17:37,550 --> 00:17:40,429 S2: moments and I'm like, good for you. Keep throwing Kendall 333 00:17:40,470 --> 00:17:43,190 S2: on the fire. Let's keep it. Let's keep it moving. 334 00:17:43,350 --> 00:17:45,270 S2: So I think these six are going to be critical 335 00:17:45,270 --> 00:17:47,790 S2: no matter where we are on that spectrum of the 336 00:17:47,790 --> 00:17:49,190 S2: vibrancy of our faith. 337 00:17:49,670 --> 00:17:51,910 S1: I want to go through those. And if you have 338 00:17:51,910 --> 00:17:54,670 S1: a question or a comment as you listen today for 339 00:17:54,710 --> 00:17:58,990 S1: Mark Yarbrough. Yarbrough, you go to Chris Fabry. Two syllables, 340 00:17:58,990 --> 00:18:02,430 S1: that last name, which means and I just I'll go 341 00:18:02,470 --> 00:18:05,310 S1: this rabbit trail, which means people of the earth. Your 342 00:18:05,310 --> 00:18:07,550 S1: last name means people of the earth, right? 343 00:18:07,790 --> 00:18:09,990 S2: Yeah, I just found that out not too long ago. 344 00:18:10,030 --> 00:18:12,149 S2: I was at a at a convention. You know, I 345 00:18:12,150 --> 00:18:13,990 S2: didn't know this, but I was asked to speak at 346 00:18:13,990 --> 00:18:17,229 S2: the Yarbrough National Convention, and that was fabulous. And I 347 00:18:17,230 --> 00:18:20,510 S2: learned a lot about my genealogy that I was unaware. 348 00:18:20,510 --> 00:18:22,389 S2: And one of those was what my name meant. So 349 00:18:22,390 --> 00:18:25,790 S2: that's what people of the earth or people of the ground. 350 00:18:25,950 --> 00:18:28,070 S2: And I thought, yeah, I love the outdoors. So I 351 00:18:28,109 --> 00:18:29,910 S2: kind of, I kind of connected with that. 352 00:18:29,950 --> 00:18:35,750 S1: I like that. Okay, so here's the number 3675. If 353 00:18:35,750 --> 00:18:38,630 S1: there's somebody listening right now, this might be you. Your 354 00:18:38,630 --> 00:18:41,990 S1: question today might help somebody else who's too timid to 355 00:18:42,030 --> 00:18:48,870 S1: call or who hears the podcast 50 years from now. (877) 548-3675. 356 00:18:48,910 --> 00:18:54,070 S1: How do you explain? Describe what your faith is used 357 00:18:54,070 --> 00:18:56,830 S1: to be and what it is now. And let's see 358 00:18:56,830 --> 00:18:59,150 S1: if Mark can help us. But I want to throw 359 00:18:59,150 --> 00:19:04,070 S1: a another question in here or another scenario of why 360 00:19:04,070 --> 00:19:06,790 S1: this happens. And I've seen this happen to me and 361 00:19:06,790 --> 00:19:11,590 S1: to others, the spiritual malaise that I lay at the 362 00:19:11,590 --> 00:19:15,629 S1: feet of the comparison I often do with my life 363 00:19:15,630 --> 00:19:19,950 S1: and others, what God seems to be doing in their life. 364 00:19:19,950 --> 00:19:23,070 S1: The spiritual Facebook post of, you know, what they're eating 365 00:19:23,070 --> 00:19:26,070 S1: for dinner and whatever what God is doing in their life, 366 00:19:26,070 --> 00:19:29,550 S1: I compare myself to that. And I think, well, I'm 367 00:19:29,750 --> 00:19:33,510 S1: not leading people to Christ when I get in a cab, 368 00:19:33,510 --> 00:19:35,910 S1: if people get in a cab. You know, I'm not 369 00:19:35,910 --> 00:19:39,790 S1: doing the things that they're doing. And so my get 370 00:19:39,790 --> 00:19:42,590 S1: frustrated with my life because God's not doing the same 371 00:19:42,590 --> 00:19:45,190 S1: thing for me that I think he is doing in 372 00:19:45,230 --> 00:19:46,750 S1: their life. What do you say to that? 373 00:19:47,109 --> 00:19:49,710 S2: Yeah, I think that that we live in a world 374 00:19:49,710 --> 00:19:55,870 S2: of comparison and fascination with the stage. And, um, that's, 375 00:19:55,869 --> 00:19:59,430 S2: that's incredibly dangerous. I think that we've got to come 376 00:19:59,430 --> 00:20:02,950 S2: back to the very basics of saying, where is my identity? 377 00:20:02,950 --> 00:20:06,350 S2: And my identity is in the Lord Jesus Christ. And 378 00:20:06,350 --> 00:20:09,950 S2: that's where I find my resolve. And it's not in 379 00:20:09,990 --> 00:20:12,390 S2: what the world has to say. It's not in the 380 00:20:12,390 --> 00:20:16,470 S2: likes in any of my social media. It's it's not 381 00:20:16,470 --> 00:20:20,270 S2: in a comparison of me to anybody else. It is 382 00:20:20,270 --> 00:20:25,149 S2: my duty and privilege of saying, Lord, how have you 383 00:20:25,190 --> 00:20:29,470 S2: wired me? What what level of faithfulness are you asking 384 00:20:29,470 --> 00:20:32,110 S2: of me? And I think that's where we need to 385 00:20:32,150 --> 00:20:35,600 S2: find ourselves. Because once we start, you know, trying to 386 00:20:35,640 --> 00:20:39,080 S2: to look out there and saying, and that's what success is, 387 00:20:39,119 --> 00:20:40,960 S2: we're going to fall into a trap. I mean, this 388 00:20:40,960 --> 00:20:44,280 S2: is I made that reference a little while ago. I 389 00:20:44,280 --> 00:20:46,800 S2: do think that, you know, Romans chapter 12 is a 390 00:20:46,800 --> 00:20:51,040 S2: critical discussion because there is a pattern of the world 391 00:20:51,880 --> 00:20:55,000 S2: and it's not a good one, and it rears its head. 392 00:20:55,040 --> 00:21:00,080 S2: Satan regurgitates the same old junk from Genesis three forward. And, um, 393 00:21:00,080 --> 00:21:04,119 S2: it is, you know, it's power and prestige. And we've 394 00:21:04,119 --> 00:21:05,960 S2: just got to, we got to keep that at bay 395 00:21:05,960 --> 00:21:07,919 S2: by the working