Growing In God with Gary Hargrave

Growing In God Podcast
Program Number: GIG #311
Title: The Fast of Tisha B'Av
 
 
Web Description: The fast of Tisha B'Av this year will be another time of fasting and mourning for the Jewish people. But also this year there are many who cry out as the comforters of God's people—who speak kindly to Jerusalem, and who voice in faith the Words of the Lord that prophesy the rebuilding of the city and the reestablishment of the fortunes of Jacob.
 
Show Notes: The fast of Tisha B'Av is observed on the ninth day of the month of Av, which in 2026 begins at sundown on July 22 and ends at sundown on July 23. Tisha B'Av is a fast of mourning for the tragic events in Jewish history occurring on the ninth of Av, but primarily for the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem. The prophecies of Yeshua (Jesus) concerning the destruction of the Second Temple, which are recorded in Matthew 24 and Luke 21, are applicable to this fast.
 
As Christians we need to see how specific these prophecies are to Jerusalem and to Israel. And it is important that we observe this time with the Jewish people because we have a purpose to fulfill. That purpose, as we read in Isaiah 40, is to comfort God's people. With that purpose in mind, how do we pray for Israel and the Jewish people at this time when they are suffering so much from war and the threat of war? We pray for God's promises of restoration to be fulfilled.
 
God's promise through Zechariah is that the times of fasting will be replaced by feasts of joy and that the nations will not return to Jerusalem with sword and spear but will go up to the house of the Lord. Also Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Amos prophesied that the fortunes of Israel and Judah will be restored. We step up to be those who speak kindly to Jerusalem, who comfort God's people, who declare that God will restore their fortunes today.
 
Key Verses:
 
•       Luke 21:5–9. "See to it that you are not misled."
•       Matthew 24:1–6. "See to it that no one misleads you."
•       Luke 21:24–28. "Straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."
•       Isaiah 40:1–2. "'Comfort, O comfort My people,' says your God. 'Speak kindly to Jerusalem.'"
•       Zechariah 8:18–23. "The fast … will become joy, gladness, and cheerful feasts."
•       Isaiah 41:8–14. "Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God."
•       Isaiah 61:1–4. "The LORD has anointed me … to comfort all who mourn."
•       Ezekiel 39:25–29. "I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and have mercy on the whole house of Israel."
•       Amos 9:13–15. "I will restore the captivity of My people Israel."
•       Jeremiah 30:15–20. "I will restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob."
•       Jeremiah 33:7–9. "I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel."
 
Quotes:
 
•       "Many say, 'Oh, you know, we have been hearing of wars and rumors of wars around the world forever.' Well, He is not necessarily addressing rumors of wars around the world. He is talking about the destruction of the Temple. He is talking about events that are going to happen in Jerusalem"
•       "When these things begin, then you're to take a certain position, which is that you're to stand up. You're to lift up your head because your redemption draws near."
•       "It's so easy to look around in this time of mourning to anxiously wonder what will happen. What will tomorrow bring? What are the days ahead going to be like? But He says, 'Do not anxiously look about you for I am your God.'"
 
Takeaways:
 
1.    Tisha B'Av is a time of fasting and mourning for the destruction of the Temple. And this is specifically what Yeshua's prophecies of the end-time are about, as we read in Matthew 24 and Luke 21. We generally apply His prophecies to events taking place in the world. But He was speaking of events that will happen in Jerusalem, on the Temple Mount, and in Israel.
2.    When we see these things happening, as we are seeing them in Israel today, we are not to be focused on those events. We are to look up. We are to reach into the heavenly places to be focused on God and on Christ and on what they are doing to bring forth the Kingdom.
3.    The command in Isaiah 40 is directed to Gentiles. We are to comfort God's people and speak kindly to Jerusalem. In our prayer and intercession, we need to declare God's promises of restoration to Judah and Israel.

Growing In God Podcast
Program Number: GIG #310
 
Title: Are You Willing?
 
Web Description: What is a sign? A sign tells us something. And when the families of Israel killed the lamb at the Passover, the blood they put on their doorposts was a sign. It told God that they had heard His Word, and they were willing to walk out of Egypt to be His people. Let our response to God be a sign to Him that we are willing to walk in His Word.
 
