This is the God of Israel: your God, a God of power, love, and deliverance. We can release His power into our lives. In Deuteronomy – the fifth book of Moses – Scripture promises that when you face trouble, tribulation, and distress, you can reach Him right where you are. Even amidst anguish, fear, concentration camps, or the horrors of war, the promise stands: if you call upon Him and seek Him with all your heart and soul, you will find Him.

The God of Israel is supreme over all the earth, possessing absolute power and authority. He loves you deeply and will defend you against your enemies. Even when it requires the miraculous, and even when hope appears lost, God will always deliver Israel.

Do not fear the future. The scriptures of Jewish history bear witness to an unbroken chain of wonders:

The Deliverance from Egypt: In Deuteronomy 4, Moses reminded the people – when they were terrified and facing grave danger – that the greatest sign ever displayed on earth was God redeeming Israel out of Egypt, bringing them through, and granting them this land.

The Greater Gathering: In Jeremiah 16, the prophet looked ahead to an even greater miracle that would surpass the Exodus: God regathering the Jewish people scattered across the earth and returning them to their homeland from the "land of the north" – Russia. God declared He would work an even greater deliverance there than in Egypt of old.

Throughout Scripture, your God stands apart from every other god and nation. He is a God who hears and answers prayer. He will answer your cry, perform your miracle, and deliver you.

'I worship You' & 'Sheltered in the Rock' used by kind permission of Vinesong.

For more information on the Ministry of David Hathaway https://www.eurovision.org.uk

Based on the Book of James, chapter 3, we are cautioned to be careful about the words we use – make sure they uplift and not lead to destruction.

In verse 6, James says, "The tongue is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. The tongue can corrupt the whole person and set the whole course of his life on fire." And then, of course, he goes on to say – and this is the danger – even the tongue can be set on fire by hell.

Now, these are strong words coming from someone who lived so close to Jesus and wasn't necessarily in the first part of the ministry. We are not quite certain exactly when James was to become such an active part. But why I think this is important, and this chapter and this whole book is important, because you're dealing with somebody who understood the person of who Jesus was and who the followers were. In one sense, growing up with Jesus – remember that Jesus didn't start His ministry till He was 30 – I just sense that James must have had a much stronger realisation of the character of Jesus right from His birth.

And you know, it is so important that what we say is important. I mean, the Bible says that everything we say is recorded and we shall be judged on it.

Based on the Book of James, chapter 3, we are cautioned to be careful about the words we use - making sure they uplift and do not lead to destruction.

If we listen to the wrong voices, and if we are not responding to God, we will turn – without necessarily realising it – in the wrong direction.

The tongue is a small part of the body, but it controls so much of who and what we are. It is so easy to use the tongue in the wrong direction.

James also goes on to use another illustration: great forest fires are so often started not by something big, but by something small. Here, James is illustrating two distinct truths. First, with the tongue, our direction can be turned, influencing those who follow us. Second, if we misuse the tongue, it can cause a fire – it can cause destruction and immense damage. In verse 6, he says, "The tongue is a fire."

Based on the Book of James, chapter 3, we are cautioned to be careful about the words we use – make sure they uplift and not lead to destruction.

What we say is important. I mean, the Bible says that everything we say is recorded, and we shall be judged on it.

And while you might think that that's an impossibility, but what we're finding now: that so often the record of what you have said on a phone, it's difficult to get rid of it. You find that it's on the internet, and it is not easy to remove what has been said. And sadly, I know of cases where even young people have applied for a job, and the person who's going to employ them has examined what that young person has said. And it's recorded on the internet, and if they were negative, they have lost the job.

I want you to realise the importance of the tongue. In verse 7, all kinds of animals, birds, and so on are being tamed and have been tamed by man. What James is saying is this: nobody can tame the tongue. Nobody can control what you say. And you know, the danger is so often that people regret what they've said.

When we speak, we create sound and sound waves. Those sound waves don't disappear.

Based on James chapter 4, we are reminded neither to boast nor worry about the future, but rather to entrust our lives fully into God’s hands.

David Hathaway:

To those who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this city, spend our money, take a holiday, or carry out our plans” – why do you say that?

James reminds us: you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. We can formulate all the plans we want, but only God truly knows. He asks, “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” Just as Scripture elsewhere compares our days to the grass of the field that quickly withers when the sun rises.

