God continually shows up for the Israelites. He makes a way, provides for their needs, and invites them into His presence. Yet while Moses is on the mountain with God, the people grow tired of waiting, forget what God has done, and turn back to their old ways. Though God is a God of miracles and provision, His greatest gift is His presence. When we become focused only on what we want God to do, we can miss the beauty of who He is. Remember what He has done, and look for His presence. The tabernacle points to Jesus, the greater fulfillment of God's plan to dwell with His people. Jesus is the Door, the Bread of Life, the Light of the World, and our Great High Priest who intercedes for us. Through Him, the veil has been torn, we have access to God, and we can walk with Him. Don't miss the greatest gift of all: His presence. Check out our video version of this episode: https://youtu.be/GeYgYCFLEvc Subscribe to our YouTube channel here: https://youtu.be/8wmeCwBf_zk Learn more about us at chestnutmountain.org Follow us on Facebook & Instagram @chestnutmtn_

In Exodus 16–17, the Israelites go from the victory of the Red Sea into the wilderness. Though they had been delivered from Egypt, they struggled to wait well. Yet the wilderness was not a prison but a classroom where God wanted to teach them, shape them, and prove His faithfulness. God provided bread from heaven, water from the rock, and people to help carry the burden. A wilderness reveals what's in us and who's around us. When it seems like there's no way, God will provide in a way that makes no sense. God has entrusted each of us with a "staff" to lift up for His glory. Even when we grow weary, God uses His people to help us keep holding it high. God is not finished with you. Praise Him in the wilderness. Check out our video version of this episode: https://youtu.be/8KsWU_L-ePQ Subscribe to our YouTube channel here: https://youtu.be/8wmeCwBf_zk Learn more about us at chestnutmountain.org Follow us on Facebook & Instagram @chestnutmtn_

The whole purpose of 1 John is to give us confidence in who we are, whose we are in Christ, and where we will spend eternity. John reminds us that we can have confidence in our access to God because when we ask according to His will, He hears us. We pray boldly not because we always receive what we ask for, but because we know who is listening and trust His will. John also reminds us to have confidence in our adoption. Because we belong to Christ, we can rest in the victory He has already won and encourage one another through prayer and loving accountability. His final command, "Keep yourselves from idols," is the natural result of knowing who we are and whose we are. When we know who we belong to, we will never be satisfied by a substitute. The answer to temptation is not more willpower but filling our hearts with the knowledge of Christ, His love, His Word, and His will until there is no vacancy. When Christ is magnified, everything else shrinks. Check out our video version of this episode: https://youtu.be/lSTDT2ksIwk Subscribe to our YouTube channel here: https://youtu.be/8wmeCwBf_zk Learn more about us at chestnutmountain.org Follow us on Facebook & Instagram @chestnutmtn_

The whole purpose of 1 John is to give us confidence in who we are, whose we are in Christ, and where we will spend eternity. John reminds us that we can have confidence in our access to God because when we ask according to His will, He hears us. We pray boldly not because we always receive what we ask for, but because we know who is listening and trust His will. John also reminds us to have confidence in our adoption. Because we belong to Christ, we can rest in the victory He has already won and encourage one another through prayer and loving accountability. His final command, "Keep yourselves from idols," is the natural result of knowing who we are and whose we are. When we know who we belong to, we will never be satisfied by a substitute. The answer to temptation is not more willpower but filling our hearts with the knowledge of Christ, His love, His Word, and His will until there is no vacancy. When Christ is magnified, everything else shrinks. Check out our video version of this episode: https://youtu.be/FB7mXfNOEgw Subscribe to our YouTube channel here: https://youtu.be/8wmeCwBf_zk Learn more about us at chestnutmountain.org Follow us on Facebook & Instagram @chestnutmtn_

Psalm 91 reminds us that when life happens, we all run somewhere. Dads, your children are watching. As they follow your tracks, where are you leading them? When you need security, strength, courage, comfort, and hope, where do you go to find it? The psalmist declares, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.” We are not God, and there will be days when we need what our children need too. The question is not what we say we trust, but where we actually run. Do we run to God or to the things of the world? Psalm 91 invites us to dwell in the presence of God, not just visit when we want something. Whether the attack is expected, unexpected, or fueled by fear, God is inviting us to come to Him. Your children are watching. Where do you run, and where will your tracks lead them? Check out our video version of this episode: https://youtu.be/AyvM6KP5Vbk Subscribe to our YouTube channel here: https://youtu.be/8wmeCwBf_zk Learn more about us at chestnutmountain.org Follow us on Facebook & Instagram @chestnutmtn_

