Welcome to the How to Forget the Troubles, Problems, and Failures of the Past and Make the New Year the Best Year of Your Life podcast episode #6. My name is Daniel Whyte III the author of the book with the same title.

We are living in “times that try men’s souls.” These are truly difficult days for many people around the world. This podcast is to encourage you to forget the troubles, problems, and even failures of the past and to truly have the best year of your life. If you do what I am encouraging you to do in this little book, by the grace of God, and with His blessings on your life, you will have a great year. How do I know? Because every year over the past 10 years of my life have consistently gotten better and better because I am following the simple principles contained in this podcast. So shake the previous year off of you, and get ready for the best year of your life!

Our scripture passage for today is 2 Corinthians 5:17 which says: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

Our New Years quote for today is from Martin Luther who said, “Glory to God in highest heaven, Who unto man His Son hath given; While angels sing with tender mirth, A glad new year to all the earth.”

How to Forget

I hear someone asking, ‘How can I forget? These bad memories keep coming back to my mind. When I try to do something good, the mistakes and failures that I have made in the past keep flying through my mind.’ One Christian writer said many years ago: “You may not be able to control the birds that fly over your head, but you can keep them from making a nest in your hair.” The same thing goes for negative memories.

Here are some suggestions to help you forget the failures of the past:

1. Accept the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ if you have not done so already. Romans 9:13 states: “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Salvation through Jesus Christ has an amazing way of wiping the slate clean and causing you to forget a lot of negative things that you have done in the past. Since Jesus Christ saved me, there are even people that I have forgotten. So, if you are not saved yet, may I encourage you to accept the free gift of salvation by placing your trust, faith, and belief in Jesus Christ, His death, burial, and resurrection, and He will save you and change you forever.

Because of our sins, the things that we have done wrong, God had to send His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross to pay the penalty of death and hell. If God did not send His Son to do this, each of us would have to pay the penalty for our own sins which is eternal punishment and separation from God in a place called hell. Three days after Jesus was crucified, He rose from the dead, defeating death and hell forever. All we have to do to receive this free gift of salvation and secure a place in Heaven is believe that Jesus Christ died, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for our sins. John 3:16 says: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, may I invite you to pray the following prayer from your heart and ask Him to come into your life:

Heavenly Father, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have sinned against you. For Jesus Christ’s sake, please forgive me of all of my sins. I now believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died, was buried, and rose by the power of God for me. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart, save my soul, change my life, and fill me with your Holy Spirit today and forever. Amen.

After you get saved, you become a new creature in Christ. The Bible states in 2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” As a new creature in Christ, you begin to take on a new mentality–a Christ-like mentality. That Christ-like mentality will allow you to forget about your failures and sins of the past because they have already been washed under the precious blood of Jesus Christ. He has forgiven you and now you can forgive yourself and move forward with your life.

PRAYER

Now, if you are listening today, and you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, allow me to show you how.

First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”

Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

Now this is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.

Romans 10:9-13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

God Bless You!

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Keeping the Spirit of Christmas All Year Round #2

William Parks said, “Christmas is not just a day, an event to be observed and speedily forgotten. It is a spirit which should permeate every part of our lives.”

This is Daniel Whyte III here to encourage you to keep the spirit of Christmas alive all year long, not just around the holiday season, in celebration of the greatest gift mankind has ever and will ever receive—the Savior born in a manger, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Our verse about Christmas from the Word of God today is Matthew 1:18-25 which says: “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just [man], and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.”

Our featured quote on Christmas today is from John R. Rice. He said: “You can never truly enjoy Christmas until you can look up into the Father’s face and tell him you have received his Christmas gift.”

Our song about Christmas today is “Joy to the World” penned by Isaac Watts in 1719 based on Psalm 98 in the Bible. Its lyrics are as follows:

Joy to the World; the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King!
Let ev’ry heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing.

Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields & floods, rocks, hills & plains
Repeat the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make his blessings flow
Far as the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love.

PRAYER

Now, if you are listening today, and you do not know “the Reason for the season”—the Lord Jesus Christ—as your Saviour, allow me to show you how.