Instead, verse 15 instructs us to surrender our plans and say: “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”

When I was growing up, it was far more customary to say, “If the Lord wills.” People would routinely write the Latin abbreviation D.V. (Deo volente – "God willing") in their letters. Ultimately, God is the One who holds control over both your life and mine.

Even amidst serious global turmoil – such as the conflicts in Ukraine and Israel – God remains sovereign, and He knows all things. Often, it is out of our greatest tragedies that God brings forth the greatest blessings.

Salvation is a gift freely given, but following Christ costs everything. In Mark 10, Jesus confronts His followers with a jarring paradox: while grace cannot be bought, the path of discipleship carries a cost that many simply refuse to pay.

Most believers are comfortable with the promise of heaven, yet hesitant when confronted with the reality of the cross. Re-examining Mark 10 reveals a stark choice between seeking personal status and embracing sacrificial service.

In Mark 10:35-45, James and John approach Jesus with a bold request: they want the premier seats on His right and left in glory. They bypass the mission and jump straight to the reward.

Jesus halts their ambition immediately:

“You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptised with?” (Mark 10:38)

James and John assumed glory was a matter of proximity and privilege. Jesus made it clear that glory is forged through suffering, endurance, and persecution. When they casually answered, “We can,” Jesus confirmed they would indeed share in His cup, reminding them that spiritual authority is not an executive title handed out by favoritism, but a calling measured by how much you are willing to lay down.

Outside Jericho, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus cries out through the crowds: “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

When Jesus calls Bartimaeus forward, He asks the exact same question He previously posed to James and John: “What do you want Me to do for you?”

James and John’s request: Prominence, power, and prestige (“Grant us to sit on your right and left”).

Bartimaeus’s request: Spiritual desperation, honesty, and humility (“Lord, that I might receive my sight”).

The disciples wanted thrones; the blind man simply wanted to see. Bartimaeus received his sight immediately because he came without pretense, desperate for the mercy of God.

Watch the YouTube version: https://youtu.be/vnPudUh0MZk

For more information on the Ministry of David Hathaway https://www.eurovision.org.uk

In Mark 10.33, Jesus takes the Twelve aside – speaking specifically to them rather than the wider crowd – to reveal what lies ahead: His suffering and death. He tells them, “The Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes. They will condemn Him to death and will hand Him over to the Gentiles.”

Immediately after Jesus reveals His impending death and resurrection, an extraordinary interaction occurs. In verse 35, the brothers James and John approach Jesus with a bold request: “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask.”

It is a striking demand – unlike almost anything else seen from the disciples in Scripture. It reflects a mindset people sometimes bring to prayer today: approaching God demanding our own terms.

Jesus responds by asking, “What do you want Me to do for you?” Though He already knew their hearts, He allowed them to speak for themselves. In verse 37, they make their request: “Grant us to sit, one at Your right hand and one at Your left, in Your glory.”

In verse 38, Jesus rebukes them gently but firmly: “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptised with the baptism with which I am baptised?”

Jesus redirects their focus from status to calling. Before the crown comes the cup; before reigning comes the willingness to endure suffering and persecution for the sake of the Gospel. The message remains a vital challenge for believers today: if we desire a place in His Kingdom, we cannot merely seek honour – we must be willing to pay the price of true discipleship and service.

Watch the YouTube version: https://youtu.be/EorXRVlqAgs

For more information on the Ministry of David Hathaway https://www.eurovision.org.uk

In today’s episode, based on the Book of James, chapter 3, we must learn to control our tongue – to only use words that uplift rather than tear down.

We all stumble in many ways. We all fail; not one of us is perfect.

In verse 3, he then puts it in a slightly different way, saying the same thing. He says: "We put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us." And it's quite interesting, because that's the only way you can control a horse, really, is by pulling on that bit – that steel thing in its mouth. In doing so, we make the horse obey us and turn.

And then he uses another illustration – it's quite interesting that he uses this illustration in verse 4 – of ships. Because, of course, in those days they were large, heavy, wooden sailing ships, not like our modern ships. And he said that although the ship can be so big and driven by a wind so strong, the whole ship is turned by that tiny rudder.

We have to be so careful the direction that we choose. If we listen to the wrong voices and if we're not responding to God, we will turn – without necessarily realising it – in the wrong direction.