Pathway to Victory

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Hey podcast listeners. Thanks for streaming today's podcast from Pathway to Victory and Dr. Robert Jeffress.

We're dedicated to bringing you bold biblical teaching that transforms your life and strengthens your walk with God.

And you can study God's word alongside Dr. Jeffress in person on the 2026 Pathway to Victory Cruise to Alaska.

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Have you ever witnessed the breathtaking majesty.

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Soar over snow capped mountain? I want you to experience these unforgettable moments with me on the Pathway to Victory Cruise to Alaska, June 13th through 20th, 2026.

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There's something powerful about connecting with God and fellow believers in the majesty of his untamed wilderness. I truly believe this journey will refresh.

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You spiritually, physically and emotionally.

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Cabins are filling quickly, so reserve yours today. To book your spot on the 2026 Pathway to Victory cruise to Alaska, call 888-280-6747 or go to ptv.org now here's today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.

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Hi, this is Robert Jeffress and I'm glad to study God's Word with you every day on this Bible teaching program. On today's edition of Pathway to Victory.

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Ladies and gentlemen, we will never be that obedient disciple. We will never obey God immediately, completely, and joyfully until we learn to trust God.

And that's what I want to talk about today. How to develop that trusting heart that allows us to obey God in all things whatsoever he has commanded us.

Speaker 1

Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor Dr. Robert Jeffress. Wouldn't it be nice if life had a fast forward button? Just imagine being able to skip past your worries and find out immediately how everything turns out.

Well, today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress teaches that while there's no such thing as a fast forward button for life, we can trust God with our future.

But first, let's take a minute to hear some important ministry updates.

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Thanks, David, and welcome again to Pathway to Victory. We're delighted to have you with us as we probe deeper into our series called Seven Marks of a Disciple. Have you ever experienced the kind of darkness that pervades our culture? Sometimes it feels like the bad news is pressing in against us. Think about it. The gender lines have grown fuzzy, and anti-Semitic sentiments have consumed our college campuses. Rioters have taken to our city streets. We're living in dark times.

That's one of the many reasons we're pleased to send you an exclusive devotional book from Pathway to Victory. It complements our current teaching series, and it's called Encouragement for the Heart of a Disciple. You'll find reading these brief inspirational chapters to be a soothing oasis in our desolate times filled with biblical truth. This colorful book includes 80 stunning photographs of God's creation, and each chapter includes a Bible verse along with a prayer that will allow you to enjoy a brief moment of reflection.

Please let us send you a copy of this padded hardcover book. It's yours when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. The title again is Encouragement for the Heart of a Disciple. We'll say more about the devotional book and other resources later in the program, but let's turn our attention now to Colossians Chapter three. Today's message is titled Developing a Trusting Heart.

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Today we're talking about trust. But in the Bible, the word faith is the synonym for trust, and it's invaluable in a disciple's life. So what is faith? Faith I've defined as believing that God will do what he has promised to do and acting accordingly. That's what it means to trust God. And that leads to the definition of a trusting heart. A trusting heart is one that has or allows our confidence in God's character to govern our inward emotions and our outward behavior. That is, we are so convinced of God's love, power, and wisdom that it frees us from inner turmoil and frees us to outwardly obey God.

Now I want you to look at Colossians 3, verse 15. This is exactly the kind of heart that Jesus had. Jesus was completely confident in God's love, power, and wisdom, and that's why he obeyed him completely. And he wants that same peace and confidence to govern our lives as well. Look at Colossians 3:15. Paul says, "And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which you indeed were called in one body, and be thankful."

Now, there are two key phrases here we've got to understand. First of all, the phrase "the peace of Christ." What does he mean, the peace of Christ? Well, he's talking about the peace that comes from Christ, but he's also talking about the peace that characterized the life of Jesus. Now, the second key phrase in that verse, Colossians 3:15, is "Rule in your hearts." Let the peace of God rule. That word "rule" in Greek is the word we get "umpire" from. You know what an umpire does in an athletic contest? He makes certain calls.

Well, the fact is, life circumstances, especially adversities, are nothing until we call them. We get to umpire. We get to determine whether we're going to allow that adversity to completely upend our life or we're going to allow it to be used for good. And what Paul is saying here is, when difficulties come into your life, let the peace that comes from Jesus Christ have the final say. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts. That's what it means to have a trusting heart.

