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Today on Renewed Mindsets , I

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explore how faith , wisdom

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and everyday life intersect . Join

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me as I uncover timeless truths and

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gain insight on how to live a life that

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truly reflects the heart of Jesus in

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every interaction and every

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decision that we make . Father God

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, I ask you for your guidance and wisdom as

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we talk about obedience , grace and

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the art of picking our battles wisely , all

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through the timeless example set by Jesus

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Christ . In a world that's filled

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with noise and conflict , we recognize

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how hard it can be to obey your will and extend

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grace to others . It requires

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discernment and humility . Amen

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, people , grab

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your coffee , get comfortable , because

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we're about to hear some truth . Let's

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go , boys . Hey

0:54

, welcome to Renewed Mindsets

0:56

, where we study the basics of the faith

0:58

through the lens of our middle-aged experiences

1:01

. I'm Rick . Welcome

1:03

to the show where I help you , gen Xers

1:05

and millennials , navigate spiritually through

1:07

a world that looks nothing like we expected

1:10

back , when cars were square and

1:12

mullets were totally awesome . I

1:14

am so glad you're here . Last

1:19

week , I got a text from a friend of mine and

1:22

said thank you for showing me grace . Now

1:26

, this time , those

1:28

words really stuck with me for

1:30

several days . My

1:34

friend was referring to something small , something

1:36

that didn't require much effort from me . But

1:40

did I really show him grace ? Maybe

1:43

, maybe not , because

1:47

what does it truly mean to show grace

1:49

to somebody else ?

1:51

We thank you so much for this bountiful

1:53

harvest of dominoes , kfc

1:56

and the always delicious

1:58

Taco Bell . I just

2:00

want to take time to say thank you for my family

2:03

, my two beautiful , beautiful

2:05

, handsome , striking sons .

2:07

Okay , that's not the kind of grace I'm talking about

2:09

, but shake and bake Grace

2:12

is a word that we use a lot , but we struggle

2:14

to define it . We celebrate

2:17

it and we praise it , but

2:19

I believe that a lot of times we just

2:22

misunderstand it , especially

2:24

when it comes to showing grace to others . I

2:28

think what we mean when

2:30

we say that we should show grace

2:32

is that we should give people a pass , and

2:36

these passes usually relate to things that

2:38

have nothing to do with spirituality . I

2:41

mean , we consider it grace when we allow somebody

2:44

to see our messy house , but

2:47

when it comes to applying grace to spiritual

2:49

matters , we tend

2:51

to believe that we should never assert ourselves

2:53

, never stand up for truth

2:56

, never call someone out

2:58

for self-destructive behavior . It's

3:01

difficult to reconcile grace and truth

3:04

, even though those are

3:06

exact characteristics that

3:08

describe Jesus In

3:10

John 1 , 14, . So

3:14

the Word became human and made

3:16

His home among us . He

3:18

was full of unfailing love and faithfulness

3:21

, and we have seen His glory

3:23

, the glory of the Father's one

3:25

and only Son . Our

3:29

inability to reconcile grace and

3:31

truth is pretty much due

3:33

to our culture . I

3:35

mean , our culture scoffs at the idea of holding

3:37

somebody accountable or believing

3:40

that love can be anything other than unconditional

3:42

acceptance . Our

3:45

understanding of grace is being infiltrated

3:47

by culture and , as a result

3:49

, its profound meaning and its transformative

3:52

power are being stolen

3:54

by the enemy . Grace

3:57

is not a free pass

3:59

that allows us to do whatever we want to under

4:01

the guise of Christ . To do whatever

4:03

we want to under the guise of Christ . Grace , the undeserved

4:06

favor of God poured out through us with

4:09

faith in Christ , is

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a powerful catalyst for change when it's received correctly

