Sinopsis
Under the leadership and dynamic preaching of Dr. James Merritt, Touching Lives exists to touch the lives of the lost and enrich the faith of the found. Our goal is to present the eternal, never-changing Gospel of Jesus Christ to all who would hear and pray for the Holy Spirit to move mightily among His people.Touching Lives is currently broadcast in all 50 states and in over 140 countries around the world. All sermons, articles, and other content is made available through various digital media formats on the web. Literally millions of people have been affected through the ministry of Touching Lives with thousands responding to the Gospel of Jesus for the very first time.
Episodios
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Bring The Umbrella
13/04/2025 Duración: 46minIt is the worst drought in biblical history: for 3½ years, 42 months, 1,278 days, 30,660 hours without a single drop of rain. Imagine that for a moment. The stench of death from countless animal carcasses, every day dreading the immense thirst. It’s safe to say if you were in the umbrella business you went out of business. Even to this day with all of our technological advancement, all of our increase in knowledge, and all of our financial resources and education, we know (whether we admit it or not) that only God can get us out of drought. Through one of the most famous prophets in the Old Testament, you see how you, too, can live the God life—a life that is pure, powerful, and prayerful. You can see God work in your family, at work, and in your future because the secret to a powerful life is a prayerful life.
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Whose Side Are You On?
06/04/2025 Duración: 43minA six-year-old boy gets unexpectedly recruited to help seat guests at a wedding. After a quick explanation of what he’s to do, he confidently responds, “Oh yeah, I got this, Pop. That’s easy.” When the first guests arrive, this boy offered his arm and said, “Now, Ma’am, whose side are you on?” That simple question—"Whose side are you on?"—cuts straight to the heart of the spiritual battle you face every day. It’s not between the bride and groom but between the true God and countless false gods demanding your allegiance. We’re studying Elijah—known as one of the greatest prophets in history. But he was also a human just like you, and that means you can live the same God life that he did. He faced profound opposition. In today's culture, choosing God's side often makes you public enemy number one. Stand on biblical truth and you'll be labeled bigoted, ignorant, and intolerant. Your choice is clear: Go along to get along, or stand alone and face rejection. One of these choices helps you live the good life; the o
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Never Doubt God
30/03/2025 Duración: 45minEver find yourself staring at the ceiling at 3 AM, whispering desperate questions like, "God, where are you?" "Do you even care about me?" "Are my prayers hitting the ceiling and bouncing back?" If so, you’re following the footsteps of spiritual giants. In 1 Kings 17, the great prophet Elijah barely survives after a powerful showdown with false prophets, idolaters, and a wicked king and queen. Alone and desperate at the bank of a small brook, receiving food from scavenging ravens, Elijah looks doubt in the eye. Maybe you’ve followed God and lived according to His Word, but the economy crashes, you lose your job, or the marriage ends. What do you hold on to when doubt feels stronger than belief? Watch how Elijah walks through the valley of despair to the other side of doubt, remembering one timeless truth: If you trust and obey, God clears the way. As you trust God, you discover His promise, provision, providence, and power.
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Life Begins Here
23/03/2025 Duración: 49minIf you say that someone is "living the good life," you mean they're living in comfort and luxury with few problems or worries. The good life is what our culture celebrates—financial success, personal comfort, and freedom from hardship. But there's something far greater, far more fulfilling, and far more enduring than the good life—it's "The God Life." God wants you to experience the good life by living the God life. It's life lived in the intimate presence of God, made possible through the supernatural power of God, all for the magnificent praise of God. The God life ignites when you're accomplishing the divine purpose God created you for, reflecting His glory in everything you do, and offering His goodness to a broken world that desperately needs it. How do you enter the God life? Learn from a man by the name of Elijah.
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Built To Last
16/03/2025 Duración: 45minA breathtaking subdivision in British Columbia, known as the Seawatch development, was designed to be a luxurious paradise. The homes, valued at over a million dollars, overlooked pristine waters, but when winter came, disaster struck. Houses collapsed into sinkholes because they had been built on unstable ground. This tragic event illustrates a powerful truth Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount: a life built on a faulty foundation will not stand. As Jesus concludes His sermon, He tells the parable of two builders—one wise, one foolish. Both build houses, both face storms, but only one house remains. This lesson is not just about building homes but about building lives.
