#167 JESUS DOES 9-21-26

We try. We struggle. We fail. We try again.

And then we discover something wonderful. Jesus does.

When we cannot save ourselves, Jesus saves. When we cannot carry the burden, Jesus carries it. When we cannot find our way, Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). Christianity is not fundamentally the story of what we do for Jesus. It is the story of what Jesus has done, is doing, and will do for us.

Jesus does what sin cannot undo. “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18). The cross was not merely an example of love. It was the great demonstration of love accomplishing redemption. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

Jesus does what our weakness cannot accomplish.

Paul pleaded three times for his thorn to be removed. The Lord did not give him the answer he expected. He gave him something better: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Sometimes Jesus changes the circumstance. Sometimes He changes us in the circumstance. Either way, His grace is sufficient.

Jesus does what our fears cannot prevent.

The disciples were terrified on the storm-tossed sea, but Jesus stood and said, “Peace, be still!” (Mark 4:39). The waves obeyed Him. The wind ceased. The One who could command the storm could also calm the hearts of those inside the boat. His presence did not mean there would never be a storm. It meant the storm would never be greater than the One who was with them.

Jesus does what our past cannot erase.

Zacchaeus had a reputation, but Jesus called him down from the tree and went to his house (Luke 19:5-10). The woman at the well had a complicated history, but Jesus spoke to her about living water (John 4:7-14). Peter denied Him, yet Jesus restored him (John 21:15-19). The gospel does not pretend the past never happened. It announces that the past does not have to be the final word.

And Jesus still does.

He forgives. He restores. He strengthens. He leads. He intercedes. “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25).

So stop looking only at what you can do.

Look at Jesus.

Your hands may be weak. His are strong. Your understanding may be limited. His wisdom is perfect. Your faith may tremble. His faithfulness does not.

We do what He calls us to do. We obey. We trust. We walk. We serve. But beneath every faithful step is a deeper reality:

Jesus does.

And because Jesus does, we can go forward.

BDD

#166 THE SABBATH THAT WAS NEVER OURS 9-21-26

Imagine, if you will, a commandment standing on an ancient mountain. Smoke surrounds it. Thunder rolls across Sinai. A nation stands trembling below. And God speaks.

The command is real. The Sabbath is real. The consequences for breaking it are real.

But there is one small detail that can easily disappear in the fog of religious tradition.

Who was it given to?

Exodus 31:13 says, “Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you.” Who is the “you”? God answers the question in the same chapter: “Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath” (Exodus 31:16).

A sign.

Between God and Israel.

A covenant.

With Israel.

Now imagine taking that covenant sign, walking across centuries, crossing Calvary, passing through the resurrection, entering the church, and saying, “This belongs to us too.”

But where did God say that?

Deuteronomy 5:15 gives another clue: “Therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.” Why? Because “you were a slave in the land of Egypt.” The Sabbath was connected to Israel’s redemption from Egyptian bondage.

Nehemiah 9:13-14 looks back upon Sinai and says, “You came down also on Mount Sinai. You made known to them Your holy Sabbath.” Ezekiel 20:12 says, “Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me.”

There it is again.

I gave them.

Not everybody.

Not every nation.

Not the human race.

Them.

Israel.

And then the Old Testament turns another page.

Jeremiah 31:31 says, “Behold, the days are coming when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.” Then God specifically contrasts that new covenant with the covenant made when He brought Israel out of Egypt (Jeremiah 31:32).

The old covenant had its signs.

The old covenant had its priesthood.

The old covenant had its sacrifices.

The old covenant had its Sabbath.

And then came a new covenant.

Hebrews 8:13 says, “In that He says, ‘A new covenant,’ He has made the first obsolete.”

That is where the argument should end.

Not because the Sabbath was insignificant.

It was significant.

Not because God’s commandments were meaningless.

They were holy.

But because a command belonging to an old covenant cannot simply be carried across the covenant boundary and nailed onto the church without God wanting us to do so.

The strange thing is that some people want to take the Sabbath more seriously than the covenant that created it.

They want the sign without the covenant.

The command without the context.

The shadow without the reality.

And perhaps that is the real mystery.

The Sabbath was never ours to begin with.

It belonged to Israel.

And when the covenant changed, so did the covenantal obligations.

It’s not rebellion against God’s law.

It is respect for God’s Word.

And there, standing somewhere between Sinai and Calvary, is the question:

Are we going to follow what God actually said, or what religious tradition says He said?

The answer should never be difficult when the Bible has already spoken.