4:17

, and it teaches us how to live . The gospel destroys

4:19

the very motivation for sin . It

4:22

completely eliminates the desire

4:24

and our reason to live according

4:26

to our own whims , and anybody

4:29

who claims that the gospel encourages sin simply

4:31

hasn't understood it yet or experienced

4:34

its power . There's

4:37

a distinction , there's a fine line

4:39

between a free pass and grace . A

4:42

free pass says I see

4:44

your sin , but I won't acknowledge

4:46

it , I'll pretend that

4:48

it doesn't exist . We

4:50

often mistake this for love , but in reality

4:53

it's self-love , because

4:56

by giving a free pass to somebody , we

4:58

choose what's easier for ourselves

5:00

. Instead of enduring the temporary discomfort

5:03

of addressing a difficult subject

5:05

with a friend , we

5:08

should measure our acts of grace by

5:10

how God extends grace to us . In

5:14

his grace , god says I

5:17

see your sin , the

5:19

Holy Spirit convicts you specifically

5:21

of your sin . I've provided

5:24

a way for your specific sin to be

5:26

dealt with through Christ's sacrifice on

5:28

the cross . You don't have

5:30

to cover it up , you don't

5:32

have to ignore it , you

5:34

don't have to try to handle it on your own

5:37

. Because of Christ , you have

5:39

the opportunity to be free from your

5:41

sin . Confess and

5:43

repent and you'll be forgiven . I

5:46

will help you change . Grace

5:49

directly confronts sin

5:51

and identifies it out of love . It's

5:54

simple God loves

5:57

us enough to rescue us from the pit

5:59

of sin , to discipline us

6:01

and to refine us , and to replace bondage

6:03

and despair with joy

6:05

. The love that

6:08

God has for us is what makes grace

6:10

so powerful . The

6:12

favor of our God is bestowed

6:14

upon us and it compels us to present

6:17

ourselves as instruments

6:19

of righteousness . Grace

6:22

doesn't excuse us , but grace

6:25

changes us . So

6:28

what does it mean to show grace to somebody

6:30

else Really

6:32

? It means recognizing each other as new

6:34

creations in Christ and

6:36

acknowledge that the grace we received at

6:38

salvation is constantly working in

6:40

our lives . Philippians

6:44

1.6 says I am certain that

6:46

God , who began the good work

6:48

within you , will continue his work until

6:51

it is finished on the day when Christ Jesus

6:53

returns . We

6:56

are all a work in progress , but

6:59

that doesn't equate to giving everybody a free

7:01

pass . Being

7:03

a work in progress means continually

7:05

engaging with the gift that God

7:08

has given us the ability

7:10

to recognize sin and address

7:12

it with gentleness and truth , and

7:15

to remind our friends of the path of confession

7:17

and repentance , to cheer

7:20

them up as they're

7:22

changing , and

7:24

to do it while cultivating a

7:26

deep and intimate relationship with them that's

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rooted in love for one another . Galatians

7:33

6 , 1 and 2 describes

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the grace giver led by the Spirit . It

7:39

says , brothers and sisters , if someone is

7:41

caught in a sin , you

7:43

, who live by the Spirit , should restore that

7:46

person gently , but

7:48

watch yourselves , or you may also be

7:50

tempted . Carry each other's

7:52

burdens , and in this way you

7:54

will fulfill the law of Christ . That

7:57

is what it means to show grace to one another

7:59

. Showing grace

8:02

this way doesn't enjoy pointing it out

8:04

we shouldn't enjoy

8:07

pointing out sin and

8:09

it doesn't pride itself on being someone

8:12

that tells the truth . Someone

8:15

who practices grace according to Galatians

8:17

and God's inspiration , is

8:19

deeply invested in the spiritual

8:22

well-being of someone else . They're

8:25

aware of their own spiritual poverty without

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Christ , and we approach other

