The 5 Minute Discipleship Podcast

The presence of God is an amazing thing. To think that God is with us is incredible. God is omnipresent. He is always with us. He promised to never leave us or forsake us. But if that is true, why don’t we experience more peace? The answer is that we are not always aware of God’s presence. Main Points: 1. J. Oswald Sanders - “Peace is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of God.” 2. Most o...

Neglecting the things that are important does not usually occur in one big step or one decisive action. No, neglect occurs slowly. It’s incremental. Neglect happens when we ignore the little things. It doesn’t seem like a big deal, but there is a cumulative effect to neglect. Little things add up to big things. Main Points: 1. When we neglect spending time with Jesus when we neglect our faith, whe...

In my life, I have discovered that when it comes to the choices of fear and faith, it’s not always one or the other. Life produces fear, it’s an emotion we feel, but with God’s help, I can choose faith anyway. Though I may feel fear, I choose to trust God.  Main Points: 1. As Christians, we acknowledge that fear is a choice. We can also make another choice. It’s the decision to live by faith.  2....

The Bible is a book of miracles, from the beginning to the end. If you read through the Bible, you will be left with this amazing truth: God can do anything. There is no limit to his power. He is a miracle-working God. He specializes in doing what seems to be impossible to us. Main Points: 1. What is a miracle? Webster's dictionary defines a miracle as an "extraordinary event manifesting...

Can I encourage you today with a powerful truth? The same power of the Holy Spirit that enabled Jesus to resist temptation lives in you. Christ was tempted, so you will be tempted. Jesus overcame temptation and so can you. Main Points: 1.  Satan’s attacks are not random, nor are they generic. They are specific attacks against your soul. Satan goes after your most vulnerable spot. Your enemy knows...

Anxiety is a false prophet - It offers false solutions, makes false promises, and offers false predictions. Anxiety leaves us with an open-ended question…what if? Main Points: 1.  If you have battled anxiety. You are not alone. We all struggle from time to time, whether as a way of life or due to particular circumstances beyond our control. It brings about physical reactions like shaking, increase...

As Christians, we put the future in God’s hands. We cannot predict the future. We don’t know what will happen tomorrow. Many will choose to worry about the future, but instead, we can choose to trust our Heavenly Father. We trust His will, His plan, and His purpose for our lives.  Main Points: 1.  Tomorrow is on our minds. It’s likely you are thinking about the future as it relates to your family,...

Humility is an accurate estimation of our self-importance in relation to God and others.  Here’s another definition I like… “Having a right view of yourself because you have a right view of God.” Main Points: 1.  It’s always better to listen to the caution of the Holy Spirit and to guard our hearts against pride. If we do not live in humility before the Lord. God himself will humble us, and it wil...

Do you ever struggle to keep the faith? We’ve all been there, haven’t we?  Those days, weeks, and months where it seems like we are hanging onto the rope of faith and we are at the last knot?  Haven’t you been there?  I know I have. Main Points: 1.  It’s in those moments that I have to go back to God’s Word.  This is where my faith is strengthened.  I have to be reminded often of who God is, what...

Think about this truth: God knows absolutely everything about you and he loves you. You are fully and completely known, and yet you are loved. Main Points: 1.  Our relationship with God is like no other. In our relationships with people, there may be a thousand things they don’t know about you, especially as it is related to the heart. Your friend doesn’t know your thoughts, your desires, your mot...

If you fully understand the gospel and what Jesus has done for us, you comprehend that He was not just executed 2,000 years ago by the Romans. You recognize that He willingly laid down his life as a sacrifice for our sins. Jesus died for us. He took our place. With his death on the cross, He paid the penalty for our sins, so we would not have to. Main Points: 1. If God were not just, there would b...

What is holiness? To be holy is to be consecrated, set apart, and dedicated to God. For some, this seems daunting. We can be intimidated by the word holy or the knowledge that God wants us to be holy. After all, we know our failings and shortcomings all too well. Main Points: 1. But we must see that holiness is a good thing. Everything God calls us to pursue is for our own good. Holiness is not ou...