What I want to show you in the few moments we have left here today is how having confidence in God's love, His power, and His wisdom affects your past, your present, and your future. First of all, write this down. Trusting God's love provides freedom from guilt over past sins. In John 15:9, Jesus said he wants us to be assured of God's love for us. "Just as the Father has loved me, I have also loved you. Abide, rest in my love."

How can we know for sure that God doesn't hate us? How can we know for sure that at the judgment one day God is not going to dredge up our past sins and hold us accountable for them? Romans 5:1 has the answer to that question. Paul says, "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." And the Bible says trusting in God's love for us frees us from guilt over past sins. The Bible says, "As far as the east is from the west, so far has God removed our transgressions from us." The Bible says the prophet says he takes our sins and he casts them into the depths of the sea; somebody added, "And he puts a sign there that says, 'No fishing.'" That is so true. You never have to worry that your sin's going to be dredged up again one day. When God forgives, he forgives your sin; it's forgotten forever. That's what trusting in God's character does for us. It frees us from guilt about past sins.

But secondly, trusting God's power provides freedom from panic about our present circumstances. Not only does it free us from guilt over past sins, but trusting in God's power frees us from panic about our present circumstances. Let me ask you a question today. What is the biggest concern you're facing in your life right now? Perhaps it's about a mate whose love has grown cold towards you. Maybe it's about a child or a grandchild who's living far away from the Lord. Maybe it's about a health concern that is threatening to you or somebody you care about very much. Maybe it's a financial need, a very real, pressing need. Does everybody have in mind something that you're concerned about?

I want to ask you this question. Do you believe God has the capability of removing that difficult circumstance you're experiencing? How many of you believe in God's power to change whatever difficulty you're facing? Well, if you believe that, and if he hasn't removed that difficulty, then he must have a reason for it. And when you trust in God's power, it gives you freedom from panic about this present circumstance. It gives you the assurance that God has a purpose for this difficulty in your life.

If you have your Bibles, turn over to Luke chapter eight for just a moment. We looked at this story in depth in our study of Luke's Gospel more than a year ago, so we're not going to look at it for very long, but let's just look at it briefly because this is a great encouragement to so many of you. Verse 22: "Now, it came about on one of these days that Jesus and his disciples got into a boat, and he said to them, 'Let us go over to the other side of the lake.'" Underline that: "the other side of the lake." And so they launched out. But as they were sailing along, Jesus fell asleep, and a fierce gale of wind descended upon the lake. And they began to be swamped and to be in danger.

A couple of weeks ago, we were flying in a helicopter over the mountains surrounding the Sea of Galilee. It's really the lake of Gennesaret. It's a lake about 13 miles long and 8 miles wide. And as you fly over those mountains, you understand exactly what Luke is talking about here. These mountains surround the lake. The lake is in a basin. And what happens is the cool air from the mountains descends and collides with the warm air arising from the lake. And there are these sudden storms that take place. That's what happened here. The wind descended upon the lake, and the boat begins to rock back and forth, and the disciples begin to yell, "Lord, Lord, help us. Help us."

Did you see those photographs yesterday? The news footage of those planes trying to land in Washington, D.C., and because of the wind, the plane was rocking back and forth and couldn't land? One pilot finally who landed the plane said, "Everybody on our flight threw up before we landed." Well, I imagine that. What was going on here? The boat was rocking back and forth. The disciples were leaning over and losing their lunch over the side of the boat. And they cry out, "Lord, save us." And where's the Lord? Sound asleep. They said, "Lord, don't you care what is happening to us?"

The Lord awakens and wipes the sleep away from his eyes. And then he says in Mark 1:39, "Wind and waves, be quiet." Literally, "Wind and waves, be muzzled. Put a lid on it. Stop that." And immediately, the Bible says the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. And then he turns to his disciples and said, "Where is your faith?" The disciples said, "We lost it with our lunch over the side of the boat." I didn't say that, but that's exactly what happened.

Now, we look at that, we shake our heads, we cluck our tongues. "Oh, they should have known better. They should have known better." They said to one another, "Who is this that even the wind and the waves should obey him?" Oh, they should have known better. Look at all the miracles they had seen from the Lord. Where was their faith? Where was it? Before you cluck your tongues and shake your head, where's your faith right now? Those of you who know the Lord, look at all he's done for you in the past. Think about all the ways he's taken care of you. Don't you know who he is? He's the one whom the wind and the waves obey. He's in control of what is happening in your life right now.

