Believe & Speak

I wish more people knew God not only as the God of justice, but also as the God of mercy and grace. You and I received the indescribable gift of grace from God through Jesus Christ. Grace is getting what we don’t deserve. Mercy—on the other hand—is not getting what we do deserve. Psalm 103:10 says that God “does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.” Psalm 103 i...

I’ve been having trouble falling asleep for a while. I keep quoting the last verse in Psalm 4 over and over until I finally fall asleep. A couple days ago, I read all of Psalm 4 and wondered the circumstances that led David to write it. He wrote in the second verse, “How long will you people turn my glory into shame? How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?” As the king of Israel, I c...

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the power of love. Part of me thinks it’s because my son is getting married in a couple weeks and another part of me thinks it’s because hate is advancing across the globe. I keep asking God to intervene, and he keeps reminding me of the power of love. So, I’ve been meditating on what many in the church call “the love chapter.” The beautiful description of lov...

Today’s declaration includes an “I can” statement based on truth. Previously on this podcast, I’ve talked about the difference between “I can” statements, which demonstrate ability, and “I will” statements, which demonstrate intention. God enables us to love, but we get to choose whether we actually will love others. We are created, called and commanded to love. We are also capable. God wants us t...

The Bible has a lot to say about wisdom and foolishness. God view of what is wise and what is foolish does not line up with the world’s view. Probably the most dramatic example of this truth is found in 1 Corinthians 1:18, which says, “For the word of the cross [the message of Jesus’s death and resurrection] is foolishness to those who are perishing, but it is the power of God to us who are being...

Today’s declaration comes from Psalm 18. I was tempted to read the entire psalm because it speaks directly into the situation in Ukraine. Psalm 18 serves as a reminder that when the enemy advances, we can find protection in God. The notes in my Bible say that David sang Psalm 18 on the day the Lord rescued him from all his enemies. David was well acquainted with war, and God protected him in battl...

Before going to the cross, Jesus wanted his disciples to know that they wouldn’t be left alone. The Holy Spirit would come and would have a different but profound relationship with them. I can hear the heart of Jesus in the words he spoke in the last hours with his disciples prior to his death and resurrection. He knew the Spirit of truth would come to them to guide them into all the truth. God st...

I can imagine God’s booming baritone voice singing a love song over me. Can you? The Mighty One, who is perfect in every way, not only takes notice of you and me, but he delights in what he sees. So much so, that he breaks into song! I take a great deal of comfort in knowing that God is with me and that he is mighty to save me. But the idea that God rejoices over me with singing astounds me! Why d...

Today’s declaration comes from one of the first Bible passages that I committed to memory. I’ve known the promise in Matthew 7:7-11 for a long time, and I’ve believed and spoken it in prayer so many times that I don’t know why it took until my 111th episode to share this important truth with you. Our heavenly Father is a good father, and he gives us good gifts. Sometimes we simply need to ask and...

I fashioned today’s declaration from a passage in the book of Isaiah that still rings true today. Isaiah’s words in today’s reading give voice to my own feelings. “Oh, that you would burst from the heavens and come down!” (Isaiah 64:1 NLT) My Bible has an exclamation point to indicate the degree of passion Isaiah must have felt writing those words. Lately I’ve been wishing that God would burst ont...

If you delight in spending time reading the Bible and growing closer to God through his word, then you already know the truth of today’s declaration: God’s Word keeps me rooted on the riverbank. I drew that promise out of Psalm 1, which a dear friend recently prayed over me. She inspired today’s episode, because I’m going to pray Psalm 1 over you like she did for me.  Psalm 1 contrasts the path of...

If you’re familiar with the armor of God described in Ephesians 6, you may think I pulled our declaration from there, but actually, I drew it out of 1 Thessalonians 5. Breastplates and helmets are important pieces of armor, protecting the most vulnerable parts of our bodies and souls—the heart and mind. How fitting that today’s verses refer to faith and love as our breastplate and the hope of salv...

