1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:08,100 Welcome back to writing 365 podcast committed to inspiring and supporting others to embrace 2 00:00:08,100 --> 00:00:11,500 the opportunity to rise with each new day. 3 00:00:11,500 --> 00:00:15,380 You know, rising daily can be a challenge for many, including myself. 4 00:00:15,380 --> 00:00:22,440 It is my hope that what you hear in these episodes will assist you in rising every day 5 00:00:22,440 --> 00:00:23,440 of the year. 6 00:00:23,440 --> 00:00:27,940 I'm Mike Pena and it's a good to be back with you again for another episode. 7 00:00:27,940 --> 00:00:33,040 This one is called What are you tying your life to? 8 00:00:33,040 --> 00:00:39,240 We're still going to continue from last week's episode of it's okay to do hard things. 9 00:00:39,240 --> 00:00:48,440 And if you listened to that when I spent my family and I spent a week at a teen training 10 00:00:48,440 --> 00:00:53,800 called Christian Youth in Action, which is a part of the ministry that my family and 11 00:00:53,800 --> 00:01:00,800 I are missionaries for a child evangelism fellowship and Christian Youth in Action. 12 00:01:00,800 --> 00:01:09,320 It helps teens grow in their faith by training them on how to share the gospel through biblical 13 00:01:09,320 --> 00:01:17,240 stories and through this training at the conclusion, they get commissioned to go out and do another 14 00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:22,760 ministry that CEF has for the summer called Five Day Clubs or here in Nebraska. 15 00:01:22,760 --> 00:01:25,520 They are called summer Good News Clubs. 16 00:01:25,520 --> 00:01:28,320 These are clubs that go out throughout the community. 17 00:01:28,320 --> 00:01:32,640 They partner with churches and families and faith believers who want to share the gospel 18 00:01:32,640 --> 00:01:33,640 in their community. 19 00:01:33,640 --> 00:01:39,280 And they put on these clubs for elementary age students. 20 00:01:39,280 --> 00:01:48,200 So Christian Youth in Action, one of those settings that is undescribable. 21 00:01:48,200 --> 00:01:54,920 It's my intention year round to share with youth groups and youth pastors and parents 22 00:01:54,920 --> 00:02:01,840 and Christian schools that have students that are in middle school and high schoolers the 23 00:02:01,840 --> 00:02:07,640 opportunity that Christian Youth in Action presents for their students. 24 00:02:07,640 --> 00:02:14,280 Because it's so different from any other Christian camp that is out there. 25 00:02:14,280 --> 00:02:17,000 It's really not a camp. 26 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:23,560 It's definitely a training for these young students, these young adults to strengthen 27 00:02:23,560 --> 00:02:26,000 their faith. 28 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:29,200 And it's a tough week of training. 29 00:02:29,200 --> 00:02:31,440 It is one that challenges their faith. 30 00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:33,360 They're in a different setting. 31 00:02:33,360 --> 00:02:39,000 They're meeting new people, which is all things that we as those who struggle with rising 32 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:48,000 and see as too daunting to be a part of. 33 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:53,000 Knowing that Christian Youth in Action is challenging is what deters many people from 34 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:54,880 coming year after year. 35 00:02:54,880 --> 00:03:04,720 But those who see the importance of strengthening their faith, what they endeavor year after 36 00:03:04,720 --> 00:03:07,920 year and the growth that they see, they see it's worth it. 37 00:03:07,920 --> 00:03:16,720 It just helps carry through everything that the previous episodes of Rising 365 share 38 00:03:16,720 --> 00:03:20,080 about everything we've talked about. 39 00:03:20,080 --> 00:03:24,960 That it's okay to do hard things that you know, learning to be creative, learning to 40 00:03:24,960 --> 00:03:27,520 get out of your comfort zone, setting a routine. 41 00:03:27,520 --> 00:03:33,520 Those previous episodes, these young people are experiencing it a week long of CYA and 42 00:03:33,520 --> 00:03:34,520 it encourages them. 43 00:03:34,520 --> 00:03:40,080 Then they have an encouragement because what they're going to do is bigger than themselves. 44 00:03:40,080 --> 00:03:48,800 Last week I shared about Lesson One and the first lesson was Naaman that these young people 45 00:03:48,800 --> 00:03:51,800 will be sharing the summer at the clubs. 46 00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:55,920 How Naaman had really no hope, even though he had everything at his disposal. 