The 5 Minute Discipleship Podcast

There is no place to stop, plateau, or think we have arrived in our spiritual lives. We are to never stop growing. There is always more we can learn, more we can experience, more steps of faith to take, and more character to be developed. Main Points: 1. Like an adopted child learns the behaviors and expectations of their new family. We are to learn the values, behavior, and lifestyle of the famil...

As we grow in our faith, we aspire to be Christians who know what we believe. Our beliefs have stood the test of time. These truths have become deep convictions in our hearts. We know them to be true because God has revealed them to us in His Word and by His Spirit. Others may choose to believe other things, but we live with the deep assurance of the truths of God. Main Points: 1. Let me ask you,...

I hope you’ll see this truth today. God cares about your emotional state. We’ve often been taught to hide our emotions. I know that I struggle to express my emotions in public. We’ve been taught to stifle them. Be strong. Don’t let anyone see what is going on inside. But God cares about our emotions. Main Points: 1. Throughout Scripture we see men and women feeling and expressing emotion, but nowh...

Imagine the impact on your life if you began to make this verse your daily prayer. What if we began every morning by letting God know we desire that the words of our mouths and the thoughts in our minds be pleasing to Him? Main Points: 1. Our choices, decisions, actions, and ultimately our lifestyle are determined by our thoughts and our words. This makes self-control so vital for us. Through the...

The fear of the Lord is deep respect, awe, and reverence for God.  We give God the glory, honor, reverence, gratitude, and praise, he deserves.  God holds this preeminent position in our hearts and lives.  We regard his desires over and above our own. Main Points: 1. The Bible repeatedly tells us not to fear. It’s been said that the Bible gives us this command 365 times, one for each day of the ye...

We must realize that the goal of the Christian life is not behavior modification. The goal is not to just become a better person. We must be born again. We must know God in a personal way. Main Points: 1. Nicodemus was pursuing salvation through his own efforts. He was trying to be a good person. He was trying to do all the right things. But on this night he learns that salvation can only come whe...

Admittedly, waiting is hard for most of us. It seems that impatience is the human characteristic that identifies us all. Today, we live in a quick-response , on-demand culture. Waiting on anything is becoming increasingly difficult. But as Christians, there is one thing we will have to wait on. We will have to wait on God. I guarantee it. As a part of His plan, His purpose, and His character devel...

While we are thankful we have received such a great salvation, we may wonder if God can truly save anyone . We know people who are far from God. They have no interest in God or the things of God. Their hearts seem hardened and they are not open to the gospel of Christ. Can God break through their darkness? Is the gospel for everyone? Main Points: 1. Perhaps you have wondered if God could save you....

I sat and thought for a moment. How much do I love the Word of God? Having access to the Bible my entire life, has it become commonplace? Do I take it for granted? I began to pray and ask God for a renewed love for His Word. I prayed for a fresh hunger to know God more through the pages of Scripture. Main Points: 1. You and I are to be people of the Word. The Bibles we possess are the very words o...

Confession brings God’s forgiveness, healing, and freedom. Confession empties our souls of the burden of sin we have been carrying. What was in the dark has now been brought to light. Our heavy load of sin has been lifted. We can now live in the freedom of God’s grace. Main Points: 1. Today, we don’t hear much about the importance of confession and repentance of sins. We are taught to place our fa...

Which voices are you listening to? As Christians, we have to guard our hearts. We cannot listen to just any voice. We can’t give all voices the same credence and acceptance. We must decipher through the voices to determine what is true, what is right, and what is godly. All other voices must be rejected. Main Points: 1. The Word of God is our filter. If the Scripture is the final authority for fai...

The Bible teaches salvation comes through Christ alone. There is no other path, no other way, and no other possibility. If you will be saved from your sins and forgiven by God, you will come through Christ, and Christ alone. Main Points: 1. There are those today who don’t like the fact that the Bible proclaims faith in Jesus as the only way to salvation. The exclusivity of Christ is a problem for...

