Send us a text

What if the hardest seasons are the places where love proves unbreakable? We set out to wrestle with suffering and came face to face with sovereignty—God’s steady hand over every rise and fall. Through honest testimonies, a fresh look at Job, and the luminous comfort of Psalm 139, we trace how discipline, delay, and loss can become refinement rather than ruin. The claim is bold yet deeply pastoral: nothing can separate us from the love of God, not the long night, not the unanswered question, not even our stumbling words.

You’ll hear how years of illness became a garden of unexpected fruit, how being “held back” kept a life from running into traffic, and why humility matters when we’re tempted to put God on trial. We open the text and find nearness in every line—searched and known, hemmed in behind and before, darkness lit like day. Then worship carries the weight that words can’t, with a live saxophone performance that turns pain into praise and “Oceans” into a prayer of deeper trust. It’s not denial; it’s defiance against despair, the sound of faith learning to breathe under pressure.

Walk away with a sturdier hope: assurance grows when affliction meets providence. If God is sovereign over our affliction, he is sovereign over our restoration. If he knows the end from the beginning, he also knows how to make this moment serve your good. Tune in for teaching, testimony, and worship that point to one reality—he holds us fast. If this speaks to you, share it with a friend, subscribe for more, and leave a review to tell us where you’ve seen purpose appear in the middle of pain.

Support the show

BE PROVOKED AND BE PERSUADED!

Send us a text

What if the near-misses in your life weren’t luck, but mercy on a timer? We open with a raw story of two fatal nights narrowly avoided and the shocking realization that survival wasn’t just a second chance at life—it was a second chance at eternity. That wake-up call leads us straight into the fear of the Lord, not as a scare tactic, but as the beginning of wisdom that anchors a wandering heart.

From there we wrestle with the mystery that God ordains both ends and means. Predestination doesn’t cancel urgency; it creates it, because God chose the “foolishness” of preaching to carry grace into human ears. We explore why proclamation still matters, how the Spirit uses truth to open hearts, and why faith thrives when we humble ourselves under the word rather than boast in our own insight. Along the way, we address the hard questions: Does God govern calamity? Can He limit evil without authoring sin? What does it mean that the deceiver and the deceived are still in His hand?

Drawing on Job and Romans 9, we find surprising comfort. The Potter has rights over the clay, yet He bears long with vessels of wrath to display the riches of mercy on vessels of mercy. For the sufferer, this isn’t a cold system—it’s a warm assurance that pain is measured, deceivers are leashed, and no lie can outflank God’s purpose. For the proud, it’s a bracing warning that human cleverness can’t outtalk providence. We call for humility, careful handling of Scripture, and a return to the fear that steadies the soul when everything else shakes.

If your heart is stirring, don’t wait. Press play, share this with someone who needs courage today, and if it helps you see God more clearly, subscribe and leave a review so others can find it too.

Support the show

BE PROVOKED AND BE PERSUADED!

Send us a text

What if the very trouble you’re begging God to remove is the bridge he’s using to answer your prayer? We dive into Job 12:16 and pull apart the reflex to equate comfort with favor and pain with failure. With Scripture at the center and honest stories at the edges, we trace how God’s strength and wisdom hold both the deceived and the deceiver, the righteous and the rebellious, without ever compromising his goodness.

We unpack how visible success can be a poor metric for divine approval, and why the prosperity of the wicked doesn’t unsettle God’s rule. From Genesis to Ecclesiastes, breath becomes a thread—given, sustained, and returned—reminding us that every life is held by a sovereign hand. A hospice worker’s testimony brings theology close, letting us hear the first and last breaths that whisper the name of God. Along the way, we challenge a common dodge: turning hard doctrines into speculation. If God’s counsel is perfect, then the ends and the means belong to him, and our plans bow to his direction.

The conversation gets practical and vulnerable: confession of past errors, the sting and relief of correction, and the quiet power of reading Scripture with family. We explore why affliction often answers prayers for patience and nearness, how humility opens the door to wisdom, and why arguing about sovereignty without worship leads to pride. Job’s logic stands tall—if comfort is proof of favor, what do we do with the flourishing of fools? Instead, we learn to trust a God who can ordain weakness for the righteous and still work it for good.