You know, the great Alan Redpath writes about the storms that come into our life. He says, "There is nothing, no circumstance, no trouble, no testing that can ever touch me until first of all, it has come past God and past Christ, right through to me. And if it's come that far, it has come with a great purpose." God has a purpose for what you're going through right now. And trusting in God's power is the key to panicking about your present circumstances.

You know, when these adversities come into our life, remember they're not good or bad automatically. They're good or bad according to our response to them. When we have difficulties that come into our life, God is rooting for us that we will allow it to strengthen our faith in Him. But Satan's on the other side, rooting that that difficulty will destroy our faith. Nowhere is that more clearly seen than in Luke 22:31-32. Remember in the upper room at the Lord's Supper, the last few hours before the Lord was betrayed in Gethsemane and crucified. Remember this prediction he made to Simon Peter. Verse 31: "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat. But I've prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers."

He was predicting what was going to happen to Simon. He said, "Simon, in the next few hours, you're going to go through the biggest test of your life. You're going to be tested to deny me. And you're going to deny me not once or twice, but you're going to deny me three times." And that's exactly what happened. A few hours later in Caiaphas' courtyard, Simon denounced the Lord that he said he loved. It was the greatest failure in his life. But he repented of that failure. He found God's forgiveness and he became the courageous leader of the apostles in Jerusalem. That's what Jesus was predicting. He said, "This difficulty that's coming into your life, I'm praying that it will strengthen you. Satan is using it to destroy you." And the same thing is true of you right now. Whatever challenge you're facing, God is rooting for you. God is on your side.

You know, I think about the words in James, chapter one, verses two to four. "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect, complete, and lacking in nothing." You know, with every storm that comes into your life, there comes a promise. And that promise is not that God will take you out of the storm, but he will lead you through the storm, to the other side. Remember what Jesus had said to his disciples. "Get in the boat and we will go to the other side." He said, "I'm going to get you to the other side." It doesn't mean there's not going to be difficulty along the way, but I'll get you to the other side. He makes the same promise to us.

In Isaiah 43:2, he says, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you." Notice the word "through." He doesn't take us out of the river, out of the floods, out of the fire, but he will walk with us through them. I had a friend one time who was going through a massive reorganization of his company that he worked for. He didn't know if he was going to have a job or not in six weeks. And he said, "Pastor, if I just knew that I was going through this tunnel and there would be five monsters I would have to fight, but at least there was light at the end of the tunnel, I think I could make it through this experience."

Well, there is light at the end of the tunnel. That light is the presence of God. God says, "I will walk with you through the tunnel and I'll be with you at the other side." And that's what trust means. Trusting in God's power frees us from panic about our present circumstances.

Thirdly, trusting God's wisdom provides freedom from worry about future possibilities. Trusting God's wisdom provides freedom from worry about future possibilities. Can you recall something that happened in your life perhaps years ago? A difficulty you were going through and you were so worried about what might happen, what might happen, and the thing you dreaded most never ended up happening at all. And as you look back on that experience, you smile, almost thinking about all the needless anxiety you went through. And you think, "You know, if only back then I'd had a fast forward button that I could have pressed, that I would see how everything worked out. I could have saved some sleepless nights."

Well, you know what? Life doesn't have a fast forward button on it. But what life does have is the promise that we can trust God with our future. In Jeremiah 29, verse 11, God says, "For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope." That's what God has planned for you. His ultimate future for you—not immediate future necessarily, but the ultimate future—is good. God knows your future because he has planned your future. And it's a good future. To those who know Christ, trusting in God's wisdom gives us freedom from worry about future possibilities.

The gifted writer Henry Nouwen writes about the special relationship in a trapeze act, the relationship between the flyer and the catcher. You know, in a trapeze act, if you've ever been to the circus, the flyer is that poor soul who has to let go of the trapeze. The catcher is the one who is supposed to catch him. But there has to be a special relationship for everything to work out right. Nouwen writes, "There comes that moment in the performance when the flyer, swinging high above the crowd, must let go of the trapeze. In that instant, the flyer is suspended in midair. He cannot reach back for the trapeze, and it's too early to reach for the catcher. Instead, he must wait. The flyer must never try to catch the catcher. He must wait in absolute trust. The catcher will catch him, but he must wait. His job is not to flail about in anxiety. In fact, if he does, it could kill him. His job is to be still, to wait. And to wait is the hardest work of all."