47 00:03:55,920 --> 00:03:57,280 He's the richest guy. 48 00:03:57,280 --> 00:03:59,320 He's had so much power. 49 00:03:59,320 --> 00:04:08,400 But his sin and the cure that he was seeking for his leprosy was what was separating him. 50 00:04:08,400 --> 00:04:14,080 He was running out of hope because he knew if he didn't get a cure for it, that the leprosy 51 00:04:14,080 --> 00:04:15,560 would kill him. 52 00:04:15,560 --> 00:04:22,320 And when he went and he sought help for it, at first his pride almost got a hold of him 53 00:04:22,320 --> 00:04:25,440 and that can be us. 54 00:04:25,440 --> 00:04:32,440 We want a certain outcome in our life and if we don't get that outcome, it can paralyze 55 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:35,480 us and our pride can overtake us. 56 00:04:35,480 --> 00:04:41,640 But if we humble ourselves, like Naaman finally did, and it wasn't because of his own doing, 57 00:04:41,640 --> 00:04:48,240 it was actually because he listened to his servants who said, hey, what have you got 58 00:04:48,240 --> 00:04:49,240 to lose? 59 00:04:49,240 --> 00:04:52,880 Maybe put your hope in God and see what God will do. 60 00:04:52,880 --> 00:04:55,960 Because if you don't, Naaman, you're going to die. 61 00:04:55,960 --> 00:05:01,840 And when we put our hope in God like Naaman did, we see that God has something great for 62 00:05:01,840 --> 00:05:05,920 us and he can renew us. 63 00:05:05,920 --> 00:05:12,760 The next lesson that these teens were taught and is so pivotal is the lesson of Rahab. 64 00:05:12,760 --> 00:05:14,960 The lesson of Rahab comes from the book of Joshua. 65 00:05:14,960 --> 00:05:18,320 If you're not familiar with biblical stories, you can go look it up. 66 00:05:18,320 --> 00:05:23,000 Joshua chapter 2 is where it starts. 67 00:05:23,000 --> 00:05:30,600 And this lesson of Rahab is so important because what these teens learn and what we all learn 68 00:05:30,600 --> 00:05:37,960 in this lesson is that we have a choice to make. 69 00:05:37,960 --> 00:05:48,880 You know, Rahab was a part of a culture that was extremely sinful. 70 00:05:48,880 --> 00:06:00,800 They did everything that God found plorable, so much so that God was ready to destroy the 71 00:06:00,800 --> 00:06:08,400 city of Jericho because they were the way they were acting and treating each other and 72 00:06:08,400 --> 00:06:11,400 the flippantness of the way they live their lives. 73 00:06:11,400 --> 00:06:16,920 Then we're introduced in Joshua chapter 2 to Rahab. 74 00:06:16,920 --> 00:06:21,760 And Rahab, she's no different than them. 75 00:06:21,760 --> 00:06:30,720 The lifestyle she lives in this community is full of sin and what she did was sinful. 76 00:06:30,720 --> 00:06:37,400 So as she's encountering this, she encounters two spies from the Israelites that come into 77 00:06:37,400 --> 00:06:41,280 Jericho because they're looking to see, okay, what are the forces? 78 00:06:41,280 --> 00:06:42,280 What's in this town? 79 00:06:42,280 --> 00:06:47,360 And the city of the men of Jericho find out that these spies are there. 80 00:06:47,360 --> 00:06:49,480 But Rahab has a choice there. 81 00:06:49,480 --> 00:06:52,720 He could even just let the spy be found. 82 00:06:52,720 --> 00:06:53,720 But she's like, you know what? 83 00:06:53,720 --> 00:06:59,920 I've heard of this God of Israel and what he's capable of. 84 00:06:59,920 --> 00:07:07,680 Maybe if I put my faith in him, I tie myself to the God of Israel and help these spies 85 00:07:07,680 --> 00:07:11,920 out, something great will happen. 86 00:07:11,920 --> 00:07:18,600 I can be spared from what these spies tell Rahab is going to conspire that God has seen 87 00:07:18,600 --> 00:07:24,840 the wickedness of Jericho and because of that, he's going to destroy it. 88 00:07:24,840 --> 00:07:35,640 And they say to Rahab, if you help us, the king's men who are hunting us down, when 89 00:07:35,640 --> 00:07:41,440 we destroy the city, when God destroys the city, we will spare not only you, Rahab, but 90 00:07:41,440 --> 00:07:46,320 also your entire family. 91 00:07:46,320 --> 00:07:47,320 So she has no choice here. 92 00:07:47,320 --> 00:07:59,320 She can either die with the crowd or she can put her faith and tie herself to the words 93 00:07:59,320 --> 00:08:02,320 of God, to God's faithfulness. 94 00:08:02,320 --> 00:08:11,400 Because she does that, she she lowers these men down outside the walls so they can escape. 95 00:08:11,400 --> 00:08:18,080 And before doing that, they say, tie this yellow, not this yellow, but this scarlet 96 00:08:18,080 --> 00:08:27,400 red rope outside your window so we know not to attack your home and your family and your 97 00:08:27,400 --> 00:08:31,000 family will be saved. 