_______________

Father, help us to love Your Word enough to read it honestly and obey it faithfully. Give us wisdom to understand the covenants, courage to reject human traditions, and humility to submit ourselves to Your truth. May we never add to Your Word or take away from it, but follow Jesus with faithful hearts. In His name, Amen.

BDD

Livestream Preaching Times for Monday, September 21, 2026

5:30 AM

“Open Your Eyes This Morning”

(2 Kings 6:17)

8:00 AM

“What Did Jesus Claim About Himself?”

(John 8:24)

10:00 AM

“The Cross Changes Everything”

(1 Corinthians 1:18)

2:00 PM

“Ask Anything: Bible Questions & Answers”

4:00 PM

“There Is Still Time”

(2 Corinthians 6:2)

TikTok: @dewaynedunawayministries

All times CST

#165 A NIGHT TO REMEMBER 9-20-26

People have nights they never forget.

A prom night. A wedding night. A graduation night. A night when a child was born. A night when something happened that marked your life forever.

We understand the importance of remembering. We take pictures. We tell stories. We save dates. We revisit places. We say, “I will never forget that night.”

But there is another kind of night to remember.

A night set aside to remember God.

To remember His faithfulness.

“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23).

Think about how many times God has been faithful when you were not. How many times He opened a door. How many times He closed one. How many times He carried you when you could not carry yourself. “The Lord is faithful to all His promises” (Psalm 145:13).

Remember His character.

God is holy. God is righteous. God is good. God does not change. “For I am the Lord, I do not change” (Malachi 3:6). James 1:17 reminds us that with God there is “no variation or shadow of turning.”

Remember His love.

Not merely love spoken about, but love demonstrated.

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

And that brings us to the greatest thing of all.

Remember the cross of Christ.

There was a night when Jesus gathered with His disciples and said, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19).

We remember because we are prone to forget.

We forget His faithfulness when trouble comes. We forget His character when life becomes confusing. We forget His love when we feel alone. We forget the cross when sin becomes attractive.

So take a night to remember.

Remember what God has done.

Remember who God is.

Remember how God loves.

Remember what Christ did.

Some nights become memories because something wonderful happened.

This night becomes a memory because we deliberately stop and remember the One who has been faithful through every night of our lives.

A night to remember.

God.

His faithfulness.

His character.

His love.

And His cross.

BDD

#164 GOD LEADS US EVERY STEP OF THE WAY 9-20-26

God leads us. God loves us. God works through us. And Christ is there every step of the way.

Sometimes His way does not look like our way. Zacchaeus climbed a tree looking for Jesus, but Jesus was looking for Zacchaeus. “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house” (Luke 19:5). One encounter with Christ changed the direction of his life. God was leading him before Zacchaeus even understood where he was going.

Naaman learned the same lesson. He wanted a great display, but God gave him a simple command. “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times” (2 Kings 5:10). Naaman had to humble himself and follow God’s way. The blessing was waiting on the other side of obedience. Sometimes God’s directions seem too simple, too ordinary, or even beneath us. But His way is still the right way.

God does not merely lead us because we are useful to Him. He loves us because it is His will to love us. “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Deuteronomy 7:7-8 reminded Israel that God’s love was not based upon their greatness, but upon His own choice to set His love upon them.

And then God takes His Word and does something with us.

The prophet Jeremiah said, “Is not My word like a fire?” (Jeremiah 23:29). The Word does not merely inform us. It searches us, shapes us, corrects us, and sends us forward. “The word of God is living and powerful” (Hebrews 4:12).

Look at the little-known words of Psalm 32:8: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.” What a picture! God does not abandon His children at the crossroads. He guides them.

But notice who walks with us.

Christ.

Jesus said, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). He is there when the road is clear and when it disappears around the bend. He is there when obedience is easy and when obedience costs us something.

That is why Revelation 2:10 says, “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

The road may be difficult. The instructions may surprise us. The journey may take us places we never expected to go.

But God leads us in His way.

God loves us according to His will.

God works through us by His Word.

And Christ is there every step of the way.

BDD

#163 CAST YOUR BURDEN ON THE LORD 9-20-26

“Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved” (Psalm 55:22).

There is a burden you were never meant to carry.

You can carry it for a day. You can carry it for a week. You can carry it until your shoulders ache and your heart is tired. But God says, “Cast your burden on the Lord.” Not manage it. Not hide it. Not pretend it isn’t there. Cast it.

CAST

“Cast your burden on the Lord.”

The word pictures something being thrown away from yourself. David does not say, “Carry your burden carefully to God.” He says, “Cast” it. Give it to Him.

