[SPEAKER_00]: Christian parenting.

[SPEAKER_00]: As Christian parents, you want to be praying for your kids, but knowing what to pray can be hard.

[SPEAKER_00]: That's why Christian parenting created a great cloud of witnesses prayer journal, to help busy parents like you intentionally pray for your child and their faith all year long.

[SPEAKER_00]: This weekly journal walks through the lives of faithful men and women in scripture, like Abraham, Sarah, Moses, and Rehab, who trusted an extraordinary God.

[SPEAKER_00]: It helps you pray boldly for your kids to follow in their footsteps, grow and character deepen their faith and trust God's plan.

[SPEAKER_00]: I love this journal because it takes examples of men and women of the scripture.

[SPEAKER_00]: The same men and women we have learned about through the episodes of this podcast and gives you practical ways to pray over your children standing on truths from these examples in scripture.

[SPEAKER_00]: Visit cpgive.org and use code cloud to get your special podcast listener discount.

[SPEAKER_00]: That's cpgive.org code cloud.

[SPEAKER_00]: Hello and welcome to the True Seeker's podcast.

[SPEAKER_00]: A True Seeker is someone who wants to know the truth.

[SPEAKER_00]: They search for what's true and they won't rest until they find it.

[SPEAKER_00]: I am a True Seeker and if you are to then you come to the right place where we will search for truth each week in the stories of the Bible.

[SPEAKER_00]: Well, hello, true seekers.

[SPEAKER_00]: It is time for us to continue where we left off in our journey through the life of Jesus.

[SPEAKER_00]: We have arrived at the final week before Jesus' death and resurrection.

[SPEAKER_00]: In our last episode, we learned how Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem and riding on a donkey as the crowds of Israelites cheered for him and shouted Hosanna.

[SPEAKER_00]: They did not know that in just a short while many of them would turn on Jesus and begin shouting crucify Him.

[SPEAKER_00]: But that's another story.

[SPEAKER_00]: In today's episode, after entering the city of Jerusalem, Jesus heads towards the temple.

[SPEAKER_00]: If you go back to our Old Testament podcast episodes on the temple, you will remember what a special place the temple was.

[SPEAKER_00]: It was to be the house of God, the dwelling place of God among His people, where they were to meet with Him, offer their sacrifices and worship Him.

[SPEAKER_00]: Jesus knew that the temple was His Father's house, and so that is where He headed.

[SPEAKER_00]: What happens next?

[SPEAKER_00]: Surprised the disciples and all those who were near.

[SPEAKER_00]: What happened you ask?

[SPEAKER_00]: Let's see what Jesus did when he entered the temple after his triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

[SPEAKER_00]: And so, after writing into Jerusalem on a donkey, Jesus entered the temple courts.

[SPEAKER_00]: And upon arriving at the temple courts, Jesus heard strange sounds, sounds that were not normal to the temple.

[SPEAKER_00]: Instead of prayer and worship, He heard shouting and money being exchanged.

[SPEAKER_00]: He heard animals and voices.

[SPEAKER_00]: He was chaotic and loud and noisy.

[SPEAKER_00]: not the kind of atmosphere where you would expect people to be praying and worshiping God.

[SPEAKER_00]: As Jesus entered the outer courts of the temple, He saw many changers exchanging money with those who had traveled from other nations.

[SPEAKER_00]: The money changers were exchanging their foreign money for local money.

[SPEAKER_00]: so that the foreigners could purchase animals to sacrifice at the temple.

[SPEAKER_00]: He saw animals for sale.

[SPEAKER_00]: He saw people buying and selling.

[SPEAKER_00]: It was a marketplace right there in the outer courts of the temple.

[SPEAKER_00]: When Jesus saw this, He became indignant.

[SPEAKER_00]: This was not right.

[SPEAKER_00]: Buying, selling, making a profit, all of that was to be done outside of the temple.

[SPEAKER_00]: not in the courts that was to be a place of prayer and worship unto Yahweh the one true and living God.

[SPEAKER_00]: Suddenly, Jesus began driving out all who were buying and selling there.

[SPEAKER_00]: He overturned the tables of the money changers and threw over the benches of those selling dubs and in a loud voice he turned to them and said, it is written.