Many attempts have been made to define the grace of God. One definition, using an acronym says “Grace is God’s riches at Christ’s expense.” Perhaps the most common definition of grace is “unmerited favor.” Another says that grace is “God’s favor toward the unworthy.” All of these definitions are helpful as we consider this incredible attribute of God. I suppose my favorite definition is that grace...

Receive this truth: God is standing beside you. He is there. Can you acknowledge His presence? Everything you need He will provide. Repeatedly in the Bible, He promises that He will be with us. Main Points: 1.  When everyone leaves when you feel abandoned, and when there is no one else around, God will remain present in your life. He has promised in Scripture that He will never leave us, nor forsa...

Forgiveness is a decision you make to refuse to live in the past. It’s a conscious choice to release others from their sins against you so that you can be set free. It doesn’t deny the pain or change the past, but it does break the bitterness that holds you to the wounds of the past. Forgiveness allows you to let go and move on. You offer this forgiveness freely because God has forgiven you freely...

Without reading the Old Testament we cannot see the full plan God has for His people. Don’t just read half of the story. Read the beginning. Discover what God has said and what He is doing in the lives of those who will trust Him.  Main Points: 1.  The practice of neglecting to read the Old Testament is not unusual. Except for the books of Psalms and Proverbs, many Christians do not read much of t...

God's interruptions remind us that our knowledge and perspective is very limited. We cannot see and know as much as God. So, we surrender to his plan, recognizing we serve a God who has all knowledge, and he knows what is best for us. So, if interruptions are God’s plan for us, we must embrace them. Main Points: 1.  So, what do we do when we are interrupted and we sense that God is at work in...

Think about this: You might miss greater opportunities from God if you can’t be trusted to obey God in the small things. There is a powerful question embedded in this verse:  Can you be trusted with obeying God in the small things? Will you seize the small opportunities God gives you, recognizing they truly make a difference? Main Points: 1. So often we miss these opportunities to serve God becaus...

It’s through the power of the Holy Spirit that we are able to break the patterns of the world that we have lived by for so long. Now, through Jesus, we can be transformed, and this transformation takes place by a renewal in our minds. As a result, we begin to live by new patterns. Holy patterns. Holy habits. Main Points: 1. In today’s culture we sometimes talk about habits in their negative connot...

If you really believed that Jesus would return tomorrow, what would you do differently from what you are now doing?  Would you maintain the same schedule you have set for yourself?  Would you adjust your plans? Main Points: 1.  Yes, as believers, we are waiting for Christ’s return, but our waiting is not passive. It is an active waiting. I believe there are three primary things we are to do as we...

Remember this, we serve a God who can bring peace in the midst of the fiercest storm. He’s never faced a storm he couldn’t calm.  Main Points: 1. Many of you find yourself in the midst of a storm. Some of you are facing storms in your relationships. Some are facing heath storms or financial storms. Others are facing storms in your work or even your ministry. 2.  With just a word, Jesus can calm yo...

I’ve found that often times worry has to do with the fear of what could possibly happen. They haven’t happened. We don’t know if they will happen, but we fear it could happen. This internal stress causes anxiety, fear, and apprehension. Not only can it make us emotionally and mentally unwell, but it can also cause physical illness too.  Is there a cure? Main Points: 1. The dictionary defines worry...

Someone once said, “'A student learns what his teacher knows, but a disciple becomes what his master is.” Isn’t this the goal of the Christian life, to become like Jesus in our character and conduct? Main Points: 1. What is discipleship? I like this definition by Pastor Tony Evans. He wrote: Discipleship is that developmental process that progressively brings Christians from spiritual infancy...

As a Christian, we must allow the Word of God to determine how we see and interpret the world around us. This will only happen if we consistently read and meditate on scripture. As we do so, the Bible influence our thoughts, our understanding, and our actions. Main Points: 1. It is important to remember that a worldview is comprehensive. It affects every area of our lives, from money to morality,...

Regardless of what our culture has come to believe, as a Christian, you have a mandate from Christ himself, to share the gospel with others. We cannot believe that evangelism is a calling for someone else. We cannot leave the responsibility to others. No, we are all called by Jesus to be His witnesses. Main Points: 1. In my lifetime there has been a growing sentiment in our society that it’s wrong...