The Bible Speaks to You: Think, Pray, Love like Jesus

027 – Jesus' "Parable of the Sower" has more than one meaning It's not just about Jesus preaching the gospel. It's also about where and what kind of seeds of faith we plant in our hearts and our lives. In this episode I talk about how our faith is like a seed: It's not enough to have seeds (faith). You have to plant them. It's not about how big your faith is, but...

026 – What if you had seen Jesus that first Easter morning? What if you had been in in the room when Jesus appeared to his disciples after the resurrection? How would you act? How would it change your life? What if we lived each day as if we had just seen the risen Christ? In this episode I talk about: Why it's important to celebrate Easter as every day Why the crucifixion is not enough to sa...

025 – What is the best way to prepare our hearts for Easter? When we take the time to get ready spiritually for the significance of the resurrection in our lives, we get a deeper sense of what Easter is all about. In this week's episode, I explore the time Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead as a way to get us ready for Easter. Why did Jesus wait for two days before he went to see Lazarus? Why...

024 – Have you ever thanked God before He heals or blesses you? Usually we thank God after something good happens. And that's important. But gratitude before the solution appears is a powerful prayer. In today's episode, I share some ideas about why "gratitude in advance" is so important and you can add this powerful tool to your spiritual tool box. You'll learn about: How...

023 – How did Jesus pray? Can we pray like he did? Yes. Jesus expected us to follow his example in everything he did, including our prayers. In this episode, I present the first installment of an occasional series: How to Pray Like Jesus. The focus this time is on one of the very specific ways Jesus prayed, which I call the "prayer of rebuke." I talk about: What is the prayer of rebuke?...

022 – The Healing Power of God is alive and well The prophets in the Old Testament healed people. Jesus healed too many people to count. And his disciples followed his example by healing. God’s power to heal God heals today just as He did in Bible times. In this week’s episode, I share a remarkable testimony of healing in modern times and the prayer that brought the healing. Check out the shownote...

021 – Can prayer protect you from contagious disease? According to the 91st Psalm, the answer is "Yes!" With the outbreak of the Corona virus, many people are afraid of getting sick. But the Bible promises, "There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling." (Psalm 91:10  KJV) But we have to hid in the "secret place of the Most High [God].&q...

020 – When was the last time you shared your faith with someone? I'm not talking about having a debate and trying to convert someone to your faith. But just about sharing what you believe with someone. In this episode, I share a few practical ways to share your faith in a meaningful way. But I also talk about some of the ways that are not productive. Let your light shine Be the salt of the ea...

019 – What does God want you to do with your life? There's a big difference between you trying to figure out what you want to do and listening for what God's purpose for you is. In the Bible, there's no way Moses, Gideon, Esther, Elisabeth and Zacharias, Mary and Joseph, or Paul could have set a goal to end up doing what God chose them to do. There was no way for them to know what i...

018 – My gym teacher accused me of lying. It took me years to forgive him. What does it really mean to forgive? Do we really have to forgive someone 70 x 7? In this episode I talk about the healing power of forgiveness: how I finally forgave my gym teacher the stages of forgiveness several things that will help you forgive someone why it's harder to forgive yourself but is still possible why...

017 – Do we really have to take the Bible 100% literally, like some people insist? Absolutely not. If you do, you'll miss a lot of what the Bible says. There are many things in the Bible that are literally true, but there are many parts that were never intended to be taken literally. For example: The parables of Jesus. Heaven is not a woman baking bread The "hand of God" doesn'...

016 – Why did the crowds follow Jesus? What did Jesus do to prepare people to prepare their hearts to hear his message of salvation? How does Christ prepare our hearts today to hear what he has to say? In this episode I explore what it was Jesus did to get people to listen to him and be ready to accept his good news that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And I talk about how Christ works in our he...

015 – It turns out I was lying to myself! I thought I loved God, but I did not love my brother. The Bible says  that if we say we love God but hate our brother we are liars (see I John 4:20). Is there someone in your life, a sibling, a friend, a co-worker, a fellow church member who is particularly difficult to love? Well, join the crowd. If you say you love God but don't love these folks, th...

