The 5 Minute Discipleship Podcast

Physical hunger is not your only craving. You also possess a spiritual hunger. This appetite also cries out to be fed. Both types of hunger were created by God. Physical hunger can only be satisfied by food. Spiritual hunger can only be satisfied by God. Main Points: 1.  You have a longing in your soul for God. Many feel the yearning but do not recognize that it is spiritual in nature. They feel a...

That sense of powerlessness is something we all experience. The truth is, apart from Christ, we are powerless. In and of ourselves, we cannot be who God wants us to be? Apart from Christ, we are weak, without strength, and unable to move forward. Main Points: 1.  Have you ever felt powerless? Like your batteries were on empty? Like you couldn’t go on? Did you feel as if you didn’t have the strengt...

Our financial health is not the only thing that requires an investment, our spiritual growth requires one too. No, not a financial investment, though God may ask that of us, an investment of time, effort, passion, and heart. God will ask for an investment of sacrifice, faithfulness, and commitment.  He will ask us to invest in the lives of others with love, support, and encouragement. God will spe...

Prayer is an adventure in trust. We put our needs into the hands of an almighty God, who has the power to meet our needs according to His will. What will God do? We don’t know, but we do know that what God does is right. His answer and His actions may not make sense to our finite minds and limited understanding, but the will and purpose of God are always correct. Main Points: 1. When we have a nee...

As Christians, the Bible describes us as children of God. As children, we are learning how to walk in Christ. We sometimes stumble and fall. God, with his grace and mercy, is patient and helps us get up and get going again. Yet, sometimes other believers aren’t as gracious. Main Points: 1. Sadly, sometimes the fallen are shunned, excluded, and look down upon. Sometimes the fallen Christian is goss...

That is what we live for: to experience the glory of God, to reflect it, to bring it to the world around us, not for our own sake but for the praise of His glory and honor. Main Points: 1. The glory of God refers to his beauty, majesty, purity, and power. It speaks of the greatness and wonder of God.  2. In His love for us, God created us to experience himself. He created us to experience his glor...

Jesus left the glory of Heaven to come to earth and take on humanity. He came with one purpose which was to satisfy the justice of God. Jesus would come and die for us. He would become our substitute. We wouldn’t have to die for our sins because Jesus would die for us. He would shed his own lifeblood on the cross as payment for our sins. Main Points: 1. Sin must be atoned for by death. Why? Becaus...

All through the Scripture, we see that our God is a God of comfort! The comfort of God is available to us when we are experiencing different kinds of loss and grief. Main Points: 1. It’s okay to grieve. It’s okay to mourn. God created us with the ability to express these emotions. I’ve ministered to Christians who felt they weren’t supposed to mourn or that if they were grieving they were failing...

We discover that God cares about the heart. God wants us to love Him, value Him, and esteem Him above all things. When we serve the Lord out of sincere hearts, wanting to please Him, and wanting to give Him the glory, he rewards us only a loving Heavenly Father can. Main Points: 1. In Jesus’ great Sermon on the Mount he speaks to the heart of what we do for God, not just what we do for God. We lea...

We are being transformed, not just improved, not just reformed. The scripture says we are being transformed. We are being made new. We are being transformed into his image. In lifestyle and character, we are to be in the image of Jesus. This is why Ephesians 5:1 says we are to “imitate God in everything we do because we are his dear children.” Main Points: 1. Without realizing it, every day, we wh...

You can outlive your life.  Today you are writing the chapters that will be told of you, long after you are gone.  There will be a service for you one day, in which eulogies, memories, and stories will be told.  The life you live today determines what story lives on. Main Points: 1. Over the years I have met a lot of Christians who started well.  You could say they’re on fire for God.  They love G...

Are you preparing for your next season? I believe God has a preferred future for your life. He’s not finished with you and wants to use your life for His purpose. Too many people have settled with a belief they have reached their potential or that there’s nothing more God wants to do through their lives.  Main Points: 1. Let me encourage you with this truth: Everyone has a next step to take. No ma...

