The spiritual condition of America, Politics, Culture, and Current Events Analyzed Through the Lens of Scripture. Welcome to the Alex McFarland Show. Very famously, Psalm 119 says in verse 105: Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Hi, everybody. Alex McFarland here.
And this is the program you're listening to will be our last pre-recorded show of 2025. The next time you hear this radio program, it will be the new year, Good Lord Willing. And we have a very, very special show because we're going to talk about the Word of God. And in this new year, I want to challenge every one of you to make the Bible a daily priority in your life and to really inspire us and help us talk about the value of God's Word in everyone's life, certainly in the life of a believer. Just one of the greatest friends I've ever made in ministry, and he has been a mentor to millions.
myself included. His name is Andrew Womack. And he is the leader of Andrew Womack Ministries, the founder of Karis Bible College, which quite literally is touching the world. And he is, first and foremost, a teacher of God's Word. And so we'll talk about this and we'll make the challenge not only to everyone listening, but to ourselves, that in the new year, And always, God's word will be the priority.
Well, Brother Andrew, thank you for being with us today.
Well, thank you, Alex. Man, it's an honor to talk about the Word of God because that's what's. change my life. I tell you, that's just my greatest passion. And you know, I've been now serving the Lord for 58 years.
We'll be 58 in March. And um Man, the word of God is more alive to me. I'm getting more out of it than I think I ever have. I probably spent four hours or so today just studying the word. It's awesome.
Amen.
Well, you know, and I want to hear your journey too. But when I got saved when I was in college, 21 years old.
Somehow, Andrew, I knew the Bible was God's Word.
Now, I studied apologetics and different great writers like Josh McDowell, and that. Affirmed it and validated it, but somehow from day one, I just was drawn to the scriptures. And I will say that that makes the difference between, I would say, the nominal believer. And really, the anointed, energized believer is the role of Scripture. But how did God lead you so deeply, thoroughly into His Word?
Well, you know, I was raised in a Christian home, so I got born again when I was eight years old. But. And I read the Bible every single day of my life from as long as I was able to read. But I didn't really put that much stock in the word. If you would have asked me, I'd have said, sure, it's the word of God, but it wasn't.
dominant in my life, and then I had this encounter with the Lord. In nineteen sixty eight, And I literally saw the glory of God. And I got caught up in the presence of God, and I mean the love, the tangible love of God. was poured out in my life. And that was wonderful, but Uh I couldn't sustain the just the emotion.
All right. And so a number of things happened. I got drafted and sent to Vietnam. And uh just out of nothing but Survival. I started reading the Bible anywhere from ten To 15 hours a day because I was living in a situation where drugs and, of course, the war was going on, and people were being killed.
Like on my 21st birthday, my bunker got hit with 21 direct hits of mortars, and so. I just stuck my nose in the Bible. And it began to start changing me. I didn't do it because it was something that I was led to do by the Lord directly. I wasn't aware of it, if that's what it was.
It was just out of nothing but survival. And then I remember a man came over to my house, and we were talking about how do we get from where we are to this place that we could see that we're supposed to be walking. In the power of God, and I remember this man saying that I think the key. Is the word of God? It's like a seed, and if you'll plant it in your heart, It will work.
And when he said that, it just made so much sense. And so from that time on. That would have been around nineteen seventy one, seventy two. I started intentionally, on purpose, studying the Word of God. And I mean, here I am 57, 58 years later, and the Word of God is still.
probably the dominant influence in my life above everything else. Amen.
Well, for one thing, let me say thank you for serving our country. Whenever we talk about all that God has done through your life, I don't want to leave out the Part that you're a veteran, and thank you for serving our country. Folks, we're talking with Andrew Wamek, and it's been my privilege now for 10 years. It's hard to believe a decade has gone by. It's been my joy to teach at Karis Bible College and to be a part of many projects with Mike Pickett.
We've got an Apologetics After School program and then Summer Family Bible Conference. And before we get into the Word, tell us if you would. Andrew, over Christmas, Mike Pickett and I were talking about Keras and help people grasp how far-reaching, I mean, literally around the world. Keras campuses are getting people into the scripture. Bring us up to speed on all things, Keras, if you would.
Well, we have about 1,000 students on our main campus here in Woodland Park, Colorado, but then we have, I think it's 59. campuses around the world in twenty six different countries. And some of those Campuses have maybe 100 to 200. I think over in Indonesia, we have over 200 students.