of the spirit in our lives. But 396 00:21:07,920 --> 00:21:11,600 S2: how does that occur? It occurs when we constantly preach 397 00:21:11,600 --> 00:21:14,719 S2: the gospel to ourselves over and over again, and remind 398 00:21:14,720 --> 00:21:18,600 S2: ourselves that that we have a responsibility to be good 399 00:21:18,600 --> 00:21:21,680 S2: stewards of what God has simply entrusted to us. It's 400 00:21:21,680 --> 00:21:24,719 S2: not to put us in comparison to anyone else. 401 00:21:25,720 --> 00:21:29,080 S1: Okay, I wrote that as a note that the gospel 402 00:21:29,080 --> 00:21:32,160 S1: is for Christians as much as it is for non-Christians, 403 00:21:32,640 --> 00:21:35,560 S1: and maybe even more so. So when you say we 404 00:21:35,560 --> 00:21:38,719 S1: need to preach the gospel to ourselves, what do you mean? 405 00:21:39,119 --> 00:21:40,959 S2: Well, I'm just saying. I mean, look, if I get 406 00:21:40,960 --> 00:21:44,160 S2: up every day in my life and, and, uh, remind 407 00:21:44,160 --> 00:21:47,800 S2: myself that Mark Yarbrough has been saved by grace through 408 00:21:47,800 --> 00:21:50,920 S2: faith and this not of yourselves, that it's a gift 409 00:21:50,920 --> 00:21:53,960 S2: from God, right? So that there's no boasting in me. 410 00:21:53,960 --> 00:21:57,160 S2: This is not about me, that I have nothing that 411 00:21:57,160 --> 00:22:00,119 S2: I can bring to the table when it comes to 412 00:22:00,160 --> 00:22:04,399 S2: my salvation, that God's done everything, that it means. I'm loved, 413 00:22:04,600 --> 00:22:08,840 S2: I'm cherished. I am embraced by him, that he has 414 00:22:08,840 --> 00:22:12,280 S2: done everything for me, then that puts me in a 415 00:22:12,280 --> 00:22:17,600 S2: position of of dependence. It puts me in a position of, 416 00:22:17,840 --> 00:22:22,080 S2: of joy and gratitude. And that's going to just remind 417 00:22:22,080 --> 00:22:25,119 S2: me that it's not in this quest for wanting more 418 00:22:25,160 --> 00:22:29,200 S2: or comparing myself to someone else. Um, I'm moving down 419 00:22:29,200 --> 00:22:32,240 S2: the wrong path there. So when I say preach the gospel, 420 00:22:32,280 --> 00:22:35,760 S2: it's it's to remember that we don't deserve any of this, 421 00:22:36,320 --> 00:22:40,520 S2: that our lives are a gift from God, that this 422 00:22:40,520 --> 00:22:44,360 S2: promise that we have of life eternal. You know, this 423 00:22:44,359 --> 00:22:49,240 S2: is the age old John 316. Everlasting life is granted 424 00:22:49,240 --> 00:22:52,840 S2: to those who are in Christ. And that should be 425 00:22:52,840 --> 00:22:56,280 S2: transformative in my perspective every day. So that's what I 426 00:22:56,280 --> 00:22:59,520 S2: mean when I say preach the gospel because, uh, it, 427 00:22:59,680 --> 00:23:02,920 S2: it shifts my thinking into what really matters. 428 00:23:03,160 --> 00:23:05,840 S1: Okay, so let me give you a theological question, a 429 00:23:05,840 --> 00:23:10,880 S1: seminary question. How does this rekindling work then, as you 430 00:23:10,880 --> 00:23:15,240 S1: look at it through Scripture, is, is this about the 431 00:23:15,240 --> 00:23:19,800 S1: sovereignty of do I rekindle my faith or does God 432 00:23:19,800 --> 00:23:23,000 S1: have to do something to give me a desire to 433 00:23:23,040 --> 00:23:24,840 S1: have it be on fire again? 434 00:23:25,200 --> 00:23:27,920 S2: Well, I'm going to give an answer that may sound 435 00:23:27,920 --> 00:23:29,840 S2: like a scapegoat, and that's not what I'm trying to do. 436 00:23:29,880 --> 00:23:33,960 S2: I think it's a both end. So if we are saved, 437 00:23:35,000 --> 00:23:39,680 S2: then there is something that, uh, is called of us 438 00:23:39,680 --> 00:23:43,600 S2: in walking with the spirit. And so there is an 439 00:23:43,600 --> 00:23:48,639 S2: active part of my spiritual journey of walking with the 440 00:23:48,640 --> 00:23:52,600 S2: Lord and following the Lord. And if I find myself 441 00:23:52,600 --> 00:23:56,679 S2: doing things that are not becoming of a follower of Christ, 442 00:23:56,680 --> 00:23:59,720 S2: or if I am doing things that are preventing me 443 00:23:59,920 --> 00:24:03,800 S2: from having a faith that is on fire, then I 444 00:24:03,800 --> 00:24:08,320 S2: think I have responsibilities to engage there. Now, I can 445 00:24:08,320 --> 00:24:11,200 S2: also say that we're going to have to wrestle with 446 00:24:11,200 --> 00:24:16,600 S2: the sovereignty of God here because again, unfortunately, and, um, 447 00:24:16,800 --> 00:24:19,639 S2: you know, God allows a lot of things to occur 448 00:24:19,640 --> 00:24:23,040 S2: in our lives. And pain is one of God's great tutors, 449 00:24:23,040 --> 00:24:25,600 S2: as you and I know. And you know, for years, 450 00:24:25,600 --> 00:24:28,600 S2: I would so appreciate the Cliff note, and I want 451 00:24:28,600 --> 00:24:30,439 S2: to read a book on it, as opposed to actually 452 00:24:30,440 --> 00:24:33,200 S2: having to go through that pain. But that's where God 453 00:24:33,200 --> 00:24:36,200 S2: does a lot of his greatest teaching. And so we're 454 00:24:36,200 --> 00:24:42,840 S2: constantly feeling the tug between our responsibility as a believer 455 00:24:43,359 --> 00:24:48,040 S2: and the call to stewardship and submitting ourselves every day 456 00:24:48,040 --> 00:24:50,480 S2: to the sovereignty of God. And I don't want to 457 00:24:50,520 --> 00:24:53,040 S2: I don't want to move on one side or the 458 00:24:53,040 --> 00:24:55,880 S2: other on that. I want to be able to honor 459 00:24:55,880 --> 00:25:02,119 S2: both sides of that because post salvation, um, God does 460 00:25:02,320 --> 00:25:08,440 S2: ask us of things before salvation. Um, we're totally dependent 461 00:25:08,440 --> 00:25:11,240 S2: upon a miracle of miracles for God to open our eyes. 462 00:25:11,960 --> 00:25:14,840 S2: And so I think both are tied to this topic. 