First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”

Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

Now this is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.

Romans 10:9-13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Until next time,

Remember to stay in the Christmas spirit all year-round!

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The Spirit of Thanksgiving All Year Round #2

Joyce Meyer said: “If you want victory in your life, all you have to do is adopt a lifestyle of thanksgiving.”

This is Daniel Whyte III here with this short podcast designed to encourage you to celebrate Thanksgiving all year round—not just on the holiday—by thanksliving, cultivating a heart of gratefulness and thankfulness to God and others each and every day.

Our verse on thanksgiving from the Word of God today is Ephesians 5:19-20 which says: “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;”

Our featured quote on thanksgiving today is from William Temple. He said: “It is probable that in most of us the spiritual life is impoverished and stunted because we give so little place to gratitude. It is more important to thank God for blessings received than to pray for them beforehand. For that forward-looking prayer, though right as an expression of dependence upon God, is still self-centered in part, at least, of its interest; there is something we hope to gain by our prayer. But the backward-looking act of thanksgiving is quite free from this. In itself it is quite selfless. Thus it is akin to love.”

Our featured Thanksgiving song is “Revive Us Again” (Praise to God):

We praise thee, O God, for the Son of thy love,
For Jesus who died and is now gone above.

We praise thee, O God, for thy Spirit of light,
Who has shown us our Savior and scattered our night.

All glory and praise to the Lamb that was slain,
Who has borne all our sins and has cleansed ev’ry stain.

Revive us again — fill each heart with thy love;
May each soul be rekindled with fire from above.

[Refrain]
Hallelujah, thine the glory!
Hallelujah, Amen!
Hallelujah, thine the glory!
Revive us again.

PRAYER

Now, if you are listening today, and you do not know the One to whom we ought to give thanks for all things or His holy son—the Lord Jesus Christ—as your Saviour, allow me to show you how.

First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”

Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

Now this is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.

Romans 10:9-13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Until next time,

Remember to keep thanksgiving in your heart year-round!

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This is Daniel Whyte III, president of Gospel Light Society International with the Morning and Evening podcast, Episode #9, where I read Charles Spurgeon’s classic devotional. Charles Spurgeon was a prominent English Particular Baptist preacher. He was very influential among the Christians of various denominations during his age and even today, and is commonly called the “Prince of Preachers”. After some time of alternately searching for God and running from God, he had a powerful encounter which led him to give his life to Christ. Spurgeon was only 16 when he preached his first sermon and he began publishing books shortly afterward. At the time of his death, he had preached nearly 3,600 sermons and published 49 volumes of commentaries, sayings, anecdotes, illustrations and devotions. Spurgeon said, “encouraging thoughts are like honey to the heart”, and wrote this devotional in hopes that its uplifting messages for each day of the year would bring comfort and refreshment to our walk with God. He was inspired by Isaiah 50:4 which reads, “He wakeneth morning by morning. He wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned” and Psalm 63:5-6 which says, “My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips; when I remember Thee upon my bed, and meditate on Thee in the night watches.”

Genesis 1:4 reads: “And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.”

Light might well be good since it sprang from that fiat of goodness, “Let there be light.” We who enjoy it should be more grateful for it than we are, and see more of God in it and by it. Light physical is said by Solomon to be sweet, but gospel light is infinitely more precious, for it reveals eternal things, and ministers to our immortal natures. When the Holy Spirit gives us spiritual light, and opens our eyes to behold the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, we behold sin in its true colours, and ourselves in our real position; we see the Most Holy God as he reveals himself, the plan of mercy as he propounds it, and the world to come as the Word describes it. Spiritual light has many beams and prismatic colours, but whether they be knowledge, joy, holiness, or life, all are divinely good. If the light received be thus good, what must the essential light be, and how glorious must be the place where he reveals himself. O Lord, since light is so good, give us more of it, and more of thyself, the true light.