Some burdens become heavier because we keep picking them back up. We pray about them, then worry about them. We surrender them, then retrieve them. We tell God we trust Him, then spend the night trying to solve what only He can handle.

“Casting all your care upon Him; for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). The reason we can cast our burdens is not because our burdens are small. It is because our God is great.

CARRIED

“He shall sustain you.”

What happens when you cast the burden? God does not simply stand there and watch you struggle. He sustains you.

The burden may not disappear immediately, but you are no longer carrying it alone. “Cast your burden on the Lord” is followed by “He shall sustain you.” The God who receives the burden gives strength to the person who releases it.

“He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength” (Isaiah 40:29). Sometimes God’s answer is not removing the weight but giving you grace underneath it.

CONSTANCY

“He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.”

This does not mean the righteous will never tremble, cry, struggle, or stumble. David himself knew all of those things. It means that God’s people will not ultimately be swept away.

The storm may shake you, but it cannot separate you from God. The night may frighten you, but it cannot cancel His faithfulness. “The Lord upholds all who fall, and raises up all who are bowed down” (Psalm 145:14).

So cast it.

Let God carry it.

And stand in His constancy.

Your burden may be bigger than you, but it is not bigger than Him.

___________________

Lord, teach me to cast every burden upon You and trust You to sustain me. Give me grace when I am weak and faith when I am afraid. Keep me from picking up again what I have placed in Your hands. Establish my heart and keep me standing in Your faithfulness. Amen

BDD

#162 EVIL HAS AN EXPIRATION DATE 9-20-26

The world can sometimes make evil look permanent. We watch injustice continue, wickedness prosper, and suffering linger, and we may begin to wonder if darkness will ever end. Revelation 20 gives us a different perspective. Evil may have its hour, but it does not have eternity. Satan may have influence, but he does not have sovereignty. Christ does.

That is one of the great comforts of Revelation 20. The chapter is filled with mysterious imagery, but beneath the imagery is a simple and powerful truth: God is in control of history, and evil has an expiration date.

SATAN IS RESTRICTED

John sees an angel come down from heaven, lay hold of the dragon, and bind him for a thousand years (Revelation 20:1-3). Whatever details we may debate about the thousand years, the message is unmistakable. Satan is not free to accomplish everything he desires. His authority is limited by God.

Jesus said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18). That changes the way we look at spiritual warfare. We are not fighting a battle between two equal powers. Satan is a defeated enemy whose final destruction is certain.

Peter warned Christians that “your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). The devil is dangerous, but he is not divine. He is an adversary, not an equal. James therefore tells us, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

The enemy has boundaries. God does not.

CHRIST IS REIGNING

Revelation 20:4 speaks of those who “lived and reigned with Christ.” The Christian hope is not built upon the idea that Jesus might someday become King. He is already King.

Peter preached that God had made Jesus “both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36). Paul declared that God “raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:20). Christ is not waiting for history to give Him His throne. History belongs to Him.

“For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet” (1 Corinthians 15:25). That is our confidence when the world looks chaotic. The throne is occupied.

We may not understand everything happening around us, but we know who sits above it all.

EVIL WILL BE REMOVED

Revelation 20 eventually brings us to the judgment of the devil. “The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone” (Revelation 20:10). The story of evil does not end with evil winning. It ends with God judging evil.

That truth reaches its beautiful climax in the next chapter. Revelation 21:4 says, “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.”

That is where history is going.

Not toward endless darkness.

Not toward the eternal triumph of evil.

Toward God.

So when you look around and wonder how much longer evil can continue, remember Revelation 20. Satan has a limit. Sin has a limit. Death has a limit. History itself has a limit.

But Christ has no limit.

His kingdom cannot be shaken (Hebrews 12:28). His word will never pass away (Matthew 24:35). His victory is certain.

Evil has an expiration date. Christ has an eternal throne. And those who belong to Him have an eternal hope.

_______________

Lord, help us to remember that evil may have its season, but it will never have the last word. Keep our eyes fixed on Christ, who reigns with all authority and whose victory is certain. Give us courage to resist the devil, faith to endure suffering, and hope when the darkness seems long. Until the day when You make all things new, help us to live faithfully, trust completely, and rejoice in the hope we have in Jesus. Amen.

BDD

#161 WHEN GOD SAYS ENOUGH 9-20-26

Nineveh had been warned.

God had been patient. God had been merciful. God had given them time.

But patience is not permission to continue in sin forever.

There comes a moment when God says enough.

The little book of Nahum is a sobering reminder that the God who saves is also the God who judges. Nineveh had once repented when Jonah preached. But generations later, Nineveh had returned to violence, pride, oppression, and wickedness. Nahum came with a message of judgment. “The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked” (Nahum 1:3).