463 00:25:15,240 --> 00:25:18,120 S1: Yeah, I like that answer because that, you know, that 464 00:25:18,160 --> 00:25:22,040 S1: you have to participate with what God is doing in 465 00:25:22,040 --> 00:25:25,240 S1: your life in order for it to seep into your 466 00:25:25,359 --> 00:25:29,800 S1: soul so that when Paul talks about working out your salvation, 467 00:25:29,800 --> 00:25:32,919 S1: it's not to earn your salvation, but to put it 468 00:25:32,920 --> 00:25:35,520 S1: to work in your life. So we're going to get 469 00:25:35,520 --> 00:25:39,560 S1: to these three things. I'm sorry, these six things that 470 00:25:39,560 --> 00:25:45,399 S1: Mark Yarbrough has for us in the rekindled heart. And again, 471 00:25:45,440 --> 00:26:06,720 S1: I'll open the phone lines (877) 548-3675. The Rekindled Heart six 472 00:26:06,720 --> 00:26:10,480 S1: essentials for Reviving Your Faith is written by doctor Mark Yarbrough, 473 00:26:10,520 --> 00:26:14,440 S1: who is president of Dallas Theological Seminary. He's joining us 474 00:26:14,480 --> 00:26:17,480 S1: today from his office at Dallas. He's a new grandpa, 475 00:26:17,760 --> 00:26:22,680 S1: and we're celebrating that. And if you go to chris.org, 476 00:26:22,720 --> 00:26:25,650 S1: you'll see a link to that new book that is out. 477 00:26:26,130 --> 00:26:30,050 S1: I want to play the part of the cynical Christian 478 00:26:30,050 --> 00:26:34,369 S1: who says, uh, I've heard this before. You're going to 479 00:26:34,410 --> 00:26:36,090 S1: tell me I need to read the Bible more? I 480 00:26:36,090 --> 00:26:38,210 S1: need to pray more. I need to go to church more. 481 00:26:38,250 --> 00:26:41,770 S1: Listen to praise music. Get in a small group, you know. 482 00:26:41,810 --> 00:26:44,889 S1: Memorize this. You're going to tell me to do these things, 483 00:26:44,890 --> 00:26:46,970 S1: and then it's going to. I'm going to have my 484 00:26:46,970 --> 00:26:50,209 S1: heart rekindled. And I've done all that. And I'm still 485 00:26:50,410 --> 00:26:54,610 S1: feel a separate from, you know, God's a million miles away. 486 00:26:54,730 --> 00:26:56,250 S1: What do you say to that person? 487 00:26:56,730 --> 00:26:59,450 S2: Well, I've heard that a lot, and I understand that. 488 00:26:59,450 --> 00:27:04,370 S2: And I actually, uh, want to, um, agree to some 489 00:27:04,369 --> 00:27:08,490 S2: degree sometimes with people that might say that I actually 490 00:27:08,490 --> 00:27:10,970 S2: do believe, though, that what I'm trying to get us 491 00:27:10,970 --> 00:27:16,010 S2: to do. So it's not, um, perfunctory. If we look 492 00:27:16,050 --> 00:27:18,930 S2: at anything as steps, this is what I need to 493 00:27:18,930 --> 00:27:24,450 S2: do to fix something like a step by step program. Um, 494 00:27:24,730 --> 00:27:26,810 S2: that's probably what we're going to get out of it. 495 00:27:26,850 --> 00:27:29,570 S2: We're going to, we're going to just be going through motions. 496 00:27:29,930 --> 00:27:32,970 S2: So as an example, think of the difference between saying, okay, 497 00:27:33,010 --> 00:27:39,609 S2: read my Bible. Yes. Verses realize what the Bible is. 498 00:27:40,250 --> 00:27:45,570 S2: It is God's spoken word. If I can get someone 499 00:27:45,570 --> 00:27:51,730 S2: to acknowledge what Scripture is, that God longs for a 500 00:27:51,730 --> 00:27:55,969 S2: transformation in my life. We can look at the Bible 501 00:27:55,970 --> 00:27:59,370 S2: as facts and figures, or we can look at it 502 00:27:59,369 --> 00:28:05,369 S2: as God's desire to indwell and transform. And that's your approach. 503 00:28:05,570 --> 00:28:07,770 S2: And I can. I was marked by one of our 504 00:28:07,770 --> 00:28:10,650 S2: longtime professors here. He's been with the Lord for many years. 505 00:28:10,650 --> 00:28:14,010 S2: But Howard Hendricks, many of our listeners may actually still 506 00:28:14,010 --> 00:28:16,250 S2: even remember his name. And I can remember he had 507 00:28:16,290 --> 00:28:19,290 S2: we talk about him even on campus of Prof. Isms, 508 00:28:19,290 --> 00:28:21,650 S2: as we call them. And I can remember. 509 00:28:21,730 --> 00:28:23,610 S1: When you say when you say his name, you've got 510 00:28:23,609 --> 00:28:24,530 S1: to say it. Hendrix. 511 00:28:25,090 --> 00:28:27,610 S2: Yeah. Well, I was going to say Hendrix. That's right. Yeah. 512 00:28:27,609 --> 00:28:30,250 S2: I can remember him coming into my office and saying Yarbrough. 513 00:28:30,770 --> 00:28:34,250 S2: He always called me Yarbrough. Yarbrough. The Bible was not 514 00:28:34,250 --> 00:28:38,810 S2: written to satisfy your curiosity. It was written to change 515 00:28:38,810 --> 00:28:43,610 S2: your life. I can remember that to this day. And 516 00:28:43,610 --> 00:28:47,650 S2: maybe that wasn't a good prof. Monologue there. But I 517 00:28:47,650 --> 00:28:49,850 S2: can still hear him in my head saying that. Well, 518 00:28:49,850 --> 00:28:52,330 S2: here's his point. Think about it. A lot of times 519 00:28:52,330 --> 00:28:57,530 S2: we can look at things as very, again, perfunctory steps. 