No sooner is there a good thing in the world, than a division is necessary. Light and darkness have no communion; God has divided them, let us not confound them. Sons of light must not have fellowship with deeds, doctrines, or deceits of darkness. The children of the day must be sober, honest, and bold in their Lord’s work, leaving the works of darkness to those who shall dwell in it forever. Our Churches should by discipline divide the light from the darkness, and we should by our distinct separation from the world do the same. In judgment, in action, in hearing, in teaching, in association, we must discern between the precious and the vile, and maintain the great distinction which the Lord made upon the world’s first day. O Lord Jesus, be thou our light throughout the whole of this day, for thy light is the light of men.

PRAY.

Thank you for listening to the Morning and Evening podcast. If you do not know the Lord as your Savior, here is how you can be saved from Hell and walk with the Lord morning and evening until you go to that wonderful place called Heaven when you die:

First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”

Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 18:8: “Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

Now that is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.

Romans 10:9 & 13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the Cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your Salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. I am sorry for my sins, and today I choose to turn from my sins. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. I trust Jesus Christ as my Savior and I choose to follow Him as Lord from this day forward. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen.

If you believed in your heart that Jesus Christ died on the Cross, was buried, and rose again, allow me to say, congratulations on doing the most important thing in life and that is accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour! For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door”. Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”

If you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior today, please email me at [email protected] and let us know. There is some free material that we want to send you. If you have a prayer request, please e-mail that to us as well, and we will pray for you until you tell us to stop.

God loves you. We love you. And may God bless you.

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A 4-year-old boy in the Philippines whose hernia made it too painful to play with other children didn’t realize how lucky he was.

Angelo* was born in an impoverished village on the southern island of Mindanao to parents who sacrificed to ancestral spirits and objects in nature. Few people there could afford to go to a doctor or dentist even if there were one.

Native missionaries, however, found out about Angelo’s needs as part of a medical mission’s outreach to the area poor. It provides free health care to hundreds of people.

A volunteer surgeon for the medical mission was also the director of a private hospital in a nearby municipality, and he suggested that surgeons there operate on the preschooler. The native ministry agreed to pay for the surgery, and Angelo’s parents gratefully agreed.

In the past decade more than 1,000 mostly rural hospitals have closed due to a shortage of doctors.

“The scheduled operation was performed, and the parents were so happy because their son could now play and run without pain in his loins,” the ministry director said. “Because of the successful operation, the child’s parents were encouraged to regularly and actively attend Bible studies and church activities.”

He said the parents are now elders at the native ministry’s local outreach in their area, undisclosed for security reasons. The couple also encouraged relatives and neighbors to participate in the native ministry’s activities, and they also are growing nearer to God.

Five of the volunteer doctors for the medical mission come from the native ministry’s church; three others come from other churches, he said.

“We can trust our own doctors in the ministry, since they are trained to be servants, live a simple, sacrificial lifestyle, can adapt to difficult situations in the areas and are willing to serve without monetary remuneration,” the leader said. “They are committed to the Gospel.”

Nurses and other medical staff members come from the same fellowship, and the extraordinary number of doctors and other health care professionals in the church encourages other young people in the body to take up medicine. The leader hopes they will be able to fill in for aging doctors and add to the pool of available caregivers.

“We need to increase the number of doctors to be able to conduct more free clinics on a regular basis,” the leader said. “More young people are planning to pursue medicine in the near future.”

SOURCE: Christian Aid Mission

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In his refugee tent in Turkey, a Muslim father of two was talking with native missionaries who had just given him tarps to help keep out the rain. He wanted to know why they were doing it.

“Who are you?” said the refugee, a schoolteacher in his native Syria.

The Turkish ministry leader realized the refugee believed they would expect something in return for helping them.

“We expect nothing from you, we share your pain,” the ministry leader told him, in fluent Arabic (his second tongue). “We understand that you’re worrying about your kids – you are like us. Our God is telling us to do this, so we’re doing what He said.”

“Our God is telling us to do this, so we’re doing what He said.”

The ministry leader said the refugee told them he had never read in the Koran that Muslims should help people of another religion.

“We never heard that we should help unbelievers,” the refugee told them. “If we had the chance, our priority would be to kill you.”

Wanting to know more about what the Christians believed, the refugee invited the two workers to have some coffee and talk with him.