8:29

people with humility and

8:32

we approach them with a willingness to go that extra

8:34

mile to make sure that they're healed . And

8:38

, most importantly , a grace

8:40

giver puts themselves

8:42

in a position to receive the same truth

8:45

and the same grace from friends that

8:47

they're committed to giving . How

8:50

many times have you robbed a friend of yours

8:52

of their spiritual growth by

8:55

giving them a free pass instead

8:57

of extending grace ? And

9:01

how often , oh my gosh

9:03

, I hate to even ask how

9:05

often do we cheat ourselves by seeking

9:07

a free pass rather

9:10

than have someone tell us the truth

9:12

and give us the grace

9:14

that can call us to change ? Romans

9:20

12 , 6-8 . In His grace , god has given

9:22

us different gifts for doing certain things well . In his grace , god

9:24

has given us different gifts for doing certain

9:26

things well . Therefore

9:29

, if God has given you the ability to prophesy

9:31

, speak out with much faith

9:33

, as God has given you . If

9:35

your gift is serving others , serve

9:37

them well . If you're a

9:39

teacher , teach well . If your gift

9:42

is to encourage others , be encouraging

9:44

. If it's giving , give

9:46

generously . If God

9:48

has given you leadership ability , take

9:51

the responsibility seriously . And

9:57

if

9:59

you have a gift for showing kindness to others , do it gladly

10:01

. Sometimes

10:04

we overlook the smallest details . In

10:09

his grace , god has given us all different gifts to excel in . When I'm unable

10:11

to see the fruit of his spirit or

10:14

the spiritual gifts operating in my life , it

10:21

usually means that I've strayed from grace . How

10:24

are God's gifts working in your life right now ? Are you in a rut

10:27

? Do you feel

10:29

stuck ? If that's true , it might be a sign

10:31

that his grace is no longer sufficient

10:33

for you , that

10:35

God's grace is no longer enough , and

10:39

if that's the case , it's

10:42

imperative that you and I right now

10:44

address that core issue . What

10:47

are you going to find there ? The

10:50

only foundation worthy of building

10:53

our lives on is Jesus . 1

10:56

Corinthians , 3 , 10 , and 11 . It's

10:59

in our human nature to add our personal

11:01

touch to things . Religion

11:04

often adds more rules and regulations

11:07

. Like we can improve upon

11:09

god's grace . Salvation

11:11

is based on fully believing

11:13

that god's grace is all we need to reach

11:15

the kingdom of heaven and

11:17

live with him forever . Having

11:21

faith in god means believing that his grace

11:23

is always sufficient , and

11:26

when we try to earn God's favor through

11:28

our actions , it should be to

11:30

honor the gift that he gave us , recognizing

11:33

that we can't earn it because

11:36

any other foundation is going to crumble and

11:38

fall . I'm

11:41

in need of God's grace , and

11:44

when I get God's grace , it makes

11:46

me want to get out and use the gifts

11:48

and talents that he gave me to help

11:50

others . His

11:53

grace is sufficient for my salvation

11:56

, but the very fact

11:58

that I have grace in my life

12:00

because of God makes me want to

12:02

get out and work for him . It's

12:05

not salvation through works , people , it's

12:07

salvation through grace . It's

12:10

works through appreciation

12:12

and love for God . God

12:16

, grant me more grace today . Grace

12:20

to overcome the sins that easily entangle

12:22

me . Help

12:24

me refine the message of my life so

12:26

that others can see your love and

12:29

your grace , jesus

12:31

, in me . Grace

12:33

is the message . Through

12:36

grace we can overlook the sins and shortcoming

12:39

of others to offer them

12:41

God's love . Grace

12:44

seals the path of repentance for

12:46

genuine hearts . Grace seals the path of

12:48

repentance for genuine hearts . Do you

12:51

love Jesus ? Do you love Jesus today ? Thank

12:57

him again for his amazing grace . Look

13:02

for it in your life today . I'm

13:05

encouraging you right now to ask the Lord for more grace so that we can be gracious