520 00:28:57,530 --> 00:29:00,370 S2: This is do this, do that, do that. So great 521 00:29:00,370 --> 00:29:03,290 S2: you can put together the greatest Bible reading plan in 522 00:29:03,290 --> 00:29:05,370 S2: the world. And you know, you can do the chronological 523 00:29:05,370 --> 00:29:07,170 S2: Bible reading. You can do. You know, I can give 524 00:29:07,170 --> 00:29:09,770 S2: you a million models out there. But if I'm not 525 00:29:09,770 --> 00:29:17,090 S2: submitting myself to an understanding of saying God has spoken, um, 526 00:29:17,090 --> 00:29:19,930 S2: then I'm missing the game. You know, one of the 527 00:29:19,930 --> 00:29:23,370 S2: things when I step into this very first one that 528 00:29:23,370 --> 00:29:26,890 S2: I talk about as a rekindled devotion, bold trust in 529 00:29:26,930 --> 00:29:35,410 S2: God's Word, I lead us into, uh, remembering what has 530 00:29:35,410 --> 00:29:39,050 S2: been said about Scripture, its own claim, I love this. 531 00:29:39,090 --> 00:29:44,650 S2: You know, when Paul says to Timothy of all Scripture 532 00:29:44,650 --> 00:29:50,810 S2: is God breathed? Faith, Anastas, it's this Greek phrase that 533 00:29:50,810 --> 00:29:55,370 S2: is so pregnant. It is. It's ready to explode. Each 534 00:29:55,370 --> 00:29:59,209 S2: and every scripture is from the very exhale of God. 535 00:29:59,210 --> 00:30:03,050 S2: That's what he's saying. He uses this graphic phrase to 536 00:30:03,090 --> 00:30:06,330 S2: talk about, like you and I, here we are talking, Chris, and, 537 00:30:06,450 --> 00:30:10,930 S2: you know, we talk by exhaling, we're projecting out, right? 538 00:30:10,970 --> 00:30:13,250 S2: You don't talk by inhaling. You know, none of us 539 00:30:13,250 --> 00:30:15,330 S2: do that. I mean, you're going to get lightheaded if 540 00:30:15,330 --> 00:30:18,450 S2: you try that too much. And um, Paul uses this. 541 00:30:18,450 --> 00:30:23,650 S2: He's saying God has exhaled and Scripture is is what 542 00:30:23,690 --> 00:30:27,650 S2: God has said. So that is a world apart from 543 00:30:27,650 --> 00:30:31,050 S2: just saying, okay, read your Bible. Look for. Look for 544 00:30:31,050 --> 00:30:34,050 S2: something that's you're going to get some gold nuggets here. 545 00:30:34,050 --> 00:30:37,770 S2: If I approach God's word saying, this is God's Word, 546 00:30:37,770 --> 00:30:42,410 S2: it is his. Exhale in written form. That is. That 547 00:30:42,410 --> 00:30:46,370 S2: is what is going to bring about a rekindled perspective 548 00:30:46,370 --> 00:30:50,690 S2: that God has given his word to guide my life. 549 00:30:50,690 --> 00:30:53,290 S2: So when I get into these things, I'm not just 550 00:30:53,290 --> 00:30:57,690 S2: saying do this. I'm also saying you need to think 551 00:30:57,690 --> 00:31:02,690 S2: about this. And that's a that's a different approach. That's 552 00:31:02,690 --> 00:31:05,130 S2: a that's a different kind of approach shot to this. 553 00:31:05,610 --> 00:31:09,410 S1: It's also kind of comforting as a as I listen 554 00:31:09,410 --> 00:31:13,050 S1: to you and process this, because that's where you start 555 00:31:13,050 --> 00:31:17,210 S1: with with the Bible, with God's word, right? Um, it's 556 00:31:17,330 --> 00:31:22,210 S1: comforting to me to think, okay, if I see that 557 00:31:22,210 --> 00:31:25,650 S1: I need kindling. You know, if I there was a 558 00:31:25,650 --> 00:31:28,050 S1: fire there before and there's not now. If I see 559 00:31:28,050 --> 00:31:33,330 S1: the distance between those two, even that realization is a 560 00:31:33,370 --> 00:31:37,490 S1: gift from God that I get to respond to, right? 561 00:31:37,770 --> 00:31:41,570 S2: I love it. That's exactly what it is. And so 562 00:31:41,890 --> 00:31:44,690 S2: this is not just a what to do. I'm trying 563 00:31:44,690 --> 00:31:49,610 S2: to lead us into also what to think in our 564 00:31:49,610 --> 00:31:55,370 S2: thinking will frequently lead to a different perspective in our behavior, 565 00:31:55,370 --> 00:31:59,490 S2: not behavior, just for behavior sake. But sometimes I need 566 00:31:59,490 --> 00:32:02,690 S2: to go back and realize some of these great truths 567 00:32:02,690 --> 00:32:05,850 S2: of the faith of what God has said. And that's 568 00:32:05,850 --> 00:32:07,970 S2: the very first one that I do go down the path, 569 00:32:07,970 --> 00:32:10,170 S2: but it's not a, hey, pick out a Bible reading 570 00:32:10,170 --> 00:32:13,730 S2: plan and stick with it and see how things go. Um, 571 00:32:13,810 --> 00:32:16,700 S2: as much as I would never write might discourage someone 572 00:32:16,700 --> 00:32:19,860 S2: from having a Bible reading plan, but if I really 573 00:32:19,860 --> 00:32:23,540 S2: approach it by understanding that this is God's Word, um, 574 00:32:23,540 --> 00:32:27,820 S2: that he has spoken, he has written for me, uh, 575 00:32:27,820 --> 00:32:30,460 S2: that he has spoken to his church, that we are 576 00:32:30,460 --> 00:32:34,260 S2: called out people. Then all of a sudden, that's transformative 577 00:32:34,260 --> 00:32:36,580 S2: in my thinking, even about not just who God is, 578 00:32:36,580 --> 00:32:38,060 S2: but about who I am. 579 00:32:38,860 --> 00:32:42,459 S1: So bold trust in God's Word is, is kind of the, 580 00:32:42,460 --> 00:32:45,140 S1: the underpinning of all of this. And then we get 581 00:32:45,140 --> 00:32:50,500 S1: to dependence. You talk about a full God reliance on 582 00:32:50,500 --> 00:32:53,620 S1: God's power. What do you mean by that? 583 00:32:53,940 --> 00:32:57,420 S2: Well, I tell you