Awakened To The Light: Recent Episodes
Shelby Peterkin
Every human being on earth has been called by God to live an abundant life in Christ Jesus, His Son. But, too often we find ourselves living below the life Jesus actually died for us to have. Join Shelby Peterkin as she shares on being awakened to the Kingdom life God designed just for you.
Sometimes our lives will experience night so that God Himself can be the light. I don't know what your night has been, but I do know that God is faithful.
Psalms 30:5—
For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for the night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.
Lean in and be encouraged today as I share on the faithfulness of God.
We all recognize our thirst at some point in our lives. Our souls become desperate for something satisfying—something that makes us feel whole…complete. I want to tell you that there is such a source for your soul—a source that never leaves you empty, never runs dry. In today's episode, I talk about where we can go to find true long-lasting satisfaction.
In last week's episode, we spoke about being still and living our lives from a heart posture of rest. God's word is true and it is powerful—in other words, it brings results. If we want to hold our peace, we have to stand firmly on God's word. After all, He's not a man that He should lie. Consider today's episode as a continuation or part 2 of last week's message.
"Be still and know that I am God" - Psalms 46:10
But what does it mean to be still? How do we achieve that posture of stillness and peace as we face the reality of life's chaos? In today's episode, we focus on the importance of knowing God through an intimate relationship with Him, and the strategies we can use to stand strong and remain still...
We all place our trust in something—ourselves, people, our possessions, our positions etc. But, there is only one person who will never fail us, and that is Jesus Christ. God is worthy of our trust because He alone is 100% reliable. In today's episode, we will dive into what it means to place our trust in God and why He is the best source for our hope and confidence.
It's one thing to have an awareness of God's existence but it's another thing to have a personal, intimate relationship with Him. If you want to have a relationship with God, He has made that accessible to each and every one of us through His Son Jesus Christ. Join me today as we unpack the difference between being aware of God and knowing Him personally—friend to friend.
Yes...You.
Often times we count ourselves out thinking, "God, you can use anybody else for greatness except me." But what if I told you God isn't looking at you, He's looking at Himself? You see, God is fully confident in who He is and what He can do. He specializes in the impossible and He always chooses the most ordinary people to accomplish the most extraordinary tasks. If you are alive and breathing then...you're a pretty good candidate!
In today's episode, we will be shifting our gaze from ourselves to the One who reigns above our limitations.
If you're like me, you may find yourself wanting to rush to the next season of life because there's something seemingly more promising ahead. But, if we keep wishing away our current season, when will we fully live? When will we appreciate the breath inside our lungs? In every stage of life, there is a process and spoiler alert—it can't be skipped.
Today, we will begin to realize that 'the process' is designed for the habitation of God's presence.
I know the feeling of waiting for that big moment—you know, the explosive moment that says, I've reached my purpose. But I've learned that purpose is not about hitting a one-shot moment that creates an impact. Rather, purpose is about taking those consistent intentional steps in the direction God is calling you. How do we know our daily assignments? By partnering with God's Spirit inside of us. Our daily communication with God is the key to being in tune with what He is doing at any given moment.
Today, let's talk about purpose.
Mark 4:26-29:
'Jesus also said, “The Kingdom of God is like a farmer who scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, while he’s asleep or awake, the seed sprouts and grows, but he does not understand how it happens. The earth produces the crops on its own. First a leaf blade pushes through, then the heads of wheat are formed, and finally the grain ripens. And as soon as the grain is ready, the farmer comes and harvests it with a sickle, for the harvest time has come.”'
Like this farmer, we can sow seeds into our lives and give God something to work with, so that we can reap a harvest when it’s time. God is able to take the small seed that we sow and by His power, produce a harvest.
But do not be disheartened, for no seed is too small to sow. Mark 4:30-32 says, 'Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”'
Whatever is smallest becomes the largest when placed in the hands of God.
Join me as we learn together the importance of sowing seeds in our lives to experience the abundant life Jesus has called us to live.
If we want more of God’s presence, then we have to be willing to live a life that invites His presence. Does this mean perfection? No, rather, consecration.
Consecration as it is used in the Bible, indicates an act by which a person or thing is set apart to a sacred cause or purpose.
God wants our lives to be consecrated to Him so that we can enjoy His presence and worship Him freely by His Holy Spirit within us. He also wants us to be consecrated so that we can be used as vessels of honor for His glory.
Jonathan McReynolds - "Make Room"
I find space for what I treasure
I make time for what I want
I choose my priorities and
Jesus you’re my number one
So I will make room for you
I will prepare for two
So you don’t feel that you
Can’t live here, please live in me.
Let us make more room for God's presence in our lives.
The state of our world right now is not exactly offering hope, but Jesus promises that He has more for us than what we are currently experiencing.
Jesus tells us in John 14:27,
“I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again…”
and in John 16:33,
"...Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
He left us with a promise. A promise that He will return to earth for all the Father's children that we may appear in Heaven with Him forever. How can you look forward to Jesus' return without fear? Well, if you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ, then His Holy Spirit resides in you giving you the confidence and sweet assurance that you belong to Him and will indeed be in His presence soon.
I would love for you to dive into this episode with me because I believe it will encourage you to live your life from a grander perspective, confidently expecting the country to which you belong.
"...They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth.Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own.If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them." Hebrews 11:13-16
Are you trying to earn your way to Heaven?
I believe we sometimes struggle with freedom and we lose out on our joy because we choose to strive in our salvation rather than move in the grace of God. Your relationship with God was meant to be an adventure, an ongoing pursuit of who God is and who you are in Christ Jesus.
