A special episode from "On The Ground with Samaritan's Purse" | We are a restless society. We seek after things in this world that we think will give us rest, but our true rest is in Jesus. Kristy sits down with Jeremy Zerkle, a staff chaplain at Samaritan’s Purse, to discuss what the Bible says about rest, and how we can rest in the Lord.

Life does not slow down, but we can—and we need to. To accomplish what God has set before us, we must find rest in Him and learn from Him. We can rest knowing that we are not God. But as Jeremy and Kristy discuss, we often start to rely on our own self-sufficiency.

“The problem is that we start to believe that the world sustains on us.” – Jeremy Zerkle

We pursue all kinds of things to physically rest. But the problem is that we are still restless when we make physical rest the priority. Jeremy talks about why God rested on the seventh day when He was creating the world and why we need the Sabbath. God created order, peace, and shalom. God never stops working, and He never will.

“We stop to be reminded of the fact that I am not God, and I need that reminder so desperately because I can believe that in myself.” – Jeremy Zerkle

When things are hard and heavy, we have to get away and be with Jesus rather than cope in the world’s way of resting. A familiar Scripture from Matthew 11 speaks to this. We need to go to the Lord and lay our burdens at His feet.

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” – Matthew 11:28-30

If you’d like to keep up to date with more stories from On the Ground, please visit SamaritansPurse.org.

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In this week's best-of episode, we're looking at the life of Joseph and exploring the theme of integrity. Joseph consistently makes the right choices, even when faced with difficulties. Standing firm in doing what is right, even when it may not lead to immediate blessings, is the life of integrity we should strive for. Listen in to hear what it looks like to make tough choices and stand firm in difficult situations.

Joseph is our model for seasons in our own life that feel confining. He perseveres in doing the next right thing, even when he finds himself in a place that feels not like what he signed up for. Anybody relate to that? When you're in a season that isn't what you wanted, what does it look like to do the next right thing?

Here's the secret. The secret is not trying harder. It's not gripping more tightly to what you wish was true. It's not shaming yourself into being better. True love and true righteousness do not materialize by gripping for it. This kind of love and righteousness comes from fixing our eyes on Jesus. That's what gives us the ability to stand up against the forces of the world that often come against us.

Our faith is grown in difficult seasons. And in those difficult seasons, we get a very narrow focus and we focus on one day at a time. We ask God to give us the strength to show up with humility and love for the day that he has for us.

Here are all the episodes in Nicole's study on Joseph:

1. Not What I Signed Up For: How to Think about Life’s Hardest Seasons (A Bible Study on Joseph)
2. Navigating Life's Unexpected Seasons: Lessons from Joseph
3. Finding Hope in the Midst of Suffering: A Guide to Biblical Lament
4. What Does Redemption Mean? Lessons from Joseph’s Family Reunion (A Bible Study on Genesis 42)
5. Embracing Restoration: The End of Joseph's Story and Its Relevance Today

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In this best-of episode, Nicole invites us to explore the Lord’s Prayer, found in the Gospels, particularly in Matthew, emphasizing that prayer is not just about saying the right words or following a formula, but about having a personal and intimate conversation with God.

Nicole guides us through the passage in Matthew 6, verses 5-8, where Jesus teaches us how to pray. We’ll examine the contrast between those who pray for show, those who pray in secret, and those who babble like pagans. Nicole highlights the importance of understanding the principles behind Jesus’ teaching, rather than just following a formula. We’ll explore how to create a space for intimacy and connection with our Heavenly Father, and how to experience God in our daily lives.

Nicole shares that prayer is not about getting God to respond to our actions, but about submitting to His will and desires. We’ll discuss how to avoid the pitfalls of hypocrisy and instead, cultivate a genuine relationship with God. This episode sets the stage for the rest of the series, where we’ll delve into the Lord’s Prayer and explore its significance in our lives.

If you’re feeling uncertain about your prayer life or wondering if you’re doing it “right,” this series is for you. Join Nicole as we explore the principles of effective prayer and how to deepen your relationship with God.

Want to listen to the rest of the series? We created a playlist on Spotify with each episode. Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2fHv6yxAydcsLstrfoVvPZ

You can also find all of the episodes on this page of Lifeaudio.com: https://www.lifeaudio.com/podcasts/how-to-study-the-bible/?page=24

Connect with Nicole: https://nicoleunice.com/

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