So altogether we have about Somewhere around fourteen to fifteen thousand students at any one time. That are going through Kerris. And then we have about 15,000 students that have graduated from Kerris from the two or the three-year program over the last. thirty years.
So altogether right now we are impacting 30,000 people. Right now, for sure. And of course, it's growing, and we believe that we're going to have a lot more people coming. We're building our Keras campus to accommodate 2500 people. on our campus here.
And uh right now we have around I think it's around 14 times as many people in the whole system worldwide as we have. Here in Woodland Park.
So if we do grow to the size of 2,500. Coming near to the main campus, then that would be somewhere around 28,000 people at any one time that we'd been impacting through CARES.
So God's really blessed it. We're seeing some great, great things happen.
Well, and the campus is world class. I mean, that's the only way to describe it. It is world class. And folks, throughout the year at Karis, there are many programs. There's a Fourth of July pageant that is unlike anything you've ever seen.
There's a Christmas program that surpasses anything you'd ever see on Broadway. We've got a break in a minute, but before we close out this first segment, give the website, if you would, for both. AWMI.net is my ministry thing, and there's over 200,000 hours of free material there if people want to get it. There's some things that we do sell, but 200,000 hours of free material. And if you want to go to Karis Bible College, there's a link on awmi.net, or you can go to Karis.
And I'm not sure if that's.net or.com. You might know better than I do, Alex. We'll have that. And Keras, by the way, is spelled C-H-A-R-I-S, the Greek word for gifts, as in the gifting of the Holy Spirit. Stay tuned, folks.
When we come back, we're going to talk about the practical ways that you can get the Word of God into your daily life in this new year, and it will transform your walk and your witness, I assure you. Stay tuned. We've got a brief break. Our very special guest, Andrew Womack. And more after this.
Stay tuned. Fox News and CNN call Alex McFarland, a religion and culture expert. Stay tuned for more of his teaching and commentary after this. Over the last several decades, it's been my joy to travel the world talking with children, teens, adults, people of all ages about the questions they have related to God, the Bible, Christianity, and how to know Jesus personally. Hi, Alex McFarlane.
I want to make you aware of my book, The 21 Toughest Questions Your Kids Will Ask About Christianity. You know, we interviewed hundreds of children and parents and families to find out the questions that children and people of all ages are longing to find answers for. In the book, we've got practical, biblical, real-life answers that they have about how to be a Christian in this modern world. My book, The 21 Toughest Questions Your Kids Will Ask, you can find it wherever you buy books or at resources.afa.net. He's been called trusted, truthful, and timely.
Welcome back to the Alex McFarlane Show. Psalm 119.93, one of my absolute favorite verses. I will never forget thy precepts, for with them thou hast quickened me, says the King James. Many translations say, I will never forget thy precepts, for through them I found life.
Well, welcome back to the program. Alex McFarland here, talking with Andrew Womack. He's given his life to teaching the word of God. And Andrew, in that first segment, you were talking about how transformative it is. What do you say to the listener who kind of inside they say, Yeah, I know I really need to make scripture a priority, but don't quite know how to begin.
So, how does one begin their journey in and with God's Holy Word?
Well, the scripture says, Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good.
So, one of the ways you begin is just by starting to read. And I guarantee you, if your heart is open, God will speak to you. And Alex, I've seen great miracles. I've seen my son raised from the dead after being dead over four hours in a morgue. down in a cooler With a toe tag on.
I've seen blind eyes open. I've seen every kind of miracle that you can imagine. And yet I would say without reservation, if somebody says what's the greatest thing. That you've ever experienced. It's when the Word of God.
comes alive to me. You know, the disciples on the road to Emmaus, when they talked to Jesus and then He revealed Himself to Him through communion, and they said, Did not our heart burn within us? while he talked with us, by the way. And then Jeremiah said something very similar in Jeremiah 20, verse 9. And he said that he wasn't going to talk anymore about the Lord because every time he did, he got persecuted.
And he says, I'm not going to talk anymore. And then he says, But his word was like fire shut up in my bones, and I couldn't forbear. I had to speak. And Alex, I know that you've experienced this, but if anybody watching or listening to this, Has never experienced the Word of God coming alive, like it says in Hebrews 4:12, the Word of God is alive and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. If a person has never experienced that, All they got to do is just start tasting it, just try it.
and if their heart is open, God will speak to them. directly through the word, and that is the greatest experience. that I think any of us could have is To take God Almighty, who's got a universe to run. And yet he's going to talk directly to you. That is just phenomenal.