[SPEAKER_00]: My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers.

[SPEAKER_00]: For Jesus knew that not only were buying and selling going on, but there were people there who were trying to steal and rob and cheat people out of their money.

[SPEAKER_00]: After Jesus had restored order and prayer and worship in the outer courts, the blind and the lame came to him at the temple and he healed them.

[SPEAKER_00]: But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did, and when they heard the children shouting in the temple courts, Hosanna to the son of David, they were angry.

[SPEAKER_00]: Do you hear what these children are saying?

[SPEAKER_00]: They asked him, yes, replied Jesus.

[SPEAKER_00]: Have you never read from the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise and He left them and went out of the city to Bethany where He spent the night.

[SPEAKER_00]: Dear two seekers, what truth do we find in this story of Jesus in the temple?

[SPEAKER_00]: Do you remember when we learned about the temple of God and how God chose to come and live among his people here on earth?

[SPEAKER_00]: Do you remember that when God's presence filled the temple, King Solomon and all who were there bowed and worshiped at the glory and awe and wonder of God's presence?

[SPEAKER_00]: This is why Jesus was so deeply upset at what they had done to the temple.

[SPEAKER_00]: It wasn't just the temple.

[SPEAKER_00]: It was God's house.

[SPEAKER_00]: They had turned God's house into a place for making money instead of what it was meant to be.

[SPEAKER_00]: A place to meet with God.

[SPEAKER_00]: The Bible says that now we are the temple of the Holy Spirit.

[SPEAKER_00]: We don't have to go to a temple anymore to find the presence of God because He lives inside of you and me.

[SPEAKER_00]: When you ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, and when you surrender your whole life to Him in faith, He sends His Holy Spirit to make His home inside of you.

[SPEAKER_00]: To be your best friend, to talk with you, to walk with you, to live with you every day.

[SPEAKER_00]: When Jesus comes to live inside of us, He does some cleaning out there too, just like He did in the temple.

[SPEAKER_00]: Are there places in your heart that need cleansing?

[SPEAKER_00]: Are there places in your heart where you have not let Jesus in, but instead you have allowed sin to rule?

[SPEAKER_00]: Jesus is ready by the power of the Holy Spirit to cleanse you, to clean up the sin in your heart, the sinful thoughts and the sinful actions.

[SPEAKER_00]: He wants to cleanse it all, to wash you minus snow, and to set up home inside of you so that you can talk to him, pray to him, worship him, morning, noon, and night.

[SPEAKER_00]: We must be reverent and respectful to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

[SPEAKER_00]: We must surrender to it and allow him to change us and transform us to look more like Jesus.

[SPEAKER_00]: There's so much peace that comes when we give our hearts fully over to Jesus to do what He will.

[SPEAKER_00]: He will then bring His joy, His peace, His love, His hope, and His righteousness to be permanent fixtures in our hearts.

[SPEAKER_00]: If you'd like to read today's story in your Bible, you can find it in Matthew chapter, twenty-one verses twelve through seventeen.

[SPEAKER_00]: Let me pray with you before we go.

[SPEAKER_00]: Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you that you have given us the Holy Spirit to come and live inside of us so that we can carry your presence with us everywhere we go.

[SPEAKER_00]: I ask that Holy Spirit, you would shine a light on the dark places in my heart that still need to be cleansed.

[SPEAKER_00]: Turn over the tables in my heart so that I can be a place of prayer where your presence lives with nothing that gets in the way.

[SPEAKER_00]: You have my full heart, my whole life, and I will serve you for the rest of my days.

[SPEAKER_00]: I love you Jesus.

[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you for all you have done for me.

[SPEAKER_00]: In your name I pray.

[SPEAKER_00]: Amen.

[SPEAKER_00]: All right, it is time to catch up on some reviews.

[SPEAKER_00]: So I'd like to read this first review.

[SPEAKER_00]: It says, thank you for sharing the gift God gave you of teaching his word.

[SPEAKER_00]: My name is treasure and I have three children ages five, three and two.

[SPEAKER_00]: We listen together during breakfast and I'm so thankful to see my kids excitement about God's word.

[SPEAKER_00]: But I love that.

[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you so much treasure.

[SPEAKER_00]: Alright, this next review says, my name is Kennedy and I'm ten years old from North Carolina.