what, I like word pictures. Um, 584 00:32:57,420 --> 00:32:59,380 S2: and part of that is the preacher in me coming 585 00:32:59,380 --> 00:33:02,660 S2: out and an author because I like framing things. So I, 586 00:33:02,660 --> 00:33:05,300 S2: I talk about the fact that God asks us to 587 00:33:05,340 --> 00:33:09,460 S2: have refrigerator faith and you're like, what in the world 588 00:33:09,460 --> 00:33:11,420 S2: does that mean? Let me give you a picture for this. 589 00:33:11,420 --> 00:33:15,100 S2: So when my kids were little, I did something really 590 00:33:15,100 --> 00:33:17,940 S2: weird and strange. And I teach this a lot when 591 00:33:17,940 --> 00:33:21,260 S2: I'm doing parenting seminars and things like that. But when 592 00:33:21,300 --> 00:33:22,860 S2: my kids were little, like when they were in that 593 00:33:22,860 --> 00:33:24,700 S2: little thing where they could just barely sit up and 594 00:33:24,700 --> 00:33:26,820 S2: their heads like a cantaloupe, you know? And if they 595 00:33:26,820 --> 00:33:29,300 S2: lean too far, they're going to fall over. I would 596 00:33:29,300 --> 00:33:31,980 S2: set them up on top of the refrigerator, just right 597 00:33:32,020 --> 00:33:34,260 S2: on the edge there, little bitty legs dangling off. And 598 00:33:34,260 --> 00:33:36,340 S2: here's what I would do. I would stand right in 599 00:33:36,340 --> 00:33:39,180 S2: front of them. And early on, my my hands were 600 00:33:39,180 --> 00:33:42,580 S2: outstretched and maybe they were just six inches away from them. 601 00:33:42,580 --> 00:33:44,420 S2: But when you're a little bitty kid, that might as 602 00:33:44,420 --> 00:33:47,020 S2: well be like a five mile journey. And you know 603 00:33:47,020 --> 00:33:48,780 S2: what I'm trying to get them to do right? I'm 604 00:33:48,780 --> 00:33:53,940 S2: trying to get them to jump to me, to trust me. And, um, 605 00:33:54,340 --> 00:33:58,140 S2: as they would get older, they would become confident that 606 00:33:58,140 --> 00:34:01,979 S2: I was always going to be there, that my hands 607 00:34:01,980 --> 00:34:04,860 S2: were sturdy, that I wasn't going to move, that it 608 00:34:04,860 --> 00:34:08,700 S2: might be fearful for them. And I would step back 609 00:34:08,739 --> 00:34:11,500 S2: a little bit. And I had some that were incredibly hesitant. 610 00:34:11,500 --> 00:34:13,299 S2: I had others that were like, you know, this is 611 00:34:13,300 --> 00:34:15,140 S2: a little scary, but they'd stand up and just sling 612 00:34:15,140 --> 00:34:18,260 S2: their body off, right? And, um, but I was trying 613 00:34:18,260 --> 00:34:19,900 S2: to teach them. I was actually as a father, I 614 00:34:19,900 --> 00:34:22,460 S2: was trying to teach them a life principle. Look, by 615 00:34:22,460 --> 00:34:24,980 S2: God's grace, I'm always going to be here. I'm not 616 00:34:24,980 --> 00:34:27,300 S2: going to move. I'm not going to go anywhere. And 617 00:34:27,300 --> 00:34:30,500 S2: by God's grace, I refuse to drop you. Now I 618 00:34:30,500 --> 00:34:33,620 S2: realized that, you know, it scared me a long time 619 00:34:33,620 --> 00:34:35,739 S2: ago when I first became a father. And I can 620 00:34:35,739 --> 00:34:38,420 S2: remember leaning over the crib one time, looking at that 621 00:34:38,420 --> 00:34:40,700 S2: little child laying there, and I realized I might as 622 00:34:40,700 --> 00:34:43,540 S2: well be the first picture of God Almighty to that child. 623 00:34:44,260 --> 00:34:46,700 S2: And that's what parents are supposed to do. But see, 624 00:34:46,739 --> 00:34:50,460 S2: that's what God asks of us. He says, I am 625 00:34:50,460 --> 00:34:59,500 S2: right here. I'm not going anywhere. And so in this particular, uh, rekindling, um, essential, 626 00:34:59,900 --> 00:35:03,819 S2: I call it rekindled dependence, total God reliance. And I 627 00:35:03,820 --> 00:35:06,180 S2: really take a deep dive into Proverbs three five and 628 00:35:06,180 --> 00:35:09,620 S2: six and Proverbs three, five and six. As you well know, may, 629 00:35:09,660 --> 00:35:11,819 S2: may be like the t shirt version of the book 630 00:35:11,820 --> 00:35:15,860 S2: of Proverbs, right? Trust in the Lord with all your 631 00:35:15,860 --> 00:35:19,620 S2: heart and lean not on your own understanding, but in 632 00:35:19,620 --> 00:35:21,140 S2: all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your 633 00:35:21,140 --> 00:35:26,660 S2: paths straight. And this beautiful passage of Scripture, um, is 634 00:35:26,660 --> 00:35:29,620 S2: this this call of God to those who are his, 635 00:35:30,100 --> 00:35:35,100 S2: that we are to trust him with everything? It's it's 636 00:35:35,100 --> 00:35:39,260 S2: to be that refrigerator faith. He's he's there. He's not 637 00:35:39,260 --> 00:35:42,580 S2: going to go. And even though his ways are mysterious, 638 00:35:43,180 --> 00:35:48,380 S2: he's trustworthy. And so I try to, to frame this 639 00:35:48,380 --> 00:35:50,780 S2: for us to say it's not just read your Bible. 640 00:35:50,780 --> 00:35:54,380 S2: It's not just, okay, trust God. It's what does that mean? 641 00:35:54,380 --> 00:35:58,100 S2: What does that mean to have a faith that just 642 00:35:58,380 --> 00:36:02,299 S2: goes all out for who he is and what he wants? 643 00:36:02,500 --> 00:36:04,779 S2: What kind of faith is that? And then there's a 644 00:36:04,780 --> 00:36:07,500 S2: comparison in the text of trust in the Lord with 645 00:36:07,500 --> 00:36:11,940 S2: all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, right? 