What if instead of treating our relationship with God as a 'get out of hell card' and trying our best to live right in hopes that we make it to Heaven, we actually pursued a living and thriving relationship with God on earth, a relationship that brings an unexplainable assurance and burning desire to spend eternity with the Lover of your soul.
Come with me as we dive into what this topic is all about.
Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
For the past couple of weeks, this has been my sustaining verse. On days when things seem slow and it’s hard to see my future in the midst of what’s in front of me, I have to remind myself that God knows the plans that He has for me; and even if it seems slow in unfolding and others may be running pass me, I must still trust His promises.
In this season, there are many unknowns and uncertainties and it can be very easy for us to get lost in those worries, trying to figure out what will be next. As a result, we lose sight of where we are now, and the faithfulness that is still required of us. Embracing this season doesn’t rob you of the next one but rather it positions you for it.
This episode will encourage you to embrace the season you're in while expectantly waiting for what God has ahead.
A portion of Hebrews 12:1 says, “let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”
The moment you surrendered your life to Christ, is the moment you entered the race of faith.
It’s a race comprised of many lanes with many different people, and you get to run in the lane God specifically designed for you. Often though, we focus on running in our own lanes that we forget that there are others running alongside us too. This means that we don’t have to run alone.
Proverbs 27:17 - “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”
It is good to have someone else in your corner because in this race, we need strength and perseverance to keep on running and what a blessing it is, when there’s someone else cheering you on especially in those moments when you want to give up.
When Jesus was on earth, He had close friends with Him, because even God in human skin, acknowledged the importance of having others alongside us.
This episode will encourage you to embrace partnering with other runners in this race of faith so that you don't run alone.
I have been wanting to wish this season away, wanting for God to change my circumstances, wanting to like David said in Psalms 55:6
"Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest."
Yes, God, lift me up above all this: the isolation, the crisis, the lack of jobs, the distancing, the heartaches. Because God, I am tired. But the God I serve doesn't have to change our situation to make us better.
Oh I would only be happy if... We have have all said that or at least thought that. But, the God we serve can make us happy in the midst of unhappy circumstances.
This episode will encourage you to let Jesus Christ fill your soul with the kind of peace, joy and radiance that not even the happiest or the perfect of circumstances can give you.
I remember wrestling with this thought about the word and what it means when I say I’m a Christian; and I will never forget when the Holy Spirit whispered in my heart and said, “It’s a race, it’s a new race of people, God’s people”. And that made me proud to say I’m a Christian because that means I belong to the family of God.
1 Peter 2:9 says, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
This episode will encourage you to cherish Christian as an identity and not a mere label that we throw on or off whenever we please.
There is a song by Casting Crowns called Make Room and a portion of its lyric says,
“Is there room in your heart for God to write His story? You can come as you are, but it may set you apart, when you make room in your heart and trade your dreams for His glory. Make room in your heart.”
We can make room in our hearts for God by setting aside those things that are distracting us. It could be an unhealthy relationship or friendship, the way how we use our phones and social media, unhealthy desires or patterns in our lives, ways of thinking, addictions to certain things and so forth.
This episode will encourage us to stay in tuned with God's voice in our hearts so that our hotline to Heaven, the Holy Spirit, is not interrupted.
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John 21:20-22
Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them...
When Peter saw him, he asked, "Lord, what about him?"
Jesus answered, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me."
We, like Peter, often times look to the left or right at the next person, and before you know it, our focus is no longer on our lives, our blessings, or our purpose in Christ.
This episode will encourage us to embrace what God is doing in our lives and challenge us to turn a new page in our lives, one free of comparison.
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Walking with Jesus is not the easiest thing to do but, thankfully we have His Holy Spirit to guide us. We never have to sit and figure out this walk with Christ on our own. Philippians 2:13 says, "For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him." He not only gives you the power to serve Him, but He also gives you the desire! My friends, no matter how hard this journey gets, don't give up on Jesus because He will never give up on you.
John 6:67-69,
"You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve.
Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God."
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Matthew 16:13-16,
"When Jesus arrived in the villages of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples,
"What are people saying about who the Son of Man is?"
They replied, "Some think he is John the Baptizer, some say Elijah, some Jeremiah or one of the other prophets."
He pressed them, "And how about you? Who do you say I am?"
Simon Peter said, "You're the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God."
Jesus invites us each day to seek Him in the secret place so that we, like Peter, can boldly declare the truth of who He is.
Our faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, gives us access to God the Father and this access allows us to know who God is in our lives. Jesus invites each one of us to come sit at His feet and feast around His word. His word not only gives us delight but it also holds the power to change our lives. When we set aside time to read the word of God, we are actually positioning ourselves to hear words that have come from the very mouth of God. Knowing this, we should never treat our quiet time with God as casual readings to simply get our day going. Rather, we should open up the word with an expectation to hear from our Heavenly Father, as His Spirit illuminates the treasures and riches within the scriptures. This episode will encourage you to change your perspective of God's word, understanding that His very breath breathed the words you see on the pages and His Holy Spirit has all power to bring the revelation of those words into the depths of your heart, eternally changing who you are.
Thanksgiving invites God's joy and peace into our lives and guards against the habit of complaining. Can having a thankful heart give you a more fulfilling life? You bet it can. Thankfulness causes you to zero in on the faithfulness of God and it leaves you in constant anticipation of what He will do next. This episode will encourage and even challenge you to cultivate a habit of thanksgiving in your life. And who knows... Maybe if you count your blessings one by one, you will be surprised by what God has done.
Every human being on earth has been called by God to live an abundant life in Christ Jesus, His Son. But, too often we find ourselves living below the life Jesus actually died for us to have. Join Shelby Peterkin as she shares on being awakened to the Kingdom life God designed just for you.