VERSED

Whether it is your family or your workplace, do you know those people that just walk in, and their joy just lights up a room? Can think of others where they are just joyless; they are just negative and it rubs off. This is even a reminder for me to take stock on how many joyful people are around me…or not.  Today’s verses tell us that real joy can exist outside of relationships and standard of liv...

What is that one thing in your life that seems too difficult to overcome? Just focus on one thing. I’ll ask you more guided questions. What is this one thing that is keeping you from moving forward? Or moving at all? That makes you want to quit or avoid? These can be addictions, pain, grief, illness, financial insecurity, depression, anxiety but don’t stop at that, get really specific about this o...

What do you think of when you think of judgment from God? Some picture natural disasters or plagues. Or spectacular economic collapse. Either way, most people's conception of divine judgment is dramatic and devastating. Yet more often God chooses very simple and yet even more deeply devastating ways to judge His people. // Everything you need is here Included in that link is a list of resourc...

When it comes to fear, some people never want to admit that they’re afraid. Fear of man in our cultural context can be subtle and we can easily deny that it has gripped our hearts. We all lock our doors and glance nervously around us when we’re passing through certain neighborhoods in the city. But the fear that causes us to be hypocritical or to avoid confrontation at all costs, the fear of rejec...

The Bible is that it's a brutally realistic book. I'm grateful for that. It doesn't cover up sin or minimize suffering. Some Christians act like it does. Some will attack the Bible for condoning rape and slavery and murder, but the Bible doesn't condone those actions; it just shows them for what they are. In today's passage, we see two heart-breaking "horror show&quot...

Chapter 9 in Isaiah brings a promise of a future blessing in the Messiah, verse 6 is a famous verse “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given;” this is the prophecy of Jesus Christ given nearly 700+ years before his birth. Today though we are going to read and reflect and meditate on the two verses prior and understand in a deeper and fuller way who Jesus is and what God has done for you. ...

God’s commandments are simple to understand but we don’t follow them. I understand what I SHOULD do and WANT to do but I DONT always. Here’s a question that smacked me upside the head as I studied today’s passage…How patient is God with me? // Everything you need is here Included in that link is a list of resources and references I use in this podcast and can help you grow deeper in your faith as...

Psalm 141 gives us a practical example to follow of how to respond to evil. It is a Psalm of dealing with liars, manipulators, schemers on the outside…but also our own hearts do the same thing to us. It’s incredibly practical for today. We have very real enemies plotting against us every day. Our own hearts deceive us, our feelings and emotions change all the time, we cannot and should not trust t...

We are not comfortable with the idea of submission. I can’t tell you the amount of conversations I’ve had with close friends and family about it as it relates to the Bible. Some examples... “Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority” “Submit yourselves, then, to God.” "Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands (as you do to the Lord.) “not my will, but yours be done.”...

What is your hope? What are you going to plead when you face your Maker and Judge in maybe twenty years — thirty, forty, five, or even three hours? What will your plea be when he says, “So, what right do you have as a sinner in my absolutely perfect presence in heaven?” What will your answer be? If you try to say, “I was as good as so-in-so,” that will not cut it. You might’ve been as good as this...

We are dropping into the narrative of Jesus’ earthly ministry on the way to Jerusalem. He had appointed 72 other disciples in addition to the twelve to travel ahead of him two-by-two into towns that he would be visiting.  They were to carry out the mission of proclaiming the kingdom of God, not just in their words but in their actions. This was a life or death mission and it needed to be done quic...

I came across today’s verse in my personal prayer time. It was this verse that was combined with the directive to “give God whatever glory or adoration comes to mind.” It actually gave me trouble. I thought to myself and asked myself, “how do I actually do that?” How do I give God glory? How do I show Him that I adore Him? What should I actually say to Him right now? Then I thought about what I’d...