That verse holds two truths together. God is slow to anger. God is also holy.

THE PATIENCE OF GOD

“The LORD is slow to anger” (Nahum 1:3).

What a beautiful description of God. He does not explode in anger. He does not judge impulsively. He gives sinners time to repent. “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

God’s patience is mercy. Romans 2:4 asks, “Do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?”

But there is a dangerous mistake we can make.

We can confuse patience with approval.

Because God has not judged yet does not mean God does not see. Because judgment has been delayed does not mean judgment has been cancelled. Ecclesiastes 8:11 says, “Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.”

God is patient. But God is not blind.

THE POWER OF GOD

“The LORD has His way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet” (Nahum 1:3).

Nineveh looked powerful. Its walls were impressive. Its armies were formidable. Its influence was enormous. But none of that mattered when God stood against it. “The mountains quake before Him, the hills melt, and the earth burns at His presence” (Nahum 1:5).

Human beings measure power by armies, money, buildings, influence, weapons, and numbers. God measures it differently. A nation can have everything and still have nothing if it stands against the Lord. “He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall hold them in derision” (Psalm 2:4).

That is the great lesson of Nineveh. Do not confuse earthly strength with ultimate security. The strongest wall eventually falls. The greatest kingdom eventually fades. The proudest man eventually returns to dust.

But God remains.

“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever” (Isaiah 40:8).

THE PROMISE OF GOD

Then Nahum gives us one of the sweetest verses in the entire little book. “The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him” (Nahum 1:7).

Notice the contrast. Judgment for Nineveh. Refuge for those who trust God. The same God who is terrifying to rebellion is comforting to the faithful.

God is good. Not merely powerful. Not merely righteous. Good.

He is a stronghold when trouble comes. He is a refuge when everything around us begins to shake. Psalm 46:1 says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

That is where Nahum becomes personal.

Nineveh is not merely an ancient city. It is a warning. Sin cannot continue forever without consequence. Pride cannot stand forever. Violence cannot reign forever. Wickedness cannot mock God forever. There is a day when God says enough.

But there is also a refuge.

“The LORD is good.”

So run to Him while mercy is being offered. Trust Him while the door is open. Repent while there is time.

God is patient.

God is powerful.

God is good.

And when God says enough, nothing in heaven or earth can make Him change His mind.

But until that day, His invitation still stands.

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

BDD

Livestream Preaching Times for Sunday, September 20, 2026

8:00 AM

“When the Fire is Faint”

(Jeremiah 20:7-13)

2:00 PM

“The One Who Went Looking for the Lost”

(Luke 15:1-7)

5:00 PM

“When Nobody Tells Them”

(Romans 10:13-15)

TikTok: @dewaynedunawayministries

All times CST

#160 LESS OF SELF, MORE OF CHRIST, ALL FOR GOD 9-19-26

The Christian life is not about making ourselves bigger. It is about making Christ bigger. We live in a world that constantly tells us to promote ourselves, protect ourselves, build ourselves, and put ourselves first. But Jesus calls us in another direction. He calls us to surrender. He calls us to humility. He calls us to a life where His name matters more than ours, His will matters more than ours, and His glory matters more than ours.

John the Baptist understood this when he said, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). That is more than a statement about John. It is a beautiful description of the Christian life. Christ increases. Self decreases. His voice becomes louder than our desires. His purposes become greater than our plans. His glory becomes more important than our recognition.

There is freedom in those words. We do not have to spend our lives trying to prove ourselves, defend ourselves, impress others, or build a name for ourselves. We can simply point people to Jesus. “For to me, to live is Christ” (Philippians 1:21). When self moves from the throne, Christ can take His rightful place. And when Christ takes His rightful place, life begins to find its proper order.

LESS OF SELF. Self wants control. Self wants recognition. Self wants its own way. But Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24). Self-denial is not self-destruction. It is surrender. Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). The cross teaches us that we were never meant to be our own lord.

MORE OF CHRIST. Christianity is not simply about becoming a better version of ourselves. It is about becoming more like Jesus. “For to me, to live is Christ” (Philippians 1:21). Christ becomes our example, our hope, our strength, and our life. “For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). The more we see Him, the more we desire Him. The more we know Him, the more we want to follow Him.

ALL FOR GOD. When self decreases and Christ increases, our entire life becomes an offering to God. Paul pleaded with believers to “present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1). Not part of us. Not Sunday only. Not when it is convenient. All of us. Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37).

Less of self.

More of Christ.

All for God.

