The GFC.cc Podcast

The Mother Heart of God

info@gfc.cc (Joe & Deborah Oakley) — Mon, 14 May 2012 20:17:20 +0000

“Don’t do as I do, do as I say”?

How many times have we heard this expression from others or ourselves? Well, if you want Godly children that philosophy doesn’t work. To raise Godly children, we must be Godly parents - Godly examples.

You see God never asks us to do anything He hasn’t done. He sets an example by His life (John 13:15-17). God’s heart is that we set an example for our children to follow.

the-mother-heart-of-god.mp3

Mercy Triumph

info@gfc.cc (Joe & Deborah Oakley) — Tue, 08 May 2012 21:31:51 +0000

What exactly is mercy?

We all have people in our lives who have sinned against us. In the natural we want to stay angry with them. We want to make them pay. What we fail to realize is that it’s kindness that leads to repentance, or change – not judgment.

Receiving mercy would mean, don’t throw the book at me; don’t give me the maximum sentence; go easy on me.

God wants us to love mercy for others, not just for ourselves.Mercy is greater than judgment.

mercy-triumph.mp3

Shame, Blame & Cover Ups

info@gfc.cc (Joe & Deborah Oakley) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 19:31:11 +0000

God’s original intent was that we would be totally open, honest and exposed to Him and one another with no shame. However, in some families shame is a powerful motivator. Guilt, condemnation and “shame on you” are heard constantly. The sins of the fathers just keep getting passed down.

• Culture
What’s important in our culture? Looks, money, success, intelligence. Anyone “different” is shamed – income, nationality, looks, Christians

shame-blame-cover-ups.mp3

God's Original Intent for Families

info@gfc.cc (Joe & Deborah Oakley) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 17:02:51 +0000

Most of us did not have good role models for family. And all of us were raised in dysfunctional families. There are no perfect homes. But we can learn from the way we were raised how to or how not to make our family work.

We have an enemy who does everything to try to separate us. That’s why for marriage to really work, we need God’s miraculous power.

Marriage and family have a divine origin. God created them, God designed them and God defined them. Many people are trying to redefine marriage today, but we need to know God’s definition.

gods-original-intent-for-families.mp3

Grace Based Families

info@gfc.cc (Joe & Deborah Oakley) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 19:37:25 +0000

There are no perfect spouses, no perfect parents and no perfect children.

As you listen to this message – don’t allow the enemy to bring condemnation to you in areas where you’ve failed as a spouse or parent.

But also – don’t excuse bad behavior. The goal is for all of us – single, married, divorced or widowed – to learn and grow as believers in the family of God AND our individual families.

Find out how to recognize a family or a church that is operating apart from God’s blessing.

grace-based-families.mp3

Easter Changes Everything

info@gfc.cc (Joe & Deborah Oakley) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 19:35:23 +0000

Having an understanding of the meaning of Easter is absolutely crucial – it’s essential to our eternal destiny.

Easter is not a celebration of a dead religious hero! Easter is about the Son of God who came to earth, lived a perfect life and was crucified for the sins of all mankind. He did this to restore relationship between God and man – to make a new beginning. What proves all of this? The resurrection.

Easter changed time!
Easter changed testaments!
And Easter changed testimonies!

easter-changes-everything.mp3

How To Be A Hero

info@gfc.cc (Joe & Deborah Oakley) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 18:18:53 +0000

You can be a HERO! But how? Tune in to find out.

how-to-be-a-hero.mp3

Carried To The Table

info@gfc.cc (Joe & Deborah Oakley) — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 19:25:06 +0000

We all try to change ourselves by sheer will power - but eventually we see the painful truth that we are powerless. We discover our inability to add one single inch to our spiritual stature. Our attempts to fix ourselves can end in defeat. Even our efforts to be good can end in being bad.

