Believe & Speak

When I was a teenager, a local Christian band sang a song with a country swing that went like this: “Touchin’ and agreein’ as You commanded us, oh Lord. Believin’ and receivin’, all gathered in one accord.” I can’t remember the rest of the lyrics, but for some reason the catchy tune from decades ago has invaded my brain and won’t go away. So, I pulled out my Bible to see where “touching and agreei...

Obedience isn’t easy, but it IS possible. Today’s declaration contains a promise that—no matter how much we struggle to live right and do right—we absolutely CAN obey God. His divine power at work in us makes the impossible possible. What is a godly life? Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words says a “godly” life is well-pleasing to God and is characterized by a Godward attitu...

Nicodemus was extremely well read. He knew the prophecies in our Old Testament and he knew history. But he was baffled by the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. He struggled to believe what he was seeing. The New Testament was written in Greek, and the Greek word for Spirit can also be translated wind. While I don’t think Jesus and Nicodemus were speaking Greek the night we can read about in John 3,...

The familiar story of Jonah and the big fish inspired today’s declaration, and I believe speaking it will empower your tongue with truth. Jonah turned away from God, spent three days in the belly of a fish, was vomited onto the shores of the city he did not want to go to, and then reluctantly preached to its inhabitants who he hated. Some say this Bible story shows that our God is a God of second...

The story of Jesus washing His disciples’ feet is what inspired today’s declaration, and I believe speaking it will empower your tongue with truth. Today is Ash Wednesday, and so I decided to focus on Jesus’s actions prior to the last Passover he shared with his disciples. The promise in this week’s declaration can get lost in the surrounding revelations about the betrayals of both Judas and Peter...

I’ve been on a freedom kick lately. Partly because of my pastor’s powerful messages the past few Sundays, but also because my heart has been aching for my brothers and sisters in Christ who are burdened by an impossible yoke of expectations and perfectionism. That would be people like me! We so desperately want to please God that we take on a load that Jesus never meant for us to carry. Paul addre...

We’ve been surrounded by pink and red hearts over the past several days, and I pictured all those Valentine’s Day decorations as I read Galatians 5:6. “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” (NIV) Not following the letter of the law. But faith in Jesus. Love is an expression of our faith in Jesus! Another giveaway to our faith is our freedom: freedom from sin, freedom...

If you went to Sunday school as a kid or even if you’re a more recent student of the Bible, chances are you’ve heard the stories of Daniel in the lion’s den and of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego in the fiery furnace. These familiar stories tell of how these men faced execution because of their devotion to worshiping God and God alone. Those dramatic events are not the only times these men faced...

Today’s declaration is as simple as this: Jesus is coming back. Jordan Feliz has a song called Jesus is coming back that encourages us to keep our heads up. I can’t help but grin and groove a little whenever I hear it. Jesus is coming back to earth in the same way he ascended into heaven. I read exactly what two men dressed in white told the disciples, who knew Jesus had miraculously risen from th...

It’s still early in the new year and it’s never too late to begin a good habit. I enjoy listening to the Craig Groeschel Leadership podcast. His January message is called Mastering the Habits That Matter Most. In it, he made a powerful statement that I wholeheartedly agree with. He said, “If you want to change what you do, change what you think about you.” The Believe & Speak podcast is all about...

Last week, I encouraged you to make a New Year’s Resolution to study Scripture with greater intensity this year. The study of God’s Word helps us know Him better, and knowing Him better helps make the wise wiser. I got a kick out of our declaration, and I invite you to listen to that episode if you missed it. Today, I want to focus on another benefit of knowing God and His Word. It’s something we...

I often associate wisdom with age, but Proverbs 9:9-11 makes a different connection. Wisdom comes from God. Not from aging. From God. If the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, then the wise can become even wiser. James tells us that if we lack wisdom, we can ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault. God gives us wisdom, and—according to Proverbs—wisdom adds years to our...

Making it to the end of 2022 feels like crossing a finish line. Even though my race of life isn’t over, I couldn’t help but think of how crossing from December into January puts me another year closer to the award that awaits when I do finish this strenuous race called life. I selected today’s scripture and declaration to inspire us to persevere in 2023 and to set our minds to run our races well,...