That is the direction of a life surrendered to Jesus. And perhaps the greatest prayer we can pray is simply this: “Lord, take away whatever keeps me from You, fill me with Christ, and use every part of my life for Your glory.”

________________

Father, decrease self within us and increase Christ within us. Take away our pride, our selfish ambitions, our desire for recognition, and anything that keeps us from fully surrendering to You. Teach us to lay down our own will and gladly embrace Your will. Teach us to surrender when surrender is difficult, to trust when we cannot see the way, and to follow when we do not know where the road will lead. Give us hearts that love what You love and lives that reflect the character of Jesus. Let our words honor Him, our choices please Him, our hands serve others, and our feet go wherever You lead. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

BDD

#159 THE WORK OF THE CROSS 9-19-26

Everything changes at the cross. Sin meets mercy. Guilt meets forgiveness. Death meets life. “But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Galatians 6:14). The cross is not merely something we look back upon. It is the foundation of everything we are in Christ.

THE CROSS THAT SAVES. Jesus “bore our sins in His own body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24). He “was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification” (Romans 4:25). Our salvation is not built upon our goodness. It rests upon His sacrifice. “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:14). The cross tells the sinner, “There is forgiveness.” It tells the broken heart, “There is mercy.” It tells the guilty soul, “There is a way home.”

THE GRACE THAT CHANGES. Grace does not merely pardon our past. Grace teaches us how to live differently in the present. “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us” (Titus 2:11-12). Paul could say, “By the grace of God I am what I am” (1 Corinthians 15:10). Grace takes a sinner and begins making him new. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17). We are not saved so we can remain what we were. We are saved so Christ can transform what we are.

THE LOVE THAT COMPELS. Once we understand what Jesus has done, love moves us to respond. Paul wrote, “For the love of Christ compels us” (2 Corinthians 5:14). The cross creates gratitude, and gratitude creates service. “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Real love does not sit still. It reaches, gives, serves, forgives, and sacrifices. “Let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18).

The cross saves.

Grace changes.

Love compels.

Look to the cross. Receive His grace. Then let His love move you into the world with the message that changed you.

____________________

Lord, keep the cross before our eyes, Your grace within our hearts, and Your love moving through our lives. May everything we do point people toward Jesus. Amen.

BDD

#158 SEEK, TRUST AND FOLLOW 9-19-26

Life gets complicated when we put first things second. Jesus made the order clear: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). God is not asking for a corner of our lives. He calls us to give Him the center.

SEEK HIM FIRST. What we seek reveals what we value. “You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). We can seek money, recognition, pleasure, success, or security, but none of these can satisfy the soul. “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God” (Psalm 42:1). When God becomes our pursuit, everything else begins to find its proper place.

TRUST HIM FULLY. Seeking God means learning to trust God. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). We will not always understand His timing. We will not always see His purpose. We will not always know where the road leads. But we know the One who does. “Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass” (Psalm 37:5).

FOLLOW HIM FAITHFULLY. Jesus did not say, “Admire Me.” He said, “Follow Me” (Matthew 4:19). Following Christ means more than walking behind Him when the road is easy. Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24). Faithfulness is continuing when feelings change, when circumstances hurt, and when obedience costs something. “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10).

Seek Him first.

Trust Him fully.

Follow Him faithfully.

That is not merely a philosophy for living. It is a pathway for walking with Jesus.

__________________

Lord, teach us to seek You above everything else, trust You when we cannot understand, and follow You wherever You lead. Keep our hearts faithful to Christ until the end. Amen.

BDD

#157 GRACE, FAITH AND LOVE 9-19-20

We are saved by grace. We stand by faith. We serve through love. The Christian life begins with what God has done for us and continues with what His grace produces in us. “For by grace you have been saved through faith” (Ephesians 2:8). Grace is not merely God overlooking sin. Grace is God doing for us what we could never do for ourselves.

GRACE THAT SAVES. “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us” (Ephesians 2:4), reached down to people who could not save themselves. “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men” (Titus 2:11). At the cross, justice was satisfied, mercy was extended, and redemption was accomplished. “In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7).

FAITH THAT STANDS. Saving grace produces a standing faith. Paul said, “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). Faith is not merely believing that God exists. Faith trusts God enough to keep walking when the road is difficult. “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58). Storms will come. Questions will come. Temptations will come. But faith keeps its feet planted on the promises of God. “The just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17).

LOVE THAT SERVES. Grace received becomes love expressed. “Through love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13). Jesus did not merely tell us to love. He showed us how. “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 John 3:16). Love gets involved. Love carries burdens. Love forgives. Love gives. “Let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18).

