The 5 Minute Discipleship Podcast

All leadership in the kingdom of God is “servant-leadership.”  We lead out of service to God.  We might think “I’m not a leader.”  I don’t have a position or a title.  I don’t have business cards.  John Maxwell – “Leadership is influence.”  You are more influential than you think. I believe the one quality God is looking for is character. In the Old Testament, when David was anointed to be the nex...

The Bible talks a lot about the fear of the Lord. This afternoon I did some research…Check out these verses from the book of proverbs : “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (1:7). “To fear of the Lord is to hate evil” (8:13). “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (9:10). “The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death” (14:27). “Bette...

Anger is a God-given emotional response that is usually tied to a goal, or a value, or an expectation.  It usually ignites when we feel invalidated or rejected.  It is expressed, depending on our personality, in two ways: by exploding or by imploding. Righteous anger - This is anger directed at injustice.  It is anger at acts that violate the gospel or at things that offend God.  Ex…Jesus cleaning...

One of the things we all fight from time to time is discouragement. It drains you of joy, it steals your peace, and it empties you of hope. There is a verse I need to be reminded of from time to time. “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) I truly believe that giving thanks… intentionally bein...

It requires courage to obey God when His instructions don’t make sense to us.  But as we obey Him anyway we realize that God knows what He is doing and His ways are always best. One of the most unusual obedience stories in the Bible is the story of Joshua and the battle of Jericho. I loved this story as a kid.  We would act it out in Sunday School.  We would sing the song, “Joshua fought the battl...

In 1912 when the Titanic sailed, everybody called it unsinkable.  It was not considered unsinkable because of it’s size, but because it was using a new design and technology.  The new design was to build the hull of the ship and divide it into compartments, rather than it being just one unified hull.  The idea was that if a few of the compartments were damaged, or even flooded, the ship would stil...

Here’s what I truly believe: God does want to use your life to make a difference. He has given you gifts, talents, abilities, time, and resources to be used for his glory. When overcome with insecurity, we can easily begin to make excuses as to why God can’t use our lives. Almost every man or woman who was used by God in the Bible to do incredible things started off with either fear or doubt. The...

“What do you do as a Christian when these attacks occur?”  And they will occur!  Scripture: Ephesians 6:11 – “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes .” In Ephesians chapter 6, we learn there various pieces of the armor God gives us to fight spiritual battles. But there is one piece of equipment that is absolutely essential to winning spiritual bat...

“ Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.  Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. ” (Galatians 6:1-2) Clearly, these were caring people who were seeking ways to carry the burdens of others, as Paul suggests in Galatians 6:2. Yet somehow they hadn’t noticed...

I believe that when we have true faith in Jesus, it changes out we live our lives. Our faith impacts our attitudes, our choice of words, our values, decisions, actions, and so much more. In fact if our lives aren’t being changed to be more like Jesus, it brings in to question whether we have faith at all. “ faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead .” (James 2:17) The Bible is t...

“ And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. ” (Matthew 4:19) What does it mean to follow Jesus?  There are 82 references in the Gospels to people following Jesus. I believe there is some confusion today as to what it means to follow Jesus.  What does it mean to follow Jesus?  Accept his salvation?  Believe in him?  Be baptized?  Walk the aisle?  Shake the preacher’s hand...

The Christian life is not a 100-yard dash; it’s a marathon. It’s easy to begin a marathon well and it’s not too difficult to run a few miles. The test comes over the long haul. Will you endure to the finish? In the Christian race, will you be faithful through all of the hardships, even unto death? The greek word for endurance here means "to maintain a belief or course of action in the face of...

People search for peace in many ways. Some think peace is found at the end of a bottle or the high experienced by a drug. Many think peace is found by escaping reality, traveling, or getting away from its all. Other look for peace by taking a walk, listening to music, getting in nature, or meditating. But according the the Bible, peace is a gift from God. Jesus said in John 14:27 – “ Peace I leave...

When I read the Bible, it’s seems that all of the men and women of God experienced season of waiting where it looked like they couldn’t move forward. Moses got stuck out in a desert for forty years.  That didn’t keep God’s plans from happening in his life.  In fact, the people that he was going to set free after those forty year (the people of Israel) they’d been stuck in Egypt for 400 years!  Tha...

" Many, O Lord my God, are Your wonderful works which You have done; and Your thoughts toward us cannot be recounted to You in order; if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered. "  (Psalm 40:5) Who am I?  this is a question everyone asks.  It is a life shaping, identity revealing question.  How you answer this question determines your identity, your testimon...

“ Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control. ” (Proverbs 25:28) In Solomon’s time, a city depended on strong fortifications and gates, with great walls surrounding it, to protected it from foreign armies. If the gates and walls were broken down, a city was totally exposed to the assault of any enemy that wished to plunder or conquer it. If a city did not invest...

“ So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free… ” (Galatians 5:1) Here is a powerful truth: We are free from the power of sin. It has been broken. It was broken at the cross. Since we still struggle with sin, we sometimes have hard time believing we have been set free from the power of sin. We say things like “I can’t help it! I’ve always been this way. I tried to stop, there’...

Romans 12:18 – “ If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone .” Hebrews 12:14 – “ Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. ” Biblical wisdom for dealing with conflict. In Ephesians chapter four, the Apostle Paul gives us a few things to consider. Speak the truth in love . Remember it’s not just what...

“ He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began. ” (2 Timothy 1:9 NKJV) God’s purpose for your life is not about you. We exist for God; He does not exist for us. God loves doing things for His people, but the rea­son we get up in the morning is to fulfill His purpose...

Psalm 13:1 – “How long, oh Lord, will you forget me forever?” Psalm 10 – “Why do you hide yourself?” Psalm 89 – “Where is your steadfast love?” Can we be honest?  Sometimes prayer is a struggle.  It’s a struggle to know what to say?  It can be a struggle to believe that God will answer your prayer.  Sometimes it’s a struggle to keep praying when it’s been a while, and the answer hasn’t come.  It’s...

" Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves " (Matthew 7:15). “ But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will foll...

" When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God. ” (Matthew 16:13-16) This is the most i...

“ Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is —his good, pleasing and perfect will. ” (Romans 12:1-2) Paul is des...

" You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. ” (Psalm 63:1-3) How many times has it taken a crisis to bring us to our knees in prayer?  When we are pushed to t...

“ I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. ” (John 17:20-21) The Bible is filled with a focus on unity.  God brings us together, in all of our brokenness, in all...