Christmas is a few days from now, and you might be reading or listening to the Christmas story from Luke 2. This is the third Christmas season for the Believe & Speak podcast, and I’ve done episodes in the past that covered the familiar story of shepherds on a hillside and a baby in a manger. I looked up the verses in Isaiah that Matthew quoted in the scripture I read for this episode, and discove...

With Christmas less than two weeks away, I was drawn to share a Bible passage related to our Savior’s birth. So, of course, I thought of Isaiah 9. As I read the familiar verses that are often found in Christmas carols and greeting cards, I was drawn to a less-quoted promise in Isaiah 9. Sandwiched between the familiar verses is a promise we can declare all year long. An Internet search informed me...

Last week, I opened by sharing that I’d been thinking about the miraculous birth of Jesus and the reason He came to earth, and how that made me think of Hebrews 1:1-4. But after reading those verses, I decided to hold off on Hebrews until this week. Now that you’ve heard this week’s declaration, you can understand why I wanted to read from John, because today’s declaration is underscored by what I...

With Thanksgiving behind us, we’ve officially entered into the Christmas season. As I prepared to write this episode, I focused my attention on the miraculous birth of Jesus and the reason He came to earth. Christmas is when grace and truth entered into the world. The Bible says the law was given through Moses, and that grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. Jesus made the Father known. He spo...

Colossians 3:15 says to always be thankful. Verse 16 says to sing with thankful hearts, and verse 17 says that whatever we do or say, we need to be giving thanks to God. It’s not easy to always give thanks, but if God commands it—like he does three times right here in Colossians 3—then it’s not impossible. Did you notice how the instructions to us in Colossians 3:12, 13 and 14 make it possible to...

Micah 7:18-19 has been on my heart for weeks. The word “remnant” has especially been hounding me. I relate to feeling like the “remnant of his inheritance”. I’ve been feeling outnumbered since 70% of California voters decided to support abortion on demand up to the point of birth. As one of the 30% who voted no on Prop 1, I believe choosing life is always better than choosing to end a perfectly he...

Last week, I read Proverbs 2:1-5, and today I’ll continue with Proverbs 2:6-11. I think I’ve been drawn to Proverbs because of the mid-term election. I’ve been praying over the initiatives and candidates and asking God to help me make wise choices on my ballot. I’m recording this episode before the polls close, so I don’t know the election results yet, but I do know that I can trust God to give me...

I heard a woman’s testimony recently that confirms today’s declaration—not that I need it confirmed because God has kept this particular promise to me many times. When I search for truth, God reveals himself to me. Always. But, I used to date a guy—way back in high school—who claims to be searching for truth, and yet he somehow misses God’s revelation—even though he has heard the gospel. I can’t f...

I keep a journal next to me during my quiet times with the Lord. I believe prayer is a two-way conversation with God, and I want to be ready to write down what I hear him saying to me. Here’s what I wrote in my journal this morning—keep in mind I wrote as if God were speaking to me. “I have been telling you and Steve to rest, but I’m not telling you to lie down and go to sleep. I’m telling you to...

I’ve always loved the song of thanksgiving that David sang to the LORD after moving the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. Sometimes when I’m worshipping God, I’ll quote some of the verses in 1 Chronicles 16. Certain worship songs especially prompt me to declare God’s marvelous deeds and give him the glory due his name. My focus has always been on God in these moments. After all, 1 Chronicles 16:25...

I created this podcast to empower your tongue with truth. Each episode helps you believe and speak the truth—sometimes about who you are and what you’re capable of, and other times about who God is and the amazing things he can do. Believing and speaking truth not only helps us guard our hearts, but also helps cancel the negative effects of believing lies. I’m going to pick up where I left off in...

I love the wisdom and the promise in Matthew 6:4, which says, “Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you” (NLT). Isn’t that wonderful news? It’s human nature to want to receive credit when we do something noteworthy. It feels good to be noticed, and it stings to go unrecognized. If you and I rarely get rewarded for our efforts, we may feel unappreciated or e...