I love it. It really is. It really is. You know, Andrew, when I was in college and I got saved. I don't think I had a Christian friend, really, and I knew all my buddies were lost.
And I was really very much an introvert, and the last guy you'd ever think could become a soul winner. But I began to pray. I wanted to see my friends get born again. And what I found out was what God uses to draw people to Jesus and open their blind eyes is the Scripture. I didn't know how to share the gospel, but I did learn how to recite Bible verses.
And the Holy Spirit of God would use the scripture to use. To convict and draw people. And I began to see a lot of people get saved, and to this day, I mean, I'm a born-again guy who's trying to lead people to Jesus. And doing a good job at it, too.
Well, hey, God is good. One of the reasons that I am so enthused about Karis is. And like I say, in 10 years, you meet a lot of people. Folks, if you ever visit the campus at Keris, you'll know what we're talking about. The presence of God is so tangible there, and everyone is so full of joy.
Everyone is so on fire, and they're going back to their respective homes throughout the Western Hemisphere and around the world. That reminds me of something I want to tell you, but here's the thing: I believe the difference with Keras. And what empowered my life You know, at age 21 and to this very day, was the Bible. Folks, when you know God's word, you don't have to be articulate or think up things to say, but when you share the scriptures, they are living and they are powerful and they are. Like a two-edged sword.
that pierces And so this is available to any believer, isn't it, Andrew? Amen.
You know, I was just reading today, Alex, about Charles Finney. And he was a lawyer, and he got interested in debating this pastor. And some other people and He was very skeptical, and he was. Critical of everything because they were very religious. Back in his day, but he started reading the Bible to be able to argue.
And the Word of God literally brought him under such conviction that he got born again and, of course, became one of the greatest evangelists that has ever lived. But it was just the Word of God. And he wasn't even reading it in faith at the beginning. But if you will just take the Word of God and read it, I guarantee you, it will change your life. But you got to get it off of this page.
And into your heart because it's not the word of God. The Bible says that the word is spirit. Jesus said, John 6:63, the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life.
Now, this is a perfect representation of it. I believe it. And I accept it as being accurate, but it's not really the word of God until you make it come alive on the inside of you. It's not just, you know, ink on a page.
So you get it on the inside of you, and it'll transform your life, guaranteed. Amen.
Amen.
And, you know, so many of the things like assurance of salvation, Andrew, I have prayed. At altars in churches with literally hundreds of people who don't have assurance of their salvation. And you know, I tell people, take God at His word. God cannot lie. And the Bible says if you're in Christ, you're a new creation.
But Besides, okay, folks, listen. Daniel 11:32 says that the people who know their God will be strong and do exploits. But before you can do exploits and great works for Jesus, you have to be secure in your relationship with Jesus. And, Andrew, isn't knowledge of the Word of God? a key to our relationship to the Son of God.
Oh, absolutely. We wouldn't know how to spell Jesus if it wasn't for the Bible. I was in Vietnam teaching a Bible study, and an atheist came in and just ridiculed me. And this is when I was real young in the Lord, I didn't know much. And he got up and left and took my whole Bible study left with him.
He won the argument. But did you know in thirty minutes he came back and he said, I want what you got. And I was shocked. Because I said, why? You just out-talked me, you out-argued me.
And he says, yeah. And he says, But you've got something that's beyond an argument. You've got an experience. I was telling him that God spoke to me that day. And I talked to God and he said, my whole life is built on an argument.
And if somebody out-argued me the way I just out-argued you, I'd kill myself. But he says, You've got something. It's not an argument. And Alex, of course, it's a relationship with God, but it came through the Word of God. I wouldn't have a relationship with God if it wasn't for the truth revealed right here.
You know, the truth, it's the truth that makes you free.
So you've got to get into the Word of God. Amen.
And you know, folks, we've got a brief break. The voice you're hearing is our very special guest, Andrew Womack. In John 17, 17, Jesus said, Sanctify them by thy truth. Thy word is truth. God's word will help you grow.
It will give you victory over sin and those habits and that treadmill you're on. Make 2026 the year that the Bible becomes your daily priority, and it will be transformative.
Well, we've got a brief break. We're going to come back and talk more about knowing, growing in, and living out God's Word. Stay tuned. We'll back after this. Fox News and CNN call Alex McFarland, a religion and culture expert.