If this resonates, share it with a friend who’s wrestling with suffering and sovereignty. Subscribe for more grounded, Scripture-first conversations, and leave a review to help others find the show. What has affliction taught you that comfort never could?

Support the show

BE PROVOKED AND BE PERSUADED!

Send us a text

What if the shortest line in Job 12 carries the heaviest weight of your faith? We sit with verse 16 and let it press on our assumptions: “With Him are strength and wisdom; the deceived and the deceiver are His.” From there, we trace how Job pushes back against his friends, not with slogans, but with a robust vision of God’s sovereignty that refuses to leave anything—suffering, schemes, or misunderstandings—outside His rule.

Together we unpack the tension many feel: if God governs all, does that cancel human responsibility? We argue the opposite. Agency is real, but it lives inside providence. That’s why promises hold and why evil can be confronted without panic. We revisit the opening scenes of Job where Satan must ask permission, drawing a clear line between creature and Creator. Along the way, we correct common myths about the devil’s power, highlight Pascal’s insight on power, intellect, and goodness, and show how Job’s integrity under pressure becomes a case study in endurance. Suffering doesn’t become pleasant, but it becomes purposeful—discipline, refinement, and a platform for glory.

By the end, the verse that unsettles becomes the anchor that steadies. If even deceivers are not outside God’s hand, then deception cannot derail truth, promises cannot fail, and judgment will be impeccably just. We offer practical takeaways for prayer, repentance, and courage in a noisy world that often mistakes confidence in God for cold fatalism. Listen to strengthen your theology of sovereignty, sharpen your sense of responsibility, and recover a durable hope that can live through the storm.

If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a friend who loves the wisdom books, and leave a review with your biggest question about Job 12:16—we’ll feature a few in a future episode.

Support the show

BE PROVOKED AND BE PERSUADED!

Send us a text

Some ideas make preaching feel optional. We take aim at one of them: the notion that hell purges sin or that escape comes later if you miss grace now. Starting with Job 12:14—what God shuts, no one opens; what he breaks down, none rebuild—we explore how divine sovereignty anchors assurance and energizes mission. If God opens the door of salvation, who can shut it? If he destroys the old man, can we become uncreated? These aren’t abstractions; they’re the difference between fear-driven religion and a life steadied by the finished work of Christ.

Along the way, we revisit Martin Luther’s outrage at indulgences and the economy of fear that preyed on the hungry. If forgiveness could be dispensed at will, why sell it instead of giving it for love? That question exposes why borrowed righteousness and the imputation of another’s merit fall apart. We reflect on Spurgeon’s note that the Magi worshiped Christ alone, then trace the thread to the cross where Jesus declares, “It is finished,” laying down his life with authority. From the ark’s sealed door to Psalm 103’s mercy and Isaiah 43’s promise—sins blotted out “for my sake”—we show how God’s name guarantees the preservation of those he saves.

This conversation is both sobering and strengthening. False comfort about judgment invites apathy; the truth that God is just, holy, and able calls us to readiness, unity, and love. We share practical encouragement for teachers and listeners: prepare with reverence, speak with clarity, and carry the message to those who are weary. Wisdom doesn’t stay in the study; it stands at the doorway and calls. If you’ve wrestled with assurance, mission, or the pull of easy answers, this one will sharpen your sword and steady your heart.

If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs solid hope, and leave a review so others can find these conversations. What stood out most to you?

Support the show

BE PROVOKED AND BE PERSUADED!

Send us a text

What if your strongest convictions needed to be rebuilt from the ground up? We dive into a candid, Scripture-first conversation inspired by Job’s replies to his friends, exploring how to reason together without contempt and how to correct error without crushing people. Along the way, we share hard-won lessons from early zeal, the vow to speak only what can be defended, and the art of asking questions that reveal truth the way Jesus did.