014 – How would you feel if Jesus knocked at the door and offered to help clean up your house, but it was a total disaster? Would you let him in? Just think of Jesus cleaning your toilet. Yikes! In this episode: I share an allegory of Christ coming to help me clean up my house (my life) and how embarrassing it is when he sees what a mess it is. Christ comes to us in many ways. Do we always hear hi...

013 – Why did John the Baptist baptize people in the Jordan River? Weren't there other places he could have done it? It turns out the Hebrew word for "Jordan" gives a big clue. Hint: It's all about humility. In this episode we're going to jump into the Jordan River seven times, submit seven times to God. Once or twice is just not enough. Naaman needed to dip seven times in...

012 – What kind of spiritual resolutions will you make for 2020? Instead of just making the same old New Year's resolutions that will be forgotten by the end of the month, how about just following Jesus more closely – all year long? In this episode I share 20 ways to follow Christ in 2020. Some of them are fairly straightforward Some of them are hard, like loving your enemies Some have a twis...

011 – Does it sometimes seem unfair there was no room in the inn and Jesus was born is a stable? In this episode I talk about the familiar story of Jesus's birth and just a few ideas to think about this Christmas season: What is the significance of Jesus being born in a stable? Why did Mary put Jesus in a manger, aka feeding trough? The importance of flexibility and being spontaneous at Chris...

010 – How does the message of the angels in the Christmas story apply to us? In this episode, you'll hear about  What we can learn from how Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds responded to the angels What to do when an angel talks to you The importance of listening to the angels God sends you instead of what someone else tells you What to do when someone else tells you an angel spoke to them The...

009 – Getting ready for Christmas is not just about baking cookies and shopping. More importantly, what will you do to prepare your heart to receive more of the Christ and the spiritual meaning of Christmas this year? In this episode, I talk about how God prepared  the Children of Israel, through prophecies, over hundreds of years to be ready when the Messiah came Zacharias and Elizabeth to become...

008 – How often do you say the Lord's Prayer but it's just words? It's time to re-discover the original spiritual power of this prayer. In today's episode I share some fresh new ways to approach this prayer. Six ways to pray the Lord's Prayer Slow down already. Think about what each word and phrase really mean Rewrite the prayer in your own words Think about how big your &...

007 –  Everybody talks about gratitude, but what does it actually mean to be grateful? It's so much more than just saying the words, "Thank you." Gratitude is: an open door that lets more good into your life a magnifying glass to notice and amplify the blessings you already have like a set of jumper cables to get your life recharged tracing a blessing all the way back to its source,...

006 – Have you ever had to take a stand to get the justice you deserved? There's a wonderful story in the Bible about five sisters who made a courageous appeal for justice. When the Children of Israel arrived at the Promised Land of Canaan after 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, the elders were deciding how to divide the land among the 12 Tribes of Israel. Zelophehad, who had died in t...

005 – What is your divine inheritance? Paul writes, "we are the children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ," (Romans 8:16, 17) What do we inherit from God? It is your spiritual birthright, as a child of God, to live, think, and pray like Jesus. It is your divine right to inherit the kingdom of God, to be a citizen in the kingdom of heaven. But...

004 – Is it really possible to love as much as Jesus did? How can we even hope to come close to how much he loved? Today's episode explores how Jesus loved and how he promised that we can follow his example. To get the Bible verses and shownotes for this episode, head to: https://thebiblespeakstoyou/004 Text me your questions or comments. Support the show If you enjoy the podcast, please rate...

003 – Can we learn to pray as effectively as Jesus did? Paul said we have "the mind of Christ." What does that really mean? Adopting the mindset of Christ allows us to think, act, pray, and heal as Jesus did. Check out the show notes page at https://thebiblespeakstoyou.com/003 Text me your questions or comments. Support the show If you enjoy the podcast, please rate and leave a review on...