13:07

to others and share

13:10

the gospel as it spreads throughout

13:12

the world . 1

13:14

Corinthians , 15 , 10, . But

13:17

whatever I am now , it

13:20

is all because God poured out his special

13:22

favor on me , and not without

13:24

results , for I have worked

13:26

harder than any other of the apostles . Yet

13:29

it wasn't me but God

13:31

who was working through me . By his

13:34

grace , friends

13:37

, let us

13:39

truly show and

13:42

receive grace . Welcome

14:55

to a new segment that I like to call Pick

14:57

a Hill . You know , like

14:59

, is that the hill you want to die on

15:01

? It's one where we'll check out

15:03

a weird world of religious nitpicking

15:06

. Come on in as we dive

15:08

into the tiny details of faith , breaking

15:11

down the stuff that seems big to some

15:13

but might not mean a whole lot in the grand scheme

15:15

of eternity . We'll check

15:17

out things from arguments about the color

15:20

of the curtains over the baptistry to the correct

15:22

way to say some of those ancient names

15:24

. We'll untangle the threads

15:26

of religious nitpicking , thinking

15:29

about what really matters when it comes to God's

15:31

will for our lives . For the

15:33

first topic , we're just going to go deep , deep

15:35

, deep here . Now

15:38

I'm going to be talking a lot about the

15:40

South , but really this is really the

15:42

whole country . But people

15:44

in the South and the United States often

15:47

have a unique perspective on certain aspects

15:49

of life , including

15:51

the importance of names and titles . Now

15:54

, one important distinction is that many

15:56

people in the South understand that there's

15:59

a difference between a name and

16:01

a title . They recognize

16:03

that , while a name is a personal identifier

16:05

, a title is a designation that

16:07

carries significance and often implies

16:10

certain responsibilities or roles , applies

16:12

certain responsibilities or roles . Like my name is Rick and

16:15

I hold various titles , such

16:18

as Dad

16:20

, host of

16:23

this podcast , jedi

16:25

, master . You know all the basic

16:27

titles . These

16:35

titles reflect the various roles and responsibilities that I have

16:37

in my life Now

16:41

. In the same way

16:44

, the term El E-L is a title that means God in Hebrew

16:46

. In

16:51

biblical times , titles like El Baal referred to gods like Baal , who the Israelites