Today’s declaration sounds like the opposite of an idiom that I’ve never really cared for. Maybe you’ve heard it: the devil is in the details. The devil wants us to trip over the details, but God will never let us fall. As a detail-oriented person, I’m glad to know that God is not only in the details, he also delights in the details. I’m sure, like me, you make the best choices based on the inform...

Pastor Jack Hibbs of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills recently shared some Bible verses that he encouraged us to proclaim in the coming year. I know this because my girlfriend sent me one of those verses, and it inspired today’s declaration, which I love. God stands ready to lead you and I into this new year. Let’s choose to follow him along the paths he sets before us. Why would anyone wander away from...

I pulled today’s declaration from the Old Testament Bible verses that were used as lyrics in a 1960s tune called “Turn! Turn! Turn!” Can you name—not that tune, but those verses? (Answer: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8) With 2021 drawing to a close and 2022 waiting in the wings, ‘Tis the season to declare that seasons come and go by God’s design. Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall, God is working out his purpose...

With Christmas Eve arriving the day after tomorrow, my guess (and hope) is that you’ve finished your Christmas shopping. If you over spent your budget, be encouraged by this week’s declaration drawn from Isaiah 55:3, which says, “Pay attention and come closer to me, and hear, that your total being may flourish.” (TPT) The greatest gift we could ever receive is peace with God through his Son, Jesus...

Today’s declaration makes me think of a sermon given back in 1976 by a popular preacher named S.M. Lockridge. I can hear his rich, baritone voice even now, saying the phrase he repeated again and again in his sermon, That’s My King! I’m tempted to add “that’s my king” to our declaration, which I drew from Isaiah 9:6-7. These verses from Isaiah form the basis of many Christmas sermons, and they pro...

With just two and a half weeks until Christmas Day, you may wonder why I chose John 20 for this episode. Well—thanks to the heartwarming presentation Linus gave on the stage of the Charlie Brown Christmas special—I feel a need to clarify the angel’s words in Luke 2:14. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (KJV) Goodwill toward men is better translated as “toward...

News broke this past week about yet another variant of Covid-19… the virus that refuses to go away. However, the virus’s staying power has nothing on God. Psalm 16:8-9 says, “I know the LORD is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My body rests in safety.” (NLT) Those of us who belong to God need not be shaken by news about the...

Last Sunday, my pastor’s adult son gave the sermon. D.J. is a brand-new dad, and he shared a sermon illustration worth repeating—especially in light of our focus on God’s promise to hold us and ensure that we are provided for and protected. D.J. said there have been times when he cradles his newborn son, attempting to quiet the infant’s screaming but nothing works. The young father knows his baby...

My heart has been heavy with a compelling need to open the eyes of believers to the unconditional welcome we have been given to meet with the Most High God face-to-face as one meets with a friend. Listening to the previous two episodes of this podcast will prove my point. Over the last two weeks, I have focused on the accessibility and availability of God. As believers in Jesus, we have been invit...

In last week’s episode, I shared the promise from Ephesians 3:12 that those of us who have put our faith in Jesus Christ have the freedom to approach God with bold confidence. We are invited to sit down for a face-to-face conversation—not literal of course, because no one may see the face of God and live, but metaphorically. Imagine the conversation you would have on a lunch date with a friend. Go...

I read just one verse in today’s episode, but what a powerful promise is found in that verse! It’s Ephesians 3:12 (NLT). Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence. The New International Version says that “we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” What a beautiful word picture of the posture and the attitude you and I can have when we...

This week’s episode centers on the Bible verses that fall in between the ones I read last week from Psalm 34. If you missed that episode, it’s OK to listen out of sequence. The promises are connected, but you can catch up with Episode 94 after you listen to this one. The verse I’ll read today from Psalm 34:4-7 fall right after David writes about extoling the Lord at ALL times (i.e., good times, ba...

I wrote last week’s episode for those of us going through a season of lack, and hadn’t planned on continuing with this theme. However, the daily reading for today—October 13—in Charles Stanley’s wonderful devotional, Every Day in His Presence, prompted me to focus on “lack” for one more week. Dr. Stanley’s devotional opens with God’s promise of provision from Psalm 34:10, and goes on to say that n...