Through our relationship with Jesus, we possess the ability to live with joy, regardless of our circumstances. While the world around us may be falling apart, feeling defeated, and living in despair, Christians have the blessing of choosing to live with joy. Main Points: 1. How does this happen? How can you be joyful when life isn’t going well? It’s here we often confuse joy with happiness. They a...

As Christians, we’ve been taught the importance of the Word of God. We have been instructed to read the Bible every day. We know the significance of spending time with God every day.  So, are there things we can do to develop a fresh love for the Word of God?  Main Points: 1. Start by praying a new prayer. Begin to ask God to give you a love for His Word. It’s a simple prayer you can start praying...

It is not the will of God that we are alone or that we go through life isolated from others. He has created the church to be our spiritual family. It’s here that we find fellowship, encouragement, support, and accountability. It’s also here that we can offer these same gifts to others. Main Points: 1. Sometimes the reason for such isolation is the pain we have experienced in the church. Maybe we f...

When you love Jesus it makes you different. You are not the same. There will be a noticeable difference in how you live and what you live for. In Christianity, some of the words we use to describe this new life are changed, transformed, converted, and born again. Main Points: 1. We are still in the world, but we are not of the world. We live by different values. We have different ambitions. We hav...

Do you need a guide? Are you in need of guidance and direction? God has given you two sources, His Word and His Spirit. Main Points: 1. Where does this guidance come from? How does God become our guide? He guides us in two ways. He guides us by His Word and by the Holy Spirit. 2. Psalm 119 says God’s Word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path, meaning, it illuminates the steps we are to ta...

As we serve the Lord in our various ministries, patience is required. Like a farmer, we till the soil, we plant the seed, and we water the seed. We get excited when we see a little shoot begin to appear. Yet, we must wait for the harvest. Main Points: 1. Let me remind you of an important principle about the work of God: The harvest belongs to God. You and I have no power over the harvest. We are c...

It was a long-awaited night. Mary had waited nine months, but the waiting had started long ago. Throughout the Old Testament, the Prophets spoke of a coming Messiah. He would be a suffering servant that would save His people from their sins. Year after year the people waited for this coming Messiah. When would He come? Main Points: 1. Jesus came at just the right time in God’s redemptive plan when...

We have a temptation to think that if we are living in God’s will we won’t suffer, but this isn’t always the case. Sometimes, God, in His sovereignty, allows us to go through hardship as a part of his greater purpose.  Main Points: 1. Sometimes hardship is part of the growth and development of our faith and spiritual growth. Other times hardship is a part of the testimony and ministry God wants to...

We learn from James chapter one that we cannot blame God for our temptations. So, where do they come from? He answers that question. We are tempted by our own evil desires. We are tempted to sin because we have a sinful nature. Main Points: 1. All of us face temptations. There has never been a person alive who didn’t face temptation. The Bible says, even Jesus was tempted but was without sin. This...

The love of money is a heart issue. It’s called greed. Greed is one of the enemies of our hearts.  Very quietly it slips in and begins to guide and direct our decisions.  The Bible calls greed sin because it can lead us to push God out of our lives.  Greed is dangerous because it blinds us to what is truly important. Main Points: 1. The problem with the love of money is that it is never satisfied....

We have an adversary, and enemy, the devil who wants to attack our faith, bring confusion and discouragement and cause us to falter in our relationship with God. He doesn’t want us to be strong spiritually. He wants to do everything he can to hinder the spiritual growth of our families. He wants us to be ineffective in our work for the Lord. Main Points: 1. It’s my experience that most Christians...

We keep in step with the Spirit by a continual surrendering of our lives to the will of God. His will is revealed to us in His Word. As we follow and obey the Word of God, we are walking by the Spirit. As we abide with Jesus through prayer and worship, our hearts stay in tune with the Holy Spirit. Main Points: 1. In the New Testament book of Galatians, the Apostle Paul instructs us to keep up with...

The Bible teaches us that repentance brings the refreshing of the Lord into our lives. Do you need to be refreshed and revitalized? Is it because you are carrying the weight of sin and need to come to the Lord with repentance? Main Points: 1. Sin is a burden to carry. It’s a heavyweight. We’ve all felt the load of grief and weariness that sin makes us carry. 2. A critical part of our salvation is...