Have you ever felt the temptation to take revenge? Your work colleague takes the credit for a project you have worked so hard on. Your so-called friend betrays your confidence and spreads lies about you. Your spouse has been unfaithful. Someone has attacked you, mistreated you, ignored you, or socially rejected you.  Main Points: 1. Revenge is the desire or urge to get even with somebody.  To puni...

What does it mean to be bold? The dictionary defines the word bold as “a characteristic of confidence and courage.” I believe God is calling for you and me to live our faith out loud with confidence and courage. How else will the world around us know the difference Jesus has made in our lives? Main Points: 1. Pastor and Author Craig Groeschel wrote, “Sometimes we function as ‘Christian Atheists.’...

The question Jesus asks in Matthew 5:6 is….”Do we possess a craving hunger and thirst for God’s righteous life?  The promise? “If we do, we will be filled.” Main Points: 1. Because of our lack of hunger, it may be difficult for us to understand this particular beatitude. We rarely hunger and thirst after anything, so we miss the urgency of these words. 2. If you and I want righteousness, we can ha...

Grace is God's undeserved kindness. The doctrine of grace is that God treats us better than we deserve to be treated. Grace is "the love and mercy given to us by God because God desires us to have it, not because of anything we have done to earn it.”  Grace comes from the Greek Word “ charis ” literally meaning “gift, kindness, generosity.” Main Points: 1. God’s Word teaches us that we a...

As we have journeyed through life, you and I have experienced the comfort God can give. We know what it is like to feel his presence. We know the comfort God can give to a weary soul. The Bible also teaches us that we should use the comfort God has given us, and comfort others.  Main Points: 1. As we study the scripture, we begin to realize God wants to use us as His agents of comfort to others. S...

Why is it important to have a biblical or godly perspective?  Our perspective should be the same as the God we serve. We want to see and interpret things the way God does. This will only happen as we make the Bible the lens through which we see the world. You’ll never see things the way God does until you see things through the lens of scripture. Main Points: 1. It’s common to hear people, in a mo...

We can choose to respond to adversity with fear, anxiety, and worry. We can also choose to respond with praise and worship. You might say, “Yes, but Loren, praise doesn’t change my circumstances.” It might not, but it certainly will change what is happening inside of you.  Main Points: 1. As we praise, we confess what we know is true about God. We choose to trust and to believe, rather than to fea...

Jesus invites us all to come. Think of the amazing accessibility of Jesus. There has never been a higher king. No king has ever had more power and authority. Yet, this king is accessible. He is approachable. He invites us all to come. He welcomes us into his presence.  Main Points: 1.  Jesus, the King of Kings invites us to come to Him. The King who has authority and power over every earthly king,...

My prayer for you today is that you will let nothing move you. Remain steadfast. Stand firm in the truth. When others compromise their beliefs and when others crumble under the pressure to water down the truth, I pray you will remain strong for Christ. Main Points: 1.  “Will we stand and will we remain unmoved in our faith, our beliefs, and our biblical convictions?  2. Just continue. Continue to...

One of the greatest challenges we face emotionally is how we will respond when we are hurt. With the offense, we have a choice. Will we respond with grace and forgiveness, or will we respond with harshness and cynicism? Will we be quick to overlook an offense or will we respond with the same hurt we experienced? Main Points: 1. I’m sure you’ll agree, that it's not always easy to respond in a...

When it comes to the church. I believe unity is our foundation. The whole church stands or falls on the strength of this foundation.  As long as there are people, there will be a wide variety of opinions. That’s okay. It’s not essential to have a unity of opinion in every matter. What is crucial is that we have unity around mission, vision, and purpose. We must have a strong biblical and doctrinal...

As children of God, we desire the Lord’s hand of guidance and protection to be upon our lives. Why? Because He can see what we cannot see. He knows what we do not know. He holds our purpose and our future in His hands. Main Points: 1. I believe each day the Holy Spirit is active in our lives too. He is speaking, leading, guiding, and directing. Are we listening? Are our ears open to the voice of t...

We stand on Jesus’ promise that the gospel will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations. As we see this being fulfilled, we know the end is near and Jesus’ return is soon. Main Points: 1. There are still locations in our world where the gospel message is not being preached. There are places where there are no churches, no missionaries, no translations of the Bible in local lan...