Show Notes: We often talk about signs in the Bible in the context of signs and wonders, connecting the idea of a sign with a wonder or a miracle performed by God. This was certainly true about the plagues of Egypt leading up to the Passover. But at the Passover, God told the children of Israel that the lamb's blood they put on their doorposts would be a sign. While the plagues were a sign from God to the Egyptians, the blood that the families of Israel put on their doors was a sign from Israel to God.
 
The purpose of a sign is to provide information. A street sign, for example, gives you information about the road ahead of you. What information did the sign of blood on a doorpost provide? That sign on a home informed God that the people inside had prepared the lamb and were ready to leave Egypt as He instructed. It was a sign that the home was to be protected, and the people were to be saved. But it was their initiative to apply the blood according to the Lord's command. Otherwise, they would not have been spared from the final plague that came on Egypt.
 
God had spoken to the children of Israel, and He was expecting a sign from them to show Him that they were walking in His Word. We too have heard Words from God, and He is looking for a sign from us. What sign can we give Him? The sign Abraham gave God was to walk out, leaving everything behind, just as God told him to do. He physically responded to God's Word. And we should not over-spiritualize what we have received from the Lord. As we move forward in these days, let us give God a sign with our lives that says, "We are moving in obedience to the Word You have spoken to us over all these years."
 
Key Verses:
 
•       Exodus 12:12–22. "The blood shall be a sign; … when I see the blood I will pass over you."
•       Samuel 3:10. "Speak, for Your servant is listening."
•       Hebrews 4:12. "The word of God is living and active."
•       Revelation 12:6–11. "They overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb."
•       Exodus 1:22. "Every son who is born you are to cast into the Nile."
 
Quotes:
 
•       "This sign was a sign from Israel to God. It was on the outside of the door where God could read it. It was each family that came and put the blood on the doorpost so that God could read, 'I am one of Your people.'"
•       "God has done so much for us, and He has given us His Word. He has spoken to us. He's given us instructions. He's given us the warnings. He's given us His signs of what is going to take place. But there is this moment in Pesach where we must respond to Him with a sign."
•       "Let's post our sign on the highway of the Kingdom and say, 'Here we are, Lord. We're coming into an obedience and into a walk in all that you have already spoken and given to us.'"
 
Takeaways:
 
1.    The blood on their doorposts was a sign from the children of Israel to God that they were willing to walk out of Egypt and be His people.
2.    Like the children of Israel, Abraham walked away from everything he knew into an uncertain future as a sign to God that he was willing to be what God wanted Him to be.
3.    We partake of the provision of Christ and put His blood afresh on the doorposts of our hearts as a sign to God that we are here to walk, like Abraham, in everything the Lord has spoken to us.

Growing In God Podcast
Program Number: GIG #309
Title: Know God's Love for You
 
Web Description: Ephesians 3 tells us to "know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge." Above everything you know, God wants you to know how great His love is for you. Do not let any other knowledge take priority—whether it is about your problems, about religion, about doctrines, or about anything else in the world—over knowing God's love. Take down your walls to Him and let His love touch your heart.
 
Show Notes:
At Hargrave Ministries the purpose of our solidarity trips and our giving to Israel is simple. We are showing love to the Jewish people. We are not trying to convert them to Christianity; we are expressing the love of Christ. But while we do that, are we feeling the love of Christ for ourselves? The truth is that we need to be much more aware of His love for us. How do we give to others what we ourselves do not have? To minister love to others, we must open our hearts more fully to the depth of the Lord's love for us.
 
Christianity should not be a religion. It should not be theology or customs and rituals. It should be a life-changing revelation of the love God has for us. The power of His love can overwhelm every problem that we have, every need that we have, everything about this life and what this world is going through. God's love is a love beyond words, a love that is inexpressible, and yet we must find a way to express it. And I think the only way it can be expressed is if we are overwhelmed by it. Therefore, we must remove from our hearts anything that separates us, shields us, or lessens our awareness of His great love.
 
God's love is beyond our personal issues, beyond religion, beyond doctrines, beyond denominations, beyond all these things that are like walls preventing us from knowing the full depth of His love. Whatever awareness of His love we have now is still not to the depth He is looking for. That is what God wants for us as we minister to Israel. It is His hope that we will know Christ's love for us and come to know the full depth of God's love for the world, which is in Christ and through Christ.
 