Stay tuned for more of his teaching and commentary after this. Would you like a book to help you understand the biblical prophecies, the passages about the end of time? Hi, Alex McFarland. You know, for well over a decade, Bert Harper and I have been on the nationally syndicated AFR show, Exploring the Word. Over 3,000 shows we've done together, and Bert and I have a brand new book as of fall 2025: 100 Bible Questions and Answers on Prophecy and the End Times.
You can get it at booksellers everywhere. Our brand new book, Bert Harper, Alex McFarland, Exploring the Word, 100 Bible Questions and Answers on Prophecy and the End Times, published by our great friends at Broad Street Publishing. Check it out, and we believe it will help you understand how to live and thrive in these last days. Mm-hmm. He's been called trusted, truthful, and timely.
Welcome back to the Alex McFarlane Show. Welcome back to the program. Alex McFarland here. We're talking with our friend Andrew Womack about the Word of God, and we'll resume our conversation in just a moment. I do want to remind everybody about the Cove, the Billy Graham Training Center in Western North Carolina.
Got a great privilege. I'll be there. This will be, I think, our 22nd summer to speak at the Cove. Angie and I have been there, and it's always a great honor. Will Graham invites me and always asked me to teach on a certain book of the Bible.
And we've done Genesis and Amos and Proverbs and Acts and Romans.
Well, this summer, summer of 2026, I know right now you're probably not thinking about summer, but I'll be teaching Daniel and Revelation. And our book came out on Bible prophecy. The website is thecove.org, T-H-E-C-O-V-E, thecove.org. And I'll be there July 17 through 19. And we'd love to see you.
Uh I've always had people from around America. More and more, it's people from around the world. A family came from India last summer as we talked through 1 and 2 Peter and other books of the Bible.
So, check out the Cove. We'd love to see you there as we get down deeply into God's Word together.
Well, someone who has helped quite literally millions of people get into God's Word is our friend Andrew Womack. He's the leader of Karis Bible College, and I've had the privilege of teaching there for 10 years, and we've got a big year planned for 26. But, Andrew, welcome back. And before time fleets away, we certainly wish you and Jamie just a blessed new year, and I'm excited to see what God is going to do, aren't you? I am.
You know, I believe that 26 is going to be a banner year for us. And I believe it'll be a banner year for anybody who trusts God because He's got. More for every one of us than what we've ever experienced.
So, if we just cooperate, it'll be awesome. You've got a devotional book that my wife and I have read. It's called Every Day with Jesus. And, folks, I don't say this lightly. And if you listen to the show, you know, I don't recommend a book that I haven't read at least once.
This is the best devotional book we've ever owned. Angie and I have given away easily fifty copies of it. Tell people about that book, if you would, Andrew.
Well, it's awesome. Like you said, it's basically just the word. And so they're just single-page devotions. And I figured that if I could impact people. three hundred and sixty five days Uh, one you know, page at a time that would be better than giving a book to them that's 150 pages.
So, I actually. I did it just to be able to get more word into people. And it's really a good devotion. And the reason I bring it up, folks, is because I want to challenge you to have a daily quiet time.
Now, All day, every waking moment, we're communing with the Lord, thinking about the Lord. But I do think, folks, you need to have a point of your day that you dedicate and you pray. That's you talking to God. And then you read the Word. That's God talking to you.
Andrew, talk to us about establishing that habit of being intentional about our daily Time with the Lord.
Well, if you don't put a priority on the Word of God, something else will take that time every single time.
So you have to go to scriptures, like for instance, Romans 10:17, faith comes by hearing, hearing by the Word of God. And everybody understands without faith it's impossible to please God.
So if you are going to truly please God, You've got to get into the word so that faith can come. And you know, Alex, in Mark chapter 4, there are four parables that Jesus gave in one day. and every one of them is calling the Word of God a seed. And uh 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 23 calls it an incorruptible scene. And the word C There in 1 Peter 1:23.
Is the word spora in the Hebrew, and of course, that's how a flower pollinates. And spora is a derivative of the word sperm. And so sperma in the Greek, and it's where we get our word sperm from.
So the word of God is a sea or a sperm. And then in Mark chapter 4, verse 26 through 29, it says that your heart is the ground. And so you have to take the word of God, the sperm, and sow it in your born-again spirit, which has everything in it. That you will ever need in your life. It's just like a woman.
