Hello, hello everybody and welcome to spiritual lessons with Joanne on the Urban City Broadcast Network. We are so excited that you have chosen to listen to us to join us to study the Word of God with us and we are just excited to be able to have an opportunity to talk about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ with you on today. I’m going to pray for us and then we’re going to share a little bit of the Word of God and pray that something will be said that will help, you know, change our mindset that will help us to desire a close and intimate relationship with God.
So, Father God, in the name of Jesus, Lord, we thank you so much for being God. We thank you so much for loving us, Lord, for being kind to us. Even when we don’t deserve it, you love us anyway.
So, Lord, we just want to say thank you. I thank you, God, for covering us, for protecting us, leading us, and guiding us. In the name of Jesus, God, I pray for every soul that’s going to listen to this podcast and I pray, Lord, I pray that we will feel your presence, that we will come to know your voice, and that we will, Lord, just continue to give you all the glory, honor, and praise for every good thing that happens in our lives.
Lord, we just say thank you. You’re an amazing God. Beside you, there is no other.
So, God, we lift your name on high. We thank you and we praise you in Jesus name. Amen, amen, amen.
Thank you guys again so much for joining. We are here and we’re today going to read Philippians. We’re in the book of Philippians and we are in chapter four today.
And normally, again, I read from the Message Bible, but we’re going to read today from the New King James Version. And I may pull in the Message Bible. Let me see and read from it.
We’ll just see how much time we have. But we are in Philippians. So, I’m going to ask you, our sword, the way we fight, right, is with our Bible.
Having our Bible with us, knowing the word, studying the word, reading the word, right? So, I want us to have our Bibles as you join this podcast. Please grab your Bibles and read along with me. Study along with me as we read the word of God.
Amen. So, we are in Philippians chapter four and we’re going to start reading and then maybe we’ll discuss a little bit as the Lord leads. Amen.
Father, have your way in Jesus name. Philippians chapter four says, Therefore, my beloved and longed for brethren, my joy and crown. So, stand fast in the Lord, beloved.
I employ you to, you, you odia. I’m trying to pronounce these names in the Bible. Y’all know how that goes.
You odia and I employ Senti, Sentaichi, Sentaichi. If y’all read along with me, y’all see him. Y’all look up those words and pronounce them.
You, you odia and Sentaichi to be of the same mind in the Lord. It’s saying that I want you both to have the same mind in Christ Jesus. Have the same mind on one accord.
Be working for the same goal, right? Unity, right? And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers whose names are in the book of life. That means they have gone on to be with the Lord and their names are in the book of life. Amen.
Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say rejoice. And I want to say that again.
Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say rejoice. I know that that’s a hard thing to do sometimes when you have heavy things going on in your life.
This time last year, we had just buried my dad. And you know, it’s, it’s been a year now. And even though we could have been sad and all of that, we decided during Christmas to rejoice with each other.
This had, it’s not even been a year, my brother, we were at his house and he lost his wife in April of this year. And you know, we were there and we all decided we chose to rejoice. Yeah, we had our moments, but we chose to rejoice in the Lord.
And I am still full from that time that we had together where we just sang songs and we danced together. Of course we ate food together, but we were rejoicing in the Lord instead of being sad. And, and, you know, even though we have our grieving times, but we can rejoice no matter what we’re going through, because we know that God is on our side, because we know that he loves us and he cares for us and that we are never alone.
Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say rejoice. Verse five, let your gentleness be known to all men.
The Lord is at hand. So when you can be gentle with someone, it doesn’t take much to be kind, to smile, to share a kind word, or like our moms used to say, if you can’t say nothing nice, just don’t say nothing at all, just smile and wave and go on, you know, but let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
And I, you know, I just think about sometimes I can be kind of short when I’m in a hurry or when I’m rushing and, and trying to get something done, or when I’m anxious myself to try to do something or get something done. Or, um, I’m having a little bit of anxiety about doing something that I really don’t want to do, but have to do. I can be a little short, you know, if, if people get in my way, you know, but that’s where we repent.
We ask for forgiveness. And we again, move forward, rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say, rejoice, let your gentleness be known to all men.
The Lord is at hand. Verse six, be anxious for nothing. And I just talking about, I just talked about me having a little anxiety here and there, but the Bible says, be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication.
And I looked up the word supplication because I want to be clear about again, what we’re talking about, but in everything with prayer and supplication, I let me find it cause I done lost it. But supplication means, um, praying earnestly, praying, um, to someone let’s see. Although it is a noun supplication comes from the Latin while the supplication is often, oh, I want to do, um, supplication is a form of prayer, but considered as kneeling down and bending down in which someone makes a humble petition or an entreaty to God.
So supplication with all prayer and supplication, kneeling down, bowing down, right? Humbly asking God to do something for us, humbling our hearts right before him. So be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication and with thanksgiving, thanking God for the things that he has done, thanking him for the things that he doesn’t do. And if he that thanking him for the things that he’s going to do, and if he never does anything else, thanking him because he can.
Amen. But in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God and the peace of God, the peace that God provides for us, the peace of God, which surpass all understanding will guard your heart and minds through Christ Jesus, the peace of God. Hallelujah.
I’m telling you, I know that God has called me to live a life of peace because every time I turn around, somebody’s trying to disturb my peace in the name of Jesus, but we fight for our peace. And we do what we can to stay in peace with God, studying the word of God, meditating on the word of God, thinking on the word of God, hiding that word in our hearts. I cannot stress that enough, hiding the word of God in our hearts.
