Advent's Protection and Purpose Day 18

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A king rages, a family runs, and hope refuses to be silenced. We open Advent Day 18 with a calm breath and a clear reading of Matthew 2:13–23, then trace the fierce tenderness of a God who guides through dreams, shelters promise in exile, and fulfills ancient words in ordinary places. With Lauren joining Rick, the passage comes alive in three movements—guidance, obedience, and resilient hope—revealing how the flight to Egypt, Rachel’s lament, and the return to Nazareth confront our assumptions about safety, timing, and glory.

We sit honestly with the ache of Ramah, where scripture honors grief instead of hiding it. That lament becomes a doorway, not a dead end, teaching us to hold sorrow and trust together. Joseph’s quick obedience models the kind of faith that protects the vulnerable and moves at God’s pace, even when the route changes. Every step echoes Israel’s story: out of Egypt, back to the land, then to Nazareth, where the Messiah grows in quiet places far from headlines. The thread is unbroken—promise survives not by force but by fidelity.

If you’re waiting in a hard place, this reflection offers language for courage. We talk about discerning next steps, guarding what God entrusts to us, and practicing a watchful, prayerful posture that resists fear. Advent is not sentimental; it’s steady. It invites us to keep our hearts ready for the One who came and the One who is coming again soon, trusting that even exile and detours can be part of fulfillment.

Lean in, breathe, and let the text steady you for the week ahead. If this reading challenged or encouraged you, share it with a friend and pass the hope along. Subscribe for the rest of our Advent journey, rate and review to help others find the show, and tell us: where are you choosing trust right now?

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The Intro/Outro music is Are You Ready? by Floodgate. From the Album, Are You Ready? copyright 2002 OffBeat Ministries, Inc.
Floodgate is available on Apple Music and iTunes.
Music used with permission.

Thank You.  I Love You!

SEE YA!

Rick

Episode Transcript

unknown (00:26):
Are you ready to go?

SPEAKER_00 (00:30):
Hey, welcome to Renewed Mindsets.
I'm Rick, and I'm so glad you'rehere.
Now, this is something special.
For the next 25 days, we'regonna slow down, we're gonna
quiet our hearts, and we'regonna turn our eyes towards
Jesus as we walk through Adventtogether.
Now every day we'll take a fewminutes to breathe and reflect

(00:53):
and remember the hope that cameinto the world and the hope
that's coming again.
Hey, welcome back to RenewedMindsets.
I'm Rick, and we are in theAdvent Bible reading, day 18.
Can you believe it's already day18?

(01:14):
And I have a surprise for youtoday.
No, it's not Ashton.
No, it's not me.
I know that's the surprise youwanted, but it is Lauren.

SPEAKER_01 (01:26):
Hey guys, it's good to be here.

SPEAKER_00 (01:28):
I got Lauren back.
Aren't you excited?

SPEAKER_01 (01:30):
I'm super excited.

SPEAKER_00 (01:31):
Well, we are gonna be um in Matthew chapter 2,
verses 13 through 23.
And Lauren, you can take it.

SPEAKER_01 (01:41):
After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord
appeared to Joseph in a dream.
Get up, flee to Egypt with thechild and his mother, the angel
said.
Stay there until I tell you toreturn, because Herod is going
to search for the child to killhim.
That night Joseph left for Egyptwith the child and Mary, his
mother, and they stayed thereuntil Herod's death.

(02:03):
This fulfilled what the Lord hadspoken through the prophet.
I called my son out of Egypt.
Herod was furious when herealized that the wise men had
outwitted him.
He sent soldiers to kill all theboys in and around Bethlehem who
were two years old and under,based on the wise men's report
of the star's first appearance.
Herod's brutal action fulfilledwhat God had spoken through the

(02:25):
prophet Jeremiah.
A cry was heard in Ramah,weeping and great mourning.
Rachel weeps for her children,refusing to be comforted, for
they are dead.
When Herod died, an angel of theLord appeared in a dream to
Joseph in Egypt.
Get up, the angel said, take thechild and his mother back to the
land of Israel, because thosewho were trying to kill the

(02:46):
child are dead.
So Joseph got up and returned tothe land of Israel with Jesus
and his mother.
But then he learned that the newruler of Judea was Herod's son,
Archalus.
He was afraid to go there.
Then, after being warned in adream, he left for the region of
Galilee.
So the family went and lived ina town called Nazareth.
This fulfilled what the prophetshad said.

(03:07):
He will be called a Nazarene.

SPEAKER_00 (03:09):
Amen.
That is day eighteen of theAdvent Bible reading.
We have just a few days left.

SPEAKER_01 (03:16):
That's crazy.

SPEAKER_00 (03:17):
Am I going to be able to get you back here to
record anything before it'sover?

SPEAKER_01 (03:20):
Well, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (03:21):
Well, just so everybody knows, uh, on the
21st, which is the Monday beforeChristmas, we're also releasing
the Christmas spectacular withme and Lauren, and Yellen is on
that one too.
So be looking for that.
All right.
We'll see you tomorrow.

SPEAKER_01 (03:40):
Bye.

SPEAKER_00 (03:45):
All right.
Thanks for joining me today onRenewed Mindsets.
As we walk through Advent, let'sstay expectant.
Let's stay watching, praying,and keeping our hearts ready for
the one who came and the onewho's coming again soon.
I love you.
Let's keep our minds renewed andour eyes on Jesus.

(04:08):
The executive producer ofRenewed Mindsets is Christy
McCurry.
That's all for today, but I'llbe back with more unfiltered
biblical truth and undeniableprophecy.
The time to wake up is now.
If today's episode challengedyou, don't keep it to yourself.
Tell someone, please.

(04:30):
Text them a link.
Share the truth while there'sstill time.
Visit renewedmindsets.com tostay connected and to listen to
past episodes.
And check out our merch atrenewedmindsets.store.
Jesus is coming soon.
Stay watchful.
Stay holy.

(04:50):
Stay renewed.
Until next week.
I'm Rick.
Be an encourager, not adiscourager.
I love you.

(05:11):
See ya.
The intro and outro music forthe Renewed Mindsets podcast is
Are You Ready by Floodgate.
From the album Are You Ready?
Copyright 2002 OffbeatMinistries Incorporated.
Floodgate can be found on AppleMusic and iTunes.

(05:31):
Music used with permission.