She's got everything that it takes to produce a child, except. the sperm, the seed. And God's Word is the sperm that activates everything. It's on the inside of you. And even in Mark chapter 4, verse 28, it uses that exact terminology.
It says, the earth, which is talking about your born-again spirit. Brings forth fruit of herself, and it's feminine, it's not masculine, it calls the Arsenal. Feminine and the word of God is the sperm. And so, just as surely as you can't have a child without having a physical relationship, you are not going to have. The Life of God.
Manifest.
Now you can have it on the inside of you, but as far as manifesting, changing your life or being used to change somebody else. You aren't going to see that happen until you sow the Word of God and let it bring forth. Fruit, and that's the process that we see in nature. It's the same thing in the spiritual realm. Yeah, it is.
You know, Psalm 19 says, the heavens and earth declare the glory of God. And just like if you want. A flower, there has to be a seed if you want to crop. It has to be sewn. And the the world tangibly shows what is also true in the spiritual realm.
You know, Isaiah thirty thirty, the Lord shall cause his glorious voice to be heard. And that's talking about judgment on the Assyrians. But as our nation nears its 250th birthday, we need God's glorious voice to be heard in this nation, don't we? Absolutely. And the word of God is what birthed this nation.
You know, like I said, I've just been reading about the first great awakening. with Whitfield, Wesley and stuff, and it was the Word of God. It caused it. And of course, our good friends David Barton and Bill Federer, they say that without the Word of God and the First Great Awakening, there wouldn't be an America. And then today I was reading about Charles Finney and the revival, and people of his day said that he was the most influential person in America when it came to the Second Great Awakening and the Civil War that freed the slaves and things like that.
And so every single time that something significant Has happened in this nation, it's because of the word of God. Amen.
And you know, Alex, just this last summer, I'm a teacher, but I got up and said, This is a prophecy. And I told the people that we are in the third great awakening, but people have a misunderstanding, thinking that that's just going to be all. good things and I said I believe that great things are happening, but The ungodly. have been emboldened. by all of the wickedness that has been promoted.
In previous administrations, and I said they aren't going to go quietly, and there's going to be resistance, and I said, People are going to be killed. And of course that was before Charlie Kirk. And I believe it was prophetic. And so there's a battle going on, and the only way we're going to win is to harm ourselves with the word of God.
Well, and Satan is busy. But folks, we do not have to be paranoid or afraid of the devil. I mean, Satan is active because he knows his time is short. But in Christ, we are victorious. We've only got a minute or so left, and I want Andrew to give us a challenge.
But, folks, number one, make sure that you're saved. Make sure that you've accepted Christ and you are born again. And I don't mean dabbling in religion, I'm talking about you're a follower of Jesus Christ. But then. This is something you can't delegate.
Your pastor can't do it for you. If you're going to become strong in the word, you have to make that decision. Perhaps you're hearing this today because God is calling you to take your Christian walk to the next level. I know it in my life. I'm sure Andrew would concur.
You'll never be all that you could be. In the victorious Christian life without the word of God. Give us a challenge as we start this new year. to make it a new start. A new day in our walk with Jesus, Andrew.
Romans 12:2 says, gives us a command: don't be conformed to this world, but be transformed. The word for transform is the word metamorphu. Where we get metamorphosis from. If you want to change like a caterpillar, Comes out of a cocoon into a butterfly that can fly. If you want transformation, it says through the renewing of your mind.
And that comes through the Word of God.
So the single most important thing after you get born again. And receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the single most important thing in your life is being transformed. Through the renewing of your mind, which is the word of God. Amen.
God will teach you. The Holy Spirit's a teacher, but you got to show up for class. Amen.
You got to read the Bible. Andrew, thank you for being with us today. And folks, here's a prayer for you: Psalm 119, verse 5. Oh, that my ways were directed to keep your statutes. I hope that's your priority.
And may God bless you. Thank you for listening. And, folks, remember: Jesus is as close by as a prayer. Alex McFarlane Ministries are made possible through the prayers and financial support of partners like you. For over 20 years, this ministry has been bringing individuals into a personal relationship with Christ and has been equipping people to stand strong for truth.
Learn more and donate securely online at alexmacfarlane.com. You may also reach us by calling 1-877-YESGOD and the number 1. That's 1-877-Y-E-S-G-O-D-1. Thanks for joining us. We'll see you again on the next edition of the Alex McFarlane Show.
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