Grace saves us. Faith steadies us. Love sends us.

And when grace has truly reached the heart, faith will have something worth standing for, and love will have someone worth serving.

___________________

Lord, let Your grace save us, Your truth strengthen our faith, and Your love move us to serve others. Make our lives living evidence of what Christ has done. Amen.

BDD

#156 LOVE, HOPE AND PEACE 9-19-26

Christ offers a life shaped by love, sustained by hope, and settled in peace. Love gives us direction. Hope gives us strength. Peace gives us stability. And all three find their fullest expression in Jesus Christ.

LOVE THAT LEADS. “Walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us” (Ephesians 5:2). Love is more than an emotion. Love moves. Love serves. Love sacrifices. Jesus said, “Follow Me” (Matthew 4:19), and then He showed us what that following looks like. “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). His love leads us away from selfishness and toward service, away from bitterness and toward forgiveness, away from the world and toward God.

HOPE THAT HELPS. Hope is not wishful thinking. Christian hope rests upon the promises of God. “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast” (Hebrews 6:19). When the road is difficult, hope keeps us walking. When the night is long, hope reminds us that morning is coming. “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing” (Romans 15:13). We may not know what tomorrow holds, but we know who holds tomorrow.

PEACE THAT PREVAILS. Jesus does not merely give us peace when circumstances are peaceful. He gives us peace in the middle of circumstances that are anything but peaceful. “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). And when anxiety knocks at the door, we can pray instead of panic: “Be anxious for nothing” (Philippians 4:6). Then “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).

Love leads us. Hope helps us. Peace holds us. And behind all three stands Christ.

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Lord, teach us to walk in Your love, rest in Your promises, and live in Your peace. Let Your love lead our steps, Your hope strengthen our hearts, and Your peace guard our minds. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

BDD

Livestream Preaching Times for Saturday, September 19, 2026

8:00 AM

“A Call That Will Change Your Life”

(Isaiah 6:1-8)

2:00 PM

“Knowing the Truth”

(John 8:32)

TikTok: @dewaynedunawayministries

All times CST

#155 DARE TO BE A DANIEL 9-18-26

Daniel was taken from his home, carried into a foreign land, surrounded by a foreign culture, and pressured to live by foreign values. Babylon wanted to change Daniel’s name, his education, his environment, and eventually his convictions. But there was something Babylon could not have unless Daniel surrendered it: his heart. “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself” (Daniel 1:8).

A RESOLUTE HEART

Daniel had already settled the matter in his heart before the temptation arrived. He did not wait until the moment of decision to decide what he believed. He had purposed. There is tremendous strength in a settled heart. “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58). “As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15). Faithfulness becomes much easier when conviction is settled before pressure comes.

A RIGHTEOUS LIFE.

Daniel’s faith was not merely something he talked about. It was something people could see. Years later, his enemies searched for something they could use against him, but “they could find no charge or fault, because he was faithful” (Daniel 6:4). What a testimony! His enemies could disagree with him, but they could not honestly accuse him of corruption. Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Our Christianity should survive examination.

A RELIABLE GOD

Daniel could remain faithful because Daniel knew his God. When the lions came, Daniel’s confidence was not in Daniel. His confidence was in God. The king found him alive the next morning, and Daniel declared, “My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths” (Daniel 6:22). Earlier, Daniel had said, “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His” (Daniel 2:20). Daniel’s God was bigger than Babylon, bigger than kings, bigger than laws, and bigger than lions.

Daniel 11:32 gives us one of the great descriptions of faithful people: “The people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.” Notice that it does not say people who merely know about God. They know their God.

We live in a world that still pressures God’s people to compromise. The names and circumstances have changed, but the battle has not. We need Christians with Daniel’s kind of heart: settled in conviction, righteous in character, and confident in God.

Dare to be a Daniel. Stand when standing is unpopular. Pray when prayer is inconvenient. Remain faithful when compromise would be easier. And when the world asks why you will not bend, let your life give the answer: I belong to God.

BDD

#154 THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST IS ALWAYS READY 9-18-26

“All things are ready; come to the feast.” Those words have a beautiful ring to them. The table is prepared. The invitation has gone out. The feast is waiting. The old song captured the heart of the gospel: everything necessary has been made ready by God. We are not invited to prepare the meal. We are invited to come and partake.

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). The gospel does not begin with what we can do for God. It begins with what God has done for us through Christ. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). The sacrifice has been made. The blood has been shed. Christ has been raised. The invitation stands.

