Better News Podcast Ricky Alcantar - Cross of Grace Church

When you’re bruised and damaged from trials and pain in this life, the help the world offers is empty. All the self-help books, meditation, positive thoughts won’t do for you what the Lord God offers to do for you. Pastor Ricky will explain today the tenderness in which God cares for you. God sees the justice needed throughout the whole world but He also sees and knows your hurt. He's a personal and intimate savior who deeply loves you. He will tenderly restore you. He will strengthen you to continue in this world.

Idols. They're not just statues of gold that you worship. They are in fact anything you worship, serve or elevate above God. You may seek joy, peace, comfort and justice in an idol, you'll eventually become enslaved to it. Yet, it's completely empty and useless. Today, Pastor Ricky will reveal that Jesus is the only good, powerful One who can and will accomplish all things like joy and peace in your life and heart. What He gives is lasting and strong. He won't leave you empty and disappointed but fulfilled and satisfied.

It's easy to believe, after failing the Lord again, that maybe this time, God's plan or purposes would fail. The enemy will try to convince you that you've ruined all God intends to do. Yet as Pastor Ricky will explain today, because of God's faithfulness, all of His plans will be accomplished. And amazingly, He will still use you as a part of what He's doing despite your flaws and failings. He’ll remake you, bit by bit, and lead you in amazing ways towards fulfilling His purpose if you cling to Him in humility and repentance.

God’s people time and time again turned away from Him despite prophetic warnings and discipline. So God sent His people into exile with their enemies. But the miracle of the story is that God didn't leave them there. He didn't abandon them. He came to them after their failure in discipline and offered them comfort. As Pastor Ricky will remind you, He reminded them that they were still His people and He was still their God. Despite any of your failures, He still loves you and He still longs for you to return to Him.

Every leader both in the world and in the Bible have failed and will continue to fail. However, there's one man who never failed. Only Jesus is perfectly seamless and good. Only Jesus will forever do what is good and right. Pastor Ricky will remind you today that those leaders who truly seek to live under Jesus's rule and reign, and who seek Him above all other things, will be strong. Only by relying on His power and righteousness can you lead well. And thankfully God uses flawed but faithful people in amazing ways.

One thing that the Bible clearly demonstrates is that all humans fail. All of God's leaders failed God and their people, even the good ones. Humans are weak and sinful, even when you believe in God. Yet His plans and promises still stand despite all of the human failings. Today, Pastor Ricky will challenge you to recognize the imperfections of those in a place of leadership in your life. Don't place your hope and trust in them. God must be your object of trust. Trust Him, obey Him and continually return to Him when you fail.