646 00:36:11,980 --> 00:36:15,180 S2: So in other words, in that great Hebrew parallel structure, 647 00:36:15,180 --> 00:36:18,299 S2: it's like, do this and it means don't do this, 648 00:36:18,900 --> 00:36:21,899 S2: and then you're going to actually get something. He's going 649 00:36:21,940 --> 00:36:23,700 S2: to make our paths straight. You know, I have a 650 00:36:23,700 --> 00:36:26,700 S2: little formula in the years past when I've taught on 651 00:36:26,700 --> 00:36:28,940 S2: this particular passage. And I think I walked through it 652 00:36:28,940 --> 00:36:33,540 S2: in the book of, you know, it's it's everything plus 653 00:36:33,540 --> 00:36:36,859 S2: nothing equals something. Everything is like, we got to be 654 00:36:36,860 --> 00:36:40,819 S2: all in plus nothing. We can't add anything else to 655 00:36:40,860 --> 00:36:43,100 S2: it and it's going to equal something. And that's a 656 00:36:43,100 --> 00:36:45,859 S2: big something. It means that he is going to make 657 00:36:45,900 --> 00:36:48,100 S2: our paths straight. Doesn't mean it's going to be easy. 658 00:36:48,140 --> 00:36:50,460 S2: He never said it would be easy. He said it 659 00:36:50,460 --> 00:36:53,580 S2: would be worth it, and that he would give us 660 00:36:53,580 --> 00:36:56,219 S2: clarity in the purpose of our lives. And I think 661 00:36:56,219 --> 00:36:58,100 S2: that is one of the big charges out of the 662 00:36:58,100 --> 00:37:01,260 S2: book of Proverbs as a whole. But anyway, that's that's 663 00:37:01,260 --> 00:37:05,340 S2: kind of essential. Number two, that we talk about rekindled dependence, 664 00:37:05,380 --> 00:37:08,740 S2: total God, reliance, refrigerator faith. 665 00:37:08,940 --> 00:37:11,180 S1: I don't promise we're going to get through all six, 666 00:37:11,180 --> 00:37:13,620 S1: but I want because I want to pause right here 667 00:37:13,620 --> 00:37:15,940 S1: at number two and ask you, what about the person 668 00:37:15,940 --> 00:37:20,620 S1: who's listening right now who says, I did trust God. 669 00:37:20,620 --> 00:37:24,260 S1: I put my full faith and hope in God that 670 00:37:24,260 --> 00:37:27,380 S1: he would and then fill in the blank. And he 671 00:37:27,380 --> 00:37:30,100 S1: didn't show up for me. He wasn't there. What do 672 00:37:30,100 --> 00:37:33,500 S1: you say to that person? Doctor Mark Yarbrough is with us. 673 00:37:33,500 --> 00:37:37,100 S1: The Rekindled Heart is our featured resource. He's going to 674 00:37:37,100 --> 00:37:39,939 S1: talk to you, if that's your question. Straight ahead, you're 675 00:37:39,940 --> 00:37:53,020 S1: on Moody Radio. Go to the website Chris Dot. President 676 00:37:53,020 --> 00:37:56,860 S1: of Dallas Theological Seminary, doctor Mark Yarbrough is our guest today, 677 00:37:56,860 --> 00:38:01,060 S1: and our featured resource is his book, The Rekindled Heart 678 00:38:01,420 --> 00:38:05,940 S1: six Essentials for Reviving Your Faith. We're on essential number two. 679 00:38:06,180 --> 00:38:11,230 S1: You can find out more. Chris Fabbri, Livorno. Chris Livorno, 680 00:38:12,070 --> 00:38:14,710 S1: there's somebody listening right now who says, I'm glad you 681 00:38:14,710 --> 00:38:18,150 S1: asked that question, because that's what I'm going through. I 682 00:38:18,510 --> 00:38:22,069 S1: believed in God. I trusted in God for fill in 683 00:38:22,070 --> 00:38:25,230 S1: the blank. He hasn't shown up for me. What do 684 00:38:25,230 --> 00:38:26,270 S1: you say to that person? 685 00:38:26,750 --> 00:38:30,030 S2: Well, you know, I think and I do feel for that, 686 00:38:30,270 --> 00:38:33,150 S2: I really do. I think sometimes we can set ourselves 687 00:38:33,150 --> 00:38:38,189 S2: up for disappointment. And I think part of this is 688 00:38:38,190 --> 00:38:43,149 S2: having a large scale understanding of who God is. I 689 00:38:43,150 --> 00:38:45,189 S2: think so many times and I've done this in my life, 690 00:38:45,190 --> 00:38:48,150 S2: I think most believers have where we've cut deals with God. 691 00:38:49,110 --> 00:38:51,069 S2: And I think that's a whole discussion in and of 692 00:38:51,070 --> 00:38:53,230 S2: itself where it's like, okay, God, if I do this, 693 00:38:53,230 --> 00:38:55,470 S2: I'm going to hold up my end of the bargain. Right? 694 00:38:55,510 --> 00:38:57,350 S2: And you need to hold up your end of the bargain. 695 00:38:57,350 --> 00:39:00,830 S2: And we want something from him. And that's not how 696 00:39:00,830 --> 00:39:04,589 S2: God works. There is nothing wrong with us praying. There's 697 00:39:04,590 --> 00:39:07,710 S2: nothing wrong with us having goals and desires and bringing 698 00:39:07,710 --> 00:39:11,870 S2: those to God. But I caution people, you know, of 699 00:39:11,870 --> 00:39:16,750 S2: not turning God into a slot machine. And unfortunately, we 700 00:39:16,750 --> 00:39:20,910 S2: can all find ourselves in that category. And the model 701 00:39:20,910 --> 00:39:25,229 S2: that we get really from our Savior is not my will, 702 00:39:25,270 --> 00:39:28,830 S2: but thine right. I mean, that's a whole different approach 703 00:39:28,830 --> 00:39:32,710 S2: to saying God has called me. God has saved me, 704 00:39:33,469 --> 00:39:36,790 S2: and that there is a sovereign hand of God that 705 00:39:37,150 --> 00:39:39,910 S2: that I sometimes I'm going to just say it. Uh, 706 00:39:40,150 --> 00:39:43,989 S2: sometimes I don't like, I think anybody that says the 707 00:39:43,989 --> 00:39:46,669 S2: sovereignty of God on a regular basis. And they