Some of you right now are waiting. You feel like your life is hanging in the balance. What does God say? Don't flail about. Don't try to reach toward the future. Psalm 46:10 says, "Be still and know that I am God." Trusting in God's love means God doesn't want you to fall. God's power means he has the ability to keep you from falling. And God's wisdom means he knows exactly where you are right now. And he will be there at the very instant you need him most. You really can trust him.

For some of you here today or watching this broadcast, your greatest need is to be free from guilt over your sins. The guilt you feel is real guilt. The Bible says our sin has become a barrier between God and us. The Bible says if we die without our sins being forgiven, we spend eternity separated from God. There's only one way for our sins to be forgiven. We can't do it. It's not through our faith. It's not through our good works. No, it's by what Christ did for us. And when we believe, trust in what Christ did for us, that when he died on the cross, he took the penalty for our sin. He suffered the wrath of God so we could experience the blessing of God. It is only by trusting what Jesus did for us that our faith gets counted in the books of heaven as righteousness. God sees us perfect, forgiven forever.

Today, if you would like that assurance that God has forgiven you of your sins and one day you're going to be welcomed into heaven, I want to invite you, wherever you are, to pray this prayer silently in your heart as I pray it out loud, knowing that God is listening to you right now. Would you pray this with me?

"Dear God, thank you for loving me. I know that I have failed you in so many ways. And I'm truly sorry for the sins in my life. But I believe what I've heard today, that you loved me so much you sent your son Jesus to die on the cross for me. And right now I'm trusting in what Jesus did for me, not in my good works, but in what Jesus did for me to save me from my sins. Thank you for forgiving me and help me to spend the rest of my life following you. And I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen."

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These are sacred moments at the close of Pathway to Victory when men and women are making life-changing decisions to follow Jesus. If you said yes to his call today, please drop us a note and let us know. We want to celebrate your decision and welcome you into the family of God.

Not long ago, a listener named Perla wrote to us. She shared a couple of things about her financial struggles that are probably too personal to share publicly on the radio, but I think you'll be encouraged by something she added. She said, "Pastor Jeffress, in the past few years I've strayed away from the church, but I've been listening to you on the radio, and today I'm ready to commit myself to God and trust him through all my trials." Isn't that great? As a disciple of Jesus, she's developing a trusting heart.

While this woman doesn't have the means to financially support Pathway to Victory, many of us do. When you give a gift today to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory, your generous gift allows us to touch the hearts of listeners like her and countless others who never get in touch.

Remember, when you give a contribution today, we'll say thanks by providing an exclusive book from Pathway to Victory. It's called *Encouragement for the Heart of a Disciple*. This padded hardcover book includes brief entries that can be read in under two minutes, and each chapter is paired with a gorgeous photo of God's creation, a scripture verse, and a brief prayer that you can follow. You have to see it to really appreciate its beauty. All these features have one goal in mind, and that is to uplift your heart as you walk with God.

So what are you waiting for? Here's David with all the details.

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When you make a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory, you're invited to request your copy of *Encouragement for the Heart of a Disciple* by Dr. Robert Jeffress. Give us a call at 866-999-2965 or you can visit us online at Peace. When you give a ministry gift of $100 or more, we'll also send the Encouragement Resource Set featuring the new devotional, six Clutter Free Prayer Cards, the *Clutter Free Christianity* Book and Life Application Guide, along with the 7 Marks of a Disciple message series on DVD, video, and MP3 format audio disc set.

One more time, call 866-999-2965 or go to ptv.org. If you'd prefer to write, jot down this mailing address: P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, Texas 75222. One more time, that's P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, Texas 75222.

I'm David J. Mullins. How many times have you said to yourself, "If I only had this one thing, then I'd be happy?" Find out how to experience true happiness by developing a content heart. That's coming up Wednesday here on Pathway to Victory.

*Pathway to Victory* with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. Experience the breathtaking majesty of America's last frontier on the 2026 Pathway to Victory cruise to Alaska.

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This seven day journey combines spiritual growth with unforgettable adventures aboard a five star luxury cruise ship. It's a vacation you won't soon forget.

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Space is limited, so reserve your cabin today. Call 888-280-6747 or go to ptv.org.

You made it to the end of today's podcast From Pathway to Victory, and we're so glad you're here. Pathway to Victory relies on the generosity of loyal listeners like you to make this podcast possible.

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We hope you've been blessed by today's podcast From Pathway to Victory.