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Don’t Kid Yourself
09/03/2025 Duración: 47minHave you ever heard of the “placebo effect?” It occurs when someone experiences improvement in their condition simply because they believe they are receiving treatment, even though the treatment itself has no real benefit. This psychological phenomenon is harmless when it comes to medicine, but when it comes to faith, self-deception can have eternal consequences. Jesus warns that not everyone who calls Him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven. Many people claim to follow Jesus, but their relationship with Him is based on words rather than obedience. As Jesus closes His Sermon on the Mount, He delivers one of the most chilling statements in the Bible—a warning to those who think they are saved but are not.
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Counterfeit Prophets
02/03/2025 Duración: 46minOver the course of human history, countless sermons have been preached, but the greatest sermon of all was delivered by the greatest preacher—Jesus Christ. His Sermon on the Mount was revolutionary, challenging the cultural and religious expectations of His listeners. As Jesus nears the conclusion of His sermon, He issues a stark warning about a danger that has plagued the church from the beginning—false prophets. Unlike external threats, this danger arises from within the church. Satan attacks both from the outside through persecution and from the inside through deception. Jesus calls His followers to be on high alert, for these counterfeit prophets masquerade as true messengers of God while leading people away from the truth.
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How Do You Get To Heaven?
23/02/2025 Duración: 44minDr. Billy Graham once told a story about asking a young boy for directions to the post office. After the boy explained the way, Dr. Graham invited him to his crusade, saying, “If you come tonight, I’ll tell you how to get to heaven.” The boy replied, “No, I don’t think I want to do that.” When Dr. Graham asked why, the boy said, “How are you going to tell me how to get to heaven when you can’t even find the post office?” Many people assume they are going to heaven simply because they die. For every one person in America who believes they’re going to hell, 120 believe they’re going to heaven. But Jesus makes it clear in Matthew 7:13-14 that there are two gates, two roads, two groups, and two destinations. God gives everyone the right of way to heaven, but only if they choose the right way.
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Keep On Keeping On
16/02/2025 Duración: 47minThere was a five-year-old girl watching her mother apply cold cream to her face. Curious, she asked, “Mother, why do you do that?” The mother replied, “To make myself beautiful.” Moments later, when the mother wiped the cream off, the girl exclaimed, “What’s the matter? Giving up already?” Just like that little girl’s humorous observation, we often approach prayer with the same mindset—giving up too soon. Have you ever felt like giving up on God? Have you ever prayed and felt like your prayers made no difference? In this message, we’re going to see Jesus give an encouraging, definitive teaching on prayer, reminding us that if we belong to God’s family, He hears and answers our prayers. The key is perseverance. Never give up on the God who will never give up on you. Jesus teaches us four key principles about prayer.
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Don't Rush To Judgement
09/02/2025 Duración: 44minIf we are truly going to follow Jesus, we must accept that we will be different from the world. Nowhere is that more evident than in Matthew 7, where we encounter one of the most misunderstood, misused, and misapplied verses in the Bible: “Judge not, that you be not judged” (Matthew 7:1). This verse has become a cultural slogan, often quoted by people who reject or ridicule the Bible. Even among Christians, the idea that judging is wrong has gained traction, particularly among younger believers. However, Jesus' teaching is not about avoiding judgment altogether but about judging rightly. His message is simple: make sure your heart is right before you call out what is wrong.
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The Domino Effect
02/02/2025 Duración: 44minThere is a principle that applies to business, physics, and life—it’s called “The Domino Effect.” This principle describes how one event can set off a chain reaction of related events. A great example of this is the atomic bomb, where one atom splitting causes an unstoppable chain reaction. The same concept applies spiritually. In The Sermon on the Mount, Jesus describes a spiritual domino effect that can transform our lives if we start with the right "first domino." Many people place financial success, personal happiness, fame, or power as their first priority, but Jesus tells us that the first domino should be this: “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33).
