Growing Closer to God with Guided Meditation
Welcome to the new season of the podcast, now titled "Growing Closer to God with Guided Meditation"!
Join your host, Pastor Robert Young, as we embark on a journey of spiritual exploration and renewal. This podcast is designed to help you deepen your faith and find inner peace through calming, reflective, and transformative meditative practices inspired by scripture.
Our Evolution
While the podcast, formerly known as Not Your Parent's Religion, focused in Seasons 1 and 2 on correcting misinformation and myths about religious beliefs and the teaching of Jesus Christ, the program has evolved. In Season 3, we began drawing closer to God with guided meditations, exploring all the details of why and how to meditate, and discussing the Biblical origins of Christian meditations.
With over 30 years of experience in Church planting and mentoring other Pastors, and 30+ years of training leaders in evangelism/discipleship, Pastor Young is here to guide you through these moments of stillness and connection with God.
What to Expect in Season 4
We are excited to return with Season 4 starting Sunday, October 5. We will continue to offer a structured weekly schedule:
- Sundays: Our weekly guided meditation episode.
- Monday through Friday: Daily devotions and reflections that expand on the topic of the Sunday meditations.
- Wednesdays: Audio episodes of our House Church series. This series reflects the Bible's teaching that believers should gather together for corporate worship, fellowship, encouragement, and even admonishment.
For those seeking an enhanced experience, we are adding video versions of the meditations and devotions to our Patreon page. These videos are designed to give you a more immersive experience as you meditate on the Father, His teachings, and His presence.
Tune in each week as we lead you on this path to connecting more deeply with God.
Growing Closer to God with Guided Meditation
The Jesus No One Talks About Series: Jesus Exposes Hypocrisy! Tuesday Devotion
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Your mouth can say all the right things while your heart quietly drifts, and Matthew 15:8 names that tension with unsettling clarity: “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” We slow down with this short, focused devotional to face the gap between outward appearance and inner reality, and we let Jesus’ words land the way they were meant to land, as a mirror that leads to healing.
We talk about why Jesus reserved some of His strongest rebukes for hypocrisy, not because He enjoys calling people out, but because God desires integrity, not performance. The Pharisees could look righteous while staying closed, proud, and self-serving inside, and that pattern still shows up today when spiritual habits become a mask instead of a doorway. Real faith is not religious theater. It is a life that matches, where prayer, worship, and obedience flow from an honest, surrendered heart.
Then we take a simple three-minute reflection built around one question: where does your outward life look stronger than your inward life? To close, we respond with a grounded, repeatable line you can carry into the rest of your day: “Jesus calls me to realness, and I respond with an open heart,” followed by a closing prayer.
If this helped you, subscribe for more devotionals, share it with a friend who needs a reset, and leave a review telling us what “realness with God” looks like for you.
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(585) 331-3424
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Scripture Reading From Matthew
Pastor Robert YoungToday's scripture is coming from the book of Matthew, chapter 15, verse 8. These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
Why Jesus Confronts Hypocrisy
Pastor Robert YoungJesus' strongest words were reserved for hypocrisy, the gap between outward appearance and inner reality. The Pharisees looked righteous, but their hearts were often closed, proud, and self-serving.
Integrity Over Religious Performance
Pastor Robert YoungJesus confronted them because God desires integrity, not performance. He wanted their hearts, not their rituals. His rebuke was an invitation to come back to realness, come back to God. Jesus exposes hypocrisy not to shame us, but to heal us.
Three Minutes Of Honest Reflection
Pastor Robert YoungLet's take three minutes to reflect on the following question. Is there any area where your outward life looks stronger than your inward life?
A Simple Response Of Openness
Pastor Robert YoungJesus calls me to realness, and I respond with an open heart. Again, Jesus calls me to realness, and I respond with an open heart.
Closing Prayer
Pastor Robert YoungOur closing prayer.