Soul Talks with PB

Being persecuted is a difficult experience. We experience hostility, harassment, and ill-treatment from others because of our beliefs. They may use verbal abuse or maybe even physical abuse. We may suffer because we choose to stand by our faith. Through intimidation and threats, they do all they can to force us to conform. How can we find comfort during such difficult times? --- Send in a voice me...

We all get hurt sometimes. How we respond reveals a lot about us and where we are in our spiritual journey. Normally, when we are hurt, we hurt back. But those who follow Jesus are instructed to get rid of that trigger response which often becomes a pattern in our behavior. Instead, we are to be gracious to those who hurt us. We need to understand why. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcaste...

There are many things to be afraid of in this world. There are dangers all around. Sometimes, we just imagine certain unwanted things that can happen and we are afraid. Where can we hide in times of fear and anxiety? Children usually ran to their parents. They hide behind their parents' back because they know they will be protected. For us, we ran to the Lord. He is the safest hiding place for tho...

What is the main difference between a true disciple of Christ and those who are not? It's not their external appearance. They probably look the same. It's not even their activities, for both believers and unbelievers can look very religious on the outside. The main difference between the two is the kind of love that each can exhibit. Of course, those who do not acknowledge Christ can still exhibit...

There is so much evil in the world. Consequently, many people are angry and frustrated. When faced with evil, our instinct is either to complain or to give up. We complain because no one seems to care enough to stop it or correct it. We also feel helpless because we cannot stop it ourselves. We often express these feelings through social media. However, those who know the Lord have confidence even...

Some people think that becoming a Christian is a big mistake. They imagine a person doing so and losing a lot of things as a result. They cannot enjoy life anymore. They will be limited by a lot of rules and regulations, resulting in a life of unhappiness. But such is not the description of Jesus for those who choose to follow Him. Even though they will suffer, they will still be blessed. In other...

When something becomes familiar to us, it can easily become meaningless. We go into a routine that sometimes becomes shallow. This is especially true when it comes to our worship of God. Since we do it every Sunday, the act of worship can easily become just a weekly routine. Others simply disregard the time for praising God as unimportant in worship. They just want to listen to the sermon instead....

In any kind of ministry, there are different levels of commitment. We cannot expect everyone to have the same kind of commitment. We must minister to each person according to their needs. Of course, our desire must be to move people up to a higher commitment. But this depends on many factors. We cannot force it. The key is to ask the Holy Spirit to guide us so that we can minister to people accord...

The most important task of spiritual leaders is to develop other spiritual leaders. Unless this is done, the work of the Lord will not continue. Having activities in the church that are only designed to make people busy will not produce these types of leaders. It must be done intentionally, creatively, and skillfully. How do we develop spiritual leaders? Let's learn this together. --- Send in a vo...

Why is it so hard to practice personal soul care in today's world? We usually complain about not having enough time or being too busy. Sometimes, we blame those around us for not helping us or they are hindering us. Or maybe we are not that motivated or interested in the first place. Whatever the reasons, the bottom line is that the struggle is real. It's never easy to practice personal soul care...

A false accusation is a difficult situation. We are often tempted to defend ourselves or even to fight back. Sometimes we look for a third party who can side with us against the person who is accusing us. This results in further complications. It can become very messy. Relationships can be destroyed when this type of situation is not handled properly. The word of God teaches us a better way to han...

Legalism is getting stuck with rules and regulations above everything else. Legalistic people want to be right instead of doing right. They want to major in the minors and minor in the majors. Unfortunately, legalism is very much alive in churches as well as in the lives of Christians everywhere. This damages relationships and makes the Gospel repulsive to people. We need to learn how to avoid leg...

When we're healthy, we don't worry about our lives. We assume that everything will be okay. But when we become sick, severely sick, we suddenly realize that we are vulnerable. We realize that the future is no longer guaranteed. Most of all, we come face to face with the possibility of death. I call this the sorrow of severe sickness. Those who have not experienced it do not understand it. Thus, it...

Some people think that being a Christian is simply about being more religious. Unlike before when we were not very much concerned about prayer, worship, or the Bible, now we are more concerned about such things. But this is a shallow understanding of what it means to be a Christian. We are not simply going back to what we have neglected in the past. We are living a new life in Christ as His discip...

Some people don't believe in prayer. They may not say it outright with their words, but by their actions, you can see that they don't believe prayer is really that important in one's life. Otherwise, they will pray more and encourage others to pray more. In fact, many Christians today do not pray regularly, except in church. Why? There may be many reasons. But one common reason is that they are no...

People need to know the Lord. But often we Christians huddle among ourselves inside churches. Very few of us are willing to go outside of our comfort zone to reach the lost. The lost will not, of course, go inside our churches. They would feel unwelcomed or out of place. So, the lost remain lost while we feel guilty for not saving them. We Christians must initiate the process. We must go outside o...

Every now and then we will meet difficult people. For various reasons, they tend to give us a lot of stress. How we wish they would go away! But, sometimes, these types of people are living with us, or vice-versa, and that creates even more stress. How do we deal with difficult people, especially when we cannot get rid of them or we cannot get out of that situation? --- Send in a voice message: ht...

Sin disintegrates and paralyzes our whole being. It creates guilt and shame. We carry them each day and they are such heavy burdens on our souls. This is the reason why we need true forgiveness. True forgiveness is found only in Jesus Christ. Through faith in Him, we can be released from our sins. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/soultalkswithpb/message Hosted o...

There are many things that can trigger anxiety in our hearts. We may feel overwhelmed as we think about the many problems that we face in our lives. So we worry and stay awake all night. How we long for peace in the midst of our anxious thoughts! But the solution can only be found in God's presence. We must choose to trust in Him by presenting our situation to God in prayer instead of being anxiou...

Have you ever felt lonely even though you are with a lot of people? Many people get lonely for all sorts of reasons. It's a difficult feeling. People try all kinds of cures but none seem to work. At the end of the day, they still feel lonely. Only the Lord can heal a person of loneliness because He is the only One who knows the root causes of our loneliness. --- Send in a voice message: https://po...

"Open Doors" are exciting opportunities to experience more of God's presence, power, and purpose. They can also be challenging and sometimes even confusing. That's why you need to seek God's guidance all throughout the experience, from beginning to end. But what if you actually miss an "Open Door" to begin with? What if you actually said "No!" to God? What do you do? --- Send in a voice message: h...

When we look at ourselves, it's easy to lose confidence. The world is so big and its problems are so great that we sometimes feel so small. How can we overcome this feeling of intimidation? Sometimes we worry too much about our weaknesses that we fail to see the real source of our confidence. We need to learn how to put our confidence in the Lord. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.sp...

God can and will use anyone as He pleases. It's all by His grace. But we can choose to be available to the Master if we so desire. We can posture and position ourselves so the Lord may use us according to His purpose and will. In other words, we can make ourselves more available to Him so that if it pleases the Lord to use us, He can. We can offer our lives to Him as a living sacrifice. --- Send i...

No one wants to get lost. That's why we use maps or GPS. Or else we ask people around us for directions to make sure that we are not lost.  When it comes to our way of life, how many of us are concerned about not getting lost? Sadly, there are those who are not concerned about whether they are lost or not. That is foolishness. To live wisely, we must know where we are going. --- Send in a voi...

When a person comes to faith in Christ for the first time, he or she is usually very zealous. He or she shares his or her faith in Jesus to friends and loved ones alike with boldness and passion. But after a few years, something happens. He or she stops sharing. Why? There could be a lot of reasons. But regardless of the reason, we must never stop sharing the Good News. --- Send in a voice message...