“We told him, ‘Our Jesus is not the same as yours [in the Koran] – our Jesus has a totally different character,’” the ministry leader said. “I told the man that he could call me anytime, day or night, and then he called in the middle of the night to talk to me about Jesus. He told me not to tell anyone what he was talking to me about, because there were ISIS followers in the camp. He is afraid but still wants to learn more.”

On that occasion and others that followed, they discussed the death, resurrection and salvation of Christ in detail. With such discretion, caution and months of providing blankets, food and other aid, native missionaries become the lifeline for desperate people – and build solid relationships upon which the love of Christ is conveyed.

“Thanks to the help given before, people and families have changed the way we are viewed,” the ministry leader said. “They were more hospitable and opened their hearts to us. This allowed us to communicate better with them, so that even people who had no hope and did not trust anyone learned to forgive, trust and most importantly, love.”

SOURCE: Christian Aid Mission

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Upon his return, the young man from the Pa Then ethnic people told no one outside his immediate family, and they warned him to make sure he did not utter Jesus’ name outside their thatched-roof dwelling. They did not want him talking about foreign gods in their own home, either – until they realized the wages of their sin was indeed death as he had told them, and that Christ’s death and resurrection was their only hope of eternal life, the leader of a native ministry said.

Although Tuan had learned about Christ from a friend who was a native Hmong missionary in a predominantly Hmong village, the message of union with the one true God through Christ crossed ethnic lines, and soon other relatives heard and believed. Together they began walking the four hours to the Hmong village every Sunday for worship.

After one year of discipleship under the native missionary in the Hmong village, they had learned how to pray, worship and preach in Sunday services and began worshipping in their own village home, the ministry leader said. It was not long before police officers showed up.

They began worshipping in their own village home. It was not long before police officers showed up.

“The policemen came and said, ‘The Pa Then people have not believed in God for a long time, so you cannot become Christians,’” the ministry leader said. “But the Christian family said, ‘The Hmong people and Lu Mien people have believed in God for such a long time. So why can we Pa Then not believe in God?’ The policemen said, ‘You can believe in God, but you cannot gather to worship the Lord in your house.’”

Tuan’s church continued to grow, however, and before long 121 Pa Then villagers were meeting in his home. Police arrested Tuan several times.

“And he was beaten repeatedly many times,” the leader said. “But God had give him spiritual power, so that he was very faithful and continous to serve God.”

Word about the church spread, and Pa Then residents from a neighboring village came to ask about Christ, he said. In time 98 of them put their faith in Christ, and now there are two Pa Then house churches in the (undislosed) district.

“And there are four young men who offered their life to God, and they are studying in the Bible school,” the leader said. “Halleluja.”

SOURCE: Christian Aid Mission

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A fervent Muslim in a north-central African country fanatical about converting Christians to Islam accepted a native Christian ministry’s offer to help translate the Bible into the Ndam language.

The Law of Moses, the Psalms of David and the New Testament Gospels were deemed holy books in the Koran, after all, and Hassan* felt the task was suited to someone of his education and abilities. In the officially secular country where tolerance and cooperation have historically marked relations between Muslims and Christians, Hassan welcomed the opportunity to mingle and discuss Scripture with prospective converts to Islam.

“As he was constantly exposed to the Scriptures at the translating workshop, he ended up accepting Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord,” the leader of a native ministry said. “Right now he is growing through discipleship and constantly interceding for the salvation of his community.”

A woman from an Arab ethnic group who lived in deep fear of evil spirits sought protection from a trinket to use as a kind of guardian fetish.

Fadoul, a woman from an Arab ethnic group, was a devoted Muslim zealous in her practice of Islam who lived in deep, daily fear of evil spirits. To cope she sought protection from a marabout, or Islamic holy man, who gave her a trinket to use as a kind of guardian fetish, the ministry leader said.

“Despite her efforts, she had not found the peace of heart and was under growing fear of bad spirits,” he said. “When she found Jesus at last, it drastically transformed her life. A joy flooded her heart, and her closeness to Christ gives her the force to endure all persecutions and sufferings.”

SOURCE: Christian Aid Mission

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