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Is your joy still burning? Pastor Don has company in the studio this week: his longtime friend Alex Seidler, president and founder of The Gateway Project and founder of Forward Movement. The Gateway Project plants churches in gateway cities across the 10/40 Window. Forward Movement is a network that pours into pastors and leaders so they stay healthy and keep moving forward.

Starting from 2 Timothy 2:2, PD and Alex talk about why leadership in the Kingdom was never meant to stop with us. It's meant to be passed on, multiplied, and released. Alex shares his journey from entering full-time ministry in 2006 to six years in East Asia, sharing the gospel with college students and leading campus church-planting teams. From there he went on to serve as Global Ministries Director with Elim Fellowship and now leads his own ministries.

"Joy sustains calling. And when joy fades, calling fades with it." – Alex Seidler

Find out more about Alex at The Gateway Project and Forward Movement.

tgproject.org

@forward.mvmt

@seidlerfamilyministries

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Our journey through the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11 is coming to a close, and Pastor Don asks the big question: now that we've looked at all these examples, what should we do about them? These men and women aren't in the Bible just for our admiration. The writer wants us to act. Gideon defeated an army as numerous as the sand of the seashore with a mere 300 men. A teenage David took down a nine-foot giant with nothing but a sling and a stone. We may never face a literal giant, but we'll all face giants of our own, and we don't go into battle alone, because Jesus fights for us. Pastor Don also explains why the world was not worthy of these heroes: their sacrifice and love weren't appreciated, and they kept going anyway. It takes faith to keep doing right when no one around you is, to stay godly and loving when people are unappreciative or even nasty, and to keep loving when your love is met with hatred. Jesus and Paul both told us persecution would come. Faith keeps going anyway.

"…of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth." (Hebrews 11:38, NKJV)

Action steps:

1. Don't just admire, act. Pick one hero from Hebrews 11 and ask God to grow that same faith in you this week.
2. Name your giant. Write down the battle you're facing and declare that Jesus is fighting it with you.
3. Do right when no one else does. At work, at school, or at home, choose faithfulness even if you feel like you're the only one.
4. Stay in character under pressure. When someone is rude or hostile toward your faith, ask the Holy Spirit to help you answer with grace instead of a bad attitude.
5. Love through rejection. Pray this week for someone who has opposed or mistreated you (John 15:20; 2 Timothy 3:12).

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📖 Pastor Don's new book With Total Abandon is out now: With Total Abandon on Amazon

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Rahab is the name that surprises people in Hebrews 11. She lived in Jericho, a city so violent and depraved that God marked it for destruction. Yet everyone there had the chance to believe, and the only one who did was a prostitute named Rahab. In this episode, Pastor Don looks at Hebrews 11:31 and Joshua 2:1–7: how Rahab came to faith, why God honored her even with her past, and what her story teaches us about standing alone with God. Like Noah, she believed while everyone around her didn't. Believers are still the minority today. It's easier to go with the flow, but we've been given the power to overcome, and we're motivated by those who went before us and won.

"By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace." (Hebrews 11:31, NKJV)

Action steps:

1. Stand against the flow. Name one area where you've been going along with the crowd instead of with God, and take one step to change it this week.
2. Remember God's mercy. God gave all of Jericho a chance to believe. Thank Him today for the chances He gave you.
3. Let your past go. Rahab is remembered for her faith, not her past. Write down one thing you've let disqualify you, and give it to God in prayer.
4. Stay committed. When opposition comes, read Hebrews 11 and let the heroes of faith remind you that it's possible to overcome.
5. Open your door. Rahab's faith saved her whole family. Pray for one unbelieving family member or friend by name every day this week.

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