said, oh, 708 00:39:46,710 --> 00:39:49,189 S2: I have no problem with the sovereignty of God. It's like, yeah, 709 00:39:49,230 --> 00:39:53,230 S2: until it hurts, until God does something that you don't 710 00:39:53,270 --> 00:39:57,350 S2: appreciate or you wish didn't happen in your life. And 711 00:39:57,350 --> 00:40:00,710 S2: I have found when I talk with other individuals that 712 00:40:00,710 --> 00:40:04,710 S2: everybody has stories. And so I can't give a one 713 00:40:04,710 --> 00:40:07,549 S2: size fits all answer. But what I can say to 714 00:40:07,590 --> 00:40:11,069 S2: that individual out there is that if they are approaching 715 00:40:11,070 --> 00:40:15,030 S2: God as well, I've done my responsibility and now you 716 00:40:15,030 --> 00:40:18,270 S2: have to do yours. My response is to say that 717 00:40:18,270 --> 00:40:23,069 S2: is a faulty view of who God is and our responsibility. 718 00:40:23,110 --> 00:40:26,230 S2: He calls us to serve and to trust him no 719 00:40:26,230 --> 00:40:29,270 S2: matter what. I mean, it's the whole issue of the 720 00:40:29,270 --> 00:40:32,469 S2: book of job, right? I mean, that is not a 721 00:40:32,469 --> 00:40:34,870 S2: question of why do bad things happen to good people. 722 00:40:35,070 --> 00:40:37,750 S2: It is a book about the sovereignty of God because 723 00:40:37,750 --> 00:40:40,030 S2: it never gets answered in the book, does it, Chris? 724 00:40:40,070 --> 00:40:43,190 S2: I mean, it just doesn't. And so what we're what 725 00:40:43,190 --> 00:40:47,390 S2: we're called to do is trust. And that's again, where my, my, 726 00:40:47,430 --> 00:40:50,070 S2: my text that I just referenced a minute ago, Proverbs 727 00:40:50,070 --> 00:40:53,589 S2: chapter three is we're called to trust even when it hurts. 728 00:40:53,590 --> 00:40:55,430 S2: And here's what I would say. It's so easy to 729 00:40:55,430 --> 00:40:58,390 S2: trust God on the mountaintops when everything's going well. But 730 00:40:58,430 --> 00:41:00,190 S2: if friends, if he is the God of the mountaintop, 731 00:41:00,190 --> 00:41:02,150 S2: he must be the God of the valley. And so 732 00:41:02,150 --> 00:41:04,550 S2: that's what we're called to trust him there as well. 733 00:41:05,150 --> 00:41:07,750 S1: I think one of the ways that a faith is 734 00:41:07,750 --> 00:41:11,629 S1: rekindled is to hear the stories of older saints who've 735 00:41:11,670 --> 00:41:14,790 S1: gone down the trail a little bit more than we 736 00:41:14,830 --> 00:41:18,469 S1: catch their fire. You know that they have. And there 737 00:41:18,510 --> 00:41:21,390 S1: are some older saints who also say, I need to 738 00:41:21,390 --> 00:41:25,589 S1: be rekindled as well. But when you hear those, those 739 00:41:25,590 --> 00:41:27,870 S1: kinds of stories, and this is what we went through, 740 00:41:27,870 --> 00:41:30,030 S1: and this is how God showed up, and it wasn't 741 00:41:30,030 --> 00:41:32,790 S1: what we wanted. But here's what he did in the 742 00:41:32,790 --> 00:41:36,549 S1: middle of the desert that can that can wake you 743 00:41:36,550 --> 00:41:38,150 S1: up to yourself, can it? 744 00:41:38,510 --> 00:41:40,990 S2: Oh my goodness, it can. And you know, we probably 745 00:41:40,989 --> 00:41:43,430 S2: don't do enough of that. We don't do enough of that, 746 00:41:43,469 --> 00:41:47,430 S2: of getting older saints and individuals that are wise in 747 00:41:47,430 --> 00:41:50,870 S2: the faith and just listening to them. And honestly, in 748 00:41:50,870 --> 00:41:54,550 S2: our culture, we've really lost even the theology of remembrance. 749 00:41:54,790 --> 00:41:57,310 S2: You know, when you go in the Old Testament, I mean, 750 00:41:57,350 --> 00:41:59,910 S2: it is over and over and over again. I can 751 00:41:59,910 --> 00:42:02,870 S2: remember as a kid, you know, reading through the Bible 752 00:42:02,870 --> 00:42:05,630 S2: and I'm like, oh man, they're always like piling up rocks. 753 00:42:05,870 --> 00:42:07,390 S2: What are they piling up? You know, what are they 754 00:42:07,390 --> 00:42:10,870 S2: piling up rocks for? And it was to remember. And 755 00:42:10,870 --> 00:42:12,509 S2: I mean, I love that statement. The older I get. 756 00:42:12,550 --> 00:42:15,230 S2: It's like, hey, when you pass this way again, you 757 00:42:15,230 --> 00:42:18,150 S2: tell your children, you tell your grandchildren, you know, that 758 00:42:18,150 --> 00:42:22,469 S2: has new, new meaning for me today of passing that 759 00:42:22,469 --> 00:42:25,070 S2: on of the goodness of God. And even in this book, 760 00:42:25,070 --> 00:42:27,629 S2: I've got all sorts of stories. I think so many 761 00:42:27,630 --> 00:42:30,910 S2: times our lives are stories of the faithfulness of God, 762 00:42:30,950 --> 00:42:34,350 S2: the the miraculous intervention of God, how God led us, 763 00:42:34,350 --> 00:42:37,390 S2: even in the moments of deep pain. And we need 764 00:42:37,390 --> 00:42:41,950 S2: to be telling those from generation to generation, because that's 765 00:42:41,950 --> 00:42:44,790 S2: where we remember who he is and what he's done. 766 00:42:45,150 --> 00:42:48,870 S1: The Ebenezer, uh, where I raise my Ebenezer. One of 767 00:42:48,870 --> 00:42:51,310 S1: the great tragedies in the Christian walk is when love 768 00:42:51,350 --> 00:42:55,270 S1: grows cold. You write, it is easy to become indifferent, 769 00:42:55,469 --> 00:42:59,750 S1: to let bitterness take root, hold grudges, withdraw, and choose 770 00:42:59,790 --> 00:43:04,109 S1: not to forgive. That's one of the fastest ways to 771 00:43:04,150 --> 00:43:07,350 S1: douse the passion of our faith. Sometimes we need a 772 00:43:07,390 --> 00:43:11,109 S1: trigger to tell us how we are doing. So my 773 00:43:11,110 --> 00:43:15,350 S1: last question here is what? What part does forgiveness play 774 00:43:15,510 --> 00:43:17,990 S1: in this rekindling process? 