02 November 2025

What Rules Should There Be? Part 1 (TMF:2740)

Friday, November 07, 2025

Peace to Live By: What Rules Should There Be? Part 1 (TMF:2740) - Daniel Litton
(Tap to play feature or right-click to download)

Colossians 2 seemed to talk about rules. How should a church, a person for that matter, decide what rules are appropriate for themselves, and how does one know when it has gone too far? This is an interesting one, and one of which churches and individuals vary greatly on. Before we dive into churches, we know families and individuals vary on what their own, personal rules are. Paul’s point in the passage seemed to be that rules don’t accomplish all that we think they will. As talked about, he told Timothy basically that they can have some value. We know that’s true. Rules can and do help out in varying situations. But rules, in and of themselves, do not stop the rebellious child from doing what he or she wants to do, even if it is in secret. People can always do whatever they want in secret, and no one, not the parent, or even God himself, can stop people from doing what they are going to do in secret.

Having Faith Toward Things, Part 3 (TMF:2739)

Thursday, November 06, 2025

Peace to Live By: Having Faith Toward Things, Part 3 (TMF:2739) - Daniel Litton
(Tap to play feature or right-click to download)

And someone might immediately ask, “Well, doesn’t that imply I don’t have faith, because I am saying, “It’s okay if I don’t get what I want.”? Actually, it rather implies faith because having a strong desire for anything implies that you don’t have faith. Think about it. If you have a strong desire for something, and you pray to God for it, and you hope for it, and you continue to have that strong desire, isn’t that underlying energy a sign that you are afraid you’re not going to get what you want? Isn’t the actual desiring of something a form of worry? It appears so. However, if one has given up the desire, surrendering it totally and absolutely, this allows God to be free to give whatever is desired if he decides to. Surrendering something totally doesn’t mean that one will automatically get what they want, but it definitely increases the odds since they are not being too demanding of God, while at the same time being too full of worry that they won’t get what they want.

Having Faith Toward Things, Part 2 (TMF:2738)

Wednesday, November 05, 2025

Peace to Live By: Having Faith Toward Things, Part 2 (TMF:2738) - Daniel Litton
(Tap to play feature or right-click to download)

What is a good way faith can be increased, like when the disciples asked Jesus, “Increase our faith!” (Luke 17:5, ESV)? The best way that has been found to increase one’s faith is actually to give up the wantingness, or wanting-feeling, for whatever it is that is desired. It is the ability to say to oneself, “It is okay if I get what I want, and it is okay if I don’t get it.” It’s the surrendering of desire. And someone might immediately ask, “Well, doesn’t that imply I don’t have faith, because I am saying, “It’s okay if I don’t get what I want.”? Actually, it rather implies faith because having a strong desire for anything implies that you don’t have faith. Think about it. If you have a strong desire for something, and you pray to God for it, and you hope for it, and you continue to have that strong desire, isn’t that underlying energy a sign that you are afraid you’re not going to get what you want? Isn’t the actual desiring of something a form of worry? It appears so.

Having Faith Toward Things, Part 1 (TMF:2737)

Tuesday, November 04, 2025

Peace to Live By: Having Faith Toward Things, Part 1 (TMF:2737) - Daniel Litton
(Tap to play feature or right-click to download)

There is also faith in that one believes God is with them no matter what, that God will provide what they need on a daily basis. It’s more of a faith in God’s provision. It is like when Jesus said to people, “Your faith has made you well.” The error comes in faith when one believes that simply because God can do something, that that means if one has faith, he certainly will. Just because one believes God will do this or that, it ultimately is up to God whether or not he will do it. We can ask God for something in the form of prayer, believing he will do it, and sometimes he will. James said, “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” (ESV). Great power is found in prayer, and God does a lot, but it doesn’t mean that God will always do what we want him to do. If he did, he himself wouldn’t have free will. Not to mention that sometimes he cannot, because in answering the prayer, he might be violating another person’s free will.

Knowledge, Works, & Faith, Part 3 (TMF:2736)

Monday, November 03, 2025

Peace to Live By: Knowledge, Works, & Faith, Part 3 (TMF:2736) - Daniel Litton
(Tap to play feature or right-click to download)

It is a concern to the mind when others, who profess faith in Christ, do not demonstrate any works whatsoever. That’s always a concern because it causes the mind to doubt whether that person is truly born-again, or at least being pleasing to God with their life. Works in character and in external actions need to exist, to some degree, in order for an individual to really be pleasing to God. That’s just the way God has set up things. Now if a person doesn’t have works are they really saved? Well, James said, “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:17, ESV). So what is faith? It seems best to describe two kinds of faith. There is faith that one has in believing in God and Jesus Christ to begin with. This is their ‘faith’ in the Gospel, in the Christian religion. There is also faith in that one believes God is with them no matter what, that God will provide what they need on a daily basis. It’s more of a faith in God’s provision.