So that in hard times, those words, the word of God comes up out of nowhere and it covers us and it protects us and it reminds us to remember God and who he is and who he can be for us. Amen. The peace of God would surpass all understanding, will guard our hearts and our minds through Christ Jesus.
Verse eight, finally, brother, whatever things are true, the word of God, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report. If there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things, think on these things, the things that are true, the things that are lovely, the things that are pure, the things that are just, the things that are noble, that are praiseworthy, meditate on these things. There’s so much negativity going on right now, so much negativity.
We don’t even have to look for it. It’s just right there. But if there is anything praiseworthy, if there’s anything true, if there’s anything pure, anything lovely, meditate on those things.
We all know how to meditate because we all know how to worry. Worry is just turning something over and over in your mind, over and over again, worrying about it when there’s nothing you can do about it. Well, that’s the way we meditate, but we can turn over and over in our mind good things.
The good things that God has done, the good things that have happened to us, and it doesn’t even have to be anything huge. I’ve told this story several times about this lady. I went to her house, beautiful lady.
I went to her house and that morning I wanted some toast, but I love jelly with my toast, and I didn’t have any jelly. So I was like, ah, I can’t have toast. And I went to this lady’s house and we sat and we did our little meeting and we talked.
And as I was getting ready to go, she said, baby, I don’t like nobody to leave my house without me giving them something. She opened her pantry and all I heard was, ah, because there was jelly, canned jelly that she had made. And I just burst into tears.
And she’s like, baby, what’s wrong? I was like, God loves me because he cares about the little things that I care about. Something as small as a jar of jelly. It’s important to me.
So it’s important to him. Think on those things, the little things that God does and turn those things over and over in your mind. See how that changes how you feel throughout the day.
See how that changes what you think about throughout the day. Think on those lovely, good, pure, just, noble things. Meditate on those things, right? The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do.
And the God of peace will be with you. Amen. Verse 10, but I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again.
Though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. We can care for somebody so much, but not have the opportunity to show how much we care. How many of you know, it’s so important to show someone how much you care more than you say how much you care, right? Because we can say a whole bunch of stuff with our mouths, but our action speaks so much louder than words, right? Make an opportunity to be kind, make an opportunity to show someone that you love just how much you love them.
Amen. Provide, make, create an opportunity to do it, right? Verse 11, not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am to be content, that I have learned to be content in whatever state I’m in. Hallelujah.
Hallelujah. He has learned to be content. I know how to be abased and I know how to abound.
Everywhere and in all things, I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to be abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I’ve learned how to be abased and how to abound.
Everywhere and in all things, I have learned both to be full and to be hungry. He is content. That means to not complain, to murmur and complain, right? But to be content with what you have, right? He has learned to be content.
I’ve learned to be both full and hungry, both to abound and to suffer in need because I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. All things. Definitely, we can be content.
Amen. Verse 14, nevertheless, you have done well that you shared in my distress. Now you Philippians, now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving, but you only.
You were the only ones, right? The only church, the Philippians were the only church that helped, right? Verse 16, for even in Thessalonica, you sent aid once and again for my necessities. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. When you bless someone else, don’t do, don’t bless somebody else to get a blessing, but be a blessing and God will bless you.
Share a kind word and God will bless you. Share a smile, you know, be kind and God will bless you. Indeed, verse 18, indeed, I have all and abound.
I am full, having received from Euphrodites, Epaphroditus, the things which were sent from you, a sweet smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. And my God, hallelujah, verse 19, and my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory, according to his riches in glory. And my God shall supply all of your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Now to our father and God, now to our God and father, be glory forever and ever. Amen. Greet every saint in Christ Jesus.
The brethren who are with me greet you. All the saints greet you, but especially those who are of Caesar’s household. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Amen. The thing that I want us to focus on from everything that we read is to focus, is to meditate on that which is good, that which is just, that which is noble, that which is true, that which is lovely, everything that’s of a good report, everything that has virtue, and if there is any praiseworthiness in it, meditate on those things and watch your life change for the better. Meditate on those things.
Paul said, I am content. I am content whether I’m a base or whether I’m a bound. I’m content whether I’m hungry or whether I’m full.
I’m content because I can do all things. Hallelujah. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.
And my God shall supply all of my needs and your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. God is good. There’s a song that I love to sing.
It’s called I’ve Got Joy by C.C. Wine and my voice is a little hoarse so I won’t try to sing it, but go and look up C.C. Wine and I’ve Got Joy. Play that song. I promise it’ll put a smile on your face and joy in your heart because God, He doesn’t have to do anything good for us, but He chooses to wake us.
He chooses to cover us. He chooses to protect us and keep us and for that God we thank you. Father God, we thank you so much for this time together and I pray God again that something was said that will give us a hunger and a thirst for more and more of you.
You are awesome and we love you God so much and we thank you for loving us. I pray God that you will help us to come closer and closer to you to know your voice to where we will have no question when you’re speaking to us, when you’re guiding us to do something. There will be no question because we have spent so much time with you that we know your voice.
We know your voice and we love you Jesus. We will continue to sing of your goodness towards us. You are amazing and we thank you Jesus.
In Jesus name we pray. Amen, amen, amen. You’ve been listening to Spiritual Lessons with Joanne on the Urban City Broadcast Network.