I think about David’s invitation to Mephibosheth. David said, “Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of Jonathan your father” (2 Samuel 9:7). Mephibosheth had nothing to offer the king. Yet David brought him to his table. He was invited because of another. That is a wonderful picture of grace. We come to God because of Christ. We have no righteousness of our own to boast about, but we can be received because of the righteousness and sacrifice of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 3:9).

IF YOU ARE THIRSTY, COME

God still cries out to thirsty souls: “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters” (Isaiah 55:1). Jesus stood and said, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink” (John 7:37). The invitation is wonderfully simple. Thirsty? Come. Empty? Come. Weary? Come. Sin-burdened? Come. Hungry for something that this world cannot provide? Come.

The world offers plenty of drinks that never satisfy. Pleasure cannot satisfy the soul. Money cannot satisfy the soul. Recognition cannot satisfy the soul. Religion without Christ cannot satisfy the soul. Jeremiah described forsaking God as leaving “the fountain of living waters” to make broken cisterns that could hold no water (Jeremiah 2:13). We keep drinking from empty wells while Christ stands offering living water.

YOU WILL FIND SUSTENANCE

Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger” (John 6:35). Christ doesn’t merely rescue us from something. He gives us something to live on. He becomes our spiritual nourishment.

“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God” (Luke 4:4). God feeds the soul through His truth. His promises sustain us when circumstances become difficult. His presence strengthens us when we feel weak. His people encourage us when we become weary. “Those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength” (Isaiah 40:31).

Come to the table. There is sustenance here.

YOU WILL FIND STRENGTH

Some people are trying to follow Christ while attempting to live entirely on their own strength. That will eventually exhaust us. Paul learned to say, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). He also heard Christ say, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

The gospel doesn’t tell weak people to pretend they’re strong. It tells weak people where strength is found.

“Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might” (Ephesians 6:10).

YOU WILL FIND SATISFACTION

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6). There is a satisfaction in knowing God that nothing else can duplicate. Augustine famously expressed the truth that our hearts remain restless until they rest in God. The Bible says it even more simply: “My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness” (Psalm 63:5).

Christ doesn’t merely make life tolerable. He gives life meaning, purpose, hope, and fellowship with God.

YOU WILL FIND SALVATION

And here is the greatest invitation of all. “Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth!” (Isaiah 45:22). Jesus came “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). Peter declared, “Nor is there salvation in any other” (Acts 4:12).

The gospel feast is ready.

The water is flowing.

The bread is on the table.

The invitation has been sent.

Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ reigns. And Christ still says, “Come.”

“Let the one who is thirsty come. And whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17).

Don’t stand outside the feast admiring the table. Come.

There is sustenance for your hunger.

There is strength for your weakness.

There is satisfaction for your soul.

And there is salvation in Jesus Christ.

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Father, thank You for preparing everything we need in Christ. Give us humble hearts to accept Your invitation, hungry souls that desire Your righteousness, and trusting faith to come to Jesus and remain with Him. Amen.

BDD

#153 DELIVERANCE 9-18-26

We need deliverance. From sin. From self. From Satan. “He shall save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself” (Matthew 16:24). “Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Three enemies. One Savior. Jesus Christ.

DELIVERANCE FROM SIN

Sin enslaves. Sin deceives. Sin destroys. “Whoever commits sin is a slave of sin” (John 8:34). We cannot play with sin and expect freedom. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Sin promises pleasure and pays destruction. It whispers, “Just one more time.” Then it tightens the chain.

But Jesus came to break the chain. “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:36). He “gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age” (Galatians 1:4). “Our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin” (Romans 6:6).

Do not excuse sin. Do not rename sin. Do not make peace with sin. Bring it to Christ. “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19). “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

There is forgiveness. There is cleansing. There is freedom.

DELIVERANCE FROM SELF

Sin is not our only problem. Sometimes the enemy is looking back at us from the mirror.

Self wants control. Self wants praise. Self wants its way. Self wants the throne.

Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). Deny yourself. Take up your cross. Follow Jesus.

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). That is deliverance from self. Not self-improvement. Self-surrender.

“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself” (Philippians 2:3). “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5).

The answer to self is not trying harder to make self look better.

The answer is dying to self.

DELIVERANCE FROM SATAN

And behind the darkness stands a real adversary. Satan tempts. Satan lies. Satan accuses. Jesus called him “a liar and the father of it” (John 8:44).

But Satan is not our master. Christ is.

“Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). So stand. “Resist him, steadfast in the faith” (1 Peter 5:9).

Put on “the whole armor of God” (Ephesians 6:11). Take up “the shield of faith” (Ephesians 6:16). Take “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17).

Sin can be forgiven.

Self can be surrendered.