[SPEAKER_00]: I love your podcast so so so much.

[SPEAKER_00]: All the episodes are so good.

[SPEAKER_00]: I can't pick a favorite.

[SPEAKER_00]: I listen to it every night.

[SPEAKER_00]: Your podcast is the second podcast.

[SPEAKER_00]: I've listened to you and so far it's the best.

[SPEAKER_00]: You help me to learn more about Jesus in these hard times.

[SPEAKER_00]: Your calming voice really helps me to fall asleep at night.

[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you for making this podcast.

[SPEAKER_00]: I would give you infinity stars.

[SPEAKER_00]: Well, thank you Kennedy for the infinity stars.

[SPEAKER_00]: And I just pray that you come to learn more and more and more about Jesus every day and that he continues just to bless you and draw you close to him.

[SPEAKER_00]: Alright, this next review says hi, this is Lila.

[SPEAKER_00]: She says, I'm sorry, I keep sending reviews, but I forgot your email and wanted to talk to you about something if it's okay with my parents.

[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you again and God bless you.

[SPEAKER_00]: Will Lila, you can email me at SherylinR Grant at gmail.com.

[SPEAKER_00]: That's S-H-E-R-I-L-Y-N-R-G-R-A-N-T-Gmail.com if it's okay with your parents.

[SPEAKER_00]: Alright, this next review says, the podcast tells me to get to know the Bible better.

[SPEAKER_00]: I am from Gainesville, Georgia, and I go to church Sundays and Wednesday.

[SPEAKER_00]: Well, I love that.

[SPEAKER_00]: I don't have a name there.

[SPEAKER_00]: It just says, tuck, tuck, tuck, tuck.

[SPEAKER_00]: So thank you so much for that review.

[SPEAKER_00]: Alright, this next one says my name is Teagan, and I am six years old.

[SPEAKER_00]: I listen to your podcast every day.

[SPEAKER_00]: You haven't spared me to start a podcast of my own.

[SPEAKER_00]: My favorite episode is about Ruth and Naomi.

[SPEAKER_00]: Well, I love that so much.

[SPEAKER_00]: Look out world, we've got another podcast or coming up.

[SPEAKER_00]: Tegan, remember that name.

[SPEAKER_00]: Tegan's podcast is coming soon.

[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you so much for that sweet review.

[SPEAKER_00]: Alright, I've got some super sweet voice messages that came in, so I'm gonna share them for you now.

[SPEAKER_02]: We love your podcast, Sharon Lane, and it's really good because I want to learn about the Bible.

[SPEAKER_02]: My name is Sophia, and I'm seven.

[SPEAKER_01]: Hi, my name is Sammy and I'm non-usuald and I really like your podcast and my favorite Bible stories are Noah's Ark and David and Go Life and your podcast supports me and it helps me learn stuff really well and I never just want [SPEAKER_01]: Well, I just, it's just super helpful for me to relax and sleep.

[SPEAKER_03]: My name's Nevada, and I'm a four-year-old, and I talk about this, a podcast, and I've take a sleep, and I flip with mommy.

[SPEAKER_00]: All right, man, those were amazing.

[SPEAKER_00]: I don't want to say your name is wrong, but I believe that was Sophia, Sammy, and Sebastian.

[SPEAKER_00]: So thank you guys for that voice message that you left.

[SPEAKER_00]: It was so precious.

[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you for sharing with me how the podcast is blessing you and thank you for listening.

[SPEAKER_00]: Alright everyone, if you have not left a review in iTunes, if that's where you listen through Apple or iTunes, if you have not left a review and you are being blessed by the podcast, it would be so great if you could go into iTunes, into the podcast app and give that five-star review and leave a message there.

[SPEAKER_00]: I love reading them, I love getting them.

[SPEAKER_00]: but it also helps the podcast to be found by others who have not found it yet.

[SPEAKER_00]: So thank you so much for all of your support for listening.

[SPEAKER_00]: You can also support the podcast over on Patreon, patreon.com, forward slash Cheryl and our Grant.

[SPEAKER_00]: All right, everyone.

[SPEAKER_00]: I look forward to our time together.

[SPEAKER_00]: Next week.

[UNKNOWN]: you