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Prayer 301
26/01/2025 Duración: 41minAs we’ve seen in the last two messages in this series on prayer, the first part of prayer focuses on God and His glory. Today, we’re going to see how the second part of prayer focuses on us and our good. We're told specifically that we ought to ask God for three things when we pray, and those three things deal with the three biggest needs in our lives. The first deals with our physical needs, the second deals with our emotional needs, and the last deals with our spiritual needs. The first thing we ask for deals with our present. The second thing we ask for deals with our past, and the third thing we ask for deals with our future. Let’s dive into what this looks like practically in our own prayers.
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Prayer 201
19/01/2025 Duración: 43minAs we continue our three-week series on prayer, we’re going to find that the key to effective prayer is found in four words: focus on the Father. In today’s message, we’ll discuss the two steps we need to take to pray this kind of Father-focused prayer.
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Prayer 101
12/01/2025 Duración: 38minIn this message, we’re going to take a class called Prayer 101 where we are going to learn the basics of prayer from Jesus Himself. We’ll see that prayer is not something we do to get what we want from God but to get what God wants for us. To put it simply - wrong prayer is a waste of time, but right prayer is worth the time. With this in mind, let’s dive in and see what Jesus wants to teach us in Prayer 101.
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Perfect Love
05/01/2025 Duración: 38minIn today’s message, we are going to learn that perfect love loves everyone perfectly, even the most unlovable. If you are to love others the way God loves others (and the way God loves you), you are going to have to take some very radical steps.
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Over And Above
29/12/2024 Duración: 43minIf you're going to follow Jesus, you're going to have to live a second-mile life. I will tell you right now it's not a popular mile. If you walk this mile, you'll be in the minority. If you walk this mile, it will tax you and test you and try you like no other mile you'll ever walk. But if you do walk this mile, which is over and above what everybody else walks, it will lead you to the greatest joy, the most fulfilling achievements, the finest rewards, and the approval of your Heavenly Father. It's a higher road. It is a tougher road, but it is the better road.
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Christmas To The Rescue
22/12/2024 Duración: 30minWe’ve all had to put on a brave face at some point in our lives when we received a Christmas gift that wasn’t exactly what we wanted. But then, we’ve all received those perfect gifts too: the ones that show someone really saw us, really knew what we needed. In a way, these gifts remind us of the perfect gift that all of humanity received in Jesus—a gift prepared for us personally and purposefully. Today, let’s look deeper at our Savior, our greatest gift, as we reflect on Luke 2:11.
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Comfort Zone
15/12/2024 Duración: 44minAs Christmas approaches, it’s easy to feel surrounded by cheer— festive songs, colorful lights, and gatherings with loved ones. But for many, this season is far from “the most wonderful time of the year.” Studies show a majority of Americans feel loneliness and sadness during the holidays, and the post-Thanksgiving Monday is a peak day for appointments related to anxiety and depression. In this series, we’re learning how Christmas can bring comfort amid the hardships of life. The message of Christmas is not just joy, but comfort—rooted in God’s light and His invitation for us to be eternally right with Him.
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Jump For Joy
08/12/2024 Duración: 46minJohn’s letter in 1 John opens by diving straight into the significance of Jesus. John’s focus is on the true comfort and joy that Christ’s coming brings. With this in mind, we’ll explore three ways to take joy in Christmas: the historical reality of Jesus, the heavenly identity of Jesus, and the holy community Jesus invites us into. These truths are foundational to experiencing a joy that goes beyond the Christmas season.
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Thank You Very Much
01/12/2024 Duración: 37minBeing thankful is so important to God that He actually commands us to be thankful. A man in the New Testament by the name of Paul went through a tremendous amount of suffering and heartache that would cause anybody to be bitter and ungrateful and maybe even mad at God. He wrote these words, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (I Thessalonians 5:18) You may not feel very thankful right now because of where you are in your life. Even though you may not feel thankful you can be thankful. This great man tells us how to be thankful and why to be thankful.