Satan can be resisted.

And Jesus can deliver.

“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love” (Colossians 1:13).

That is the gospel.

We need deliverance.

Jesus is the Deliverer.

BDD

#152 CHRIST OUR LIFE 9-18-26

There is a difference between knowing about Christ and having Christ at the center of our lives. Jesus is not simply a teacher whose words we admire, a historical figure whose story we remember, or a Savior we call upon when trouble comes. He is Lord. He is the One “through whom are all things, and through whom we live” (1 Corinthians 8:6). Paul could summarize his entire existence in these words: “For to me, to live is Christ” (Philippians 1:21). Christ was not merely part of Paul’s life. Christ was his life.

CHRIST OUR LEADER

Jesus calls us to follow Him. When He said, “Follow Me” (Matthew 4:19), He was not inviting people to add Christianity to an already established life. He was calling them to a new life under His leadership. “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24).

The world has plenty of voices telling us where to go. Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). His voice must rise above every other voice. “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27). We do not follow Christ merely when His direction agrees with ours. He is the Shepherd, and we are the sheep. “He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake” (Psalm 23:3).

To follow Christ is to trust His wisdom more than our own. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). He knows the road because He is the road. He knows where He is taking us because He has already gone before us.

CHRIST OUR LOVE

The Christian life is also a life of love because Christ first loved us. “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). The cross is the great announcement of that love: “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

His love changes the way we see everyone around us. “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you” (Matthew 5:44). That kind of love cannot be produced merely by human determination. It grows from a heart that has been captured by the love of Christ. “And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us” (Ephesians 5:2).

Christ teaches us to love when love is difficult, forgive when forgiveness is costly, serve when service is unnoticed, and bless when we receive nothing in return. “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).

CHRIST OUR LIFE

Finally, Christ is not merely our Leader and the One we love. Christ is our life. Paul wrote, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). He later said, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20).

This is the heart of Christianity. We have died to the old life and have been raised to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4). “For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). Then comes the glorious conclusion: “When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory” (Colossians 3:4).

Christ is our Leader, so we follow Him. Christ is our Love, so we love as He loved us. Christ is our Life, so we live for Him. “For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself” (Romans 14:7). Whether we live, whether we serve, whether we suffer, whether we die, we belong to Him.

May we never be content merely to have Christ somewhere in our lives. Let Him lead our steps, fill our hearts with His love, and become the very center and substance of our lives. For when Christ is our life, everything else finds its proper place.

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Lord Jesus, lead us, teach us to love as You love, and become the center of everything we are. Help us to say with Paul, “For to me, to live is Christ.” Amen.

BDD

#151 THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS OUR LIFE 9-18-26

Jesus came preaching the kingdom of God. His message was not merely about getting people through this life and into the next. He called men and women to recognize the rule and reign of God in their lives. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). He taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). The kingdom ought to matter to us because the King matters to us.

THE PRIORITY OF THE KINGDOM

Jesus made the priority unmistakably clear: “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). First means first. Before possessions, before popularity, before pleasure, before earthly ambitions, there is the kingdom of God. Jesus asked, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Mark 8:36). The world may tell us to build our lives around what can be seen, touched, purchased, and possessed, but “the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18). If the kingdom belongs to God, then it deserves first place in our hearts.

THE PURSUIT OF THE KINGDOM

The kingdom is not something we merely admire from a distance. We are called to pursue it. Jesus said, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate” (Luke 13:24). Paul told Timothy to “pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness” (1 Timothy 6:11). We pursue the kingdom when we pursue the character of the King. We seek His righteousness, obey His teaching, love His people, serve others, forgive those who hurt us, and “walk in the light as He is in the light” (1 John 1:7). Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). The kingdom is not merely a subject for Bible study. It is a life to be lived under the authority of Christ.

THE PROMISE OF THE KINGDOM

And here is the beautiful promise: the King does not call us to seek His kingdom without giving us hope. Jesus said, “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32). What a promise. The kingdom we seek is the kingdom God delights to give. Peter spoke of “an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:4). Paul said that God “has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love” (Colossians 1:13).

So let the kingdom come first in our hearts. Let us pursue it with our whole lives. And let us rest in the promise of the King. Earthly kingdoms rise and fall, crowns tarnish, possessions disappear, and human glory fades. But “the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). We belong to a kingdom that cannot be shaken (Hebrews 12:28).

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Father, help us to seek Your kingdom first, pursue righteousness faithfully, and live every day under the rule of Jesus Christ. Keep our eyes on things eternal and give us the courage to live as citizens of Your kingdom until we see our King. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

BDD