Key Verses:
 
•       1 John 4:19. "We love, because He first loved us."
•       John 3:16. "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son."
•       Deuteronomy 4:37. "Because He loved your fathers, … He personally brought you from Egypt by His great power."
•       Deuteronomy 7:6–8. "The LORD loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers."
•       Ephesians 3:14–19. "Being rooted and grounded in love, … know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge."
•       2 Corinthians 5:14–20. "The love of Christ controls us."
 
Quotes:
 
•       "There is nothing more powerful than the love of God."
•       "God so loved the world that He gave to the world His Son. Why? So that His Son would make people aware of the Father's love for them on every level, from every nation, every tongue, every belief system."
•       "Christ opened the door to reconcile us to the Father. What does that mean? It means that we're reconciled to the love that God has for us and to the place where we should be just speechless over that level of love."
 
Takeaways:
 
1.    The more we give love to others, the more we realize our need to be aware of God's love for us. Let us reach into His love.
2.    People who have had a near death experience describe being overwhelmed by God's love for them. But we should be overwhelmed by God's love every day. Let us take our walls down to His love.
3.    God's love is beyond comprehension. That means it supersedes whatever concepts we have, whatever beliefs we have. Let us appropriate a deeper revelation of His love.

Growing In God Podcast
Program Number: GIG #308
Title: Blood That Cries to God From the Ground
 
Web Description: If you want God to hear your prayers, then remember that there is nothing God hears more than the blood that cries to Him from the ground. The cry from the spilled blood of those who gave their lives for God is still rising up to Him from the earth. We join with their cry to see the full redemption by the blood of Christ that removes the pollution and futility that was imposed on the earth by man's shedding of innocent blood.
 
Show Notes: Memorial Day is a time to remember those who gave their lives in service to our country. But we should have a daily gratitude in our hearts for the ones who paid the ultimate price for the freedoms we enjoy. Those freedoms were secured by the blood of men and women who fought and died to preserve this country that was dedicated in its foundations to God. And the tragedy today is that the love for this country is being eroded away. It is appalling to see so many who are tearing down our nation and tearing down what it stands for. They are literally spitting on the blood of those who died for this nation to exist.
 
God said to Cain, who had murdered his brother Abel, "Your brother's blood is crying to Me from the ground." And there is a cry going up from those whose blood was spilled fighting for this country. They may be dead, but they are still praying. Their blood is crying out to God from the ground. It is crying out to see the purpose for which they gave their lives fulfilled. They gave their lives for a vision. And that vision is that the United States of America would be a righteous nation that does the will of God in the earth.
 
We know that our personal salvation comes from the shedding of Christ's blood. But we also know the ground was cursed when it received Abel's blood at Cain's hand. And the Scriptures tell us that the land is polluted by bloodshed. So the blood of Christ was also spilled on this earth to cleanse it of the pollution and the curse that began with the blood shed by Cain. Even in His agony before the cross, His sweat fell as drops of blood on the ground. The greatest way we can pray for our country today is to join our hearts with this cry of the blood that is going up to God. God hears that cry, and He will bring justice because of it.
 
Key Verses:
 
•       Romans 5:6–8. "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
•       John 15:12–14. "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends."
•       John 10:11–15. "The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep."
•       Genesis 4:8–12. "The voice of your brother's blood is crying to Me from the ground."
•       Luke 22:39–44. "His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground."
•       Genesis 9:3–6. "Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed."
•       Numbers 35:33–34. "You shall not pollute the land in which you are; for blood pollutes the land."
•       Deuteronomy 21:6–9. "You shall remove the guilt of innocent blood from your midst."
•       Revelation 6:9–11. "How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood?"
 
Quotes:
 
•       "If you're going to criticize this country, if you're going to tear down the symbols and statues of heroes who have given their life and stood to create this country, the first question before you start speaking under these liberties should be, 'Are you willing to spill your blood for it to survive or are you just tearing it down?'"
•       "You can look for weather patterns and this and that and explain the change in the earth and all that's going on. But if you really want to see where it comes from, it's the cry of the blood. It's the earth refusing to be a partner with that which is spilling the blood on the earth."
•       "We need to pray for the land. We need to pray for this nation as the ground that God has given us that is bound by futility because it has received the pollution that comes from the blood being spilled upon it."
 