You see Jesus didn’t die for the super spiritual or for those that have it all together. He came for the wobbly, weak-kneed, the sick who accept His amazing gift of Grace. It’s okay if we stumble or fall…a righteous man falls seven times but rises again.

carried-to-the-table.mp3

3 Levels of Salvation

info@gfc.cc (Joe & Deborah Oakley) — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 16:53:06 +0000

Salvation is past, present and future. 2 Corinthians 1:10 reads, "(For it is He) Who rescued and saved us from such a perilous death, and He will still rescue and save us; and on Him we have set our hope that He will again deliver us."

God wants to save us – spirit, soul and body! Some of us are saved spiritually, but not mentally or emotionally. If you are going to live like you’re saved, you must first think saved thoughts.

3-levels-of-salvation.mp3

Take Out The Trash

info@gfc.cc (Joe & Deborah Oakley) — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 22:48:03 +0000

Hoarders are very selfish people. They care about things more than people. This is proven by the fact that many hoarders are cut off from their families and their lives consist of an overabundance of possessions! The same happens to us spiritually.

If we continue to live in a "junk filled" home of sin, we are not only damaging ourselves, but others. We need to allow God to clean out our lives so we can live holy lives.

If we are going to accelerate our spiritual growth – we must let go of anything that weighs us down and holds us back.

take-out-the-trash.mp3

Ambidextrous Warrior

info@gfc.cc (Joe & Deborah Oakley) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:29:45 +0000

Are you able to fight & defend your life and the life of your family - with both hands?

ambidextrous-warrior.mp3

Failing Foward

info@gfc.cc (Joe & Deborah Oakley) — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 02:20:46 +0000

Failure can make you bitter or better, wrong or strong, a martyr or smarter. Failure can make you grow up or give up, depending on how you respond to it. Failure is unavoidable. We all fail.

John Maxwell says, “To learn from failures, you’ve got to be big enough to admit them, smart enough to learn from them, and strong enough to correct them.”

failing-foward.mp3

Accelerate Together

info@gfc.cc (Joe & Deborah Oakley) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 21:07:55 +0000

If there was any group that accelerated together, it was the early church in the book of Acts...They opened their hearts, hands and homes. The reason the early church was able to open their hearts, hands and homes was because they devoted themselves to each other.

accelerate-together.mp3

Sharing Your Faith

info@gfc.cc (Joe & Deborah Oakley) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:25:45 +0000

Selfishness is all right in a baby, but for those of us seeking to mature in Christ, it’s a childish trait that we need to get rid of. How do we do that?

When we think of sharing our faith, we usually think of witnessing to unbelievers. But something comes before that. Jesus said in John 13:34-35, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

sharing-your-faith.mp3

Getting To Know God

info@gfc.cc (Joe & Deborah Oakley) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 17:35:05 +0000

The most important thing about you is what you believe about God! That belief impacts every other area of your life on earth AND more importantly, your eternal destiny.

Knowing about someone is information. Knowing someone is about relationship.

Some people relate easily to God as father because they had loving parents. Regardless of how your father treated you, God is the perfect loving Father and no earthly father can love us like Him. With the wrong concept of God – you will end up shipwrecked in your faith. It’s important to have the right concept of God!

getting-to-know-god.mp3

A Worship Warrior

info@gfc.cc (Joe & Deborah Oakley) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:01:05 +0000

Hear how David responded to his men bringing him an offering. You may be surprised!

a-worship-warrior.mp3

Becoming A History Maker

info@gfc.cc (Joe & Deborah Oakley) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 21:48:53 +0000

- His prayer is considered one of the most significant prayers in the history of Israel and it stands forever as a testament to the power of prayer to change the course of history.

- No one could have anticipated what was to happen during the next three momentous days. Just 24 hours after the call to prayer, Adolf Hitler inexplicably ordered his armies to halt, to the surprise and dismay of even his own generals.

Who are these history makers? Find out for yourself by hearing this challenging message.

becoming-a-history-maker.mp3

The Presence Driven Life

info@gfc.cc (Joe & Deborah Oakley) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 22:14:59 +0000

Is your life driven by the presence of God or by other things: such as your family or friends, your job, your circumstances, your finances, your fears, or your failures?

