Live Free with Josh Howerton - No Holding Back | Ep. 226 | Monday, December 18, 2023

Episode Date: December 18, 2023

Join us this week as we talk through Isaiah 9:6 and what it tells us about the character of Jesus. He is our Wonderful Counselor and wants us to draw near to Him daily. He welcomes our every thought and concern, offering a listening ear because He cares deeply for us. Don’t hold back with Jesus. For more information, visit lakepointe.church/dailydrive

Thanks for tuning in to today's daily drive with Lake Point Church, a daily dose of God's Word for your morning drive. When the word, not the world, becomes the majority of your week, your life will start to change. For that reason, our prayer is that God will speak to you through today's devotional. This Christmas, we want to invite you and your family to join us for our candlelight services on December 22nd through 24th at any of our six locations. or for church online. For more information, visit latepoint.com. Church slash daily drive.

And now, let's dive in to today's devotional. Hey, what is up, everybody? This is it. It is Christmas week. And, man, I was so excited to drive around looking at lights while listening to Christmas music. I can't wait to eat some star-shaped sugar cookies and watch little kids open presents

and hang with family and worship multiple times with the church singing joy to the world the Lord has come, and I love, love, love this week. So I thought that before we all get lost in the busyness, that we ought to take some time each day this week and focus on the one who came down to bring us hope and bring us eternal life. He really is, as the angels told the shepherds, good news for all people that causes great joy. And I thought we would use an ancient prophecy about the coming of Jesus, the promised Savior, to unpack just a few minutes every day, just who he is.

This comes from the Old Testament book of Isaiah. It's a prophecy written about the coming of Jesus about 700 years prior to his birth. And it says this, Isaiah 9, verse 6. For to us a child is born. To us a son is given. And the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called wonderful counselor,

mighty God, everlasting father, the prince of peace. So I'd like to take one of those amazing titles each day and focus in on who Jesus is. So let's just start with the first one that I personally and so many of you have found to be true. He is a wonderful counselor. We spent all last week talking about going through tough times and how God is working behind the scenes to bring about good things in us, no matter what we might be going through. And honestly, some of us are going through some tough times right now. and to hear that Jesus is a wonderful counselor lets us know that there is just someone so much wiser than us

that we can talk to. You know, a counselor just means trusted advisor. Counselor means someone who is by your side to guide you and direct you and help you figure out next steps, what you're going to do. And what's cool about this particular counselor, he's not only free, but he's always available 24-7 at all hours of the day or night. It says this in James chapter 4 verse 8.

Draw close to God and he will draw close to you. Draw close to God and he will draw close to you. And as we draw close to him, we find several things to be true about this counselor. First of all, he is such a great listener. I have a good buddy who recently got hearing aids and his wife was complaining the other day saying, you know what he does? You know what he does?

As soon as he gets home from work, The first thing he does, he takes his hearing aids out. And I laughed and said, well, maybe that's because he's heard enough. And she said, I don't think he even has a hearing problem. I think he has a listening problem. And that may be true with most of us men. But I love the way Jesus moved among people. And he gave them total focused attention.

And oftentimes he was right in the middle of a crowd, but he treated them like they were the only one who mattered in that moment. And gang, when we come to him, he does that with you and me. I used to think as a little kid, how in the world can he listen to me? At the same time, he's listening to like a billion other people. I mean, how does he do that? It amazes me then. It amazes me now.

And that's what makes him not just a counselor, but a wonderful counselor. He gives focused and full attention every time we draw close, and he really, really listens. And you know what else? You can tell him anything. If you never have y'all to read through the Psalms, David just pours out his heart to God with such raw honesty, just like he's sitting in the counselor's office,

just venting and spewing as he's bringing up stuff from deep within him. And any counselor would tell you, in order for healing to begin, you have to be honest. You can't hold back. And maybe it's time for you to stop holding back with God, Just let it out. Tell him everything. Search the depths of your emotion and just talk, vent, rant, pour it out.

He is a great listener, and he won't be shocked by anything you have to say because he already knows. I mean, you can and you should. Tell him anything and everything. And when you do, you'll find a third thing about this wonderful counselor. He is compassionate and empathetic. He cares. And he totally gets it. Jesus wrapped himself in our skin and he walked this planet.

He endured everything this world throws at you and me, so he knows. He experienced the pain. He experienced the frustration. He can relate. He is a down-the-earth kind of God. Hebrews 414 tells us that he went through everything that we do. Even though he didn't cave into them, he still had to wrestle with every same temptation that we wrestle with.

Like those commercials on TV say, which I love, he gets us. He gets us. The most effective counselors are those who have been through stuff. In fact, all of us can become those wounded healers by using our story to help other people. And when you're talking about a wounded healer, Jesus is a wonderfully wounded counselor. So this Christmas season, or how about today? How about right now? Draw close to him.

And he'll draw close to you. He's been waiting for some of us to do that for a long. time. So why not make today that day? And you can tell him anything. He'll listen to you with focused attention, like it's only you and him. He will listen with a heart of compassion and empathy, and you can trust his wisdom 100% of the time. So draw close. He's a wonderful counselor. Have a great day, and we'll see you back tomorrow. Thanks for tuning in today. For more biblical teaching and worship, join us for our church online live weekend services. on Saturdays at 6 p.m.

and Sundays at 9.30 and 11 a.m. Central Standard Time. Also, if this podcast was helpful to you, would you be sure to rate, review, and share this podcast to help get the word out? For more information about all digital ministries of Lake Point, visit lakepoint.compt.com.