Takeaways:
 
1.    When we talk about Memorial Day, we are talking about those who have given their lives for this country. There must be a daily remembering of those who paid the ultimate price of death for the principles of freedom, of faith, and of knowing that this country was dedicated to God.
2.    God never forgets the spilled blood of Abel that is crying out to Him. If we believe God hears our prayers for this country, how much more is God hearing the cry of the blood of our brothers and sisters that was spilled for the vision of this country?
3.    The land is polluted, and the nations are oppressed under the futility of the earth caused by the spilling of blood. Our redemption by the blood of Christ must result in the release of the earth from the futility and pollution that man's bloodshed has brought to God's creation.

Growing In God Podcast
Program Number: GIG #307
 
Title: Don't Battle Flesh and Blood
 
Web Description: As Christians we are not to be like those who do not understand what is happening in the world and are helpless to do anything about it. Instead, we must separate ourselves from the influence of this world and deal with the spiritual causes that are actually influencing it, just as Christ did in His ministry.
 
Show Notes:
We live in an era of anger, rage, outrage, and division. It is what we are fed every day in the media. We are continually bombarded by social media with content that is keyed to polarizing our society, our lives, and our hearts. It is dangerous because it motivates people to take negative and destructive actions. It is a serious problem that we as Christians need to be better equipped to deal with. We need to recognize that all this hatred and violence occurring between people is not just rooted in human thoughts and actions; it is being driven by spiritual forces.
 
The Gospel of Mark gives an account of a man who was continually screaming and cutting himself with stones, and no one could restrain him because he would break their shackles to pieces. Yet after Yeshua (Jesus) cast the demonic spirits out of him, he was seen sitting calmly and in his right mind. Clearly, when Yeshua delivered this man from the spiritual forces that had possessed him, his violent behavior stopped. Delivering people from the effects of demonic power was central to Christ's ministry. But we today consider ourselves too educated and scientific to believe in things like demon possession or that the spirit world impacts human behavior.
 
That is not how we should be thinking as Christians. Yeshua did not deal with problems by reacting on a human level, but by dealing directly with the spirits behind the problems. Why are we not doing the same thing? One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is the discerning of spirits. As those who have the Holy Spirit, we should be able to discern the spirits behind what is taking place in the world around us. We should not be struggling with flesh and blood. We should have the discernment and authority as the Body of Christ to cast out the spiritual forces that are the real cause of the problems in the world.
 
Key Verses:
 
•       Mark 5:1–18. "'Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!' … And he said to Him, 'My name is Legion; for we are many.'"
•       2 Corinthians 4:4. "The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving."
•       John 12:31. "Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out."
•       Revelation 12:12. "The devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time."
•       1 Corinthians 12:8–10. "To one is given … the distinguishing of spirits.
•       Ephesians 6:10–13. "Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of wickedness."
•       2 Corinthians 10:3–4. "The weapons of our warfare are … divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses."
•       Matthew 16:13–19. "Flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven."
 
Quotes:
 
•       "I don't think we're simply supposed to pray and be throwing prayers up to heaven saying, "Oh, dear God, please change this; stop this." I think that we need to be a voice on this earth that is going to have the same authority that Christ had in order to end the demonic control."
•       "We're not being moved by what Facebook says, by what YouTube says, by what the media says, by what the nightly news says. That is not what's moving us. But instead, we're moved by revelation, the revelation that comes from God the Father in heaven."
•       "We cannot turn this battle into one against flesh and blood. We must see that it is ours as the Body of Christ to bind on earth that which has been bound in heaven and to see these forces that are holding humanity captive cast out once and for all."
 
Takeaways:
 
1.    As Christians we are not supposed to be part of this age of outrage and spread division and polarization. Instead, we are supposed to spread the love of God, the oneness, and the truth of who we are as children of God, as God's creation.
2.    The world thinks it is too smart to believe in the influence of spiritual forces, while at the same time accepting false beliefs and being driven by anger and violence.
3.    As Christians we are to follow the example of Christ who did not deal with people's problems on a human level but dealt with the spiritual forces that were actually causing the problems.