Have you ever felt far from Jesus? If I asked you to close your eyes and imagine he is sitting right next to you, how would you feel?  It’s normal to feel far from Him, I think that’s why Jesus’ final teaching showed us how to remain close to Him. It’s practical and easy to wrap our heads around and we will dive into that today. Think about what is going on in your life right now and your relation...

There are constant thieves at your door every single day and night and they’re called unmet expectations - always ready to steal your happiness and contentment.  All of us fill our lives with expectations, some good and some bad — what job we should get, what kind of spouse we’ll be married to, how that spouse will treat us, who our children will become. Our minds constantly fill in the blank slat...

Jesus Christ did not come into the world to assist you in meeting your desires. He came into the world to change your desires so that he is the main one. So many preachers, influencers and others try to meet you "right where you are" with your desires, desires that you share with every fallen human being in the world and they'll say: “Jesus came to meet that.” Well, he didn’t. He ca...

Each of us has our own wilderness. A place where you struggle, wander, try to figure out life with no clear answers, you face issues. You could be wrestling with relationships with friends, loved ones or family. Maybe you desperately want children and it isn’t happening foryou. Maybe it's not related to the home at all; it may be connected to your employment. With others its finances; you liv...

Yes, the Bible really says that. I was surprised, too.  // Everything you need is here Included in that link is a list of resources and references I use in this podcast and can help you grow deeper in your faith as well.  As always – ratings and reviews are massive! They really help others discover the podcast and ultimately help us improve VERSED. Thanks in advance for that 😊 Love you all – keep...

I learned recently that whenever the New Testament talks about leadership, it never emphasizes the authority of the leader. It emphasizes the danger of their own leadership. Interesting right?  It was encouraging to me because I was doubting my own abilities even as a man and a leader professionally and personally. Culture is telling me to be essentially to be a leader is to serve myself by either...

Have you ever found yourself intentionally not praying or reading the Bible or going to church because you feel guilty? Or you don’t want to feel convicted?  We generally handle guilt by avoiding dealing with it. And that goes back to day one in humanity. It all began in the Garden of Eden after Adam and Eve disobeyed God, and we’ve been using their faulty methods in an attempt to silence guilt ev...

The world you could say is marked by warfare. Conflict and fighting all around us. We feel and see the effects of it, we try to numb the effects of it while also becoming numb to its existence in the first place. What is the root of it all? And what is the secret to a true happy life? I recently returned from a sabbatical to rest, recover from a difficult season of my life and to renew my mind and...

It’s said in the Bible that David was a man after God’s own heart. Have you ever thought about what that looks like? We will certainly see one example today. David gives us the playbook on how we should respond when God says “no” to our plans.   // Everything you need is here Included in that link is a list of resources and references I use in this podcast and can help you grow deeper in your fait...

Over 2000 years ago, every moment before and every second since, Jesus was  fighting back your depression, your fear, your pain, your worry. He was contending against hell…for you! I like the way Whitney Lowe from Scribble Devos puts it, "Jesus was grabbing evil by its throat, getting right up in its face and claiming YOU as His own." Jesus chose to entire darkness so that we didn’t have...

When pain is crushing you, darkness feels like it is surrounding you, and you are overwhelmed by the things that need to be done that you simply don’t have the energy to accomplish… what should you do?  Maybe you feel like, well God uses everything for good so I should be joyful knowing that truth. Do you feel like something is wrong with you because you can’t feel joyful? When your heart is break...

Are you at the end of your strength? Is your life’s tank running on empty and everything you are trying to do to fill it up doesn’t seem to be working? Are you tired of trying? Do you want to quit? Are you frustrated, angry and overwhelmed, and sad all at the same time? I am.  As I was looking for answers from God, exasperated with the weight and effort of simply standing still, He led me to Ephes...

If you’re in the middle of a trying time in your life all you want is some peace.  My peace is this imagined place of sitting back in a comfortable chair with my feet up. The tension in my core muscles and neck is released as I trust the chair to support me. I picture that I’m on this beautiful wrap-around porch as the warm breeze of spring blows through the open windows and the aroma of new bloom...