We center on Job 12:13–15: with God are wisdom and strength, and what He tears down cannot be rebuilt. That line turns a bright spotlight on our assumptions about end times, temples, and traditions that tug our eyes away from Christ’s finished work. Instead of chasing spectacle, we reframe hope around Jesus as the true temple and the church as living stones, a vision that is sturdier than headlines and more beautiful than nostalgia. Wisdom doesn’t automatically come with age; it grows with humility, Scripture, and prayer—and it shows up in how we treat people who disagree.

We also tackle the painful comfort of second-chance myths—purgatory, universalist fire, and the idea that death leaves the door cracked. Finality is part of God’s unchanging character, which makes today urgent and grace all the more amazing. Christ has already bound the strong man to free captives, leaving no room for boasting or for outsourcing our theology to study Bible notes. The call is clear: test everything, hold fast to what is good, and let God’s word be the anchor when emotions and systems compete for your trust.

If this conversation sharpened your thinking or steadied your heart, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review to help others find it. What passage most reshaped your beliefs? Tell us—we’d love to hear your story.

Support the show

BE PROVOKED AND BE PERSUADED!

Send us a text

What if your spiritual “taste buds” could keep you from swallowing bad teaching while still keeping your heart soft toward people? We sat with Job 12 and wrestled through what it means to let the ear test words and the mouth taste truth, moving beyond slogans to a lived practice of discernment. The conversation gets real about where to draw lines, how to respond to pushback from fellow believers, and why age or experience doesn’t automatically equal wisdom.

We explore the gap between having knowledge about God and walking with God. Job’s friends had facts but lacked love, and that mismatch shows up today when Scripture is used like a club instead of a tool for healing. You’ll hear why sometimes the Bible must function like a sword, and often like a scalpel—precise, careful, and aimed at restoration. We talk meditation on Scripture as a habit that trains the senses, how the Holy Spirit not only brings verses to mind but also restrains our tongues, and why correction without compassion is counterfeit wisdom.

Along the way, we share stories of repentance, growth in marriage and family life, and relearning doctrines we once assumed were right. We reflect on drawing boundaries with false teaching while keeping the door open for patient reasoning, setting aside denominational labels to pursue truth together. The goal is a faith that stands firm like Luther on first things and yet moves toward people with the mercy of Christ. If you’ve ever asked how to correct without crushing, or how to be bold without becoming brittle, this one will meet you in the tension and give you language, Scripture, and practices to carry into your next hard conversation.

If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a friend who loves Scripture, and leave a review with your favorite takeaway so more people can find it.

Support the show

BE PROVOKED AND BE PERSUADED!

Send us a text

What if the road to restoration runs straight through affliction—and not around it? We open Job 12 and watch Job pivot from defending himself to dismantling a theology that equates comfort with favor and pain with guilt. His argument is razor sharp: if prosperity proves righteousness, how do we explain thriving thieves? And if suffering proves sin, what do we make of the faithful who weep? Job summons creation itself—the beasts, birds, fish, and earth—to remind us that every breath is held by God, and that providence refuses our tidy equations.

Together with our panel, we trace the scriptural threads that keep us grounded when easy answers fail. From Psalm 73’s honest envy to Romans 8’s unshakable hope, and John 9’s refusal to blame the victim, we build a wiser lens for hardship. We talk hermeneutics in plain language, letting Scripture interpret Scripture until a larger, sturdier picture of God’s sovereignty emerges. Along the way, you’ll hear a powerful personal testimony of hospital corridors, wordless prayers, and the precise kindness of God that met a family in their deepest fear—and led to healing, maturity, and a deeper wealth than comfort can give.

This conversation is an invitation to trade moral bookkeeping for humble trust, to correct friends without cruelty, and to practice gratitude that survives the night. If you’ve been crushed by bad counsel or tempted to read your life like a scorecard, Job 12 offers clarity and courage. Listen, reflect, and share with someone who needs a better story about suffering and hope. If this resonated, follow the show, leave a quick review, and tell us one place you’ve seen purpose emerge from pain.

Support the show

BE PROVOKED AND BE PERSUADED!