775 00:43:18,469 --> 00:43:20,670 S2: Oh my goodness. I mean, this, this steps into a 776 00:43:20,670 --> 00:43:23,910 S2: whole area in the book that we could spend hours on, 777 00:43:23,950 --> 00:43:28,910 S2: on the relational side. And the issue of forgiveness simply 778 00:43:28,910 --> 00:43:34,310 S2: begins by remembering that we are forgiven, period. And the 779 00:43:34,310 --> 00:43:40,830 S2: more we can resolve to realize that we have been forgiven, 780 00:43:40,830 --> 00:43:47,069 S2: that that our sins have been forgiven. And because of that, uh, 781 00:43:47,070 --> 00:43:55,469 S2: if we harbor resentment or a relational strain with other individuals, um, with, 782 00:43:55,630 --> 00:43:58,270 S2: I can't tell. I've got stories I could tell of 783 00:43:58,469 --> 00:44:03,600 S2: working with individuals and estrangements with children. And, um, it 784 00:44:03,600 --> 00:44:07,719 S2: just is. It's painful and it owns their life. And, 785 00:44:07,840 --> 00:44:11,120 S2: and that can be resolved by starting to realize that 786 00:44:11,120 --> 00:44:13,080 S2: we have been forgiven. I mean, I always use this 787 00:44:13,080 --> 00:44:15,640 S2: little phrase of saying, look, if you're a grace recipient, 788 00:44:15,680 --> 00:44:17,640 S2: you're called to be a grace giver. It's just the 789 00:44:17,640 --> 00:44:20,279 S2: way it works. And it's the story of the book 790 00:44:20,280 --> 00:44:21,840 S2: of Jonah, right? I mean, I've spent a lot of 791 00:44:21,840 --> 00:44:25,360 S2: time in that little book in my life. And, um, uh, 792 00:44:25,880 --> 00:44:29,919 S2: Jonah had yet to realize God's great love for him 793 00:44:29,920 --> 00:44:33,440 S2: and he couldn't extend it to other people. And so 794 00:44:33,480 --> 00:44:36,200 S2: one of the great things, when I'm privileged to be 795 00:44:36,200 --> 00:44:39,839 S2: involved in counseling, whether it be students or other individuals 796 00:44:39,840 --> 00:44:45,000 S2: here or individuals at church, uh, if someone is harboring resentment, 797 00:44:45,440 --> 00:44:49,000 S2: revel in God's love and forgiveness for you, and then 798 00:44:49,000 --> 00:44:51,319 S2: go and extend that to the other person and the 799 00:44:51,320 --> 00:44:55,160 S2: burden that is released. The shackles come off and there 800 00:44:55,200 --> 00:44:57,600 S2: is a freedom of the soul that can come out 801 00:44:57,600 --> 00:44:58,800 S2: of something like that. 802 00:44:59,040 --> 00:45:02,879 S1: Well, that's what a fire is. It's freedom. It's a release, 803 00:45:02,920 --> 00:45:05,840 S1: you know. And if. And that sounds a lot easier 804 00:45:05,840 --> 00:45:08,800 S1: to say than it is to do, I get that. 805 00:45:08,800 --> 00:45:12,560 S1: But in that, if your desire really is to God, 806 00:45:12,560 --> 00:45:16,800 S1: work in me then and you're not talking about, you know, 807 00:45:16,840 --> 00:45:21,440 S1: forgive the abuser and let them go on abusing or criminals, 808 00:45:21,480 --> 00:45:24,719 S1: you know, it's like there is justice here as well. 809 00:45:25,040 --> 00:45:29,160 S1: But there's something about letting that other person doing for 810 00:45:29,160 --> 00:45:33,120 S1: them what God has done for you. Uh, so I just, 811 00:45:33,120 --> 00:45:36,560 S1: I really want to thank you for your heart, for 812 00:45:36,560 --> 00:45:40,200 S1: your rekindled heart for sharing these essentials. And there's a 813 00:45:40,200 --> 00:45:42,960 S1: lot more in the book, the Rekindled Heart six Essentials 814 00:45:42,960 --> 00:45:46,200 S1: for Reviving Your Faith. It's our featured resource. Click through 815 00:45:46,239 --> 00:45:48,480 S1: today's information right there and you'll see how you can 816 00:45:48,480 --> 00:45:54,760 S1: spell Yarbrough two, uh, two syllables. Uh, and I spell 817 00:45:54,800 --> 00:45:57,520 S1: I've been spelling it and saying it incorrectly and I 818 00:45:57,520 --> 00:45:59,839 S1: apologize for that. And you're holding that over me. But 819 00:45:59,840 --> 00:46:01,040 S1: please forgive me. Okay. 820 00:46:02,520 --> 00:46:04,160 S2: You're good. Brother. It's been a joy. 821 00:46:04,600 --> 00:46:11,279 S1: Doctor Mark Yarbrough, again, president of Dallas Theological Seminary. The 822 00:46:11,320 --> 00:46:14,920 S1: rekindled heart. Is that what you want for yourself? Is 823 00:46:14,920 --> 00:46:16,960 S1: that what you want for somebody else? This might be 824 00:46:16,960 --> 00:46:20,920 S1: just the resource for them or for maybe a small 825 00:46:20,920 --> 00:46:25,759 S1: group to go through. Go to Chris Dot tomorrow on 826 00:46:25,760 --> 00:46:29,880 S1: the program. Devices and social media have made us more 827 00:46:29,880 --> 00:46:34,840 S1: connected than ever, right? Yeah, sure it has. But a 828 00:46:34,880 --> 00:46:39,240 S1: lot of people struggle with those real life relationships. And 829 00:46:39,440 --> 00:46:42,040 S1: Deborah is going to join us and we'll talk about 830 00:46:42,040 --> 00:46:45,000 S1: that right here on Chris Fabry live production of Moody Radio, 831 00:46:45,040 --> 00:46:49,520 S1: a ministry at Moody Bible Institute online. Chris Fabry, Livorno.