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

227 – Have you ever wondered if God still loves you? All too often we think of all the mistakes we've made or the things that have happened to us, and somehow decide God must not love us anymore, that we're not worthy of His love. But no matter what you've done ( or not done that you should have), no matter what mistakes you've made, big or small, God still loves you. It's...

226 – What does  it mean to be more than a conqueror through Christ? With all the challenges in the world and in your own personal life, does it ever seem like there's just no end to the chaos? In Chapter 8 of Romans, Paul lists a host of challenges that describes what a lot of people are dealing with today. But he also promises us that we can find answers, solutions, and healing through Chri...

225 – If you could ask Jesus a favor, what would it be? If you had met Jesus 2,000 years ago while as he was traveling around healing and ministering to people, what would you ask him for? A healing? Deliverance from a problem? The answer to a burning question in your heart? Lots of people came up to Jesus to ask him for all sorts of things. Sometimes he granted their requests and sometimes he did...

224 – Do you have to believe in the Nicene Creed to be a true Christian? This is a pretty heavy duty topic. And people have been arguing over this for about 1,700 years.  So this is not the final answer or discussion on the topic. But is incredibly important to think about what it means to be a Christian. Is it based on what you believe or how you put into practice the teachings of Jesus? Or is it...

223 – Have you ever thought of the Bible as a verb? All too often we think of the Bible as a source for our beliefs, our theology, and our faith. But have you ever looked at the Bible through the lens of the action items that need to be on our daily to-do list? This week, I talk to my wife, Polly Castor, about the Bible as resource for how we are to behave, what we are to do, not just what we&apos...

222 – Have you ever tried to find yourself in the Bible? So many people are trying to find themselves these days. They're looking in so many different directions, but they often overlook the spiritual aspect of who they are as a child of God. The best place to discover your identity is in the Bible. In a couple of previous episodes, I talked specifically about this:   Episode 37: You Are the...

221 – Have you ever been so preoccupied with what others are doing that you don't focus on following Christ? Welcome to 2024! A new year is a wonderful opportunity to take stock of where you've been, where you are and where you're going. Instead of a New Year's Resolution this year, I decided simply to quit comparing myself to what others are doing and just focus on following C...

220 – Highlights from The Bible Speaks to You Podcast in 2023 The end of the year is a good time to look back and see where you've come from. It's a time to appreciate and be grateful for all the blessings from the previous 12 months. In these last few days of 2023, I've gone back to review some of the podcast episodes that, according to you, my listeners, were the most helpful. Thi...

219 – What are you expecting to get for Christmas this year? Remember that sense of expectation you had as a kid at Christmastime? There was so much anticipation for what presents you'd get. What if you could have that same sense of expectation for all that Christ is giving you this Christmas? Have you ever stopped to think about all that Jesus has given us? In this week's episode I talk...

218  – Do you have a prodigal in your family? This week I talk with Pam Fields, mother of nine, and grandmother of four, about how to pray when you have a prodigal child. One of Pam's grown children has broken away from the family and renounced their faith. Pam talks about the way she has prayed about this and how she has supported others who have had similar experiences. Here are some of the...

217 – Have there been times in your life that gave you a deeper sense of what Christmas is all about? The Bible is full of these decisions people made and actions they took that create a chain of events that eventually lead to the birth of Jesus. In this week's episode, I talk about a few of these pivotal moments that altered the course of Bible history and bring us to Bethlehem when Jesus is...

216 – Believe it or not, some people debate whether or not God really does love everyone. And they can debate all they want. To me, the simple answer to this question is the fact that God sent Jesus to show and be the Way for us, to bring healing and salvation to us and the whole world. The Bible verse that captures this all-inclusive love of God for all mankind, throughout all time is John 3:16 F...