It’s easy to get our focus on people, or emotions or mistakes we’ve made but they won’t speed up or accelerate our Christian life. Only the presence of God will accelerate our lives. Perhaps no one understood this more than Moses. In Exodus 33:15 Moses said to God: “If your presence doesn’t go with us, don’t send us up from here.”

the-presence-driven-life.mp3

Dare To Dream

info@gfc.cc (Joe & Deborah Oakley) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 21:46:58 +0000

Martin Luther King’s most famous speech is called I Have a Dream. In that speech he laid out his vision for an America he dreamed of. That dream motivated a generation to make major changes and fight injustice. That dream gave people the strength to endure beatings and prison. Many people – including Martin Luther King – gave their lives for that dream.

In fact he once said, “If a man hasn’t discovered something that he will die for, he isn’t fit to live.”

dare-to-dream.mp3

Accerlerating Your Spiritual Growth

info@gfc.cc (Joe & Deborah Oakley) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 21:40:40 +0000

There are no shortcuts to spiritual growth! There’s work to be done! To grow strong physically – we need proper nutrition, proper rest and proper exercise. And the same for us spiritually. Too many of us are waiting for God to do something when we are not even doing the things we know to do.

James 1:22 - Be doers of the word, and not hearers only.

accelerating-your-spiritual-growth.mp3

Run With The Horses

info@gfc.cc (Joe & Deborah Oakley) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 20:22:21 +0000

God never said life would be easy! Sometimes things go smoothly and sometimes things can be rough! Too many Christians get sidetracked by the tough times in life. But the Bible repeatedly warns us about them.

1 Peter 4:12 says, "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you."

run-with-the-horses.mp3

What Happened In Bethlehem Didn't Stay In Bethlehem

info@gfc.cc (Joe & Deborah Oakley) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 17:06:39 +0000

Aren't you glad to know that what Jesus did over 2000 years ago in Bethlehem didn't stay in Bethlehem? Aren't you glad that the miracles Jesus performed didn't stay in that time or moment? Aren't you glad that Jesus didn't stay on the cross or in the grave? Aren't you glad what the disciples experienced wasn't for the disciples alone? Jesus is the gift to all mankind that came to earth thousands of years ago and He is still available to you - today. Aren't you glad?

what-happened-in-bethlehem-didnt-stay-in-bethlehem.mp3

Giving God Our Whole Lives

info@gfc.cc (Joe & Deborah Oakley) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 03:19:27 +0000

How do we go from taking control of our lives to giving control of our lives to God? How do we go from thinking of ourselves to thinking of others? How do we go from wanting our way to delighting in God’s ways? How do we go from holding on to letting go?

giving-god-our-whole-lives.mp3

Giving God Our Worship

info@gfc.cc (Joe & Deborah Oakley) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 01:58:28 +0000

God loves it when you worship during the good times – but there’s something about worshipping in the tough times that makes it more valuable! We must approach God in faith.

Become aware of His presence in His creation - a sunrise or sunset, stars, mountains, rivers. Become aware of God in His people. Become aware of God in creation and begin to praise Him for it. Develop the habit of drawing near to God. When we do - James 4:8 promises us that God will draw near you.

We must diligently seek Him. He will reward those who diligently seek Him. What’s the reward? HIM!

giving-god-our-worship.mp3

What God Wants For Christmas

info@gfc.cc (Joe & Deborah Oakley) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 20:16:48 +0000

The wise men did not give small trinkets; the Bible said they gave their treasure. They gave their best. They gave to Jesus gold, frankincense and myrrh. And we can give those same three things: We can give Him our gold – our wealth; Our frankincense – our worship; Our myrrh – our whole lives.

The Bible promises that when you put God first – you will be blessed. Blessing follows giving. God’s principle is give to Him first and you will receive.

what-god-wants-for-christmas.mp3