98 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:33,920 So she just had to trust their word. 99 00:08:33,920 --> 00:08:37,680 She had to trust that God was faithful. 100 00:08:37,680 --> 00:08:38,680 She did just that. 101 00:08:38,680 --> 00:08:44,640 She tied outside of her home that scarlet thread. 102 00:08:44,640 --> 00:08:48,760 And the rest is history if you continue to see that. 103 00:08:48,760 --> 00:08:57,280 The Israelite army comes for seven days, they march around and on the seventh day, the walls 104 00:08:57,280 --> 00:09:08,640 and finally fall in Jericho and the Israelite army goes in and destroys and takes Jericho. 105 00:09:08,640 --> 00:09:16,080 But they spare Rahab's home and Rahab and her family. 106 00:09:16,080 --> 00:09:23,080 So the lesson that we have for us here on Rising 365 is what are we tying our lives 107 00:09:23,080 --> 00:09:24,080 to? 108 00:09:24,080 --> 00:09:30,640 Are we getting caught up in the community and our culture and our world? 109 00:09:30,640 --> 00:09:36,760 And when people look at us, they don't see us any different. 110 00:09:36,760 --> 00:09:42,480 Because of that, it makes it difficult to meet the new day. 111 00:09:42,480 --> 00:09:47,800 Or are we, is that draining you? 112 00:09:47,800 --> 00:09:55,360 Maybe it's time for you to do as Rahab did and tie yourself to a relationship with God, 113 00:09:55,360 --> 00:10:00,320 to a relationship of who Jesus is and what he came to do to say, hey, you know what, 114 00:10:00,320 --> 00:10:06,200 you've tied yourself to the things of this world and the things of this world will always 115 00:10:06,200 --> 00:10:16,640 leave you in despair, hopeless, fearful, overwhelmed, making facing each new day more difficult 116 00:10:16,640 --> 00:10:19,720 and challenging, sometimes impossible. 117 00:10:19,720 --> 00:10:25,600 But Jesus, a relationship with Jesus is different. 118 00:10:25,600 --> 00:10:35,720 It says, if you tie yourself to me, you will have peace, joy, love, thankfulness, patience 119 00:10:35,720 --> 00:10:47,120 and endurance, strength for ever, for an all for eternity. 120 00:10:47,120 --> 00:10:58,240 Knowing that we're tied to the source of all goodness makes rising all that more possible. 121 00:10:58,240 --> 00:11:01,180 Not only possible, but enjoyable. 122 00:11:01,180 --> 00:11:08,200 We do it with a joyful heart because we know we have a message to go out and share the 123 00:11:08,200 --> 00:11:16,160 possibility for others to untie themselves from the world and tie themselves to Jesus. 124 00:11:16,160 --> 00:11:20,240 That's what these teens learned at Christian Youth in Action. 125 00:11:20,240 --> 00:11:22,200 That's what I wanted to share with you. 126 00:11:22,200 --> 00:11:26,880 We all can learn from the story of Rahab. 127 00:11:26,880 --> 00:11:28,780 What are you tying your life to? 128 00:11:28,780 --> 00:11:33,200 What is your life currently tied to? 129 00:11:33,200 --> 00:11:36,040 How is it going for you? 130 00:11:36,040 --> 00:11:41,160 Maybe it's time for you to cut that tie and tie it to a relationship with Jesus. 131 00:11:41,160 --> 00:11:46,240 Well, I hope you've enjoyed this episode. 132 00:11:46,240 --> 00:11:47,240 Thank you for tuning in. 133 00:11:47,240 --> 00:11:52,720 I hope each episode brings you inspiration to embrace every new day. 134 00:11:52,720 --> 00:11:59,800 To support this podcast, consider booking me as a speaker for your next conference, 135 00:11:59,800 --> 00:12:05,400 school assembly, youth event, Bible study, or any special occasion where I can share 136 00:12:05,400 --> 00:12:08,360 the message of Rising 365. 137 00:12:08,360 --> 00:12:15,840 To arrange this, simply send me a message or email at rising247365 at gmail.com. 138 00:12:15,840 --> 00:12:22,440 Additionally, you can support by liking, sharing, and rating the podcast on your preferred listening 139 00:12:22,440 --> 00:12:23,440 platform. 140 00:12:23,440 --> 00:12:30,920 Until we meet again, I am Mike Pena reminding you to rise and seize the gift of a new day. 141 00:12:30,920 --> 00:12:34,320 You are destined for this moment. 142 00:12:34,320 --> 00:12:40,920 And to learn more about Child Evangelism Fellowship and CEF of Central Nebraska, you can do that 143 00:12:40,920 --> 00:12:43,360 by visiting our website. 144 00:12:43,360 --> 00:12:49,800 And that's another way you can support Rising 365 is by supporting the ministry that we 145 00:12:49,800 --> 00:12:50,800 are a part of. 146 00:12:50,800 --> 00:12:52,600 Well, it's been a joy. 147 00:12:52,600 --> 00:13:02,240 May you go and share these episodes and this podcast with those who can be encouraged with 148 00:13:02,240 --> 00:13:22,640 the possibility to rise each new day.