215 – Does your heart overflow with gratitude? I've been thinking of everything I'm grateful for. With all the tensions in the world, not to mention the challenges in my own life, I’ve found that expressing gratitude helps get me refocused on God and brings some peace of mind. Gratitude helps clear the air so my heart can breathe more freely. This week's episode takes a deep dive in...

214 – How are you surrendering to Christ today? We live in challenging times with so many influences trying to pull us away from following Jesus. But this is not new. It happened all the way back in Bible times. This week, Jay Kim and I talk about what it means to surrender completely to Christ and how the book of Colossians gives us a roadmap. Jay, the lead pastor at Westgate Church in Silicon Va...

213 – Is it really possible to be grateful in every situation? When things are going well in life, it is pretty easy to be grateful.  But maybe you’re going through a season of your life right now where things aren’t going so well. Things aren’t working out. Or whatever it might be. Sometimes it’s pretty hard to find anything to be grateful for. So, where ever you are on the spectrum of how much o...

212 – Do you want to pray more effectively? I learned a really important lesson from Halloween several years ago about how to pray in a way I had never thought of. When kids come to your door for Halloween, yelling "Trick or Treat," do you ever wonder if those are real witches or super heroes behind the masks? Of course not. Even if you pretend to be scared, you know the kids are just we...

211 – Surprise, not everyone agrees on how to follow Jesus What do you do when someone says you're not following Jesus the "right" way? Has someone ever "sent you to hell" because you didn't believe in Jesus or follow him the exact way they did? Jesus said simply, "Come, follow me." He said this to Peter and Andrew, James and John. He said it to tax collecto...

210 – What if Jairus had not asked Jesus to heal his daughter? The answer is pretty obvious. She would not have been restored to life. I've been thinking of some of the challenges facing so many churches today and realized that Jairus's daughter being restored to life is a wonderful  metaphor for what can happen to our churches when we turn to Christ for help. All too often, a struggling...

209 – How often do you think about your spiritual identity? It's one thing to identify yourself based on what you see in the mirror or how much money you have in the bank, and lots of other such things. But your real identity, who you are way down deep, is spiritual. It's who you are as a child of God made in God's image and likeness. This week I talk with Jared Capello, a life coac...

208 – What if you dug up a metal box in your back yard full of old gold coins? How would you feel? Pretty good, right? Why is it that, just the idea of unexpectedly getting a lot of money, makes us feel good? Well, it's probably because we tend to think of how much money we have as the source of how much happiness we can have in life. But Jesus gave us a completely different perspective on li...

207 – What would happen if you built your house on the sand next to the beach? You might have a beautiful house, but over time the water would probably erode the sand around and underneath your house. And your house would fall apart. Jesus uses the idea of a house built on a rock or the sand as a metaphor for obeying, or not obeying, the moral and spiritual precepts he taught in the Sermon on the...

206 – Is legalism killing your church? Legalism puts a strangle hold on a church. It stunts the spiritual growth of the members and worst of all, it stifles the activity of the Holy Spirit. But legalism is not a new thing . Jesus had to deal with the same tendency with the religious leaders of his day. They were more interested in observing all the minute rules and laws than having a relationship...

205 –  How can the book of James help your church grow? For a church to grow, there has to be a strong moral and spiritual foundation in Christ. And that's what the book of James is all about. In fact, it's very similar in tone with the Sermon on the Mount. When you and your church put these teachings into practice, individually and collectively, you will flourish. This week I talk with...

204 – Have you ever felt unwanted? I have a friend who was told by his parents that he was a mistake. They had not intended to have any more children.  They constantly reminded him of this, as if it was  his fault he was born. And they never gave him the love and support they gave to his brothers and sisters. All his life he has struggled with the feeling of being unwanted. It has affected him in...

203 – What if Jesus was the preacher at your church? How would things be different? Would you listen more carefully to what was said? Would you be more inspired? Would you be afraid he might read your mind and see the things you don't want anyone to know about? How would it change you? Would you invite your friends to come the next week? I've been thinking about this lately. And that&apo...