16:53

turned to in worship alongside of Yahweh . In the context

16:55

of religion , god

16:57

, king and Lord

17:00

are all titles that hold a significant

17:02

meaning and while these

17:04

titles are widely recognized and respected

17:07

, it's essential to understand

17:09

that our God , the

17:12

Father's actual name is

17:14

Yahweh . When

17:17

God's word came in the flesh , like

17:20

in his son , his

17:22

name was Yeshua in

17:24

Hebrew , also known

17:27

as Jesus in

17:29

the Greek or Jesus in

17:31

English . It doesn't

17:33

matter what language is spoken , because

17:35

Jesus' name remains the same and

17:38

he knows his name in all languages

17:40

. The Israelites

17:42

, even to this day , hold

17:44

a great reverence for God's name Yahweh

17:47

, to the point that

17:49

they refrain from even writing or speaking

17:51

it . They came up with the name Hashim

17:53

or Hashem , meaning

17:55

the name as a way to

17:58

refer to him without directly uttering

18:00

his holy name , and

18:02

they only do that on specific occasions

18:04

. So this demonstrates

18:07

the immense power and holiness that's

18:09

associated with God's name . In

18:13

the new covenant it's proclaimed

18:16

that only in the name of Jesus

18:18

can demons be cast out , the

18:20

sick be healed , the people

18:23

be born again . So

18:25

when somebody speaks the name

18:27

of Jesus , demons tremble and angels

18:30

are called into action . So

18:34

using the name of Jesus without cause

18:36

or frustration or anger can be seen

18:38

as taking his name , his

18:41

holy name , in vain . But

18:45

instead individuals need to reserve

18:47

the use of his name for significant

18:49

purposes and reverence . Now

18:53

, on the other hand , saying oh

18:55

God is not really considered

18:57

taking the Lord's name in vain . Oh

19:00

, I'm going to get shot for that one . Many

19:03

, many people cry out to God in times

19:05

of need and they utter phrases

19:07

like oh God , help me . The

19:10

term oh God is

19:12

often used by people from the South and elsewhere

19:14

to express a plea for assistance or guidance

19:17

from a higher power or from

19:19

God . It's

19:22

important to recognize that when people say oh

19:24

God in such a context

19:26

, they're not using it flippantly

19:28

and they're not really being disrespectful

19:30

. Now there may be some

19:32

confusion in the

19:34

world , in the United States , in

19:37

the South , about

19:39

the distinction

19:41

between using O God or

19:43

O Lord and potentially

19:46

violating the commandment against taking the

19:48

Lord's name in vain . But

19:51

we need to understand that these phrases

19:53

are essentially the same and their

19:55

intentions and usage determine

19:57

whether they're respectful or disrespectful

20:00

, and it's all about the individual's heart

20:02

and the intent behind the words they speak . Now

20:05

, all throughout history , there have been many lords

20:07

and kings , but Jesus Christ

20:10

is considered as the Lord of

20:12

all lords and the King

20:14

of all kings . And in the

20:16

same way , various gods have been mentioned

20:18

, both biblically and throughout history , yet

20:21

there's only one God Almighty

20:23

, the ruler of all

20:25

things and the creator of heaven and earth

20:27

. The power lies in his

20:29

name alone . So

20:31

people in the South , people in

20:33

the United States , people around the world

20:36

, like many others , recognize the

20:38

importance of names and titles and

20:40

they understand that the power and sanctity of

20:42

God's actual name , yahweh . In

20:44

the new covenant , the name is Jesus . It has incredible

20:47

power and

21:10

using it flippantly or disrespectfully

21:13

is considered taking his holy

21:15

name in vain , especially if

21:17

you add H in the middle of it . That

21:19

is what's offensive . It's

21:22

crucial to approach

21:24

the name of Jesus with reverence and

21:26

only use it with purpose and sincerity

21:28

. And really , what it boils down

21:30

to is what are you talking about

21:33

? What are you saying

21:35

? I mean , here in

21:38

these last days , we're

21:40

supposed to be speaking , we're

21:43

supposed to be focused and speaking

21:45

and trying to get people to hear

21:47

the good news , hear

21:49

the gospel , get people to accept

21:52

Jesus Christ so that

21:54

they can spend eternity in heaven

21:56

with him and not burning in a lake

21:58

of fire . And here we are

22:00

overly focused

22:02

on something that really

22:04

doesn't matter . I

22:07

mean , does it matter if you take the Lord's name

22:09

in vain , absolutely ? Are

22:12

we supposed to be sitting here debating whether

22:14

or not saying oh God is

22:16

breaking a commandment ? Because

22:18

, let me tell you , there are so many

22:21

things in this world right now that are a bit

22:23

more important than an argument

22:25

between two people on whether our

22:27

saying oh God is going to break

22:30

a commandment or not . It

22:32

really just seems like a waste of time and effort

22:34

, but that's kind of what the

22:36

devil has us focused on . If

22:39

we're focused on these kind of issues , then

22:41

we're really not focused on the things that are

22:43

important , which is

22:45

getting people to believe

22:48

and receive

22:50

the Holy Spirit and be born

22:52

again . Don't

22:55

fall into the trap , people , just be respectful . That's what it boils

22:57

down to Again . Don't fall into the trap , people , just be

22:59

respectful . That's what it boils down to . Be

23:03

respectful Join

23:05

me next week as I discuss assigned

23:07

seats and whether or not you

23:10

should punch a guest in the mouth if

23:12

they sit where you normally sit . Now

23:18

, you know , I'm just kidding with y'all , this

23:20

is just something

23:22

fun . Hey , I

23:24

hope you're enjoying these shows as much

23:27

as I do , providing

23:29

value in the way of conversations , interviews

23:31

and content . So

23:34

many of you have asked me how you can be a part

23:36

of the show . Well , let

23:38

me tell you . You can become

23:40

a member of the Renewed Mindsets community

23:42

. Just go to buymeacoffeecom

23:46

slash renewedmindsets

23:48

. You

23:52

can support this ministry with a one-time gift or you may choose to send a recurring

23:54

gift every month . We have several

23:57

levels to choose from , starting

23:59

at $2 , all with

24:01

extra benefits from being listed

24:03

on the website , cool merch from

24:05

the Renewed Mindset store , and

24:08

even two top-tier spots the

24:10

Gabriel and Michael levels , where

24:13

one of you will be mentioned at the

24:15

end of every episode as

24:17

a producer of the show . How

24:19

cool would it be to have your name heard around

24:22

the world . Your support

24:24

of this show helps me get God's message

24:26

out to people who might not hear it somewhere

24:28

else . This just helps me with podcast-related

24:31

expenses , the websites and

24:33

all the subscriptions , as well

24:36

as supporting an alternative school option

24:38

for the kids at my church . Look

24:40

for the membership link in the show notes and

24:43

have a great rest of your week . See

24:46

ya Well

24:51

. That's all for this week's show . You

24:54

know , the name of this show speaks my hope for

24:56

you . It's taken from the words

24:58

of Romans , chapter 12 , verse 2

25:00

. Do not be conformed

25:02

to this world , but be transformed

25:05

by the renewal of your mind that

25:08

by testing you may discern what

25:10

is the will of God , what is

25:12

good and acceptable and

25:14

perfect . If

25:17

you enjoyed what you heard , do me a favor

25:19

, please , and tell someone you know

25:21

about it . Send them a link

25:24

and a text . You know you

25:26

may even need to download it to their phone and

25:28

show them what a podcast is . If

25:30

it was valuable to you , it will

25:33

be to them . Visit

25:36

renewedmindsetscom to hear

25:38

past episodes , read the blog

25:40

and check out the new merch . And

25:43

, as always , while you're there , send

25:45

me a voicemail by clicking the button at the

25:48

bottom right corner of the main page . Tell

25:51

me what you think about this show . I

25:53

just might play it on a future episode . Until

25:57

next week , I'm

26:00

Rick . I

26:04

love you . See ya . The

26:17

intro and outro music for the Renewed

26:19

Mindsets podcast is See ya .