In Episode 3 of the Kingdom Roots Christmas Special, Jacquie Tyre and Trey Milner continue the journey through the life of Jesus by arriving at a critical turning point: the Jordan River.

Jordan represents far more than a geographic location. It is a place of the heart — the place of baptism, surrender, identity, empowerment, and transition. It is where Jesus publicly stepped into His calling, where heaven opened, where the Father declared His pleasure, and where the Holy Spirit descended in fullness.

In this episode, Jacquie and Trey explore how the Jordan functions spiritually for every believer:

✨ The Jordan as a place of death and resurrection ✨ Baptism as identification into Christ — not just belief about Christ ✨ The Father’s declaration: “You are My beloved, and in you I am pleased” ✨ The washing away not only of sin, but of shame ✨ Why shame produces legalism, fear, and religious striving ✨ How true freedom flows from knowing you are fully accepted in Christ ✨ The connection between baptism and identity ✨ Why the wilderness often follows the Jordan ✨ The necessity of being filled with the Holy Spirit to endure testing ✨ Jesus’ three wilderness temptations and how they still confront us today ✨ The danger of shortcuts, compromise, and “easier ways” ✨ Learning to discern God’s promises versus Satan’s counterfeit offers

This episode brings clarity, freedom, and deep encouragement to anyone navigating seasons of testing, waiting, or temptation. Jacquie and Trey remind listeners that the wilderness does not negate the promise — it prepares us to carry it.

The conversation concludes with a powerful prayer, releasing fresh assurance, strength, and Holy Spirit empowerment as listeners step into Christmas — and into the year ahead — grounded in identity and victory.

• Welcome & Christmas Special overview • Recap: Bethlehem and Nazareth as Places of the Heart • Introducing the Jordan: baptism and transition • The Jordan throughout Scripture • Reading Luke 3: Jesus’ baptism (The Passion Translation) • “You are My beloved — in You I am fulfilled” • Baptism as identification in Christ • Dying with Christ and rising to new life • Righteousness in Christ and the Father’s pleasure • Freedom from shame and condemnation • How shame fuels legalism and fear • Baptism as the foundation of identity • From Jordan to wilderness: why testing follows surrender • Jesus filled with the Holy Spirit before the wilderness • The gap between salvation and Spirit-filled living • The necessity of the Holy Spirit for victorious living • Jesus laying aside divine privilege to fulfill purpose • The three wilderness temptations explained • Shortcut offers and compromise traps • Discerning God’s way versus Satan’s alternatives • Desperation, timing, and obedience • Walking through wilderness with assurance • Living from identity, not striving • Christmas reflection: carrying Christ into every place • Closing prayer & blessing • Preview: Episode 4 — Jerusalem