In 1 John 5, John revisits familiar territory as he reminds believers why he wrote this letter: that our joy may be full, that we may not be deceived, and that we may know we have eternal life. Surrounded by false teachers and competing beliefs, John points us back to the truth that everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God. John reminds us that loving God's children and obeying His commands is not a burden but a delight. As followers of Jesus, we are called to go to everyone, everywhere, every day with the Good News that whoever believes in Jesus can be born of God. Most importantly, John declares that everyone who has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith. We were designed to overcome, not through our own strength, but through faith in Jesus Christ. The world can never satisfy the desires of our hearts, but Jesus can. Stay connected to the Source of life, trust in Him, and take what you know to be true and teach it to someone else. Check out our video version of this episode: https://youtu.be/ejZAvEPNt-M Subscribe to our YouTube channel here: https://youtu.be/8wmeCwBf_zk Learn more about us at chestnutmountain.org Follow us on Facebook & Instagram @chestnutmtn_

John reminds us that God is love, and because He has loved us, we also ought to love one another. This is not a love based on feelings or emotions, but a self-sacrificing, servant-hearted love that we see most clearly in the person and work of Jesus. In this is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Jesus showed us what perfect love looks like. He loved people nobody expected Him to love, loved people up close and personal, loved people others had written off, loved people who thought they were too sinful to be loved, and loved people who failed Him. Perfect love moves toward people, makes contact, pursues restoration, and refuses to give up on those who need grace. Because Christ first loved us, we now have the opportunity to love others the same way. The way we love one another is the most honest picture of how we love God. Perfect love is not something we earn; it is something we receive from Jesus and then extend to others. Check out our video version of this episode: https://youtu.be/puyC2NsIeqk Subscribe to our YouTube channel here: https://youtu.be/8wmeCwBf_zk Learn more about us at chestnutmountain.org Follow us on Facebook & Instagram @chestnutmtn_

Psalm 116 begins with a spoiler alert. David tells us where he landed on the other side of the trial: he loves the Lord because God heard him and turned His ear toward him. Even when it seemed like God was not moving, David kept praying, kept watching, and kept expecting. God showed up in David's darkest valley, and the reminder for us is simple: God hears you and God sees you. When David was surrounded by trouble and there seemed to be no way out, he realized his only hope was for God to meet him right where he was. Real trouble produced real prayer, and that desperation created a heart of dependence. His peace was not found in knowing the answers but in knowing the God who guards and protects His people. When God revealed Himself in the valley, it produced a response. David took up the cup of salvation, called upon the name of the Lord, and recommitted himself to what God had called him to do. Because Jesus has been committed to us, our commitment to Him cannot be persuaded by circumstances. Check out our video version of this episode: https://youtu.be/gS2iMywCWh0 Subscribe to our YouTube channel here: https://youtu.be/8wmeCwBf_zk Learn more about us at chestnutmountain.org Follow us on Facebook & Instagram @chestnutmtn_

In a world with increasingly more information, opinions, and beliefs, how do we know what is true? John calls us to test the spirits and discern the difference between the real and the counterfeit. Not everything that claims to be from God is from God, and not every version of Jesus is the real Jesus. John gives us a belief test and a behavior test. The belief test asks what we believe about Jesus. The real Jesus is Jesus the Christ who came in the flesh. A substitute Jesus, a customized Jesus, or a watered-down Jesus has no power to save. But John doesn't stop with what we know. He reminds us that belief changes behavior. What we say we believe should affect how we live, how we love, how we handle conflict, and the fruit that comes from our lives. Our behavior should reflect what our mouths declare is true. As followers of Jesus, we must know what we believe, why we believe it, and be equipped by God's Word to discern the counterfeit when we see it. The world needs believers whose lives point people to the real Jesus. Check out our video version of this episode: https://youtu.be/4us6iUAKsbk Subscribe to our YouTube channel here: https://youtu.be/8wmeCwBf_zk Learn more about us at chestnutmountain.org Follow us on Facebook & Instagram @chestnutmtn_

John reminds us that God is light and God is love, and because we belong to Him, we should love one another with agape love, a deep affection that moves beyond words into action. The longer we follow Jesus, the more we will bear the character of our Father and love people the way He loves people. This is how we know love: Jesus willingly laid down His life for us. The cross is where we see love most clearly. To experience His grace is to be radically changed forever, and that love should overflow outward into the way we serve, give, and care for others. John challenges us not to just talk about love but to live it out. Love radically because you have been loved radically by God. Believe in Jesus and love people the way Jesus loves. Check out our video version of this episode: https://youtu.be/ykrJvU2w7os Subscribe to our YouTube channel here: https://youtu.be/8wmeCwBf_zk Learn more about us at chestnutmountain.org Follow us on Facebook & Instagram @chestnutmtn_